Gunshot Serenade

A/N: Ahhh! I'm so sorry it's taken so long! School has been crazy, and I had some writters block issues. This is a transitional chapter, so it's a little slow, but you get to know Amber and Alex a little bit better. From here on out, it should be faster updates and smooth sailing. Only 12 chapters left! And remember: Dimonds are a girl's best freind. RxR!! luv!

Dedication: To Zoe, Lisa, and Seethal. Thank you for reading all of my chapters before I post them. And telling me when Spike is out of charicter. Which is often.

Diclaimer: No. Leave me alone. Fine. i don't own Cowboy Bebop.


Chapter Eight:

Ice Her

Maybe I'm a little bit over my head

I come undone at the things he said

He looks so funny in his bright red shirt

We were all in love and we all got hurt

-Vanessa Carleton

"Spike Spiegel... It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

Spike furrowed his brow but extended his hand to meet the man's anyway. The man had a strong handshake. A corner of Spike's mouth turned up into a half-smile.

"If you don't mind me asking," Spike replied, grinning now. "Who the hell are you?"


The man laughed good-naturedly. "My name is Alex. Alex King. And I have an offer for you."

"Well, Alex King. What is that offer?"

"I need you to help me. If you do, I can promise you more money and power then you've ever dreamed of."

"Is that so?" Spike asked, amused. "And what if I say no?"


Alex shrugged. "I may have to kill you."

"As much as I would like to see you try," Spike responded, "I'm intrigued. So what is it you intend to do, Mr. King?"

"I want to rebuild the Re-"

()

"Spike? Are you listening to me?"

Spike snapped out of his trance immediately to find a ticked Amber sitting across from him. They sat at their diner, waiting for Luke and Alex. Neither had bothered to show up so far.

"No." Spike replied simply, dragging his thoughts away from his first meeting with Alex.

"Asshole." Amber murmured good-naturedly, a happy smile on her face.

"No need for name calling." Spike said, taking a sip of his coffee. He drummed his fingers on the tabletop, wanting a cigarette badly. Amber quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What's with the twitching, Spike? Want a cigarette?"

Spike grimaced. "You have no idea."

Amber shrugged. "So go outside and have one. I'll be fine on my own."

"I'm trying to quit."

"Are you shitting me? Spike Spiegel is trying to quit smoking? Is this the twilight zone?"

Spike glared across the table at her. "Quite possibly."

"Do you want some gum?" Amber laughed, reaching into her purse and pulling out a stick. She tossed it to him, leaving forward, her elbows propped on the table. "So why the sudden urge to stop smoking? Is it because of that girl?"

"No." Spike answered quickly, popping in the gum. Maybe a little too quickly. Amber squeaked.

"You're quitting for a girl! Wow! You must really like her! What's her name?"

"I'm not quitting for a girl. I'm almost thirty years old, Amber. I'm going to drop dead any moment. I would prefer to be addiction free when I check out."

"Bullshit." Amber said slowly, searching his eyes. She found nothing in their half-lidded depths. Sighing, she shrugged and pulled back.

"I think you need your head examined, Amber."

"Come on, Spike-o. You've died twice before. Never cared then. At least I don't think so. Since you are still smoking and all."

Spike shrugged. "It's different this time."

"Because you have a girl sitting at home?"

"This is not about a stupid girl, Amber."

Amber smiled and shrugged. "Okay, Spike. Whatever you say."

"What are you two talking about?" Spike looked up to find Alex and Luke standing over them. Luke slid in next to Amber, and Alex took his place beside Spike.

"Spike decided to stop smoking." Amber told them, a glint in her eye.

"Is that so?" Alex inquired. "Why?"

"Because of that girl." Amber replied, smiling.

Spike grumbled something and took another swig of his black coffee. His three companions burst out laughing.

"Wow... Spike is doing something for a girl... Never thought I'd see the day. Since the whole Julia affair-"

A glare and Spike's fist slamming down onto the table silenced Alexander King.

