Ch. 7 "Vicious Questions"
Spike set his leather jacket down on the sofa. It had been an hour since Vicious left to give the papers to the Syndicate. There had been no sign of that blonde haired woman, and Spike wondered what her relationship with Vicious was. Vicious wasn't a lover, he was a killer, and a ruthless one at that. What would that woman hope to get out of a relationship with Vicious? Spike shrugged and collapsed on the sofa, lying on his jacket. He stared at the cement ceiling.
"I wonder..." Spike muttered to himself. "Is Vicious capable of love?" Spike closed his eyes and gradually fell asleep.
"Spike." A feminine voice said softly. Spike groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah?" Spike asked the voice.
"We're back." A cold voice said. Spike recognized that voice, it belonged to his silvery haired comrade, Vicious. The woman's voice must have been Julia.
"Uh...what time is it?" Spike said groggily.
"Midnight." Julia said. Spike's vision focused and he saw Vicious and Julia sitting at the kitchen table. Vicious was smoking a cigarette, his right arm lying on the table letting Julia tend to his wound. Spike sighed, and his shoulder and leg wound throbbed in acknowledgement. No one to treat my wounds, Spike thought to himself.
"You going to live?" Julia asked, still focused on treating Vicious's wounds. Spike shrugged, which was a big mistake. His shoulder wound throbbed some more. Spike groaned.
"Spike, the Syndicate congratulates you on a job well done." Vicious said, tossing a few thousand Woolong to Spike. The Woolong landed at Spike's feet.
"What should I blow this on?" Spike asked gesturing towards the Woolong. Vicious exhaled a cloud of smoke, smiling slightly.
"There, try not to strain it, ok Vicious?" Julia said as she finished bandaging the wound. Vicious looked at Julia then looked at his wound.
"One can only try." Vicious said as he began to inhale the smoke. Spike stood up, and stretched while yawning. Julia eyed Spike, and smiled. Vicious glanced at Julia, his smile fading. There was an unspoken tension, but Spike didn't seem to notice.
"Anyone want to go out for a drink?" Spike asked. Vicious exhaled and Julia smiled once more. Spike sighed.
"Is that a no?" He asked. Vicious stood up.
"Do you want to go out for a drink, Julia?" Vicious asked her. Julia shrugged.
"It's late, Vicious. I don't know about you two, but I like sleeping." Julia said as she began to yawn. Vicious smiled...was that affection in his eyes? Spike found it hard to believe that Vicious, the man who killed dozens without the slightest qualm, was capable of such. Then again, who cared?
"How about you Vicious?" Spike asked, hopefully.
"No." Vicious said flatly, the affection gone and replaced by cold detachment. Spike shrugged.
"What's wrong with you people?" Spike asked jokingly. Julia smiled, the corner of Vicious's mouth twitched. Vicious walked to the front door, leaving Julia sitting alone at the table, and Spike on the couch.
"Spike, I need to talk to you outside. Alone." Vicious said as he opened the front door. "We'll be back in a few minutes, Julia." Vicious added. Spike followed Vicious, glancing back at Julia. She had laid her head down on the table, her long golden hair spreading across the table. Her eyes were closed and she looked so peaceful, and beautiful. Spike shook his head free of those thoughts, and then exited the apartment. Spike found himself and Vicious alone, in the long hallway outside of the apartment. Vicious was waiting for Spike, leaning against the left wall.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Vicious asked, obviously referring to Julia. Spike shrugged.
"I guess."
"You can't help but feel sorry for her."
"What do you mean?" Spike asked. Vicious closed his eyes and smiled.
"She's like us Spike. No family, no dreams, and no hope."
"Who says I'm like that?" Spike asked. Vicious opened his eyes and looked at Spike.
"Tell me then. Where is your family? What are your dreams? What hope do you possess?" Spike shrugged.
"You're my only family." Spike said. Vicious fell silent.
"I see." Vicious finally said after seven minutes of absolute silence.
"Vicious."
"What?"
"Do you love her?" Spike asked. Vicious's body posture shifted.
