The glamorous Faye Valentine made were way through the crowded opera house known as the Blue
Crescent. She wore a low cut velvet dress that matched her hair as the house lights made
her shimmer as she slipped away and up stairs to the balcony seating. Her arm-length satin
gloves grasped the handrail as she skipped up merrily. There had been a large bounty put up
for a well-known computer hacker. It baffled Faye as to -why- he would be found in an -opera
house- of all places. Nevertheless,she made her way up the winding steps,eager to feel the
bounty money flowing in between her fingers already. Her daydreams were cut short as a man
darted infront of her as she neared the last few twisting steps. "Hey! Whoever you are,get
out of my way!" she blurted out,almost getting knocked backwards by the sudden surprise.
".....Faye." came a familiar voice. Too familiar she pointed out to herself.
"I SAID--"
She hadn't realized who this person was at first,the way the lights only allowed a
silhoette to be shown to her. But as soon as the image moved into the brightness,she quickly
realized who it was after all.
"SPIKE,I swear to-"
"Ah,ah.." he said with a smirk and a twitch of his finger. "None of that."
She glared at him,"Cocky as ever.."
"Yeah.." He ran his hand through his unruly dark green hair,"But enough about me...what are
you doing here Faye?"
"HA,you really think your gonna steal this bounty huh? Just to go back to the ship and gloat
like a pig. Well NO SIR,not this time,Faye is gettin her way and you aren't gonna
stop her!"
"Faye...trust me,the prize isn't worth winning.."
She shot him a puzzled look. "What's that bullcrap supposed to mean? Look,Spike,just go back
to the ship and I'll be back in no time at all."
"I'm not going back without you."
"Oh is that right?" She said,she was getting a little impatient now.
"Yes."
"Well sorry,I'm not going,I've got a bounty to collect so if you'll just ex---Uhh...."
Faye suddenly felt a flash of dizziness. Her legs gave out from under her and she collapsed
to the ground. The last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in the back of her head and
then she drifted off into a deep sleep.
~
"Is she okay...?" The deep voice,no other than Jet,could possess.
He stood,in the main room of the Bebop,over the unconscious form of Faye Valentine.
"Please.." Spike said.
He was standing just across from Jet,his arms folded. "I didn't hit her -that- hard."
"When is she gonna wake up? Its been hours now." Jet pressed on,still worried.
"Soon." he said,with a mental roll of the eye.
"FOUND IT FOUND IT FOOOOUND IIIIT!"
"AHHH!" exclaimed Jet,nearly falling on the floor. "Ed? Is that you?"
Edward suddenly bounced in,Ein trailing behind her.
"What did you find,Ed?" Spike asked,turning toward her.
"The thing thing thingy!"
".........." He was surprised he couldn't understand her hyper speech by now. "English,Ed."
"Ed found..." Ed raised her arm revealing Ein's crimson dog collar.
"....Oh." He gave out with a huff,clearly not impressed. "I thought maybe you had found the
location of that guy I told you about..you know..after 3 HOURS!"
"...WHOA! HeeHEE...! Almost forgot THAT.."
"So you did find it?!" Spike exclaimed,now standing over Ed.
It was unlike him to excited over something that seemed so day-to-day..
"Yessy Yeees!" She replied in her quirky manner.
Ed plopped down right there and opened up her computer,which always seemed where she needed
it. She began to type furiously as soon as the screen blinked on.
"That's him!" Spike exclaimed after a few minutes.
"Ed found the scary looking man!" Ed said proudly,rocking back and forth.
"Did you find his profile?"
PLINK PLINK PLINK, Ed resumed typing again.
"Zoom in." Spike's eyebrows scrunched downwards as he stood,hunched over,looking at the
screen.
"Continue,cancel,or exiiiit..." squealed Ed.
Spike looked down "Oh..um..." He pondered for a second.
"CONTINUE,CANCEL,OR EXIT! BEEP BEEeeeP!" Ed shouted impatiently,still rocking back and forth.
