A/N: Hey everyone! Got some bad news... Since school started today, I'm going to be REALLY busy. I have rehearsal every day after school, from 2:40 until 5:30, and then dance class every other day, from 6:00 until 9:30, plus homework and other miscellaneous crap. So I won't be updating as much. I was hoping to finish this story before I had to go back, but no such luck. So it might be a little while before the next chapter comes out.

 REVIEWS!! YAY!!!

REI WOO: I'm glad you're back to the dark side!!! (kyahahahaaaa…) ^.^  Thanks for the compliments! I worked really hard on keeping them in character. And yes, I can't seem to keep the chappies a certain length… but they say variation is good, so I don't care!!! (hehe) Thanks so much for the awesome review!

KAWAIIAYU: Thanks for the great review!!

VANILLAROSE: Yeah, I laughed at those jokes! What can I say?! I crack myself up!!! ^.^;; Thanks for the review! Hope to hear from you soon!

COWGIRL 13: Whooo… here goes!

Jack Daniels… I went to and art show the other day, and one of the pieces had an empty bottle of JD in it, so that's why Spike drinks that… And yes, regretfully, I have not reached legal drinking age, so my alcoholic knowledge is minimal… And yes, Spike's bed is out to eat him, tho I resolve that issue in this chapter… And don't worry about the weird thing!! I think it's so funny when you're acting really weird, and people are trying not to look at you, but they keep glancing at you… KYAHAHAHAAAA!!!! ::coughs:: sorry 'bout that…

I was toying with the idea of putting Faye in one of those old granny nightgowns, but I decided against it, cuz I think Victoria Secret is more her style…

I couldn't think of what to call their 'abode'. Suite maybe?? I don't know what you call a MONDO hotel room (and I mean MONDO!! It's really really big!! Think like if Bill Gates was staying in a hotel for a few weeks, the size he would want).

Cold pizza… I prefer it with ranch dressing, rice, chives, and vanilla yogurt on top, but that's just me… ^.^

And the escargot issue is going to be resolved in this chappie also.

Blooknaburgblooknaburgblooknaburg…. How fun to say!

Strychnine was the only kind of poison I could think of that could be put in a martini…I didn't think Cyanide would work, and I don't know if Arsenic would kill you… (maybe it's better not to tell everyone all this stuff about poisoning people… ^.^;;)

Yes, we read about the Alamo last year in US History, but I looked up towns called Alamo…::looks panicked:: WHICH ARE REALLY COOL!! Yea…

And I know I'm a loser, but I haven't seen the Cowboy Bebop movie… I can't find any place that has it… I WANT TO WATCH IT SO BAD… ::sob::

And a little romance in this chapter, and more to come…

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE AWESOME REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!! ::cheers::

Luv ya!!

SIR EDWARD BAKA SAMA (I worship the greatness of your name): I was hoping you would review my story, just so I could tell you how much I love your name!!! IT'S SO COOL!!!!! What do you mean, there's no chapters?!?!? Is my compy acting up again?? ::whacks compy with the Rolled-Up Newspaper of Justice:: And well, let's just say, Sedgwick is dead, and whether Faye is guilty or not…hmmm… (KYAHAHAHAAAAaaa…aaaa….a… ^,^;;) THANKS FOR THE GREAT REVIEW!!!

FUU: Don't worry, I'm totally F+S!! ALL THE WAY, BABY!!! ::coughs:: yea. THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!! Arigato!!

Alright, this chappie resolves a few issues, like the escargot, Spike's carnivorous bed, and how to wake up Spike!! Enjoy!! ::goes off to beat Julia with Mr-Whack-A-Bat::

The next day, Spike was woken by a delicious aroma that wafted through his room. Curious, he climbed out of the hungry bed (which fortunately hadn't eaten him during the night), and walked into the living room.

Faye, wearing one of the plush robes from the spa in the lobby of the hotel, was busily cooking in the kitchenette.

Her hair was up in curlers, and she had an herbal facemask on. She turned when she noticed him, revealing a sizzling pot cooking on the stove.

"Morning, Spike! You're just in time. I'm making novelettes!"

Wordlessly, Spike sat at the oaken table, scratching his head. "I didn't know you could cook!"

She grinned at him. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Mr. Spiegel! Besides, I thought it was funny to watch you trying to choke down Jet's monstrous concoctions!"

Spike glared at her, as she set a plate (good china) and a coffee mug (autographed by some famous movie star) in front of him.

She laughed, and sat across from him, her own mug (fancy china with a dragon that twined around the rim and became the handle) cradled between her manicured hands.

"I forgot how late you sleep! I was up several hours ago, so I thought I'd go down and get a massage, a facial, a manicure, and a pedicure at the spa. After that was done, you still weren't up, so I got impatient and started cooking, hoping the smell would wake you up."

Spike grunted, shoveling the omelet into his mouth with his fork (real silver).

Faye laughed. "Alright. I thought today we'd go shopping, and get you outfitted a little better, then go have a nice lunch, then come back here to freshen up, before we go to Madame Breilloule's dinner party."

