Spike/Relationships

Spike had various relationships over the years.

Romantic
Spike’s love life has largely been unsatisfying and strained. Despite attracting many women, he was prone to falling hard for the ones who would never be able to give him a true chance when it came to a real, successful relationship — something pointed out to him by Xander Harris. Consequently, Spike suffered much pain over his genuine affections, most notably those for Buffy Summers and Drusilla. Due to the constant rejections and setbacks in love, Spike developed insecurities and a rather cynical viewpoint of ever having what he desired despite his efforts.

Cecily


An English maid, Cecily was the focus of William Pratt’s affections as a human. He wrote numerous love poems in her honor, but was only humiliated for his efforts. At a party she firmly stated that he was "nothing" to her, and that she considered him "beneath her". Following her rejection, William fled to an alley, where he was approached and sired by Drusilla. Cecily was later revealed as Halfrek, a vengeance demon. When the two were reunited in Sunnydale, Spike immediately recognized her, but was too embarrassed to reveal it.

Drusilla


Spike first encountered Drusilla just after he was rejected by Cecily; he fled the party he had been attending, and sobbed in a nearby alleyway. Drusilla, who had decided to choose a playmate, sired him. He grew immensely attached to her, and later praised her as "the face of his salvation." He was devastated when he first caught Drusilla having sex with Angelus. Though his attitude was left hardened as a result, he maintained strong affection for her. The two eventually went off on their own, during which time their relationship flourished. When she was left in a weakened state a near-death-encounter in Prague, he sought refuge for her near the Sunnydale Hellmouth; his main motivation in remaining in Sunnydale was to help her recover.

After Angel lost his soul and rejoined them, Drusilla resumed a sexual relationship with her sire once more. Saddened and envious, Spike was prompted to betray Angelus and escape Sunnydale with Drusilla in tow. In Brazil, she cheated on him once more, with a chaos demon. However, it was later revealed that Drusilla had broken up with him because thanks to her visions she could see his suppressed obsession and soon to be realized "feelings" for Buffy after he aided her in stopping Acathla and could not tolerate it when all she saw when she looked at him was the Slayer. Spike returned to Sunnydale afterwards to get a love potion, but later changed his mind and decided that torturing her would win her back, though that too failed.

A chip-implanted Spike would later mention her during a failed suicide attempt, saying "Goodbye, Dru. See you in Hell." When discussing his failed relationship with Drusilla with Anya, Spike stated that they should kill their lovers as payback. However, when Anya declined, Spike was unwilling to truly stake Dru, as he did still love her. When Xander had admitted to Spike not many people understood his interest in Anya, Spike stated he could relate and reminisced over his previous relationship with Drusilla, saying "No one ever really got Dru, y’know?"

Drusilla returned to Sunnydale in the hopes of reforming their "family". Spike seemed intrigued and retained some of his feelings for her, briefly deciding to come with her and get back to the way he was. After feeding a dead human and knocking out Buffy, Spike suddenly turned on Drusilla and tied them both up to come to a decision once and for all. Making up his mind fairly easily, Spike confessed his love to Buffy and desperately tried to convince her it was real. Drusilla suddenly laughed at him, revealing that she had known all along he loved her as a result of her unique abilities. When Buffy still refused to take his feelings seriously, Spike grew frustrated and decided to stake Drusilla so she could believe him. He then expressed his twisted fondness of Drusilla and said she meant very much to him, saying she "saved him from mediocrity". While Spike was sidetracked by Harmony, Drusilla managed to set herself free and attacked Buffy (who was still chained). Spike pulled her away from her and saved Buffy. Seeing where his loyalties lie, an upset and disappointed Drusilla gave up on Spike and left, seeing him as far too "lost" for her to help him.

The two were briefly reunited when Drusilla was hired by Wolfram & Hart to assist her new lover, John, who went after Spike in his warped belief that the vampire had stolen his soul. Initially reluctant to see her, Spike having comprehension that Dru was toxic and dangerous for his friends. Spike briefly transferred his soul to Drusilla to try and redeem his old love, but took it back when he recognized that her fragile mental state meant she could not cope with the guilt caused by possessing a soul. Spike then had Willow admit Drusilla to the Mosaic Wellness Center. When Buffy traveled in his memories, it was clear that Drusilla was only present in his dark past. In contrast to Darla and Angel’s relationship, Dru didn’t directly reject Spike when he gained his soul, but came to acknowledge that Drusilla just had a twisted obsession with him rather than love, Spike plausibly concluding that he was just the object of fixation, even if he still had some respect and affection for his sire due to their complex past.

Harmony Kendall


After becoming a vampire, Harmony Kendall began a relationship with Spike. However, he saw her as nothing more than a sexual plaything and a nuisance rather than a true girlfriend. Spike expressed extreme impatience at Harmony while trying to find the Gem of Amara, often threatening her and yelling at her. When Harmony complained about him loving the tunnels (where the gem was) more than her, he had bluntly replied: “I love syphilis more than you.“ His anger had reached the point where had had even staked her with a stake, trying to kill her. However, she had survived thanks to the Gem of Amara; Spike didn’t seem regretful of his attempted killing of her.

They broke up when Spike was captured by the Initiative, only for him to return back to Harmony. After feebly trying to stay angry with him, Spike managed to easily seduce her enough to have sex with her again. This brief fling ended between them just as quickly, due to Harmony’s annoyance at his obsession with killing Buffy. She had then preceded to burn some of his things, including his Sex Pistols albums. Unable to feed on humans anymore, Spike desperately sought out Harmony for help. She refused him and expressed a desire for him to leave since they were "over". Annoyed, Spike tried his typical solution of seduction. After some hesitation, Harmony resisted and pulled out a stake to drive him away. Not wanting to be killed, he left.

Spike would reunite with Harmony after she resolved to be her own person and be Buffy’s arch-nemesis. Despite their previous parting having been hostile, Spike was almost kind to her and expressed an interest in what she had done since he had last saw her. He flirted with her, and found her attempt at being “evil” amusing. When Harmony told him she was aiming to kill Buffy just as he did, Spike heavily doubted she would succeed and pegged her plan to kidnap a loved one of hers without even trying, even advising her to leave killing Buffy to the “professionals”. However, he once again showed no true loyalty to Harmony, as after three punches to the face by Buffy, he revealed the whereabouts of her hideout.

