Protecting the Enemy
- Chapter 4 -
By Rachel*
Rated: PG-13
Gender: Romance/Drama
E-mail: PeachGirlKiley@aol.com
Web Address: Http://Spike-Faye-Shrine.cjb.net
- Sorry it took so long! I hope you like it though. It's a long one ^_^. Chapter 5 still needs to be read over though, I'm sorry for any errors… ENJOY! READ + REVIEW! -
- For those who don't know, Tokyopop is bringing the OTHER COWBOY BEBOP MANGA OUT!!! Cowboy Bebop – Shooting Star will come out around the time that the movie is realised in theaters! (The date is now around April…) This manga is, as I've heard much better then the one that is already out, so for those who were deressed by the manga that is out right now, no worries! –
+ I do NOT own Cowboy Bebop +
++++++++++++++++
By Sugarcult
Pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything
Pretty soon she'll figure out what his intentions were about
That's what you get for falling again
You can never get 'em out of your head
It's the way
That he makes you feel
It's the way
That he kisses you
It's the way
That he makes you fall in love
She's beautiful as usual with bruises on her ego and
Her killer instinct tells her to beware of evil men
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get 'em out of your head
And that's what you get for falling again
You can never get 'em out of your head
It's the way
That he makes you feel
It's the way
That he kisses you
It's the way
That he makes you fall in love
It's the way
That he makes you feel
It's the way
That he kisses you
It's the way
That he makes you fall in love
Love
Pretty girl, pretty girl
Pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything
Pretty soon she'll figure out
You can never get 'em out of your head
It's the way
That he makes you cry
It's the way
That he in your mind
It's the way
That he makes you fall in love
It's the way
That he makes you feel
It's the way
That he kisses you
It's the way
That he makes you fall in love
Love…
Spike awoke to the loud creak of an opening door sending a chill up his spin; like fingernails running down a chalkboard. "Move over slick." Faye hissed, kicking him out of her way with the push of her foot, as she emerged from her dark crypt and walked like a phantom into the hallway.
"Morning to you too." Spike groaned, kinking his neck. "Ehh!" He yelped paralyzing himself momentarily.
"Yeah, normally if you don't sleep on a hard floor against someone's door that doesn't happen." Faye smirked and went into the bathroom closing the door behind her.
Spike glared at her slightly. When the pain subsided, he remembered the hunger in his stomach. 'Food…' Spike thought when he smelled something coming from the kitchen. "Food is good." He mumble under his breath and walked lazily into the kitchen where Jet stood flipping pancakes. "Where'd you get that?!" Spike's eyes widened and hunger doubled.
"We've had them. I was waiting for a special day to have them, so I made them today."
"When did Faye become special?" Spike shot, soon after he felt a sharp pain in his leg. Faye had kicked him.
"I'll take two if you have enough." Faye's eyes brightened as she was surprisingly polite ignoring the glares she was getting from Spike.
"I think we can manage that for you." Jet smiled back in return and placed two neatly done pancakes onto a plate handing her syrup and butter.
"Who's we? I'm not giving any of my food up for her." Spike scuffed once again sticking his nose in the air.
"I meant me and this little guy I found outside on the loading docks." Jet moved his legs letting a small little dog pop out with a little whimper. He had a tag around his neck, "His name's Ein." Jet smirked down at the little Welsh corgi. Short little legs with a white and tan-brown coat. The little dog barked at Spike who gave the little beast a strong glare.
"I hate pets, animals altogether really..." Spike spat bitterly towards the dog scaring it. Spike grabbed a plate of food hastily and went into the living room.
"That's so mean." Faye glared. She herself didn't like dogs either; something inside her just said that they scared her. Faye sighed smiling down at it before promptly grabbed her food and heading off into the living room as well. Still she wasn't cruel enough to scare the poor thing. 'The both of us have something in common; we don't have a place to belong…'
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Spike finished his food in record speeds and hurriedly got away from Faye. 'Why can't she just go away, why can't I leave her alone?' Spike went into the bathroom taking of his clothes and stepping into the shower. While his hair was absorbing water like a sponge, Spike faced the spout letting the water hit him directly in the face. Opening his mouth slightly, some water got in and he spit it out letting his hands run over his eyes and nose before turning around facing the pale tile walls.
"Can I get in the bathroom?" Faye knocked on the door distracting Spike from his thoughts and almost making him slip and fall. Catching himself before he fell he turned off the water grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist after patting his hair some with a head-towel.
"Hey, did you hear me—" Faye cut herself off when the door opened and instead of knocking on the door she knocked on Spike's chest. "Oh, I guess you did."
