A.N: VampireLuver Productions proudly presents...COA, chapter five!

Disclaimer; If I owned BtVS, Spike and Buffy would have actually gotten married in Something Blue

(Spike's P.O.V)

"Spike. Spike, time to get up...Spike!"

I shot up straight in bed. "Wha-?"

Diane was leaning against my bed, giving me her apparently trademark small smile. "Morning Sleeping Beauty."

I yawned, looking at her. "What's with the early morning wakeup call?" I growled.

She raised an eyebrow. "Early? Spike, it's 12:30 in the afternoon."

"Remember Di," A giggly voice said behind her. "He must have been living on a Vampire's schedule until now."

I craned my neck to look behind Diane, and I saw the source of sweet little girl voice.

It was obvious she was in her teens (Nineteen maybe?) But she was tiny, not even five foot. She had long caramel brown hair and sparking grey eyes. Her wings were a few sizes smaller than Diane's and they were white and pale pink.

"Hi!" She chirped. "I'm Delilah, but please call me Deli."

I blinked. "You're Delilah?"

She nodded.

I looked over at Diane. "This little creature designed my room with in a hour?"

She nodded and shrugged. "She may be small, but her hyperness makes up for it."

As if to prove Diane's point, Deli was practically bouncing as she spoke. "Well Di, are you gonnna tell him?"

"Hush!" Diane quickly silenced the hyperactive Angel.

I raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what?"

Diane sighed, and shot Deli a look that screamed; Thanks a freaking lot! Which made Deli just laugh.

Diane let out her breath in an annoyed puff, and looked over at me. "Skyla has decided your role."

"Role?"

"If you're going to be a Guardian, Gatekeeper, or if you're just going to be a regular Angel for all eternity.

I blinked, this information not yet sinking completely in.

"Well come on, get dressed, we need to go!" Deli said, actually beginning to bounce.

"He only has the clothes he died in Deli." Diane pointed out patiently.

"Oh," Deli stopped for a second, then started right back up. "Well then come on!" She giggled, skipping out the door.

I looked at Diane, and slowly raised an eyebrow. "Does she have an off button?"

"Sadly, no." She sighed. "But, she does have a point. We do need to go." She paused and looked over at me. "Fix your hair first, it looks like a rat's nest."

"And how the bloody hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Bathroom." She nodded tords the small door in the back. "Mirror. Use it."

I had to resist the urge to break out laughing." "A mirror? Honestly? Do you honestly think that can be of any use to me?"

She smiled gently. "Follow me." She sad, walking tords the bathroom door.

I climbed out of the coffin, and trailed after her/

She pushed open the door, clicked on the light, and stepped inside. "Come on."

I shook my head. There was no way I was going in there.

She shook her head. "Coward." She murmured, then she grabbed my arm and dragged me in front of the mirror. I quickly turned my head away.

"Spike," She said softly. "Look."

I shyly looked up at the mirror out of the corner of my eye, and my head snapped up.

A man, about twenty-seven with messy bleach-blond hair stared back at me with, wide shocked ice blue eyes. He was dressed in torn jeans and a tattered black shirt drenched in blood.

Me.

I blinked slowly as I raised my hand to touch the cool glass, watching in shock as my reflection copied me.

"Well?" Diane asked, grinning. "What do you think?"

"How?" I asked softly, not taking my eyes of the mirror.

She laughed. "You're not a Vampire anymore. You're not the soulless monster you once were. Therefore, you have a reflection.

I couldn't help by smile. It was weird, seeing my reflection for the first time in over a century, weird, but nice.

"Now, as I was saying, straighten up." She smiled again. "I don't want you looking like a mess in Skyla's presence."

I nodded once, picking up the black sitting on the counter, and I began to quickly run it through my matted hair.

About five minutes later, Diane was leading me down the hall. "Now, when we get there, be careful." She warned. "A lot of them are ready to accept you, but a few of them refuse to because of what you were before your death." She looked over her shoulder at me. "They'll be looking for any reason to tell Skyla you don't belong here." She scowled, and I heard her growl; "Cale," under her breath.

She led me to the end of the hall to a lard cherry wood door. She smiled over at me, and pushed it open.

I took one step inside, and my mouth dropped.

The room was twice the size of Skyla's room, and it was a pure gleaming white. Sunlight was streaming down from the glass ceiling, beaming down on the large silver table centered in the room. There were sixteen chairs surrounding it. Seven on one side, seven on the other, and one on each end. Each chair held an Angel except for one (I'm guessing it was Diane's)

Skyla saw us, and waved us in with a smile. "Come on now, don't keep us waiting."

"Yeah," A boy Angel sneered. "You've avoided death long enough, no need to keep us waiting any longer."

"Hey Cale?" Diane said cheerfully, leading me into the room. "Shut up."

The boy, Cale narrowed his dark brown eyes, sharply turning his head away from his sister, flipping his blood red hair in the process. "He doesn't belong here." He growled. "He's a monster, a killer." He looked over at me and smirked. "A demon sent straight out of Hell."

"That's quite enough Caleb." Skyla said.

Cale smiled innocently. "Why? I'm just telling the truth. Not my fault he's one of the Damned."

"Caleb!" Skyla snapped sharply. "Enough!"

Cale closed his mouth, and leaned back in his seat, but I could still see the smug look he flashed me.

"Don't worry." The boy sitting next to Cale said smirking. "Cale's just jelious that you've gotten more attention in a day then he's gotten the whole time he's been here."

Cale's gaze snapped to the boy. "At least my father loved me enough that he didn't kill me!"

The boy's lips curled in a snarl. "At least the girl I loved didn't leave me for a demon!"

"Why you little..." Cale growled, beginning to rise from his seat.

"Ashton! Caleb!" Skyla snapped, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. "Enough! Sit down and be quiet!"

Ashton and Cale slowly settled in their seats, grumbling to themselves.

Skyla sighed, and looked over at me. "I apologize for that."

I shrugged. "No problem. Kinda reminds me of me and my little sister when I got on her nerves." I smiled, earning a chuckled from everyone. (Excluding Cale who just glared at me)

Skyla smiled. "Right. Now, getting back on track, I'm guessing Diane has told you why I called you here."

"She said you had decide my role?" I said slowly, making it sound like a question.

She nodded. "Correct. Most Angels have a role. Some are Gatekeepers who decide who comes in out of Heaven, hence the name. Some are Guardians who protect those they are assigned to, retrieve them when they die, and retrieve those who have died without a Guardian. And some are just regular Angels who are free to wander about Heaven for all eternity." She looked over at me. "And we have chosen you to be one of the first two."

I was silent as she walked tords me. "William, I want you to join the Guardian Counsil."

My eyes widened. Me? Of all people? A Guardian Angel? "Me?" I asked in shock.

She chuckled. "Yes. You. Your Demon life has made you fierce and tough, but your human life made you sweet and gentle."

Cale scoffed behind her.

She glared at him, then continued. "I think you would do a wonderful job keeping someone safe."

I shrugged. "Ok. So who's my assignment? Some poor defenseless kid? A solider? Or have you even picked someone for me to guard yet?"

Skyla looked down. "No," She murmured softly. "We have chosen who you will be protecting..."

"And that would be...?"

She gulped, and looked up at me with nervous eyes. "William," She said softly. "You have been assigned to guard Miss Buffy Anne Summers..."