Spike awoke still laying in the bed but his shirt was off and he was bandaged up. He looked around Faye was lying next to him. He tried to sit up but found it impossible. The amount of pain that shot through him was insane he knew he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Faye woke up when he'd tried to move he'd tried not to cry out in pain but he had anyway and woke her up.
"Oh your awake. I was beginning to think I'd have to wait another month for you to get up." She said she wanted to put her arms around him but she didn't know if she should he'd been accepting her and at the same time rejecting her. He was so difficult to understand.
"Yea..." He said in a far off tone he was there but not completely a part of him was still in that dream trying to figure out what choice he made and was it the right one. Spike had always followed the moment but that dream made him stop for a moment he had realized he really didn't know what he wanted anymore. Only yesterday the answer would have been Julia Hands down but in one day Faye had managed to make her own place in his heart who knew she was so much like Julia? And yet so different. He'd never Imagined Faye Cooking or working a steady Job before or even quitting gambling. She'd done a lot for him without his asking for it or his even being conscious. Julia wouldn't have made those kinds of sacrifices under the same circumstances she couldn't afford to spike knew that and understood it though Faye couldn't really afford it either though she'd found a way.
It was all a mess one big Jumble in his head and who was the third? He hadn't even figured that out yet what was her purpose? Was it someone who he hadn't yet discovered he had feelings for? Or something else? He had no idea and he was tired of thinking of it.
Faye saw he was thinking and apparently bothered by something she took the opportunity to put her arms around him and lay her head on his shoulder. She didn't care if he wanted her to or not she wanted to comfort him somehow and she had no other ideas on how to do it.
"Spike what's troubling you?" she asked quietly
"A dream I never woke up from." He answered. And got up this time ignoring the pain somehow his thoughts being so far off allowed him to get up unlike before and putting on another shirt he walked out. Faye sighed sitting on the bed He'd Rejected her again though not openly said he'd pushed her away.
Spike knew he'd hurt Faye just now but there was no avoiding it. She just had bad timing that was all if she picked her opportunities better they'd probably have slept together by now he thought. He went into the meeting room and found everyone Gathered except for Faye of course going over what just happened trying to fill in the gaps to Spike's surprise Jennifer was there then he figured she'd been the one who told them where to find him Annie probably sent her he figured.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Spike! What the hell happened out there man?" Jet asked
"It's simple I followed the clues Jet just I didn't like where they took me." He answered
"Damnit spike that's not an answer. We need to know specifics!" Jet demanded he was tired of spike always getting all shot up and him never knowing what the hell was going on with him.
"Alright alright...fine I'll tell you....Vicious is back and Julia is with him the clues led me to the roof where she was supposed to have died. I Found her there but then Vicious made himself known we had a brief conversation Vicious decided we'd done enough talking Faye showed up saved my ass I took off Eventually ended up running into them again though. Vicious chased me Julia sniped that's where this wound comes from I got a gun from one of our guys that got curious emptied one in Vicious back But I know he's not dead he was still breathing when I left him there and by now Julia has taken him somewhere to heal I dragged my sorry ass in here and flopped down on my bed and passed out had a dream woke up Talked to Faye and Came here and explained this all to you. Happy now?" Spike said walking in and leaning against a wall he dared not sit down because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get up again and wasn't sure how he'd gotten up to begin with.
Jet was amazed Spike had actually given him an answer but once he took it all in a question remained. "Okay so who is this Julia girl? You left and got all shot up once before looking for her and now she shot you? Seems kinda fickle to me."
Spike gave jet a look that told him to watch what he said about her. " Julia is what caused Vicious to become what he is now and at the same time was what was preventing it. She was his girl way back when he and I were still on good terms back in the old days when he and I fought side by side. But all that changed after I got shot up one day and wound up at Julia's I didn't even know I was there I passed out on the sidewalk as she came out of her place she took me in bandaged me up and we fell for each other while I was there. I had told her She didn't belong there she was out of place like a Angel roaming the depths of hell all on her lonesome. I told her we could run get away from all of it just us and she believed me problem was I was wrong we couldn't run we couldn't go anywhere Vicious found out before we ever even left. That's when his heart turned to ice he told her she had to kill me or he'd kill both of us. I was supposed to meet her at the graveyard I remember I went carrying a rose and she'd come carrying a gun she didn't even speak she just pointed it at me once I was only a few feet away she told me she was sorry she didn't want to but Vicious would kill her if she didn't the problem there was she couldn't do it and from then on both of us were on the run it didn't take long for them to corner me though I was cornered in the cathedral the very same one I saved Faye from that one time except then it was still in use. 3 guys with submachine guns unloaded on me I just smiled and let loose a grenade I still don't know how I survived that I just know I did my memory is a blank at that point and I never found out what happened to Julia that's why I always searched for her when a lead showed up." Spike explained
"Whoa...So all this everything that's happened between you and this Vicious has been personal? That's one hell of a soap opera you've got there bud." Jet said.
"Yea and it's getting bigger and more complicated as time goes on. Already the cast has expanded." Spike said.
Outside the room Faye had been listening now she knew she knew the whole story between him Julia and Vicious. It all made sense now and she understood she was a fool to have thought Spike would have wanted her he'd been looking for Julia for years He'd ignored her because he'd always been set on Julia. And he didn't save her from the cathedral that day just to save her he went because of Vicious. If it had been someone else she'd be dead right now. Suddenly she felt so useless and unwanted. Like no one had ever cared and she'd always just got in the way. she'd lost herself in thought and didn't notice when spike had come out of the room and leaned next to her.