Harmony would later seek protection from Spike, as she had believed Buffy was hunting her down to kill her. Spike was amused, and requested that she sleep with him in order for him to help her; Harmony agreed immediately. The two of them tried to kill Buffy by threatening a doctor to remove the chip in his head, but was ultimately once again unsuccessful. Spike would soon sleep with Harmony again, but would have a sexual fantasy of Buffy soon afterwards.

Spike would continue a relationship half-heartedly with Harmony as he struggled to come to terms with his hate as well as love for Buffy, apparently having a fantasy of brutally fighting against her while having sex with Harmony. As his obsessive love for Buffy grew more and more, he began to pay even less attention to Harmony. He had only decided to sleep with her again when she role-played as a slayer with a stake wearing Buffy’s sweater. Spike’s relationship with her ultimately ended permanently when he reiterated his feelings for Buffy and his lingering feelings for Drusilla. Harmony gave up on the possibility of Spike truly caring for her and out of anger, shot him with a crossbow and fought him for revenge. When she left town, Spike didn’t care.

The two are reunited at Wolfram & Hart, where they have a brief but disastrous sexual fling. Later on, they are able to have a civil, humorously heart-to-heart conversation in which Spike alleviates some of Harmony’s insecurities. A year and a half later, when Buffy mockingly calls him "Blondie Bear", Spike told her to not call him that, as it reminded him of Harmony who, according to him, completely ruined Dancing with the Stars and was a “moron”. After Spike helped Angel and Faith to defeat Eyghon in London, Angel gave Spike Harmony’s phone number as a thanks. The next morning, the two were seen the exiting the shower together and proceeded to have sex in Faith’s basement. Spike has since apologized to Harmony for how he treated her both pre and post soul.

Buffy Summers


Spike’s interest in Buffy was completely subconscious at first; he had helped her to defeat Angelus, and was only later informed of his attraction by Drusilla when the pair traveled to Brazil. Drusilla’s abilities caused her to foresee Spike’s devotion to the Slayer. Spike blew this off immediately and scoffed at her visions. Returning to Sunnydale, Spike was consumed with an obsession to kill Buffy, establishing himself as one of her bitter enemies. After another failed attempt, Spike was chipped by the Initiative. This prevented him from being able to carry out his plans to kill her and left him useless. Despite his outward hate of Buffy and everything about her, Spike revealed a deeply suppressed sexual attraction to Buffy when Faith (in Buffy’s body) mercilessly came on to him only to give him an off-hand rejection. Spike was furious with both her and himself, threatening they would have a confrontation after his chip was out. When Jonathan worked a charm that made everyone in Sunnydale think that he was cool, Spike felt a stronger rivalry with him than with Buffy. However, Spike took great enjoyment in taunting her nonetheless and once again revealed a twisted attraction to her.

Spike’s obsession with ending Buffy’s life would eventually prove too much to bear, and he went to extreme lengths to attempt to remove the chip from his head. Once again failing to kill her, Spike lost control. He ranted uncontrollably that Buffy made his life torture and would never leave him alone, stating she was haunting him. In a dream of his, Buffy had come to finally kill Spike and Spike encouraged her, unable to bear seeing her everyday. Unsuspectingly, Spike pulled Buffy into a passionate kiss and told her he loved her. Spike woke from his fantasy, shocked and horrified at the true feelings he had for her. Spike was still in denial and could not come to terms with his ambivalent feelings for Buffy. When hearing that someone was planning to kill Buffy, a briefly hesitant Spike had immediately declared he would watch her die. However, when the time came and he saw Buffy fighting, Spike could not "just" watch and found himself helping her. Buffy ignored him, much to Spike’s irritation and dissatisfaction.

Spike would later open up to a hostile Buffy about his past when she wanted to improve her slayer abilities, again expressing his love/hate for her. Spike deeply shook Buffy emotionally when he had told her the slayers had died because they had wanted to and that every slayer had a "death wish", even Buffy herself. Their tense meeting erupted when Spike had coerced her into hitting him and attempted to impulsively kiss her. An angry Buffy resisted, saying that even if she did want to die, he would never be the one to kill her since he "beneath her". Spike was reminded of Cecily’s romantic rejection of him, and wept silently to himself after she had left. However, Spike became furious afterwards and impulsively got a shotgun to kill Buffy despite his chip. However, his attempt was aborted when he had walked in on her crying on her back porch. Spike became sympathetic and concerned, awkwardly comforting her and just sitting with her with some hesitation; Buffy did not resist, too miserable and overwhelmed to care.

Spike’s lack of soul caused his love to come off as very obsessive, breaking into her house when Buffy was not there and smelling her sweater and other clothes before taking them to his crypt. Spike would also be responsible for her break-up with Riley, as he led Buffy to find her boyfriend being fed on by vampires for the intoxicating effects. During a conversation with him, Spike admitted that while he believed Buffy could only love a man with some monster in him, he did not think he had a chance with her, but he would try anyway. He also confessed he felt jealous of Riley, despite the fact that she did not love him, because at least he had something. Believing that Buffy had blamed him for her break-up with Riley, Spike practiced conversations with a mannequin with a blonde wig in her clothes to apologize to her. However, Spike became impatient and lost control, arguing he was the one on her side but all she ever repaid him with was hatred. Furious, Spike brutally hit the mannequin with a box of chocolates then regained control of himself and tried again. He went to extreme lengths to connect with Buffy and help her, but she once again brushed him off.

After dealing with more of her hostility after he “saved” her during a fight, Spike was fed up and began taunting her over her failed relationships with Riley and Angel, saying maybe she had been the reason why it never worked out. His cruel remarks just strengthened Buffy’s emerging belief that they was something wrong with her. However, Spike would later accept the responsibility of protecting Joyce and Dawn when Glory was near, this time without being paid in the process. Spike would also apparently try to give Buffy a dented box of chocolates for her 20th birthday, but abandoned the idea when Dawn claimed she would never accept a present from him. He would also get into an argument with her after he had helped Dawn realize she was the Key and managed to win it, explaining that Dawn should’ve known right from the start what she was so she would’ve felt less betrayed. The two of them teamed up to find her and Spike even comforted Buffy over her sister.