"I'll be ready in a little bit; tell Jet to give you the wet suit in the blue box. It's next to mine in the storage room." Spike closed his eyes tightly removing the thoughts from his mind and walking quickly into his room shutting the door behind him.
"Okay…" Faye wondered why it pained him to say that. Then noted it was probably better not to ask and went into the bathroom to fix her mangled hair and then tell Jet about the wet suits.
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Spike looked around frantically for the picture not knowing where he had last placed it. "Where'd it go?!" Spike hissed angry with himself for letting it go astray. Getting down on his hands and knees he looked under his dresser and then in the other direction to his bed to find the tattered photo. 'Julia…'
Without realizing, Spike had left his door open partly. Faye after three minutes of tending with her hair and putting on some make up stood now watching the man in panic finally relaxing when he found the picture of a young woman, who seemed to be around her own age, with long blonde, wavy hair, and seemingly pale green eyes.
Frowning she knew why he had acted that way. 'So it's a lost love…' Faye sighed closing his door and walking away without a word.
Spike's head moved to the right quickly then noticing what he had done. 'The door…' Spike's eyes widened as he saw dark purple hair at the last second before the door shut completely. 'I can't believe I let my guard down like that, what's getting into me?' Spike sighed, standing and walking over to the door, leaning up against it, holding the picture to his chest. "What am I supposed to do love, why am I acting like this? Jet says blind love… Yet I loved you and never acted like this." Spike cursed under his breath for even thinking he was in love with her. Faye's face flashed into his mind again.
Looking forward to the ungodly mess known as his room, he frowned, the sight making him feel even more stressed. "This couldn't get any worse…" Spike closed his eyes only to have to door open and send him flying backwards to the ground. "Uh… I was wrong." Spike hissed looking up at his balding friend.
"Oh, sorry… Faye said for me to get… Julia's wet suit. Are you sure about that?" Jet sighed when he watched Spike's face cringe in pain.
"Yes. I told her that, I wouldn't have her wear it if I wasn't okay about it, and don't doubt me again…" Spike snapped in anger.
"Uh… Yeah." Jet sighed shaking his head.
Spike glanced up at Jet again with an upset look on his face again. "I…"
"Yeah I know, you didn't mean it. But it's been three years Spike. Move on, Julia isn't going to be there for you anymore. Who knows, maybe this is your chance to change. Faye needs your help like Julia did." Jet left Spike in his room with his thoughts memories screaming though his mind…
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"Spike!" Julia screamed as a man fired his gun hitting her through the back, and from the angle hit her heart. Pain ended after a second sending her to the ground without a cry. Her breathing was shallow and becoming weaker by the second.
Spike turned around his eyes wide. "No!" Spike shouted hitting three men off in the distance ending the fire and running over to Julia's side. "Julia, Julia please talk to me…" Spike placed her head in his lap brushing her locks of hair away from the pale china doll face.
"Spike…" She smiled slightly feeling the life draining out of her body. "Life's just a dream Spike…" Julia tailed off not finishing her statement as her eyes fluttered shut and a single tear rolled down her pale cheek.
Spike felt his heart pull and tears forming his eyes. "Yeah… Just a dream…" Spike brought her close and yelled out his face looking up to the sky. "No!" Not caring whether anyone saw him anymore tears fell from his eyes blending with the rain that began to fall.
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"Protect her…" Spike fought back the pain. "I couldn't protect myself let alone Julia; you think I can do that now?" Spike sighed placing the picture on his bureau, dressed, and walked out of his room to help Faye with the wet suits.
Walking down a flight of stairs to the left of the kitchen he opened a cellar door that led to the storage room where Faye was hidden in the far back corner crouched down pulling at a box falling back as boxes came flying towards her. "Ahh!" She shouted. Spike quickly ran towards her grabbing her with one hand and stopping the box with the other.
"You should have waited for me to get that…" Spike said flatly as Faye quickly regained balance and Spike bent down to glance at the dirtied blue box and opened the top to reveal a dark purplish black wet suit and all the gear needed. "This should fit you; you seem to be about her size." Spike handed it to her quickly avoiding eye contact.
"You don't have to give me this if you don't want to. I can deal with getting a little wet." Faye smiled trying to make light of the situation.
"Or you could wear it since the water's about twenty-five degrees, and you'll freeze without it." Spike forced a smile, his teeth grinding together.
"Uhh…" Faye closed her eyes and nodded. "Thank you." That was all she could say. Normally she wouldn't have, making some smart comment, or acting ungrateful. That's how she would have normally acted. But she knew that he was hurting, something had happened, and she was the one making him remember it, remember everything.
