Gunshot Serenade

A/N: Been a little while, I know. School is crazy this year. I hope you guys like this chapter. May I just say, lots of romance in this one. For anyone who didn't get it last time, Lucifer and Alex King are the same person. Spike calls him Alex, so that's what he'll be. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys seriously make my day, every day. Luv! And I don't know this week's song... not even a title for y'all. Sorry sorry!

Disclaimer: Roses are red/Violets are blue(ish)/I don't own/So don't you sue!

Chapter Seven:

Suitcase Elegy

There's a dim light off the pier

And I've been watching it for years

Through the crashing waves there's a distant bell

And it won't stop ringing in my head

All I do is stand and wait

For him to come and take me far away

-Unknown

They all talked that night. Really talked. Maybe for the first time ever. Faye couldn't remember ever just sitting down with them and having a conversation, but now that they were all lounging in her living room, she couldn't remember why. It was nice in twisted sort of way.

But Faye wasn't blind, and she could see that something had happened between the two boys. They kept glancing at each other, Jet's glares seemingly warning Spike about something. But Faye didn't bother asking. It wasn't her problem, and she was fine not knowing.

There were, of course, certain things no one spoke about. No one asked where Spike had been for the past three years. Nobody mentioned the dozen or so pill bottles spread on Faye's counter, all antidepressants, painkillers, and sleeping pills. Julia did make an entrance into the conversation three or four times, but Spike quickly silenced whoever had made the offhand comment about the dead woman. It wasn't until around 10:30 that Jet brought up sleeping arrangements.

"Faye, where the hell are we going to sleep?" The man asked, crossing his arms over his chest and regarding Faye doubtfully.

Faye heard Spike shift on the couch next to her. "I think we should sleep in the as last night?" The ex-cowboy asked, catching Faye's eye.

She held it. "No. Absolutely not."

Spike shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"I do." Faye retorted.

"Just where did everyone sleep last night?" Jet inquired.

Spike just shrugged and leaned back, leaving Faye to answer the question. She did.

"Spike slept on the couch. Ed and I have our own rooms."

"Alright then," Jet said. "Tonight, I get the couch. Faye and Ed can have their rooms, and Spike, you're on the floor."

Spike sat forward on the couch. "Why do I have to be on the floor? I got here first."

"Exactly," Jet replied, grinning. "We'll trade off every other night for however long it takes to get through this."

The younger man shrugged and sat back, clearly not happy with the prospect of sleeping on the floor.

"You know, Spike," Faye said, smirking. "You can always sleep in the bathtub."

Spike looked at her a moment, his smirk mirroring her own. "Thanks, Faye." He said, standing and walking past her. "I think I will." He finished as he disappeared down the hall.

Jet, Faye, and Ed watched him go in silence.

"I didn't think he would actually do it." Faye said indifferently, stretching and standing up.

Jet shrugged. "He won't stay in there."

"Good. I need a shower."

"Well you aren't getting one tonight."

Faye shrugged. She knew she couldn't win them all. But she could sure as hell try.

$$

Spike hadn't been in the bathroom. Faye did one last look around as she wrapped the towel around her body and opened the door. She didn't see him. She sighed, shaking her head. She knew where he would be.

And she was right.

There he was, sprawled on her bed in his boxers, sound asleep. Faye tore her eyes away from his shadowed form, a rare blush forming on her cheeks. She had seen just about everything, but she wasn't quite prepared for Spike Spiegel half naked on her bed. Yeah, she had thought about it. But she had never quite expected it to happen. Spike was already- Faye cut herself off, shaking her head and turning away as the red stain on her cheeks deepened as she began to dig through her drawers with one hand.

It wasn't long before she pulled out her pajamas, beginning to pull them on with one hand. She had some trouble pulling on her own boxers, so let the towel go to put on her black camisole. She turned around with it half on to find Spike watching her.

He was propped up on his elbows, smirking at her as she stood dumbfounded.

She glared. He grinned. She fumed. He winked.

"Why don't you just go sleep in Ed's room!" Faye growled, narrowing her eyes.

Spike smirked. "Because you're so much more agreeable, Miss Valentine." He drawled, flopping back onto his back.

Faye stuck her tongue out at him when she was sure he couldn't see her and yanked the rest of her shirt down circling to the opposite side of the bed. She would be damned if she got kicked out of her own room, so she laid down on the bed next to Spike for the second night in a row and burrowed down into the covers.

