Authors Note: I bet you're all thinking 'Spike's dead, get over it.' Well I WON'T get over it! lol I've kept Spike in because I really enjoyed his character. In truth, I enjoy all the characters and I believe they were played well. Hopefully I can kept them in character enough for all of you to like it. P.S: Thank you to all who reviewed. P.P.S: A change of pace I've decided to go back and write in past tense... it's just easier to write the rest of the chapters that way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop (yes... I know all the fans would love to own it, but we don't... props to the people who DO own it. You guys rock!) The only character I own in this fic is Raquel 'Raven' Valentine and her husband... who's name I won't give out at this point in time... . ENJOY!

Legend:
Italic and 'in quotations' is for --'Thinking...'--
Bold is for --Emphisas--
Italic and bold is for --Lyrics--

Chapter Two: Quoth the Raven

The past few days seemed to drag slowly on the Bebop... and the food problem still continued on. It had been two days since they've all eaten. But of course, they had gotten used to it somehow. They'd all gotten used to problems from the past as well and they'd learned to live with each other semi-peacefully. It was silent most days, except for the occasional psychotic outbursts from Ed and when the group would sit down to chat... for sanity's sake. But today would be a totally different day.

Jet sits in the living room, examining the area around them in space. There isn't much out there except for a few space rocks and what looks like an abandoned ship.

Spike enters the living room, walking up beside Jet, his hands jammed in his pockets, "What's up?"

"There's an abandoned ship. It could have some valuables in it." Jet answered, turning slowly to face Spike.

A grin forms on Spike's lips, "Bring it in. I'll check it out." With that, both Jet and Spike parted ways. Spike walked to the hangar and Jet made his way down to the control room.

Jet moved the Bebop over to the abandoned ship, capturing it on the landing pad and harnessing it down with a kind of magnetic field, "She's all yours, Spike."

Spike stood there beside his own ship, watching the events unfold. Once the abandoned ship was securely on the Bebop, Spike moved toward it and opened the cockpit... only to be engulfed in complete darkness.

"Hey, Jet... got a flashlight?" Spike asked. He'd heard footsteps and assumed it was Jet... but it wasn't.

Faye walks toward Spike, the light in her hand, "I have a flashlight, but I can assure you I'm not Jet." She hands Spike the flashlight, ever so slowly. Spike grabs it from her, giving her a weird smile.

Inside the ship there wasn't much of value. It was quite messy though... very messy. After a few minutes of wandering inside the dark and untidy ship, Spike realized that this ship wasn't abandoned. In the cockpit, a woman's body lay slumped to the side. Her black hair cascaded down, grazing the cockpit's floor.

"This ship isn't abandoned. Someone is inside." Spike says as he checks the woman's pulse, "She's still alive." His eyes move to the blood dripping from her hand, "She's wounded."

Gently collecting the woman in his arms, Spike made his way out of her ship. Faye watched Spike exiting the ship and she made her way over. Faye's eyes move to the woman in Spike's arms, "She looks dead to me."

"I think I know a dead woman when I see one. She's not dead."

Faye crossed her arms, "All right." She follows behind Spike, "What do you think happened?"

"She probably ran out of gas... or maybe she just lost power. It was pitch black in there." Spike replies, making his way back to the living room. Faye stayed close by.

Slowly opening her eyes, Raven awoke. Her body lay on what felt like a couch and a man who was kneeling beside her was tending to her wounds. Raven's eyes shot open, not knowing the man or where the hell she was. Instantaneously, Raven extended her opposite arm and swung it toward the man's face in an attempt to knock him out. But he simply moved his head and moved back. Raven fell off the couch and onto the floor, her arm hurting even more now.

"You're awake." He grinned as he sat opposite her on a couch. Apparently she didn't want his help, so he left her there on the floor.

Raven lay there a moment longer, her eyes less wide and pain shooting through her, "Who are you?" she asks softly, picking herself up and leaning against the couch.

Little did she know Faye was right behind her, leaning against the railings in front of the entrance to the living room. Faye would hear everything...

"Spike Spiegel." The man responded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette.

Raven lifts and eyebrow slightly, although it couldn't be seen because of the hair blocking her face, "Is that you're real name?"

"It is." He replies, lighting the cigarette, "Do you have a name?"

Laughing softly to herself, Raven answers, "My name is Raven."

"Is that your real name?" Spike interrogates.

Finally, Raven looks to Spike, the hair slipping from her face, "No." she says coldly, "My real name isn't important."

Spike leans back on the couch, "I told you my real name."

Raven hesitates a moment, not sure if she can trust him or not. She feels she can... "Raquel Valentine."

Faye's eyes widen, "Valentine?" the words slip from her lips. She makes her way down to Raven, standing by Spike and looking at her closely, "You can't be Valentine."

Glares at Faye, not knowing her yet, "That's my name. Who are you? What the hell is going on?"

"I'm Faye Valentine."

Both women study each other a moment. Spike gets up from the couch, giving both women a glance before walking putting a hand to his head and walking away, "Women..."

"Faye Valentine?" Raven pushes herself up onto the couch, noticing the bandages wrapped around her torso like a tube top, "I never thought I'd ever meet you."

Confused, Faye moved to where Spike had sat before on the couch opposite Raven, "You... know me?"

Raven nods, playing with a strand of her hair, "I've heard of you before. I was cryogenically frozen, much like you were. When the first test, you, was successful, they came to my cryogenically frozen body. But unlike you, I wasn't freed."

"What did they do to you?" Now Faye's attention was caught, interested in Raven's story. The more Raven spoke, the more Faye felt she'd seen this woman before... briefly.

Raven continued, "Project Valentine." She let that hang in the air, "After I'd been awoken by Dr. Baccus, they sent me to an Orbital Research Facility. There, I underwent numerous tests." She paused for a moment, not sure exactly how much she wanted to tell Faye, "At the facility they erased everything from my memory. For some reason when I underwent cryogenic freezing, my memory remained... some of it, anyway. There... was another after me. Another experiment... she went insane, killing 3 doctors. They killed her."

"Who's they? How do you know so much? Why didn't I know anything about this?"

"I don't know." Raven shrugs, "All that I know about 'Project Valentine' I've told you."

Faye gives a slightly shocked look. She'd known nothing of Project Valentine, "So... you're my sister?"

Raven shakes her head, "Not by blood."

Spike could hear Faye and Raquel talking though the wall of his quarters. He'd only caught the important words like 'Project Valentine' and 'sisters'. He hoped Raquel was nothing like Faye... he kind of knew that she wasn't. She was different... and he liked that. But his thoughts still dwelled on Julia. Long gone. Spike had met many women. None like Julia.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, Spike closed his eyes, lying on his bed. He unbuttoned his shirt and placed his hands behind his head, "Digging up the past... to cross that line... to bury it... one last time..."