See You L8er Space Cowboy Chapter 8: Session 8: Angels Brought On the Pain, a cowboy bebop fanfic

+See You L8er Space Cowboy+

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Bebop, although there are times that I wished I did . . . I am such a loser!! :'(

+See You L8er Space Cowboy+

Session 8: Angels Brought On the Pain

"Only angels live at that heaven, where they are sheltered from the torture we folks out here endure. But the difference is that we live, not hide. Only angels can experience true sadness all the time."

{Faye's POV}

I open my eyes to pure darkness. My body aches all over, and I feel a slight bump on my head. My hair is drenched in my own sweat, and my mind is wandering off somewhere. Was I asleep this long? I touch it to find that it's bandaged and to my right arm in a sling. Is this a dream? What just happened? Was there an… Accident?

"Oh my God!" My cries are heard all over the room that I'm in. I open my eyes in amazement. I am in my own room. Everything seems the same the way I left it. Wait, what day is it today? With major difficulty, I get up and drag myself towards the door, where I hear the sounds of Ed and Ein playing.

"Faye! Are you alright," Ed inquired. I sighed and collapsed on the couch. Her eyes are full of concern while my body was full of pain.

"You've been asleep for 48 hours Faye. We didn't bring Spike home." I turn my head slightly and look at Jet. Had we really attempt to bring Spike back? If so, then why don't I remember? I look up at the ceiling, and start to drift to sleep. I need to remember . . . I need to remember . . .

-Mars, 2 days earlier-

[Faye's POV]

I went out of my room and headed towards the loading dock. My mind was set on one goal, and I knew I was going to achieve it. Ever since I found out about that Victoria person, I've been on a mission to bring Spike home.

"Remember, anything happens, get the hell out of there. We can't risk loosing you for good," Jet tells me. I brush off the warning.

"So what? I'll just have a Syndicate fake my death. No problem." I went out to the dock, only to be stopped by Jet again.

"No Faye. Mars is notorious for shooting down aircraft, whether it is private or commercial. You're going to have to use these old 'motorcycles' as a means of transportation to and from. Call Ed and I when you find anything new."

I turn to him with a look of disbelief on my face, and I guess he sensed my question.

"I know, the motorbikes are not what you call 'fashionable' but you know, it's the only way-"

"What the hell are you going to be doing here while I'm gone? What, Spike doesn't mean that much to you?

A grin from ear to ear appeared on his face. What is he thinking? I sighed in disgust and headed out the door with the motorbike. Why does he invest his money on these things? I was off and gone.

[Spike's POV]

It's dark in my mind; I can't see a thing. I listen inventively to the sounds of a crowd. Where am I? I open my eyes to find a stack of papers on my desk, and people working their butts off. One of them is Luci, and the rest are just others from Mao's family. Wait; didn't the Bebop take me back last night? Where are they? I look at the clock on top of my desk. It reads 7: 45 AM, the day after I had told Luci to move on. They didn't come; this was just a lost cause. I groan and try to sneak out the back balcony. I can't believe this; she hosted a party with me in here. She's always done that ever since I returned from my earth shattering battle alive.

"Spike!" I cringe; it's Jin. It's not that I don't like him, don't get me wrong; he's my best and closest friend and only source of family. What I don't like is this: he's always preaching about how Luci and I should get married; that it seemed fit being she's the old boss's daughter and I'm the new leader in the pack. Of course, we always had heated arguments due to the fact that I was still in love with Julia and he was trying to prove a point. Anywais, long story short: my getaway is not going to be so simple today. I'm going to live with the pain.

"Jin, nice to see you and uh her family here today. Special occasion?" I was really hoping not.

"Don't play dumb! C'mon!" He hits me on the shoulder; I look at him with confusion: what was he talking about? He senses my confusion. He goes closer to my ear and whispers; "We all found Mao's will in his closet. Maybe we should go outside for a while."

We head towards the balcony while the rest of the family stuffs their faces in cakes and desserts. The early morning rise on Mars catches me off guard. It's so beautiful, but it always appeared when a bad situation was just starting to develop. Jin watches the sunrise in awe, while I just wanted to get it over with.