Spike would also try to talk with her at The Bronze, only for her to bluntly and rudely remind him they weren’t friends. He would also attempt to spend time with Buffy during a "vampire stakeout" as if it was a date. She realized this and Spike finally took the opportunity to confess his feelings and insist she felt something for him too. Buffy was thoroughly horrified and repulsed, telling him what he felt was not real since he was soulless and that there was nothing between them. Spike was also revealed to had built a shrine devoted to Buffy, filled with pictures of her and some of her clothes. Being seduced by Drusilla, he would proceed to knock out both Buffy and Drusilla to tie them up and come to a decision over them. Spike chose Buffy and told her he loved her, begging her to give him some sort of small chance with her. She was shocked a minute, but then coldly rejected him. Spike lost patience and admitted to Buffy that he knew his feelings were wrong and that he did not like loving her because it took away everything about him until all that was left was her and a dead shell of himself. After Drusilla escaped, he tried again to convince her that they had something real only for Buffy to furiously deny him, telling Spike to stay away from her and her family.

Buffy consequently cut all ties from him and alienated Spike from the Scoobies. Losing complete patience and growing desperate, Spike resorted to arranging Warren to make a robot for himself if he could not have the real Buffy. After sleeping with the Buffybot based on his attraction to Buffy, Spike would endure intense torture at the hands of Glory due to his refusal to tell her who the Key was. Buffy initially believed he would sell Dawn out, but was stunned when Spike confessed he would have never have done that because he couldn’t bear seeing Buffy in so much pain. Moved by the devotion she didn’t think he had, she softly kissed him out of gratitude for what he did for her. Spike was shocked and immensely grateful. After Buffy fell catatonic due to her failure to protect Dawn, Spike was concerned and roughly tried to bring her back to her senses. He even slapped her in an attempt to revive her, but also made a crude insinuation to Xander that Buffy "liked it rough". At that time, he came to accept that Buffy would never love him, and settled instead for her trust in him. When she lost her life in the fight against Glory, he broke down crying, guilt-ridden for his inability to protect her and Dawn.

By then, his attraction to her had undergone an enormous transformation; he desired her on an emotional level as well as a physical one. Following her death, Spike dedicated himself to joining the Scooby Gang to honor Buffy’s memory and refused to ever leave Dawn’s side because of his promise to protect her. Spike would also apparently refuse to ever look directly at the Buffybot since he was reminded him too much of the real Buffy. After her resurrection, he initially comforted her and served as her confidant. She felt that she couldn’t discuss the fact that she was ripped out of heaven with her friends, so she began to go Spike instead. This tentative friendship ended abruptly when the two eventually began a violent sexual relationship. Though Spike knew he was being used, he went along with it in the hopes of gaining emotional closeness from Buffy. Ashamed, Buffy made several attempts to end it before finally revealing it to her friends. Spike continued to pursue her even afterward they had broken up; his obsession quickly grew out of hand, and culminated in him making an aborted attempt to rape her while she was wounded.

Utterly repentant for his mistake and disgusted with himself, he left Sunnydale and underwent several dangerous trials to restore his soul. Upon his return to Sunnydale, he begged in a near-insane state that Buffy forgive him for his past actions. Above all, he still desired to be loved. The two grew closer than ever while planning for the battle against the First Evil. Spike remained loyal to her when her friends abandoned her, and in a moment of pure strength, confessed not only his love for her, but his admiration of the woman she had become. On the night preceding the final fight, Spike oversaw Buffy kissing Angel, and felt briefly betrayed; his frustration vanished when Buffy declared him her Champion by giving him the amulet Angel had left with her in anticipation of the battle. As Spike prepared to sacrifice his life to close the Hellmouth, Buffy told him that she loved him, much to his disbelief.

After his resurrection in Los Angeles, he delayed telling her about his continued survival, as he felt it would cheapen his sacrifice, but she found out on her own anyway. After reuniting with her during the Twilight crisis, he battled by her side once more. He accompanied her when she delved into the ruins of Sunnydale to destroy the Seed of Wonder, and subsequently met her on the fire escape of Xander and Dawn’s apartment to assure her that he agreed with her decision to remove magic from the world. He was welcomed into Buffy’s new apartment during her housewarming party. Both Eldre Koh and Detective Dowling of the San Francisco Police Department got Spike to admit his continued love for Buffy, and encouraged him to tell her. Just when he was about to confess once more, Buffy threw him for a loop by announcing that she was pregnant and intended to have an abortion. She asked Spike to accompany her, and he agreed. After Buffy was revealed to be a robot created by Andrew, Spike resolved to leave her, stating that he was never sure where her heart was, and that he had grown tired of being her "dark place". He reassured her that he didn’t blame her and that he believed in her just as much as ever, knowing full-well that she would always do the right thing and that he would always have her back. He then departed on his ship, much to Buffy’s disappointment.

Following his departure, Spike went through a period of intense depression, stating in his inner monologues that there would always be darkness in him and that he could never embrace the light Buffy represented. Spike would also lament the brief time he thought she was pregnant, as he had hoped he would’ve been able to take care of her and have a normal life with her. While leading fish demons in the ruins of Sunnydale, he reminisced about Buffy and became further depressed. Spike would later reject Morgan’s pass at a relationship with him, explaining that while his relationship with Buffy was frustrating and painful, it had been real. Because of that, he’d rather be miserable in "real love" than perfectly content with "fake love". When he traveled to London to help Angel, he admitted to Faith Lehane that he still loved Buffy, and desperately poured his insecurities about her out to a deranged Angel.

After returning to San Francisco to comfort a quickly vanishing Dawn, Spike decided to stay and help Buffy however he could even if all she wanted from him was friendship. His aim was to attempt to get over her or at the very least find a place in her life without making any demands on her, and has become her fighting partner, moving in with Xander in a flat next door to the girls and finally becoming an integral and accepted part of the Scooby Gang. Buffy and Spike often commented on the mature aspect of their own friendship, but their close friends noticed the forceful nature of these statements. While Buffy often remarked their unhappy past together and fear of repeating history, Spike confessed his lasting interest on the Slayer to Dowling and Xander, after insistence from both. When confronted with her feelings in a conversation with Dawn, Buffy preferred leaving to help Spike fighting in a cemetery, where she suddenly kissed him. Seeing his confusion, Buffy explained they both were currently in differently places and had grown since their last attempt, and realized she "never really gave us a shot." Since he had recently accepted his position with her, Spike became even more confused, asking her if she wasn’t simply trying to be with him because it was another unattainable relationship. His accusations made angered her, and she left. After a conversation with Xander, who supported them together, Spike sough Buffy to apologize, but she then agreed with him, saying Spike and his friendship were too important to complicate again, and thanked him for doing the right thing. Spike, though, pointed one problem: he was in love with her. They had sex that night and since then have resumed their relationship.

