Wow! So many reviews! I would like to thank everyone personally, and let
me tell you, it took a little while to get it all organized. It's at the
bottom, so if you reviewed, your name is down there with a little message
from me to you! ~_^ Thanks and keep reviewing!
~~~~~
I guess I didn't really find Vicious. Or at least not MY Vicious. I found Spike's Vicious, Julia's Vicious, but Faye Valentine's Vicious? No, he was dead, or so his body insisted. And it broke my heart, because, what was I to do after that? Go back to my petty lifestyle? How can you go back to your normal, everyday routine after someone like that has walked in and out of your life, leaving behind such great impressions?
I guess you really can't.
I took Ed by the hand that day when we were walking back to the subway - holding onto her like she was my own child. It wasn't something I'd normally do, but after the previous rejection, I was still so numb I was afraid without her faint guidance I'd lose myself in the crowd and perish there.
"Vicious doesn't love you anymore?" she asked innocently, gazing up at me.
I winced. "Guess not."
We continued to walk, stopping at the station to buy our tickets and then wait to board. I had hoped we'd be returning with Vicious, but I suppose that was just wishful thinking on my part.
Ed hummed a lively little tune as we waited, her eyes darting here and there in contentment. It must've been nice to be a kid who didn't need anyone and was totally self sufficient, who could be disappointed by no one and nothing...
I bit my lip and looked away, staring into the crowd.
"We going home now?"
"Yes..." My voice trailed off as I skimmed over the words floating across the huge TV screen above us. A collective groan rose from the crowd as it was announced all transportation would be delayed at least three hours due to technical difficulties. "Oh crap!" I sighed, exasperated, and then, quietly, "Just as well... Now we can get something to eat here, I suppose. You hungry?"
"OH YEAH!" Ed whooped and hollered, pumping her tiny fist in the air and skipping on ahead of me in search of a good restaurant, Ein barking and tottering at her heels.
"Something outside!" I called after them, jogging to keep up. Of course we'd end up someplace cheap and with a table by the sidewalk, thanks to Ein, who would not be allowed inside anyplace, regardless of how much we begged. Dumb dog.
We finally settled on some little café that sold mostly coffee and desserts, but no one seemed bothered by that. I ordered two slices of cheesecake and a sugar cookie (for Ein) and we got to eating, munching on our treats in silence. I smiled faintly as a stray memory from before whispered through my mind.
Vicious, in the park, standing there with his ice cream cone and looking rather childish as he licked happily at the treat. He had such a brilliant smile...
Shaking the thought away, I cleared my foggy vision just in time to hear Ed holler something about looking out only about half a second before a paper flyer hit me smack in the face, propelled along by a gust of wind. "Aw, man!" I cried, peeling it off in annoyance, pausing only to glance upon it. That glance turned into a wide-eyed stare. "I don't believe it..."
"What is it?" Ed blinked several times, dark eyelashes fluttering, before scampering around to peer over my shoulder. "Hey!" she cried, pointing in excitement. "It's - it's...!"
I focused on the grim man on the poster, at the huge bounty posted beneath his picture, at his name written in bold letters and the 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' up top. "It's Jet," I breathed.
~~~~~
It didn't take Ed all that long too find him. She stayed up the whole night tracking him down as well as trying to locate his offenses - that took a lot less time. I paced in the background the whole while, greedily guzzling down the sodas in the mini bar, not touching the alcohol. I'd given that up along with smoking a while ago. Just didn't have the money to support the habits, I suppose.
"Well, Faye-Faye," Ed finally remarked, turning to face me, "it says that Jet....he, um..." She scratched the top of her head. "He's already been turned in - dead."
My heart sunk. I'd never really been close to Jet, but he was like part of whatever sort of screwed up family we had formed back then. Heck, he'd cared about me more than Spike had, I think. When I ran away from the Bebop, I later caught wind that Spike had only ended up in the same place as I was because he'd heard Julia had been there. Jet, on the other hand, had actually tried to convince him to look for me, and even if it was only because I had stolen a great debt from their safe, it was still a nice thought that he had actually wanted to look... But Jet - dead? It seemed inconceivable. The old man had been near invincible! Sadly, I shook my head.
