Hi...again. oo; I'm back...wewt...: readsa bit of the begining of ch 11.: omg...corny. XD I still think it's funny though...okay...well..I guess I'll just let you guys read...oh yeah. This chapter is long and important so dont skip out. ee; Pssh..not like you would anyway! lol

Chapter 11:

My Baby Shot Me Down

Emp took an aspirin for her headache and took a bath for her spirits. A warm bubble bath makes any woman feel great about life, at least until the man pulls the plug. She had been in the bath for about an hour so she felt bubbly and giddy about everything. After she got dressed, she walked out into her kitchen and noticed that not only were her spirits high, but her spirits were out on the table as well. Spike sat staring into a glass of brandy with the bottle not too far away.

"Well, I thought you were out of my life forever," snickered Spike as he grinned from over the top of his glass. "I guess you decided not to elope with the bathtub"

"Nope. It turns out he's already married to Mr. Bubble." She giggled, but her laughter was short as she pointed to the bottle and asked, "What's this doing here?" Spike sipped his brandy and said, "I'm umm, having a drink." Emp grabbed the bottle and walked from the table. Spike got up, getting ready to stop her from drinking, but was surprised to find that she was putting it back in the cabinet.

"Next time, drink these when I'm not around. They bring back memories I'd rather let pass." She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. Spike picked up his glass and carried it to the sink, which was next to her.

"Whatever you want, my dear," he said charmingly as he rinsed out his glass, "I won't drink at all if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Okay, my dear," Emp mocked, but couldn't hold in her laughter. They laughed for awhile and Spike was amazed to see how much she had changed. A few days ago, she was chained to her bed stand awaiting death, or worse: apprehension. She had decided early that she had fallen madly in love with him and he returned the favor by making her wait anxiously while his emotions played badminton with one another. She had been scared by bounty hunters and syndicate leaders all while she battled an alcohol addiction, which she overcame just yesterday. So now, after all she'd been through during the past few weeks, how could she bring herself to smile and laugh? What emotion inside her inspired her enough to live even after what the world, and he, had done to her?

"Please don't let it be me," Spike thought. "I'm not good enough for her. I don't deserve her. Yet she wants me so badly. No matter what I do, I will always be hurting her. She needs someone responsible who won't screw up her life; not someone like me."

"You're so beautiful," he said aloud, "especially when you smile." Emp paused then giggled again as she blushed. She couldn't stop giggling when she replied, "What a silly thing to say Spike."

"But it's true," he continued as he washed his glass, "and nobody, not even Sabatino, has the right to take that smile away from you. We'll get you out of this situation, Emp, and you'll never have to be in it again. Not while I'm alive."

"That's what I'm worried about, "she sighed and walked into her closet. He could hear her rummaging around in there, but he couldn't see what she was doing. By the time he dried his hands, Emp came back out with a metal box. "This was my gun from the ISSP. The ISSP uses advanced technology in its weaponry so it shouldn't be outdated. I know there's no use in trying to convince you to let me go to the Bacalas alone so I figured I could hold onto your gun while you use the better one."

"Are you sure you don't want to use it?" he asked, but Emp just shook her head and replied, "No. I'd feel much safer if you kept it. I could shoot, but I really wasn't that great of a field officer. The ISSP just liked me because I could put two and two together, but just because I want you to have the best gun doesn't mean I want to be unarmed. I want to be able to hold my own if the time comes."

"That makes sense to me. I'll do whatever you want, my dear." Said Spike and as he loaded the gun, two words were on his mind: Mark Sabatino.

For the next week, they planned out their actions. They visited 203489 Red Avenue and discovered that it was an abandoned church. While their end plan wasn't some glamorous scheme, it would do. The plan wasn't like some TV western movie where both the cowboy and the bounty run inside with guns blazing. No, instead, they decided to let Emp go inside alone to see what the Bacalas would tell her if they weren't aware of Spike awaiting somewhere outside. Spike said that chances were that eventually, the Bacalas would be informed by their intelligence outside the church that Emp, in fact, wasn't alone and that's where the action would begin. However, the only problem was could Spike and Emp hold off that many men? Spike knew that he could hold off a lot of them, but Emp's nerves wouldn't let her believe that he could. After all, she had never seem him fight much, but from the stories he told her, she knew he was definitely formidable.

Finally, it was the last day before the rendezvous and although Emp was a nervous wreck inside, she tried her best to conceal it. However, Spike knew the truth for he had witnessed it when they had first met. She would act like she was having a great time all the while there was a pessimistic air about her, but Spike wasn't quite sure why. He wished that he could get into her head, but hew knew that if he could, he would be lost in her many neurotic thoughts.

