Hey all, and welcome to chapter two of my Cowboy Bebop fic! First off, I'd like thank you all for the great reviews, I really enjoy getting them. Secondly. (Really important crap right here!!) I'd like to mention that I've never actually heard of/read 'Ghost'. Apparently, my fic has an uncanny similarity to this story, and I really hope that this doesn't turn many people off from my own story, since I really had no inkling of an idea that there was another story like mine out there. Not that I didn't have my suspicions. I mean, a fic where Faye's in trouble, and Spike's tormented spirit in limbo comes to help her out? Yeah, I had a feeling It had been done. But hopefully, you can over look all that and just enjoy the story!! Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop. (And if I did, why would I be writing a fic about it?)

O, My Troubles With God

By Rio Grande Chapter Two: The Trouble With Spike.

* Faye shifted from foot to foot uneasily, staring intently at Spike's back as he bustled around the kitchen and prepared breakfast for her. earlier, she had firmly convinced herself that this all was purely a stress induced dream, and that if she just played along, she would, inevitably, wake up, and everything would be peachy keen perfect again.

"You like your eggs scrambled, right?" Spike asked from the kitchen, making sure that the past ten minutes hadn't been a waste.

"You remembered." Faye said, her voice emotionless. Spike rolled his eyes; she was obviously still in shock. Well. he supposed he could understand that. He had Faye had just recently had a very serious and wholly disturbing conversation, concerning his present state, and what he planned to do about. Not to mention how she was going to help. He didn't know how he'd be reacting if the situations were reversed, in all honesty.

* (A LITTLE WHILE AGO.)

"You see Faye, I'm sort of stuck in limbo," Spike stated, getting right to the heart of the matter.

"Limbo? Oh. That's perfect. Bloody perfect!" Faye groaned, shaking her head. "And so like you,"

"Oh, sorry, I guess this is all MY fault then, is it?" Spike spat, angrily. Faye shot him a look that plainly stated that well, yeah, it was. HE had gone and gotten himself shot, and now HE had some unfinished business and was now stuck on the mortal plain. How was in NOT his fault? Spike scowled but continued on anyway.

"See, I would really like to just let my soul rest in peace, but something's holding me back. Something here on Earth that I haven't finished with yet. well, it's either that or there is someone who can't afford to have me die yet," he said.

"Which do you think it is?" Faye asked, in all seriousness. She was still sitting on the couch, having just recently re-awakened from her latest fainting spell, and Spike had wasted no time filling her in with all of the tedious little details about his current. Best to get this out of the way.

Spike didn't say anything for a moment, head turned to the side, as he pondered her question. Truth be told, he HAD thought about that one quite a lot, and hadn't come up with a solid answer yet.

"I don't know," he admitted quietly. "I want to think it's someone else who needs me. but I have a feeling that it's just me having some unfinished business."

"Well, wouldn't you remember if it was YOU having some unfinished business." Faye asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not that easy. I did so many things here on Earth, so many regrettable things. any one of them could be tying me to this place. I just don't know which one."

"How do you figure that? How do you know ANY of this for that matter? You seem to be pretty well informed Spike, but how do you really know any of this for a solid fact?" Faye asked, her voice picking up an edge of hysteria.

"She told me," Spike said simply, folding his arms and sitting in the chair across from Faye once more.

"She?" Faye asked, even though she had a pretty good idea what dead person would have been talking to Spike.

"Julia." Spike said, his eyes suddenly becoming hard, unreadable. So cold. Why did he always close himself off when it came to her? Faye resisted flinching at the sound of that troublesome woman's name. She didn't think Spike would like it. "Heh.I was so ready to see her, so ready to be with her again." His voice was melancholy, and closed off. "But. but she told me there was something tying me to Earth, and I couldn't go to her yet. but, if I resolved everything, maybe we would be together forever." He whispered. Faye widened her deep, turquoise eyes. Spike hardly ever shared things like this with her when he was alive! He was the man of mystery, and she was always left in the dark! But here he was. spilling his guts. "Faye," he said quickly, head snapping up to stare Faye square in the eye. Faye quivered under his intense gaze, so filled with powerful emotions Faye never even hoped to understand half of. "You HAVE to help me. I've been everywhere on this cursed planet in the past three years. and no one else has been able to see me, and no one else has given me any clues!" he said, his voice hard and determined.

