Hey Hey Hey! Like I said sorry about the length and the length of time it took me to get out the last one done. And sorry that it sucked I really wanted to get something out though and I was tired. Sorry.
For some responses to your reviews. I'm sorry if Faye is being a bitch. Strike that an uber-bitch. She will get better. I promise, well I promise nothing but I will try. Sorry if my last chapter seemed short it seemed like it was the same amount of pages as I usually do. I'm so glad you guys like the story. It helps me keep writing and all ways brings a smile to my face when I read your reviews. *Slaps self* SAP! DAMNIT!
Chapter 9: The poison still seeps
The little boy giggled as his mother and father pushed him higher on the swing. Letting the child take over they stood towards the side holding each other watching their son.
Faye felt the small pangs of jealousy creep into her heart. Her son would never have that. A normal childhood. Despite everything she had tried to do for him. He still would never know what it was like to live a normal life. And it was all her fault. Anything she might have given him she was taking away now. No, not everything she was saving his life. Giving him a chance at another one. I hope you can forgive me.
She got up from the park bench smoothed out her gown and walked across the street to the Opera house. It was six already, she was late. Not that it mattered.
* * *
They had been waiting for three hours, it was almost six. What could have been taking Ed so long.
Why did she have to go and do this? Just when he was starting to figure things out she was making it more difficult. It was so like her to just run off and not tell anyone. But he thought this time it would be different.
What do you think she would do? Come running to you helpless and in dire peril. She didn't even want you to know about the kid you think she wants you to help save him? You really are a Lunkhead.
"Gee thanks." He whispered to himself.
Besides this is Faye she never asked for help until it was basically too late.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
He didn't like this feeling of helplessness. Spike got up and went to work out. He wanted to do something damnit. What the hell was taking Ed so long?
* * *
She had waited in the booth until intermission. Then, finally, a young man in a long black jacket had come into the booth. He didn't say anything at first but once it was clearly intermission he cleared his throat. Faye stiffened slightly and turned around to look at him. She hadn't noticed it was intermission she hadn't been watching the Opera. She was watching her own, a story of a family a story that would never play out. She clenched her jaw. No she wouldn't cry not now, never.
She glared at the boy, because that was what he looked like to her not much more then a mere boy.
"He is waiting." Was all he said. Then he turned and knowing she would follow walked down the hall towards the restricted area of the theater. They walked through a series of hallways. Faye trying to remember which way they had come, but very quickly realizing that she had no idea.
They finally came to a larger open room in the back. It was an old practice room that had been cleared out. The slick dance floor reflected her image almost as well as the mirrors along the side wall. The lights were dimmed and there were two standing candelabras on the far wall. He was sitting in between them on a red velvet high back chair. Two men came from the shadows behind her and grabbed her arms. Quickly running their hands over her body they did not find the familiar shape of a gun and canceled their search. Of course she didn't have a gun.
"She's unarmed." The one on her left told Vicious.
"No gun." The other confirmed.
"Of course I don't have a gun. Mother's of seven year olds do not carry guns." Daggers on the other hand.
Vicious waved his hand and they released her.
"Where's Landis?"
"So hasty." Vicious commented.
"We had a deal. I'm here so where's Landis. Cause if you hurt him I swear to God…"
"The boy is unharmed and quite safe I assure you."
"Where is he?"
"On his way."
She glared at him. She knew she held no cards. He had the upper hand in every situation. But that wasn't gonna stop her from acting like she knew what the hell was going on. A door opened behind him and she saw Landis' small form enter with the looming figure of his keeper behind him.
"Landis!" Strong arms kept her from running to him.
"Mommy!" He tried futilely to break free of the man behind him.
Vicious nodded and the men released them allowing them to run to each others embrace. Faye held her son so tightly she wanted him to be absorbed back into her body so that they could never harm him. She smoothed his hair down knowing that this could be the last time that she held him in her arms. She bit the inside of her lip. She would not cry, she would not. "I love you Landis."
