Authors Note: All right. Chapter 4 guys. Hope you enjoy. I'm working extra hard on this fic because in my whole entire list of fics I've only finished ONE... I want to make it TWO... lol. So maybe if I keep getting reviews, I'll keep writing!
Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop. I DO, however, own Raquel 'Raven' Valentine... AND Jonathon Amos... AND Eden... yeah that's about it... lol. Although I would love to, I don't own My Chemical Romance or their song To the End, which I've included in this chapter.
Legend:
Italic and 'in quotations' is for --'Thinking...'--
Italic is for --Emphisas--
Italic and bold is forLyrics--
Chapter Four: To the End
Sleep. That's all Raven needed right now. The only thing running through her mind as she lay on the couch was sleep. There were other things she should have been thinking about, but she was in pain. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally too.
It's not easy running from your past, as Raven had recently experienced. She was sure no matter how far or how fast she ran her past would always find her again... or if all else failed she would have to face it herself to end it.
On the outside, Raven would show her daily façade. Her toughness. On the inside, all she really wanted was somewhere to belong. She'd thought she had finally found that when she was with Jonathon.
'All's fair in love and war...'
Raven turned slowly onto her uninjured side, letting her arm relax as her hand brushed the floor. Jet and Faye had left to take care of some business... or so they said. It was only Spike, Ed, Ein and herself.
Ein watched as Raven's hand dropped to the floor. He approached it, licking at her fingers. Raven flinched, not sure what it was at first. She looked down at Ein, who was now looking up at her. Lifting her hand from the floor, she pets Ein, "Guess it's just you and me in here."
Ein lowered his head, enjoying the fact that Raven was petting him.
"Ein!" yelled Ed as she came tumbling into the room. Her gaze moved from Ein to the unfamiliar woman lying on the cough, "Ooo! Who are you?" she tilted her head one-way, then the other.
Raven sat up, "I'm Raquel. An... acquaintance of Faye's." she'd decided to leave it at that. It was, technically, the truth. If they weren't sisters, and they weren't really friends, then they were acquaintances.
"Nice to meet you, Rocky!" only Ed would think of a clever nick name like that...
Looking slightly confused, Raven asked, "You must be Ed?"
Ed nodded vigorously as she got to her feet and began dancing around and putting her words into a mingled tune, "My name is Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the 4th!"
"That's a very... interesting name."
Spike could hear Raven and Ed talking as he entered the living room. He made his way quietly over to the couch opposite the... guest. There wasn't anything else for him to do. Faye and Jet had gone out adventuring without him. No matter, he did that all the time.
Hearing footsteps, Raven turned her head slightly, catching Spike's eye, "You're awake..."
"I am." Spike replied.
Ed looked to Raven, then to Spike, "Come on, Ein. Let's leave Rocky and Spike person alone." She whispered so only Ein and her could hear and with that, she bounced off with Ein barking and running after her.
Raven's eyes locked with Spike's, "What are you looking at?" she questions coldly.
"What are you looking at?" is what Spike responds with.
"I know I'm not looking at much." Raven stands up, with some difficulty. She wasn't going to get any sleep. Not today. Her hands move to her hair as she quickly ties it up and out of the way.
Spike watches her movements with some interest, "So how is it you got yourself injured so badly?"
"Oh, you know, I was just walking down the street and I just happened to run into a barrage of bullets."
"Really? That happens to me all the time." Spike grinned, taking out a cigarette and lighting it, "But seriously."
Raven decides to be honest with him. Maybe he would understand her, "I stole some money and killed my husband... and most of his colleagues."
"You're married?"
"Was married." Raven sits beside Spike, plucking his cigarette from his lips and placing it between her own, "We never got a divorce. Never had the chance to. It's a long story..." she exhales a puff of smoke before handing the cigarette back to Spike.
"Hell, I've got all day. Blab away." Spike leans back against the cough, extending his arms and resting them upon the back of the couch.