When Buffy was faced with a critical crisis to save the world, she took her anger and frustration on her friends, in special on his boyfriend Spike. Saddened he wanted to help but only making her angry, Spike suggested them to break up. He pointed his inability to give her a normal life despite his want, and it’d be easier for the to call things off before it hurts worse later. Buffy immediately stopped crying and disagreed with him, and asked him to follow her in her mission and hit the road. With the time, Buffy agreed it would be easier to break up indeed, but it wasn’t right; she could’ve had a normal relationship with Riley, but it didn’t erase other challenges, as nothing would ever be perfect. Buffy declared that they together was something she didn’t want to lose without a fight, and she wanted to give it a try. Spike recognized he did make her a symbol of everything he needed: salvation, redemption, love, a reason to go on and be better; that he was selfish and needed it at the time. But he didn’t anymore, so he wanted to give it a try too, this time with the actual her. Spike confided with Dowling, about his relationship with Buffy, that "things are ace now. Equal, like. About how we make each other better, not some selfish neuroses our mom and dad hammered into us." After once again saving the world, Buffy was finally able to tell Spike she loved him.




 * Morgan — Morgan was a courtesan demon Spike encountered after leaving San Francisco on his journey of self-discovery. She was sultry and flirtatious with him, who was once more recovering from depression as a result of his continued love for Buffy Summers. Spike kissed her in a moment of weakness, only to reject her advances, deciding that he would rather be miserable in "real" love than happy in something "fake."


 * Lavinia and Sophronia Fairweather — When helping Faith Lehane to retire Rupert Giles’soul from Angel, Spike meet Giles’aunts and tried vainly to seduce them, by an discussion on their immortal point of view. Comically, the two deluded and somewhat superficial women reject the vampire, establishing that he was most fun if he didn’t have a soul.

Buffybot


After Buffy’s initial rejection of him, Spike blackmailed Warren Mears into creating the Buffybot for him as a sex toy. Though he initially enjoyed it, it resulted in him being captured by Glory’s minions under the belief that he was the Key. Buffy later posed as the inactive Buffybot to see whether or not Spike had betrayed Dawn’s identity as the Key, presenting him with a kiss when she discovered the lengths he went in order to protect them. After Buffy’s death, the Buffybot was reprogrammed to perform Slayer duties, but its original programming resurfaced sometimes. This greatly upset Spike and he gruffly ordered Willow to get rid of it completely. It was also noted by the Buffybot that Spike refused to ever look directly at her since she reminded him too much of the real Buffy.

Anya Jenkins
Spike and Anya never showed outright hatred of each other like most of the Scooby Gang did in the beginning. Anya had attempted to give him Xander’s lamp as a customary gift and gave Spike advice over keeping his blood fresh. Spike later attempted to rob Anya of her money by "scaring" her with his vampire face, only for Anya to be annoyed rather than threatened and join him for a drink. Afterwards, they discussed their shared cynical viewpoints on love and relationships as well as the “old days” when they had been able to hurt and kill people. Spike offered that they should both kill their lovers (Drusilla, Xander) for payback, only for Anya to decline. Spike agreed, not truly wanting to kill Drusilla himself either. Anya took Spike to the Initiative party unknowingly to have some fun. Upon the realization, Spike was angry and shocked that she had taken him into to such a dangerous area when he was still wanted by them. While both were grieving over their failed relationships, Spike and Anya drowned their sorrows in alcohol and had sex in The Magic Box. This became complicated due to the cameras the Trio had inserted in The Magic Box, and their liaison was seen by the entire Scooby Gang. They never interacted romantically again (although Anya used wanting sex as her excuse for searching Spike’s room when they were investigating the murders he committed when under the control of the First). Nonetheless, they shared a certain bond due to their then-states of powerlessness, namely Spike’s anti-human aggression chip and Anya’s human status. The two return to a friendly relationship afterwards.

Maria “Spider” Harley
After the fall of Los Angeles, Spike was imprisoned by the demon lord Non. Spider, one of her followers, fell for Spike and became sexually intimate with him. After breaking free from Non, Spider joined Spike’s harem in Beverly Hills. When Los Angeles was restored Spike broke up with her after he had an Illyria time flash that showed him decapitating Spider in the future. She took the pen name Spider Harley and published a series of successful novels, Twinkle, loosely based on their time together.

Antagonistic
"As long as there’s injustice in the world, as long as scum like you is walking… well, rolling the streets… I’ll be around. Look over your shoulder. I’ll be there."

