A/N: Hey, guys! Wow, this took practically FOREVER to come up with, cuz...well...let's just say that it's getting harder and harder to get a chapter out every week, heh. -.-' For that, I apologize. Anyways, I truly hope that you enjoy this since it took so long to get out, so now, without further adieu, it's ch 12! =-D R&R, please! ,

"Miss Ovilo, there's a call for you on line twelve."

Kathryn Ovilo sighed deeply, her roguish green eyes flickering upwards towards the heavens as she reached for her office phone, punching in the button before answering as warmly as she could possibly muster, "Hello? Kathryn Ovilo from Bueford Enterprises, speaking."

"Kathy? It's Electra.....thank God you're alright, I-"

"Electra?!," Kathryn reiterated, her eyes widening in utter astonishment as she was suddenly consumed by the terrible urge to kill someone. "What the hell are you doing?! I-I thought I told you to never call me again!"

"Yes, yes, I know, but as your sister I felt that it was my duty to make sure that your ass was safe from harm," Electra returned haughtily, immediately feeling old wounds gradually being re-opened. "One of my past associates from Cherios Medical informed me that he had you and Jazz as his captives and, since you're my only family, it was urgent that I call you."

Kathryn raised an eyebrow. "Electra, what in God's name are you talking about?! Your daughter and I are fine!"

"What?," Electra choked, her heart seeming to suddenly stop as she swayed slightly towards the wall of her hotel room in a state of absolute nausea. "You mean....he-"

"Yes," Kathryn interjected tartly, "he lied. Are you through now, Electra? I really need to get going."

She trembled, then nodded, returning softly, "Yes.....q-quite through."
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"Thank you for letting me know, Dr. Lang."

"You're his only associate....it was my duty," he returned firmly, his dark, twinkling eyes boring into the mismatched pair before him like two red-hot pokers as he jingled with the keys to the hospital room and stiffly inserted them into the lock. "If you're as much of a friend to this man as you claim to be, however, you won't breathe one word about that young woman that was with him, you hear?"

The mossy green-haired man bowed his head. "Yeah.....I hear."

"Good," Dr. Lang returned curtly. "You may go in now, Mr. Spiegel."

Subconsciously taking in a deep breath, Spike cautiously entered the room, inwardly cringing upon witnessing the bloody sight that played out before him.

"Davis?," he finally managed to choke, taking a slight step forward.

The young man didn't reply, his typically vibrant brown eyes now dull and lifeless as he rasped in return, "Katy.....where is she? I want to see her."

"Davis..."

"Where is she?," he repeated, now a little more frantic. "Please don't tell me that she left and returned to the headquarters without me!"

Spike swallowed heavily. "Uh, no....sh-she didn't."

"Oh, thank God," Davis breathed, relaxing once more as he allowed his head to drop back against the pillow and sink deep within its massive softness, a small smile playing upon his thin lips as he continued, "now, if you don't mind, Spike-O, do ya think that you could ask her to come in and see me? I got some sweet nothings that I wanna whisper in her ear."

Spike didn't move.

"Spike? Hey, you ok in there?," Davis questioned, now taking note of his comrade's obvious aberrant behavior. "Spike? Dude, what is with you?! Where's Katy?!! Dammit, Spike....answer me!!!"

"She's dead, alright?! Is that what you fucking wanted me to say?!!," Spike finally spat in return, his face reddening with his sudden burst of outrage as he threw his hands up into the air and snatched at the tangly mass of green upon his head. "I didn't wanna tell you, Davis, but since you wanted the blunt truth, you damn well got it, so don't take this out on me!!!"

Davis blanched. "Y-you're a fucking liar!"

"Look, I didn't want to hurt you, I-"

"LIAR!!!"

"Davis, no, I-"

"Jesus Christ...I said that I don't believe you, so take your flippin' lies elsewhere!," Davis growled, the thin green line on his heart rate monitor rapidly ascending as he suddenly shot up in bed and stared his comrade down amidst his deep emnity. "Get the fuck out, you lying shit! Just.....just get out!!!"

Spike blanched. "Davis, you're not being rational! Before you go even more AWOL on me, I think you should know that I'm not making this up! You're my friend, Davis.....I would never intentionally hurt you."

Davis wordlessly gazed up into his comrade's apathetic eyes, his shoulders shaking as the realization of his lover's death suddenly dawned on him like a slap to the face.