Spike stared back at her, his fork frozen halfway to his mouth.

She smiled. "It's really not that bad. I'll give you an hour to get ready."

An hour and a half later, Spike was dressed in another suit, this one a creamy white, with a blue shirt with white stripes under it. Reflective sunglasses with silver rims perched on his head, and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone.

"Faye!" he called again. "Come on! It's been half an hour!"

"I'm coming!" she called back. "Just gimme a sec. I can't find my other shoe…"

There were a few moments of rustling and muffled cursing, until Faye finally walked out.

She was wearing a knee-length black dress, with high-heeled sandals that laced halfway up her calf. One sleeve of the dress was a strap, and the other was an off-the-shoulder long sleeve. Her hair was in tight curls with a few sections pulled back into a knot at the back of her head. Heavy silver earrings dangled from her ears, a hugely thick silver bracelet rested on her wrist. Her makeup was dark and smoky, emphasizing her eyes.

Spike blinked for a moment, but regained his composure. "Ready to go?"

Shortly, Faye led Spike into a small but expensive looking shop, called 'Rico's'. A bell rang somewhere in the back of the shop, as Spike and Faye walked in. A short man with bleached hair, gelled up in spikes.

"Ah! Senorita Ruby! Fine it is, to have you visit me! Are you well?" he said, his heavy Spanish accent coloring his words.

Faye smiled at the little man. "Si Rico, I am fine. I'm here to outfit Mr. Spiegel, an associate of mine." She gestured to Spike, and Rico immediately began ot look him over. "Si, Si… I can see it now. You are going to Senora Breilloule's party tonight, yes?" at Faye's nod, he continued. "Then leave it to Rrrrrrrico!"

Faye grinned at Spike, who looked nervously at her.

An hour or so later, Faye and Spike left Rico's, the latter with six more suits, a new hat, some dress shoes, more sunglasses, ties, socks, cuff links, snakeskin boots, and (to Spike's surprise) several new weapons. Apparently, Rico ran an illegal weapons smuggling company, and he had quite the cache of weapons.

Spike now had a new handgun, a switchblade, a 12 gauge, an Uzi, a Kalashnikov, a large stock of grenades, and a dart gun (complete with all the darts from 'XXX'- fake blood darts, stun darts, knockout darts, poison darts, etc…).

Faye seemed happy, and led him to an expensive-looking café, where their mustached waiter seated them outside in the sun.

After ordering, Faye sipped her glass of wine. "Well Spike? What do you think?"

Spike eyed his martini warily. "There isn't any Strychnine in this, is there?"

She laughed. "Don't worry. I didn't put anything in your drink. I promise I won't do that ever again… unless I have a good reason."

Spike raised an eyebrow, but sipped his drink carefully, thankfully feeling no strange tastes.

The waiter appeared with their meals then, calamari with a side of caviar for Faye, and escargot for Spike.

Faye raised her glass. "To beef and bell peppers!"

Spike clinked his glass with hers. "To beef and bell peppers." After taking a sip of his martini, he hesitantly poked his fork into the spiced mush on his plate. He speared a chunk of something and carefully placed it in his mouth.

"Mmmm! Whad iv dif suff?" he asked, chewing enthusiastically.

Faye grinned. "Snails."

Spike froze in mid-chew, his eyes the size of dinner plates. "Snailth?!"

She nodded. "Yup. Escargot is snails. I ordered calamari and caviar. In English, that's squid and fish eggs."

Spike was looking decidedly green, delicately spitting out his mouthful into his clean white napkin.

Faye giggled. "Didn't agree to well with your stomach?"

He glared at her. "That's the last time I listen to you!" he stood up and began to stalk off, his exit entirely spoiled by the little bit of escargot hanging off his chin.

"Spike!" Faye called trying not to laugh. "Come back here!" chuckling she chased after him.

"Spike!" she tapped him on the back, but he kept walking, so she stepped around in front of him, but he turned away from her. "Spike… Come on!" She stepped in front of him again, but again he turned. "Spike… I didn't know you wouldn't like it… I promise next time I'll be more considerate of your eating habits. Come on, Spike. Don't be mad…"

He finally stopped turning from her, mock-glaring at her. "That wasn't very nice…"

Faye smiled. "I know. I'm sorry. Now hold still. You have some snail on your chin." She stood on her tiptoes, reaching up and carefully wiping away the bit of escargot with her napkin.

Spike suddenly noticed that her face was right in front of his. He had the sudden urge to lean down and kiss her.

What am I thinking?! This is Faye, for chrissake! Kissing Faye? That would be like kissing your SISTER! You've seen her beat up, tied up, snoring, drunk, and almost naked! And besides, she calls you 'Lunkhead', she's a widow, she's gotten you almost killed a zillion times, she just made you eat SNAILS, and you're supposed to be working for her! You don't kiss your boss!

But then she looked up, and their eyes locked. He suddenly forgot about all those reasons he shouldn't kiss her. She gazed up at him, looking gorgeous and confident, but something he hadn't noticed before was hidden in the back of her eyes. She's scared. Faye is really scared…

Suddenly, Spike felt a burst of compassion for her. He leaned forward, and one of his hands circled around her waist. She closed her eyes, and leaned her face up.

