I'm pretty sure Joss was doing some heavy lifting on Fool For Love, though. Because he had to elaborately connect Fool For Love with Darla over on AtS. So he was working both stories hardcore there. And he also is the type to give Spike a poetic background because 1) he loves poetry (witness Shakespeare readings and Illyria speech) and 2) it makes Spike sympathetic which is something Petrie doesn't really like doing. I'm recalling how Petrie didn't want to give Spike the 007 escape from the Initiative because it made him look like the hero and both Joss and Jane E. said that in that moment, Spike was the hero.

Speaking of Illyria, Joss would come in to write almost all of the Wesley/Illyria scenes but didn't take a writer's credit. So yeah, wouldn't surprise me if much of what we love about Fool For Love was Joss-lead-and-inspired.


ETA: Sorry I keep editing! I think we have one more year left of the comics.