"Damn," he commented, "she really is gone.....isn't she?"

Spike nodded solemnly.

"Damn....oh, damn," Davis swore brusquely under his breath, his warm brown eyes filling up with tears that absolutely refused to be shed as he cast his glistening gaze back down towards his bed sheets in utter dismay. "What am I gonna do without her, Spike? She was my life......my reason for living."

"I know how you feel," Spike returned softly, memories of his fair Julia rapidly resurfacing and nailing him viciously in the heart like a bed of pins and needles. "Julia........she was everything to me. I'd never met anyone in my life who had made me feel so alive.........so complete. When she was stolen from my clutches, she took a large part of me with her that I may never be able to get back. I don't really care anymore, though, cuz since she has it, I'd like to think that at least some part of me will finally live in true happiness."

Davis sighed. "I never really told you how sorry I am about that, man.....Julia was a real swell gal. Whenever I started off as a rookie, she showed me the ropes and took me under her wing before you decided to become my master. I-I hate to admit this to you since you were her main squeeze and all, but I ended up falling in love with that sad, beautiful face of hers. You were really lucky, Spike."

He smiled sadly. "Yeah.....I know."

"A-hem."

The two young men turned in absolute astonishment, only to find Dr. Lang before them, his salt and pepper mustache twitching ever-so-slightly as he announced, "You have another visitor, Mr. Holland....a Miss Faye Valentine, I believe it was."

Spike choked. "W-what? Faye Valentine?! Are you sure?!"

"Positive," a feminine, venemous voice hissed from abaft, the lovely owner not too far behind. "I merely came in order to check up on Davis and ask him if he'd be well enough to come with me to the double funeral today at Lancaster Cemetary. Electra called me over my cell a few hours ago and told me the terrible news.....nothing more."

Spike frowned deeply. "Faye, please....I told you that I was sorry, I-"

"We have nothing more to discuss!," she spat, turning on him in an instant. "I thought that I could stay a while, but, seeing that you're here and harrassing the hell out of me, it looks like I'll just have to go ahead and leave!"

"Faye-"

"Good-bye, Spike.....Davis," she interrupted, giving the injured young man in bed a coquettish wink before flipping her other comrade the very unlady-like finger, her long, flowing skirt swishing about her ankles as she turned about on her heel in order to leave, Spike not too far behind.

"Faye!," he called frantically, hurriedly chasing after the haughty vixen, "Faye, wait! Please let me explain what happened the other night!"

"There is nothing to explain, Spike! I will no longer be led on by your endless lies!!!," she seethed in response, thus causing him to stop dead in his tracks and give her a terribly pitiful look with his haunting two-toned irises.

Receiving nothing but his unnerving gaze, she begged impuissantly, "Please don't look at me like that.....you know what your damned eyes do to me."

"Faye....I'm sorry," Spike insisted, completely ignoring her question, altogether, as he took a slight step forward and firmly seized her by the arms. "Just let me talk to you.....please."

"I-"

"Hey, you! STOP!"

Shocked beyond all words of disbelief, the young couple turned around abruptly, only to find Dr. Lang running towards them at top speed, continuing hotly, "Get you hands off her, Mr. Spiegel.....NOW!!!"

"But I-"

"It's the hospital's policy! Unhand her!," he growled, immediately seizing Spike by the arm and yanking him roughly away from his comrade in an instant of sheer outrage. "I hope that you learn from this, Mr. Spiegel. Now if you'll kindly come with me, I will show you out."

Spike nodded in defeat, then turned slightly in order to face Faye, calling assuredly over his shoulder, "Don't you worry, Faye.....I'll find a way to talk to you......you can count on that!"

Faye gasped, her body quivering uncontrollably as she watched after him in utter shock, her heart feeling as if it were being cut right out of her chest as she realized that he really, truly would come for her, whether she liked it or not.

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Garbed in nothing but a black gown and veil, Electra solemnly plodded along through the lush green grass of the Lancaster Cemetary, her heart heavy and laden with sheer guilt as she suddenly directed her gaze down upon the two caskets before her with teary eyes and allowed a slight shudder to escape her full, coral lips.

"Oh, Jet," she breathed, "I could have saved you if I had only returned earlier.....and Katy.......oh, God, I killed you in vain! I was deceived! Please forgive me, you two....please!!!"

"Electra?"

