Disclaimer; If I owned BtVS, Spike would have been a main character since S1
(Spike's P.O.V)
I silently followed Diane as she navigated me through the unfamiliar territory. And, trust me, Heaven didn't look anything like the traditional description. The paths were paved in sleek white marble and silver. Every home was roughly the size of, well...a mansion. A few other Angels were out, and as we walked by, they stopped whatever they were doing to stare at me and Diane with wide eyes.
"Ignore them." She said softly. "They're always curious about newcomers."
Yeah, I thought bitterly. Especially when that newcomer is a former Vampire.
As if she could read my mind, she turned her head to smile at me. "Don't worry." She said. "Only me, Skyla, and the other Guardians know who you really are."
Skyla? I thought in confusion. Other Guardians?
She chuckled at the confused look on my face. "All will be explained in a moment."
She led me to the biggest house on the square. It was gigantic (And that was an understatement!). Made of gleaming platinum, gold, silver and at least eight stories high, it made me cringe. Not do to the fact it was intimidating, but the fact my fate laid somewhere behind the double doors. I gulped.
Diane looked back over at me with a kind, sympathetic smile. "Don't worry." She said gently. "Skyla has already accepted you. She just needs to review your profile."
The look I was giving her must've been pretty blank, because she laughed softly. "I need to keep in mind that you're new to the whole Angel thing." She shook her head and laughed again. "Just follow me."
She pushed open the platinum doors, and led me up a silvery staircase. At the top of the stairs, there was a row of doors that had to be at least a mile long.
"This way please." She said, turning to the left. She led me to a large gold door, and knocked softly on it.
"Yes?" A voice on the other side asked.
"Miss Skyla?" Diane said softly. "It's Diane, I have him."
It was silent for a moment, then the voice replied; "Please come in."
Diane looked over at me, smiled again, and pushed open the door, gesturing for me to follow.
I silently trailed behind, and I stopped in the doorway, quietly looking around.
The room was set up as if it belonged to royalty. The walls were frost white, as was the plush carpet. The bed was snow white with a pale canopy and the bedposts were made of entwined silver and gold. The desk was polished, gleaming, unscratched mahogany wood, and the girl leaning against it didn't help the whole Princess thing.
She didn't look any older than thirty (If she was even that!) She had waist long platinum blond hair, pale, flawless skin (Much like Diane's), and she was wearing a long white dress that came to her feet and white high heels. Her wings were twice as large as Diane's, and they were several shades of gold and silver that reflected the light bouncing off them.
She turned her head to look at me, and smiled, her soft light green eyes glimmering. "Come it, Come in." She purred.
I timidly shuffled into the room. I hadn't been this panicky since the day I confessed my feelings to Cecily, and we all know where that got me.
"William Pratt, correct?" She asked, tilted her head to one side.
I silently nodded, not bothering to correct her,
She smiled, taking a step forward. "My name is Skyla. I am the lead Guardian."
"Guardian?" I asked softly.
She chucked, as if she found my question amusing. "Yes. Guardian, as in, Guardian Angel." She smiled again. "It's my job to keep all the other Guardians in line and to send certain Angels to retrieve the dead."
"Hence me coming to get you after you died." Diane said, coming to stand beside Skyla.
"Ok, wait." I said. "Would someone please explain to me why I'm here though? I thought Heaven was for the good an noble, not vile and evil creatures like me."
Diane and Skyla exchanged a quick glance, then Skyla nodded. "Yes. You're right."
I slowly raised an eyebrow. "So I'm here, because...?"
"Well," Diane said slowly. "We didn't think you were all that evil."
I widened my eyes. "What the bloody hell would make you think that?"
"Well," Skyla said, walking tords the bookshelf placed in the back left corner of the room. "Let's take a look."
She grabbed a thick (Very) book off the top shelf, and carried it over to her desk. She flipped open the front cover, and she held her hand right over it. "William Aaron Pratt." She said slowly.
My eyes widened again.
The pages were beginning to flip...on their own
They flipped slowly at first, almost hesitantly, then they began to slowly pick up speed until it got to the point that the pages were rushing past in a grey blur. Near the back though, they began to slowly come to a stop until they halted completely, leaving the book open to a page worn with age.
Skyla carefully picked up the book and began scanning the page. "William Aaron Pratt." She read. "Born October eighteenth, eighteen-fifty-three to Anne Jadelyn Pratt. Older brother to Cynthia Emerald Pratt by eleven years."
You have no idea how grateful I was that she skipped over my father's name. I didn't know who he was before, and I didn't want to know now.
"A novice poet," She continued on. "Sweet, shy, gentle, and somewhat-romantic. Tried to charm Cecily Greenbriar in eighteen-eighty and was rejected."
My lip curled up in a snarl at the mention of the bitch who tore my heart out and tore in to shreds. (A.N; Am I the only one who hates Cecily with an Angelus like rage?)