- Angelus about his relationship with Spike



Angel
Though often allies, Spike and Angel have always had a tense relationship and rivalry whether on the side of good or evil. Upon his siring, William briefly idolized Angelus, but quickly grew to envy his continued sexual relationship with Drusilla, whom Spike ignorantly believed to be his. He adopted the "Spike" title and persona in order to remain in Drusilla’s good graces, and to protect his rather sensitive self against Angelus’ attempts to harden him emotionally. He later declared to an ensouled Angel that although Drusilla had sired him, it had been Angelus’ influence over him that had transformed him into a monster. During almost twenty years of “family life”, Spike and Angelus’s relationships became increasingly antagonistic. Angelus found Spike’s reckless rampaging savage and unnecessary and hated how Spike’s continual public violence caused the Whirlwind to be in hiding. Spike, in turn, did not understand Angelus’ focus on "art" since his only sole ambition was to seek out fights for the rush and no "greater purpose" like Angelus had over being evil. After Angel was ensouled, Spike remained evil and contemptuous towards him, repeatedly mocking his “noble” tendencies as well as his feelings for Buffy. He would also participate in intense torture of Angel in an effort to get the Gem of Amara. Spike’s established dislike of Angel also manifested into the programming of the original Buffybot, who commented to Willow "Angel’s lame. His hair points straight up and he’s bloody stupid." Once ensouled, Angel has repeatedly accused Spike of wanting to be him, noting that every action Spike took throughout his life was something Angel had done first: adopting Angelus’ violent reputation after his ensoulment in the late 19th century, Spike’s chip acting as a substitute soul and most notably, falling in love with Buffy Summers. Furthermore, it has been observed by Faith that Spike has become more like Angel, much to his irritation. Ironically, one of the most significant causes of their conflict is the fact that their romantic attentions are very often focused on the same woman, either Drusilla or Buffy (though in the case of Drusilla, Angel’s interest was very much based on his soulless desire to hurt Spike, whom he knew had become pitifully attached to her). Their animosity was only strengthened when Angel learned that he and Spike were both in love with Buffy, causing them to frequently compete and argue over their similar affections for her. Still, it has been pointed out on many occasions that Spike and Angel are similar. Though they have remained reluctant to admit it, both are vampires fighting the good fight, both are sarcastic, both are ensouled, both have long-lasting affection for Buffy and both are unrelentingly stubborn. Despite their constant antagonism, they do seem to have a degree of affection for each other, as Spike appeared genuinely surprised and happy to see Angel and hugged him upon his arrival in Sunnydale, and Angelus greeted him with a kiss on the forehead upon losing his soul again. After Spike regained his soul and was forced to relocate to Los Angeles, they were seen drinking together, and were able to have benign conversations; Angel even admitted to Spike that he had always liked his poetry. It has also been comically suggested that he and Angel share some sort of sexual history. Over the years, their mutual hatred has evolved into a less volatile distaste; they are at peace with each other to a certain point, and are capable of working together with only some arguments. They have been repeatedly shown to make a highly effective team against enemies (the guardians of the Deeper Well, Illyria and later, Eyghon). Spike has maintained a partly hidden level of jealousy toward Angel, whom he ranted to in London about his own insecurities in regards to Buffy and his soul. After their reunion in London, Faith remarked that, despite their rather ancient rivalry, Spike and Angel understand each other better than anyone else.

Robin Wood
The son of Nikki Wood, a Slayer killed by Spike, Robin spent his life searching for the vampire that killed his mother in hopes of vengeance. With the help of Rupert Giles, he managed to trap the ensouled Spike in a room filled with crosses. Playing a song that the First Evil used as Spike’s trigger, Robin turned Spike from his rational self to a murderous beast. Though Spike eventually turned the tables on him, he spared him out of respect for Nikki, but vowed to kill him should Robin attempt to try something again.

Xander Harris


One of Spike’s most volatile relationships is with Xander. As with the rest of the Scoobies, Spike was initially his enemy back when he was evil. When a chipped Spike was starving and Xander was dying of syphilis due to the magic of the Chumash Indians, Spike had seriously suggested that he may be able to eat Xander since he would already be dead. Spike briefly lived with Xander in his basement flat, much to the disgust of both. Xander was distrustful of him and unnecessarily tied Spike to a chair, believing he would bite him in his sleep. Spike openly mocked this and claimed he was too distasteful to even bite, much to Xander’s protest. Spike also proceeded to mock his problems with Anya and her desire for more attention, greatly annoying him. After assuming Spike had been the cause for his loss of voice, he had casually dismissed him and proceeded to flip off Xander. He had also attacked Spike under the assumption that he had fed off Anya.

Xander taunted Spike and his inability to bite people any more, calling him a useless waste of space. Spike attempted to commit suicide soon after, and was immensely irritated when he failed. Xander was ambivalent of this, arguing that he should’ve allowed Xander to stake him since they lived together. Spike had also absently admitted in a frustrated rant that in his desperation he was considering biting Xander, someone he wouldn’t have stooped so low to bite a few months before. However, Xander genuinely saved the vampire when falling unconscious during a fight against Vahrall demons.

When Spike had finally decided to move out of Xander’s basement, he insulted the place as “dark and dank” and proceeded to steal Xander’s radio. Xander protested against this, only for Spike to snarkily remind him he was evil. When Xander was jealous of Anya "rebounding" with Spike, Spike was greatly amused and proceeded to taunt him for his obvious jealousy. However, the argument was short-lived when Xander had attempted to draw attention to Spike in a party full of Initiative members, making him jumpy and cautious. Spike had also expressed an awareness of Xander’s insecurity of being useless and forgotten about, playing on this by saying Buffy and Willow were discussing Xander joining the army as a good idea and successfully, albeit briefly, turning a hurt Xander against Buffy.

Spike would later run into a depressed Xander at The Bronze after an argument with Anya and Willow. Xander was unpleasant and ordered him to leave, but Spike chose to stay to annoy him. Ironically, the two played pool together and Xander confessed to Spike how torn he was over his loyalty to Willow and Anya. Spike was as nice as he could be towards him, but was only doing so because he wanted to know if Buffy blamed him for her failed relationship with Riley. While at The Bronze again, Spike would steal some of Xander’s money to buy himself a drink, much to Xander’s indignation.

When Spike’s obsession with Buffy became known to the Scoobies, Xander was just as disgusted as the others; when Spike later tried to leave a bouquet of flowers to the Summers home to pay his respects to Joyce, Xander refused to let him do so, firmly convinced that Spike was just trying to exploit the situation to score points with Buffy until after Spike threw the flowers down and stormed off, when he discovered from Willow that Spike hadn’t included a card with the flowers; later, despite being disgusted with him for having the Buffybot created, Xander nonetheless admitted that he felt a little sorry for Spike, since he was brutalized by Glory and lost his "favorite toy" all in one day. While Xander was reluctant to work with Spike while on the run from Glory, he would have a benign conversation with him and the two discussed whether they should run while the Knights of Byzantium are occupied or stay. He would also hit Xander on the back of the head when he failed to remember that Ben was Glory, stating it was worth it despite his chip going off. Still, they were able to work together under Willow’s orders to find Dawn’s whereabouts. Spike would soon after call Xander a "glorified bricklayer" and mock his belief that he was actually useful to the group.

Even when Spike was ensouled, Xander remained distrustful of him, certain for some time that he would attempt to rape Buffy again at the first opportunity. Despite this, they were capable of working together when the situation called for it, most notably when the girls of the Scooby Gang were all the victims of a love spell. However, Spike also saved Xander from the evil priest Caleb. While Xander and Spike’s mutual dislike of each other has become less over the years, especially post Sunnydale, it was clear it still nonetheless still existed. They had immediately snarked at each other when Spike called him from Andrew’s apartment to give him information on Simone, and Xander’s name in Spike’s phone contacts was "Wanker". Nevertheless, Spike had great respect towards Xander’s love for Dawn Summers, allowing him to speak with her by phone when she was starting to disappear because she was the Key. When the two became roommates after the return of magic, their antagonism started to fade when they discussed their relationship issues over a beer.