"I'm giving you clues?" Faye asked.

"Well, not yet, but, since you're the only one who can see me, you're a good start. Besides, you can help me pursue my answer," Spike said, as if this were obvious.

"How?" Faye questioned. She didn't like the idea of getting mixed up in Spike's unfinished business. SHE didn't want to die TOO!

"Well, you can ask people questions for me, be my voice!" Seeing the hesitant expression on Faye's face, who obviously didn't want to be his medium, he continued on. "Jeez Faye, stop being so selfish! I'm not even asking you to put your life at risk here, just ask some questions that I can't! I saved you, remember? I told you you owed me, and I meant it. You've got to pay up."

"God Spike, this is to freaky! Don't make it any harder! You're scaring me!" Faye admitted, getting to her feet and throwing her blanket to the floor, eyes blazing.

"What right do you have, just coming back here now, messing everything up, frightening me half to death and then demanding favors!? You're always like this, thinking of yourself first! Whatever helps to put YOUR soul at rest, whatever helps rid you of YOUR tormented past, well, we all have to help. Have to stand by and WATCH as you mess yourself up! You were always like this, and now, even in death, you haven't changed!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes unknowingly as she thought about Spike's last moments with her, before he went and got blasted to pieces by Vicious. she had been so mad! How could he do this to her!? To the Bebop!? Spike watched his old friend (could he really call her friend?) rant out her fears and anger silently, arms still folded in front of him.

"You're really one to talk about being selfish, Valentine." He reminded the woman calmly, once he was sure she was done with her tirade. Faye's lips trembled at his words, and she sunk back onto the couch, knowing he was right.

"Well, at least I don't hurt my friends with my decisions. At least I don't die on them," she said, coldly.

"Oh come on Faye, if you had a chance to make things better, to tie up your loose ends, to stop the questions. don't tell me you wouldn't have done it. Even if I was still alive, even if we were all still on the Bebop, would you not have taken that risk?" Faye didn't say anything. "I'm sorry I died like that. I know it had a humungous effect on you guys. I WATCHED you break up, everyone go their separate ways. but. don't let that blind you. I'm asking for your help, so don't be so bitchy about it!" he snapped, his temper finally getting the better of him. Faye made a hissing sound, and she lowered her head. This wasn't going the way she had imagined it.

A million and one times, she had day dreamed about meeting Spike again, (of course, in all of these fantasies, the man was actually ALIVE again. maybe he had been in a coma, lost on some colony and just waiting for her to find him.) and she always won the argument. He always ended up breaking down and saying he was so sorry, please forgive me, I'll make it up to you, we can go back to the way things were. of course, if that ever happened. it wouldn't be the real Spike. THIS was the real Spike. His logic, his infuriating way of being right, more proof than she honestly needed, that this was indeed her old comrade, back again.

After an extended silence that left the couple dwelling over sorrowful, old things they had never wanted to dwell upon again, Faye finally spoke up, effectively hiding her sniffles.

"Ok. Ok. I'll help you. but. I do have a bounty, here on Mars, and I want you to help me find it, first."

"Excuse me? Are we making a deal here?" Spike asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought the idea was, help your old buddy because he's DEAD and wants to get into heaven. especially after he just saved your ass a few hours ago."

"Saved my ass?" Faye repeated. "I'm still shot up, you didn't save me from those big idiots when they were attacking me, did you?" she reasoned, much to Spikes chagrin. He couldn't BELIEVE this woman! "Besides, I still need to make a living. Staying on Mars is quite expensive, and I'm low on money. I was depending on this one Spike, I NEED to bring her in."

