Sunnydale After Dark
Summary: All his life, the words just bled out.
Banner Art By: Dusty
Categories: Pre-Series, Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, Season 5, Season 6, Season 7, Between Seasons, Challenge Response, Poetry
Characters: Buffy, Spike, Ensemble
Genres: Angst, Drama, Historical, POV, Romance, Slow Burn, UST
Warnings: (Click Here To Reveal) Adult Language, Character Death, Sexual Situations, Spike/Other (Temp), Suicidal Ideation/Thoughts, Violence
Completed: Yes Chapters: 86
Word count: 6,492 Hit Count: 17,182 ePub Downloads: 18
Published: 06/21/22 Updated: 03/16/23


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Story Notes: This is a response to The Danish Bird's challenge, A Vampire Poet.
I am thrilled and excited to say this story will be told completely in poetry form! Check out the dates if you get confused on where we are in the timeline heart

1. June 2, 1861 by Dusty - Likes: 4 Comments: 0 Word Count: 37 Hit Count: 578 Published: 06/21/22

2. February 19, 1867 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 0 Word Count: 82 Hit Count: 434 Published: 10/30/22

3. October 8, 1873 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 85 Hit Count: 475 Published: 11/01/22

Our baby's growing up...

4. May 23, 1879 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 96 Hit Count: 444 Published: 11/02/22

5. July 7, 1880 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 59 Hit Count: 511 Published: 11/02/22

6. October 13, 1880 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 78 Hit Count: 445 Published: 11/02/22

7. October 18, 1880 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 79 Hit Count: 471 Published: 11/02/22

8. November 2, 1880 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 67 Hit Count: 411 Published: 11/04/22

9. November 26, 1880 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 37 Hit Count: 382 Published: 11/04/22

10. December 19, 1880 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 51 Hit Count: 416 Published: 11/05/22

11. February 15, 1881 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 45 Hit Count: 442 Published: 11/05/22

12. January 9, 1883 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 80 Hit Count: 443 Published: 11/05/22

13. July 1, 1890 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 47 Hit Count: 420 Published: 11/07/22

14. September 20, 1900 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 84 Hit Count: 417 Published: 11/07/22

15. December 25, 1963 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 45 Hit Count: 441 Published: 11/07/22

Warning: This one's about the orphanage slaughter and is thus EVIL AND SAD AF sad

16. August 16, 1969 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 121 Hit Count: 368 Published: 11/07/22

If that last one bummed you out, this one should cheer you up!

17. June 11, 1977 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 110 Hit Count: 428 Published: 11/08/22

18. September 2, 1997 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 67 Hit Count: 366 Published: 11/08/22

19. September 29, 1997 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 69 Hit Count: 351 Published: 11/08/22

I'm uploading 3 poems per day until we're current! I've got 50 under my belt so far!

20. October 30, 1997 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 51 Hit Count: 354 Published: 11/09/22

21. November 25, 1997 by Dusty - Likes: 3 Comments: 6 Word Count: 108 Hit Count: 339 Published: 11/09/22

22. May 18, 1998 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 79 Hit Count: 294 Published: 11/09/22

23. July 30, 1998 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 69 Hit Count: 290 Published: 11/09/22

24. October 22, 1998 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 87 Hit Count: 283 Published: 11/13/22

25. November 25, 1998 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 81 Hit Count: 283 Published: 11/13/22

Some of this one may sound in parts like the last one. It's supposed to. But WHY?!

26. March 2, 1999 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 38 Hit Count: 279 Published: 11/13/22

27. October 19, 1999 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 74 Hit Count: 265 Published: 11/13/22

28. November 23, 1999 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 53 Hit Count: 228 Published: 11/15/22

29. December 6, 1999 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 92 Hit Count: 194 Published: 11/15/22

30. December 14, 1999 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 54 Hit Count: 204 Published: 11/15/22

31. February 29, 2000 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 73 Hit Count: 199 Published: 12/02/22

32. October 17, 2000 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 57 Hit Count: 182 Published: 12/02/22

33. October 24, 2000 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 64 Hit Count: 204 Published: 02/01/23

I decided February being the month of love and all, I thought it was an excellent time to come back to these poems and hopefully wrap this series up this month! Keep me honest, y'all. Don't let me be a lazy poet.