Riley Finn
Spike and Riley initially met each other on bad terms when Spike was captured and chipped by the Initiative and Riley’s team hunted the escaped Hostile 17. When the Scoobies later sheltered the harmless vampire Riley could not understand why Buffy didn’t dust Spike when he was no longer a useful source of information. Riley would eventually go to him for information on Dracula, though he made it very clear he had no reservations about killing Spike despite his helplessness, despite the fact that Buffy did. Spike was outraged and challenged him for the threat, but could ultimately do nothing to him due to the chip in his head. When Buffy had gone to Spike for information after Riley became increasingly reckless and ill, Spike happily questioned if he was going to die, earning a hard slap from her. Spike would also mock Riley’s relationship with Buffy, insulting her "satisfaction" with him by calling him "Captain Cardboard". Caught by Riley while smelling Buffy’s sweater in her house, Spike immediately did his utmost to make Riley doubt himself and his relationship with her. He taunted him over Buffy never being able to love him because he wasn’t dangerous enough, causing Riley to become borderline violent towards him. Their confrontation ended when Riley threw Spike out of the house in broad daylight, reluctantly giving him a blanket to protect himself afterwards. After helping bring about his break-up with Buffy, Riley had violently attacked him and even staked him with a plastic stake. Spike had been amused and taunted Riley again by manipulating his insecurities over Buffy loving him, saying he was not the guy for her long-term. When he had threatened to kill him if he touched Buffy, Spike shrugged it off and easily admitted he would’ve killed Riley long before now if he didn’t have the chip in his head. He also expressed his jealousy of Riley’s relationship with Buffy and that he saw him as having the better deal even if Buffy did not love him. Spike and Riley have a tense drink together, both able to relate to Buffy’s varying lack of reciprocation of their feelings. They saw each other again after meeting at the door of Buffy’s new apartment in San Francisco for her housewarming, but what passed between them is unknown.

Rupert Giles
Spike and Giles had a bad but weird relationship. Spike was allowed to live with Giles when he was chipped since he was helpless and held information on the Initiative. For a short time, the vampire lived in his flat with him, much to Giles’ utter agitation. Spike took great pleasure in taunting and annoying Giles, though he had helped him out when briefly under the effect of Willow’s magic, much to Giles’ surprise. Unable to tolerate Spike and his odd cravings for human food that was cleaning out his house, he ordered Xander to take him in instead. Both Xander and Spike were outraged by this.

Nonetheless, Giles had requested that Spike help him when he was turned into a Fyarl demon by Ethan Rayne. Spike had agreed to help him, but only if he paid him $200. When the Initiative tailed them, Spike had refused to protect Giles as he wanted to split the attention between them. However, when Giles offered to pay him another hundred dollars, Spike’s reservations were gone. While Giles had the grace to thank him for this, Spike remained ungrateful and hostile, claiming that he wanted nothing to do with any of them. Ironically, Spike would later seek him out after getting shot by the Initiative. Giles refused to help him given Spike’s earlier treatment of him. Angry and frustrated, Spike gave him back the remaining money he didn’t spend so they would remove the tracer in his back. Spike would then manipulate Giles under the order of Adam by mentioning how Buffy did not respect Giles and constantly disobeyed him, saying she no longer really needed him. As Spike had planned, Giles fell for this and was depressed.

Despite their openly antagonistic relationship, Giles had apparently watched several episodes of Passions with Spike in his period of unemployment. However, Giles was deeply horrified and ashamed of it, and preferred to pretend it never happened. While breaking into The Magic Box, Spike would mock Giles’ tiny handwriting after flipping through his watcher notes and then claimed he wrote just as boring as he talked. When his feelings for Buffy became known to the Scoobies, Giles’ reaction was the most violent; when Spike appeared in The Magic Box, the others limited themselves to verbally attacking him, whereas Giles roughly shoved him into the wall and coldly told him that they were not his friends or his way to Buffy as well as ordering him to move on. Giles’ reaction spurned a desperate Spike to get a sex robot of Buffy from Warren. Spike would also apparently program the original Buffybot to call Giles "Guy-iles" as an insult to him.

Nonetheless, Giles’s attitude softened somewhat over time when he saw Spike’s commitment to the good fight, though still did not particularly like him. During the Tabula Rasa memory spell the two even mistook each other as family with Giles suggesting brothers and Spike father and son — Giles’s response was that he did indeed feel a mix of "familiarity and disappointment" when he looked at Spike. And after the Ethan Rayne demon spell, Giles even went so far as to suggest that there might be some higher purpose for Spike’s capture and chipping by the Initiative. Despite this and the subsequent ensoulment, during the campaign of the First, Giles conspired with Robin Wood to kill Spike, believing him to be clouding Buffy’s better judgement, straining their relationship when Wood failed.

By the time of the coming of Twilight, the two of them seem to overcome most of their dislike for each other and were able to effectively work together during the battle of the Seed of Wonder. Giles had even referred to him as one of Buffy’s "truest loves". Since then, Spike helped Angel and Faith in their quest to resurrect Giles. Giles, now resurrected as a 12 year old kid, and Spike have developed a seemingly respectful relationship.


 * Wesley Wyndam-Pryce — When Spike joins Angel Investigations, Wesley is the member who interacts least with the vampire. Wesley shows himself often annoyed, in a more subtle way than Angel, by the blond vampire, possibly because the former Watcher has difficulty believing that the arch-nemesis of the Council became a kind person. Spike has the same consideration for Wesley as he had for Giles, considering him stuck up, too sensitive and old British (ironically, before meeting Drusilla, Spike had a similar personality). However, while Illyria abused Fred’s appearance, the vampire demonstrated certain respect for Wesley in mourning, by limiting interaction with the Old One so that she teams up with him on the ground.

Maternal

 * Anne Pratt — Spike’s mother. Some time in his adulthood, William’s mother became ill and he took care of her, often reading her his poetry. His focus on her detracted from his social life and, despite his mother’s urges, he had no interest in finding a romantic partner and considered her as the woman in his life. After being sired by Drusilla, Spike sired his mother with the intention of saving her life and bringing her with them. However, becoming a vampire brought out the darker aspects of Anne’s personality. She tells him that she had hoped a girlfriend would remove his smothering presence from her life and that she resented being a captive audience to his doting presence and terrible poetry. She then implied that he had always had sort of an Oedipal complex with her, wanting to have her in a sexual way. Grieved by this change, William killed his mother.