"Mhmph..." Came a muffled voice from behind the two.
"H-hey! She's awake!" said Jet,who had been standing quietly all this time.
"Yeah I'm awake..were you expecting me not to or what?" Faye said in her usual tone.
"FAYE-FAYE!" shouted Ed with a squeal.
Quickly forgetting her task,Ed bounded over to Faye and gave her warm hug.
"Eh...nice to see you too ,Ed" Faye said with a half-hearted smile.
"I was worried Spike was too rough on you." Jet said.
"More than a little worried.." Spike said,cooly walking up them all. "I thought he was about
to kiss you cuz he thought you were Sleeping Beauty or somethin."
"..!!" Jet shot back,"Just because you don't care about anyone else but yourself doesn't me
I don't either! And..and I did NOT want to kiss her! ..HUMPH!"
With that,Jet stormed out of the main area,completely embarressed.
"So it was that bad,huh?" said Faye with a laugh.
"Not quite but you know how I love to tease the old man."
He winked at her. She felt her cheeks grow hot,but she forced herself to ignore it.
She wondered why he misused his charm like that all the time. The awkward silence was broken
by Ed's high-pitched squeals that startled them.
"Is Ed finished noow?" She asked.
"Yeah..that's all I needed thanks." Spike scratched his head as Ed bounced off,with Ein on
her head.
He looked back at Faye,they were both alone now. And frankly,he didn't know what to do with
himself. Her cheeks had gotten rosier,and it looked like she was good as new. Besides her
messy hair and frumpled outfit. She sat up,holding one hand against the back of her head.
"Geez,Spike,What did you hit me with? A 2x4?" She said,faking annoyance.
She had developed a slightly large bump on the back of her head from whatever it was that
Spike hit her with.
"Oh...yeah,sorry about that...but I can't help that you're so stubborn."
She laughed,she knew it was true.
"Yeah..You know..you never explained why you stopped me."
"Do I need to explain myself to you?" He retorted.
It was obvious he didn't like being told what to do.
"Yes,actually. It was my bounty,you interfered."
"Yeah...so what." -His usual response.
She sighed. "Spike...what are you hiding?"
She looked at him. He -was- hiding something. She knew it. He always talked this way when he
was put up against the wall. Or maybe that's how he was. She didn't quite know.
"Why are you pushing this,Faye?!" he burst out.
"Why are you being so defensive?! Why is so hard for you to talk to me!?" She said a little
hurt. After all this time,she had seen no change in him. After all they had been through,he
still treated her like an aquaintance,a child even. He never realized how hurt she was when
he acted so coldly towards her. She didn't even want to hear what rude remark he would say
next. She stormed out of the room,as she did frequently,forbidding herself to shed one
tear infront of him. She slammed her door as soon as she entered,then collapsed beside her
bed,clutching her sheets and soaking them with her stinging tears.
~
After a few hours,Faye awoke,choking back her own tears. She stumbled to her feet and looked
herself over in the mirror.
"Faye...you look terrible." She sighed.
She turned the faucet and threw a handful of water on her face. Slowly the tear-stains
washed off and her eyes seemed less puffy. She rubbed her face off with a towel. She decided
to take a shower before going to bed. Quickly removing her clothes and placing them on the
bed,she stepped into the small standup shower and let the hot water flow over her. She
sighed. She had been too busy last two days to bother with personal hygiene it seemed.
After a couple of minutes she turned the water off and stepped out. She grabbed her robe and
fell on her bed,carelessly. After a brief silence,she heard a soft knock on her door. She
sat up and looked towards it,she wanted to make sure it hadn't just been in her head.
"Spike?" she whispered to herself.
She heard the knock again. Without delay,she rushed over and opened it slowly. He was there,
his head close to the door,as if he had been resting his head against it. There wasn't a
need for any words. She let him in and closed the door quietly. He walked over to the bed
and turned.
"Faye.." he said,soothingly.
