Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. Still wish I did.

When Angels Fall from Heaven…

Chapter 1 : Elevator to Where?

Faye Valentine looked around the interior of the plush limousine she was riding in.

If I just ignore all the guns these men are carrying, I could really enjoy this. In fact, that one with that dark hair is kind of cute. Huh. She scoffed at herself and gave a minute shake of her head. I really am losing my mind. Maybe it's living with those two men and that crazy mutt.

Why do I even stay there? Oh yeah, the free food. Not that there's ever much of it. Bell peppers and beef my ass. Though if we cooked that annoying dog, we could eat for at least a week!

Faye's armed guards began to shift in their seats, drawing Faye out of her reverie. Her eyes quickly made a sweep of the Syndicate men before peering out the darkly tinted car windows. The limo was gliding to a stop outside of what appeared to be a pretty swank hotel.

The man Faye had dubbed 'cute brunette' opened the limo door and held out his hand to Faye. Deciding to play along with whatever game they were playing, Faye accepted his hand and gracefully climbed out of the car. The five Syndicate men that had been riding in the limo formed a loose circle around their prisoner and began to escort her into the hotel, aptly named Da Long, Chinese for Great Dragon.

Inside, the building appeared to have all the elements of a five-star hotel, except for one important one. There were no guests. As Faye scanned the interior of the lobby, she noted the black suited men standing in strategic places around the room. Any possible escape she might have been planning was quickly derailed by the sight of so many armed men.

Five or six I could handle, Faye thought to herself, especially in a room this big. That heavy mahogany counter to my left would make a great shield. If I could make a break for it, I could pick them off one by one.

 Except that in order to reach that counter, I'd need to run a good forty feet through open space. Hmm…and then of course there are the three men behind the counter. Not to mention the five vultures circling around me. Damn it.

Faye did some more quick calculating in her head. By the time I manage to pick off the twenty or so guards in this room, who knows how many reinforcements are waiting upstairs? I can't risk it. Yet.

All this had run through Faye's head in a matter of seconds. Working the casinos so often, she had learned to map out an area and assess the people in it all in one glance. It had always helped to be able to scope out a Gaujo with a tall stack of chips-and the nearest exit in case she got caught scamming him. As it was almost always a him. Faye was a firm believer of using whatever assets you had to your advantage, and her assets clearly were the kind that attracted and more importantly, distracted men. Hopefully she would be able to use her sex appeal to her advantage here as well. She had caught the glance that several of the Syndicate men had sent to her as she walked through the lobby. Her dress was designed to entice and it did its job. Well.

I'll just keep playing along with this little game. I overheard them talking to Vicious about using me as a hostage. They can't kill me yet!

At the thought of the silver-haired man, Faye involuntarily shivered. Never in her life had Faye been so off-put by one man. She feared him, but that wasn't what set her so on edge. It was the lack of life in the man. Never had she seen a pair of eyes so lifeless. Even the dead eyes of Mao taijin had some remnants of emotion left in them. But Vicious had just stared ahead when talking to her, no fear, no anger, and no hatred, nothing coloring his voice or actions. Faye truly hoped that she would never have to see him again.

Which was why she felt like banging her head against the wall when her 'escort team' stopped outside the lone elevator, 'cute brunette' slipping away from the group and ordering the rest of the men to take her to Vicious-sama's quarters.

   Though it didn't show, Vicious was slightly surprised when he opened the door to his apartment that evening. He had ordered his men to deposit Spike's crewmate into the small set of rooms he used whenever he was conducting overnight business in Tharsis.

He expected the woman to be in the sitting room as he had locked the door to the inner set of rooms that morning before leaving. However, there was clearly nobody occupying the leather sofas and chairs positioned around the room.

Cautiously, he opened the door that led to the rest of his apartment, one hand hovering over the handle of his kitana. The sight that greeted him was so odd that he actually let out a short bark of laughter. The sound was low and his voice was gravelly from disuse, but the sound was enough to draw the attention of one Faye Valentine.

Who was currently sitting in a chair in what could only be described as a breakfast nook, fiddling with the cork on a bottle of champagne. Surrounding by the unconscious and slightly bloody bodies of three of his best men.

She looked up from the bottle, her jade eyes peering up at Vicious through several pieces of purple hair. Their eyes locked for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to say.

Faye made the first move as she straightened her body and then bowed to Vicious.

"I apologize for the mess but some of your men got the idea that I was here to entertain them. I had to…ahem…convince them that no means no."

In response, Vicious raised an eyebrow. "And the food and champagne?"

"Well, you see, I missed dinner tonight, since I was busy being kidnapped at the opera. I was hungry and your men refused to bring me any food. And everyone knows a lady should be pampered. Your men weren't willing to do it, so I was forced to do it myself." At this point Faye let out a very dramatic sigh.

Vicious then noticed the smirk quickly forming on her face. Jet and Spike would have recognized that as the look that meant Faye was about to get into her 'women-with-attitude' mode.

"And here I was slaving all day over a hot stove for you! And what do I have to show for it? Nothing! You know, you'll make some girl a very lousy husband one day." Faye's mini tirade was complete with finger wagging and one hand firmly planted on her hip.

Even as the words were spilling from her lips, Faye knew that she was signing her own death warrant. Vicious was clearly not the type of man that enjoyed a little playful teasing here and there. Not like Spike. In fact, if she was judging his expression correctly right now, she was about to experience her last seconds here in this world.

Damn me and my big mouth. God, I even wagged my finger at him. What am I? His disapproving mother? Shit. Whenever I get that nervous I get an attitude. I can't help it. Maybe the green-haired idiot is right. Maybe I should watch what I say. Ugh.  Never! Like I would ever listen to anything that lazy ass told me!....... Why am I not dead yet? I was definitely expecting my throat to be slit by now.

Carefully, Faye opened her eyes to see Vicious once again staring at her. His expression retained its icy façade, devoid of any emotion. When he opened his mouth, he spoke so quietly that she had to lean forward slightly to hear his words.

"You have you life to show. For now."

*AUTHOR'S NOTES*

Ok…Chapter one out. I know I only mentioned Faye for one line in the prologue, but my mind tends to wander. And the prologue was supposed to follow the wanderings in Vicious' mind. Faye got him thinking about the syndicate. Or at least that's what I'm going to tell people to cover up the fact that I'm writing all this at like 4 in the morning so this might not make any sense, and I clearly have a quiz tomorrow morning. Oh well. ;) Review please!

PS- Does anyone know how to make italics work when posting things? Because mine aren't showing up.