Spike didn't reply. Acting like he didn't hear her, he went off into his own little world finding his own suit that he had somewhere in the messy room. 'I don't need a thank you, I need Julia back in my life…' Spike's eyes fell dark and alone in thought.
Spike was right, the suit fit her perfectly. Forming a protective seal blocking away all water from her body and heating it when the water was cold. Over her face went a clear casing that hooked into the wet suit allowing her to breathe through and give her oxygen without the need of a tank.
Faye stepped out of her room and went into the living room where Jet sat in front of the TV and turned on Big Shots. "Hello all you bounty hunters! Today is your lucky day! A new bounty has been placed on a woman, and my, she's pretty." A dark skinned man with short, well kept hair shouted his co-host sanding next to him.
"Yes, she is a run away, her fiancé just wants her back, but that's not the only thing, she also owes twenty thousand wolongs to his family!" A tall girl with very curly blonde hair, in a revealing top, laughed.
Faye's blood ran cold and she fell to her knees. Almost forgetting that Spike and Jet were bounty hunters. She had been worried that Nathan would do something like this, but not this soon. "No, no…" Faye shook her head. 'It's just a coincidence, nothing to worry about… Nothing at all…'
Jet turned and looked at Faye oddly as he heard her chant no, repeatedly out loud. "And her name is Faye, she is also known as Poker Alice for the big gambling scam she's been involved in!"
Jet's eyes widened and his head shot over to Faye who just held her head in her hands and placed her head on the ground. "She's worth a whopping three hundred thousand wolongs!"
Spike walked in to hear the end and saw Faye's picture on the CS, or clear screen television. "Well, what do you know, our little princess here is worth a hefty amount of money…" Spike smiled patting Faye on the head gently with his hand as she still lay bent down her body beginning to shake. "Should we take her in Jet—"
"No, please I'll do anything, you can't!" Faye cried out lunging at Spike grabbing a hold of his arm again. "He'll kill me… They'll kill me. I, I just wanted to live a normal life, you can't turn me in… Please. I told you about Nathan… He'll do anything in his path to get me back, you said you'd protect me, you just can't go and change your minds now!" Faye cried out, the little dog whining in response.
Spike's eyes darkened again. "If you pay us we'll help you." Spike said again with when he noticed Faye in the wet suit.
"Anything, I will pay you back, I don't know how exactly yet, but I will I promise!" Faye nodded her head. She looked at Spike straight in the eyes, fear clearly written all over her face.
Jet nodded. "That's good enough for me." He picked up the little dog and patted it on the head.
"Fine. Jet, get this hunk of crap under the water." Spike sighed again. "Just hope there aren't any sudden leaks and we get flooded out and die…" He smirked when Faye glared at him. "I'm glad the suit fits you…" He mumbled so Jet couldn't hear him and went off towards his room to grab his gun and weight belts so they could walk on the river bottom.
Faye's eyes widened in shock as he darted out of her sight. Something pulled at her mind telling her to go after him… But she ignored it letting go of her thoughts.
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"Why'd I just say that?" Spike glanced out the small, rounded window next to the light room to see a bunch of people come running by. They were all dressed in suits… Spike's eyes widened as he noticed what he was looking at. "Not you guys again…" A handful of Faye's friends had decided to stop by and say hello. "Faye, you've got friends coming!" Spike hissed running out of the light room with one leaping bound.
"What?!" Faye screeched running into the light room and jumping towards the window to take a look. Spikes jumped up and grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her back.
"Those guys from the bar… They're back…" Spike kept a tight grip on her arm handing her a weight. "Here, put it around your waist. We have to get you out of here." Spike started into a jog yelling to Jet, telling him what was happening as he darted around the corner into the hallway. The little dog whined and jumped upwards towards Faye.
She smiled hesitantly at the dog taking a step away. "Scared of dogs I see…" Spike chuckled walking back into the room. The horrified face she had said it all.
"You… You could say that." Faye sighed. "Wish I knew why though."
"Why wouldn't you know?" Spike poked his head out from the small closet he had grabbed an extra gun, while Ein was trying to get Faye to pet him. "Here you'll need this." He handed her the weapon.
"Because I don't remember anything before the age of twenty." Faye said in a low voice but Spike was able to hear her. His eyes widened with shock and he looked back at her.
"It's okay. I'm managing for now. I just always get this frightened feeling around dogs… Pets altogether really." Faye smiled lightly when she saw his expression.
"Well, anything else you think I should know?" Spike looked at her as he started to fasten his helmet on.