All day long she was hanging on to him; kissing him at any given moment or suddenly embracing him from behind. It bugged him a little bit, but for the most part, he didn't want to push her away, so he tried his best to cope with her constant affections. It was as if she thought this may be their last day together or maybe she was scared and just wanted to be comforted; there were many possibilities for why she was more attached to him on this day than any other, but Spike didn't really care about what they were. He just wanted to destroy the cause of her anxiety.

That night, Spike took a shower and came out to find Emp sitting at her window staring into the open sky. She seemed very solemn and worried, just like he had seen her before. He pulled up a chair beside her and put a cigarette in his mouth. They sat in silence for a long time before Emp spoke.

"So, what am I going to do after you fix my problem for me?" she said, a small smile curled upon her face. Spike gave her a strange look.

"What do you mean 'I'? You're staying with me." He responded, his voice semi-muffled because of his unlit cigarette. Emp turned to him with a smile.

"Oh, so you mean you're not just here while it's fun?"

"No way," he laughed and placed his arm around her waist, "You're mine." Emp giggled and rested her head on his shoulder. With a great sigh she whispered, "I like being yours. You make sure I'm fed, that I get proper exercise, and that I don't eat strange things out of the gutters."

"Emp, I didn't mean it like…" Spike started, giving her another look. Why was she acting so strange?

"I know," she said, cutting him off, "I'm just giving you a hard time, that's all. The only reason I'm not helping you is because you wont let me. I owe a lot to you, you know. If it wasn't because of you, I'd be in jail right now for a murder I didn't commit just because I happen to know to much. You saved my life, Spike, in more ways than one." He drew her closer and pitched his unlit cigarette out the window.

"Don't thank me yet. There's still work to be done."

The next morning, Spike was in no hurry to get to the church. He wanted Emp to be as comfortable as possible, being that she was going to walk into the middle of a group of criminals all alone. Despite being the actual day of action, Emp was surprisingly less stressed than the previous day. After what Spike said about not leaving her, she felt better about everything. It seemed that it wasn't the actual plan that worried her; that she could handle. She was an ex-ISSP officer after all. What really worried her was the thought that Spike would leave her after everything was said and done. Things would have settled down by then and he might not like the quiet life, being a bounty hunter and all. She didn't want to be the flavor of the week; she had been that before and it hurt.

They took a taxi to a place near the church so nobody from the Bacalas would see her getting out of the car with him. They walked to the church by different routes and as Emp approached it, she began to get nervous. This church wasn't a small building; it was a cathedral and could most likely hold many, many men. However, she refused to back down now; she was so close to her freedom.

She walked into the cathedral, Spike's gun concealed in her long, flowing overcoat. The only light in the building was from the many stained glass windows, but it was still very dim. She couldn't see anybody, but as she continued down the rows of pews a voice stopped her.

"That's far enough!" barked a rough voice as a man stepped out from the pews in front of her. He was dressed in a white business suit and had black hair; it was Mark Sabatino. The picture she had seen from the Big Shot database scared her just a bit, but her blood ran cold as Sabatino stared her down with his cold, dark Italian eyes. Emp knew that if she stalled long, the Bacala intelligence from outside would alert Sabatino about Spike and then all hell would break loose.

"Nice little mafia trick you pulled, Sabatino. Try to get me out of the picture so all your little friends in high places wouldn't know that you ordered the murder of Cid Travailler!" laughed Emp, trying to cover her nerves. Sabatino's expression just scared Emp more when he added a small grin.

"So you liked it, did you? Well, we here in the syndicates know a lot more nifty tricks so you'd better hold your tongue, Ms. Nemio." And Emp did just that. After Sabatino was sure that she wasn't going to interrupt him, he continued, "I've brought you here in order to make a deal with you. As you are well aware of, you have the information needed in order to bring me to the mercy of the courts, however, as I am sure you have also noticed, you have a bounty on your head. A very large one, in fact, so I seriously doubt many are going to believe you. To a bounty hunter, you're just a price tag; to a civilian, you're a murderer. I am ready to make you an offer, though. I will remove the bounty off of your head and leave your lover alone as long as you comply with the Bacalas and myself."

"What do you want me to do?" said Emp, choking with a mixture of fear and excitement. The bounty lifted and the threat of Spike being hurt dissipated? What more did she want? Or, what more did she not want? Most likely, the consequence of complying with the Bacalas was worse than anything jail would do to her.

