See Chapter one for the disclaimer.
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Spike struggled to open his eyes. God, he felt like his head had been shoved in a meat-grinder, and slowly, he began to sit up, noticing his familiar surroundings. He was back on the Bebop? But how? He began to get up off the old yellow couch when the twinge of pain in his shoulder stopped him. That's right, he remembered.
"I can't believe that bitch shot me." He said under his breath.
"That bitch saved your life." Spike looked up, to see Jet standing over him, less then amused. Spike stood now, stretching to the best of his ability.
"How did she save my life?" Spike asked skeptically.
"I guess you were so caught up in 'talking' with her, you didn't hear the mugger coming up behind you, and on top of that, if she hadn't called us, you would have bled to death in that alley, so be careful how you talk about her, got it?" Spike was taken back by the story, and Jet's stern face.
"Besides, she had every right to shoot you." Jet nodded matter o' factly.
"Where is she?" Spike asked, ignoring Jet's awful disposition.
"Why should I tell you? It really never occurred to you that maybe she didn't want to get caught up in this crew again?" Jet answered, a little annoyed.
"Jet," Spike began, "Where is she?"
Jet stood there indignantly, before throwing his thumb up and behind him, pointing down the hall. Spike was immediately relieved to know that she was still on the ship. He made his way in that direction before hearing Ed babbling about what had happened since Faye had gone. He had never heard the kid so excited, and from the sound of it, the voice was coming from the Rec. Room.
As soon as Spike had entered, Ed's voice had hushed, before scampering out with Ein at her heels, and then all that was left were Spike in the frame of the door, and Faye, now standing, in the adjacent corner. For endless moments, they just stared at one another.
Spike took this time to look at Faye, really look at her. Though her skin was still pale, other things had changed. Her hair was a deep raven color, that was held in a loose, messy bun, but he could tell from fallen wisps here and there that the hair was quite long, and her eyes were a vibrant, obviously fake blue. He was a little surprised to see how little make-up was on her this face. A bit of blush, chapstick..that was it, and she was really beautiful. Her old yellow vinyl was now replaced by a thin wife-beater take top, that covered to just below her naval, and turned her black bra a sort of faint gray beneath it. It truly complemented her. She was now a bit leaner, though still relatively well endowed, and the dark flared jeans she wore hugged her tender hips and clung to all the right parts. A pair of old flip-flops kept her feet from the cold floor. There was something about they way she looked. She was truly gorgeous when she was Faye Valentine, but there was just something about her as Romani, a more natural beauty. Faye finally couldn't take his intense examination any longer.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, a bit quietly, not at all as he expected.
"What happened to the attitude?" He in-turn asked.
She turned away from him, grabbing a ratty old hoodie, so worn that the black had become a washed out gray. "I can't do this." She stated matter o'factly, and began to head towards the door, but was stopped as he grabbed her arm.
"Stay."
"No."
He looked at her in such a way, she gave in, and went back to where she originally was, and sat down. Spike joined her soon after, holding his shoulder.
"I'm sorry I shot you." She said simply.
"It happens." he replied.
Another stretch of silence.
"So," she began, "Why did you have me stay?"
"I just needed to ask you a few things, first and for most, what's with the lack of attitude?" Spike canted a brow.
Faye just shrugged, "Faye had a bad attitude, Romani doesn't. I don't want to be anything like I was."
"What was so wrong with being Faye?" Spike looked at her as she bit her lip in nervous contemplation. He had really missed seeing her do that.
"Faye was mean. She was a cheat. She was in debt. Except for the small bounty on Romani's head, she's clean. A good person. I'm guessing you found me through that bounty, huh?"
"It doesn't matter how I found you. Are those really the reasons you left." Spike eyed her, she was hiding something.
She sighed. "They were part of it."
"What was the rest of it?" Spike asked, completely un-prepared for her response.
"I had gotten myself pregnant."
Someone might as well have hit him in the face. For a long while, he just stared at her.
"How?"
Faye just looked at him.
"I mean, with who?" he stuttered.
She shrugged again, "Your guess is as good as mine. I was so mad at you one night, and there was this guy, and..I was stupid. I paid the price."
"What happened to the kid? Do you still have it?"
"No, I don't still have her." Faye emphasized the 'her'. "I gave her up for adoption. I couldn't be a mother. Not yet. Not alone."
Spike was slightly relieved, he really didn't care much for children, but he could see in Faye's eyes, that if she could have, she would have kept that child.
"Alright," he began, trying to break the tension, "Next question: the body they found in your Red Tail."
Faye stood stretching, "I actually had nothing to do with that. Some chick stole it, and crashed it, and the cops thought it was me. It was the answer to a prayer. I was just lucky."
Faye was suddenly engulfed in a strong arm, crushing her tightly to the figure's chest. She couldn't fathom as to what was going on just now. She didn't know how to respond, so she stood quietly, doing nothing as words were spoken into her hair.