"Well, Nathan is most likely hunting down all the information he can on you, Jet, and now even this little guy here trying to figure out what my relationship is with you." Faye sighed putting on her helmet as well.
"What is our relationship anyway?" Spike once again kicked himself mentally for his outburst. He hadn't meant to say that aloud, what was wrong with him?
Faye didn't respond at first, her cheeks flushing at the comment, and his tone of voice. He was so calm about it, as if he was waiting for just the right moment for the words to seep out, slowly, painfully. "No comment…" She mused as Jet's voice came on the intercom.
"Hang on tight we're going down!" Jet yelled out. There was a sudden shutter and everything seemed to shake. Spike could hear a few scattered things fall to the ground. The medicine cabinet fell open its contents spilling all over the bathroom floor, a few dishes, a glass of two...
Faye fell backwards onto the cold, not metal floor with a thump. Spike managed to keep his balance hearing the creaking of the ship however, didn't make him feel very safe. "So where exactly is this place of yours?"
"Well, we can get only so far in this ship of yours without Nathan's henchmen finding us, and then we'll have to walk underwater for about ten minutes…" Faye noted. "Walking at a normal pace anyway."
"Have you done this before or something?!" Spike's eyes widened as he watched Faye close her emerald eyes and make a mental picture of the rivers bottom in her mind.
"Once or twice…" Faye blushed again in embarrassment.
"Haa… I can't believe this…" Spike shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "So how many guys have you asked to help you?" Spike looked at her with disgust.
"What, no one has ever helped me. I've done it before on my own… You think I do this just to win some guy over and then take his money?!" Faye unzipped the back of her wet suit revealing three deeply engraved scars on her back. "I ran away for a reason Spike…" Faye sighed turning to face him again.
Spike's eyes widened and the sudden feel of guilt fell upon him. "I…"
"Don't go and say something you don't want to. I don't need you to feel sorry for me. I'm just happy to have someone trying to protect me." Faye smiled lightly and began to sing a song in a voice barely above a whisper. Spike's head turned sharply towards Faye when he had heard it. That song, the song he loved, a song he knew all to well, and a song he learned to hate.
"That, that song…" He stammered.
"It's called Julia, I heard it once when I was with Nathan… When I actully did like him, or at least I thought that I did." Faye closed her eyes remembering that day. "Don't know many of the lyrics, so I hum it more than I'll sing it."
"It's just that someone I knew also liked that song…" Spike bit down on his lower lip lightly.
Faye suddenly knew who it was. Her heart pulled slightly, she didn't know what else to say. "What's her name?" Faye mumbled looking down at the ground as she zippered her wet suit up again, the shaking of the ship settling down.
"It was Julia… She died about three years ago. I was trying to protect her also, I ended up falling in love with her and she actully loved me back. In the end she was shot and killed by one of my best friends, men. I didn't even know who she was running from at first. I ended up hating Vicious, and almost got myself killed on top of it. Thanks to Jet though I'm still alive…" Spike sighed. Never telling anyone of his past, the most known to Jet. 'What's with me anymore?'
There was a sudden gun fire that sent a chill up Faye's spine. "No!" Faye screamed.
"Run!!" Spike shouted pushing Faye forwards and drawing his gun from his waistband. The two gun shots had come from the surface, and to sound that precise Spike figured they were built for use under water.
"Spike, get your ass moving, they've got two guys down here already!" Jet shouted on the intercom again as he looked out the front to see two men in wet suits, complete with their guns waving at him with their mischievous smiles.
"Uhh, we're hearing you already!" Spike yelled in response and made a sharp left down a flight of stairs. Next was a darkened hallway the only light being a small flashlight for under the water Jet had left on. Entering a small room, Faye made sure her helmet was on tightly, and Spike did the same. Everything was clear. They closed the water tight door and locked it. Pressing a few buttons there was a hissing sound that scared Faye. "Pressurization… The last this we need is to drowned when we're just getting started." Spike closed his eyes and opened and closed his mouth a few times making sure his ears didn't clog.
"Right…" Faye nodded her head in agreement trying to act like everything was normal.
Spike closed his eyes again as he started to open the hatch that would allow them to go under the water and drop twenty feet to the darkened bottom of the lake. "Cross your fingers…" Spike opened one eye and as about three inches of water rushed into the room all at once. "Ehh!" Spike slammed the hatch shut and inhaled deeply.
"Spike, it's a normal reaction from the pressure, a little water will get in, expect five inches tops." Jet spoke on the intercom again as he watched from the cameras scattered throughout the ship.
Faye started to laugh when she noticed how frightened he was by the water. "I can't believe you… Mr. Hero, afraid of a little water?" Faye laughed again tears filling in her eyes.
