Chapter 2
Light poured into the silent bedroom, illuminating the still sleeping Faye. She snored softly, entranced in a peaceful dream. Ed watched her carefully. She didn't want to wake Faye up, especially since this was the only time when she really ever got peace. But it was almost noon, and Ed knew all too well that Faye hated to get a late start in the day.
"Faye-Faye?"
No answer. This time, Ed shook her slightly.
"Faye-Faye? C'mon, wake up."
The sleeping beauty groaned and opened her eyes. She turned over onto her right side and looked at Ed groggily. "Wha-Ed? What...time is it?"
"It's almost twelve."
"What?!" Faye shot up, the sleep that had once been trapped in her head now set free. "Are you joking? God, Spike is never gonna let me forget this."
She jumped out of bed, Ed looking at her anxiously. Faye noticed this and turned to the younger girl, smiling. "Hey Ed, could you do me a big favor and make me some coffee?"
Ed nodded and rushed out of the room, a happy (whatever her dog's name is...I forgot it) there to greet her. Faye shook her head, still smiling. Kids were so cute these days.
Faye got dressed in somewhat of a hurry, pulling on skimpy black shorts and a blue tank. She fastened the holster of her gun securely to her hips, making sure that the mouth of the gun was facing downwards. A knock on the door interrupted the process of brushing her hair, and not wanting to stop, Faye called to whoever it was that the door was open.
Unfortunately, it was Spike who came in. "Lovely afternoon, isn't it Faye?"
She ignored his statement and got directly to the point. "What do you want Spike?"
"Ms. Valentine has received a telegram," he told her, holding up a brown envelope. "Would Ms. Valentine like to see her telegram?"
Faye winced at the way Spike addressed her. Vicious always called her "Ms. Valentine"....
"Hand it over Spike."
"Or what?" he mocked. "You'll hit me?"
"No, I'll shoot you. And as soon as you hit the floor, I'll pry the thing out of your cold dead fingers."
Spike thought of this for a moment. He knew Faye would do it, and Faye knew she would do it. Spike shook his head. "I think I'll just give it to you now, and save you the cost of a funeral," he said handing it to her.
Faye snatched it from his grasp and gave him a sarcastic look. "It's funny that you call a funeral being buried in a ditch," she said, beginning to open it. She stopped when he remained standing in the doorway. "Um, you can leave now."
"Oh c'mon! I wanna see who it's from!" he protested.
"No, really Spike. You can leave," she explained, slowly closing the door on him.
"But, hey...!"
"Good bye Spike." And the door was shut.
With him gone, Faye was free to open the telegram. She wondered with slight anxiousness at who the letter could've been from. Very few to no people knew where she was, and she personally saw to it that if they did want to find her, it wouldn't be that easy. After all she was a wanted criminal. Unless of course it was from those lawyer-type people apologizing for the delay on some trial Faye had forgotten about, and had probably gotten herself out of a long time ago. But if it was, then how did they manage to find her here...?
All these thoughts rushed through Faye's head as the letter was unfolded. Her eyes scanned its contents, the breathing that came from her mouth becoming more sparse and shallow with every word taken in. She had never expected this to happen, especially not here. And as Faye's eyes fell upon the final word of the telegram, her breathing ceased completely.
Vicious.
She began to read through the letter again, this time taking note of every detail. She memorized the long flowing curves of Vicious' writing, making sure that if she ever saw it again, she'd know it right away. Faye swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. The letter was swiftly refolded and hidden away under her pillow. Not really understanding what she was about to do, nor what the consequences would be, Faye grabbed the nearest coat and some money and left her room, not taking any notice of Spike who had been patiently waiting for her to come out.
"So, who was it from...?" he started, trying to get her attention.
But Faye was in no mood to talk. "Get out of my way," she snapped, shoving him aside.
"Hey, hey! Wait a minute...." he tried again, this time holding his hands out to stop her.
"I said MOVE!" Faye shoved him back with such surprising force and strength that Spike was overwhelmed and clumsily fell backwards into the wall. Watching her exit through the door, Spike gently rubbed the sore spot on his chest where Faye had rammed her elbow into him. What is up with her, he thought, standing up on aching limbs. He figured that the only way he would understand what the hell was going on, was to find out what that telegram had said. Instinctively, Spike made his way to Faye's room to do just that.
