Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final chapter of RFTD. It's been a long trip… and a fun one. For those of you who need it (and those who don't.), here's a recap of what's going on: Ed and Jet have reached the holding area, Spike admitted his love for Faye, Vicious has Faye as a prisoner now, and there was yet another BANG! Let's read!

Note: There is a surprise at the end of the story. NO SKIPPING!!!

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Blood blossomed from the arm around Faye's neck. Vicious jumped back in pain.

"Hurry Spike!" Faye yelled. Vicious was already up and moving. The sound of metal grating on cement brought her back to the problem at hand. The psycho behind her.

Spike lunged himself at Vicious, knocking the sword out of his hand. His fist smashed into the other man's face before he was thrown off.

Faye whipped around, watching the struggle on the floor unfold before her. The man she loved was in trouble. Women never let their men get hurt.

She took a step forward when Spike yelled, "No! Faye, get the fuck out of here! I'll take care of Vicious!" Faye stared at Spike, sweat dripping down his face as Vicious and he rolled around the floor.

"But y-"

"GO!" Faye heard the urgency in Spike's voice. She caught one last look before she turned and ran.

- - -

Spike and Vicious were in yet another Mexican standoff.

The barrel of Spike's pistol rested on where Vicious' heart should have been. A strange thought came to his mind. If Vicious had ever had a heart. The point of the katana was slowly being pushed into Spike in a matching spot.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Spike panted, sarcasm plain in his voice.

"How can you be so calm in the face of Death?" Vicious asked.

"Simple," Spike grinned. "Love gives you all kinds of courage. But that's something you wouldn't understand Vicious. You've never loved anyone."

A strange look passed over Vicious' face. It was pain. Not physical, but the kind of pain you get from tough memories.

"I loved Julia." Vicious' voice came out quietly.

"Then why the fuck would you kill her?!" Spike growled.

"It was an accident…" Vicious closed his eyes.

"Some kind of accident." Spike spat.

"I'm…" Vicious fell off of Spike to sit on the cold floor. Spike sat up cautiously.

"Sorry doesn't cut it Vicious." Spike shook his head. "You killed the first woman I ever loved."

"Then maybe this will cut it." Vicious' arm moved suddenly and an arc of blood shot from Spike's shoulder.

"Bastard!" Spike shot twice at Vicious as he fell backwards. Vicious stood slowly and brushed of the dust on his knees.

"It's time for Faye to die like Julia did." Vicious kicked the gun out of Spike's hand. It skidded across the floor. He pressed the sword to Spike's heart.

"Painfully." Vicious pushed down and Spike screamed once before darkness clouded his vision.

- - -

"Are you sure Ed?" Jet asked. Worry filled his mind. Spike never screamed. He was too strong.

"Yup. It was Spike." Ed nodded, punctuating the sentence.

"Then we're going in." Before Ed could blow their cover, Jet kicked open the thick metal door.

Spike lay on the floor, a small rivulet of blood seeped out from under him. A door down the long row of cells was wide open, revealing a winding staircase. A man rushed down them before Jet could see clearly who it was.

Jet looked down at Spike. He lay motionless on the floor. His deep blue jacket had turned to black with blood. Spike's eyes were closed.

"Is he dead?" Ed asked, head tilted to the side.

Jet knelt down and placed to fingers to Spike's pale throat. His pulse fluttered lightly below the skin. Jet sighed in relief.

"He's alive." Jet smiled. Happiness filled his heart. "Son of a bitch he's alive!"

"YAY! SPIKE PERSON'S ALIVE!" Ed began to dance for the umpteenth time that night. But Jet didn't care. Spike was alive. The reckless fool lived.

Their joy was short lived when the thought that a certain missing woman was still missing popped up in his head.

"Shit." Jet muttered. It all came together. He knew who was on the stairs. And he knew where he was going.

"What Jet-Jet?" Ed asked.

"Faye's in trouble."

- - -

A cramp had formed in Faye's abdomen. She refused to stop though. She had to find help.

Thought's raced through her head as she rushed through countless halls.

Spike said he loves me and I left him to die?! What the hell am I thinking?! I can't lose him again.

The more rational part of her head cut in. He'll be fine. Spike will just kill Vicious and this whole escapade can be done with.

