Black Widow Session 8

Weakness

/thoughts/

"speech"

~^~ time passed

Last time…

Spike nodded. Jet looked over at the wounded Faye and shook his head. "I had a feeling you two'd get into trouble. I just didn't think it'd be this serious." He said. Sitting back on the couch, Spike lit up a cigarette. "Now it has to end, once and for all." He said, inhaling deeply. Faye drew in a deep breath. She didn't want Spike to go after Vicious, but then again, she didn't want Vicious to come after them either. "What are you gonna do?" Faye asked worriedly. Spike shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I don't want to be hunted by him, so I'll have to kill him while I'm still alive."

Jet sighed deeply. Faye was in no condition to help Spike, and he didn't know whether or not it was worth the risk. Spike was too hotheaded, and sometimes you just have to let them learn their lesson in due time. But deep down, he didn't want to see Spike hurt. They were partners….and friends.

And now:

A low growl escaped from the syndicate leader's throat. "Sir? What is it you want to do?"  A young man asked as his boss stared out the window. "Find their ship, and bring them all to me." Vicious replied, his black bird letting out a shrill squak in agreement. "Yes sir." The young man said, before turning and leaving quickly. "You're clock is ticking Spike…" Vicious sneered, still staring out the window. "Kou." He said as the door opened once more. "Y-yes sir?" Kou, the young man from before asked worridly.

Vicious slid a photograph across the desk he was standing behind. "Kill them." Kou picked up the picture of a family—two grandparents, a mother and daughter in a big white house with meteorites showering the Earth behind them. "Yes sir."

It was late on the Bebop, and Jet and Ed had retired to bed long ago. Spike was still drawing up the courage to talk to Faye. She was resting on the couch, and he was sitting in his room, smoking. The picture of Julia glaring at him, urging him on. "Why do I still love you?" Spike asked himself, grabbing her picture. It wasn't just a picture of Julia, however. Vicious was there too, hidden behind a piece of thick paper taped onto the glass. It was the only picture Spike had of Julia, a memory of their painful past.

Spike pulled the paper off and stared into Vicious's blank expression. With a low growl, Spike pressed down on the glass with his thumb, hoping that Vicious felt his pain. The glass creaked and shattered, slitting into Spike's thumb. Blood poured onto Vicious' picture, staining him with blood even more than he already was. Placing the picture back on the night table, Spike sucked on his thumb. /I can't believe I don't have the guts…I have to keep her wondering/.

Faye flicked the t.v. off and groaned, glancing down at her injured shoulder. It had stopped bleeding, but oozed every now and then. She was about to get up and go to her room when Spike entered the living quarters. "Hey, feeling better?" He asked, sitting on the coffee table.

"I guess. Got any smokes? I'm all out." Faye replied. Spike smiled slightly and pulled a pack out of his pocket. "Keep 'em." He said. She pulled one out of the pack and lit it up. "Ah, that's better. So…do you know what you're going to do?" Faye asked worridly.

Spike lowered his head. "Yeah." He answered softly. Faye frowned, knowing he was going after Vicious. "So you're really going through with it?" she asked. Spike lifted his head and said, "He's after me Faye, I know he is. I can't go around, knowing he's watching my every move, waiting for a chance to strike, you know?" Faye nodded. "I understand, but…is there really a reason you have to kill him, other than what's happened in the past?" she asked. Spike reached for Faye's cigarette and replied, "Do you really want to wait until there is?"

"Well, then I guess I should say this before you run off and get yourself killed." Faye began in a shaky voice. Spike raised his eyebrows slightly. "I…really like you, Spike. These few days have been really great and I just wanted to let you know before you go to kill Vicious." Faye finished, unable to meet Spike's eyes. For once, Spike was speechless. He had a feeling this would happen. He tried desperatly to just forget Julia, but it was hard, so damn hard. Spike cursed himself for not being able to just let her go.

He'd been told over and over to forget Julia after he left the syndicate, but she remained on his mind constantly. She made him weak, and he just couldn't let her go.

