Spike sat up to see Julia staring off into space. They were alone now. Then he remembered what had happened. "Okay, did I miss something," Spike said, startling Julia out of her trance.

"No. I just. . .I never told anyone."

"About your family?"

"About him."

"So Vicious is your brother."

"Yeah."

"You wanna clear a few things up for me, then?"

"Where do I start?"

"What exactly did he owe your dad?"

"Our dad. He. . .was abused as a small child."

"Explains the look. And how silent and distant he is."

"I guess so. It just hurts me that I never knew."

"He just told you. And where is he anyways?"

"He walked out on me. And I warn you –" Julia started

"He'll come after us next," Spike finished for her.

"Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if he walked in now and killed us."

"He wouldn't."

"Wouldn't it?" They both turned to the cold and emotionless voice. "That lock on the back door is pretty flimsy, you know. If you had the chance you might have wanted to look into getting a new one. But. . .like you said: you're just like everyone else in your family. You saw too much."

"Just one thing. That message he gave you. Who was it to? Do you know," Spike acted like he didn't really care the information he had pretty much sealed his fate.

"It was for Jules. But she already knew that."

"You think we plan to let you kill us?"

"I can overpower  you."

"Your stupider than I thought Vicious. She's already gone. Left when we were talking, when your attention was elsewhere."

"No. Maybe you're stupider than I thought Spike. Do you really think I didn't see her? And do you really think I don't have men here with me?"

"Do you really think they can hold her?"

"Do you really think I can't find her?"

"Not with where she's at."

"And just where would that be?"

"Yeah Vicious. I risk everything to save her just so I can tell you where she is."

"I'm out of here. I know you well enough. You on my side or hers? You with her or dead?"

"What do you want from me," Spike was almost screaming now.

"Anything I choose," Vicious headed toward the front door, standing open.

"And you think I'm just going to let you walk all over me," Spike didn't move.

"If you place any value at all in your life, then yes."

"And if I don't?"

"You should start."

The duet walked out of the room. Spike sighing in defeat and Vicious smirking at how easy his prey was. Prey. Yes, that was a nice way to think of it. Five bloody men decorated the cement in front of a black car, the sky blue velvet jacket Julia was wearing just minutes ago in one's grasp. It sickened Spike to think that these men died so willingly for such a cold-hearted man. 'I know I won't go down that easily. And it definitely won't be by his hand or working for him.'

"Worthless. These men. The syndicate says they're trained them well. They were here 4 or 5 years before I was, and they're still worthless. Earth men. They act tough, but they were beat by a women. Jules. She's strong, I'll give her that, but they should still be better than that. I didn't hire them to get killed and lose her! Where is she?" Vicious started getting pushy now, and Spike was having second thoughts. There was silence. "Do you really care to betray me," the man continued slowly, in a cold cruel voice.

"I. . ." Spike made up his mind right then. "Kill me now, I won't tell you where she is, and I won't help you kill her. Never."

"Spike, you're a good man, I don't want to lose you," Vicious waited until they reached the shadows of the alley they had started headed into and pulled a gun from his trench coat, placing it directly on Spikes' temple, "Is a woman worth your life, the best life you've ever had?" It was obvious Vicious was only playing around now, taunting him, knowing what his decision would be. He would gladly let him work with him, but he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger either, if he only heard the defying words he was waiting on. But they never came.

"Kill me. I. . .you're a better man than I could ever be, and I would love to stay and work with ya, but you know, the truth is, the reason it would be so hard to find her, is because I have no idea where she is." Spike was calm now, he knew Julia would never be safe, and it would only mean his death anyways if he gave Vicious an incorrect location. And Vicious wasn't stupid enough to fall for that anyhow.

Vicious pulled the gun back and threw it down into the mud next to where they were standing. He grabbed a spare he knew was always placed in Spike's left pocket. "It isn't loaded. Let's go. We'll find her." Those were his last words before Spike became his new best friend, for sparing his life more than a few times. Or at least, it seemed. Those were also his last words before they walked out of the alley, going on the wildest search either of them  would ever live to see. Those were his last words before the rivalry between the two began. And Spike just walked on, not seeing where he was going, just knowing, this experience was going to show him the truth of this dream, of love, of hate, of friendship, of homicide, of this family, of him. And he knew if he lived through it, he would be a changed man. But that was so far off, and he needed to get drunk.

"Can we go to a bar first?"

"Good idea." So they headed off to the nearest bar, Spike hoping to forget all this mess he had gotten himself into in a drunken state, and Vicious hoping to get some information on his sisters whereabouts, and a few drinks himself.

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I didn't really like the bluntness of this chapter, but hopefully it will clear up a few things.