"Lost in thought?" he asked
she heard him and snapped out of it "huh? Oh uh..yea..." she said not quite sure what to do
"Faye we need to talk." He said
"Huh? Uh okay Spike..." She didn't know what to expect she was afraid he was going to tell her they could never happen and everything she'd just thought of she took him to her room and shut the door so they'd have some privacy.
"Faye...." He started but stopped with a sigh not sure himself what he was trying to say.
"Faye" He tried again "I know I've been kind of distant and well I know you've been trying to be closer to me and I didn't mean to hurt you but It's just I don't know what I want right now so gimme some time okay? I have to sort some other things out first." He said.
Faye's heart jumped with hope she still had a chance! In that instant everything about her changed her eyes brightened she lost the air of despair around her.
"Spike that's all I needed to hear." She said kissing him lightly.
"I won't push you." She said
"Then I won't pull away" He said
In Faye's mind this meant they were together maybe not in the traditional sense but in some way or another they were at least for a little while.
Spike put his arms around her the first advance he'd made since they had been at her place and he'd woken up there.
"On second thought Faye how bout we just go for it?" He said kissing her. She'd waited for this moment since he'd awoken and kissed her the first time. This was what she wanted a definite thing a final answer something to hold on to. She now had a reason to exist in this world before she'd had nothing no one her past had been lost stolen from her by fate and her future was supposed to have already passed she was somewhere beyond somewhere outside the box but Spike had just put her back in it.
Their kiss lasted a long time and didn't end until Jet had knocked on the door.
Faye Reluctantly Broke the kiss and opened the door.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Is spike in there?" Jet asked
"Yea I'm here." Spike said walking over and standing behind Faye.
"Oh good..what in the world are...oh never mind it doesn't matter and I don't wanna know what your doing in here just come Quick!" Jet said
Spike of course Followed Jet and Faye followed Spike they went to the meeting room where on a large screen was Vicious.
"Spike I've got your flower girl and Julia and I are waiting for you in the place where you've died twice now Come quick and I'll even allow you to bring one person to die with you." Vicious said Laughing afterwards the Communication ended.
"He's got Jen She's got nothing to do with this but just because she came here he decided to snatch her... I can't let her die because of me she's not even involved" Spike said.
"But do you even know where to go?" Faye asked.
"Of course He said the place where I've died twice I've only died twice in one place once was the first time and the second time was for you Faye." He said walking out.
"For me?" She said following him "Hey! I thought you said that you had your own reasons and you weren't really coming for me as much as your own those reasons?" She said now walking beside him.
"I know but I lied. Then you were the not so innocent person who just happened to get caught up in something that then didn't concern you." He answered Getting to his car. Faye got in the other side.
"And where are you going?" He asked.
"I'm going with you of course." She answered
"Faye. I'm going there to die...again...probably for the last time." He said
"I know and I don't care if I can't change the odds in any way I'm going." She said
"Fine." He said pulling out.
Jet had watched the whole thing amazed Faye had elected to go with him usually she stayed far away from such things he had no idea what was with those two but he'd figure it out eventually.
Spike drove around the city it was Dark and frigid the rain had turned to freezing rain some of it already frozen as it came down. The city looked like something out of a comic book or a video game it was dark and gloomy the perfect setting for a shoot out. Just as it had been the last time when he'd cleared out the Red dragons. It seemed to stretch on forever in an endless mass of buildings and lights or maybe it just seemed that way to spike because he was sure he'd die this time. He knew if he came face to face with Julia and a gun he would be dead because he knew he couldn't kill her. Now he was glad Faye had come along maybe she'd do it and he'd never even see it happen. Psh... Right since when had he been so fortunate? He made one last stop by Annie's
When Faye and Spike came in Annie almost had a heart attack
"Spike!" She said getting out the liquor.
"Yea it's me I can't stay very long because of pressing business." He said
"Your gonna go and die on me again aren't you?" She said giving him a look.
"Fraid so but this time it's to go save Jennifer she got snatched by Vicious leaving our place." He said
"Jennifer? Oh no! She's such a nice girl a lot like Julia used to be before she met Vicious..." Annie trailed off
"What happened when she met Vicious?" Faye asked.
Annie hesitated but Spike gave her a nod and she explained
"After she met Vicious Julia changed she become Devious and Manipulating She learned to control people and take advantage of them though she only showed it when she had a mission but you could never tell when she was really being honest anymore after she met him. Once he used her to get close to some guy then took her hostage to get him to go only to have her be the one to kill him." Annie explained
"Wow...that's Cruel." Faye said at a loss to find any other words.
"hey we better get going I just thought I should pay a visit to ya while I was still alive Annie." Spike said heading to the door.
"You thought right I'dda killed you myself if you had died again and didn't even show up to see me once." She said laughing.
Spike smirked and let out a small chuckle as he went out the door.
"Thanks for everything Annie I don't know if I'll prove to be as resilient as spike but I'm sure gonna find out." Faye said following spike Now they were headed to the cathedral now that spike had made all his stops the cathedral loomed in the distance like a big monument to death and those that had died in it. it was apart from the rest of the city on a large hill. Spike parked at the bottom of the hill. Him and Faye walked up the hill the walked seemed to stretch on forever it was like walking in your own Funeral Precession Slow and steady with the air of Death all around you. You could feel it the tension the anticipation of the moment someone fired the first shot the feeling that any second could be your last from this point on a million thoughts went through both their heads but the last thing Spike and Faye thought about was each other the went in to the Cathedral side by side Guns in hand Jennifer was unconscious and tied up on the big cross in the back of the cathedral Spike stepped in went straight down the middle Aisle and motioned for Faye to circle around.
This was going to be the last time everyone in the cathedral could agree on that.