Exactly. What was Angel's original description of Spike? "Once he starts something, he won't give up until everything in his path is dead" or something like that?

That's my Spike. Torture, humiliation, abandonment, insanity, rejection -- he gets through it all and always stands up again. He adapts and deals and rebuilds himself over and over -- Dru leaves him, he gets chipped, he gets a soul ... and he always survives and recreates himself. It's one of the aspects I most love about him. I can't stand stories that take that away.