She gasped, now completely thrown off guard as she whirled around in utter surprise, only to see Davis balanced precariously upon a pair of wooden crutches, Faye directly by his side and holding onto his arm with the apparent fear that he would fall.

"D-Davis," she finally managed to choke in response, her guilty conscious far too full of shame to allow herself to look him in the eye. "Davis......I-I am so sorry, I-"

"Please don't," he begged, immediately looking away. "I really don't wanna talk about it right now."

Electra gave him a pained look, then nodded, acknowledging meekly, "A-alright, I....I understand. I am, after all, your newfound enemy.........aren't I?"

"Well-"

"Who are you?," Faye suddenly interrupted, rudely staring the young woman before her down with a questioning glance. "How do you know Davis, and why are you asking whether you two would be enemies or not?"

Electra frowned, returning tartly, "My, my....you do love to ask questions, don't you? My business with Mr. Holland does not concern you."

"Bullshit! Davis' business is every Red Dragon's business!," Faye spat in retalliation, her blood beginning to boil throughout her veins in strenuous bursts. "I've recently started living and working with them, so therefore it is my duty to find out who the hell you are and why you know my comrade!!!"

Electra blanched. "R-Red Dragons? As in.....Spike Spiegel's Red Dragons?"

Now it was Faye's turn to blanch, the color immediately draining away from her china doll-like cheeks as she finally managed to choke in a voice barely above a whisper, "H-how do you know Spike? He rarely makes close acquaintences."

"We're hardly close," Electra argued firmly, her eyes glazing over with an emotion that Faye could not quite yet decipher as the young woman before her crossed her arms beneath her breasts and bowed her head. "I met him during my search for my past lover, Vincent Volaju. Perhaps you've heard of him somewhere along the line."

Faye bristled at the mentioning of that horrid man's name, her voice miraculously managing to stay stable as she returned crisply, "No....can't say that I have. What was your relationship with my comrade?"

"Not one of a romantic nature, if that's what you mean. We were merely partners for a few hours in order to stop Vincent from destroying mankind, so there's no need to worry. Your boyfriend remained one hundred percent untouched," Electra assured her, smirking once the young woman blushed the color of a rose in full bloom. "What's wrong, Faye? You look......sick."

Before Faye could reply, however, like she clearly wanted to do, Davis slapped a hand over her mouth and interrupted hotly, "C'mon, you two, cut it out! This is a cemetary, for God's sake, so show some respect!"

Faye snorted at this, then nodded stiffly, pushing his hand away as she urged into his ear, "Let's go.....we should be leaving about now. The doctor said to bring you back by no later than three o'clock."

He groaned, then sighed deeply before resigning softly, "Alright, alright....help me back to the car. Those damned chest pains are starting up again."

Electra watched after the staggering couple in utter remorse, her heart heavy and swollen as she mournfully resolved that she would never see either of them again.
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Sighing, Faye wearily insterted her hotel key into her room door, her shoulders drooping as she suddenly wished that she hadn't spent the entire day with Davis.

"Boy, that man is more trouble than he's worth," she reflected inwardly as she opened up the door and stepped inside. "I'd never had to pay so much money for room service in my entire life!"

"Hello, Faye."

She cried out, stumbling backwards until she slammed into the door, her heart constricting with sheer consternation as she breathed in acknowledgement, "Spike....w-what are you doing here? I thought we agreed to never see each other again!"

He smirked, returning slyly, "Well don't you remember my little promise that I made this afternoon with you at the hospital? I had to see you, Faye. So much, in fact, that I made Davis give me your room number and everything that I'd be needing to know. He's a swell guy, isn't he?"

"Oooh, you bastard! Did you ever think that maybe I didn't want to see you?!," Faye spat in retalliation, her deep green eyes glinting over with her apparent emnity. "I want you to get out, Spike! NOW!!!"

He frowned deeply. "No way."

"What did you just say?!"

"I said no, dammit!," he growled, seizing her roughly by the upper arms before slamming her up against the door once more. "Now you are going to talk to me whether you like it or not! Please, Faye..........let me stay with you, tonight."

A/N: ::coughs:: Yep, that's right....adult situations in the next chappie, heh. -.-' That's what you dirty ppl were hoping for THIS time, weren't you??? LoL Gotcha, hahaha. Sorry if it was too short/sucky for your liking, lol. Please review it, anyway! =P I luv u guys! ,
3 Kendra Luehr ==