Alrighty then…  Read on, peeps! 

It comes from the depths

Of a place unknown to the
Keeper of dreams
If it could then it would steal
The sun and the moon from the sky
Beware

Human at sight, monster at heart
Don't let it inside it could
Tear you right apart

No guilt, it feeds in plain sight
Spirit crusher
Stay strong and hold on tight
Spirit crusher

Speaking in killing words

The vicious kind that crush and kill
No mercy, its pleasure to taste
The blood that it bled

When it's time to feed to fulfill
The need to consume a breath
Some will rise standing tall
Breathing out all the breath from
The voice of a soul.

   
***

"How well do you know Spike Spiegel, Miss Valentine?"  The abrupt question made Faye jerk her head up and stare at Vicious.

            "Not very well…just a few months," she muttered.

            "And what is your impression of him?"  Faye paused, then shrugged.

            "He's alright, I guess.  Obnoxious, annoying…but alright."  Vicious chuckled humorlessly.

            "Shall I tell you a story, Miss Valentine?  Featuring our very own Spike Spiegel?"  Faye shrugged again, but looked curious.  "He and I were partners for quite some time.  I admired and respected him, a compliment I don't pay to many.  But then, he is rather remarkable, is he not?"  Faye blinked.  "Have you ever seen him in action, Miss Valentine?  I suppose you have, hunting down bounty heads…but I imagine it is not quite the same."

            "The same as what?" Faye asked warily.

            "Fighting for the purpose of killing," Vicious said with relish.  "He was unstoppable, insatiable.  His lust for bringing death matched even my own."  Faye shook her head, as much to clear it as to contradict his words.

            "No, Spike is not like you," she murmured, half to herself.  Vicious looked at her sharply, then walked over to her languidly.

            "You think not?" he said softly, dangerously.  Faye edged away from him, her fear apparent.  He leaned over her, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.  "We were like brothers, Miss Valentine…closer, even.  Then, can you guess what happened?"  Faye fought to keep from shivering as his finger traced a path down her cheek.  "A woman."  He released his breath in a soft hiss.  Faye did shiver then, uncontrollably.  "Julia is one of the most incredible women I've ever met.  There's a certain tranquility about her that radiates onto everyone she touches.  With her, each moment is a dream.  And she was mine.  But since the moment he met her, Spike coveted Julia, and she soon returned his affection.  Behind my back, they plotted to leave the syndicate.  I, of course, discovered their treachery."  His voice changed and became more earnest, more insistent.

            "You must understand Faye, I was never in love with Julia.  She was a glimpse into my past, a mere taste of another – " Vicious' voice slipped and he broke off mid-sentence.  His hand had come to rest at the base of Faye's throat, and his fingers gently curved around her slim neck.  "Spike's was the most bitter betrayal.  He was the one whom I'd placed my trust in, and he is the one who must pay."  Vicious chuckled dryly.  "And what better way to punish him, then by keeping him from his precious Julia? 

"I pretended to be insanely jealous of their love, and promised Julia I'd spare her if she killed Spike.  If not, both she and Spike would die at my hand.  She acted so predictably, running off without a word to Spike.  She disappeared without a trace, and Spike grew to hate me.  But my sweetest revenge was the agonizing doubt he was left with - wondering if she'd left due to her fear of me, or if she'd never truly loved him."

            "Why are you telling me this?" Faye whispered, terrified.  Vicious studied her silently.

            "Why indeed," he murmured.  He gazed at her a moment longer, then straightened, pulling a key out of his pocket.  "Spike will be here soon," he said, unlocking her handcuffs.  She lowered her hands to her lap, rubbing her wrists and looking up at him fearfully.  "Miss Valentine?" Vicious inquired, offering his hand.  Faye hesitated, then slid her hand into his and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

            They stood inches apart, Vicious holding her eyes with an intense stare.  His hands ran up and down her arms lightly, caressing her skin.  Suddenly he gripped her shoulders and crushed her to his chest roughly, kissing her savagely.  Her neck arched and bent back painfully, and one of his arms lowered and wrapped around her waist when she attempted to pull away.  His other arm cradled the back of her head, gathering her hair in a tight fist and tugging sharply. 

            "Mmph!"  A muffled cry escaped her when Vicious bit her lower lip, his tongue darting out to taste her tangy blood.  An eternity passed in a split second before he released her.  She staggered back a step, touching her lip with a trembling hand and breathing raggedly.