"I can't believe this." Spike said, voicing his thoughts. "But. okay, fine. We capture your bounty, and then you have to agree to come with me and try to get me off of this planet. Deal?" Faye took in a breath, feeling slightly lightheaded, but once again confident now that she was back to her old self.

"Deal," she agreed, taking his head, morbidly fascinated as she found it was indeed solid, but so cold. the shook hands firmly, and Spike had a grim smile on his face.

"Good to be working with you again, Valentine." He said, all the while wondering if he really meant it.

*

After that little episode, Faye and fallen asleep again, totally conked out thanks to the painkillers she had been taking. When she had awoken again, there Spike had been. making breakfast. and she couldn't even be sure that the entire conversation had actually taken place, or if she was just making everything up. She decided to assume it had. It would be just like her life, in any case.

"So, what are we going to do with this woman, anyway? This bounty your after. I'd like to get her out of the way quickly, if you please." Spike said, casually.

"Well so would I! But it's not that easy. She's clever. I've been searching for her in this town, and I just found her last night. She has some means ass body guards with her, and they beat me up pretty good," she admitted.

"So I see." Spike said, scraping the eggs off the pan, and plopping them all onto a plastic plate next to him. Faye had never seen the man actually cook before, but she supposed being dead and very desperate did odd things to a person.

"I was so thrilled to actually find her, I sort of screwed myself over, and was really stupid. I was also pretty drunk." Faye sighed, rubbing her forehead as she belatedly remembered JUST how dim-witted she had been.

"Sound like you really have things under control around here," Spike mocked, picking up the plate, a fork placed on it, and bringing it to Faye. Faye glanced up at him, pleased and surprised, not sure what to expect, and found only innocence in his eyes. Well, innocence was too strong a word. She was sure Spike had never actually been innocent in his entire life, but, unassuming kindness was definitely there!

"Thanks," she said, accepting the eggs, and sitting back down. Spike nodded once, and walked off to go check on the coffee. Faye shook her head in disbelief. She was starting to like this dead version of Spike better!

"You were always so crude with your plans. It's really a good thing I'm here to help you catch this one."

And then again.

"Well Spike, we do have some things to consider here!" Faye said, startling herself as she began to talk about plans and problems and the like. She was usually the one to rush blindly in! "Like, why does she have those body guards with her? Why is she staying in this area, leaving herself open for attack by eating at a fast food restaurant!? And why has no one been able to catch in her the past year almost?" Spike poured the steaming, dark coffee into a mug, and Faye resisted the urge to drool, its comforting smell wafting over to her as she greedily ate her eggs.

"Those are all good questions Faye, but, I would have hoped you had been able to figure those out on your own by now," he reprimanded.

"Well I can't! The woman's almost elusive as you are!" she cursed. Spike didn't know if he should take that as a compliment or not, so he settled for shrugging and walking back over to Faye, mug in hand.

"Why are you after her then, if she's such a hard catch?" he asked, sipping from the mug. and stunning Faye as she watched him obviously NOT hand over the coffee to her. That dirty JERK! She wanted her COFFEE! Seeing her hungry stare, Spike shot a look that plainly said, 'Go get your own.' Still to drowsy to move, Faye felt the urge to burst into tears.

"She's worth 15,000,000! The family of her husband is paying big money to get this woman to justice after she killed the guy and their two sons." Faye explained.

"Eck. Sounds messy." Spike said, scrunching up his nose. "She seems pretty insane, are you sure you want to go after this one?" he asked.

"Positive. I've put too much time into her to back down now. And especially after what she did to me. she mentioned some things when I saw her at Captain Tuna's."

"You fought with her at CAPTAIN TUNA'S?" Spike asked, holding back a bark for laughter. Faye glared at him.

"Shut up. Anyway, she mentioned something about how big things were going down. that I would be in the way. She's obviously not leaving, and she's obviously up to something around here," Faye surmised. "Something bigger."

"Which means she'll be looking out for you. She wants you dead now."

"Yeah, I guessed that."