 * Joyce Summers — After his breakup with Drusilla, Joyce gives Spike hot chocolate and advice. The two also watched Passions together when Buffy had requested him to protect her and Dawn while Glory was near. When evidenced that he was in love for her daughter, Joyce was anxious, aware that he was dangerous and pretty twisted. Spike was greatly saddened by her death because he felt she was the only one who treated him decently and he even left anonymous flowers for her to pay his respects.

Clement
The friendly Loose-Skinned demon was first introduced as a kitten poker player in a game that Spike took Buffy to when he was attempting to show her his world. After this point it would seem that a friendship would develop between the two somewhat unusual demons with Clem accompanying Spike to Buffy’s birthday party and even crypt-sitting for Spike. He attempted to comfort a highly disturbed Spike after the encounter in the bathroom with Buffy, and was the one to break the news to the Slayer that Spike had left town, when he’d gone to Africa to face the demon trials.

Faith Lehane
While temporarily inhabiting Buffy’s body, Faith mercilessly flirted with Spike which visibly affected him. When she later returned to Sunnydale to help the Scoobies fight against the First Evil, they revisited that conversation, with Spike remembering every word ("It’s not the kind of thing a man forgets"). The two conversed easily, relating to each other on a personal level. They discussed how they have both been "dangerous" in the past, and acknowledged each other’s efforts toward redemption. This connection did not go unnoticed by Buffy, who was visibly jealous of the pair’s chemistry and fledgling friendship. Faith’s complicity in the mutiny against Buffy led her and Spike to fight before he left the Summers’ home, although they ultimately became allies once more in the final battle against the First.

A couple of years later, Spike and Faith are reunited to help Angel defeat Eyghon the Sleepwalker. When Angel became temporarily insane, they form a two-man partnership to retrieve the Essuary, an item that would extract Giles’ soul safely and store it. After defeating the soul-sucking demons that carried it, Faith and Spike once again have a heart-to-heart. He displayed a physical attraction to her and flirted with her only to have Faith shockingly refuse him, claiming she would only be a rebound. Under her constant prodding into his love life, Spike admitted to her that he did still love Buffy and was trying to move on. Understanding this, she showed support and gave him advice on how to get over her, allowing them to return to their previous easy friendship. However, this did not stop Faith from mocking him for his choice of rebound (Harmony) when they returned to the apartment and extracted Giles from Angel into the Essuary.

Dawn Summers
When Dawn left her house and decided to break into The Magic Box, Spike decided to come along with her, reasoning that it would be too dangerous for her to go alone and Buffy wouldn’t want her hurt. He also helped her realize that she was actually the Key in human form sent to be protected by the Slayer. When Buffy was angry over this, Spike seemed to side with Dawn and argued she should’ve known right from the start what she was. That way, she would’ve felt less betrayed and maybe wouldn’t have been so quick to act out. Dawn would arrive at Spike’s crypt soon after to spend time with him since he was the only one who treated her more like a grown-up. He was initially rude towards her and wanted her away, but warmed up to her and told her stories about the several murders he had done in the past before he was chipped. However, he changed his last story to something less evil and more heroic when Buffy arrived, not wanting to look bad in front of her. Dawn apparently developed a crush on Spike, but told Buffy he would never notice her because of his love for Buffy, consequently revealing to her sister his true feelings. Spike also expected Dawn to back him up when everyone was cutting him off from the Scoobies, but Dawn was cold towards him and ordered him to stay away from her.

When Dawn decided to resurrect her mother, Spike had decided to come along with her to help and protect her. Dawn had assumed that he was doing it to get Buffy to notice him, but Spike denied it and didn’t even want Buffy to know what they were doing. When questioned further by Dawn, Spike admitted that he didn’t like to see Summers women suffering and wanted to genuinely help her. She was surprised, but accepted. Spike went to extreme lengths to protect her the entire time. He appeared to develop a true fondness for Dawn, even nicknaming her "Little Bit". He would also endure great torture at the hands of Glory to protect Dawn, but later admitted he did this more for Buffy’s sake than Dawn’s.

Their relationship soon evolved into that of a big brother and little sister. After reeling from Tara’s insanity because of Glory, Dawn confessed to him her guilt over all the terrible things that were happening and that she saw herself as evil. Spike denied this was true, comforting her by saying he wasn’t good, but he was fine. Spike would also be Dawn’s personal protector in the fight against Glory, but he once again admitted his efforts had more to do with his promise to Buffy. Spike remained as Dawn’s protector once Buffy had died a second time, spurned by his guilt for not protecting her which led to Buffy sacrificing herself. However, he nonetheless held a great deal of fondness for Dawn beyond his promise to Buffy, and was extremely protective of her. Their relationship was briefly strained when Spike attempts to rape Buffy, leading Dawn to threaten to set Spike on fire should he hurt Buffy in any way, though they began to repair their relationship when they discovered Spike’s ensoulment, with Dawn being quick to defend Spike when Andrew asked why Buffy was so desperate to save him.

Willow Rosenberg


Spike had great affection and respect for Willow, who was one of the few members of the Scooby Gang who was genuinely friendly to him throughout his time in the group. When Spike kidnapped her in an attempt to force her to do a love spell on Drusilla, he confided in her, and she awkwardly comforted him. Later, Spike offered to sire her when he attacked her; though Willow responded by smashing a lamp over his head, she nonetheless seemed flattered by his offer.

Willow treated the "neutered" Spike with sympathy and kindness when Buffy and Xander were completely unsympathetic and even delighted in tormenting him. However, Willow noticed that he was only desperate after his loss of capacity to kill humans. Though she joined in the Scoobies in ostracizing him after his feelings for Buffy become known, she, like Buffy, softened toward him when he endured torture at Glory’s hands to protect Dawn. Spike was also respectful of her relationship with Tara and admitted he would’ve attacked Glory as well if she brain-sucked someone he loved. Willow also personally apologized to him when Tara’s insane behavior gets him injured.