"What was his crime again, Ed?" I murmured. She'd told me, but I hadn't been paying attention, really.
"He killed three men," she replied matter-of-factly. "That's about all it said."
"Oh..." I tried to muster up a smile, but it didn't really work. "I guess we're all that's left of the Bebop crew, huh?"
"I guess," she said quietly, looking perplexed for a moment and then going back to her laptop.
I finished my soda and threw the can away, hearing it hit the bottom of the trash can with a tinny clunk. "Find me some bounties," I commanded. "We're going to stay here a little longer. The rooms are a lot cheaper and I think that if we can make a living here, it'd be pretty nice."
"Ok, Faye-Faye."
"Don't stay up too late, kid," I cautioned, and then slipped into the bathroom, discarding my clothes to step into the shower. My hands numbly worked at the knobs, blending the hot and cold water to a lukewarm mix that wouldn't burn and would not freeze. Slowly, I let myself release the tension, the anger, the disappointment, to relax as the water pelted my skin. I smiled wryly, my thoughts straying back to Vicious, to when I had deceived him and played the role of his wife. He had fallen into part easily, believing we were married, and had no real problems with modesty. It had been so infuriating at the time... So upsetting... But now, I missed him so terribly.
~~~~~~
*Flashback*
I cursed the ghost of a man with his white hair and pale skin and lucid blue eyes. I loathed him for doing such a complete turnabout that made him hard to hate, and easy to forgive for killing Spike. I mumbled his offenses under my breath as I stepped into the shower and drew the curtain around to hide myself and keep the water from splashing out onto the bathroom tiles. Raking the soap against my skin, I started a rough washing.
Suddenly, through the curtain, I noticed the black outline of a figure soundlessly opening the door and casually stepping in, stopping and standing facing the shower, staring with a flat, shadow face at the curtain that separated us. At me.
I froze, one arm crossing my bare chest to hold the soap bar against my shoulder. Slowly, I began to recall the time I had spent in Gren's apartment, how when I had heard the message machine click followed by Vicious' voice, I had grabbed a gun and approached the bathroom. Gren had been standing in the shower, and I remembered the thin curtain that hid him from my gaze. Sort of. In the lighting, I had seen his outline perfectly, the broad shoulders and thin hips and arms and legs and even the long hair falling down his back. He'd been standing there, waiting I'm sure, and now, if Vicious was on the other side of THIS curtain, staring at it, surely he could see my outline...
I blushed uncomfortably, feeling exposed even though I knew I really wasn't. "Vicious?" I called out weakly.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to brush my teeth. Why?"
"Do it in the other sink."
"What?"
"Go to the kitchen."
"Huh?"
Growling, I carefully angled my neck and grabbed the curtain with wet fingers, poking my head out and pulling it tight around my neck so he could not peer in. He stood there, blinking at me innocently, obviously not comprehending what I wanted him to do. Leave. "I SAID GO BRUSH YOUR TEETH IN THE KITCHEN SINK!" I screamed.
And then there was that horrid smile, the one that was almost like a naïve little boy admitting he vaguely felt stupid. "Ok," he said compliantly, gathering up the toothbrush and toothpaste and floss and mouth wash and everything else I owned that had to do with dental care. The man had a weird obsession with dental hygiene. Before he left, he tossed one more look at my body's outline behind the shower curtain, grinned, and said, "Try to come to bed at a decent hour tonight, ok?"
"Not a chance," I shot back. And then, at his confused expression, corrected myself with, "I mean, I have a lot of work to do. Don't wait up."
*End Flashback*
~~~~~
I pulled on a bathrobe and walked back out to the small hotel room, seeing that Ed had already shut down her computer and crawled into bed with Ein. I slid in beside them with a sigh, pulling the sheets over my body and giving myself over to sleep.