"Define love." Spike thought for a few minutes. "I can't." Spike said, giving up. There was an awkward silence. "The Syndicate is concerned about your current state, Spike." Vicious said after what seemed like ages. "Why?" Spike asked. "I retold the events of the warehouse incident, and they were concerned when I told them that you refused to kill those men, even though those men would have killed you, were they in your position. Such actions will not be tolerated. Any enemy of the Syndicate must be eliminated, helpless, or not." "It won't happen again." Spike said running his left hand through his hair. Vicious smiled wryly. "It better not." Vicious said coldly as he headed back to the apartment's door. Spike followed Vicious as they entered the apartment once more.
Julia had dozed off in their absence. Vicious had gently awakened her. The three of them sat at the table. Julia rubbed her eyes then yawned. "I need to go home." She said, tired. "Where would that be?" Spike asked. "My place." Vicious replied. Spike nodded. Julia put her head against Vicious's shoulder and closed her eyes. Spike sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "Vicious...do you ever get tired of it?" Spike asked, his tone melancholy or something similar to it. "Tired of what?" "The fighting, the death, the blood, and the fear." "Are you?" Vicious asked, turning the question around. Spike sighed; Vicious was such a vague person. He never seemed to answer any questions straightly. "Yeah, I am. Sick and tired." Spike said, sighing. Julia opened her eyes a little. "That's ok. Right Vicious?" She asked him. Vicious was silent for a moment then nodded silently.
"You may have your thoughts, but do not act upon them." Vicious said his voice steely.
"Yeah, I won't. Even if I tried..." Spike's voice trailed off. Vicious stood up, as did Julia. Spike looked up at them.
'Leaving?" They both nodded. Spike closed his eyes.
"See you then." He said flatly. Vicious nodded the left the apartment. Julia stopped at the front door. She was about to say something but was cut off by Vicious's call.
"Julia. Come on." Julia bit her lip.
"See you Spike." She left the apartment, nearly slamming the door shut. Spike stood up and looked at his watch.
"Damn it's late." He muttered to himself. Vicious's words echoed in his mind.
"Where is your family? What are your dreams? What hope to you possess?" Vicious had asked him. Spike collapsed on the couch once more, and then sighed.
"I have no hope. My dreams are long dead, as is my family." Spike whispered into the dark night. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to succumb to the exhaustion he felt. He was fast asleep in a matter of seconds.
Spike set his leather jacket down on the sofa. It had been an hour since Vicious left to give the papers to the Syndicate. There had been no sign of that blonde haired woman, and Spike wondered what her relationship with Vicious was. Vicious wasn't a lover, he was a killer, and a ruthless one at that. What would that woman hope to get out of a relationship with Vicious? Spike shrugged and collapsed on the sofa, lying on his jacket. He stared at the cement ceiling.
"I wonder..." Spike muttered to himself. "Is Vicious capable of love?" Spike closed his eyes and gradually fell asleep.
"Spike." A feminine voice said softly. Spike groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah?" Spike asked the voice.
"We're back." A cold voice said. Spike recognized that voice, it belonged to his silvery haired comrade, Vicious. The woman's voice must have been Julia.
"Uh...what time is it?" Spike said groggily.
"Midnight." Julia said. Spike's vision focused and he saw Vicious and Julia sitting at the kitchen table. Vicious was smoking a cigarette, his right arm lying on the table letting Julia tend to his wound. Spike sighed, and his shoulder and leg wound throbbed in acknowledgement. No one to treat my wounds, Spike thought to himself.
"You going to live?" Julia asked, still focused on treating Vicious's wounds. Spike shrugged, which was a big mistake. His shoulder wound throbbed some more. Spike groaned.
"Spike, the Syndicate congratulates you on a job well done." Vicious said, tossing a few thousand Woolong to Spike. The Woolong landed at Spike's feet.
"What should I blow this on?" Spike asked gesturing towards the Woolong. Vicious exhaled a cloud of smoke, smiling slightly.
"There, try not to strain it, ok Vicious?" Julia said as she finished bandaging the wound. Vicious looked at Julia then looked at his wound.
"One can only try." Vicious said as he began to inhale the smoke. Spike stood up, and stretched while yawning. Julia eyed Spike, and smiled. Vicious glanced at Julia, his smile fading. There was an unspoken tension, but Spike didn't seem to notice.
"Anyone want to go out for a drink?" Spike asked. Vicious exhaled and Julia smiled once more. Spike sighed.