"Shut up, I haven't had to use this yet!" Spike growled angered at her comment, and laughter.
"I'm laughing with you… Not at you…" Faye giggled trying her hardest to stop laughing.
"Does it look like I'm laughing with you?!" Spike yelled back as he once again reopened the hatch and about another three more inches flew on in, and then stopped abruptly.
"Don't be a baby." She sneered pushing a button on the hatch that read, drop ladder and watched as the ladder went into the water and to the bottom of the lake.
It took all of Spike's will power to hold his tongue as he pushed Faye out of his way and got into the water first. "Follow close behind me…" Spike said dryly as he held onto the rungs of the ladder and then let the weights drag him down.
"Following!" Faye smirked; just glad he wasn't depressed again. Spike could hear her though and just shook his head in frustration.
'Damn, Jet did turn on the microphone system…' This allowed him to be able to talk to Faye while submerged under the water, however if they got separated with a span of thirty feet they wouldn't be able to hear one another.
'I don't know him… Yet, then I feel like I do… It's like I can figure him out and the scary thing is he knows that; I'm the only one to get under his mask and break though to his true self… Or at least the only person who is alive that can see through his mask.'
It took in all about thirty seconds to reach bottom with the clear helmets, and the flash light he had full view from all angles at least forty feet ahead of him. "Faye, come on—" Spike looked up, but was cut off as she came flying down the ladder and with one bounding leap, just missed Spike. "Uh, right." Spike nodded his head as she smiled brightly.
"This away we go!" Faye pointed straight ahead of her. "If we go to the right we make it to a really deep drop off thing and we'll fall another twenty feet…" Faye shivered at the thought. Before them lay a mainly clean surface, kept well by the flow of the currents, thanks to the weights they didn't go floating away in the water.
"From experience?" Spike asked looked towards the shadowy black waters ahead.
"No I got a map of the river offline awhile back." Faye started walking being stopped as a bullet sailed though the water and hit the ground in front of her sending soot and other particles upward like a cloud of smoke.
"Run, come on move it!" Spike shouted turning back and firing again hitting the man in the hand that held his gun. Faye drew he own gun that Jet had given her, as a man came in front of her and she hit him in the leg. He yelled out in pain, his voice heard only by his other comrades.
"Spike!" Faye yelled as she started running ahead.
"Keep going, I'll meet you on the other side of the lake, go to the docks, get under and hide!" Spike turned back giving her a side view glace from the corner of his eyes.
"I… Fine, be careful!" Faye screamed back. Spike just ignored the comment, and kept on firing at the men who seemed to be coming out of nowhere.
'I won't let her die; I can't, if not for Julia or me, for her… For Faye…' Spike hit another one of the men that was heading towards Faye and she heard her scream slightly but then she fired her gun and she yelled that she was alright and now only a little ways away from the docks. He could barely hear her. 'She's getting out of range.'
Faye kept at an even pace running as fast as water let her run. 'Let him make it here…' Faye crossed her fingers as a man came into view and she shouted before firing her gun and hitting his weight belt, sending him to the surface. "Serves you right," She hissed. "I'm okay Spike, just a slight annoyance." She noted when she heard a sharp inhale of breath coming from her microphone.
It took Spike ten minutes to get all of Nathan's minions off of his back, and then start after Faye. His back ached in pain and he felt dizzy assuming that some of his deeper wounds were bleeding. "Faye can you hear me yet?!" Spike yelled into his mask waiting for a reply… There was none. 'I'm not close enough…' Spike kept at an even pace jogging the only way the water would let him. He felt more like he was in the light room then in water at all.
"Spike!" Faye hissed as she reached a nearby docking area and pulled off her wait letting her body float to the surface.
"Faye, where are you?" Spike was blindly heading across the river sleep wanting to take over him as his jog turned into a staggered walk. "Where… Where are you?" He had left the flashlight behind dropping it during his fight with one of Nathan's lowlifes.
"Keep going, as my voice gets louder, you'll be getting closer." Faye smiled glad to hear his voice. Her eyes widened at her thought scolding herself for even thinking that.
"Yeah… Following…" Spike breathed his breath treaty and harsh.
"Spike, Spike what's wrong, are you alright? Spike, say something!" Faye shouted.
"Your… Your voice is getting… Loud…er…" Spike's eyes closed when everything began to spin suddenly. His body collapsed sending a cloud of silt, and mud to surround him as he passed out…
"Spike, Spike no, Spike!" Faye screamed grabbing her belt; she had placed not far from her and dove back under…