"They found Mao's will last night while you were here. I know you just woke up, so I'm going to make this short and painless: you and Luci have to get married. Mao made it so he could join the 2 'superpowers' together. He wants the Syndicate as a whole, not a division. So, he said, 'the leader of the Syndicate and my eldest daughter, Victoria Maria Lucia Contreras, if she is still alive, must be married an official 1 year and 27 weeks after my death.' Coincidently, 27 weeks would be next week Thursday. The family's here just to congratulate you both, and it's sad to know that you'll no longer be a bachelor within a week. Oh well, later Spike."

He pats my shoulder and goes back inside to hear the latest gossip. Yeah, it's true: he loves to gossip and pick up information. I, on the other hand, just stay there in a daze. I'm getting married . . . next week?

[Faye's POV]

I had arrived in the center of Mars, finally. I parked the motorbike in a dark alley and continued out to find Spike. But when I got there, I found it wouldn't be that easy.

The people here walk like zombies, or more like in fear of everyday life. A man looks at me and grunts, while a woman looks at me and closes her eyes, pretending that I wasn't there. I sigh and keep on walking. Red Dragon Syndicate is just one of the 200 crime syndicates on Mars; this is hopeless. Their hideout can be anything: from the bakery down the lane to the hotdog stand next to the curb. By the way, I'm hungry.

I head on to the nearest hotdog stand and get my Woolongs ready. I haven't eaten for a week. It's been at least 6 days since I last saw Spike, and I've been too busy trying to track him down to find him. The vendor smiles at me as I approach.

"Good morning lil' lady! Whatcha want? A jumbo or a large?"

I savor the smell of hotdogs grilling in the little oven of his. I then take out a 2 Woolong bill.

"A jumbo is good for me."

A skyscraper catches my eye. Not only that, but a man looking out from the balcony towards me. My heart says it, my eyes see it, and my mind confirms it. It's Spike. But wait, there's a woman there. Mao's kid, she's pretty short. She's prettier than I expected, but no one can beat Faye Valentine. The vendor catches me looking up.

"They say that only angels live that high. And that's true. Only, you have to pay your way to that heaven," he says in apathy. I turn and look at him, puzzled at what he just said.

"What do you mean?"

Only one angel comes to mind.

"So what's the deal with the skyscraper?"

"Listen lady, I'm not sure what your deal is. I mean everyone on this planet knows that that is the one of many syndicate bases undercover. But whenever we get a checkup from the Galaxy Police, no one wants to talk. Pretty sad, isn't it? Us folks are afraid of a bunch of mobs who just invade this planet thinking that we folks out here won't mind."

I listen to him drag on and on, with my image of good ol' Spike suddenly shifting to this inner monster that invaded Vicious. This monster, who never cares for anyone but himself? Is Spike truly that monster? But then . . .

I remember the kiss that he gave to me on Venus, the planet of sin and immoral acts. I remember that sweet, innocent kiss. That breathtaking moment in time where everything seemed perfect, right, and most importantly, true. I realized that time that I wasn't dreaming; it wasn't one of my sick fantasies. This was real, it's a dream that I'll never get out of. I remember my Spike.

"I guess I'd better be going. I'm sure you'll have a lot more customers today." He nods and I was on my way. I go to the alley, but I'm sure Spike still is looking down on me. He's my angel; no one can change that.

[Spike's POV]

I stare blankly down below at a woman at the hotdog stand. Purple hair (you don't normally see that around here), and curves at all the right places? Better looking than Luci? I'm not dreaming; it is Faye. Miss Faye Valentine, on Mars? I feel someone caressing my cheek. I close my eyes, hoping that it was Faye, but my heart sensed that it wasn't.

"Spike, we're getting married next week," she whispers in my ear. I grunt, and I start to imagine Faye telling me that.

"I know you don't approve, Spike. But, it's my father's fault. I love you Spike. More than the heavens above or the hells below, I still love you. And I know overtime, you'll love me too."

I'm loosing my mind. Faye . . .