"Faye, I—" Spike began before Faye interrupted him.

"You still love her." Faye questioned, or rather stated.

With Spike's silence and peculiar gaze, Faye knew she was correct. "I thought so." She said, standing up and staggering slightly. Spike jumped up to help, but she pushed his arms away. "I need to be alone for a while." She said, excusing herself. "Faye, wait.." Spike said meekly, following after the hurting woman. "Leave me alone." Faye said, her voice cracking. Spike reached out and grabbed her arm. "Please." He asked. With a huff, Faye turned around and put on an "I'm okay" face.

"I..I'm sorry. I like you Faye, and you have no idea how much I wish I could get Julia out of my damn head but…I can't." Spike explained. "It's like she cast a spell that I can never be free of, you know?" he continued. Faye nodded her head lightly. "I guess it was silly of me to think you finally let her go." She said softly, before continuing on to her room. Spike patted his pockets for a smoke. "Here." A gruff voice said. Spike turned and gratefully took the cigarette from Jet. "Thanks." He murmured, as Jet lit the stick. "So I take it things didn't go well." Jet said.

Spike nodded and sighed. "She doesn't seem that angry, but you can never tell with women." He said, leaning against the wall. "You still going through with it?" Jet asked rhetorically. Spike wouldn't change his mind now. He hoped that once Vicious was dead that he might be able to either be with Julia, or forget about her. "It's not going to be easy you know." Jet said, sounding father-like. "I know." Spike replied, puffing on his cigarette. "'She going to back you up?" Jet asked.

Shrugging, Spike snubbed the cigarette against the wall. "I wouldn't want her to. This is between me and Vicious." He stated. Jet sighed and watched his comrade walk away. "You're gonna get yourself killed for real, one of these days." He said to himself. Vicious was exactly that. Vicious. Cold-hearted. A maniacal killer. Though he'd never admit it, Jet was worried that Spike wasn't good enough to kill Vicious. /He's just too hot-headed!/ he thought, returning to his room.

~^~

The next day, Spike did the final preparations for his battle with Vicious. Faye hadn't shown her face all day, or at least no one saw her. Jet was sitting on the couch, contemplating over a cigarette. Spike was stocking a trench coat with guns and ammunition. He wouldn't let Vicious win. He had to kill him before anyone else died. Faye was sulking in her room. She had prepared a leather trench coat of her own, full equiped. All she had to do was decide whether or not to go with Spike.

/It's his vendetta. He probably wouldn't want me to come anyway. But I'd never be able to forgive myself if he died/ she thought, before pulling the trench coat on. She headed out to where Spike and Jet were, when a thought entered her mind. /Jet had met a woman on Earth…shit!/ she ran as quickly as possible to find him. "Jet! You have to go, right now!" She exclaimed, sliding across the metal floor.

"What the hell!? Faye, what's going on?" Jet hollared, jumping at the sudden shouting. "That woman on Earth, if Vicious finds her, he'll kill her!" Faye explained. Jet's eyes widened. "That son of a bitch…" He muttered, before running to the cockpit. "Sorry Spike, but this suicide mission's gotta wait!" He called out. Spike nodded dazedly and continued to load magazines into his guns. Faye sighed deeply and sat across from him. "All dressed up with no where to go huh?" Spike asked, nodding at Faye's bulging trench coat.

Faye smirked. "I'm going with you. Even if you're a insensitive asshole, you're still my friend." She said. Spike smiled inwardly. "Thanks, but I'd rather you stay back. Wouldn't want you to get hurt 'cause of me." He said. Faye chuckled. "I'll just help you get into the building and past all of his goons. After that, you're on your own. I understand it's your fight." She replied as Jet decended towards Earth as fast as possible. The Bebop shook and heated immensly. Spike and Faye braced themselves, holding onto the walls.