Tharsis in February was more then a little nippy, and although she would never admit it, she was glad for Spike's extra warmth. She could feel his body heat from her spot, although he was still spread on top of the covers. Faye rolled over to face him and poked him twice.

"Get under the covers." She said.

He turned to face her, but he was already asleep. Spike's breathing was steady and deep, but almost robotically he slid under the covers and pressed next to Faye so her head was tucked under his chin. Faye tensed, but he didn't notice as he slid his arms around her waste and pulled her closer.

Faye sighed and snuggled into him although she knew it was a mistake. But as long as he was asleep, it didn't make a difference. So she let go of everything and just closed her eyes.

$$

They hadn't moved by the time Faye woke up. She was still pressed against him, his arms wrapped around her tighter then they had been when she had fallen asleep. Before she opened her eyes, she would have sworn Spike was awake, just hearing him breath and the way his finger traced the back of her neck. But as her eyes opened, she saw his eyes were closed and his face relaxed. He was fast asleep.

Faye was mildly surprised. The woman had experience, and she was almost never wrong about whether someone was asleep or not. Spike had always been a little harder then most, but he was so close... Faye sighed and pulled away. She tried not to look at him, to save herself from the feeling she was on the verge of expressing.

Slowly, she stood, leaving the warmth of the bed for the morning chill of her bedroom. The heat had turned off automatically, leaving the apartment cold. The door was open, so Faye grabbed a sweatshirt from the floor and pulled it on, slipping out of the room and into the hall, and from there into the kitchen.

Jet was already up, and the kitchen was clean. Spotless, in fact. Faye didn't know when Spike had had a chance to clean so thoroughly, but the way Jet was frying something, it looked like he hadn't seen the body of a woman rotting quietly in the corner. When she entered the room he turned around, looking her up and down before facing the stove again.

"Good morning, Faye." He said, his bass voice gruff.

"Good morning, Jet." Faye mocked, sitting down at the kitchen table and propping her feet up.

"Guess I don't have to give Spike-o the couch tonight." Jet didn't look back at Faye, but she could hear the note of danger in his voice.

Faye shrugged. "I dunno. I guess he liked the bathtub."

This time, Jet did look back at her. He took the pan off the front burner and off the flame, facing her fully. "Faye, just be careful. There's a lot about Spike that you don't know, and I don't want to see you both get hurt." Faye wanted to laugh his comment off, but she knew he wasn't kidding.

She furrowed her brow. "What are you trying to say, Jet? What the hell is going on?"

Jet grumbled something and turned his attention back to the stove. Faye watched him carefully. She was about to say something when Edward and Einstein bounced in, Spike following. The girl sat next to Faye and placed Ein gently on the table, something Faye supposed she should have a problem with, but she didn't. Spike opted for leaning against the wall and staring Faye down.

"Whadda you want?" Faye sneered, grabbing the dog off the table and plopping him in her lap.

Spike shrugged. "I'm going out today." He glanced at Jet, who was watching him. "I'll be back tonight, don't wait up." His gaze returned to Faye. "But I will be back."

The woman shrugged as she looked over the plate Jet had set down in front of her. Some grotesque egg creation. She took a tentative bite. It wasn't bad. She swallowed half the plate. "Do whatever you want, Spike."

He smiled at her quickly, and was gone.

$$

Spike had never really liked this part of Tharsis. It was like what Vegas used to be. All money, sex, and plastic. Neon lights and tall buildings and women like what Faye Valentine used to be running down the streets.

He was more suited to the underbelly; downtown, where they syndicate used to be and still was. Where Julia's graveyard sat, where Annie's shop had been. Downtown was dark and cold and impersonal. Here, the lights never went off. And sometimes, a guy needed a little darkness.

But Alex was enjoying himself. He liked the type of women that came with this particular section of town. The kind that practically screamed 'Fuck Me' as they pranced in and out of casinos, getting completely plastered at two o'clock in the afternoon. Alex liked the feel, because he could afford to. Sex, money, and plastic were his specialties.

"So how was she?"

Spike looked up boredly at Alex as they strolled down The Strip. He shrugged.

"That good, huh?"

"I didn't sleep with her, Alex. Stop asking me questions."

"Then what were you so busy with this morning you had to argue about our meeting time? I have to take care of my dad this afternoon. You know that old bastard needs all the help he can get. And after that fucking bitch pulled that-"

Spike stopped short, pulling out a cigarette and silencing Alex with a glare. "Don't." The ex-cowboy warned, his voice a low growl.