-=Flashback=-
Sitting in front of the mirror, Raven stared at herself. She was wearing a newly bought wedding dress for this special day. Although, this would be no happy occasion. She'd known days ago her husband-to-be was not all he seemed. And neither was she...
He has given her everything. A beautiful home, a new life... everything. But what he neglected to mention was his real occupation. What he really did for a living. How he was part of a syndicate and he was going to exploit her strengths and force her to join his syndicate. If she refused... she would die.
he calls the mansion not a house but a tomb... he's always choking from the stench and the fume
Raven would not tolerate this any longer. She would be the one to end it. Slowly, Raven concealed her weapons under her extravagant dress and made her way downstairs.
The ceremony took place in their own back yard, the beautiful scenery, thousands of guests... all from Jonathon's side... such a pity they wouldn't live to see the reception. Raven took all of this in as she walked down the aisle, a sweet, deceptive smile painted on her face. She was smiling, but not because she was about to become Mrs. Jonathon Amos... but because she had secretly planted bombs around the perimeter, which she would soon trigger.
Reaching the altar, Raven kept her smile as she looked to Jonathon. She would feel no remorse if he died right there on that altar.
Before the priest spoke a word, Raven leaned in toward Jonathon, whispering in his ear, "...it's payback time..." her smile quickly twisted into an evil grin as she detonated the first patch of explosives.
the wedding party all collapsed in the room... so send my resignation to the bride and the groom
Raven reaches under her dress, pulling out her favourite weapons of choice... her glocks. She shoots Jonathon, three times at point blank range, quickly turning and running away as she detonates a second batch of explosives.
down by the pool he doesn't have many friends... as they are face down and bloated snap a shot with the lens
Entering the mansion, Raven made her way up to the balcony to watch the events unfold. She pressed yet another button, demolishing the west side of the mansion.
Eden found her way up to where Raven was, having been invited to the wedding but arriving late. She was un-armed and uninjured... Raven would take care of that...
"Why are you doing this, Raquel?" Eden walked toward Raven slowly, stopping a few meters away from her.
Raven stood still for a moment, slightly surprised that she didn't know that Raven was aware of Eden's affair with Jonathon. Not turning to face Eden, Raven speaks, "He had to be punished... they all did... and so must you." Her eyes flare with anger as she turns quickly, planting a bullet directly into Eden's head.
Eden's body slumped forward onto the floor. Raven smiled, kneeling by the body and lifting Eden's head, kissing her cheek, "Nice to have met you." She hisses, throwing her head back to the floor.
and say goodbye to the last parade... and walk away from the choice you made... and say goodbye to the hearts you break and all the cyanide you drank
Raven left the mansion, glancing back at it over her shoulder briefly before she detonated the last of her explosives. This would be the end...
The mansion collapsed to nothingness and Raven stopped in her tracks, feeling the power of the explosion almost lifting her off the ground and sending her flying forward. Finally, she turns completely to make sure everything she'd planned had gone accordingly... and it had. The next step would be to empty the account.
to the last parade... when the parties fade... and the choice you made... to the end
"And that was the end of it. I took my share of the money and disappeared. But somehow, Jonathon's goons found me that's how I got shot."
Spike finished his cigarette, putting it out in the ashtray, "What about the money?"
"I wired it with explosives." Raven smiled, "In case I lost it to them."
'What's with this chick and explosives?' Spike thought to himself. He went back on topic, "So if Jonathon's goons came after you... that means he's still alive."
Leaning forward, Raven sighed deeply, "I think he's still alive... guess I just didn't try hard enough to kill him."
"No. I think it's just the fact that you only 'tried'." Spike shrugged the comment off as he got up to make his way out of the room... maybe to get a bite to eat, that is, if there was anything to eat. He'd heard of things like this happening, in Raven's situation, and he'd wished he could have maybe said something re-assuring to her at the moment, but he just wasn't good at that.
"Hey, Spike?" called Raven, "You know when you were bandaging me up and I tried to punch your lights out?"
"Indeed I do remember."
"Could you teach me how you did that?"
Smiling, Spike walked back to her, "Guess I could."