She hadn't heard his voice say her name in such a tone before. Her heart fluttered,and she
was glad he couldn't see her face,as her back was turned to him.
"You...were right. You deserve an explanation."
His voice was so calm,she pointed out to herself. He admited he was wrong even! She didn't
know what brought on this sudden change out attitude. But so far,it seemed to be going good.
"That bounty...that you went after today...it was a trick." He looked down. "It was Vicious.
..He thought I would be coming after him,but you came instead. He wouldn't even realize the
mistake until it was too late.." He looked at her,he wondered if she was listening,what she
was thinking. "Faye?"
She turned,her eyes were teary. "You..saved me. Why would you do that?"
He stammered,looking for words,as if they'd come to him by looking around her room.It was
true,he never really did anything for HER benefit,and any attempt he made to save her life
was because she asked for it when there was no other option. His foot dug into the carpet,
nervously.
"Because I..I care about you,Faye."
She was shocked. He cared...about her? She didn't know what to say.
"Actually..I don't just care about you."
He could feel the pressure rising to his throat as he said the words he had wanted to for so
long.
"I love you,Faye."
Those words rang through her ears,she couldn't believe he said it. She had to repeat it over
and over in her head to make sure she wasn't imagining things. She was utterly speechless.
He moved towards her until they were touching. He wrapped his arms around her in an embrace
. She couldn't hold back. The touch she wanted for so long,his,was finally hers. The moment
she dreamt of since she first met him. She put her arms around his neck and clung tightly to
him. She found herself unable to let go.
"I can't express my feelings very well...that's why I act the way I do..I'm sorry. I..
understand if you can't feel the same way I do-"
"I..I love you too,Spike." She smiled,looking up at him.
He smiled back,and ran his hand through her wet,violet hair. He then drew her close to him
and kissed her. She heard him mumbled something slightly,and withdrew a little.
"Did you say something..?"
He smiled tenderly,"I knew your lips would feel like that.."
"Like what?" She asked,hoping he wasn't setting up for a another remark.
He kissed her again,making her doubt dissapear. "Velvet."
Crescent. She wore a low cut velvet dress that matched her hair as the house lights made
her shimmer as she slipped away and up stairs to the balcony seating. Her arm-length satin
gloves grasped the handrail as she skipped up merrily. There had been a large bounty put up
for a well-known computer hacker. It baffled Faye as to -why- he would be found in an -opera
house- of all places. Nevertheless,she made her way up the winding steps,eager to feel the
bounty money flowing in between her fingers already. Her daydreams were cut short as a man
darted infront of her as she neared the last few twisting steps. "Hey! Whoever you are,get
out of my way!" she blurted out,almost getting knocked backwards by the sudden surprise.
".....Faye." came a familiar voice. Too familiar she pointed out to herself.
"I SAID--"
She hadn't realized who this person was at first,the way the lights only allowed a
silhoette to be shown to her. But as soon as the image moved into the brightness,she quickly
realized who it was after all.
"SPIKE,I swear to-"
"Ah,ah.." he said with a smirk and a twitch of his finger. "None of that."
She glared at him,"Cocky as ever.."
"Yeah.." He ran his hand through his unruly dark green hair,"But enough about me...what are
you doing here Faye?"
"HA,you really think your gonna steal this bounty huh? Just to go back to the ship and gloat
like a pig. Well NO SIR,not this time,Faye is gettin her way and you aren't gonna
stop her!"
"Faye...trust me,the prize isn't worth winning.."
She shot him a puzzled look. "What's that bullcrap supposed to mean? Look,Spike,just go back
to the ship and I'll be back in no time at all."
"I'm not going back without you."
"Oh is that right?" She said,she was getting a little impatient now.
"Yes."
"Well sorry,I'm not going,I've got a bounty to collect so if you'll just ex---Uhh...."
Faye suddenly felt a flash of dizziness. Her legs gave out from under her and she collapsed
to the ground. The last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in the back of her head and
then she drifted off into a deep sleep.
