Gunshot Serenade

A/N: Wow. I AM SO SORRY! SO SORRY! FORGIVE ME! Je suis desolee! I didn't mean for it to take so long! But I think it turned out well, and since I'm on Spring Break, I plan on getting Chapters 15 and 16 out by the end of next week. Maybe by the end of this week. We'll see. So I hope you like this! And I've answered some questions. They're at the bottom of the chapter. Luv!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bebop. Nope. Not me.

Chapter Fourteen:

Absinth Drip

And I know you have a heavy heart
I can feel it when we kiss
So many men stronger than me
Have thrown their backs out trying to lift it
But me, I'm not a gamble
You can count on me to split
The love I sell you in the evening by the morning won't exist

-Bright Eyes

It was raining. Hard.

Not that he minded. The rain wasn't so bad, not anymore. Maybe he had gotten used to it. Maybe it suited his mood. He cocked an eyebrow as hair fell into his eyes.

Maybe he had just adapted to it.

Either way, Spike Spiegel had no desire to hail a taxi. He would rather walk. So he pushed off the wall he had been leaning against and started moving. He didn't know where he was going. But that had never mattered before, and it didn't matter now.

He had been waiting. He had waited for hours. Rain and all. She hadn't come home. But Spike had been patient, telling himself the whole time he wasn't standing outside her apartment building in the rain because he felt bad. Because he wanted her to trust him again. Told himself over and over.

And he didn't. Not really.

But he owed her an explanation, at least. That was why he had waited. He wanted her to hear it from him before Jet decided to 'help' and told her the whole thing. If she heard it from anyone else, she wouldn't believe a word.

All he wanted was to explain himself.

But Faye hadn't come home.

Spike turned up the collar of this trench coat and slid his hands into his pockets.

It was killing him, leaving like that.

But eventually, he would have had to leave. No matter what. Why not now? The ending was still the same. Faye sitting in some dark hallway with a gun, and Spike waltzing off into the rain.

It sure as hell made a pretty picture.

And happily ever after never ended with a bang.

Spike smiled grimly to himself, lowering his eyes and watching as his shoes scuffed the sidewalk. Slowly, almost reluctantly, a thought materialized in his mind.

Faye was probably already gone. Already run off to another planet, another city, another man. It wouldn't be unlike her to just bolt like that.

Faye Valentine had never been one to stick around when things got tough.

Of all people, Spike should know.

He paused suddenly under a streetlight. His eyes flickered up to the lamp, blinding him momentarily as they adjusted. The light was reflecting off the falling water, making it glitter.

It was pretty. A little sad.

Spike cocked his head and just stood, letting the water pound on his head and shoulders. Regret was creeping up on him from behind. He didn't recognize it at first. It was rare. But in a way, not unexpected.

If she really was gone…

Spike would have liked to say goodbye. Closure is what they called it.

Faye obviously didn't get that concept. Then again, neither did he.

But he could have really gone for some closure just then.

Spike stood for a moment longer, watching the rain sparkle, before finally moving on. As he passed out of the circle of light, something in a dark store window caught his attention. He moved towards it.

A bouquet of red roses set in a jeweler's display next to a diamond ring. Spike laughed half heartedly to himself. He could appreciate the irony. He touched his finger to the cool glass, his face empty.

It was moments like this that he really missed her.

Julia.

She was beautiful from beginning to end.

Living proof that some things never changed.

Spike drummed his fingers twice through on the glass and turned away. That was enough of her for one night.

He had another woman to deal with.

Ducking under an awning and out of the rain, Spike pulled out his communicator and turned it on, punching in a number as soon as the device was on. It rang three times before someone picked up.

"Jinn?" Spike demanded as a young man appeared on the screen. He looked tired, his green eyes hazy from sleep and his brown hair mussed.

"What the hell..." He was murmuring, rubbing his left temple and blinking rapidly. When his eyes focused, his expression changed from befuddlement to an enthusiastic smile.

"Oh, hi Spike! What's up?"

Spike scratched the back of his head and sighed. "That girl I asked you to follow, Jinn. Did you find her?"

The man, Jinn, nodded keenly. "Yeah. Let me tell you, in all my years of working for you, Spike, I never got as wet as I did this afternoon. Celia was sure I was gonna get sick, but I'm telling you! My family, we don't get sick easily. Neither did Shin or Lin. Amazing, really amazing."

Spike nodded a little impatiently. "So you found her. Where did she go?"

Jinn thought a moment. "Right! I found her coming out of this bar. It's called Le Chien Noir on Wilcox Boulevard. She walked around for a little while, bought an umbrella off of some kid, turned around and came back to that bar. She met an older, really muscular man who was chatting up the bartender."

Spike furrowed his brow. "Did you catch any names?"

"One," Jinn replied, and then continued his story. "I sat down at a table in the back and pretended to be reading a magazine, just like you taught me. It was really great. Hilarious. Anyway, so the girl and the man talked to the bartender for a long time. Maybe an hour. People would come into the bar and stuff, and she would take their orders, but then it was right back to your girl and the old guy. So after about an hour, your girl stands up and goes to the bathroom. She's in there for about fifteen minutes. I get suspicious. So I go in there all stealthy and it's empty."

