If I Were Your Fallen Angel

I need your strength and I feel your warmth,
With you I feel protected from all harm,
Where do we go from here?



Since when did you fall for her? The words kept repeating in his head. He never seemed to care as much until now. Was it perhaps he was afraid that he would lose her someway or the other. Spike recalled the conversation he held with the woman, probably only a few days ago. She had came to say good-bye to him, and said that she just wanted to get that out, and they argued. It was likewise and normal, it didn't seem to trigger a slight thought into Spike's mind.
"Goin' in?" Alonia's voice sounded out, as he stood by a serving table, trying hard not to act so suspicious. They had arrived in the casino, their only hope was to get the bounty head and leave it at that, along with the money. Spike's eyes gazed around, as he noticed Faye at the farther end of a poker table. All she needed to do was buy time, while he snuck in, and Alonia would have been on the watch.
"Don't worry," he uttered to Spike, "I'm right behind you on this. Right behind you."
Spike smiled, as he pulled out a cigarette and lighting it, "Me, worry? I live and wander with a bunch of weirdos. And on top of it, I'm a lowlife bounty hunter."
Alonia shook his head, "That's something Jet would have said."
"Thank him for that," Spike replied, gazing towards the back where all the guards were, "I got that line from him." There was a slight pause, as he took a quick glance at Faye, as so did Alonia, "I'm goin' in." He slowly strode over towards the back hall, as he hid off in the shadows. Why had he gone through all this crap for a 100 million woolong bounty? It nearly made him want to hit himself with the thought. All right, so Faye was right 'money did make the world go 'round'. But he didn't take that much into consideration at the time.
Spike took a breath, as he leaned over the edge of the wall, away from anyone's sight. He took a quick drag, as he gazed around the quiet corridor, noticing two big security guards standing before a broad door.
"Come on . . . Does this casino also run a fitness club?" Spike muttered, tossing his burnt out cigarette to the floor, carelessly. Damn, he thought, as his eyes glanced over his shoulder to where Faye was, but he couldn't find Alonia anywhere. Where the hell was he? Spike sulked, a bit annoyed. His brown eyes quickly fixed upon a fire alarm, if Alonia wasn't going to help, he was definitely not dumb enough to not pull it off himself.
And Spike did just that, in seconds the alarm rang out, and the area populated with loud startled voices. He paused, as he noticed the guards stepping away, as they ran off towards the front entrance hall.
"Bingo!" Spike uttered, as he pulled out his gun and ran in towards the previously blocked doorway. He turned the knob hard, but it just wouldn't seem to budge. Spike muttered something beneath his breath, as his eyes glanced around, searching.
Faye turned her gaze over to where she had last seen him, and quickly jumped up on the poker table, without another slight thought, "Quiet!" There was a sudden hesitation, as her gunshot filled the air, the woman glanced around, as the elegant people stood about.
"I'm holding this place hostage! And I say nobody moves or else!" she shouted out, clearly. Everyone was quiet, when Faye abruptly jumped off the table, and made way towards the back, but stopped short, as she quickly grabbed a cig from another man's mouth. She smiled, as she turned the opposite way, and placed in between her lips, "All right, you could go." With that announcement, everyone made way towards the exit, startled cries filled the emptying room.
Faye immediately ran to where Spike stood, and found him struggling with the big door knob. "You okay?" she managed to choke out, over hoarse voices. He didn't reply, instead he stole a quick glance at the young woman, and forcefully brought his gun pointing it at the knob, and shot it so many times, that it caused Faye to lose count.
"If he thinks he can outrun me, he's welcome to try!" Spike retorted, his eyes piercing into Faye's. She paused, a thought questioning in her head, who he had been referring to exactly.
"Don't get too hotheaded," she replied, simply.
Spike roughly pushed into the door, nearly causing it to break down, "What part of me is hotheaded?" Faye shook her head, as she made way in along with man. He glanced around, frantically, as the area laid quiet, all was darkened around them. The two quickly swung around, as the sound of a match being lit sounded behind them.
Alonia came into view, as Faye stared hard at the man, not knowing what to think. He had a smirk upon his face, as he lit a cigarette and placed it in between his lips. He smiled, nearly laughing, "So . . . this and that and no reward. All that work for nothing. Oh, don't look so down, Spike. I wouldn't exactly say I was the reward...."