Alex furrowed his brow. "What is up with you lately, Spike? Ever since we first went after that girl you've been acting up. I think you should tell me what's going on." Alex's hand went to his pocket, where he kept his gun.

Spike took a silent breath, cooling himself off. "I'll tell you when I need to. And that isn't now. Now why the hell did you bring me all the way out here? You know I hate it." Spike's distaste showed on his face as he glanced at their surroundings.

Traffic flowed around them as she stood still in on the sidewalk, like there was an invisible bubble around them.

"I like this place. What's so wrong with it?" Alex asked.

"Look at the people, Alex." Spike brought a smoking cigarette up to his lips. "They're disgusting."

"Hypocrite..." Alex murmured, smiling and lighting his own cigarette before raising his eyes back to Spike. "But there is a reason you're here. Two, in fact. So, do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

Spike shrugged and took a puff, leading Alex across the street and into a shanky diner. As the pair sat down, Spike answered the question. "Give me the bad news first."

"That girl never came back."

"What girl?"

"The one we sent after that bitch. The new one. I think she got her."

Spike nodded slowly and tapped the ash off the tip of his cigarette. "She wasn't any good, anyway."

Alex nodded in agreement, but his brows were still furrowed. "That makes two. We can't keep missing, Spike. Eventually, that woman is going to get all the way up to you. If she gets you, Spike-o, I'm fucked. Really fucked."

"It'll all work out, Alex. Trust me. Now how about that good news?" Spike watched in silence as Alex waved the waitress away.

"I'm having a little party. I'd like you to come." Alex reached in his pocket and pulled out an envelope, sliding it across the table to Spike. Knowing better then to open it and read whatever was inside, Spike slid it into his pocket.

"Come on, Al. You know I hate parties." Spike said, leaning back. A corner of his mouth lifted.

Alex shrugged one shoulder. "I think it would be in your best interest to show up, if you know what I mean. All the information is in the envelope. Bring that girl of yours along. I want to meet her."

Spike looked down at the table, his brow furrowed. "I don't think that one's going to work out for you." He said, standing as he took another puff. Spike pushed in his chair a raised a hand; a quick goodbye. Alex stopped him as he turned to go.

"Seriously, Spike. How is she?"

Spike took the cigarette from his lips and half turned to face his colleague.

"Best I ever had."

Spike Spiegel left, smoke swirling in his wake.

$$

Spike,

You are cordially invited

If you can't get things sorted

To Alexander King's

Out with the hit, I'm going to

Saint Valentine's Day Ball

Have to take some drastic action.

Nine O'Clock

I think you know what I mean.

The evening of Monday, February 14 2075

The next hit is tonight at 11. Make sure the job gets done before It's your turn to do it.

At 665 Coltrane Avenue

You better come to my little party, Spike-o. With that girl.


Tharsis, Mars

And for god's sake, rent a tux, man. That one looks like shit.

Black Tie

Spike blew out a long stream of smoke and slid the invitation back into the envelope, his brow furrowed. Asshole. He really liked his tux. It was new compared to the old blue suite that still hung in his closet downtown. Sighing, a fresh cloud of acrid smoke coming out with the air, he dropped his butt on the ground and crushed it into the pavement with his toe.

Spike hated parties. But he would go.

$$

It was dark when Faye entered her room. Spike still wasn't back, but for once, she wasn't worried. When he said he would come back, he did. Even when he said he wouldn't, he did. So Faye dropped to her knees by her bed and landed lightly, reaching under the bed until her hand snagged something.

Faye grunted and pulled. The carpet under her burned her knees as she moved a step back, dragging a suitcase out from under the bed. It was big and green; the one she had stolen from the Bebop. With quite a bit of difficulty, she hauled it up onto the bed and plopped down beside it, taking her beer can off the nightstand and downing a good portion of it. She replaced it and turned her attention to the suitcase.

It held memories. Sort of. Everything that had meant anything to her on the Bebop was in there. Along with some other crap she had found along the way. Slowly and carefully, she unzipped the small pocket.

Pictures. The pictures of Spike she had stolen just before she left. She had framed the one of her smoking on the balcony and put it on her kitchen counter next to the pill bottles, but these she hadn't even touched. Faye quickly flipped through them and set them on the bed next to her. Three gold bracelets followed from the same zippered section. Faye still wore one around her ankle, but the other three she placed on top of the pictures.