"Jeez Faye, how do you get yourself into these things?" Spike sighed, trying really hard not to let the coffee cup faze through his fingers.

"Oh yeah, coming from the undead spirit? Riiight." Faye snorted, disgusted. Spike actually chuckled lightly at that one. He tended to agree with the purple haired gypsy on that one.

"Yeah, I guess I am sort of out of bounds there." Faye looked mildly startled that he was agreeing with her, but was blissfully silent. "Valentine, as soon as you're up and about, we're going to go catch that woman and get the hell out of here. Maybe stop by the Bebop and get some answers. I don't think I can take to much longer on this freaking level of existence." Faye stared at him, her hands limp in her lap, her blanket draped haphazardly around her.

"You really miss her, don't you?" she asked quietly. Spike glanced up at her sharply, his mismatched eyes flashing.

"Well, what do you think," he asked sharply. Faye closed her eyes.

"I don't know what to think." she admitted. "I'VE never been in love before," she added. Spike snorted.

"Haven't you?" Faye raised an eyebrow.

"No, I haven't," she stated again. What did he mean by that. Spike slowly stood up and walked over to a window. It was raining out, and he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Well. let me tell you, you're not missing out on much." He informed her softly. "It's all right when nothing's wrong, being in love with someone. But. the second something happens. it's like walking through a never-ending nightmare. All you want is the best for that person. All you want to do is help them. but, usually, they need to be the ones to help themselves. And that just KILLS you. It KILLS you that there's not one damned thing you can do to make it easier for them." Faye listened to him intently, not saying anything as she realized that's usually how she had felt about Spike, when he had been alive.

*

"Mr. Lincoln. I don't think you're seeing the very REAL seriousness of this problem." Madame Yoloko commented, leaning over Mr. George Lincoln's desk, and placing her face in one thin, creamy smooth hand. She smiled her most charming, deathly frightening smile, and Mr. Lincoln shrunk back into his seat, sweating profusely, and shaking like a rabbit that was being cornered by a fox.

Mr. Lincoln was a short pudgy man, with a balding head, and a notorious, lecherous streak, that was just about as large as Yoloko's killing one. He was fairly loaded, and lived comfortably on Mars. He also happened to owe Yoloko a lot of money.

Her three ever present guards, now looking slightly less threatening due to an array of bandages and bruises scattered about their body, thanks to that bitch of a drunk they had met the other night, stood behind the woman, keeping a close eye on things. Not that Mr. Lincoln was going to try something. That man had less of a backbone than a slug.

"-I-I. I understand. v-very well. Ms. Yoloko." he wheezed, wringing his hands together. "And, and I'll have the money for you, soon, yes, very soon! Just give me some time!" he squeaked pitifully.

"Time is one of the only thing I most definitely don't have an abundance of, Mr. Lincoln. I was depending on that money, George! I need it! And YOU are going to pay up." She darted forward and grabbed him by the tie, pulling him in close so he got a clear view of her eyes, which were gleaming viciously, and did nothing to hide her insanity. He gulped. "Or else." she finished softly. Letting his head snap quickly back when she released his expensive silk tie, she hopping off the table gracefully, letting one of her guards hand her a cigarette, the other a lighter. She lit up quickly, glancing briefly at the pathetic heap of a man who had collapsed into his chair, and was now hyperventilating. Yoloko took a drag, and grinned broadly, showing all of her teeth, which looked suspiciously like fangs on her.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you then, Mr. Lincoln. Have a wonderful day!" and then she slipped out of the room, like a wisp of smoke, silently slithering down the halls, her guards at her sides.

Once he was positive she was gone, Mr. Lincoln collapsed onto his desk, head in his hands, and wept openly. He was sooo screwed.

*

Two days later, Faye found herself on the streets again, walking casually down one particularly sunny one, an invisible Spike at her side. She folded her arms self-consciously, feeling a little foolish walking with a man of whom no one else could see. After a few unsuccessful attempts at starting a conversation, Spike got the hint that she didn't want to talk to him in public. Being considered a loose woman, she could handle, being considered a loony who talked to herself, would not and did not work with her personality.

