Aw man I am so friggin behind in my stories. But here's another chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or the Barenaked Ladies song 'Falling For The First Time'.
A Life Full Of Saturdays : Falling For The First Time
She was gone. There would be no more late night strip poker games with the infamous Romany. No more arguements. No more teasing. No more secure feelings that no matter where Spike went, Faye Valentine would be close behind, armed with a gun and a watchful eye. And she had lost her life because he had been too imprudent and had let Faye walk right into his problems. Spike hovered over the edge, missing everything about the vixen that he claimed he once hated. The attitude for one thing. Faye's attitude kept him on his toes.
Perhaps Spike was too wrapped up in his remorse to hear the heated breaths of a woman who nearly lost her life. Or maybe it was the shock that kept him from noticing the scantily clad body slide over the edge and lay on her back, throwing a limp arm over face to shield her jade eyes. Whatever it was the kept Spike looking over the brim of the building would soon end as the shaken form limped over to where he sat and glanced over the concrete rim to see just what the cowboy was gawking at.
"That sure is a long way to the ground." Spike hastily turned around to meet the pair of sparkling emerald eyes he was beginning to fall for.
"Faye!!" He wrapped his arms around her bare shoulders and hugged her to his chest. She was a bit bruised and a few scraped graced her skin, but she was alive. Tired, but alive. Faye was too grateful to be alive to even care that the lunkhead was embracing her so openly. He pulled off his suit jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
"What about Vicious?" Spike shook his head. He could only hope the bastard died on impact. It would truly be a miracle if he survived a fifty story fall.
"How'd you dodge the fall?" Faye grinned, obviously proud of her escape from death.
"Don't really know. I fell and landed on one of the balconies and rolled over to avoid getting pounded by Vicious and the chunck of cement. It knocked off a good portion so I had to climb up the gargoyle statues to make it back up here. Did you know those things are more of a pink than the traditional grey you see on t.v.?" Spike smirked and draped an arm lazily over her shoulder.
"Come on Faye. Let's go home." Faye had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Home. The Bebop. She had placed herself in these people's lives and before she knew it, she had wished them to be her family. She no longer had the berating mother and a father who couldn't stand up for himself, but a man who was constantly worried about her and looking out for her whether he wanted to admit it. She no longer had a Welsh Corgi to keep her company on lonely nights, but a redheaded hacker that could make Faye crack a smile even when she didn't think she could. She no longer had the idiot best friend who would tease her senses until she became weary with delirium. But she had gained another kind of friend. Someone who would risk his life for her, no matter how many time he told her how much of a pain she was. Yet she still found herself dizzy with feelings for him. She would deny it no longer. The last thing she had seen before making impact with the balcony was Spike's face, etched with fear. No, she would tell him before the night was through.
Jet glanced up from his perch on the back of the sofa. Before him sat two girls, smiling gleefully. Most men would find this incredibly exciting, surrounded by the opposite sex in admiration. But one girl was barely reaching her teens and the other was barely out of her toddler days. He sighed. He would have to remember to have a little talk with Spike about the importance of a babysitter.
"Go fish!!" Ed quickly scrambled up the cheese crackers they were using as poker chips. Yes, Jet was teaching them the art of gambling. He wasn't proud of that fact, but it was the only thing he could use to keep them quiet. Since his attempt at leaving earlier, the two girls had made it their goal in life to keep all eyes on him at all time.
"Objection!! Jet, I think she's cheating again!!" Jet rubbed his bald head and tried his best to drown out the high pitched squeals. He was much obliged to his compatriot as Spike stepped through the small door with a battered Faye at his side.
"Good grief! What happened?!" Faye raised her head and gave the man a small pat on the shoulder.
"I fell. Nothing too big. The balcony was only a few feet down. No biggie." Spike cleared the scattered crackers off the couch so Faye could sit down. Jet quickly fetched the medical kit and began searching for internal wounds with a special instrument.
"You're lucky Faye. You came out of this with only bumps and bruises." She sneered at Spike.