Things just never worked out, did they?
~~~~~
Well, there's chapter two! Sorry for the wait and keep on reviewing! ~_^
Hikari88: Honestly, I dunno how I got Vicious in character... ^_^;;
Agent Tomato: There you go! I put in a flashback! Happy now? lol If you haven't read Blood & Amnesia, than you really should. It'd be a lot easier to understand. Haha. Then again, if you have...I guess you just wanted a flashback.
Kidoairaku: There! I continued!
SilverGoddess1: You're welcome ^_^ I'm glad you liked the first.
Dazma: Sorry I took so long. You know...I'll have Faye address the adoption thing soon.
Jake Poe: Blood & Amnesia is under the pen name LadySilverDragon2. I'll send you an e-mail or something with a link if you still can't find it. ~_^
Michelle: Thank you. I will continue. lol
Kaelin77: It won't stay sad forever. But it will be angsty. Of course there will be happy moments too.
Volk Zyta: Didn't mean to keep you waiting!
Pink-Pooglie: Thank you. I hope I can continue to portray Vicious and Faye in the correct manner!
ViciousRedTearz: Eh...sorry, I took a little bit longer than I had expected on this one!
Tina: I know! Vicious deserves to be happy, doesn't he?
Zithromax: lol I'm glad you're having fun. Anyhow, getting Vicious in character is a real guessing game for me! I have to think long and hard before I make him do anything! Whew...
Osa: I see you are a firm Faye/Vicious lover. Hehe.
VinallaRose: The name Vicious would scare me if I were her! But anyhow, fate will toss them together again. lol
Bloody Love: It was sad, wasn't it? *sniff sniff*
Bebop-angel1: Thank you! I'll try to go at a reasonable pace! Keep my in check now ~_^
Kitten Siren: Dance to your heart's content. Twisty-rockiness is my thing! Haha
ClassicElfRyoko: Yay! You like me! *hugs* Vicious/Faye is definitely one of the greatest Cowboy Bebop parings out there! Or at least it is in my opinion... *shrugs*
~~~~~
I guess I didn't really find Vicious. Or at least not MY Vicious. I found Spike's Vicious, Julia's Vicious, but Faye Valentine's Vicious? No, he was dead, or so his body insisted. And it broke my heart, because, what was I to do after that? Go back to my petty lifestyle? How can you go back to your normal, everyday routine after someone like that has walked in and out of your life, leaving behind such great impressions?
I guess you really can't.
I took Ed by the hand that day when we were walking back to the subway - holding onto her like she was my own child. It wasn't something I'd normally do, but after the previous rejection, I was still so numb I was afraid without her faint guidance I'd lose myself in the crowd and perish there.
"Vicious doesn't love you anymore?" she asked innocently, gazing up at me.
I winced. "Guess not."
We continued to walk, stopping at the station to buy our tickets and then wait to board. I had hoped we'd be returning with Vicious, but I suppose that was just wishful thinking on my part.
Ed hummed a lively little tune as we waited, her eyes darting here and there in contentment. It must've been nice to be a kid who didn't need anyone and was totally self sufficient, who could be disappointed by no one and nothing...
I bit my lip and looked away, staring into the crowd.
"We going home now?"
"Yes..." My voice trailed off as I skimmed over the words floating across the huge TV screen above us. A collective groan rose from the crowd as it was announced all transportation would be delayed at least three hours due to technical difficulties. "Oh crap!" I sighed, exasperated, and then, quietly, "Just as well... Now we can get something to eat here, I suppose. You hungry?"
"OH YEAH!" Ed whooped and hollered, pumping her tiny fist in the air and skipping on ahead of me in search of a good restaurant, Ein barking and tottering at her heels.
"Something outside!" I called after them, jogging to keep up. Of course we'd end up someplace cheap and with a table by the sidewalk, thanks to Ein, who would not be allowed inside anyplace, regardless of how much we begged. Dumb dog.
