Chapter 7. This took awhile to get done, but here it is. Cowboy Bebop is not mine in any way, shape or form. Damn! This is for your enjoyment only.
Nothing Good Comes from Earth
Chapter 7: Make Way for the Huntress
The door creaked open, light flooding in from the hallway. A tall slender figure stood silhouetted in the doorway. She was sitting now, wrapped in a green satin nightgown that matched her eyes. He stepped closer, ever closer, never saying a word. And then he was there, caressing her body. His lips molded themselves to hers as he captured her in a passionate kiss. His body was warm as it brushed against hers, slowly pushing her down onto the bed. It was so right for him to be touching her, treasuring her this way. She ran white slender fingers through his green mane, reveling in his touch.
"I love you, Spike," she whispered against his shoulder.
"I love you, too."
Then someone else was there, laughing at them. His hair was a silver nimbus as he raised his katana over her lover's back.
"Nooooo! Please!" she screamed in horror, even has he plunged the glinting blade through Spike's ribcage.
Vicious grinned, his usually dead eyes burning with hate.
"Faye…"Spike groaned as he fell forward, blood dripping from his mouth staining her satin covered breasts…
Faye shot up, her throat hoarse from silently screaming. He had killed him! He was dead! She looked around her dark room, Spike nowhere in site. It had been another nightmare, by far the worst she'd had in a week. She clutched the sheets with white knuckles as she tried to gain some sort of composure.
"Just a dream. Just a dream," she chanted rocking back and forth. It wasn't real. Spike was ok, wasn't he? She looked at the clock. It was only two a.m. She hadn't seen Spike since earlier that morning when he had caught her exercising. She felt her skin flush hot with the memory of him touching her. He had wanted her. Well, her body anyway. Now he probably hated her.
Her mind focused on her nightmare again. It had felt too real, more like a vision than a dream that could be easily dismissed. Spike is going to die if he gets involved with my problems any more than he already is, she thought shakily. She had to do away with Vicious herself. She couldn't be free from the terror that plagued her every second, asleep or awake, until she watched him die. Fear filled her, threatening to turn into panic as she thought of being alone. She hadn't left the Bebop since they had brought her back from the hospital. She was afraid to leave the haven provided by its steel walls. Faye felt her resolve slipping.
"No, Faye. You have to do this," she scolded herself. She had told Spike the truth about her attacker in a moment of weakness. She wasn't going to let him get killed because she couldn't keep her mouth shut.
She made herself get off the bed and gathered her bathing supplies. I'm probably not going to live past tomorrow, anyway, she thought as she stripped out of her sloppy attire. If she was going to die, she was going to enjoy one last hot bath. She threw on a tiny pink silk robe that just covered her upper thighs. She looked at her naked legs, fighting the automatic urge to cover up. She was tired of being afraid.
She made it to the bathroom unchallenged. She reached over and turned the tap on almost as hot as it would go. She sat on the edge of the old claw-foot tub, lazily watching her hand flit in and out of the rising water. Her skin was bright red wherever the burning hot liquid lapped at her fingers. Water was almost slopping over the side when she quit daydreaming and turned the tap off. She stood and undid the shiny pink robe, letting the thin fabric flutter around her ankles. She lifted one foot and dipped it experimentally. It was almost too hot, but not quite scalding. She lowered her white body slowly into the small tub, watching her skin turn from milk to deep rose as the bath enveloped her. She wished she could steep her pains and fears away as easily as she soaked off dirt. Too bad it would take a bath in Vicious' blood to cleanse that part of her.
As she relaxed into the steaming water, her mind wandered to her dream, the part before Vicious had come. She smiled a little wistfully, wishing it were true. He can't possibly love me, she thought bitterly. How could anyone love someone like me, a ruined shell of a woman, when they've had a perfect angel like Julia? She sunk lower into the tub until only her face was above the waterline. Dark purple hair floated around her as she stared at the overhead light. How easy it would be to let the water close over her face. Just let it fold her into it; let it smother her like a warm blanket until she escaped the harshness of her existence. It would be so easy…
She lay that way, just floating, until the water grew tepid.
