1983

It's been rather quiet from me for a while now, but January has been a month filled with major changes in my personal life and I have had to focus on starting my life all over, sort of.

So I don't have any new material at the moment, however I still have lots of "old" material that is still new to you guys ;)

The last drawing I showed you guys was of Charles, with some hints towards his time in prison.

So I figured I might as well continue on that note, but speeding into Charles' future somewhat, more specifically the year Spike was born and when Charles was already out of jail.

I still have to keep some of my cards close, so to speak, so I will be writing more of a vague sort of synopsis of some things to give you a sort of general idea of what's going on, but avoiding any major details or elaborations on certain subjects.

I'll also mention right now that there might be some minor spoiler alerts to this post, so proceed at your own risk ;-) Nothing major though, I think... If anything I think this sparks more questions than it provides answers O3O

So - 

November 1983 was the month and year of which a little black-haired boy named Spike was born. It was also the month that this little boy found himself orphaned, as his mother died of birth complications and his father killed himself not too long after. And Spike was left in the hands of an older woman called Demie.
(There has been some name changes to this character, but basically she is Spike's old 'nana' or 'auntie', who is briefly mentioned even in the first draft (DeviantART chapters) of the SPIKE story)

Demie knew Spike's father, Jeremy, and had known the Shaffer's since her and Jeremy's mother were young.
But there was one other she had also known for a long time, but partially hoped she wouldn't have to meet again.

The news of Jeremy Shaffer's death eventually reached Jeremy's older brother, Charles J. Shaffer.
Being the last of the Shaffer's, Charles sought out the only family he had left to find out what had happened to his brother, and why no one had looked after him while he was in prison. So he contacted Demie.

Demie and Charles had parted ways in a rather turbulent sort of way, but even so Charles had not expected such a cold shoulder from the otherwise docile and mild mannered woman he had known since birth - especially not considering the circumstances and sole reason Charles contacted her in the first place; to talk about Jeremy.
When Charles calls Demie on the phone, she is anything but happy to hear from him. On the contrary she hangs up on him time and time again, and when he finally persuades her to have a word with him, she seems angry with him, even insinuates how she blames him for Jeremy's death.

. . .

Charles does eventually learn the truth of the child, that it is indeed Jeremy's son, meaning Charles is the child's uncle.
(see the illustration at the top of this post)

Feeling like he wants to fulfil his promise to Jeremy, Charles decides he should take care of the child, and finds a way to convince Demie to let Charles have full custody of the boy.

And at the age of five, Spike Shaffer is sent to live with his uncle and only remaining relative. And for a while, life is good. And for a while, Spike has a father figure in his life who takes proper care of him and treats him well.

For a while.