Spike paused, as his gun never pointed away from the man before him. Faye breathed heavily, as her emerald gaze turned to the man behind her, questioning.
"What's goin----," she began, but got cut short.
"Aww," Alonia retorted, "Come on, now. Did it take you that long, Sweetie?"
Spike's eyes stared at the man, hard, "I should've known it since I thought you and Faye had somethin' goin' on." Faye turned to Alonia, her eyes glaring at him, but part of her was filled with utter confusion.
"Where's the bounty?" Spike questioned, firmly. Alonia laughed, as a light flickered on soon after. Spike glanced over from the corner of his eye, as he noticed the highly explosives that surrounded them. His gaze quickly turned to aside, as Faye's voice sounded out, and he noticed her pulled to aside, a woman holding her hostage.
There was an odd silence, that fell among them, as Spike stared at the woman. She had long emerald hair, that fell far below her shoulders, her eyes the same shade and she was dressed rather promptly in a red leather outfit. She had seemed oddly familiar, and that was when Spike realized who she was.
"So, it all was a setup," he muttered, a bit of a devilish grin on his face. He didn't at all look worried. Alonia laughed, as his gaze fell to the green haired woman.
"Yup," he replied, reluctantly, "Let me introduce you to Miss Maximus." Spike turned to Faye, as he heard her muffling something behind the gloved hand that clasped over her crimson lips. It was the name that he had mentioned long ago, at the bar where they first met.
Alonia laughed, "You really believe that I would have let you gotten the bounty that easily, Spike? And Jet...such a man that I hoped would catch on sooner." There was a pause, when his eyes turned to Faye, "And Faye....I had fun with you." She let out a loud shout, that was cut off soon after, when the woman struggled with her.
"You're a bunch of psychos," Spike muttered, his gun pointed straight at Alonia.
The emerald haired woman known as Max let out a short laughter, "I prefer the term brilliant terrorists, darling." She spoke in a British accent, that fell so smoothly.
Spike took in a breath, his eyes glancing at the two, "Give me a reason, I shouldn't kill you all right now."
Alonia smiled, "I don't know what will happen. The place might explode the moment you shoot it in."
"That makes me excited," Spike replied, reluctantly. Alonia turned his gaze to Max, as he watched her quickly pull Faye out from the quiet tanker.
"I've been wanting this, Spike," the man uttered, his blue eyes burning with sensation. "You dare oppose me without your weapon?" He smiled, as he reluctantly dropped the gun to the floor, without a single thought.
"The best way," he replied, simply.



Faye stared at the woman, as she tightly knotted a rope onto her wrists, as she sat in the chair. Faye stubbled to free herself, when the woman slowly removed the cloth that hung over her lips.
Max smiled, viciously, as she gently brushed the purple lockes from Faye's face, "So, you really believe that your hero will come rescue you, am I correct?" Faye glared at the woman, fully annoyed by her voice. "I love the way, innocent women like yourself have such high hopes. It's ridiculous."
Faye smiled, her eyes tensed, "Shut the hell up, and get it over with, you bitch." Max smiled, as she kneeled down in front of her, eyes glowing with a bright gleam.
She slowly pulled out a knife, as she held it to Faye's face, and gently glided it across her cheek, leaving a long strain of blood, "How I would love to carve off those pretty lips of yours. Don't worry, darling, it will be quick. Such pity, a pretty girl like yourself will have to die young." The woman let out a scornful laughter, her eyes filled with excitement.
"Tell me, Sweetie," she began again, "When you say that you love someone, when do you get to the point when enough is enough?"
Faye stared hard at the woman, without a slight thought. It made her ponder, why she was getting so deep for a reckless psycho.
Max let out a scornful laughter, as her eyes gleamed with hatred, "....never...and that answers all questions that you may be having."
"You'll be worth a lot of money, once we're done with you," Faye uttered, thoughtfully, grinning.
The woman laughed, "Cheddar, I prefer the term cheddar." Faye slowly stubbled with her hands, as she gently slid it through. Luck had it, that she had worn her useful bracelet that day. Her eyes studied the woman, as she slowly stood up, about to head off in the opposite direction.
"Hey!" Faye called out, and when she swung around, her fist hit her hard in the face. She let out a laugh, as she stared at the woman collapsed on the ground. "Not as strong as you think, am I?" The purple haired woman quickly stepped over Max's body, about ready to leave, when her hand tightened around her ankle, pulling Faye to the ground.