We finally settled on some little café that sold mostly coffee and desserts, but no one seemed bothered by that. I ordered two slices of cheesecake and a sugar cookie (for Ein) and we got to eating, munching on our treats in silence. I smiled faintly as a stray memory from before whispered through my mind.
Vicious, in the park, standing there with his ice cream cone and looking rather childish as he licked happily at the treat. He had such a brilliant smile...
Shaking the thought away, I cleared my foggy vision just in time to hear Ed holler something about looking out only about half a second before a paper flyer hit me smack in the face, propelled along by a gust of wind. "Aw, man!" I cried, peeling it off in annoyance, pausing only to glance upon it. That glance turned into a wide-eyed stare. "I don't believe it..."
"What is it?" Ed blinked several times, dark eyelashes fluttering, before scampering around to peer over my shoulder. "Hey!" she cried, pointing in excitement. "It's - it's...!"
I focused on the grim man on the poster, at the huge bounty posted beneath his picture, at his name written in bold letters and the 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' up top. "It's Jet," I breathed.
~~~~~
It didn't take Ed all that long too find him. She stayed up the whole night tracking him down as well as trying to locate his offenses - that took a lot less time. I paced in the background the whole while, greedily guzzling down the sodas in the mini bar, not touching the alcohol. I'd given that up along with smoking a while ago. Just didn't have the money to support the habits, I suppose.
"Well, Faye-Faye," Ed finally remarked, turning to face me, "it says that Jet....he, um..." She scratched the top of her head. "He's already been turned in - dead."
My heart sunk. I'd never really been close to Jet, but he was like part of whatever sort of screwed up family we had formed back then. Heck, he'd cared about me more than Spike had, I think. When I ran away from the Bebop, I later caught wind that Spike had only ended up in the same place as I was because he'd heard Julia had been there. Jet, on the other hand, had actually tried to convince him to look for me, and even if it was only because I had stolen a great debt from their safe, it was still a nice thought that he had actually wanted to look... But Jet - dead? It seemed inconceivable. The old man had been near invincible! Sadly, I shook my head.
"What was his crime again, Ed?" I murmured. She'd told me, but I hadn't been paying attention, really.
"He killed three men," she replied matter-of-factly. "That's about all it said."
"Oh..." I tried to muster up a smile, but it didn't really work. "I guess we're all that's left of the Bebop crew, huh?"
"I guess," she said quietly, looking perplexed for a moment and then going back to her laptop.
I finished my soda and threw the can away, hearing it hit the bottom of the trash can with a tinny clunk. "Find me some bounties," I commanded. "We're going to stay here a little longer. The rooms are a lot cheaper and I think that if we can make a living here, it'd be pretty nice."
"Ok, Faye-Faye."
"Don't stay up too late, kid," I cautioned, and then slipped into the bathroom, discarding my clothes to step into the shower. My hands numbly worked at the knobs, blending the hot and cold water to a lukewarm mix that wouldn't burn and would not freeze. Slowly, I let myself release the tension, the anger, the disappointment, to relax as the water pelted my skin. I smiled wryly, my thoughts straying back to Vicious, to when I had deceived him and played the role of his wife. He had fallen into part easily, believing we were married, and had no real problems with modesty. It had been so infuriating at the time... So upsetting... But now, I missed him so terribly.
~~~~~~
*Flashback*
I cursed the ghost of a man with his white hair and pale skin and lucid blue eyes. I loathed him for doing such a complete turnabout that made him hard to hate, and easy to forgive for killing Spike. I mumbled his offenses under my breath as I stepped into the shower and drew the curtain around to hide myself and keep the water from splashing out onto the bathroom tiles. Raking the soap against my skin, I started a rough washing.
Suddenly, through the curtain, I noticed the black outline of a figure soundlessly opening the door and casually stepping in, stopping and standing facing the shower, staring with a flat, shadow face at the curtain that separated us. At me.