"Jesus, Jet! Can't you take it easy!?" Spike screamed over the noises of alarms and the ship's groaning. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! We're almost through!" Jet hollared back, trying to steady the Bebop as it plummeted to Earth. Spike crawled over to Faye and yelled, "Lay down on the couch. It'll soften the impact!" She nodded and layed down, not expecting Spike to lay ontop of her, covering his head. The ship crashed onto Earth, Jet's head slammed against the control panel, knocking him unconscious, and Spike and Faye conked heads too.

Spike shook his head and tried to see straight. He rolled off of Faye and onto the dusty floor. Debris from the ceiling fell, making clanging noises echo through the ship. Spike wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Faye was knocked out on the couch. Her head was bleeding slightly, but that was all. Standing up slowly, Spike went to the cockpit to find Jet slumped over the controls. "Jet! Hey, Jet are you ok?" he asked, nudging Jet. "Mm…" Jet moaned, reaching for his head.

"You ok?" Spike asked as Jet raised his head. "Is it bad?" Jet asked, regarding the ship. Spike nodded and grinned lopsidedly. "Yeah. We better go find this lady friend of yours before anyone else does." He said seriously. Jet jumped up from his seat and replied, "You can take the Swordfish, I'll take the Redtail. Just follow me there." Spike nodded, hoping Faye wouldn't wake up before they returned. Jet nervously climbed into Faye's ship and started off. They had landed farther away from Daisy's house than he had intended.

Luckily enough, the Redtail actually had a full tank of fuel. Jet tried to calm himself down as they flew towards the area Daisy lived. /We only were together for a day or so…Vicious couldn't possibly have seen that. Yeah, things'll be fine../ He thought, convincing himself not to be worried. The house seemed fine from the outside, no sign of a break in or anything. "There it is, Spike!" Jet said through the com, landing the Redtail a few yards from the house. Spike climbed out of the Swordfish and followed Jet.

They pressed their backs against the wall, guns drawn before charging into the house, preparing to shoot anyone that came in their path. "I'll check upstairs." Jet said, running up the steps silently. Spike did a scope of the first floor. Living room was empty, minus a basket of yarn and partially finished scarf or something. The kitchen and dining room were empty too. That's when a piece of paper caught Spike's eye. He silently walked over and picked it up. It was a picture and a note. Two elderly people, slaughtered, and a young woman that looked barely alive. The note read: If you want to see the girl alive again, be prepared to surrender your life to the syndicate.

Spike swallowed deeply. He quickly folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket as Jet returned. "Anything?" He asked worridly. Spike shook his head and they went back outside. "I guess they got away. I'm gonna stick around awhile incase they were out or something." Jet said. Spike regretted not showing him the paper as soon as he found it, but he didn't need Jet losing his cool. "I don't think that's a good idea. Let's head back to the Bebop so I can kill Vicious now, before he hurts anyone else." Spike said, fingering the course paper in his pocket. He at least wanted to get back into space before showing Jet the picture.

"Yeah…I guess you're right." Jet said slowly. As they flew back to the Bebop, Spike pulled out the paper and wondered whether or not the young woman was still alive. She was a bloody mess, and would probably be dead before he even arrived at the syndicate. But he'd have to take that chance, and for Jet's sake, hope she wouldn't be. When they arrived at the Bebop, Faye was conscious and eagerly waiting. "So?" She asked immediately as they came into the living room. "They weren't home. We're going over to the syndicate building now, so we can end this." Jet reported, going to the cockpit to make sure there was no major damage.

Spike nodded for Faye to follow him down the hall, out of Jet's hearing distance. "What's up, Spike?" Faye asked softly. Spike pulled the paper out of his pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Faye. "Oh my god…are they..?" She whispered, putting a hand over her mouth. "I don't know. The younger one might still be alive, but I doubt it. I'm taking that the girl they're talking about is her daughter. This has to end." Spike replied lowly. Faye stared at the picture before handing it back to Spike. "I'm going with you, Spike. Once Jet see's this, he'll want to kill Vicious himself, and we both know that's not possible. Please, let me back you up." She pleaded.

HANG ON, COWGIRL…