Max quickly hovered over the young woman, a steel blade pointed at her eyes. Faye struggled beneath her, when she pressed her palm against Max's face, causing her to stumble backward. The green haired woman quickly arose onto her feet, her eyes roaming, menacingly, blood dripping down her nostrils from the first blow that Faye gave her.
"You'll not get away with this!" she shouted out, running towards her. Faye quickly turned her back to the woman, pulling her into a tight headlock, and the two stumbled back and fourth, pounding one another against the adobe brick wall.
"STUPID-----BITCH!" Faye shouted out, as the woman fell to the ground with a loud thud. Her emerald eyes gazed up at Faye's, angrily, as she tried to pull herself up, but fell back to the ground. Faye slowly reached over for a gun that laid beside her foot. She pointed it at Max, taking deep breaths.
The woman laughed, as her palms pressed ageist the damp bloody floor, "Shoot me...."
Faye smiled, wiping the blood streak on her left cheek, "Don't push your luck."
"Or are you afraid you won't be able to turn me in for the money?" Max's voice sounded out, her eyes fixed to the floor, as she wiped the blood that poured down her face.
Faye slowly lowered her gun, a smile slowly crept upon her face, "Cheddar, Sweetie. I prefer the term cheddar." Max stared up at her, her eyes glaring. Faye quickly turned away, as the sound of a monitor turned on. She walked over to where it was, and took it into her hand.
"Spike...," she uttered, noticing his face upon the screen.
"Where you at?" he questioned, his eyes gazing behind him.
There was a slight hesitation, as Faye replied reluctantly, "You're really going to come?"
"Don't worry. I'm not going there to save you," he retorted, simply, as a wave signal followed his reply. "Listen, meet me outside, we'll take it from there." With that, the screen turned off, leaving Faye to ponder for a split second.
He turned to Alonia, who sat against the wall, his blue eyes dimmed, as it stared back at him. The green haired man slowly walked over to him, as he pulled him up by the collar.
Alonia smiled, through blood stained teeth, "You got a little bit of mercy in ya, right?"
"I'm all out of that right now," he replied, his brown eyes staring back at the man. "Why'd you do it?"
Alonia shook his head, weakly, "I wanted to see you suffer, Spike....you and the people you loved....or the people you cared about. You think you'd still be living, if you didn't love her?" There was a humorous laughter in his voice, as Spike solemnly let go of him, and the man collapsed back onto the ground and he pulled out his gun.
"Don't be stupid," Spike uttered, as he clicked his gun, and pointed it only a few feet from Alonia's head.
"Spike!" Faye called out, as she walked into the room, her hand tightly held onto the woman's emerald hair. There was a pause, as he gazed at Faye and back to Alonia. Faye hesitated, as Spike moved out of her way, instructing her to see the cold blooded man that rested before her.
She bit her crimson lips, as her eyes burned with hatred, but most of all pain. She slowly walked over towards him, as Spike handed her the gun he held onto. She stopped short in front of him, her emerald eyes staring downward. Alonia smiled, thoughtfully, scornfully.
"Survival of the fittest' is the law of the land. To fool and be fooled is the reason we live. I've never had anything good happen to me when I trust others. That's the lesson," Faye uttered, her voice harsh, "I thought I would have been able to trust you....but I should have known right from the start."
Her eyes stared back at him, "I'm not gonna kill you....I'm not gonna stoop as low to your level, cause that's probably how you wanted me to end it. I'm not gonna be the same old Faye I used to be and that's that." She quickly swung around, her eyes met Spike's as she handed him the gun. "Lets just get out of here."
The man followed her out, as the two headed towards the exit. Faye's eyes searched around the empty area, as her mind became too much of a weight.
"Fuck!" she heard Spike remark, as he stared around, Max kneeled down beside him, "My machine's vandalized." There was a sudden pause, when all attention fell onto the woman beside him, as an evil laughter escaped her lips, until she became hysterical. Faye, fully annoyed, quickly walked up to her, pulling her up by the hair, and shaking her shoulders.
"What the hell is fucken wrong with you!?!?!?" she shouted out, becoming quite angry.