And what happens if Spike doesn't make it Faye? It's going to be your fault that Spike dies. All your fault. This thought made Faye stop cold. What if Spike was in trouble? Well, she thought, in deeper shit then we're already in. Faye thought about this a moment longer before the wall in front of her had a bullet hole in it.

Faye whipped around to see two guards standing behind her. She fired twice then ran, not caring if they were dead or not. She was almost out of here.

An elevator opened in front of her. Faye jumped inside and let out a breath she did not know that she was holding when the door clanged shut. She hit the button for the lobby. The guards should all be gone by now.

She relaxed in the elevator, letting the last week run through her mind. The reality of Spike's "death." Going to look at his body. The trouble at the Harvest Moon bar. A distant thought sprang up in her mind. I wonder what ever happened to that bastard Jason. She thought this for a moment, picturing a few choice ways to watch him suffer, before the doors of the elevator opened.

The lobby was a fiery mess. The entire front of the building was blown away. Burning rubble lay across the once perfect marble floor. Charred bodies sprawled around the room. All Faye knew was that this was not her handy work.

She stepped forward carefully, avoiding bodies and burning stones. As she approached the hole, a voice from behind her froze her in her tracks.

"Leaving so soon Ms. Valentine?" Vicious stepped out from behind a ruined pillar. The grin on his face must have matched the grin that the Serpent had shown Eve that fateful day in the Garden of Eden. His katana rested at his side.

"Stay where you are Vicious." Faye said, her voice trembling slightly. She pointed her gun at his head.

"You can't kill the fallen Faye." Vicious spread his arms out wide. "You and Spike never seemed to grasp that fact. And now," He stared at her, his cold gaze locked on Faye's dirty face. "Lover boy is dead."

Faye shook her head. "Liar." She said. But she knew he wasn't. Spike would have been standing there, not Vicious. Her finger tensed on the trigger.

"Just shoot me Faye. Get it over with." Vicious stood there, arms spread wide with a malicious grin on his face. "Kill me."

Faye closed her eyes. It was all over. Spike was dead and she was alone again. As the anger, sorrow, and guilt filled her being, she pulled the trigger.

Click. Click.

"Looks like you're out of bullets Faye." Vicious let his arms fall to his sides and stalked towards her. "Now it's my turn to play."

Faye did not take the time to think as Vicious ran towards her. She did the only thing her body told her to do.

Faye stood her ground.

- - -

Jet and Ed slumped down the hall, the weight of Spike slowing them down. The man in their arms moaned occasionally, but other than that, he made no sound.

"Once we get Spike in the ship," Jet began, "We come back in to help Faye."

"Ed is tired…" Ed yawned. She let go of Spike and fell to the floor.

"Ed!" Jet tried hard to keep his hold on Spike but it was for naught. Jet slipped to the ground with Spike on top of him.

"Dammit Ed!" Jet yelled as he carefully laid Spike on the ground so that he could easily yell at the girl. "We need to get out of here!"

"Ed just going to take a nappy poo…" Ed yawned again.

Jet placed his head in his hands. He stood up and walked over to Ed, looming over her.

"We don't have time for this Ed." Ed didn't replied. Jet sighed and picked Ed up and threw her over his shoulder. He turned around to pick up Spike and then stopped.

Spike was gone.

- - -

Vicious landed on top of Faye in a furious rage. The katana stabbed into her left shoulder. She cried out and slammed the butt of her gun into his nose. Vicious rolled off of her, blood pouring down his face.

Faye frantically searched her pockets for the spare clip. She knew she had brought one. Her hands searched everywhere it could be but to no avail. She screamed in frustration.

"Looking for this?" Vicious stood, holding the clip in his left hand, the katana resting in his right. Faye stared at the clip and felt a tear roll down her cheek. She had failed again.

Saving Spike was my main priority. Faye watched Vicious toss the clip off to the side. I couldn't even do that right. Now, I'm about to get killed. You're a fuck up Faye Valentine. A grade "A" fuck up.

When she snapped out of her thoughts, the point of Vicious' sword was placed against her throat. Faye gasped. The fire behind them cast Vicious in a dark shadow. Only his sword glinted. Vicious filled her vision. This was not how she was supposed to die.

"This is it Faye." Vicious smiled that wicked smile a final time. "Any last words?"

A familiar voice rang out behind Vicious.