"Jeez Faye, I'm feeling kind of ignored here," Spike joked, his wicked sense of humor quickly returning after it was clear that Faye was going to make a full recovery, her arm healing beautifully.

"Good," she snapped irritably, and stomping into a drug store. A spotless, shining and healthy looking drug store, of course. The only kind they allowed in towns like these. 'Tom's Pharmacy', was what it was called, with bright, clean shining letters. Tom, the elderly man who owned it, was one of Faye's only contacts in this dreaded town, and even then, he often failed to have a great deal of valuable information. Ah well, she was pretty desperate at this point in time, anyway. Spike had made it exceedingly clear he wanted to be done with this, and fast. Time to get her ass moving on this one.

"You say this guy is going to have information for us?" Spike asked skeptically, scratching his head and looking at the hunched over man with the red baseball cap, who sat on a stool behind the check out counter. A woman in a pair of khaki pedal pushers thanked him politely for the stick of gum she had just bought, and then quickly exited, shooting a speculative look at Faye as she did so. Faye glared back. Piss off! So what if my clothing isn't Banana Republic!

Old Tom himself looked up, glancing at Faye with twinkling old eyes and a face made out of wrinkles, his fake teeth very white. Faye grinned, and he paled a bit, much to her confusion. He usually wasn't that unhappy to see her! Oh, why did she have this effect on people?

"Oh he's eager to talk to you," Spike joked as Faye leaned over the counter, watching, amused, when Tom shrank back.

"Hey Tom," she said in her most friendly voice.

"H-hello, Faye," Tom said, nervously. Faye frowned lightly. Spike was right. This man was NOT happy to have her in his store. What was going on?

"Tom, I was wondering. if you knew anything more about that woman we had discussed earlier." Faye said pleasantly, slipping a fifty over to the man. Tom looked down at the money. He practically began to salivate just staring at it.but he held back. Faye raised an eyebrow. Hu?

"I don't like this." Spike murmured quietly. Something smelled funny here.

"Faye. Faye I just don't have anything." Tom said in his raspy voice, after a moment, and regretfully sliding the fifty back over to her. Faye snatched the money up, no use wasting it! But she looked critical nonetheless.

"Nothing?" she questioned. She had assumed there would be SOMETHING, anything, after she had met the damned woman in Captain TUNA'S, for Christ's sake! "You positive?"

"Yes. Definitely positive. Now. now you should go." He urged, shooing her along.

"Go?" she asked. "Tom, is something wrong. Is there something you need to tell me?" she asked. She hadn't known this man for long, but she knew enough to know when he was hiding something. Something important.

"He's keeping something from you," Spike commented, master of the obvious.

'No shit, Sherlock,' Faye wanted to snap, but held back. That would NOT have encouraged Tom to let her stay.

"Listen Faye, just go! Get out of here all right, you're sticking your nose in things you shouldn't be!" he growled suddenly.

"What?" Faye asked, eyes wide. Had Yoloko threatened Tom? What in the Hell was going on!

"FAYE!" she heard Spike yell off to her side. But before Faye could react, something cold and solid was pressed against the back of her head. She gasped and stood up straight. Someone was holding her at gunpoint.

"Do as the nice old man says, Ms. Valentine." A cold, masculine voice instructed from behind her. Faye bit her lip. She didn't recognize this voice. It didn't sound like a guard of Yoloko's. It was too. refined.

Green eyes darting back over to Tom, Faye mentally cursed when she saw that the old, sniveling coward had abandoned her already, his stool rolling around on the ground. A sudden muffled, choking noise from behind, alerted her to the fact that Spike had not.

"WHAT?" the man who was holding the machine gun to her head roared, swinging around, and showing Faye, to her horror, that he was not alone, but had brought three of his buddies along with him. They all street clothing with black trench coats and 'menacing' black ski masks. Faye let her frown deepen. Street clothes? What was this? These were surely not Yoloko's men. on the other hand, she didn't need a NEW enemy, so she hoped they were!