Faye walked quietly to the living room, hoping nobody was awake to hear her. It was dark, the only light an unearthly glow from Ed's computer screen behind the couch. Ed lay curled up in front of it, clutching Ein to her chest like a teddy bear. She looked so young, so innocent and sweet when she was sleeping. Faye rarely paid attention to such things. She smiled a little at the young girl, thinking of how nice it would be to have had a childhood. Not being able to remember it made it seem like something that had never happened to her, as if she had always been an adult. It was a shame to have to wake the girl up. Faye kneeled on one knee next to Ed's face, resisting the maternal urge to cover the half-naked child with a blanket. She settled for patting her shoulder.
"Ed, hey, wake up!" Faye hissed into the younger girl's ear.
She rolled over but didn't get up.
"Ed, come on, get up," she whispered a little louder, shaking her gently. She was rewarded with big yellow eyes blinking.
"Faye-Faye?" Ed yawned, closing her eyes again.
"No Ed, you can't go back to sleep yet. Now get up!"
"Edward is tired; go away Faye-Faye."
"Ed, get up now and I'll give you a treat," Faye coaxed the sleepy hacker. Ed's eyes snapped open.
"A treat? A treat for Edward?" she asked, sitting up.
"Yes, but I need you to help me first."
"Last time Ed helped, Ed got in BIG trouble," she frowned, folding her arms across her chest.
"I know Ed, but this time is different. I promise. You don't need to break anything," Faye tried to give her a reassuring smile. Ed's eye's widened as if she had just seen Faye for the first time, her frown forgotten.
"What happened to Faye-Faye's clothes? Faye-Faye is all pretty again," Ed said, turning her head every which way trying to inspect Faye's new look from every possible angle.
Her hair was sleek, framing smoky green eyes and lips the color of dried blood. She wore a sleeveless black v-necked top embroidered with red and gold Chinese dragons. Simple black bootcut pants and black leather boots completed the look. She was dressed to kill. She placed a cigarette between her red lips and lit it.
"Stop looking at me like that. It's creepy," she said through a puff of smoke.
"What does Ed get for helping?" she inquired, still looking her friend over.
"I'll give you whatever you want out of my room," Faye promised, thinking there wasn't much left after her tirade the day before.
Ed's eyes glistened. "Anything Ed wants?"
"Yes. Anything. Are you going to help me or what?" Faye was getting irritated.
"OK! What does Faye-Faye need?"
"To find Vicious," she stated flatly.
"No," Ed declared firmly, crossing her arms across her chest.
"What?" Faye asked, her voice rising. She clenched her fists.
"Edward said no, Faye-Faye."
'I heard you the first time!" Faye snapped. This was not happening. She took a deep breath, resisting the urge to shake the cooperation out of the smiling little twerp.
Ed looked at her quizzically, "Faye-Faye ok?"
Faye snapped. She jerked the teenager up by the front of her tank top and held her nose to nose. Faye's eyes narrowed to dark green slits, anger radiating off her in waves. Gone was Ed's usual psychotic grin. If Faye hadn't known better she would have thought the girl was afraid.
"Why won't you help me?" she ground through clenched jaws.
Ed stared at her, mute.
"Why…"
Ed still just looked at her, a sad, almost pitiful, expression distorting her usually happy features.
"Same reason Ed didn't want Spikey-Spike to go. Ed does not want her friends to die."
Faye ignored the nagging voice inside her head asking her why it was ok for her to go get killed and not Spike. She shook it off, focusing on the redheaded menace dangling in front of her. Ed had sent them all off cheerfully dozens of times after looking up info on bounties, no matter how high the risk. Why was now different? The answer slowly took shape.