"Is that a no?" He asked. Vicious stood up.
"Do you want to go out for a drink, Julia?" Vicious asked her. Julia shrugged.
"It's late, Vicious. I don't know about you two, but I like sleeping." Julia said as she began to yawn. Vicious smiled...was that affection in his eyes? Spike found it hard to believe that Vicious, the man who killed dozens without the slightest qualm, was capable of such. Then again, who cared?
"How about you Vicious?" Spike asked, hopefully.
"No." Vicious said flatly, the affection gone and replaced by cold detachment. Spike shrugged.
"What's wrong with you people?" Spike asked jokingly. Julia smiled, the corner of Vicious's mouth twitched. Vicious walked to the front door, leaving Julia sitting alone at the table, and Spike on the couch.
"Spike, I need to talk to you outside. Alone." Vicious said as he opened the front door. "We'll be back in a few minutes, Julia." Vicious added. Spike followed Vicious, glancing back at Julia. She had laid her head down on the table, her long golden hair spreading across the table. Her eyes were closed and she looked so peaceful, and beautiful. Spike shook his head free of those thoughts, and then exited the apartment. Spike found himself and Vicious alone, in the long hallway outside of the apartment. Vicious was waiting for Spike, leaning against the left wall.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Vicious asked, obviously referring to Julia. Spike shrugged.
"I guess."
"You can't help but feel sorry for her."
"What do you mean?" Spike asked. Vicious closed his eyes and smiled.
"She's like us Spike. No family, no dreams, and no hope."
"Who says I'm like that?" Spike asked. Vicious opened his eyes and looked at Spike.
"Tell me then. Where is your family? What are your dreams? What hope do you possess?" Spike shrugged.
"You're my only family." Spike said. Vicious fell silent.
"I see." Vicious finally said after seven minutes of absolute silence.
"Vicious."
"What?"
"Do you love her?" Spike asked. Vicious's body posture shifted.
"Define love." Spike thought for a few minutes. "I can't." Spike said, giving up. There was an awkward silence. "The Syndicate is concerned about your current state, Spike." Vicious said after what seemed like ages. "Why?" Spike asked. "I retold the events of the warehouse incident, and they were concerned when I told them that you refused to kill those men, even though those men would have killed you, were they in your position. Such actions will not be tolerated. Any enemy of the Syndicate must be eliminated, helpless, or not." "It won't happen again." Spike said running his left hand through his hair. Vicious smiled wryly. "It better not." Vicious said coldly as he headed back to the apartment's door. Spike followed Vicious as they entered the apartment once more.
Julia had dozed off in their absence. Vicious had gently awakened her. The three of them sat at the table. Julia rubbed her eyes then yawned. "I need to go home." She said, tired. "Where would that be?" Spike asked. "My place." Vicious replied. Spike nodded. Julia put her head against Vicious's shoulder and closed her eyes. Spike sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "Vicious...do you ever get tired of it?" Spike asked, his tone melancholy or something similar to it. "Tired of what?" "The fighting, the death, the blood, and the fear." "Are you?" Vicious asked, turning the question around. Spike sighed; Vicious was such a vague person. He never seemed to answer any questions straightly. "Yeah, I am. Sick and tired." Spike said, sighing. Julia opened her eyes a little. "That's ok. Right Vicious?" She asked him. Vicious was silent for a moment then nodded silently.
"You may have your thoughts, but do not act upon them." Vicious said his voice steely.
"Yeah, I won't. Even if I tried..." Spike's voice trailed off. Vicious stood up, as did Julia. Spike looked up at them.
'Leaving?" They both nodded. Spike closed his eyes.
"See you then." He said flatly. Vicious nodded the left the apartment. Julia stopped at the front door. She was about to say something but was cut off by Vicious's call.
"Julia. Come on." Julia bit her lip.
"See you Spike." She left the apartment, nearly slamming the door shut. Spike stood up and looked at his watch.
"Damn it's late." He muttered to himself. Vicious's words echoed in his mind.
"Where is your family? What are your dreams? What hope to you possess?" Vicious had asked him. Spike collapsed on the couch once more, and then sighed.
"I have no hope. My dreams are long dead, as is my family." Spike whispered into the dark night. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to succumb to the exhaustion he felt. He was fast asleep in a matter of seconds.