The man holding her tightly to him looked on his morbid fascination as two of his accomplishes were grabbed by the scruff of their necks, and banged together head on, by an invisible attacker. Faye took advantage of his shock, and elbowed him hard in the ribs. He sputtered and dropped the gun. Faye then delivered a round house to his stupid little face, and he was out.

Just as Spike delivered the finishing punch to the last man standing, who ever stood a chance to Spike ANYWAY, huffing and puffing, (apparently fighting took more than a little out of him) Faye leaned down to rip the ski mask off the face of her assailant, eager to know more. Unfortunately, the man behind the mask was no one she knew. Just some random shmuck who looked as though he would fit in perfectly were she to see him walking down the street outside! Creepy.

"Faye!" Spike hissed, sweat pouring down his face. "We have to leave!" he wheezed.

"Hu?" Faye looked up, suddenly realizing that red lights were flashing around the room, and that there was a cop car waiting outside the store. not to mention a few cops about to enter the pharmacy. Oh no. She did NOT need this.

"Let's leave this jerks to the cops!" she suggested, motioning to Spike to follow, even though she knew no one would care if HE was found on the scene. She raced towards the back entrance of the store, through a little door next to the counter. Speeding through the tiny, dusty storage room it entered into, and then finally out into the sunlight of an alley she stumbled out onto, Faye let out a breath of relief. From there she used the intricate (though far too clean for her tastes) system of back alleys to travel back to her hotel room, cursing her bad luck. It was JUST like her to get jumped by a bunch of random locals with expensive machine guns. Humph.

"I can't believe that!" Faye cried, once in the safety of her own hotel lobby, Spike reclining happily on a leather seat that was offered. Faye stood in front of him, venting out her frustrations. He appeared to be listening with only one ear. "And Tom KNEW it too! He knew something like that was going to happen, you could tell! But how? And why? What have I done to get the natives angry? I'm just a bounty hunter, and with Yoloko on Mars, they've seen plenty of us around! I have not exactly been disturbing the peace or anything, either." she sniffed.

"How about the fight at Captain Tuna's?"

"A rare exception."

"Maybe too much for the good people of Mars. You should watch your back Faye, these people don't know the bounty hunter way. They don't realize we are above any and all laws ever created in the history of man." Faye had to smirk at that, folding her arms, amused. At least no one had been hurt, right? All though. Spike didn't look too good.

"Hey, are you going to be okay?" she asked, showing a flash of concern. "You look sort of worn out."

"I haven't tried to make that much physical contact with someone in a long time," Spike admitted. Fighting takes a lot out of me."

"So I see," Faye agreed, thinking it was a little depressing that this is what the great Spike Spiegal had been leveled down to.

"Ma'am..?" A nervous bus boy questioned, walking up to the attractive woman.

"Hm?" Faye asked.

"Can I. help you with something?" Faye was a little confused by his wary tone, until she realized that he couldn't see Spike. Doh! She had almost forgot!

"Er, no! I was just, um." she fumbled around for a valid excuse for talking heatedly to herself, while Spike chortled with amusement. What could he do, he was just an innocent ghost. Faye's eyes lit up. Ah ha! "I was just talking on my cell phone," she explained knowingly, patting her definitely empty pocket of her denim mini shorts as though there was a cell phone somewhere in there. Ha. The boy seemed to like this answer though, and smiled, relieved, sauntering back to his post. Faye sighed. Okay. Time for a nap.

"Good job," Spike acknowledged with a grin on his face, as the duo traveled over to the elevator. "I thought he was going to have you committed."

"Shut up," she hissed quietly, massaging her temples. Honestly!

Notes:

Sorry this took a bit longer then the other chapters to come out, but, you know, times are tough. Midterms among other things are higher on my list of priorities than fan fiction right now (GASP.) but I would still REALLY appreciate some reviews! They would definitely encourage me to right, oh dedicated readers!

Sincerely,

Rio (papaya41@aol.com)