CH 5: Re-Opening Old Wounds
If you call, I will answer, and if you fall, I'll pick you up, and if you court this disaster, I'll point you home====
-Barenaked Ladies: "Call and Answer"
"This is by far my greatest disguise, yet," Spike announced hubristically as Edward continued to bounce alongside Faye and himself. "After all, who would suspect two syndicate cronies to be a married couple with a child?"
"Hush, Spike...some one might hear you!," Faye chided irritably as they continued to amble along down the slightly crowded streets of Tharsis in a perfectly-formed line. "The last thing that I want is for my very first assignment to blow up in my face, and the mere fact that you hate my guts for some uncomprehensible reason is not the least bit comforting to my already wary conscience!"
Spike smirked. "Now, now...dear...no need to bring the fact that I don't give a flying fuck as to what happens to you to all ears."
"Wheeeee! Flying fuckety-fuck-fuck!"
"Edward!," Faye exclaimed, staring down at the blissfully unaware child in absolute mortification.
"Oh, Spike, look what you did! This makes me look like a bad parent!"
"Well there's no harm in that since I seriously doubt that you'd ever make a very good mother to begin with," he remarked dryly, only to further indulge himself in the dirty look that he was now receiving.
Giving him the very unladylike finger for good measure, Faye turned her nose up into the air in a desperate attempt to prove that she didn't really give a damn as to what he thought, only to immediately have someone seize her from behind by the wrist and spin her around until she was face-to-face with the gruff individual.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!," Spike demanded, hurriedly whirling around in order to find out what on earth was going on. "What the hell do you....oh. Crap."
The beefy man smirked, returning cockily, "Yeah, that's right, buddy. I'm a cop, so don't you be tryin' anything funny, alright?"
"But what do you-"
"You have the right to remain silent! That child, there, is Francoise Applederry, is she not?"
Spike drooped. "No, actually, that's Edward Wang Haw Pepsilu Tivranksy IV....looks like you've got the wrong girl."
"That is not Ed's name!," the redhead exclaimed indignantly, only to immediately have Faye clamp a beautifully-manicured hand over her mouth in hopes of silencing her.
"Is that right, kid? Are you Applederry's daughter?," the policeman questioned hopefully, studying her with a cunning smile upon his lips. "If you tell me the truth, there's a lollipop in it for ya."
Edward clasped her hands with glee. "A lollipop? Really? Yes sir, Mr. Copper-person, sir! Ed is Applederry's daughter, and Ed can prove it!"
Spike and Faye watched on in absolute horror as the aberrant child retrieved a book-like device from within the recesses of her light blue knapsack and opened it up, a hologram of a large, robust man instantly appearing out of seemingly nowhere as Edward continued to grin like a euphoric fool.
"Well, that's him, alright...she really is his daughter," the policeman acknowledged, now turning his attention back towards Edward's 'parents'. "You two are under arrest for the kidnapping of Francoise Applederry. If you come quietly, I might actually try to lessen your stay in prison."
Faye blanched. "What?! I'm too young to go to prison! Take Spike, if you wish, but leave me out of this!"
Spike snorted. "Well gee, thanks, Faye....always a pleasure to know someone who cares."
"Alright, you two, can it. If you'll all come with me right now, this will be over in no time," the policeman assured the disgruntled couple before clapping a pair of handcuffs over either of their wrists and pushing them abruptly in front of him. "If we make good time, I might actually get to go to the doughnut outlet before it closes, so I suggest that you three hurry along if you know what's good for ya!"
Spike drooped. "I thought that was just a sterotype."
"Shut up."
88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
"You seem tense, my dear. Is something bothering you?"
Evelyn slowly shook her head, then cast her gaze down towards her steel-toed boots, insisting softly, "No, Mao Tajin....I apologize for my behavior. I'm just a little weary from my last assignment, I suppose."
Mao smiled, the leathery flesh of his pudgy face crinkling slightly as he leaned forward in his seat and beckoned her forward. "Come here, my child."
She obeyed, her heart heavy with the burdenous guilt that she carried within the depths of her soul as she felt her feet subconsciously carry her over to her mentor and place her directly before him.
Taking her pale, slender hands within his own tanned, leathery ones, Mao announced warmly, "You, Evey, are truly like the daughter that I neved had. After much deliberation, I have come to the decision that when I am to die you will be my immediate successor to the Red Dragons."
Evelyn gasped. "But sir! Surely you're making a mistake! I'm not fit to lead, let alone rule an entire Chinese mafia!"
"Nonsense, my dear," Mao admonished firmly, his dark, obsidian irises twinkling like fireflies as he gave her hands a gentle pat. "You're exactly what we need to remain as successful as we have over the years."
"B-but Spike..."
"He's far too lazy, child. Although he is an excellent specimen, he is far too brazen and conceited to think about what is best for our syndicate as a whole," Mao insisted before releasing her hands with a weary sigh. "I am growing older and older, and I want for you to take my place. You are strong, cunning, wise beyond your years, and you would never betray me. For these reasons, alone, I have selected you as my finest choice. Surely you accept?"
Evelyn was far too shocked to speak. Never in her miserable life had Mao been so kind to her, and he surely realized this, as well. Their appointment in itself had seemed rather strange, come to think of it, but she had never suspected this.
Before she could either accept or deny his offer, however, one of the security guards suddenly rushed within the room, exclaiming fearfully, "Sir! Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine have been arrested and are being held in the Tharsis City Jail!"
Mao frowned deeply. "Fetch me my comm. link at once."
88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
It had been at least an hour since Spike and Faye had been placed within their cells, and neither of them were handling the situation very expertly, at all.
