Gunshot Serenade

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Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop

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Dedication: To Phu Ton, my best freind. I hate your SN, but you're a great help!

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A/N: Enjoy!! This chapter gave me a bit of trouble, but I hope you like!

Chapter Two:

Goodbye Reprise

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The clicking of high heels stopped abruptly as Faye paused outside a cold metal door. Slowly, she raised her hand to the door, her crimson fingernails clicking gently as they made contact. The small sound echoed for a moment, then faded away. Her hand clenched into a fist. Faye stepped closer, pressing her body to the door.

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She closed her eyes tightly, focusing completely on the cool metal against her skin. Faye knew she was nowhere near tears, but the world outside her mind seemed a little too much for her to handle. Slowly, her hand unclenched and began searching the wall. A moment later, the sound of gears turning reached her ears, signaling her step away. The door slid open, revealing a dark room.

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Faye lingered for a moment in the doorway, her eyes scanning Spike's empty room. She couldn't for the life of her remember what had driven her to enter his room, but as the acrid scents of stale cigarette smoke and gunpowder reached her nose, she recalled the burning desire to be close to him one last time. The need to drown in him before throwing him away forever.

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The small room was just as Spike had left it; Jet had sealed the door, and nobody had bothered to enter until now. The bed was unmade, photos tossed around the room, clothing in a jumble on the floor. Somehow, the sight of his daily disarray comforted Faye as she tiptoed her way to his bed, slipping off her shoes and curling up.

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The sheets were grimy and reeked of smoke, but Faye didn't mind anymore. She closed her eyes once again, snuggling down into the sheets, resting her head on the pillow. The bed wasn't comfortable at all, but for Faye, it was the most comforting place she could be.

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It wasn't long before Faye opened her eyes again and slid out of the bed, picking up the shoes she had discarded on the floor. Holding them in one hand, she silently tiptoed to the dresser, and began to sort through a pile of photos.

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At first, most of them were of Julia, posing in random positions at random times. As Faye's green eyes darted over her face again and again, she could feel her stomach constrict in anger and pain. All of the times Julia had screwed him over, and he still had countless photos of her hanging around.

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Sighing, Faye tossed aside yet another photo of Julia. A smile broke suddenly as she glanced at the picture under it. An artsy shot of Faye, taken on the balcony above the living room. She wasn't smiling, her hand loosely holding a cigarette as she leaned over the rail. Faye couldn't remember the picture being taken. She quietly tucked it into her pocket.

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The rest of the photos were of the Bebop crew. Faye pocketed three or four of them, mostly pictures of Spike. She wanted something to remember him by. What better then a picture? Her business done, Faye slowly wandered into the hall. With one last look back, she sealed the door.

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The hallway floor was cold on Faye's feet, sending a shiver down her spine as she padded quietly toward her room. She could hear Jet's heavy footsteps from the kitchen, practically the only sound on the ship.

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Once safe in the darkness of her room, Faye slipped on her shoes and threw open her closet. She found what she was looking for after only moments of searching, and began to pull it out. It was a beaten suitcase she had stolen from Jet one of the many times she had left. Faye pulled the ugly green bag into the middle of the room.

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She stared at it for a moment, lying open and empty like it had so many times. She had left so often. It was never hard. Faye never had anything to keep her on the Bebop, save the free meals and warm bed. It should have been easier then ever now that Spike was gone. But a part of her didn't want to leave Jet all by himself. Much as he annoyed her, the old man had taken damn good care of her.

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All at once she woke herself up and began going through her drawers, throwing nearly everything she owned into the suitcase. Clothes, sheets, shoes, jewelry, and a bag of money she had swiped from Jet a while back. A drop of sweat broke on Faye's brow as she kneeled and zipped the luggage.

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The last to go in were the pictures. She gently placed the snapshots from Spike's room in the front pocket and yanked the zipper across. That done, Faye grabbed the handle and began to pull the suitcase toward the door. It was heavy, and by the time Faye reached the Redtail and shoved the suitcase into the back, she was panting. The heels didn't make it much easier.

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Faye froze suddenly, in the middle of climbing into her ship, as a harsh voice rang through the hangar.

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"Faye. Where the hell do you think you're going?" Jet's voice was loud. Faye hadn't been expecting it, and the sudden noise had frightened her.

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"I'm staying here. On Mars." She didn't turn to face him.

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"Don't do this, Faye. Staying on this planet is going to kill you."

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"No, Jet. Staying on this ship is going to kill me."

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"I don't get you, Faye. Why are you doing this? So that when he dies, you can stand by his coffin and pretend he loved you?" Faye closed her eyes, trying to keep her tears from falling.

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"No... So that when he dies, no one will know where to find me. So that when he dies, I won't have to know." She could feel Jet's eyes on her as she clambered the rest of the way into the cockpit. "Jet, do me a favor." She said as she scanned the martian city before her. "If Ed comes back, give me a call. I'd like to see her again."

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She smiled as the cockpit closed. She could see Jet standing by the wall, his arms crossed.

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The engine in the Redtail started and the ship lifted off the ground. Faye could hear Jet's voice over the roar of the thrusters as he shouted her personal motto.

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"You know what they say! Easy come, easy go!"

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And Faye Valentine was gone.