"Faye. . ."

The caressing and whispering suddenly stop. I open my eyes, not sure about what I've said or done. But I knew; the look in Luci's eyes was priceless. I had shattered her already broken heart to many irreplaceable pieces.

"Faye . . . Spike . . . who's Faye?"

I sigh and head back inside, with Luci hot on my trail.

"Spike, who is Faye? You're lover? Have you been seeing her behind my back?"

"Luci, we were never together in the first place. Look, I don't want to marry you. Get a new boss for the Syndicate; live life the way you want to. Just leave me out of it."

I head out towards my apartment. I need to pack up; it's guaranteed that they'll come tonight. I hear Luci throwing a heart-wrenching tantrum in my office, and frankly, I don't care. She can keep the office for as long as she wants. I told her once, and I'll tell her till she lands in hell; I don't love her, and my heart will belong to Faye Valentine.

+4 Hours Later+

{Faye's POV}

Jet and I finally arrive in front of the Red Dragon Syndicate headquarters. The dim light that the moon provides on the planet is not enough to brighten the outer exterior of this hell house. The glass that once shined and glimmered during the day is as dark and plain as the night. The soft winds of Mars whistles a tender, yet almost inaudible tune. No, it can't be the winds; it's the whistling of a man. I turn to Jet, who is looking up at the ninetieth floor. A dim light shines through the darkness; Spike is up there. We quickly go inside, surprised at the lack of security this building has. The elevator suddenly dings and we run to catch it. On the way up, the light inside along with it's elevator music, gets us thinking about life without Spike for the past year. The tears, screams, pain, grief, we're leaving it all behind. We're going to bring Spike home.

"Faye, what are we doing here? What is our purpose again?"

I turn to Jet, amazed at what he just said. What is he trying to say? What point is he trying to make?

"Faye, what if Spike doesn't want to come back with us? What if he's happy with the life he has? What if-"

I bang the wall of the elevator in pure rage. He just doesn't understand. He doesn't realize what we're doing is saving all of us from our own inner demons. He doesn't understand.

"Spike was happy with the life he had with us. Spike loved us, Jet. Spike left us because . . . because . . . "

Tears start to roll down my cheeks as I realize that I didn't have a concise answer. I couldn't answer for Spike; I was answering from my fantasies. The elevator suddenly stops. The door opens, and in front of our eyes stood a wooden door. Little traces of light emanated from the doorway and we knew that this was it. A whole year of questions, mixed emotions and chaos will finally end. We're going to bring him home.

Jet opens the door, and I immediately go inside to find an office filled with lit candles. Where is he? The chair in the very end of the room turns slowly, and the light starts to appear. I see my angel holding a candle, looking at me with those same eyes of long ago.

"I heard everything in the intercom attached to the elevator. I know you have questions. I know you want answers. But you wanna know what I want?"

He walks towards us, blowing out the candle and dropping it towards the ground. With tears in his eyes, and with tears in mine, I knew exactly what he wanted.

"I just wanna go home."

Time stops just as it did in Venus. Remember those old 21st century films where the lovers run to each other, and everything seems to be going in slow motion? That's exactly what is going on now. I'm running to hug him, and he has his arms wide open. I'm close to embracing him; I can almost hear his breathing. But then, that little moment in time is shattered. A bullet runs past my head, and I feel a stinging sensation in my arm. I turn to find Mao's kid with a gun, and Jet knocked out unconscious.

{Spike's POV}

Luci's holding a pistol, how exciting. Note my excitement somewhere. I look at her with fear and anger in my eyes. I know that deep in her heart, she's feeling the same exact way as well. She aims her pistol directly into the air and shoots again. I turn to Faye and she grabs on to her gun. In my back pocket somewhere, I know I have mine too.

"Spike, Spike, Spike. Poor dear old Spike! Did you think that I, Victoria Maria Lucia Contreras would let you go that easily? I've loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you. I've loved you longer than both Julia and this new bitch. I've loved you more than you'll ever know. Spike, I'll never leave you alone. I'll follow you to the depths of the underworld and to the pearly gates of paradise. I'll do anything for you Spike."

