This was a very dramatic chapter, and I didn't really mean for it to have this much action, but when you but Xander in there with both vamps, things tend to just happen. And while Spike sees Angel as taking a much more "head of the clan" role, Xander is still a human and his expectations for a "head of family" are just not the same.

And I'm so glad you appreciated Spike's attempts to cheer Xander up. It really does seem like something that Spike would like, and people do tend to give the gift they would secretly like to receive.