~A/N: HEY!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO COWGIRL13, RUCK, & d FOR WINNING THE ROLES OF BARRACUDAS!!!~ YAY 4 THEM!!! ~Applause please~^^ Now all I'll need from them is what they'd like their character 2 b like, the name they'd like to have, & any other essentials. Just email me @ Guapa16@aol.com 2 let me know, ok? Also, ANY of u are more than welcome 2 email me....I LUV 2 write 2 kool ppl like u guyz! Just make sure that u put 'fanfic person' in the subject box 4 me so that I don't delete it, ok? lol. Now n-e-way, this chappie iz where SxF kinda bond & grow more of an understanding towards each other. It's not a terribly exciting chapter since it all takes place in a hospital room, but the next chapter~chuckles~is 4 all of u Julia Haters! Whoo! ^.~ Welp...ENJOY CH 5!!!
"He drowns in his dreams, an exquisite extreme, I know....he's as damned as he seems, and more Heaven than a heart could hold...."
Groaning, Spike felt his eyes gently ease open, only to find his blurred gaze resting upon a beautiful young woman with shimmering, silky violet hair and incredible jade eyes that haunted the very epitome of his soul.
"....And if I try to save him, my whole world could cave in, it just ain't right, it just ain't right....oh, but I don't know, I don't know what he's after, but he's so beautiful, such a beautiful disaster...."
Spike blinked, realizing that the captivating young woman was singing.
"God, she sounds heavenly....even if she is a bit off-key," he thought, a small smile gracing his lips as he continued to watch her with fascination. "I wonder who she is?"
Finally unable to hold back any longer, Spike asked lamely, "Hey, lady.....are you an angel?"
"What?," she demanded, hitting the 'stop' button to her CD player in an instant. "Are you on crack, Spike? It's me.....Faye."
"Faye?," he repeated, dazed. "Oh, I'm sorry, I, uh....heh....didn't recognize you for some reason. Why the hell are you here, anyway?"
"Because I feel responsible for what happened to you.......nothing more," she replied firmly, taking off her headphones as she continued to sit there before him within a bleak shroud of indifference. "Do you mind if Ed comes in here to visit you for a bit? Ever since she found out about Arexu shooting you, the poor thing's been begging for me to take her to come see you, bless her heart."
Spike felt himself groan inwardly, but nonetheless replied, "Yeah....sure, whatever."
Faye beamed. "Thanks, you're a sweetheart! Now maybe the poor thing can get some well-needed rest!"
Spike blushed a warm, ruddy hue, not at all accustomed to being called by such a name that is used in terms of endearment.
Since he was a gangster, he was used to being regarded as an asshole, not.....'sweetheart'.
"Well....I'm gonna go get her....she's out there in the hall," Faye announced, immediately taking him out of his turbulent reverie. "I'll be back really quick, ok?"
"Ok," Spike acknowledged softly, watching on as she gave him a friendly wave and exited out into the hall in a sudden blithe state of mind.
"I don't understand her," he realized, a sudden wave of guilt washing over him to the point of near-suffocation. "Here I am, day after day putting her through Hell, itself, and yet........here she is..........visiting me. She must be something really special to be able to put up with the constant shit that comes her way. I guess that I really should show her at least a little bitta respect since she's been through so many terrible things."
"SPIKE-PERSON!!!," Edward exclaimed joyfully, cutting through his train of thought like a hacksaw as she dove into the chair beside his bed like a trained seal pup, Faye by her side all the while. "How're ya feelin'?"
"Well I-"
"Ed is fine! Thanks for asking!"
Spike blinked. "Oh...well...thanks for coming to see me. You and Faye are my first visitors so far."
"What about Spike-person's father-person?," Edward probed with a nauseating amount of innocence, guilessly cocking her head at an angle as she gave him her trademark grin.
Spike gave her a pained look. "No.......he didn't come. He doesn't give a damn about me, anyway."
Faye looked up from the tiled floor in an instant, her vibrant jade eyes washing over his face with a deep, unexpected empathy as he stared down at his hands in silence.
Suddenly feeling that it was up to her to set things right, she immediately inquired, "Uh.....so how's your arm? Any better?"
Spike nodded solemnly. "Yeah....the bitch didn't hit me in any major spot, so the doctors think I'll be outta here and back in school by tomorrow."
"Yay! Spike-person's feeling better!," Edward exclaimed, jubilantly latching onto the young man as he yelped out in pain due to her colliding into his flesh wound.
"Ed.....stop it!," Faye shrieked, rushing over to them and immediately prying her step-sister's possessive arms off of their friend. "Oh, Spike, I am SO sorry, she just-"
"Hey, it's cool," he cut in, smirking. "She's just a kid, after all....let her have her fun."
Faye was absolutely stunned by his sudden assessment.
"Is this the same Spike Spiegel that I met that fateful day when our cars collided?," she wondered, looking over the young man before her with amazement. "Is this the exact same guy that treated me like shit and made my life a living Hell?! Has he somehow opened up a softer side of himself to me that only a precious few ever find out? Or maybe Arexu finally knocked some sense into that empty head of his."
As she continued to contemplate this, Spike suddenly asked hopefully, "Hey, Ed....um.....could ya possibly leave for a sec? I really need to talk to Faye about an important matter."
"Oh, okaaaaay!," the young adolescent agreed, giggling as she innocently got up from her chair and folded her hands behind her back. "Ed understands now. Spike-person wants to be alone with Faye-Faye so that they can kiss! Smoochie, smoochie, smoochie!"
"WHAT?!," Spike demanded, absolutely horrified by this sudden accusation. "Ed, we would NEVER-"
"Go outside, ok, honey?," Faye coaxed, cutting his temper tantrum off in an instant. "I'll be out in a bit."