I turn to Faye, who obviously wants to kill her right now. I sigh and look at Luci.

"Luci, I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. I don't love you."

She cracks a laugh, a dark, disturbing laugh. Then, she cocks her pistol and aims at Faye.

"Well, if I can't love you, no one will."

A bullet is shot, then two. I turn to Faye to find that she's found cover. I think it'll be smart of me if I found one too. The smell of gun smoke is in the air; I can't get it out of my system. Faye's pulling out her gun and aiming it at Luci. Then, there's a shootout.

I turn to Faye, and she just keeps shooting. The bullets are flying everywhere, I'm almost shot; Luci almost shoots Faye. I'm caught in the middle of this battle; both women love me, and don't want to loose me again. I hear a scream, Faye's scream. I look to see Faye falling to the ground with a bullet through her head. Oh God, she's dead. I go to her side, but she's badly wounded and I can't tell if she's breathing. Faye Valentine, Miss Faye Valentine, is dead. The one woman that I've loved after Julia is dead, and it's all because of that bitch right there.

I cry out to the heavens, hoping some angel would hear me.

"No angel will hear you Spike," Faye whispers.

I turn to her in surprise. She's losing conciousness.

"Because you are an angel . . . because this is heaven. This is the heaven where angels are protected from fear and normal suffering. This is the heaven where you angels suffer. But, no matter where I go, Spike, you'll always be that . . . angel . . ."

She closes her eyes. I think she's dead. Damnit, the bullets fly again. I get up, and I aim towards Luci. She sees my act of betrayal, and with jealousy in her eyes she aims at me. She knocks out a candle instead of her initial target, but that was one of the two last candles remaining in this room. One source of light is coming from the one near my desk, but that doesn't matter. They just keep shooting.

I see Jet, staggering and trying to get a shot of Luci. But, something out of the ordinary happens.

[Jet's POV]

I slipped

I slip on a waxy liquid, probably from the fallen candle. I miss my aim, and I shoot. Dear God, I've shot at Spike. The bullet goes through the last candle standing, it's exterior shining like a shooting star. Spike sees it, so does Mao's kid. I close my eyes, hoping that what I've just done did not just happened. I hear the screaming of a woman, not Faye and certainly not Spike. I open them, and with the limited lighting, I can see a shape of a figure falling into Spike's arms. Faye's fallen on the floor already, and I knew; Mao's kid took a bullet for Spike, her last one that is. She's whispering something to him, and Faye is still knocked out. For some freaky reason, the candle on top of Spike's desk catches fire. Damnit, cops are down on the bottom floor. I try pulling Spike away from Mao's kid, but he won't budge. Damn, I don't have time for this. I pick up Faye, who's bleeding badly, and jump out the window. Yeah, it's a long drop, but I have Ed and Ein in a hover jet on the 90th floor. The floor is engulfed with flames, and I say a simple prayer to Spike. Prayers never work; people never listen. I land and look up at the rooftop to find Galaxy Police officers arresting someone.

"Spike Spiegel, you are under arrest."

The son of a bitch survived. I sigh, and get ready to leave. Faye's not going to like what she hears this time.

*Present Day*

I look out the window into space, and I'm still amazed that Spike is alive. It's like he's immortal; he'll never die, yet wander the gateways for release. Faye is still sleeping out in the living room. I have cut all ties to the media, because I'm not ready to face her yet. This would be too much of a shock to her. . . I can't do this. I can't face her or Spike. I know I did it. I killed Mao's kid. It's not his fault, but mine. I guess I'm gonna have to carry the weight, since no one's gonna do it for me.

"Let's go, Ed. We're getting outta here."

See You Space Cowboy . . .

A.N.

Hey ppl! Sorree for taking forever with this; too much of skool work and guys . . . Anywais! Well, please read and review. Sadness! Luci died? It's all because Jet slipped on some candle wax and missed his aim. I guess this is it. I guess Luci died in love with Spike . . . yeah right! Well, l8er!

Since. Angelik-Nikole