Refresher:  Last chapter, Faye gets mail – a video message from…duh, duh, duuh…Vicious!  How can he still be alive?  IS he still alive?  What the hell is going on?!  Read on to find out!

"No! You're dead!" Faye screamed at the cold face on the laptop.

            "Faye-Faye?" Ed questioned.  "It's a recording Faye-Faye…stranger-man cannot hear you."

            "I am very much alive, Faye.  And I am quite upset by your assassination attempt."  His lip curled into a hard sneer.  "Indeed, so upset that I deemed it necessary to make a recording, rather than engage in a live conversation, lest I say something I would regret later on."  He laughed suddenly, dry and humorless.  "However, I do believe communication is important in a relationship, don't you Faye?" His eyes gleamed madly.  "That is why I must insist on a rendezvous…  Say, twelve tonight at 3 Illyria Street on Mars?  I'll be anxiously awaiting you…  Don't disappoint me, Faye."  He leaned in closer, his eyes burning a hole through her.  "You know what will happen if you do."  The screen went black and Faye handed the laptop back to Ed silently.  Ed cocked her head to the side, staring at Faye.

            "Faye-Faye?"  Ed tugged on the older woman's arm.  She stood stiffly, hands clenched at her side and eyes lowered. 

            "He's wrong."  Faye said lowly.  "I won't go, it won't work this time.  He can fucking die for all I care!" she shouted, lifting her head and banging an open hand against the wall.  She suddenly grabbed Ed's computer, fingers flying over the keyboard as she deleted the audio message.  "No one hears about this message, understand Ed?"

            "Why – "

            "Ed!"  Faye bent down and grabbed Ed's chin, pulling her face in closer.  "This is very important Ed.  No one can ever learn about this message.  Very, very bad things will happen if anyone ever finds out.  Now, do you understand me?"

            "Yes, General Faye-Faye!" Ed saluted.

            "Be serious for once, won't you?" Faye snapped.

            "Why?  Why Ed should be serious?"

            "Oh Ed, aren't you ever sad?" Faye asked softly, all the anger and frustration draining out of her, leaving her face pale and childlike.  Ed studied her silently.

            "Not always sad, like Faye-Faye."  Faye opened her mouth to protest, but Ed cut her off.  "What will happen if Faye-Faye doesn't go meet stranger-person?"

            "I…"  Faye lapsed into silence, worrying her lower lip with one tooth.  "I suppose he'll probably come here," she concluded quietly.

            "Will he bring souvenirs, Faye-Faye?" Ed demanded excitedly, dancing on the tips of her feet.  Faye watched her with a mixture of frustration and amusement.

            "No, Ed, I don't think so."

            "Spike!  Faye!" Jet called.  "Dinner's on, come and get it!"  Spike slouched through the door, hands pushed deep into his pockets.  He paused and surveyed the room cautiously before sliding into a chair.  "Where's Faye?" Jet demanded.

            "Fuck if I know," Spike muttered around a mouth full of noodles.  Jet frowned and cuffed the back of Spike's head, causing him to spit out his noodles.  "Hey!"

            "Don't start eating until everyone gets here," Jet snarled.  "It's called common courtesy, Spike."

            "Edward is here!"  Ed made a flying leap, bounced off Spike's head, and landed in her chair.  It wobbled from side to side a few times before coming to a stop.

            "Ow!" Spike complained, rubbing his thick green mop.  "Jeez, Ed, I think you gave me a concussion!"

            "Don't whine, Spike," Jet said mildly.  "Eat your noodles."

            "But you just – " Spike exploded.

            "Is it dinner time already?  I saw Ed trample Ein in a mad rush to the kitchen, so I thought I should check it out."  Faye glided into the room and perched on the edge of her chair, poised and calm.

            "I called you half an hour ago," Jet exaggerated grumpily, lifting his chopsticks.  Faye shrugged delicately.  Spike glanced at her from the corner of his eye, picking at his food much more slowly than before.

            "Hey, Jet, pass the salt?" he asked casually.

            "I already put salt on it," Jet replied stubbornly.

            "Yeah, he already put salt on it," Faye repeated coolly.  Spike stared at her.

            "Well I like my noodles salty," he said finally.

            "They're salty enough."

            "Look, I know how I like my noodles – "

            "You don't know what's good for you.  Too much salt will dehydrate you."

            "I want more salt, dammit!" Spike yelled, slamming a fist on the table.

            "That's too bad!  You don't always get what you want!" Faye yelled back, leaping up from her chair.  They glared at each other, then Faye swung around abruptly and stalked out of the room, heels clicking sharply.  Spike glanced at Ed, who was still slurping noodles, over to Jet, who was staring at him wide-eyed.

            "Uh…?"  He offered Spike the miniature saltshaker.  Spike left the table silently and strode into the living room after Faye.  He caught up with her by the couch.

            "What the hell was that all about?" he demanded, grabbing her by the shoulder.  She jerked away from his hand as if it'd stung her, lips curling in a sneer. 

            "How dare you," she growled in a low tone, eyes like hard, green marbles.  Spike took a nervous step back.  "Last night…"

            "Uh, look Faye – "

            "No you look!" Faye blazed fiercely.  "I don't…" her small, red lips quivered and pulled into a frown, and she took a shaky breath.  "I don't want anything more to do with you, I hate you!"  She stamped her foot childishly and glared at him, tears dancing precariously over her lower lashes.  Spike ran a hand through his poofy hair and shifted uncomfortably.