Following Buffy’s death, Spike helped Willow and Tara to raise Dawn, later showing concern over Willow’s magic addiction and intervening on her behalf when Anya attempted to peer-pressure Willow into using a spell during her recovery. While Spike was investigating the Wolfram & Hart Las Vegas branch a long while after his resurrection, Spike contacted Willow, reasoning that his enemies would expect him to look to the Angel Investigations team for help. Willow happily went to help him and his team, also re-ensouling Spike in the process after the soul was given to Drusilla. The two are now of official hugging terms and Willow respected Spike’s wish to keep this team-up between themselves and leave Buffy out of the loop. Spike occasionally called Willow "Red" in an affectionate manner. During Willow’s time in Vegas with Spike, he often referred to her by her shortened name, ’Will’. Willow also acted as an advocate on Spike’s behalf to encourage Buffy to consider a relationship with him, indicating that she was in his corner.




 * Fred Burkle — Spike flirted casually with Fred after he materialized at Wolfram & Hart, and his feelings later evolved into affection and esteem. Fred was the first person in Angel’s team to believe that Spike was worth saving and she worked tirelessly to recorporealize him (while denying being taken in by his charm, saying that she simply wants to use Wolfram & Hart’s resources for the good that Angel promised). When fighting the demented ghost, Matthias Pavayne, Spike sacrificed a chance at becoming corporeal to save Fred’s life, and ultimately chose to stay in Los Angeles with the Angel Investigations team in honor of her memory when she was killed by Illyria usurping her body. He later remarked to Illyria in a nonchalant, matter-of-fact manner that he had, in a way, loved Fred. In fact, after Illyria took over Fred, Spike expressed visible concern to Angel that Fred may very well be gone, which was very uncharacteristic of him showing weaknesses or vulnerability before his former nemesis. This signifies how close Spike must have gotten emotionally with Fred . In After the Fall, Spike questions himself, debating over the idea that he had romantic feelings towards Fred. Spike’s memories of Fred were used, along with Wesley’s, to make a then monstrous Illyria hesitate to destroy all existence. Betta George telepathically sending their memories of Fred into Illyria to make her realize that what she was doing was not something Fred would want. Spike later admitted to Illyria that he had loved Fred, but not the same way that Wesley had.


 * Illyria — After her resurrection, Illyria shared an emerging bond with Spike. Each was on a path from murderous demon to hero and they shared a love for violence. Their sparring sessions were mutually satisfactory; Spike honed his fighting techniques and Illyria was able to regularly inflict pain and dominate him in combat. She, at one point, even expressed an interest to have him as her "pet". After her powers were diminished, he helped her regain confidence and venture into the world again, developing mutual respect for one another. During the fall of Los Angeles, Illyria considered Spike her "pet" and came to his defense when Angel appeared. He also became very protective of her when she started randomly changing into Fred. Illyria possibly felt romantic feelings for Spike as she forcefully kissed him out of jealousy once she heard about his sexual relationship with Spider. Spike was asked by Wesley to look after Illyria, as he could not do so himself. He for a time kept his promise and aided her in her existential crisis, only to at some point separate from her as Illyria went off on her own.


 * Beck — Institutionalized in the Mosaic Wellness Center, Beck is gifted with pyrokinetic powers. She had heard stories of Spike from the other inmates and thought of him as a hero figure and stood by his side when he rebelled against the staff. Beck later met up with Spike in Tokyo and he was annoyed to find she had taken to dressing and talking like him but she was a help to him in fighting Smile Time. As part of Team Spike, Beck again followed him in Vegas and admitted her crush on the vampire but he just wasn’t interested. Beck and Spike parted ways when he disappeared into space on the bug ship.


 * Robert Dowling — Spike meet the detective in Los Angeles and trained him in the fight against the infestation of zompires. The two became close when Dowling quickly noticed the vampire’s interest in Buffy Summers, and they talked about the common interest, while Dowling strongly supported their relationship. At some point, he had Spike hired by the San Francisco Police Department as a supernatural consultant, and the two started working together, but still talking about their personal lives while going out for a beer.

Other

 * Tara Maclay — Much like Willow, Spike had great affection and respect for Tara. When Tara’s family attempted to take her home with them, Spike, realizing that their tale about Tara’s "demonic heritage" was a lie, proved it by punching Tara in the nose, which caused his chip to go off. When his feelings for Buffy became known, Tara was the only one of the Scoobies to speak in a civilized matter to him in a subsequent encounter at The Magic Box, calmly telling him to leave as opposed to the others, who openly criticized and insulted him. When Tara was brain-sucked by Glory, Spike defended Willow’s decision to attack Glory, and later attempted to comfort an insane Tara when she accidentally exposed him to sunlight and was reduced to tears when Willow snapped at her. After Buffy’s death, Spike helped Willow and Tara raise Dawn, and this, along with his remaining loyal to the Scoobies in the months before Buffy’s resurrection, caused Tara to respect him. Tara was one of the few members of the Scooby Gang who was genuinely friendly towards Spike, to the extent that she was the only Scooby who believed that his feelings for Buffy were genuine and not just a twisted obsession. When Buffy confides in Tara about her and Spike’s dangerous sexual relationship, Tara attempts, multiple times, to stop him from flirting with her. Spike’s reaction to her death was never revealed.


 * Charles Gunn — When Spike first materialized in Wolfram & Hart, Gunn, having apparently heard tales of the infamous William the Bloody, initially viewed him as an enemy, but relented upon discovering that he had a soul and saved the world. Gunn was also occasionally annoyed by his frequent verbal clashes with Angel. When Spike was recorporealized, he presented Gunn with a hug while reveling in his restored physical body, and later offered him a drink. The two eventually became good friends, with Spike being one of the few members of Team Angel to refer to him by his given name. However, after the Fall was reversed and Gunn rejoined Angel Investigations, Spike held a degree of distrust for him and regarded him as a traitor due to his actions in Hell, even though Gunn was a vampire and in his opinion not in control of himself at the time, Spike’s unique take on vampirism doesn’t allow him to completely accept this excuse.


 * Connor — During Los Angeles’ time in hell, Spike worked with Angel’s son in saving people, and they built what Connor describes as a relationship ’between a boy and a weird uncle’. Spike often spoke to Connor about his battles, seemingly having had trained him, as well as becoming someone who Connor went to for relationship advice. When Connor was killed by a vampiric Gunn, Spike held his body and grieved. They have not been reunited since time was reset and Connor was returned to life.