"Alrighty!," Edward agreed blithely as she gave her step-sister a proud salute. "Just make sure that you both use Scope, cuz you can't get "kissably close" without it!"
Blushing the color of a crimson rose in fool bloom, Faye let out a tremulous laugh as she shut the door behind her step-sister and turned to face Spike, who was not too happy.
"Where the hell does she get the idea that we're an item?!," he demanded, his brow furrowing with displeasure as he folded his arms in severe disgust. "I mean....my God, it's GROSS!!!"
Faye snorted, slightly hurt. "Gee, thanks. You're not so great yourself, ya know."
"Oh, I didn't mean-"
"Whatever," she cut in, looking away with abruptness. "You never have anything nice to say to me, anyway, so I don't even know WHY I actually believed that we were actually going to carry on a civil conversation for a change."
Spike frowned. "Don't be that way, Faye......I DO want to talk civil. I don't know if you'll be thoroughly interested in what I have to say, but I am, so that's that."
"My, my......quite the controller, aren't you?," Faye teased, her jade irises glimmering over with a very subtle hint of coquettishness as she leaned forward in her seat with interest. "What is it that you want to talk about, exactly?"
Spike took a deep breath, then let it out, his haunting irises glimmering over with a deep longing as he returned softly, "The JRA."
"Julia," Faye acknowledged, nodding to indicate that she understood. "What about it?"
Spike sighed in defeat, then returned her intense gaze, mumbling, "I decided to let you help me since.....well......you're basically my only hope left. If we don't take action soon, I fear that Julia's days are numbered. It-it's not very easy for me to say this, but I'm sorry for all of what I've said and done to you. You're a newcomer here, and I didn't treat you like a guest. I should've been more grateful to have been blessed with such a caring friend like you."
Faye blinked, feeling as if she were hearing things within some type of strange parallel universe. "You......I.........what?!"
Spike chuckled. "Yeah, can you believe it? Me, the 'ol bastard, actually has somewhat of a heart underneath the tough guy act. I mean, if we were in front of an audience, there's no way in Hell that I would've said all that."
"Ha! I knew it was too good to be true!," Faye scoffed, letting out a light-hearted giggle as she uncrossed her legs and leaned back in her seat with a soft sigh. "I'll tell you what, Spike.....you're something else."
He smiled warmly. "So are you."
She looked at him, a heavy silence falling over the two as they sat there in discomfort, a sudden wave of uncertainty smothering them to the point of suffocation.
Finally no longer able to take the severe trepidation at hand, Faye announced, "Alright.....I'll help you. In fact, we all will. I'll drag Mikaya, Ace and Vicious into this as well, if I have to."
Spike rolled his eyes, immediately shaking his head. "Don't bother....I've already tried them. They'll have nothing to do with Julia.......nothing at all. Guess that I was the only one who was ever fond of her."
"Guess so," Faye agreed softly, rising up to her feet as she gave him a petite smile full of hope. "See you tomorrow?"
"You can count on it," Spike acknowledged, grinning as he gave her a laggard thumbs-up. "Nothing could ever keep me outta the race for too long."
A small smile graced Faye's rosy lips as she let out a light laugh, murmuring, "Good-bye.....see ya later."
"See ya," Spike returned softly, giving her an enervated wave as she briskly strode out of the hospital room and into the hallway.
As soon as she did this, Edward came bounding over to her with several leaps of exuberance, asking eagerly, "Was Spike-person a good kisser, Faye-Faye? Huh? Huh?! Tell Ed ALL about it!!!"
Faye laughed, shaking her head with a amusement. "What is it with you?! Spike and I are just......just......."
She faltered, suddenly completely unsure of how to proceed with answering the question.
"Just what, Faye-Faye?," Edward wanted to know, a sudden burst of curiosity rushing over her being in an instant.
Frowning, Faye admitted softly, "I......I don't really know."
Seeming to satisfy the young adolescent to a considerable degree, Edward took off at least a couple yards ahead of her companion like an airplane in midflight, giggling after each propeller noise that she happened to make with her flapping lips.
Averting her gaze from her flamboyant step-sister, Faye let out a heavy sigh, realizing, "Ed brought up a good question.....what IS my relation to Spike? Are we friends? Foes? In-between? With him as a constant complanion, it's honestly very difficult for me to tell. But then again, he IS a guy, and their middle name spells 'confusion'."
A/N: Ok, how wuz that? lol. The only deal iz I'll put up the next chapter 4 all of u Julia haters if I get at least FIVE reviews! ^^ Haha, ain't I a stinker? lmao, sorry...it's just that I didn't get very many reviews @ ALL 4 the last chapter, & I'm really trying 2. Besides, the next Barracuda COULD be YOU!!! ^^ If you guyz are sick of waiting 4 my SxF moments 2 happen in here, you can check out my fic All That He Couldn't Leave Behind since it's fully completed & has all of ur SxF goodness...WHOO!!! ^___^ But, I must warn u, it has...erm...3 chapters of~cough~adult content~cough, so as I've said earlier, if sex bothers u, that iz DEFINITELY not the fanfic 4 u since it's got quite a bit of it in there, lol! Well, u may've seen more in a fic, but 3 chapters, 2 me, iz a lot, lmao. N-e-who, I luv u guyz & hope that u continue 2 review! REVIEW ME, PLEASE!!!!!!!! ~Gets down on knees~Now look what u made me do! I'm beggin'! o.o PLEEASE?!!! lmao. Luv yaz! ^.~
3 Kendra Luehr ~HUGS~