Spike blinked twice. His heart sank. "Empty? She wasn't there?"

"Nope. But the window was open. I think she bolted."

"And you didn't call to tell me this?"

Jinn paused a moment, considering. "No. Were you waiting that whole time?" Spike nodded slowly. "Oh! Sorry, man! I meant to call. But then Celia called to ask what I wanted for dinner, and was wearing this really low cu-"

"Jinn!" Spike cut off before the young man could go any further. "You said you caught a name. Who's was it?"

"It was the bartender. She's French, I think. Her name is Alyssa Delamater. I told Celia and she loved that name. She wants to name the baby Alyssa now. My mom practically had a heart attack. She blamed you."

Spike quirked an eyebrow. Jinn's mother hated him. He brushed it off.

"Alyssa? The name sounds familiar. Where did you say this bar was again?"

"34 Wilcox Boulevard. Le Chien Noir."

Spike nodded. "Right… Alyssa. Le Chien Noir. Thanks, Jinn."

Before the young man could reply, Spike hung up. His brow was furrowed as he tucked his communicator away.

So she really was gone. He cursed quietly to himself. There was nothing else he could do. For Faye or anyone else. It was over. But then again, what had he expected?

What the hell else could he have anticipated?

Spike ran a hand through his hair, feeling the cold water pool between his fingers and run down his arm as he turned around and stepped back out into the rain. He was near a corner. The crosswalk light was blinking red, illuminating a street sign. Despite the sporadic lighting, Spike managed to read it.

Wilcox Boulevard.

He smiled wryly and glanced across the street to his left. A blue neon sign read 'Le Chien Noir' in the otherwise darkened window of a bar. A lone figure, what appeared to be a woman holding an umbrella, was walking away slowly.

"So there is a God…" Spike murmured to himself.

The cross walk light turned green.

Spike laughed quietly and stepped off the curb after the lone figure.

Alyssa.

Looked like he had found her.

Alyssa almost didn't want to open the door. She glanced at her watch. It was late.

Maybe he wouldn't be up.

The light was off, but he could have easily been watching T.V. in the dark. She cursed quietly. Since when had she been afraid to go home because of him? It was certainly a recent development.

She used to love him.

Finally, Alyssa gave in and slid her key into the lock. The door opened to reveal an empty living room, done tastefully in dark blues and browns.

Home sweet home.

Alyssa yawned and entered her apartment, shutting and latching the door behind her. She stripped off her coat and gloves, tossing them carelessly on the back of the sofa.

There was light peeking out from under the bedroom door. So he was still awake.

"Baby, I'm home!" Alyssa called, a little softer than she should have to be heard. She waited a moment, but there was no reply. Satisfied that she had at least tried to let him know she was there, she headed for the kitchen and her liquor cabinet.

Time for an after-work pick me up.

Absinth.

She gathered her things quickly and then moved back to the couch, sitting on the floor and placing her effects on the coffee table in a neat line.

The bottle, a glass, an intricately embossed spoon, a sugar cube, cold water.

Alyssa sighed. She was tired. The television was blaring in the bedroom, but with the door closed, she could hardly hear it. She considered turning it on out here, but decided against it.

Silence was golden, and she was pretty close to a migraine.

The strong scent of licorice perfumed the air as Alyssa opened the bottle of Absinth and poured a good amount into the cup in front of her.

Surprises tended to leave her reeling, especially big ones. Like Jet suddenly showing up again. With another woman. A young, beautiful, knock out of a woman. The migraine would the least of it.

It wasn't like Alyssa had thought Jet would be alone forever. After all, she had found half a soul mate in Rhint, hadn't she? So maybe that was a little generous. She had found a good person in Rhint, even though he bugged the shit out of her. But Jet had never struck her as the type to go for girls half his age. Disgusting.

Alyssa sniffed and placed the spoon across the top of the glass, gently setting the sugar cube on top. She paused for a moment.

But then again, maybe that girl, Faye… Maybe she wasn't with Jet. They didn't seem all that romantically inclined. And the way she talked about that other man… Alyssa narrowed her eyes. She couldn't quite remember his name. It was a dog name. She knew that. Spot or Fido or Benji or something like that. The way she talked about him… and that look she got in her eyes… like nothing else mattered. There was no way she would be with anyone else with a look like that on her face.

Alyssa sighed. She used to be like that. But only when she was with Jet. That time in her life when nothing else mattered. When she could hold his hand and know that everything would be taken care of.

Those were the salad days.

But in the end, Alyssa had proven too independent, too ambitious, for a life like that. She had paid quite a price for her independence. And looking back on it, there in the dark, Alyssa wasn't sure she should have given Jet up so easily.

Slowly, she reached for the cold water and began pouring it leisurely over the sugar cube. It dissolved bit by bit, the stream biting into the sticky sweetness. The water level in the glass rose.

"'Lyssa, babe?" A masculine voice chimed from behind her.

Alyssa closed her eyes tight. Damn. He was awake.

