Disclaimer: Willow is owned by Joss, ME, and all them over there. Anita Blake is owned by Laurell K. Hamilton.
The Big Bad
Spike is someone we all know and love. He has been written and explored, beaten and broken. So, how, after all we�ve seen and know of Spike do we write him BEFORE he got chipped? It�s actually pretty easy, for the most part. Spike is a dynamic character, but it wasn�t his chip that made him that way. He has always been that way. Spike loves like no other vampire, lives like no other vampire, and acts like no other vampire. So, logically, we don�t write him like every other vampire.
Spike was sired by Drusilla, true, but he learned everything he knows from Angelus. Now THERE is a nightmare teacher. Spike took what Angelus had to offer because he had no other choice in the matter. However, he didn�t do it with a smile, he did it kicking and fighting the whole way.
Spike is a highly intelligent creature, though impatient at times, he has an extensive knowledge of demon languages, demon and human cultures, and so on. He was a poet in life, and some of that slipped into his speech along the way. While he doesn�t exactly rhyme every sentence, he does speak in somewhat of a poetic manner.
Now, you�re probably asking what all this has to do with writing him Pre-Chip (PC). Well, it has a lot to do with it. If you are writing PC you have to keep all of this in mind. If you are not pairing him with Drusilla, then you still have to account for why he is no longer with her. He has been Drusilla�s caretaker for lack of a better word, for centuries. Would he try and do that with the new love interest? I doubt he would be able to just wash that habit out of his life forever after living with it for so long.
On another note, Spike doesn�t do anything unless there is something in it for him. Be it fun, money, blood, something worth while, heck even a good shag is enough of an excuse for this Big Bad. And heaven forbid if someone asks him for a favor. He will probably literally ask for an arm and a leg as payment. He relishes in mind games. Spike tends to cut people down. Why? Well, that�s where you come in. It is an aspect that needs to be explored. So, go, explore away.
While you�re at it, explore why Spike never, ever calls anyone by their name, except for Angelus. Does he not know their names? Does he not take the time to learn it? Or, is it because he himself no longer uses the name William, therefore everyone else gets a nickname too.
There are many places to go with the Big Bad, and where ever you take him, he will be sure to wreak havoc. It�s what he does best. Unless of course there is something better he finds along the way. Just remember that if you are writing Spike with someone, you have to give him a reason to love them. He doesn�t fall easily, but when he does�watch out. Anyone or anything in the way gets pushed aside, or killed. And he doesn�t have a problem letting people know he loves them, or turning into a stalker should the need arise. Spike is single minded in his passion for those he loves.
Now go, write that fic on a PC Spike. Have fun with it. Make him witty, like we know he can be and make him the Big Bad he claims to be. Don�t forget to have him eat one of those Happy Meals on legs though; he is a vampire after all