"We simply want you to come with us where you will be under surveillance so no information will leak out. As long as you don't try to escape, no harm will come to you." Said Sabatino, his voice sounding enticing and soothing. Emp contemplated this thought and mumbled to herself, "And not being able to see Spike again?"

"No," replied Sabatino, a small mocking laugh in his voice, "I'm afraid his safety comes with a price as well. You wont be able to see you beloved…Spike again. If you ask me, this is quite reasonable."

"NO!" yelled Emp, sternly, "This is insane. You think you can run peoples' lives like this? Well, you're wrong. I'm not going to comply with any of your stupid deals nor am I going to settle with being sent to jail for a crime I didn't commit. Spike and I will find the correct proof and end your reign of terror on the Martian public! In the end it is you who will suffer, Sabatino!" His smile faded and seemed to frown uneasily at her. His dark eyes, which were beady to begin with, leered at her even more angrily.

"I would watch what you say, Ms. Nemio. Don't lie to yourself. Do you really think that your bounty hunter friend is really in love with you? He's only attraction to you is your price tag. By getting to your heart, he can get paid and live the real happily-ever-after. He doesn't want some poor, out of work scum like you! Don't you think for a minute that…" he roared at her, but she cut him off with top volume.

"Shut up! I love him and that's all that matters! No idiotic mind trick you pull on me will ever change my mind! I'm going to bring you down!" she bellowed and it seemed to echo not only in the cathedral, but in her head as well. She knew what she said to be true; she loved him. She would do anything for him, even if that meant letting him turn her in; even if that meant dying. He had shown her what life and love really was and she wasn't going to let some big shot syndicate leader make her forget how much she did love him. However, as soon as she finished telling Sabatino her thoughts someone ran into the scene from behind Sabatino stating that Emp wasn't alone.

"What! Do you mean the bounty hunter is here too?" yelled Sabatino in dismay.

"Yes, sir." Replied the syndicate member.

"Well, get the men after him."

"It seems that he has already shot down most of the outside intelligence and is making his way inside!" Sabatino turned his attention to Emp. He glared at her with such rage and pointed.

"YOU!" he turned to his underling and before he walked back into the darkness ordered, "I want her in a casket NOW!" Upon hearing this Emp began running to where she thought the doors were, but she found that it was too dark and she was too scared to find the exit. She found herself near some more pews and turned around to get some bearings as to where the exit was. Instead, she saw a man pointing a gun at her, but just as he pulled the trigger someone yelled "GET DOWN!" and pounced on her, pushing her into the pews. It was Spike and he had his gun out, ready to defend her.

"Stay hidden as best as possible and run to the exit. I'll cover you." He whispered and one second later, was on his feet following her to the exit and shooting off rounds of bullets behind her. When she got outside the cathedral, Spike had stopped shooting and she ran to him, but he told her to keep running away from the building. She ran as fast as she could down the sidewalk and could hear Spike's footfalls behind her until the grenade went off in the cathedral. She was almost knocked off her feet, but in the end managed to keep balance. She turned around to find Spike, but in the smoke, he was nowhere to be found. She stood there in the middle of the sidewalk searching for Spike, but instead, Sabatino walked out of the thick smoke, laughing and pointing a gun at her. Emp, frozen in fear and forgetting about her own gun, didn't know what to do. She tried to run, but her feet were glued to the sidewalk beneath them. She really thought it was the end, but just as he pulled the trigger, Spike leapt in front of her, shooting a bullet straight into Sabatino's forehead in the process. However, he did not come out unscathed. He had taken Sabatino's bullet in his stomach and was clutching it in pain as he smiled at Emp.

"I told you I'd get him." Spike coughed, "You just have to trust me." He was grinning at her, but she was sitting on her knees in utter disbelief, the tears streaming down her face. Then suddenly, he cringed a bit and Emp scrambled to him. She placed his head on her lap and searched him for a phone. She dialed the last number he had dialed: Jet.

Jet picked up the phone, not expecting what he was about to receive. He didn't even look at the visual screen, but held it to his ear, only to move it away abruptly when Emp yelled, "Hello? Hello? Help! Whoever you are, you've got to help me!"

"Huh?" said Jet, but after he realized who it was on the phone, continued, "Emp Nemio! What's going on?"

"It's Spike. He's been shot in the stomach! Oh, you've got to help me!" she cried, holding the phone with two hands.

"Spike? Oh great…where are you?" asked Jet and after Emp told him the address, he said, gravely, "Alright. I'll be there in two minutes."