"Madame! Monsieur!" The waiter, who waved their bill at them, interrupted.

Faye hurried over to the waiter. "Merci. Voila." She paid the waiter, and joined Spike, who had grabbed their packages, effectively hiding his red cheeks.

Back at the hotel, they changed out of their expensive outfits and into something a little more casual. Faye wore a pair of slashed jeans, a sweatshirt that had been cut up, then safety pinned back together, and matching flip-flops. Spike pulled on his old blue suit, pale yellow shirt, and black tie.

Faye helped Spike stow away their purchases, glaring at him for the pile of dirty clothes on the floor.

"Spike! You're such a pig! These are expensive suits, and you just throw them on the ground!" She picked up one of the wrinkled shirts. "At least make the effort to walk all the way across the room, and go to the trouble of tossing your dirty clothes in the laundry chute…"

She shoved the shirt into his arms, and glared.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother."

She grinned at him and pinched his cheek. "Yes my widdle lumpy-wumpy. You is momma's widdle boy and you is gwowing up soooooo big!! Momma wuvs you, yes she does!!!"

Spike batted her hands away, laughing. "Alright. Get out of here, and let me get some work done…"

She smiled. "Fine. I'm gonna head over to the coffee shop across the street. You want anything?"

Spike shook his head. "I'm fine. Thanks anyways, though."

Faye nodded, and walked towards the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes…"

After finally stowing away all his suits, and cleaning the dirty clothes from his room, Spike attempted to make peace with his bed.

"Alright. This is how it goes. I am not going to sleep on the floor, and I will not stand for you trying to swallow me. Either you let me sleep on you, or I will pump you full of holes." He pulled out his new Kalashnikov, and aimed it at the bed. "What's it gonna be?"

There was a rapid fire of gunshots, and Spike looked at his gun, puzzled. "I didn't pull the trigger…Faye!"

He sprang into action, racing out of their room, and pushing the elevator button frantically. Frustrated and cursing, Spike ran for the stairs, wrenching open the door and jumping down whole flights at a time.

When he reached the bottom floor, he pounded into the lobby, where everyone had taken cover from the shooting. He sprinted onto the street, immediately spotting Faye, who had tipped a table over on its side, and was holding her six attackers off with her Glock.

Spike darted across the street while she paused to jam another clip into her gun. He leapt for her barricade, sliding behind it on his side. He was immediately on his knees, firing at the Syndicate men.

Faye looked up at him in surprise. "Spike! What are you doing here!"

He brought down two of the men, before he was forced to duck down again to change the clip in his gun. "I'm protecting my payroll!"

A strange look flicked across Faye's face, before her trademark battle smirk settled in. She shot another of the men, before her gun clicked empty. "I'm out!" she called, just as Spike's gun clicked empty also.

"I forgot to grab more clips!" he cursed. "Alright, looks like it's hand to hand combat now! On three. One… two…"

"Three!" yelled Faye, leaping over the barricade, and kicking one attacker in mid-air.

Spike cursed again, before joining her. He caught one man with a backward spinning kick, and knocked him out with a right hook. He glanced over at Faye, who had broken a leg off one of the tables, and proceeded to throw it at an attacker, knocking his gun from his hand.

She looked up and met Spike's eyes, and smiled. She didn't notice the man she had just hit, creeping up behind her, but Spike did. "Faye!"

She turned, just as the attacker swung at her. To Spike's surprise, Faye stepped back just a hair, and lightly caught the man's fist, using his own force to easily toss him over her hip, in one of Spike's trademark moves.

He blinked at her, and she grinned. "After watching you do that a zillion times, I got the hang of it!" her grin vanished suddenly, and she screamed.

Spike suddenly felt an arm encircle his throat cutting off his air supply. Cold metal pressed to his temple. Shit. I forgot about the other one…

"Don't move little lady," a harsh voice behind him commanded. "Or the next thing your lover boy here, is going to see is the inside of his coffin lid."

Faye let her empty gun drop from her fingers. "Alright. I give up. Just let him go."

"Not until you agree to come with me. Willingly." The harsh voice growled, and the gun barrel was shoved harder against Spike's temple, making him wince and cough, as the grip around his throat tightened.

Faye caught Spike's for a moment, then looked at the Syndicate goon, and nodded. "Okay. What are you going to do with me?"

The grip on Spike's throat loosened slightly as the man laughed. "Well I'll take you to the Syndicate eventually, but first I think I'll have a little fun with you first!"

Spike's hands balled into fists, and he had to remind himself that movement meant getting shot, and that still wouldn't help Faye.

"I think after I finish with you, I'll deliver you to-"

The man suddenly stopped talking and fell on top of Spike, his gun crashing to the ground. When Spike struggled out from under the heavier man, the looked up to see Faye standing over him with a smoking gun.

"Well… That was interesting!"

A/N: There will be more before next Monday, I promise!!!! ::hope hope::: I'll try to write more if I get good reviews… ::nudge nudge::