"Who put you up to this Ed? Huh? Jet or Spike? Which one!" She shook the girl slightly.
A huge grin split Ed's face, her usual insane expression returning as if it had never left. Faye was relieved. Seeing Ed normal, or as close as she had ever seen her to such a thing, was unnerving.
"Faye-Faye guessed!" she cried, managing to clap her hands gleefully over her head. Faye was still holding her in the air. "Ed told Jet-person Faye-Faye would guess."
Jet. Of course it was Jet. He was the control freak around there, not Spike. Jet looked after all of them like some sort of father-figure. He may not like me, but he won't let this woman out on a suicide mission if he can help it. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. How many times had she heard that phrase from him? But what about what a woman's gotta do? She silently asked.
Faye sighed, and dropped Ed to the floor, kneeling next to her so as not to lose her grasp on the rambunctious ape.
"What did he bribe you with, huh?" She half smiled. Jet was getting as bad as her.
Ed reached down and magically produced a small, flat, rectangle half wrapped in shiny foil.
"Jet-person gave Ed candy. Chocolate chocolate candy!"
Faye let go disgustedly, but not before snatching most of Ed's candy bar in one big bite.
"HEY! That was Edward's candy! Edwards treat!" Ed whined, pawing at Faye's mouth to recapture the half-masticated lump of chocolate, dropping the rest of the bar onto the floor. Ein snatched it without waking up.
"That's what you get for siding with them, kid," Faye said smugly as she wiped chocolate from the corners of her lips. She stood and grabbed her black peacoat that had been flung over the back of the couch, turned on her heel, and stalked toward the hanger bay.
"Does Ed still get a treat from Faye-Faye's room?" the young girl asked hopefully as she stared at the shredded wrapper, all that remained of her bribe from Jet.
"No, now go to bed, it's too early to be up," Faye said, not bothering to look back. She felt a little guilty for taking Ed's candy. Serves her right, she tried to convince herself. Then the nagging voice started to chide her again. She only wanted to keep you from running off to get killed. You're getting as bad as Spike, Faye, not caring about the people you leave behind who'll have to pick up your carcass.
"I'm not like him!" she hissed to herself. She shook her head, trying to get such stupid thoughts out of her mind. Only part of her was convinced.
She put a hand on her long unused ship. She hadn't touched it since she had crashed. Jet had done a good job fixing it, as usual. He had even washed it for her. The Redtail was old, but it rarely failed her. She looked around the large room, mostly concealed in darkness. The Hammerhead was parked in its usual space. The Swordfish was gone. She hadn't really expected Spike to be back yet. Not after what she had done. She allowed herself a little remorse for never telling him how she felt. She sighed, leaning against her ship. It was probably better for him not to know. She could die with her dignity intact; and if by some off chance that she killed Vicious, then she could come back without being embarrassed. Things could be the way they always were before. She and Spike would fight, Ed would be crazy, and Jet would be fed up with all of them. Just the way things should be. No more strange emotional encounters with Spike. No more Ed in her room. No more Jet treating her like she was breakable. No more pity. Things could just be normal.
But you don't want normal. You want to be close to them, even the stupid dog. You want to be wanted, not just tolerated, the nagging voice inside her screamed. Since when does Faye Valentine get what she wants? She sadly replied, pressing her cheek against the cool metal of the Redtail.
She opened the hatch and climbed inside. She started the tiny ship, the controls trembling under her fingers as it powered up. She opened the hangar doors and floated out into space. Firing the thrusters, she looked longingly back at the ship that had become her home. Wishing for things never helped.
"Goodbye," she whispered, kissing her fingers and pressing them against the icy glass of the cockpit.
She sped toward the tiny blue and brown planet below her.
"I hate Earth," she muttered as she entered the upper atmosphere. She had to start looking somewhere, and that meant going back to that miserable little bar in New San Francisco.
This story is far from over. Hope to have 8 out soon. Remember to R&R.