The woman's emerald eyes widened, like two big circles, that it startled Faye, "The place is going to blow!" Faye stumbled backwards, as she stared at the woman, confused. Spike shook his head, as his hands ran thought his hair, which told Faye that he was thinking of a way out of the mess. She quickly grabbed the gun from his hand, as she pointed it to the laughing woman.
"Where the hell is the detonator?" she asked, calmly, probably for the first time. Max slowly brought out a small planted bomb from her coat, as Faye immediately snatched for it.
"How do...how do you...," her voice slowly trailed off, as she kneeled on the floor, opening the cover, frantically and slowly.
"Might as well all die here...," Spike mumbled, he seemed a bit calm and it made Faye angry.
"Yeah, Mr. Perfect," she began, "why don't you try helping me for once?" There was a pause, as she stared down at the different color codes, "Like, I said before...I'm not one for delicate operations like this....I'm not the delicate type."
Spike took in a deep breath, frustrated, "Then, don't be delicate! The worse that could happen is that you screw up and we all die."
Max laughed, her head down, long strains of hair covering her face, "You'll not be able to complete that task..."
Faye's eyes filled with fury, as she shouted out at the woman, "SHUT YER FACE! Can't you see we're under a damn time limit?!?!? And secondly, I fucken hate the way you talk!"
"Faye, just get with it!" Spike complained, as he kneeled down beside her, "If you don't decide now, the whole place is goin' to blow, with us along with it!"
Her eyes turned to him, "Who do you think I am? A bomb-disarmer?" She quickly held out the gun to Max's head for the millionth time, "Which one is it?"
She laughed, "Dear, you really believe that you could make me talk?"
Faye cocked her head to one side, "I'm making you talk right now, aren't I? Now, speak. I'm fucken giving you a choice of having your pretty head blown off your shoulders or sit around in a fucken cell!"
"Boy, you're makin' her decide easier," Spike muttered, sarcastically.
Max paused, her eyes staring up at the two, "The blue one."
Faye hesitated, "...you do it." The woman slowly leaned over, as she slowly began to unknot the wires. Faye squinted her eyes, feeling her heart pound against her chest so roughly.
"Been nice knowin' you, Faye," Spike's voice uttered, beside her, "And I never thought I'd be saying this but I----"
"Keep your apologies for later, fro boy," she uttered, "you're not dying on me this time." Spike's eyes studied the woman beside him, she didn't seem like herself one bit, it was a sight he never saw of her, and he didn't mind it one bit.
Faye let out a breath, "It didn't stop."
"We ain't gettin' no where," Spike retorted, as he quickly stood up, glancing about. Max sat on the ground, a smile bestir on her face. "This whole damn place is packed with things that would set this whole place on fire."
"Wait!" Faye shouted out, "The Redtail! It's at the exit!" She quickly pushed the button on her bracelet, as she turned back to Max, who sat quietly on the ground. She paused, as she heard the woman's soft whispers counting down to when the timer would go off. Faye quickly grabbed a hold of Spike's arm, as she immediately pulled him towards the ship, that appeared off the edge of the building.
She felt his body fall back, when she abruptly swung around and noticed Max with a gun in her hand. Faye's eyes scurried about his figure, as his hands pressed against the hard ground.
"Damn...," Spike uttered, as he pulled his other hand from his wound just above his waist. The bullet had gone through deep, and she knew the blood wouldn't have stopped until she managed to do something about it. Faye's eyes stared at his, as she took deep breaths.
"Spike, come on!" she shouted out, as she struggled to help him up.
"Wait---"
"Forget it! The place is gonna fucken blow!" Faye screamed out, angered, as she managed to somehow fit in the starship, and quickly pulled as far away as possibly from the scene. Not a thought entered her mind, except for the fact that she hoped Spike would be able to last through it, and she knew well he would. Don't die on me, again, Spike, she kept telling herself, I won't make it without you.



I feel adrift, for I am only dreaming,
But when I'm with you, please don't let it be a dream,
Wish this World was just a dream, that is your thought,
But it's not mines.



Note: hey, thanks for the nice reviews! Well, there goes the whole bounty hunt, tell you anything much that you questioned before? I hope it cleared up something. But here is when it all comes down, this is where Faye and Spike are left to really really face eachother. But wait. Did this chapter move to fast? I tried to be sure I didn't leave anything out? It didn't go to fast did it? I hope not. I hope you understood everything so far. Thanks again!