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." A shot rang out. Vicious' eyes grew wide before he slumped to the ground. Faye breathed deeply, staring at Vicious. Then she remembered the voice. She looked up.

Spike leaned in the elevator doorway, flashing his boyish grin. The blood on his shirt had tried to a dark brown. A cigarette rested between his lips. Faye smiled in relief.

"Got a light?" He asked.

"Yeah." Faye pulled out his lighter from her pocket and handed it to him. Spike flipped the top open and placed the tip of the cigarette in the orange flame.

"So…" He took a drag and blew it out slowly. "Jet and Ed should be down here any minute."

"Really?" Faye kept smiling. She was tired, the adreniline wearing out.

"Yeah. They came to our rescue. Ed had a gun."

Faye raised an eyebrow. "Ed with a gun? You're kidding…"

"Nope saw it with my own two eyes." Spike took another drag before offering her the cigarette.

"Thanks." Faye took a long drag. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Spike placed his hand over the blood spot. "Just a flesh wound."

Before Faye could continue, Jet and Ed ran in. Jet looked at the pair, anger filling his face at Spike's words.

"JUST A FLESH WOUND? I RISK MY ASS TO COME DOWN HERE TO SAVE YOU BOTH AND WHAT DO YOU SAY?! YOU TWO ARE THE MOST RECKLESS PEOPLE I HAVE EVER MET, AND THAT IS SAYING A LOT!" Jet took a deep breath. "At least your both safe." He added.

"Oh yeah! We found Faye-Faye! Oh yeah! We found Spike-Spike! Oh yeah! There was bang-bang!" Ed began to sing and dance.

"Long time no see." Faye said, the smile on her face widening.

"You can say that again." Jet walked over to them.

"How's the ship?" Spike added.

"She's holding up." Jet placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "It's nice for us all to be together again."

Faye sighed. "Yeah it sure is." She looked at Jet, then Ed, and finally Spike. Faye's faced turned to pure seriousness. "Now can we please get the fuck out of here?"

- - -

Jet and Ed were waiting inside the Bebop. "Come in when you're ready." He had said. Faye and Spike had just nodded. Now the two stood together in the cold night air.

Silence wrapped around them. Spike's hands were deep in his pockets. Faye's arms were crossed over her chest. They stared at each other.

"You came to save me huh?" Spike broke the silence first.

"I was bored." Faye said.

"Now you know what it's like to do some real work." Spike said, grinning.

Faye frowned with anger. "I went through a lot of shit to find you and that's the thanks I get! I hope you know that I was almost raped and killed trying to save your sorry ass!" She glared at him.

Spike smiled again. It melted the frown on her face. "Thanks Faye… for everything."

"Yeah," Faye stared at him. "Just try not to get killed again."

"Afraid you'll lose your only love interest?" This brought the anger back.

"Love interest!" Faye shoved her finger into Spike's chest. "Like I would ever love someone like you." She poked his chest hard. "A worthless bum! Why did I even bother saving your sorry ass?!"

Spike looked down at her. "I love you." He said, apologetically and sincerely.

Faye looked into his eyes. A strange emotion filled those different colored eyes. It was one she had seen on Spike before, when he had been thinking of Julia. It was love.

This is what Faye wanted. Spike was hers now. There was nothing to worry about. The thought of just holding him made her heart skip. She had finally found love.

Faye looked into his eyes and smiled. "Gorgio." Faye said before she pulled Spike to her and kissed him deeply for the first time.

THE END

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That's the end folks. It's been a looong trip. I really enjoyed writing this story. I have completed my first fanfic… YAY!! This was the most fun I have had writing in a long time. I hope to write some more CB fanfiction soon

I would just like to say thanks to a "few" people…

Thank you to all the people who took the time to read my story. Desmonia, Kendra Lueher, dark-pyro-angel-2, FrameOfMind, Evil-Bunny-Leader, fireinu, Ayame, HiddenPortrait (There since the beginning ) ), Ms. B17, and the countless others who took the time to read.

Thank you to my best friend Diana, whom without, I would never had started this story.

And my final thanks goes to my parents… who forced my on to the computer to type more chapters for my hungry fans!

I am trying to work on a sequel… If you have ANY ideas… email me with them…

Thanks again for reading!

See you Space Cowboy…

Seann Alkaz (Finished 11-30-04)