I froze, one arm crossing my bare chest to hold the soap bar against my shoulder. Slowly, I began to recall the time I had spent in Gren's apartment, how when I had heard the message machine click followed by Vicious' voice, I had grabbed a gun and approached the bathroom. Gren had been standing in the shower, and I remembered the thin curtain that hid him from my gaze. Sort of. In the lighting, I had seen his outline perfectly, the broad shoulders and thin hips and arms and legs and even the long hair falling down his back. He'd been standing there, waiting I'm sure, and now, if Vicious was on the other side of THIS curtain, staring at it, surely he could see my outline...
I blushed uncomfortably, feeling exposed even though I knew I really wasn't. "Vicious?" I called out weakly.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to brush my teeth. Why?"
"Do it in the other sink."
"What?"
"Go to the kitchen."
"Huh?"
Growling, I carefully angled my neck and grabbed the curtain with wet fingers, poking my head out and pulling it tight around my neck so he could not peer in. He stood there, blinking at me innocently, obviously not comprehending what I wanted him to do. Leave. "I SAID GO BRUSH YOUR TEETH IN THE KITCHEN SINK!" I screamed.
And then there was that horrid smile, the one that was almost like a naïve little boy admitting he vaguely felt stupid. "Ok," he said compliantly, gathering up the toothbrush and toothpaste and floss and mouth wash and everything else I owned that had to do with dental care. The man had a weird obsession with dental hygiene. Before he left, he tossed one more look at my body's outline behind the shower curtain, grinned, and said, "Try to come to bed at a decent hour tonight, ok?"
"Not a chance," I shot back. And then, at his confused expression, corrected myself with, "I mean, I have a lot of work to do. Don't wait up."
*End Flashback*
~~~~~
I pulled on a bathrobe and walked back out to the small hotel room, seeing that Ed had already shut down her computer and crawled into bed with Ein. I slid in beside them with a sigh, pulling the sheets over my body and giving myself over to sleep.
Things just never worked out, did they?
~~~~~
Well, there's chapter two! Sorry for the wait and keep on reviewing! ~_^
Hikari88: Honestly, I dunno how I got Vicious in character... ^_^;;
Agent Tomato: There you go! I put in a flashback! Happy now? lol If you haven't read Blood & Amnesia, than you really should. It'd be a lot easier to understand. Haha. Then again, if you have...I guess you just wanted a flashback.
Kidoairaku: There! I continued!
SilverGoddess1: You're welcome ^_^ I'm glad you liked the first.
Dazma: Sorry I took so long. You know...I'll have Faye address the adoption thing soon.
Jake Poe: Blood & Amnesia is under the pen name LadySilverDragon2. I'll send you an e-mail or something with a link if you still can't find it. ~_^
Michelle: Thank you. I will continue. lol
Kaelin77: It won't stay sad forever. But it will be angsty. Of course there will be happy moments too.
Volk Zyta: Didn't mean to keep you waiting!
Pink-Pooglie: Thank you. I hope I can continue to portray Vicious and Faye in the correct manner!
ViciousRedTearz: Eh...sorry, I took a little bit longer than I had expected on this one!
Tina: I know! Vicious deserves to be happy, doesn't he?
Zithromax: lol I'm glad you're having fun. Anyhow, getting Vicious in character is a real guessing game for me! I have to think long and hard before I make him do anything! Whew...
Osa: I see you are a firm Faye/Vicious lover. Hehe.
VinallaRose: The name Vicious would scare me if I were her! But anyhow, fate will toss them together again. lol
Bloody Love: It was sad, wasn't it? *sniff sniff*
Bebop-angel1: Thank you! I'll try to go at a reasonable pace! Keep my in check now ~_^
Kitten Siren: Dance to your heart's content. Twisty-rockiness is my thing! Haha
ClassicElfRyoko: Yay! You like me! *hugs* Vicious/Faye is definitely one of the greatest Cowboy Bebop parings out there! Or at least it is in my opinion... *shrugs*