Now where could that little sucker be? Spike had pretty much overturned every inch of Faye's room, and still there was no letter to be found. Well, there was still the bed to check, but Spike wouldn't dare go within three feet of that thing....
Spike smacked himself on the head for his stupidity. Of course Faye would hide it there. It was the only place that she knew he wouldn't look. Well, Spike thought. I'll show her. Gingerly. He began to check the bed, knowing with sheer humor that Faye slept there. Slowly he lifted up the pillow. Bingo. He snatched the paper from its place on the bed. Unfolding it, he was surprised to see that the writing was familiar in an eerie sort of way. In fact, it was almost identical to.... No, it couldn't be. But Spike was already doubting himself as he began to trace the words with his eyes.
Dear Ms. Valentine,
If you will, meet me at the Grand Palace Hotel at nine o'clock this evening. I have arranged for a private meeting there, and I would very much appreciate it if you arrived alone. I have taken the liberty of providing you with a private escort, just so I can have the secure feeling that you in fact are alone and, of course unarmed. Please do remember that if a scene is created, there will be no hesitation in the killing of innocents. You will be prompt and on time; I will except no lateness. I look forward to our meeting.
As Always,
Vicious.
Spike crumpled the letter between his hands and threw it against the wall. Faye was in deep trouble, and he doubted that she had any idea what she was getting herself into. She had after all tried to go up against Vicious before, and that had ended in her being captured and Spike falling out of a window. He looked at his watch. It was three o'clock. Faye still had some time to get away, but would she? No, Faye wouldn't run. And it was this knowledge that worried Spike the most.
Seven o'clock. That gave Faye only two hours to decide what she was going to do. She lit a cigarette, the hand holding the lighter mildly shaking. She hoped that it would help to clear her thoughts. Vicious...what did he want with her? Something about this wasn't right, and Faye could feel it. But then why was her mind arguing that it was only Vicious?
Ha. Faye laughed at herself. Only Vicious, yeah right. Only the man who would go so far as to kill innocents to get what he wanted. Only the man who was behind the most famous assassinations in history. Only the man who had finally been able to get to her.... Something inside Faye snapped, revealing the harsh reality before her. Vicious was the only man ever to mean something to her. All the other men that she had come into contact with her was for one of three reasons. The first was because she was bored and wanted a quick lay, the second was because she was bored and killed off the men with bounties on their heads, and the last was because she was bored and wanted to annoy the hell out of Spike and Jet, who both in her mind really couldn't be considered men, but since they had that little extra organ they were close enough. But Vicious was something different, something more. The way he was excited her. He was so violent, so dangerous. There were those who feared the mere mention of his name. Faye shuddered, but it wasn't from fear. Vicious was up to something, she was sure of that. And tonight, Faye would find out exactly what that something was....
"Faye? Faye Valentine?"
Faye turned her head, snapping back into reality. "Do I know you?"
The woman standing in front of Faye shook her head, which was covered in a glorious mess of blond hair. "No, I don't think so. But maybe Spike has said something about me."
Faye raised an eyebrow. "You know Spike?"
"Yes. My name is Julia. Nice to meet you."
Oh, so this was the famous Julia. Funny, I got the impression she was dead. Faye twisted a strand of purple hair.
"So, why are you here?"
"Actually, I just got off work," Julia told her, gesturing to the building at Faye's back. "I saw you sitting here and I figured that maybe Spike would be around here somewhere...."
"Well he's not," Faye interrupted, standing up. "Now, is there anything else I can do for you? I really am in a hurry."
There was obvious disappointment on Julia's face, and Faye wasn't sure if it was because she had to leave or because of the fact Spike wasn't there.
"Oh, well in that case, I better let you go. Say hi to Spike for me when you see him." Her face went slightly pink. "And tell him I love him."
Faye forced a smile. "Righty-oh. Bu-bye." She turned and began to walk away.
"Bye!" Julia called to her. "Remember to tell Spike for me!"
Yeah, I'll remember, Faye thought bitterly. Next week.
