Chapter 1
They told him that this would be his hardest assignment and that maybe he could rest after this one. He hadn’t slept a minute in the last ten years. He had been their helping hand and messenger and now he was tired and felt more alone than in all the years of his life or unlife, before he died and started this new life.
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He still could remember the pain as the stake pierced his heart and his body fell apart to dust in a dirty alley in Los Angeles. He never forgot the sneering face of the monster that attacked him and slammed the stake down into his chest.
They had been fighting for hours and he saw his brothers in arms fall in the battle, one by one. Apart from keeping on fighting, there hadn’t been a thing he could have done to stop it.
The first to fall had been Gunn. He had already been mortally wounded and then a demon got him right in the heart. There wasn’t even time to mourn him or Wesley, who had already been lost to the group.
He never expected the pain he felt when Angel was dusted and their family bond broke. The bond had never ceased to exist, even through all the hostilities and fights they’d had over the years. As Angel died, he felt a part of himself die too.
He had lost contact with Illyria only minutes before his own death and the only thing left to feel was pain.
The next time he opened his eyes, all he could see was fire, all around him, and hear the tortured screams of thousands of creatures. There had never been a doubt in his mind that he would go to hell for all the things he had done, so he sat up and awaited his punishment.
Looking around the cave like rooms he noticed two faceless figures clad in black robes coming towards him over a path.
“William the bloody, feared all over the world for his vicious killings, and yet trying to change for the love a woman and the love for the world he lived in. You were trying to change the world to the better and gave your life for it, not only once, but twice now. You sought out your soul, to be a better man and to be the one who your love would deserve.”
Raising a sceptical eyebrow at the two figures, Spike studied them before he spoke.
“Yeah, well, but that doesn’t make up for all the stuff I did before, right? That’s why you took me here, to get the punishment I deserve. So cut the chit chat and point me in the direction of my torture chamber and let’s get this show on the road.”
“You are misunderstanding us, vampire. This is what would have awaited you, if you hadn’t changed. This was just to make you see what you have already achieved through your own change of heart. Your sins were forgiven when you got your soul and used your soul to stop the Apocalypse and later to destroy the Circle of Black Thorn. Now, you are here to continue on your path to complete redemption and help those that have lost what you were able to find again.”
Now Spike was confused. He would have bet his unlife on the fact that he had to spend eternity in hell after he died.
“Are you telling me that this is just a visit in hell? I am not going to spend the rest of bloody eternity here? You must be of your nutter, I spent a century maiming and killing and you tell me, “Oh it’s ok, never mind, you are forgiven”. Do your bosses know what you are doing here? I don’t think they’ll be happy to hear that you let William the Bloody out of hell.”
“Our bosses, as you call them, the powers that be, sent us to take you to your new destination and you can believe us, they wouldn’t be happy to hear that we left you in hell. So, come, take a last look around, because you will prevent some people from ever having to see this place, although they are already making their way towards hell.”
Dazed, Spike followed the figures down the path and thought about everything they’d told him.
“Hey, what do you mean, helping people find what was lost to me? Why do you guys have to be so bloody cryptic? I bet you are the ones that write all those confusing prophecies too, at least you sound like them.”!
“Your questions will be answered, William. You’ll just have to wait a bit. And no, we are not the ones responsible for those prophecies, so don’t be concerned.”
They passed scenes of unimaginable punishment, torture and pain and Spike felt grateful for not having to endure those sufferings for eternity. The assistants of the PTB opened a portal when they reached the end of the path and after stepping through, a blinding pain overcame Spike and he fell down on his knees.
He felt like he was split in half and something was clawing on his back. When the pain subsided and he had his breathing under control again he got up and turned accusing eyes on his companions.
“No suffering, yeah right. Can you tell me what that was all about? And what the hell… oh my god, this must be a joke. Wings? I have bloody wings? Bollox, don’t tell me I am an Angel? An Angel with fangs to boot, you must be of your rocker!”
Spike turned around and tried to get a look on his new appendages. He touched the soft feathers he could reach, marvelling at their texture. No, this must definitely be a mistake. Not going to hell because of sacrificing his unlife twice, he could live with, but an angel? He wasn’t angel-material, he still wouldn’t say no to a good patrol with hard, bloody and long fights, making fun of the whelp or tying Buffy to her bed and making love to her for hours and certainly not all of those ideas and fantasies were the good thoughts of an angel.
“No, you are right. You are not an angel, more of a… let’s say, protector or guardian, and it’s a lot easier to do if you have the wings. You will be sent to help people that have lost their way and soul. Just like you lost it and were able to find again with the love that guided you. You will help them to see the good things in their life and how to reach them.”
“So what, you’ll tell me to go to some guy, because he “has lost his way” and then what? Give him a bloody sermon, say ‘no no’ and point him in the right direction? He’ll probably go straight to the loony bin when he tells someone a guy clad in black with bleached hair, wings and fangs told him to change his life.”
The robed figures looked helplessly at each other and then back at their protégé.
“No William, it won’t be that easy. You will not be able to have direct contact with them. They won’t see or hear you. You will only be there for them and be able at a real low point in their life and desperate, you can take them in your arms and put your wings around them so they will feel some relief, but they won’t realize that you are there.”
Now Spike was even more flabbergasted. How could he help people without being able to communicate with them in person? Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t exactly well known for making the right decisions most of the time and now he has to help strangers to make the right ones? This concept of how he should help these people sounded impossible to him.
“It’s great what your bosses thought up there, but come on, I won’t be able to get any of the little buggers on the right road again. Don’t you know how often my plans were shot to hell or I plain and simple made the bloody wrong decision?”
“You will learn to be a protector William. You will be on that path till your destiny is fulfilled; your redemption is complete and only then can you rest and watch over the ones you love, but that will take a while. You are not the only one that needs to fulfil his destiny. And now go. Your first lost soul is waiting for you.”
And with that Spike was falling and then landing hard at the feet of his first assignment.