34. November 2, 2000 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 66 Hit Count: 187 Published: 02/01/23

35. November 14, 2000 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 0 Word Count: 75 Hit Count: 181 Published: 02/01/23

36. November 23, 2000 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 72 Hit Count: 168 Published: 02/01/23

37. February 10, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 69 Hit Count: 176 Published: 02/01/23

38. February 14, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 87 Hit Count: 141 Published: 02/01/23

39. March 1, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 2 Word Count: 62 Hit Count: 117 Published: 02/02/23

40. April 24, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 89 Hit Count: 111 Published: 02/02/23

41. April 25, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 0 Word Count: 22 Hit Count: 93 Published: 02/02/23

42. May 25, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 68 Hit Count: 94 Published: 02/02/23

43. July 9, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 67 Hit Count: 97 Published: 02/02/23

44. August 17, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 47 Hit Count: 91 Published: 02/02/23

45. October 2, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 76 Hit Count: 93 Published: 02/03/23

46. October 3, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 61 Hit Count: 91 Published: 02/03/23

47. October 10, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 37 Hit Count: 95 Published: 02/03/23

48. November 6, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 0 Word Count: 52 Hit Count: 98 Published: 02/03/23

49. November 12, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 24 Hit Count: 98 Published: 02/03/23

50. November 14, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 48 Hit Count: 96 Published: 02/03/23

51. November 19, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 67 Hit Count: 101 Published: 02/03/23

52. November 21, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 94 Hit Count: 107 Published: 02/04/23

53. November 28, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 76 Hit Count: 102 Published: 02/04/23

54. December 6, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 47 Hit Count: 93 Published: 02/04/23

55. December 10, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 76 Hit Count: 103 Published: 02/04/23

56. December 23, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 57 Hit Count: 95 Published: 02/04/23

57. December 28, 2001 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 67 Hit Count: 94 Published: 02/05/23

58. January 8, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 77 Hit Count: 92 Published: 02/06/23

59. January 27, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 68 Hit Count: 93 Published: 02/08/23

60. February 6, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 87 Hit Count: 89 Published: 02/09/23

61. February 14, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 91 Hit Count: 95 Published: 02/12/23

62. February 25, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 65 Hit Count: 97 Published: 02/17/23

63. March 7, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 68 Hit Count: 88 Published: 02/19/23

64. April 30, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 123 Hit Count: 84 Published: 02/20/23

65. May 8, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 88 Hit Count: 87 Published: 02/21/23

66. May 22, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 169 Hit Count: 92 Published: 02/22/23

67. July 1, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 68 Hit Count: 84 Published: 02/23/23

68. August 18, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 43 Hit Count: 87 Published: 02/24/23

Apologies in advance for crazy, sad Spike. IT IS WHAT IT IS. Also The Danish Bird who wrote this challenge did request getting a soul poems! writing

69. September 24, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 77 Hit Count: 88 Published: 02/25/23

Added a warning for suicidal thoughts because of a line in this poem. It's just one line, but steer clear if such a thought might trigger hug

70. October 2, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 97 Hit Count: 85 Published: 02/26/23

Okay, gonna be honest here. This one's one of my favorites. rebel

71. October 17, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 67 Hit Count: 90 Published: 02/27/23

72. November 19, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 74 Hit Count: 84 Published: 02/28/23

73. November 26, 2002 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 84 Hit Count: 84 Published: 03/01/23

74. January 8, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 74 Hit Count: 85 Published: 03/02/23

75. January 21, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 82 Hit Count: 86 Published: 03/04/23

76. February 4, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 78 Hit Count: 94 Published: 03/05/23

77. February 12, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 152 Hit Count: 86 Published: 03/07/23

78. February 20, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 0 Word Count: 79 Hit Count: 82 Published: 03/08/23

79. March 25, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 161 Hit Count: 87 Published: 03/09/23

80. April 15, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 82 Hit Count: 84 Published: 03/10/23

81. May 6, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 0 Word Count: 113 Hit Count: 94 Published: 03/11/23

I've been looking forward to writing this one for so long...

82. May 7, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 130 Hit Count: 101 Published: 03/12/23

83. May 8, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 78 Hit Count: 95 Published: 03/13/23

83 poems in and Spike's finally cheering up! haha

84. May 9, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 62 Hit Count: 88 Published: 03/14/23

85. May 17, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 1 Comments: 0 Word Count: 114 Hit Count: 104 Published: 03/15/23
I say this 85 poems into this thing, but... take these dates with a grain of salt. In the show obviously this sequence of events happens within the span of a few days. But I've been following episode air dates this entire time so that it would be easy to look up and see where we are in the timeline. SO, just know that!

86. May 20, 2003 by Dusty - Likes: 2 Comments: 0 Word Count: 116 Hit Count: 114 Published: 03/16/23

SO. This is the end! We're finally here!!

It was pointed out to me that I had labeled this with an AtS Crossover label and I must have done that when I began writing this because Angel stuff was included in The Danish Bird's initial Challenge as things you COULD do with this Challenge but weren't required. But now that I'm here and now that I've gone through every season of Buffy (and before) so painstakingly and so canon compliantly that I don't have the urge to do that with Angel, too. I'd feel like I needed to go through that show in a canon compliant way and THEN maybe reunite them.

At the end of the day, it's just hard to end on any note higher, more dramatic, or more beautiful than Chosen. I know it is sad, but thematically I love it as a grand finale. I always will. fire