With it now eight o'clock (Faye pondered on how the time went by so quickly), it occurred to Faye that if she was actually going to meet Vicious tonight, she would need something to wear. Of course there was that stunning black dress she had hanging in her closet. But that dress was getting old, and Faye thought it time for a change. Plus Vicious had already seen her in that dress, and she doubted that.... Faye stopped and cursed herself for lack of self-control. Reality check Faye, her conscious scolded. Why would Vicious care what you're wearing? But despite her best efforts, Faye still found herself entering an evening attire shop and searching through the selections.
Within five minutes she had found the perfect dress. It was a deep, sensual shade of midnight blue with an overlay that came down over the sides which was a shade or two lighter. The neck was designed in halter fashion and was extremely low cut. The dress itself came with a sash that was in the same shade of blue. Because her arms felt so bare, Faye bought a pair of black silken gloves that came up past her elbow and right below the shoulder.
With it now almost eight thirty, Faye thought it would be a good time to head back. She bought the dress and left the store, now looking for a place to change. On the way, she bought a pair of black shoes with several straps, just to finish off the look. She then entered a small posh restaurant and asked the manager if she could use the bathroom. Once there, she entered a stall and changed into her dress. Naturally knowing a secret way to hide things, Faye lifted a tile off the bathroom floor and made a crevice for her clothes. She neatly laid the tile back into place and made it look as though it had never been disturbed. Faye took two bobby pins and pinned back her short hair for a more elegant look. Bright red lipstick was placed over her lips, and heavy mascara and eyeliner were put on to accent her eyes. To put it simply, Faye looked stunning. She left the restaurant and walked back to her temporary home, attracting quite a few stares along the way. It seemed, as Faye soon found out, that her "escorts" as Vicious had mentioned in the letter were already there for her.
"Is Ms. Valentine in tonight?" the larger one asked the old man at the door.
"No, she hasn't been in all day," Jet told them grumpily.
Faye slanted her eyes. Maybe now wasn't a good time to go back. She backed up, planning to head to the hotel herself, when a strong hand grasped her by the arm.
"Going somewhere, Ms. Valentine?"
EEE! how scary!!! okay, i have one more chapter to do, and then I'm done!!! yay! I'm sure u just cant wait till the next chapt comes out. I'll try to be quicker with this one. don't forget to R&R!!
Light poured into the silent bedroom, illuminating the still sleeping Faye. She snored softly, entranced in a peaceful dream. Ed watched her carefully. She didn't want to wake Faye up, especially since this was the only time when she really ever got peace. But it was almost noon, and Ed knew all too well that Faye hated to get a late start in the day.
"Faye-Faye?"
No answer. This time, Ed shook her slightly.
"Faye-Faye? C'mon, wake up."
The sleeping beauty groaned and opened her eyes. She turned over onto her right side and looked at Ed groggily. "Wha-Ed? What...time is it?"
"It's almost twelve."
"What?!" Faye shot up, the sleep that had once been trapped in her head now set free. "Are you joking? God, Spike is never gonna let me forget this."
She jumped out of bed, Ed looking at her anxiously. Faye noticed this and turned to the younger girl, smiling. "Hey Ed, could you do me a big favor and make me some coffee?"
Ed nodded and rushed out of the room, a happy (whatever her dog's name is...I forgot it) there to greet her. Faye shook her head, still smiling. Kids were so cute these days.
Faye got dressed in somewhat of a hurry, pulling on skimpy black shorts and a blue tank. She fastened the holster of her gun securely to her hips, making sure that the mouth of the gun was facing downwards. A knock on the door interrupted the process of brushing her hair, and not wanting to stop, Faye called to whoever it was that the door was open.
Unfortunately, it was Spike who came in. "Lovely afternoon, isn't it Faye?"
She ignored his statement and got directly to the point. "What do you want Spike?"
"Ms. Valentine has received a telegram," he told her, holding up a brown envelope. "Would Ms. Valentine like to see her telegram?"
Faye winced at the way Spike addressed her. Vicious always called her "Ms. Valentine"....
"Hand it over Spike."
"Or what?" he mocked. "You'll hit me?"
"No, I'll shoot you. And as soon as you hit the floor, I'll pry the thing out of your cold dead fingers."
Spike thought of this for a moment. He knew Faye would do it, and Faye knew she would do it. Spike shook his head. "I think I'll just give it to you now, and save you the cost of a funeral," he said handing it to her.
