The cup of perpetual torment may have been fake, but Spike’s destiny as the victor is real. Angel has horded his supremacy over Spike for over a century, and it is time for Spike to show once and for all that he is the winner in the end. He wiped the floor with Angel during their battle in the opera house for the cup. Fake cup or not, he is about to be rewarded with everything he’s ever wanted. It’s time for Spike to be rewarded with his destiny. (Also I am changing the canon timeline for Angel at the end of this story because of how I ended up wanting to settle things.)