Faye, for instance, was suddenly overcome by the indelible desire for one of her cancer sticks, and the moment that she found out that she didn't have any left, she began to fear for her sanity almost immediately.
Spike, on the other hand, was contentedly smoking in the cell next to hers, the smug expression upon his face clearly revealing that he knew all too well what was troubling her.
They were both currently sitting back-to-back like in one of those old prison movies and, needless to say, the tension was killing a certain violet-haired vixen to the point of tears.
Hugging her knees to her chest like a lost, frightened child, Faye finally found that she had mustered up enough courage to ask what had been nagging her ever since Julia's murder, and decided to act upon it. Biting her lip, she hurriedly questioned in a soft, breathless whipser, "Why did you love her, Spike?"
He choked, his cigarette falling forth from between his lips and onto his lap with a subtle 'plop' as it suddenly occured to him as to what had just been asked. "Excuse me?"
"What was Julia like?," Faye continued distantly. "I barely knew her, and yet I sensed that there was something very different about her that no other woman had. What was it?"
Spike snorted. "What makes you think that I was in love with her?"
"You were!," Faye insisted shrilly, her patience rapidly dissolving as she took in a sharp intake of air in order to calm her nerves. "I-I'd just like to know why, if you don't mind."
Spike closed his eyes, then opened them again, his heart constricting painfully within his chest as he found himself admitting with a tremendous reluctance, "She was what made me afraid to die, Faye. There's only one point in a man's life when he meets someone who makes him complete, and, sad to say, my time is already up. I never got to tell her how I truly felt, yet I think that she knew.
"When our eyes connected, I always felt at peace, b-but when I had to confirm her identity at the morgue, those cerulean blue orbs were lost, cold.....empty.
"I should have taken her away from here long ago so that we could've been truly happy. I knew that she didn't really love Vicious, and he, in turn, probably knew this, as well. But now that she's dead, I no longer fear death and its eternal void. In fact, it almost seems like a blessing in disguise. Is it crazy to feel this way?"
Faye shook her head. "No....of course not. Love is one of life's unexplained myseries, and yet, you seem to have a deep understanding of the emotion. Tell me, Spike....why did you love her?"
"I...", he immediately trailed off.
What did he love about her?
Yes, she was beautiful, yes, she was an intriguing phantasm, but what had he fallen in love with besides a pretty face?
Placing his chin within the palm of his hand, he shook his head, admitting brokenly, "I....I don't know."
Faye raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"
"NO!," he hollered, a terrible rancor staining the sultry tremors of his voice as he slammed his fist down onto the concrete floor like a sledge hammer. "Are you happy now, Faye? You just proved to me that I might not even love Julia as much as I thought I did, so I guess that you're reeeal excited, huh?! Is that how you get your kicks? Through the internal suffering of others?!"
"No!," Faye rebuked sharply, immediately shooting up and to her feet within a sudden fit of untamed rage. "How could I enjoy others' suffering whenever I've suffered just as much as the rest of them?! I don't even know who my own parents are, Spike! I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember, scrounging the streets for food and giving myself up for prostitution for just a little bit of money! But oh, yes, Spike, I just love it when people suffer!!!"
Spike blinked, his eyes widening in absolute astonishment as he turned to look over his shoulder, only to find Faye sobbing in her hands before dropping down to her knees in a state of absolute desolation.
"Faye...," he began anxiously, "Faye, please. I'm sorry, I just-"
"You couldn't possibly understand what it's like," she whispered, hiccuping amidst her own sobs as she wiped away her mascara-stained tears in a feeble attempt to gain some sort of stability over her sudden breakdown. "I-I've never had someone to look up to....someone to love me. The most endearing terms that I ever received in life were 'dollface', or 'toots'. What kind of a life is that, Spike? Tell me!!!"
Spike didn't answer at first, his long, spindly legs quivering slightly once memories of his own childhood began to resurface.
"No...," he breathed, "not now."
Faye suddenly looked up at hearing this, questioning fearfully, "W-what did you say?"
"Evey and I were put up for prositution once we were sold into the Red Dragons by our 'loving' families," Spike mumbled as if he didn't even hear her question. "My early years were full of loose women, wild parties, strip clubs, booze....just about anything you can think of.
"Evey was my best and only friend before Vicious finally came along. He was cold, aloof...everything that the Red Dragons admired. Needless to say, he was taken in without further question by his 13th birthday.
"We all looked out for each other, cuz the way we saw it, we were in this life alone. I never really felt needed....cared for....loved, even....until Julia came into my life like a life-bearing enchantress. She made me see this dichromatic world in color, and God, it was, by far, the most beautiful sight that I have ever laid eyes on. I'm just sorry that the dream had to end so damn soon."
"I'm sorry, too," Faye admitted softly, trying her best to avoid eye contact.
Spike, however, was gazing at her intently, his voice soft and awed as he revealed aloud, "You know, you're the only one that I've ever told this to. It's kinda weird."
Faye smiled. "Same message."
Before Spike could open his mouth to reply, one of the security guards suddenly knocked on his cell bars with his billy stick, announcing sullenly, "Alright, you two, you're free to go....a Mr. Mao Yenrai's bailed ya out."
Spike sighed.
Somehow, he was not relieved.
A/N: Hey! Sorry that this was so boring, but I promise you that it WAS necessary! I also promise you that I have great stuff in store for this fic (at least I hope it will turn out great, lol) so PLEASE stay with me! Oh, and don't worry...Ed will STILL be in this! =P Kindly support me and REVIEW, please!!!! Luv ya bunches!
3 Kendra Luehr