Faye snatched it from his grasp and gave him a sarcastic look. "It's funny that you call a funeral being buried in a ditch," she said, beginning to open it. She stopped when he remained standing in the doorway. "Um, you can leave now."
"Oh c'mon! I wanna see who it's from!" he protested.
"No, really Spike. You can leave," she explained, slowly closing the door on him.
"But, hey...!"
"Good bye Spike." And the door was shut.
With him gone, Faye was free to open the telegram. She wondered with slight anxiousness at who the letter could've been from. Very few to no people knew where she was, and she personally saw to it that if they did want to find her, it wouldn't be that easy. After all she was a wanted criminal. Unless of course it was from those lawyer-type people apologizing for the delay on some trial Faye had forgotten about, and had probably gotten herself out of a long time ago. But if it was, then how did they manage to find her here...?
All these thoughts rushed through Faye's head as the letter was unfolded. Her eyes scanned its contents, the breathing that came from her mouth becoming more sparse and shallow with every word taken in. She had never expected this to happen, especially not here. And as Faye's eyes fell upon the final word of the telegram, her breathing ceased completely.
Vicious.
She began to read through the letter again, this time taking note of every detail. She memorized the long flowing curves of Vicious' writing, making sure that if she ever saw it again, she'd know it right away. Faye swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. The letter was swiftly refolded and hidden away under her pillow. Not really understanding what she was about to do, nor what the consequences would be, Faye grabbed the nearest coat and some money and left her room, not taking any notice of Spike who had been patiently waiting for her to come out.
"So, who was it from...?" he started, trying to get her attention.
But Faye was in no mood to talk. "Get out of my way," she snapped, shoving him aside.
"Hey, hey! Wait a minute...." he tried again, this time holding his hands out to stop her.
"I said MOVE!" Faye shoved him back with such surprising force and strength that Spike was overwhelmed and clumsily fell backwards into the wall. Watching her exit through the door, Spike gently rubbed the sore spot on his chest where Faye had rammed her elbow into him. What is up with her, he thought, standing up on aching limbs. He figured that the only way he would understand what the hell was going on, was to find out what that telegram had said. Instinctively, Spike made his way to Faye's room to do just that.
Now where could that little sucker be? Spike had pretty much overturned every inch of Faye's room, and still there was no letter to be found. Well, there was still the bed to check, but Spike wouldn't dare go within three feet of that thing....
Spike smacked himself on the head for his stupidity. Of course Faye would hide it there. It was the only place that she knew he wouldn't look. Well, Spike thought. I'll show her. Gingerly. He began to check the bed, knowing with sheer humor that Faye slept there. Slowly he lifted up the pillow. Bingo. He snatched the paper from its place on the bed. Unfolding it, he was surprised to see that the writing was familiar in an eerie sort of way. In fact, it was almost identical to.... No, it couldn't be. But Spike was already doubting himself as he began to trace the words with his eyes.
Dear Ms. Valentine,
If you will, meet me at the Grand Palace Hotel at nine o'clock this evening. I have arranged for a private meeting there, and I would very much appreciate it if you arrived alone. I have taken the liberty of providing you with a private escort, just so I can have the secure feeling that you in fact are alone and, of course unarmed. Please do remember that if a scene is created, there will be no hesitation in the killing of innocents. You will be prompt and on time; I will except no lateness. I look forward to our meeting.
As Always,
Vicious.
Spike crumpled the letter between his hands and threw it against the wall. Faye was in deep trouble, and he doubted that she had any idea what she was getting herself into. She had after all tried to go up against Vicious before, and that had ended in her being captured and Spike falling out of a window. He looked at his watch. It was three o'clock. Faye still had some time to get away, but would she? No, Faye wouldn't run. And it was this knowledge that worried Spike the most.
Seven o'clock. That gave Faye only two hours to decide what she was going to do. She lit a cigarette, the hand holding the lighter mildly shaking. She hoped that it would help to clear her thoughts. Vicious...what did he want with her? Something about this wasn't right, and Faye could feel it. But then why was her mind arguing that it was only Vicious?
