Thanks. :) We've written a lot, but there's more to write, lol.

Yes, I have pretty low expectations too, simply because comics are so short.

About Spike, I assume his father hasn't been around for a while because Spike is so close to his mother. Of course he'll have had a father in the social circles he moved in. I like the idea that he died of tb, that makes sense, but who knows? But you're right, that's just an assumption that I haven't thought about a great deal. It's worth figuring out, though.