Skyla looked up at me with gentle eyes, then went back to reading. "Was found crying out in a barn by the demon Drusilla." She paused, and when she spoke again her voice had dropped. "Was bitten and turned July tenth, eighteen-eighty." She paused, cleared her throat, and went back to reading at her normal voice level. "Along with Drusilla and fellow demons, Angelus and Darla, murdered almost half the population of Europe. Earned the nickname 'Spike' due to his habit of torturing people with railroad spikes.
Also known for killing two Slayers. One Tye-lee in China during the Boxer Rebellion, and one Nicki Wood in nineteen-seventy-seven." She stopped, and looked me up and down, probably studying the black duster I had stolen from Nicki after I had snapped her neck. (I had the sudden urge to shrug it off and abandon it on the floor)
She blinked and went back to reading. "Third attempted Slayer he tried to kill, Buffy Anne Summers, managed to fight him off."
I couldn't help but flinch at the mention of the Slayer.
Skyla didn't look up, but I could tell by the brief flash of sympathy in her eyes that she notice.
"While planning on how to kill Buffy, he was captured by the Government, and had a chip placed in his head, rendering him unable to attack and feed on humans. Later on though, he discovered he could attack demons, so to be able to fight something again, he joined Slayer Buffy Summers," She paused. "And eventually fell in love with her."
"Aww!" Diane cooed, earning glares from me and Skyla. She shrank back a little. "Sorry."
Skyla continued on. "Eventually entered a sexual relationship with Buffy. One night though, Buffy refused." She hesitated for a moment, looking up at me with a sad, apologetic glance. "Not accepting this, he unsuccessfully tried to rape her. Slowly, the guilt of his attempted crime began to eat him alive." She gazed at the book a moment longer, then she silently closed it. She didn't need to continue, we all knew what happened next.
"So," I said. "You saw all the horrible things I've done, not to mention I died without a soul. So I repeat; why am I here?"
Skyla was quiet for a moment. "Most people wouldn't do what you did."
"What do you mean?"
Most people who committed or tried to commit the crime you did wouldn't think twice about it. And they certainly wouldn't take their own life for the victim."
"So I killed myself, and bam! I'm in Heaven?"
She hesitated. "More or less..." She murmured slowly.
I raised an eyebrow.
She looked over at me. "I accepted you, not only because you made the ultimate sacrifice for the one you love, but also because before your transformation into a Vampire, you were a sweet, kind person. Perfect Angel materiel." She paused again. "But..." She murmured softly, almost to herself. "You did torture and murder for over a century..."
"Miss Skyla," Diane said quietly. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"
Skyla didn't answer for a moment. Then she quickly shook her head. "No. Of course not." (Was that doubt I saw in her eyes?) She gave us a small smile. "Diane, please show William where he's staying."
Diane nodded, and ducked out of the room, me following.
"I really need to tell her what I like to be called." I mumbled, scowling.
She laughed softly. "Save your breath. She's a proper girl, always calling everyone by their full names." She looked over at me and smiled. "Most people call me Di, but she calls me Diane. My friend, Delilah, everyone calls her Deli*besides Skyla. Same for my older brother, Caleb, most people call him Cale, but not Skyla. And, as you can see, she's going to call you William instead of Spike."
I grimaced. "Fantastic." I growled.
She giggled at the look on my face. "Don't worry," She said. "Everyone else will probably call you whatever you prefer." She paused. "Besides Cale." She hissed under her breath.
As I let her voice fade into the background, I let my thoughts wander. Me? An Angel? I had always thought that when or if I died, I'd just go straight to Hell. I had never, ever thought that I'd end up in Heaven, let alone as an Angel.
"Spike. Spike!" Diane snapped her fingers in front of my face.
"Huh?" I asked, blinking quickly, snapping out of my daze.
She smiled. "This is your room." She said, gesturing to the door she had apparently led me to.
"Oh," I murmured, not really knowing what else to say. (If I could, I'd be blushing like hell right now...)
She laughed. "You really need to pay more attention!" She giggled. "Go inside, take a look."
I hesitantly turned the know, and pushed the door open, my mouth hit the floor.
The room was completely decked out in black and red. The walls were jet black with a dark red trim. My bed was a black oak coffin lined with blood red silk. Next to the window was a black mahogany desk with a small red lamp and a red leather chair. In the back left corner was a large empty black bookshelf with red shelves.
"I-But-How?" I choked out.
"Remember my friend I mentioned, Deli? Well she can do a lot in a little time. As for everything else, the blank walls, empty desk and shelf, well, you can do what you want with it." She paused and giggled. "Mind you, I'd keep your door closed. I don't think the other Angels would take one of their own living like a Vampire too well."
I took a step inside the room, quietly looking around.
Diane chuckled. "I think I'll leave you alone for a while." She said softly, closing the door.
I stood there for a moment longer, then I quietly strolled over to the window, pulling the red velvet curtains open, and staring out it with a vacant sigh.
Oh Pet...I thought, my thoughts instantly wandering to Buffy. Please forgive me, for everything.
A.N; Like it? Love it? Hate it? Wanna beat me with a baseball bat it was so horrible? Please R&R!
*Delilah's nickname is pronounced De-lie
Until next time,
Peace, Love, and Blond Vampires
Jalice
:D