~
"Is she okay...?" The deep voice,no other than Jet,could possess.
He stood,in the main room of the Bebop,over the unconscious form of Faye Valentine.
"Please.." Spike said.
He was standing just across from Jet,his arms folded. "I didn't hit her -that- hard."
"When is she gonna wake up? Its been hours now." Jet pressed on,still worried.
"Soon." he said,with a mental roll of the eye.
"FOUND IT FOUND IT FOOOOUND IIIIT!"
"AHHH!" exclaimed Jet,nearly falling on the floor. "Ed? Is that you?"
Edward suddenly bounced in,Ein trailing behind her.
"What did you find,Ed?" Spike asked,turning toward her.
"The thing thing thingy!"
".........." He was surprised he couldn't understand her hyper speech by now. "English,Ed."
"Ed found..." Ed raised her arm revealing Ein's crimson dog collar.
"....Oh." He gave out with a huff,clearly not impressed. "I thought maybe you had found the
location of that guy I told you about..you know..after 3 HOURS!"
"...WHOA! HeeHEE...! Almost forgot THAT.."
"So you did find it?!" Spike exclaimed,now standing over Ed.
It was unlike him to excited over something that seemed so day-to-day..
"Yessy Yeees!" She replied in her quirky manner.
Ed plopped down right there and opened up her computer,which always seemed where she needed
it. She began to type furiously as soon as the screen blinked on.
"That's him!" Spike exclaimed after a few minutes.
"Ed found the scary looking man!" Ed said proudly,rocking back and forth.
"Did you find his profile?"
PLINK PLINK PLINK, Ed resumed typing again.
"Zoom in." Spike's eyebrows scrunched downwards as he stood,hunched over,looking at the
screen.
"Continue,cancel,or exiiiit..." squealed Ed.
Spike looked down "Oh..um..." He pondered for a second.
"CONTINUE,CANCEL,OR EXIT! BEEP BEEeeeP!" Ed shouted impatiently,still rocking back and forth.
"Mhmph..." Came a muffled voice from behind the two.
"H-hey! She's awake!" said Jet,who had been standing quietly all this time.
"Yeah I'm awake..were you expecting me not to or what?" Faye said in her usual tone.
"FAYE-FAYE!" shouted Ed with a squeal.
Quickly forgetting her task,Ed bounded over to Faye and gave her warm hug.
"Eh...nice to see you too ,Ed" Faye said with a half-hearted smile.
"I was worried Spike was too rough on you." Jet said.
"More than a little worried.." Spike said,cooly walking up them all. "I thought he was about
to kiss you cuz he thought you were Sleeping Beauty or somethin."
"..!!" Jet shot back,"Just because you don't care about anyone else but yourself doesn't me
I don't either! And..and I did NOT want to kiss her! ..HUMPH!"
With that,Jet stormed out of the main area,completely embarressed.
"So it was that bad,huh?" said Faye with a laugh.
"Not quite but you know how I love to tease the old man."
He winked at her. She felt her cheeks grow hot,but she forced herself to ignore it.
She wondered why he misused his charm like that all the time. The awkward silence was broken
by Ed's high-pitched squeals that startled them.
"Is Ed finished noow?" She asked.
"Yeah..that's all I needed thanks." Spike scratched his head as Ed bounced off,with Ein on
her head.
He looked back at Faye,they were both alone now. And frankly,he didn't know what to do with
himself. Her cheeks had gotten rosier,and it looked like she was good as new. Besides her
messy hair and frumpled outfit. She sat up,holding one hand against the back of her head.
"Geez,Spike,What did you hit me with? A 2x4?" She said,faking annoyance.
She had developed a slightly large bump on the back of her head from whatever it was that
Spike hit her with.
"Oh...yeah,sorry about that...but I can't help that you're so stubborn."
She laughed,she knew it was true.
"Yeah..You know..you never explained why you stopped me."
"Do I need to explain myself to you?" He retorted.
It was obvious he didn't like being told what to do.