"Shut up." He growled dangerously. "All of you. Julia has nothing to do with it. Don't ever fucking mention her again."

A heavy silence hung over the table. Luke reached for Amber's hand discretely, snagging it and not letting go. Alex signaled the waitress over and quietly ordered two cups of coffee. Spike kept his eyes on the table.

He had wrongly assumed his comrades had learned not to mention what had happened with Julia. It seemed so long ago, but there are some wounds that never heal. Amber had always been nosy, and he was fine with that. But she had learned not to cross the thin line Spike had etched in the sand. Leave it to Alex to step over like it had never existed. He had done it from the moment they had met.

"You know, Spike," Alex said quietly from beside him as the waitress walked away, "We've all lost people. It's natural in this business. Everyone here knew Julia, and although I can't say we miss her or liked her in the least, we understand what you've gone through. When you talked about this new girl, I thought you had turned a corner. I see you haven't. You better start turning, Spiegel, because we have more important things to do than listen to you rant about some stupid slut who fucked your best friend."

Spike closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. There he went, crossing that line again. When Spike opened his eyes again, his three comrades were watching him. He turned to Alex. "Fine. What did you bring us here to say?"

The mood at the table lightened drastically as Alex cracked a smile.

"Alright, my little boushies. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

Spike sighed. "Why do you always ask us that?"

Alex grinned and winked. "Because I can."

()

Faye sure as hell wasn't expecting Spike to be gone when she woke up. But he was. So, she did what she always did. Rolled off the bed and hit the floor with a thud. She was pretty sure someone had once told her it was self destructive to hit the ground first thing every day, but she had the feeling she had made sure they were eating out of a straw for a very long time. Besides. Everything she did was self destructive.

Once off the floor, Faye brushed herself off and stumbled out into the hallway, trying to determine whether anyone was awake. The sound of something frying and Ed's maniacal laughter answered her question.

"Good morning, Faye-Faye!!" Ed yelled happily as Faye entered the kitchen. She sat on top of the refrigerator. Jet, who was working at the stove, turned back to face her.

"Hey Faye." He greeted as she plopped down at the kitchen table.

"Coffee."

Jet laughed and moved away from the stove, revealing some strange organism frying happily in her pan. Faye looked up, startled, as Jet slid a cup of black coffee in front of her with a thunk.

"Don't get used to being waited on hand and foot, Faye." Jet said as he got himself a cup and went back to his cooking.

"You know, Spike is gone." Faye told Jet as she took a sip.

He shrugged. "So? He'll come back. Always does. Eventually."

Faye nodded as Ed clambered down from the refrigerator to join Ein on the floor.

"Spike person is coming back. He promised Edward and Einstein."

"Why does he keep doing this to me?!" Faye groaned, flopping over and resting her head on the table.

"Because he's an ass." Jet answered simply. He flipped something in the pan and slid it onto a plate. Faye watched him, her expression bored.

"Where did he go this time?" She asked, absentmindedly sipping her coffee.

"Home. Maybe to work for a few hours."

Faye nearly gagged. "Spike works? What does he do?"

Jet was suddenly on edge, fidgeting as he replied, "I... don't know, Faye. It's complicated."

Faye furrowed her brow, but didn't comment, instead blowing on her coffee.

"I'm taking a shower." She announced a few moments later. No one commented as she stood, leaving her nearly full cup of coffee steaming quietly in her wake.

()

It was raining. Spike sighed and watched the fat drops slither down the diner window. He knew he should have been listening to Alex ramble on the facts and figures of the week, but he couldn't keep his mind focused on anything. Anything but the rain.

It had started so suddenly. The day had been bright and beautiful, but then a crack of lightning and it began to pour. That was one thing Spike hated about climate control. It could change on a whim. But he didn't mind the rain. Not anymore.

"Spike, pay attention, man. Christ."