"I told you I was fine." The bounty said nothing, but retreated to the control room instead. However, when Faye shifted to follow him, she was gently pushed back down by Jet's mechanical hand.
"Let me finish."
Spike took a long drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke envelop his mind and lungs before releasing it completely. He had needed to get away from everyone. He didn't want any of the crew to see his concern for the woman he used to call shrew. But he had been afflicted. He had never been so scared for one person's life before. All he could see was placing a rose over her grave and begging for forgiveness. Vicious was his enemy, not hers. And yet, she could've died because of it.
"Hey cowboy. You missed the poker game between Ed, Serenity, and Jet." Spike knew someone had walked in, but didn't really feel like ackowledging their presence quite yet. But he hadn't expected the person to be Faye.
"I'll live." There was a short, akward silence between the duo before Spike broke the stillness. "So who won?" His voice caught Faye off guard. But she recuperated and smirked, lighting her own cigarette and walking up next to Spike.
"Ed. But both Serenity and Jet think she's cheating." The iron curtain was placed over them again and Faye thought that it was time to let the cat out of the bag. "Thanks for coming after me like you did. To be honest, I was about to give up on you rescuing me." Quiet. Faye took a deep gulp and proceeded. " Look Spike, there's another reason I came here tonight. How do I put this? Okay...when I was a teenager, my best friend told me that home is where the heart is. Even without my memory, that lived inside of me. So I searched for a place I could call home. It wasn't Earth, because no matter what, it brought me back to the Bebop. It....brought me back to you. You're my home, Spike. You're where my heart is. Which is why I threatened to shoot you when you left. You were taking everything from me - my home and my heart. It was unfair, I guess." Spike's face didn't even falter. The cigarette still rested on his lips. Faye lowered her head, her violet bangs shading the brimming tears. She had said all she needed to say. All that there was to do now, was wait. Wait for a negative response or wait for a warm embrace. Either way, she needed an answer...soon. "Well, now that that's out of the way, i'm going to bed." She glanced down the hall to see a pale arm and a mechanical arm pull a dazed Ed around the corner. Damn eavesdroppers...
"But Ed wanted to see the lovey dovey love!!" Serenity clasped a hand over the hackers mouth and prayed Faye hadn't seen any of them. Jet crossed his arms over his chest. He had thought it a bad idea to spy on them to begin with, but the temptation and Serenity's coaxing was too much to bear. Light footsteps were heard in the hallway and all three crew members arched the necks around the corner in time to see Spike extinguish his nicotine stick underneath his foot and follow the same path Faye had taken.
"Where do you think he's going?" Serenity and Ed glanced at each other and then to Jet. He knew exactly where the lunkhead was going. But the girls were too young to figure it out.
"Same place you two are going - to bed." To be honest, he was worn out from the poker/go fish game and needed his own rest. That was the last time he would teach two kids how to gamble.
Faye propped the back of her head on her arms, gazing up at the barren ceiling. She felt so stupid saying all those things, but it had to be said. One more day of seeing his face and not being able to tell him what was going on inside her and she would burst. She turned over at the sound of footsteps pausing by her door. She covered up quickly and pretended to be alseep as the door of her room slid open.
"You're not asleep Faye. Turn over." Yeah right. Like she was going to face Spike after their little confrontation. There was a long sigh and a shift of weight on her bed. "Fine. Then just listen. You had me terrified when you fell off the building. I thought you were dead and I couldn't bear it. And then you came up behind me, and I was never more grateful or happy for you being there. I don't know what you want from me Faye. This whole thing has been weird from the beginning." Faye pulled the blanket tighter around her body.
"I want my home back. I want the promise it will never leave." She closed her eyes and waited for a response.
"Vicious is dead." Faye rolled her jade irises, thankful that she was concealed by the blanket.
"That's not what I meant. Whether he's alive or dead, it doesn't matter. I want the promise that you'll never leave again." She could feel Spike's shoulders sag and wondered if maybe her request was a bit too much.
"I promise. Now, aren't you going to ask me what I want?" Faye finally sat up and leaned against the metal wall.
"Go ahead. It's a free universe." Spike turned and gave his famous half smirk.