Slowly, Faye eased the zipper on the large part of the suitcase open. It was stuffed with crap, all of it from before and during the Bebop. Four and a half years of crap she had gathered and shoved into a container so she never had to look at it. Faye Valentine began to sort through her past.

First to come out was the yellow outfit she had been so fond of. The boots followed, then suspenders and stockings. Once it was all laid out Faye took a good long look at it before refocusing on the suitcase.

Next, a shoebox full of paper clippings. Any time her name was mentioned, she had chopped it and saved it. Articles about Gren and Spike's mad crusade also made it in, along with the obituaries that listed Spike's name. It was depressing, so Faye plopped it down on top of the yellow outfit.

A ribbon was next on the pile, from the night she met Vicious. She closed her eyes for a moment, willing the memory out of her head. Not wanting to think about it any more, she continued to unpack her suitcase.

How she had fit so much crap in was beyond her, but she had, so she took the time to look at it all properly. Spike stood behind her the entire time, listening patiently to her stories. When at last she came to the final item, she sighed.

She took the small portable hologram projector out of the bottom of the suitcase and held in one hand. It looked like a small book almost, a black cover hiding wires and chips. Faye flipped the latch and it swung open. Immediately, a 3D image appeared above the silver innards of the small machine.

It was a hologram, a picture of sorts, of Spike and Faye. She had found it while pawing through Spike's room before she left, had been surprised when she clicked it open and saw the image within. She wasn't surprised as she looked at it now, but could feel the same warmth in the pit of her stomach.

Faye and Spike, in one of the rare moments they really got along. They sat on the couch, smoking cigarettes and ignoring each other. Neither of them looked particularly amazing, but both were so... at peace. With both each other and the world.

"I've been wondering were that went. Been looking for it."

Faye cocked an eyebrow and flipped the hologram projector shut. The room clicked into darkness.

"You were dead when I took it." Faye replied, turning to face Spike's silhouette in the doorway.

"I know. Open it back up."

Faye did as she was told, the hologram clicking on, illuminating Spike's face as he crossed the room. He stopped next to her; she could feel the heat from his body. But something was wrong. The air around him was perfumed heavily with copper. Blood.

From the greenish light of the hologram, Faye could see a dark stain on the arm of Spike's jacket. She recoiled slightly, furrowing her brow. Worry washed over her, killing off the comfortable reminiscence of the moment before.

"Spike. You're bleeding. What happened?" Her mind flashed back to Jet's comment earlier.

There's a lot about Spike that you don't know, and I don't want to see you both get hurt.

"Rough day."

Faye snapped out of her trance. Apparently, she let her emotions slip.

Spike smirked. "I took care of it. It's midnight. Go to sleep. And clear off all of this shit. What is this all?"

Faye watched him for a moment. He quirked an eyebrow.

"It's my past. My life since I woke up."

Spike nodded faintly and stripped off his jacket. His white tuxedo shirt was stained red, the entire arm deep crimson. His body gave off the metallic scent of copper, and it made Faye sick as she piled her life back into the suitcase and pushed it off the bed. The hologram projector, however, went on the bedside table.

Faye clambered into bed and tried not to watch as Spike unbuttoned his shirt and sat down on the edge of the bed. She could see that he had taken care of the wound on his arm; a clean bandage on his arm.

"Spike... What the hell happened tonight? That looks like a gunshot wound."

Faye crawled of to him, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed. He looked at the ceiling for a moment, then to her. A faint smile played on his lips. Faye focused on it, swallowing hard.

Spike Spiegel was one of the few men Faye didn't understand, and that became extremely clear as she watched him. Two nights in a row now he had held onto her like a teddy bear, and somehow it helped her sleep. Twice now he had saved her ass, and countless times before. But still, he wouldn't give her a straight answer.

"It is." Spike's answer was quiet, almost silent. Faye had to strain to hear it. "Now let's go to sleep."

Faye sighed, her eyes still on his face. She didn't notice his lips brushing hers until he was already pulling away.

Faye Valentine's eyes widened as she watched him lay down and pull covers over his body.

Spike Spiegel had just kissed her.

A/N: Lame, I know. But I didn't know what else to do with it, since I don't want Spike to be too ooc, although he sort of was. I'm confused right now about him, since I want him to be a deeper charicter then he is in a lot of the other fics here, without him being ooc. It's just so hard to make him deep and believeable without pissing anyone off. So please don't yell at me!

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Love! And Rock on!

Until next time,

Lulu