Spike sighed again and turned to focus on Alex. Luke and Amber had long gone, Spike didn't care to ask where to.

"What?"

"Well, since you're the only one here, I figured you should pay attention. I don't like talking to myself."

"Sorry."

Alex grinned. "No problem. So... have you asked your girl to come to my party?"

Spike glanced down at the tabletop. "Not yet."

"Why not? You only have two days, Spike-o. And I want to see her there."

"Alex, I'll come. But she won't."

"Why the hell not?"

Spike shrugged. "Parties really aren't her thing. And she would need a dress and all that shit. It wouldn't work."

Alex smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a wad of 100 woolong bills. He tossed the entire clump on the table.

"Take that and buy her a dress, Spike."

Spike cocked an eyebrow and slid the money back to Alex's side of the table. "I have just as much money as you, Alex. I can afford to buy her a dress. But I don't have her size."

Alex shrugged. "You don't need it. They have databases of that shit. Now hurry along and buy her a nice, expensive dress. She'll love you forever. I promise."

Spike shook his head and stood, shoving his hands in his pockets and shaking his head. "Forever is something I've already given away." He turned to go.

"Oh, Spike!" Alex called after him. Spike paused. "Don't forget jewelry. Diamonds go with everything."

()

Jet furrowed his brow.

"Spike... What the hell are you thinking?"

Spike shrugged and threw his bags onto Faye's living room couch. "That I'm never going shopping again."

"How much did you spend on all of this crap? How many diamonds did you buy?" Jet said, pulling open one of many velvet boxes.

"Enough. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, Jet."

"Not when they have so many on they can't walk, Spike-o."

"Faye is a tough girl. She can handle it."

"These are all for Faye? Are you trying to get laid or something?"

Spike smiled. "Not at all. But I need her to do me a favor. I figured she might need a little incentive."

Jet eyed him warily. "What favor is that, Spike? If you're going to put her into danger-"

"No, Jet. I just need her to come with me to a party. I don't think she'll go for it unless we completely ice her and provide the dress. Which I have done." Spike nodded to a garment bag spread on the floor. He bent down to pick it up, turning to Jet as he did so. "Put the diamonds somewhere she won't find them."

"Afraid she'll pawn them?"

Spike considered. "Yes, now that I think about it." He said as he turned away and marched down the hall. He came to a halt in front of Faye's room.

The games had begun.

()

"How nice. The great Spike Spiegel has finally decided to return. Charming." Faye spat from her bed as she saw him enter. Rolling her eyes, she turned the page of her magazine.

"Nice to see you, too, Faye." Spike said, rounding the bed to plop beside Faye.

"What's with the garment bag, Spike? Buy a nice dress for yourself? Do you look pretty?" Faye cocked an eyebrow and smirked. Spike smirked back. She had the sudden urge to kill him.

"No. Strapless never worked on me." He said, handing her the garment bag. "But I bet it'll work wonders on you."

Faye furrowed her brow. "This is for me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To wear."

"To where?"

"A party. On Valentine's day. You're coming with me."

Faye nearly choked on her own spit. "As a date?"

Spike swung his legs over the bed. "Yes. As a date." He turned back to her just long enough to flash her a grin before standing and leaving the room.

Faye would have killed him. But then she saw the dress.

Maybe you were all just faster than me

We gave each other up so easily

These silly little wounds will never mend

I feel so far from where I've been...

Boushies (boo-sh-e-z)- a shortened term for babushka, which is baby in Russian. It's what I call my dogs. Just seemed to work.

A/N: Again, transitional chapter. I know it changes views a lot and such, sorry. Starting next chapter, there will be a lot more happening. Well, RxR, rock on! Next chapter should be out soon.

Next time on Gunshot Serenade:

Spike shoved his hands in his pockets, watching Faye closely as she talked to a woman he had never met. Smirking, he turned to Alex.

"If you touch her, I'll kill you."

lol. Luv!

Lulu