"I love you too, mommy."
Arms were tugging at them now forcing them apart.
"No." Landis whined.
Faye felt him slip from her grasp.
"No, no mommy!" Landis called at her but was held back.
She reached he hand out for him but was pulled back. "Its ok, it'll be ok."
One of the men laying in the shadows behind Vicious stepped forward and handed him a comm. Which he plugged into an adaptor next to his chair. The screen on the front wall flashed to life.
Spike's face filling it. "What the hell do you think…" Spike stopped and looked at Faye. She stared back. Not sure how long she would be able to keep up her facade.
"It seems, that I have a habit of finding things that belong to you."
"Taking them." Spike shot back.
"Yes, an old friend taught me about taking things that belonged to other people."
Spike glared at Vicious. "Let her and the kid go. This isn't about them."
Vicious turned away from the screen. "Landis would you like to play a game?"
The boy made no move to answer.
Vicious stepped up to where Faye was being held.
"It's called 'Uncle'." Vicious grabbed Faye's hair snapping her head up. "I stop when she tells me what I want to hear." He ran his other hand up her leg and into the slit of her dress. Faye cringed at his touch.
Spike's blood boiled. "Get your hand off her!"
Vicious' hand came back out from her dress with her dagger from her thigh sheath. The eyes of the guards that had checked her went wide and they tried to get away but the knife still landed in the back of the one who had said she was unarmed first.
Turning his attention back to Faye he punched her in the stomach. She doubled causing his grip on her hair to become tighter. Moving his hands he threw her against the mirrored wall. He had a new dagger in his hand and it was pressed neatly against her throat.
"Mommy, no!" Landis Screamed fighting his captor. "Let her go!"
Vicious stared at Faye. "You want it to stop? It's simple all you have to do is call out for him. Just say his name and it ends."
Fury filled Faye's eyes.
"Damnit." Spike said. Her pride. He was challenging her pride. The one thing she would never let go of. Come on Faye, just this once. His mind pleaded with her.
"Go to hell." She sneered at Vicious. A small smile played across his face and he back handed her sending her to the floor.
"As I expected." He kicked her hunched form. She recoiled, but stood shakily. Spitting the blood from her mouth on him; challenging him to the last.
His eyes flashed with anger. The stubbornness he had counted on was making this more difficult then he had wanted. He threw Faye against the wall again motioning to two of his men to hold her there.
"You whore." Vicious grabbed at her right arm and held it out straight; keeping it from bending by placing the tip of his knife in the crux of her elbow. He looked down at her arm. That same smile on his face as her saw the small scar along her wrist; running from the bottom of her palm up two inches of her arm.
Faye looked away ashamed.
He traced the knife down her arm leaving a small trail of red as he traveled down towards her palm. Faye screamed as she felt the old scar slit open.
"Say it!" Vicious yelled slamming her head against the wall.
Her eyes started to roll back in her head. "No." She said her voice ragged.
"Damn your pride Faye!" Spike yelled from the monitor. Spike. She had almost forgotten that he had been watching. It hurt so much.
Every inch of her hurt so incredibly much. His eyes from the screen were boring into hers. He was looking at her soul again. She could feel herself cracking.
"Sp…" She stopped herself. She had almost said it. She had almost admitted…
Her eyes fell closed and her body went limp. She sagged down a little leaving a red smear along the mirror from her head. Vicious' men picked her up and carried her from the room followed by the man dragging along Landis.
Vicious turned to Spike who was glaring daggers at him. Wiping the blood and spit off his face he looked at him.
"So you see the Climax is almost here we just await your arrival." Vicious turned away from the screen and began to walk away, but stopped himself. Looking over his shoulder at Spike he said. "Oh and hurry. I don't believe I've finished with that lovely woman yet." He smirked his namesake. Viciously.