Ha. Faye laughed at herself. Only Vicious, yeah right. Only the man who would go so far as to kill innocents to get what he wanted. Only the man who was behind the most famous assassinations in history. Only the man who had finally been able to get to her.... Something inside Faye snapped, revealing the harsh reality before her. Vicious was the only man ever to mean something to her. All the other men that she had come into contact with her was for one of three reasons. The first was because she was bored and wanted a quick lay, the second was because she was bored and killed off the men with bounties on their heads, and the last was because she was bored and wanted to annoy the hell out of Spike and Jet, who both in her mind really couldn't be considered men, but since they had that little extra organ they were close enough. But Vicious was something different, something more. The way he was excited her. He was so violent, so dangerous. There were those who feared the mere mention of his name. Faye shuddered, but it wasn't from fear. Vicious was up to something, she was sure of that. And tonight, Faye would find out exactly what that something was....
"Faye? Faye Valentine?"
Faye turned her head, snapping back into reality. "Do I know you?"
The woman standing in front of Faye shook her head, which was covered in a glorious mess of blond hair. "No, I don't think so. But maybe Spike has said something about me."
Faye raised an eyebrow. "You know Spike?"
"Yes. My name is Julia. Nice to meet you."
Oh, so this was the famous Julia. Funny, I got the impression she was dead. Faye twisted a strand of purple hair.
"So, why are you here?"
"Actually, I just got off work," Julia told her, gesturing to the building at Faye's back. "I saw you sitting here and I figured that maybe Spike would be around here somewhere...."
"Well he's not," Faye interrupted, standing up. "Now, is there anything else I can do for you? I really am in a hurry."
There was obvious disappointment on Julia's face, and Faye wasn't sure if it was because she had to leave or because of the fact Spike wasn't there.
"Oh, well in that case, I better let you go. Say hi to Spike for me when you see him." Her face went slightly pink. "And tell him I love him."
Faye forced a smile. "Righty-oh. Bu-bye." She turned and began to walk away.
"Bye!" Julia called to her. "Remember to tell Spike for me!"
Yeah, I'll remember, Faye thought bitterly. Next week.
With it now eight o'clock (Faye pondered on how the time went by so quickly), it occurred to Faye that if she was actually going to meet Vicious tonight, she would need something to wear. Of course there was that stunning black dress she had hanging in her closet. But that dress was getting old, and Faye thought it time for a change. Plus Vicious had already seen her in that dress, and she doubted that.... Faye stopped and cursed herself for lack of self-control. Reality check Faye, her conscious scolded. Why would Vicious care what you're wearing? But despite her best efforts, Faye still found herself entering an evening attire shop and searching through the selections.
Within five minutes she had found the perfect dress. It was a deep, sensual shade of midnight blue with an overlay that came down over the sides which was a shade or two lighter. The neck was designed in halter fashion and was extremely low cut. The dress itself came with a sash that was in the same shade of blue. Because her arms felt so bare, Faye bought a pair of black silken gloves that came up past her elbow and right below the shoulder.
With it now almost eight thirty, Faye thought it would be a good time to head back. She bought the dress and left the store, now looking for a place to change. On the way, she bought a pair of black shoes with several straps, just to finish off the look. She then entered a small posh restaurant and asked the manager if she could use the bathroom. Once there, she entered a stall and changed into her dress. Naturally knowing a secret way to hide things, Faye lifted a tile off the bathroom floor and made a crevice for her clothes. She neatly laid the tile back into place and made it look as though it had never been disturbed. Faye took two bobby pins and pinned back her short hair for a more elegant look. Bright red lipstick was placed over her lips, and heavy mascara and eyeliner were put on to accent her eyes. To put it simply, Faye looked stunning. She left the restaurant and walked back to her temporary home, attracting quite a few stares along the way. It seemed, as Faye soon found out, that her "escorts" as Vicious had mentioned in the letter were already there for her.
"Is Ms. Valentine in tonight?" the larger one asked the old man at the door.
"No, she hasn't been in all day," Jet told them grumpily.
Faye slanted her eyes. Maybe now wasn't a good time to go back. She backed up, planning to head to the hotel herself, when a strong hand grasped her by the arm.
"Going somewhere, Ms. Valentine?"
EEE! how scary!!! okay, i have one more chapter to do, and then I'm done!!! yay! I'm sure u just cant wait till the next chapt comes out. I'll try to be quicker with this one. don't forget to R&R!!