A/N: Hiya! ^^ WOW! Thank you SOOOO much for all of these friggin' awesome reviews!!! This is record-breaking for me, cuz even my fic with 366 reviews didn't get THIS many on just the FIRST chapter, so wow! Keep those amazing reviews coming & thanks, cuz they're honestly what gives me the ability to keep going! ^^ I must admit that this chapter isn't that gr8, but bare w/ me, cuz after this one it gets MUCH better! Also, I have a VEEERY important announcement @ the end, so read the A/N, please! Thank you so very much...R&R, and of course...ENJOY! ^,~
"Get out."
Spike frowned, his eyes glimmering over with astonishment. "I....what?"
"I said, get OUT!!!," Faye reiterated shrilly, no longer able to suppress the tears from coming as they cascaded down her porcelain doll-like cheeks in a warm, gentle flow. "Do you have any idea how much this hurts, Spike?! You're not real....y-you're dead! GO AWAY!!!"
He stiffened. "Not without you."
The room suddenly grew deathly silent, all eyes now resting upon Faye's distraught figure as she clenched and unclenched her fists by her sides in utter torment, her small, slender shoulders heaving along with each troubled breath as she raised her line of vision up to meet with her comrade's, her tone cold and harsh as she urged bitterly in a voice barely above a whisper, "Go to Hell."
"Very well," Spike acknowledged, much to her deep surprise, "if that's how you want it, then it looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way."
Faye gasped. "Spike....what are you doing?! Stay away from me...I'm warning you-aiyee! Put me DOWN!!!"
Spike smirked, easily evading the irascible shrew's disdainful swipes as he began to carry her kicking and screaming figure towards the door, Katy immediately intervening with his escape plan like a severely ticked bull dog on guard duty.
"And just where do you think you're going?," she demanded gruffly, her deep blue eyes fiery and penetrating as she observed her adversary from head to foot. "You'd best put Faye down, or else I'm gonna hafta kick your ass, Mr. Spiegel!"
Spike chuckled, then shook his head, urging calmly over towards his lackey, "Davis....tend to Miss Brewer, won't you? Faye and I have some business to take care of, so we'll be going now."
"Yes, sir," he acknowledged, grinning from ear-to-ear as he took Katy into a firm headlock and made the sudden observation that she smelled faintly of wild flowers, her growls of haughty protest only causing him to tighten his hold about her as he gave his boss the signal that it was now safe to leave without arousing any suspicions.
Wasting no time upon this discovery, Spike immediately burst through the apartment door and into the hallway, Faye crying desperately for help as he began to casually strut along the carpeted corridor with her still slung over his shoulder like a heavy sack of potatoes.
"I hope you didn't really mind my dropping in like that," he apologized casually, smirking as she suddenly stopped screaming and gave him a rough wallop on the back of his head due to his impertinence. Ignoring her violent action, he continued, "You see, I felt that I really needed to talk to you, but since you were being such a stubborn bitch about it I had to use force."
Faye suddenly ceased in her incessant struggling and gave him a frightened look. "W-where are you taking me, then?"
"Some place nice," Spike assured her gently, "some place very nice."
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"So this is it, huh?"
Spike nodded proudly. "Yep....home sweet home. Ya like it?"
"I do," Faye admitted, completely awestruck as she gazed about her at the beautifully-furnished apartment and intricate designs in wonder. "Hell, if this is the room that the leader of a syndicate is forced to live in, sign me up!"
Spike smirked, turning away from her in order to face the broad window in the front of the apartment, announcing softly, "It's good to know that you've actually kept yourself out of trouble while I was gone. No easy task, you know."
"Yes...I know," Faye agreed, laughing sadly in spite of herself as she carelessly sank down onto a nearby leather couch and allowed herself to be swallowed up by its abundant softness. "The day that you left.....I....."
She trailed off. Bowing her head dejectedly, she allowed her hair to form a soft, silky violet curtain about her face, thus concealing her embittered emotions as she sensed Spike stiffen, his voice reflecting slight trepidation as he pressed rather impatiently, "The day I left you what?"
Faye looked away, feeling as if he had eyes on the back of his head and they were burning into her soul like two hot pokers, her voice slightly pained due to the bitter memory of his departure as she conceded softly, "It doesn't matter anymore.....what's done is done. Why live in the mistakes of the past whenever we've got the mistakes of the future to look forward to?"
Spike finally turned to face her, his eyes both hauntingly beautiful within the dimly lit room as if they were the mirrors to his very soul, his facial features somber and doleful as he ventured unceremoniously, "I'm sorry, Faye....I really am. I know for a fact that you'll most likely never truly understand why I ran off like that to fight Vicious to the death, but please try. I mean, if you constantly saw the world in shades of gray and as one long, agonizing dream, wouldn't you like to awaken to a warm, color-filled morning with plenty of sunshine leaking through the windows as if it were proclaiming the vast joys of life? That, Faye Valentine, is what I believe is a real dream come true."
She hesitated. "So did you actually....wake up?"
"No," Spike acknowledged, shaking his head sorrowfully, "I did so much more than that......I found that I was actually alive in body, but completely dead in soul. There was no longer anyone or anything to live for....nothing to call my own. After recovering from my nearly fatal wounds I ended up here, now forever doomed to lead the one syndicate that plagued me with everything that it stands for since my very beginning."
Faye suddenly rose to her feet, her jade irises reflecting with worry as she questioned anxiously, "And what about me? What on earth possessed you to want to come all the way out to my apartment just to bring me back here?"
Spike smiled weakly. "That, I'm afraid, I honestly can't answer."
"But-"
"You should get some rest," he cut in, gradually easing himself out of his cheap blue suit jacket as he chuckled upon seeing the young vixen's perplexed expression upon her face. "It's been a pretty big day, what with us reuniting and all, and tomorrow will be even bigger, so I think that it'd be wise if you went straight to bed."
Faye raised an eyebrow. "What's going to happen tomorrow?"
Spike smirked, sending her an impish look as he acknowledged evasively, "You'll see."
A/N: VEEEEERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol, ok, now that I have your undiveded attention (hopefully, heh -_-'), we have a petition circulating around that's called the We Want More COWBOY BEBOP Petition! So if you want a 2nd season, or w/e, please let me know (my email address is in my profile) so that I can send it to you and then you can sign it!!! Oh, & PLEASE put in the good word for SxF! Like say that you'd LOVE it if those 2 could hook up in the 2nd season! lol WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!! =P Thankies!!! lol, see that little button thingy down there??? Please click it & donate 2 the needy author's fund...a VERY good cause! ^^ Besides, if u don't, I won't put up ch 3, & ch 3 & the rest here on out are gonna be pretty good, I suppose! lol, I mean...I told 1 of my friends the story lines, & SHE thought it sounded very good, so ::crosses fingers:: hopefully u guys will, 2! ^^ Luv ya bunches! ^,~
3 Kendra Luehr