"I think i'll wait another time."
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or the Barenaked Ladies song 'Falling For The First Time'.
A Life Full Of Saturdays : Falling For The First Time
She was gone. There would be no more late night strip poker games with the infamous Romany. No more arguements. No more teasing. No more secure feelings that no matter where Spike went, Faye Valentine would be close behind, armed with a gun and a watchful eye. And she had lost her life because he had been too imprudent and had let Faye walk right into his problems. Spike hovered over the edge, missing everything about the vixen that he claimed he once hated. The attitude for one thing. Faye's attitude kept him on his toes.
Perhaps Spike was too wrapped up in his remorse to hear the heated breaths of a woman who nearly lost her life. Or maybe it was the shock that kept him from noticing the scantily clad body slide over the edge and lay on her back, throwing a limp arm over face to shield her jade eyes. Whatever it was the kept Spike looking over the brim of the building would soon end as the shaken form limped over to where he sat and glanced over the concrete rim to see just what the cowboy was gawking at.
"That sure is a long way to the ground." Spike hastily turned around to meet the pair of sparkling emerald eyes he was beginning to fall for.
"Faye!!" He wrapped his arms around her bare shoulders and hugged her to his chest. She was a bit bruised and a few scraped graced her skin, but she was alive. Tired, but alive. Faye was too grateful to be alive to even care that the lunkhead was embracing her so openly. He pulled off his suit jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
"What about Vicious?" Spike shook his head. He could only hope the bastard died on impact. It would truly be a miracle if he survived a fifty story fall.
"How'd you dodge the fall?" Faye grinned, obviously proud of her escape from death.
"Don't really know. I fell and landed on one of the balconies and rolled over to avoid getting pounded by Vicious and the chunck of cement. It knocked off a good portion so I had to climb up the gargoyle statues to make it back up here. Did you know those things are more of a pink than the traditional grey you see on t.v.?" Spike smirked and draped an arm lazily over her shoulder.
"Come on Faye. Let's go home." Faye had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Home. The Bebop. She had placed herself in these people's lives and before she knew it, she had wished them to be her family. She no longer had the berating mother and a father who couldn't stand up for himself, but a man who was constantly worried about her and looking out for her whether he wanted to admit it. She no longer had a Welsh Corgi to keep her company on lonely nights, but a redheaded hacker that could make Faye crack a smile even when she didn't think she could. She no longer had the idiot best friend who would tease her senses until she became weary with delirium. But she had gained another kind of friend. Someone who would risk his life for her, no matter how many time he told her how much of a pain she was. Yet she still found herself dizzy with feelings for him. She would deny it no longer. The last thing she had seen before making impact with the balcony was Spike's face, etched with fear. No, she would tell him before the night was through.
Jet glanced up from his perch on the back of the sofa. Before him sat two girls, smiling gleefully. Most men would find this incredibly exciting, surrounded by the opposite sex in admiration. But one girl was barely reaching her teens and the other was barely out of her toddler days. He sighed. He would have to remember to have a little talk with Spike about the importance of a babysitter.
"Go fish!!" Ed quickly scrambled up the cheese crackers they were using as poker chips. Yes, Jet was teaching them the art of gambling. He wasn't proud of that fact, but it was the only thing he could use to keep them quiet. Since his attempt at leaving earlier, the two girls had made it their goal in life to keep all eyes on him at all time.
"Objection!! Jet, I think she's cheating again!!" Jet rubbed his bald head and tried his best to drown out the high pitched squeals. He was much obliged to his compatriot as Spike stepped through the small door with a battered Faye at his side.
"Good grief! What happened?!" Faye raised her head and gave the man a small pat on the shoulder.
"I fell. Nothing too big. The balcony was only a few feet down. No biggie." Spike cleared the scattered crackers off the couch so Faye could sit down. Jet quickly fetched the medical kit and began searching for internal wounds with a special instrument.
"You're lucky Faye. You came out of this with only bumps and bruises." She sneered at Spike.
"I told you I was fine." The bounty said nothing, but retreated to the control room instead. However, when Faye shifted to follow him, she was gently pushed back down by Jet's mechanical hand.