"Hi, Rhint." Alyssa murmured.

"Hey. How long have you been home?"

Alyssa's eyebrow twitched. "I don't know Rhint. A while." She said shortly.

"Okay… Well, I'm gonna go to sleep now…" He said from behind her.

"You do that, Rhint. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Good night, Alyssa. I love you."

Alyssa opened her mouth to speak, but choked on her words. She swallowed hard and replied, "Goodnight."

She listened for the bedroom door to click closed again. When it did, she set the cold water and the spoon down and took a sip.

Alyssa used to love him.

Apparently, she didn't anymore. She couldn't even say it.

God damn it.

Alyssa stood up, setting her drink on the coffee table and moving towards the large windows to the left. Her apartment was in the French Quarter, which at least tried to model Paris. Her building was made of stone, artificially worn and stuck with a few gargoyles on the roof. When it rained this hard, it looked like four old men were pissing on the roof.

She laughed to herself quietly and pressed her forehead to the glass, looking down to the empty street. It was beginning to flood. Alyssa had moved to Tharsis to get away from all the water in Ganymede. So much for that.

She had also moved to Tharsis to get away from Jet and Rhint. That didn't work so well, either.

Alyssa jumped as a sudden loud thump rang out. Then another. She furrowed her brow. Someone was knocking on the door, loud and urgent.

Slowly, carefully, Alyssa moved towards the door. The knocking didn't stop. Then, abruptly, it ceased. Brow furrowed, Alyssa placed a hand on the doorknob and pressed an ear to the door.

Silence.

Curious now, Alyssa, against her best judgment, opened the door.

With a knock like that, she had expected Jet. And it was a man standing, drenched, outside her apartment. But it sure as hell wasn't Jet Black. It wasn't anyone she could remember meeting, actually. But it was someone she knew right away.

A half-smile crossed Alyssa's face.

"You're the one, aren't you?" she said quietly.

The man, tall and lanky, dressed in a trench coat and sloppy tuxedo, cocked an eyebrow under a mop of wet brown hair.

"Maybe," was his reply, "Are you?"

"I'm Alyssa. And you're Benji. Or Spot. Or Fido."

The man shrugged. "Close. I'm Spike."

Spike.

So that was the man's name. The man Faye was talking about all night. Spike. Spike Spiegel. Alliteration. Catchy.

Alyssa stepped out of the doorway. Spike filed past her into the apartment.

"Do you want to take off your coat?" She asked.

He turned brown eyes to her. "I'm not staying long."

"Um… Alright."

Alyssa shut the door quietly, keeping her eyes on Spike as he wandered to the window. His hands were in his pockets, eyes sad, as he watched the rain slither down the glass.

There was silence.

Alyssa grabbed her Absinth off the table and took a good sip. When she looked back at Spike, he was watching her.

"Absinth?" He asked.

"Yeah. Do you want some?"

Spike shook his head and turned back to the window. Still, no one spoke. Alyssa decided to be patient and took a seat on the couch. The rain drops beat heavily against the window, partially filling the silence.

Finally, without looking at her, Spike said, "So she's gone." He said it like it was definite. A simple fact of life.

He was breaking Alyssa's heart.

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you anything."

His russet eyes turned to her.

"Tell me if she's gone."

Alyssa swallowed another sip of her drink. "No. She's still on Mars."

"Do you know where she is?"

"No."

Spike sighed and looked back to the window. "Are you sure?"

A sad smile crossed Alyssa's face. "No."

"Can you get a message to her?"

Alyssa was taken aback. "I…" she opened and closed her mouth several times, unsure of what to say.

"Can you get a message to her?" Spike said, almost demanded, again.

"Yes." Was Alyssa's reply, "I can."

"Will you?" He asked.

"Yes. I will."

Spike watched her carefully for a moment, reading her body language. She met his eyes. A half smile appeared on his face.

"Tell Faye that she's finally singing on key." He said quietly.

Alyssa nodded, smiling softly. "Okay." She said.

Spike watched the rain for a moment longer, then turned wordlessly and slipped out the door.

It clicked quietly closed.

Satisfied, Alyssa leaned back on the couch, propping her feet on the coffee table.

She held her absinth up the light.

Beautiful.

A/N: Well then. Sorry, Alex wasn't in this one. He'll be checked in on later, gator.

And now, some questions answered:

Wicked-Dreamer: When Alex said that, he meant that if Spike had killed Faye in chapter four, he would have saved her a lot of grief and pain. As for your other question, I guess you'll see!

Magtec:Oui, je sais. I'm a terrible speller. So sue me.

Neveada: In the credits, Alyssa's name is spelled Alisa. But there are tons of spellings, and the first time I saw it written out it was spelled A L Y S S A, so that's how I chose to spell it. And Spike? You will have to wait and see!

Miyoko: It was sort of both. It was mostly because she didn't want to hear Amber talk, but she woudln't have minded hurting either of them at that moment. We'll check in on Alex soon.

Thank you to all of the Reviewers! I love you guys so much! And if anything is unclear, feel free ask me to clarify. I'll try and answer.

Luv!

Lulu