"If only you could have seen what I had. That day, when we went to the police station, we thought it was to bail you out or something. Jet didn't tell me what was going on 'til we got to the hospital, really. Even then, when we stepped into the elevator, I thought you had just gotten yourself beaten up in a bar or something. I was so angry with you for being stupid and then, he told me to go to the basement, and I knew. You, you weren't coming home this time, and I was so scared. And when I saw that body, that I thought to be yours, I fought the urge to both scream and cry, and..I didn't know what to do, so, I didn't do anything. God, I was so angry with you for so long.." Spike trailed off with his ramblings, and if Faye hadn't been paying the kind of attention she was, she would have missed the slight racks of his shoulders. He struggled to hold her with his other arm too.
"It was just like Julia all over again."
Faye was crushed at those words. She had yet to tell him that was another reason she hadn't come back. Julia. She shoved him away, and dashed out, leaving her sweatshirt behind.
"Faye!" she heard him call after her, but she kept, running to the control room to find Jet, and she did.
"Please, take me home." She begged to him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
He nodded, before getting up to give her a moment, and ran into Spike in the hallway, giving him a deathly look.
"Faye." He said a bit agitated, gaining her immediate attention. Seeing her near the breaking point made him want to throw himself off the roof, and why did he feel this way? He knew, he just had yet to think or say those words.
"What did I do?" he begged her to tell him what was going.
"Everyone will always be second best to her, won't they? You never cared about me, and your surprised I took off? All that mattered was your dear, sweet Julia! Well, fuck her, Spike! She never caused anyone anything but heartache! " She began to become hysterical.
"Watch it, Faye." He said dangerously.
"Watch what?! She's dead, and gone, but you just couldn't let her go, could you? Instead, you made the rest of our lives hell, not giving a shit about any one of us."
Spike had to bite back all the terrible angry things he wanted to say, but that only worked for so long. "I made everyone's life hell? ME? Look in the mirror, Faye. You were no peach yourself, always stealing our money, breaking promises, screwing up on bounties, being selfish about EVERYTHING!" his voice raised.
"It ALL got better the day you 'died'!" Spike immediately realized what he had said.
"Fuck you, Spike Spiegel." She said dangerously. "You belong in hell, with your whore."
Spike was taken back, that remark was too far, even for Faye, and in a swift motion, he had strode to her and laid one, flat punch to her face.
--*--
A/N: I tired to make this chapter longer really, I'm not much of a writer, and hitting a SEVERE block, so, if people have suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them. As always, Read and Review!
--*--
Spike struggled to open his eyes. God, he felt like his head had been shoved in a meat-grinder, and slowly, he began to sit up, noticing his familiar surroundings. He was back on the Bebop? But how? He began to get up off the old yellow couch when the twinge of pain in his shoulder stopped him. That's right, he remembered.
"I can't believe that bitch shot me." He said under his breath.
"That bitch saved your life." Spike looked up, to see Jet standing over him, less then amused. Spike stood now, stretching to the best of his ability.
"How did she save my life?" Spike asked skeptically.
"I guess you were so caught up in 'talking' with her, you didn't hear the mugger coming up behind you, and on top of that, if she hadn't called us, you would have bled to death in that alley, so be careful how you talk about her, got it?" Spike was taken back by the story, and Jet's stern face.
"Besides, she had every right to shoot you." Jet nodded matter o' factly.
"Where is she?" Spike asked, ignoring Jet's awful disposition.
"Why should I tell you? It really never occurred to you that maybe she didn't want to get caught up in this crew again?" Jet answered, a little annoyed.
"Jet," Spike began, "Where is she?"
Jet stood there indignantly, before throwing his thumb up and behind him, pointing down the hall. Spike was immediately relieved to know that she was still on the ship. He made his way in that direction before hearing Ed babbling about what had happened since Faye had gone. He had never heard the kid so excited, and from the sound of it, the voice was coming from the Rec. Room.
As soon as Spike had entered, Ed's voice had hushed, before scampering out with Ein at her heels, and then all that was left were Spike in the frame of the door, and Faye, now standing, in the adjacent corner. For endless moments, they just stared at one another.
Spike took this time to look at Faye, really look at her. Though her skin was still pale, other things had changed. Her hair was a deep raven color, that was held in a loose, messy bun, but he could tell from fallen wisps here and there that the hair was quite long, and her eyes were a vibrant, obviously fake blue. He was a little surprised to see how little make-up was on her this face. A bit of blush, chapstick..that was it, and she was really beautiful. Her old yellow vinyl was now replaced by a thin wife-beater take top, that covered to just below her naval, and turned her black bra a sort of faint gray beneath it. It truly complemented her. She was now a bit leaner, though still relatively well endowed, and the dark flared jeans she wore hugged her tender hips and clung to all the right parts. A pair of old flip-flops kept her feet from the cold floor. There was something about they way she looked. She was truly gorgeous when she was Faye Valentine, but there was just something about her as Romani, a more natural beauty. Faye finally couldn't take his intense examination any longer.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, a bit quietly, not at all as he expected.