"Let me finish."
Spike took a long drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke envelop his mind and lungs before releasing it completely. He had needed to get away from everyone. He didn't want any of the crew to see his concern for the woman he used to call shrew. But he had been afflicted. He had never been so scared for one person's life before. All he could see was placing a rose over her grave and begging for forgiveness. Vicious was his enemy, not hers. And yet, she could've died because of it.
"Hey cowboy. You missed the poker game between Ed, Serenity, and Jet." Spike knew someone had walked in, but didn't really feel like ackowledging their presence quite yet. But he hadn't expected the person to be Faye.
"I'll live." There was a short, akward silence between the duo before Spike broke the stillness. "So who won?" His voice caught Faye off guard. But she recuperated and smirked, lighting her own cigarette and walking up next to Spike.
"Ed. But both Serenity and Jet think she's cheating." The iron curtain was placed over them again and Faye thought that it was time to let the cat out of the bag. "Thanks for coming after me like you did. To be honest, I was about to give up on you rescuing me." Quiet. Faye took a deep gulp and proceeded. " Look Spike, there's another reason I came here tonight. How do I put this? Okay...when I was a teenager, my best friend told me that home is where the heart is. Even without my memory, that lived inside of me. So I searched for a place I could call home. It wasn't Earth, because no matter what, it brought me back to the Bebop. It....brought me back to you. You're my home, Spike. You're where my heart is. Which is why I threatened to shoot you when you left. You were taking everything from me - my home and my heart. It was unfair, I guess." Spike's face didn't even falter. The cigarette still rested on his lips. Faye lowered her head, her violet bangs shading the brimming tears. She had said all she needed to say. All that there was to do now, was wait. Wait for a negative response or wait for a warm embrace. Either way, she needed an answer...soon. "Well, now that that's out of the way, i'm going to bed." She glanced down the hall to see a pale arm and a mechanical arm pull a dazed Ed around the corner. Damn eavesdroppers...
"But Ed wanted to see the lovey dovey love!!" Serenity clasped a hand over the hackers mouth and prayed Faye hadn't seen any of them. Jet crossed his arms over his chest. He had thought it a bad idea to spy on them to begin with, but the temptation and Serenity's coaxing was too much to bear. Light footsteps were heard in the hallway and all three crew members arched the necks around the corner in time to see Spike extinguish his nicotine stick underneath his foot and follow the same path Faye had taken.
"Where do you think he's going?" Serenity and Ed glanced at each other and then to Jet. He knew exactly where the lunkhead was going. But the girls were too young to figure it out.
"Same place you two are going - to bed." To be honest, he was worn out from the poker/go fish game and needed his own rest. That was the last time he would teach two kids how to gamble.
Faye propped the back of her head on her arms, gazing up at the barren ceiling. She felt so stupid saying all those things, but it had to be said. One more day of seeing his face and not being able to tell him what was going on inside her and she would burst. She turned over at the sound of footsteps pausing by her door. She covered up quickly and pretended to be alseep as the door of her room slid open.
"You're not asleep Faye. Turn over." Yeah right. Like she was going to face Spike after their little confrontation. There was a long sigh and a shift of weight on her bed. "Fine. Then just listen. You had me terrified when you fell off the building. I thought you were dead and I couldn't bear it. And then you came up behind me, and I was never more grateful or happy for you being there. I don't know what you want from me Faye. This whole thing has been weird from the beginning." Faye pulled the blanket tighter around her body.
"I want my home back. I want the promise it will never leave." She closed her eyes and waited for a response.
"Vicious is dead." Faye rolled her jade irises, thankful that she was concealed by the blanket.
"That's not what I meant. Whether he's alive or dead, it doesn't matter. I want the promise that you'll never leave again." She could feel Spike's shoulders sag and wondered if maybe her request was a bit too much.
"I promise. Now, aren't you going to ask me what I want?" Faye finally sat up and leaned against the metal wall.
"Go ahead. It's a free universe." Spike turned and gave his famous half smirk.
"I think i'll wait another time."