"If you do anything to her I swear to God Vicious I'll…"
"What? Kill me? I was planning on it."
Vicious turned off the screen and left the room. There was one more way that he could hurt Spike and though his last experience hadn't been as fulfilling as he had hoped this next one was going to do it for him no matter how it went. He would have to wait a while, give her a few hours to get back her strength it was always better when they struggled.
* * *
Jet ran in the room when he heard the large cracking sound. A very pissed off looking Spike stood over the now two pieced coffee table.
Before Jet could ask the screen flashed the call. Jet carefully walked past Spike and picked up the screen. He hit the accept button.
"Ed found her!" Ed's voice rang through the room. Spike snapped out of his fury and looked at the screen. "She's at the Mars Metropolitan Opera."
"Now Spike don't go…." He turned to look at Spike only to find empty air. "running off."
Spike was in his room loading up on whatever he could carry. Grenades, extra clips, and two handguns tucked nicely into the back of his pants. It only took him a moment before he was in the Swordfish II and gone. It would take him a few hours to reach Mars.
He didn't want to think but he did anyway. All about her. Everything he knew and didn't know of her. When he had been unconscious things would float through his mind. Memories, Dreams. She had been there. A lot. He hadn't realized it. He hadn't thought about it. But seeing her again. Seeing her there in front of him; holding her in his arms had made him remember. Made him find things that he never knew he had. And he didn't want to lose them. Or her.
* * *
She wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious. She tried to open her eyes but it hurt. Her face had started to swell where Vicious had backhanded her. She force her eyes open. She was in an old dressing room handcuffed to the small bed in the back of the room. The metal of the handcuff bore into her left wrist. Her right arm lay weakly at her side. The cut was crusty with blood but no longer bleeding. It hadn't been very deep. More for the sake of pain then of doing any real damage. She fought to sit up every bit of her aching body fighting against her. But in the end she won. Then feeling the wave of nausea she wondered if it had been worth it.
There was a window on the wall above her. She could see the night pouring in the room from it. The starlight leaving its muted viewing. It was almost magical. So pure and heavenly.
The door flew open rushing the electrical unholy light into the room eating at the pure light.
Vicious walked in followed by Landis and his ever present shadow. They closed the door allowing the night to retake the room. But this time it was swallowed by the blackness that was Vicious. She glared at him and he looked at her in a way that made her feel very exposed in her dress. She shivered.
"Its time for round two." He said walking closer to her. "Same rules. Only the situation is… different." He grabbed the right strap of her evening gown and ripped it down nearly exposing her breast.
Realization flooded Faye's Face. He was going to rape her.
Right in front of her son.
She found the all the strength she could and punched Vicious in the face as he leaned over her. His head snapped back and he licked at the trickle of blood coming from his mouth. He grabbed her arm roughly making sure he squeezed the cut and pressed it to the bed next to her head. She gritted her teeth against the pain. Seeing her fight the urge to cry out he slapped her across her bruised face. Sending a cry from her lips.
"Mom!" Landis bit the arm of his captor and pulled himself free. He ran to his mother and grabbed her outstretched hand. "Look for your angel, it will protect you." He told her before Vicious' hand drove him into the wall next to the bed. His body slumped to the floor unconscious. Faye felt the worry in her body grow. It's better this way, he wont have to see. His words stuck in her mind, her angel…
Vicious glared at the man who had been holding Landis and the man quickly got the hint that he wasn't wanted or needed and left the room.
Vicious' hand tore off the bottom of her dress and he ran his knife along the inside of her thigh. Then as he moved to straddle her he tried to spread her legs apart with his own. When she fought him he kneed her in the crotch forcing his leg between hers. He cut open the side of her dress most of the way up his hand sliding inside the fabric to find her breasts.
She felt nauseous again. She had to block this. Think of something else. Her Angel coming to rescue her. Coming to take her and Landis away, to take care of them. Her guardian angel… it came out as a breath.
"Spike."