"What happened to the attitude?" He in-turn asked.
She turned away from him, grabbing a ratty old hoodie, so worn that the black had become a washed out gray. "I can't do this." She stated matter o'factly, and began to head towards the door, but was stopped as he grabbed her arm.
"Stay."
"No."
He looked at her in such a way, she gave in, and went back to where she originally was, and sat down. Spike joined her soon after, holding his shoulder.
"I'm sorry I shot you." She said simply.
"It happens." he replied.
Another stretch of silence.
"So," she began, "Why did you have me stay?"
"I just needed to ask you a few things, first and for most, what's with the lack of attitude?" Spike canted a brow.
Faye just shrugged, "Faye had a bad attitude, Romani doesn't. I don't want to be anything like I was."
"What was so wrong with being Faye?" Spike looked at her as she bit her lip in nervous contemplation. He had really missed seeing her do that.
"Faye was mean. She was a cheat. She was in debt. Except for the small bounty on Romani's head, she's clean. A good person. I'm guessing you found me through that bounty, huh?"
"It doesn't matter how I found you. Are those really the reasons you left." Spike eyed her, she was hiding something.
She sighed. "They were part of it."
"What was the rest of it?" Spike asked, completely un-prepared for her response.
"I had gotten myself pregnant."
Someone might as well have hit him in the face. For a long while, he just stared at her.
"How?"
Faye just looked at him.
"I mean, with who?" he stuttered.
She shrugged again, "Your guess is as good as mine. I was so mad at you one night, and there was this guy, and..I was stupid. I paid the price."
"What happened to the kid? Do you still have it?"
"No, I don't still have her." Faye emphasized the 'her'. "I gave her up for adoption. I couldn't be a mother. Not yet. Not alone."
Spike was slightly relieved, he really didn't care much for children, but he could see in Faye's eyes, that if she could have, she would have kept that child.
"Alright," he began, trying to break the tension, "Next question: the body they found in your Red Tail."
Faye stood stretching, "I actually had nothing to do with that. Some chick stole it, and crashed it, and the cops thought it was me. It was the answer to a prayer. I was just lucky."
Faye was suddenly engulfed in a strong arm, crushing her tightly to the figure's chest. She couldn't fathom as to what was going on just now. She didn't know how to respond, so she stood quietly, doing nothing as words were spoken into her hair.
"If only you could have seen what I had. That day, when we went to the police station, we thought it was to bail you out or something. Jet didn't tell me what was going on 'til we got to the hospital, really. Even then, when we stepped into the elevator, I thought you had just gotten yourself beaten up in a bar or something. I was so angry with you for being stupid and then, he told me to go to the basement, and I knew. You, you weren't coming home this time, and I was so scared. And when I saw that body, that I thought to be yours, I fought the urge to both scream and cry, and..I didn't know what to do, so, I didn't do anything. God, I was so angry with you for so long.." Spike trailed off with his ramblings, and if Faye hadn't been paying the kind of attention she was, she would have missed the slight racks of his shoulders. He struggled to hold her with his other arm too.
"It was just like Julia all over again."
Faye was crushed at those words. She had yet to tell him that was another reason she hadn't come back. Julia. She shoved him away, and dashed out, leaving her sweatshirt behind.
"Faye!" she heard him call after her, but she kept, running to the control room to find Jet, and she did.
"Please, take me home." She begged to him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
He nodded, before getting up to give her a moment, and ran into Spike in the hallway, giving him a deathly look.
"Faye." He said a bit agitated, gaining her immediate attention. Seeing her near the breaking point made him want to throw himself off the roof, and why did he feel this way? He knew, he just had yet to think or say those words.
"What did I do?" he begged her to tell him what was going.
"Everyone will always be second best to her, won't they? You never cared about me, and your surprised I took off? All that mattered was your dear, sweet Julia! Well, fuck her, Spike! She never caused anyone anything but heartache! " She began to become hysterical.
"Watch it, Faye." He said dangerously.
"Watch what?! She's dead, and gone, but you just couldn't let her go, could you? Instead, you made the rest of our lives hell, not giving a shit about any one of us."
Spike had to bite back all the terrible angry things he wanted to say, but that only worked for so long. "I made everyone's life hell? ME? Look in the mirror, Faye. You were no peach yourself, always stealing our money, breaking promises, screwing up on bounties, being selfish about EVERYTHING!" his voice raised.
"It ALL got better the day you 'died'!" Spike immediately realized what he had said.
"Fuck you, Spike Spiegel." She said dangerously. "You belong in hell, with your whore."
Spike was taken back, that remark was too far, even for Faye, and in a swift motion, he had strode to her and laid one, flat punch to her face.
--*--
A/N: I tired to make this chapter longer really, I'm not much of a writer, and hitting a SEVERE block, so, if people have suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them. As always, Read and Review!