"Yes,actually. It was my bounty,you interfered."
"Yeah...so what." -His usual response.
She sighed. "Spike...what are you hiding?"
She looked at him. He -was- hiding something. She knew it. He always talked this way when he
was put up against the wall. Or maybe that's how he was. She didn't quite know.
"Why are you pushing this,Faye?!" he burst out.
"Why are you being so defensive?! Why is so hard for you to talk to me!?" She said a little
hurt. After all this time,she had seen no change in him. After all they had been through,he
still treated her like an aquaintance,a child even. He never realized how hurt she was when
he acted so coldly towards her. She didn't even want to hear what rude remark he would say
next. She stormed out of the room,as she did frequently,forbidding herself to shed one
tear infront of him. She slammed her door as soon as she entered,then collapsed beside her
bed,clutching her sheets and soaking them with her stinging tears.
~
After a few hours,Faye awoke,choking back her own tears. She stumbled to her feet and looked
herself over in the mirror.
"Faye...you look terrible." She sighed.
She turned the faucet and threw a handful of water on her face. Slowly the tear-stains
washed off and her eyes seemed less puffy. She rubbed her face off with a towel. She decided
to take a shower before going to bed. Quickly removing her clothes and placing them on the
bed,she stepped into the small standup shower and let the hot water flow over her. She
sighed. She had been too busy last two days to bother with personal hygiene it seemed.
After a couple of minutes she turned the water off and stepped out. She grabbed her robe and
fell on her bed,carelessly. After a brief silence,she heard a soft knock on her door. She
sat up and looked towards it,she wanted to make sure it hadn't just been in her head.
"Spike?" she whispered to herself.
She heard the knock again. Without delay,she rushed over and opened it slowly. He was there,
his head close to the door,as if he had been resting his head against it. There wasn't a
need for any words. She let him in and closed the door quietly. He walked over to the bed
and turned.
"Faye.." he said,soothingly.
She hadn't heard his voice say her name in such a tone before. Her heart fluttered,and she
was glad he couldn't see her face,as her back was turned to him.
"You...were right. You deserve an explanation."
His voice was so calm,she pointed out to herself. He admited he was wrong even! She didn't
know what brought on this sudden change out attitude. But so far,it seemed to be going good.
"That bounty...that you went after today...it was a trick." He looked down. "It was Vicious.
..He thought I would be coming after him,but you came instead. He wouldn't even realize the
mistake until it was too late.." He looked at her,he wondered if she was listening,what she
was thinking. "Faye?"
She turned,her eyes were teary. "You..saved me. Why would you do that?"
He stammered,looking for words,as if they'd come to him by looking around her room.It was
true,he never really did anything for HER benefit,and any attempt he made to save her life
was because she asked for it when there was no other option. His foot dug into the carpet,
nervously.
"Because I..I care about you,Faye."
She was shocked. He cared...about her? She didn't know what to say.
"Actually..I don't just care about you."
He could feel the pressure rising to his throat as he said the words he had wanted to for so
long.
"I love you,Faye."
Those words rang through her ears,she couldn't believe he said it. She had to repeat it over
and over in her head to make sure she wasn't imagining things. She was utterly speechless.
He moved towards her until they were touching. He wrapped his arms around her in an embrace
. She couldn't hold back. The touch she wanted for so long,his,was finally hers. The moment
she dreamt of since she first met him. She put her arms around his neck and clung tightly to
him. She found herself unable to let go.
"I can't express my feelings very well...that's why I act the way I do..I'm sorry. I..
understand if you can't feel the same way I do-"
"I..I love you too,Spike." She smiled,looking up at him.
He smiled back,and ran his hand through her wet,violet hair. He then drew her close to him
and kissed her. She heard him mumbled something slightly,and withdrew a little.
"Did you say something..?"
He smiled tenderly,"I knew your lips would feel like that.."
"Like what?" She asked,hoping he wasn't setting up for a another remark.
He kissed her again,making her doubt dissapear. "Velvet."