            "Faye…" he muttered, voice strained and frustrated.  Faye's glare died and drained out of her.

            "It's Julia, right?" she asked quietly.

            "Don't…"

            "I deserve at least that much, Spike.  Is it because of Julia?"

            "No.  Yes…no."

            "Which is it?"  She was growing angry again – desperately angry.  It scared her that he'd said 'no' twice and 'yes' only once.  If the problem wasn't Julia, then what the hell was it?  Spike shifted his head slightly and gazed at her.  His garnet eyes were turmoil.  Passionate, like last night, but with more anguish.

            "I can't be with you," he forced out, "because you belong to Vicious."  His voice cracked, torn between sorrow and anger.  "His girlfriend, his lover, his…  You're Vicious', Faye, not mine."  Faye paled and gasped sharply.

            "I never…" she choked on her words as Spike silently handed her two photographs, the ones Muffy had given to him on Earth.  The one on top was of a young, handsome man.  "Oh, David," Faye moaned, grasping the photograph and wanting to tear it.  The photograph of her younger self slipped from her hand and fluttered to the floor, staring up at her.  Faye tried to steady the dry, gasping sobs that shivered throughout her body.  "How could you?"

            "'Figure it out yourself.'  Those were your words, Faye.  So I did a little detective work.  You and Vicious were high school sweethearts when you were involved in some sort of accident and had to be cryogenically frozen.  Vicious scraped together every last penny to freeze himself so that when you woke up, he would be there waiting.  But the doctors thawed him out too soon.  His life was hell for ten plus years while he searched for you, and when he finally finds you, you murder him.  You're some kind of girlfriend, Faye."  Spike looked at her coldly.

            "For whom do you have sympathy?" Faye asked finally.  "Vicious?  Or David?"

            "Oh don't give me that shit!"  Spike burst out, eyes narrowed.  "Vicious and David are the same person…  You're just trying to lessen the guilt, Faye.  You don't believe in that 'separate people' crap any more than I do."

            "Yes, I do!" Faye cried.  "And you would too if you knew David…if you knew him before this fucking place twisted him."

            "What place?"

            "This…age, this era.  This time period."  Spike frowned.

            "What are you talking about Faye?"

            "Spike, I don't belong here!" she yelled, flinging out an arm to indicate that 'here' was the Bebop.  "Everyday, a little bit more of my memory returns – in dreams, mostly.  Spike, it's torture!  Each moment is so clear and real…" Her voice dropped down to a whisper.  "All I want to do is stay in that dream forever.  I was so happy.  We were so happy."  Faye blinked away the tears swimming in her eyes.  "And lately all I dream about is David.  Moments we shared – our first kiss, our first fight.  It's like I'm being punished," her voice shook.  "To remember the kind of man he used to be, then see him as he is now…" She sobbed and closed her eyes.  "And to know that I caused the change, I turned him into that monster, Vicious."  Spike strained towards her, overcome by the need to hold her, shush her like a child and stroke her hair. 

            "Faye, it's not your fault," he said quietly.  "You couldn't foresee what would happen to you, or predict what Vicious – uh, David, would do."  Faye lifted her eyes, looking at Spike from under dark, wet lashes.  Spike sighed, something relaxing inside of him.  He smiled with his old cocky charm and stepped closer to her, wrapping and arm around her shoulders.  Faye tensed.  "Come on," he said gently, drawing her down the hallway.  Faye moved willingly, too exhausted to protest.  Spike guided Faye into her room, but remained out in the hallway leaning casually against the doorjamb.  Faye turned to face him.

            "Spike, about Vicious – " Spike shook his head, stopping her short.

            "Forget him, Faye.  We both need to.  Vicious is dead, he's past."  Spike smiled again, and Faye wondered at the sudden change in him.  Something she'd said had freed him, allowed him to let go of Vicious and Julia and all of it.  "Faye…" Faye glanced up into Spike's garnet eyes, softened and alight with desire.  He dipped his head and captured her lips in a slow, gentle kiss.  "Sleep, okay?  No dreams tonight…  David, Vicious – they're both dead."  Spike gave her one last smile then turned and disappeared down the hallway.  Faye watched him go, touching her lips lightly.

            "Vicious is dead," she murmured into them, then moved her hands to cover her entire face.  Tears leaked between her fingers and she sank to the floor, sobbing silently.

Stuck between the do or die, I feel emaciated.
Hard to breathe I try and try, I'll get asphyxiated.
Swinging from the tallest height, with nothing left to hold on to.

Every sky is blue, but not for me and you.

Come home, come home, come home, come home.

Glass and petrol vodka gin, it feels like breathing methane.
Throw yourself from skin to skin, and still it doesn't dull the pain.
Vanish like a lipstick trace, it always blows me away.

Every cloud is gray, with dreams of yesterday.

Come home, come home, come home, come home,
Come home, come home, come home, come home.

Always goes against the grain, and I can try and deny it
Give a monkey half a brain, and still he's bound to fry it.
Now the happening scene is dead, I used to want to be there too.

Every sky is blue, but not for me and you.

Come home, come home, come home, come home,
Come home, come home, come home, come home.

Whoa!  Happy Holidays and New Year guys!  I am taking soo long with these chapters and I apologize profusely!  Anyway, at least I didn't leave you with too much of a cliffhanger this time, right? 

Review or perish!

"Come Home" lyrics by Placebo