            "I promised myself I wouldn't touch you," he said quietly.  "Not until you regained your memories."  He looked as though he wanted to say more, but a knock on the door interrupted him.

            "Sir, Spike Spiegel has arrived," called an anonymous voice on the other side of the heavy wooden door.  Vicious turned his attention back to Faye, smiling faintly.  He approached her slowly, pulling a crisp white handkerchief out of his pocket.  Faye backed up reluctantly, pride unwilling to admit her fear of this dangerous man.  He made no move to stop her, and she soon felt the rough wall pressed into her back.  Vicious looked down at her with an unreadable expression and gently gripped her chin with pale fingers.  He tilted her head up slightly and dabbed her bleeding lip with his handkerchief until the blood smeared with her lipstick.  He stared at her a moment longer, then turned on his heel and left the room with quick, sharp steps.  The picture cut off just as Faye began to slide to the floor, heaving a bewildered sigh.

            Spike sat in stunned silence, a limp Faye hanging in his arms, her head bowed and her hair draped around her face like a curtain.  He knew he could let her go – she wasn't about to run off anywhere.  But the more he tried to release her, the more he wanted to tighten his grip.  Tighten his hands around her until every last breath had been squeezed out of her.

            "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" he asked lowly.  Faye's head raised a fraction of an inch.  "You knew, you knew everything!  And you claimed you knew nothing of my past!"

            "No!" Faye cried, jerking upright, eyes blazing with tears.  "I said that you never told me of your past."

            "But you knew about Julia, the situation he put her in," Spike insisted furiously.  "Why didn't you tell me?"

            "And what would you have done?" Faye demanded.  "Gone off looking for her?  Or worse, gone off to confront him?  Then everything she sacrificed for you would have been in vain!"  Her voice broke and a tear slid down her cheek.  She turned her head to the side and composed herself.  "And anyway she could've contacted you sooner.  What was it – fucking three years?  She could've sent some sort of message…but she didn't.  And when was it that she finally did show up?  When Vicious gained control of the Red Dragon Syndicate.  When the man, who she believed truly hated her, gained an enormous amount of power.  Julia only showed up when she needed you, when she thought she could use you to protect her.  But she was mistaken, wasn't she Spike?  And her mistake proved fatal."  Faye's voice was harsh and bitter, her words sharp and biting.  She felt her arm begin to burn and ache in protest as Spike's grip on her wrist intensified.  His fingers dug into her ribs painfully.  But Faye didn't cry out.  She knew it was sick, but she wanted the pain, welcomed it.  She wanted him to hit her, beat her until all she could feel was mind-numbing pain.  Any amount of physical pain was better then the blackness eating away at her from the inside.  It clawed at her heart and twisted her lungs until she could barely breathe.  It made her say horrible, nasty things to people she cared about.  It made her want to die.  

            But Spike released her and opened the cockpit, muttering, "Consider this an apology for last time."  Faye whirled around, hands clenched.

            "Oh, that's wonderful!" she spat sarcastically.  "Good, kind, generous Spike!  How incredibly noble of you to refrain from beating the disrespectful little woman!" Spike stared at her for a long time and Faye waited expectantly for him to lash out in fury. 

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I am…I'm sorry, Faye.  I was so angry that night.  I felt like you cheated me out of my destiny."

"If it was your destiny to face Vicious and to die, then nothing I did could have changed that," Faye said softly.

            "Maybe," Spike said slowly, looking down at his hands.  "Maybe.  But then…  What am I suppose to do now?"  He looked back up at Faye pleadingly, like a lost child.  She'd never seen him look so uncertain.

            "I don't know."  Just live, goddammit!  Spike nodded and seemed to get a hold of himself, flipping various switches on the dashboard of the Swordfish II.

            "I'll meet you back at the Bebop, okay?" 

            "Sure," Faye responded, hopping out of the cockpit.  Spike gave her a half smile and a mocking salute before lifting off and shooting up into the sky.  Faye watched him go, shielding her eyes from the dying rays of the setting sun, her skirt whipping around her legs.

Sooo, whaddya think?  I hope the Vicious/Faye scene wasn't anti-climatic…I'm gonna string you guys on a little further. 

Song titled: "Spirit Crusher," lyrics by Chuck Schuldiner (Death).