After hanging up the phone, Emp looked down at Spike, who was slowly losing consciousness. She gently stroked his hair with one hand and applied pressure to his wound with the other. In hope of keeping him awake longer, she whispered to him, "Spike. Spike, stay awake. You've got to stay awake. Please, Spike. Don't leave me. Please!"

"Emp," Spike managed to say, "I…love you." Emp kissed him, her tears dropping onto his face, and whispered, "I love you too, Spike. More than anything." By the time Jet arrived, Spike had already lost consciousness and Emp was cradling his head in her arms.

The BeBop was larger than Emp had imagined. Now she could understand how it could hold three ships. However, how it held four people and a dog, she couldn't see. It was almost completely unfurnished besides the yellow couch and single seat. Of course, she hadn't seen the personal rooms, but she imagined that they couldn't be much better than the 'living room'.

Even though Jet was helping her out, he and Faye couldn't ignore that she was a bounty on a bounty hunting ship, so they threw her into some vacant room and locked her in. She was miserable; all she did was cry all day long and sulk in the corners of the room. However, being locked into a room didn't mean she was isolated from everyone else. Jet came in a few times to bring her food, water, and information on Spike's condition.

"He'll live, but he wont be awake for a few days, knowing him at least." He said, scratching his head, "I'm sorry we have to lock you up like this, but you understand." Jet tried to sound cheerful, but he knew that it was no use. She had a hopeless case of depression. The only cure was to get Spike back in the picture, but who knew how long he'd be unconscious? He had been out for at least three days at a time when he got shot, which happened quite often. In the meantime, however, Emp would have to be kept where she couldn't run away, but whether it was for her own good or theirs, Emp wasn't quite sure and for the most part, neither was Jet.

Jet wasn't the only visitor Emp had; Faye was not only the one who locked her up, but she came by a few times, mostly to agonize her. Faye asked her lots of questions about why she stuck with Spike and why Spike thought she was innocent. Emp didn't give her extravagant answers and mostly didn't care about Faye until the last time Faye chatted with her.

"You know, I don't think we'll be letting you go, no matter how innocent Spike thinks you are. Not now anyways." Cooed Faye, who had come in univited to Emp's 'room'. Emp looked at her with wide eyes. Was Spike still okay?

"Wha…what do you mean?" Emp stuttered.

"Well, it seems that they upped your bounty to 20,000,000 woolongs." If Emp hadn't been sitting, she probably would have fallen over. 20,000,000 woolongs! Spike got rid of her problem so why would she have suddenly been swept into deeper waters? Emp cried, "What? Why?"

"Here," said Faye, handing Emp a news article printed off the computer, "Read it for yourself." She read it, some of the words aloud while others mumbled.

"Emp Nemio, the criminal wanted for the murder of chief ISSP Executive Cid Travailler, has now been accused of the murder of Mark Sabatino's double. 'I usually have a double, you know, someone who looks just like me, just in case of something like this. Some crazy broad wants me dead so I play it safe while my double takes care of some of my public appearances. I never knew that she'd actually try to off me' says Sabatino. Her weapon and the blood of probably another victim, Spike Spiegel, was found at the scene of the crime. However, authorities cannot locate the body, living or dead, of Spike Spiegel. As for the bounty hunters who have been on her trail for almost a month, they should be more motivated to catch this cold blooded killer since her bounty, once at a whopping 11,000,000 woolongs, was now raised to 20,000,000 by Sabatino, who hopes for a speedy capture." Read Emp, "What kind of BS is this? You and I both know that I didn't shoot him!" Faye shook her head.

"I don't know what happened. I wasn't there."

"Oh," sniffled Emp, her nerves beginning to get the best of her, "I hope Spike can get me out of this." Upon hearing this, Faye decided to be the antagonist again. She slowly stepped closer to Emp and, changing her voice to a more agitated tone, said, "Yeah, about that. I don't appreciate you stealing my man from me."

"What do you mean?" Emp gulped. What could Faye possibly mean? Then it occurred to her: when she first met her, Faye had mentioned having some sort of relationship with Spike. She didn't mean that they were together, did she? Faye, enjoying the puzzled and worried look on Emp's face, continued her fake story. She got up real close in Emp's face and gave her a cold stare.

"You know what I mean. Spike is mine and I don't want you luring him into your little trap, get it? Plus, it's all his angle. If he hasn't slept with you, you know he's not in love with you. He's just trying to get you to us and I'd say he's done a pretty good job of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think we're done here, you little murderer." Faye's voice was very cold and mean, but as she turned her back, she could hear Emp start choking up. It was then Faye's conscious kicked in. She didn't know personally what Emp had been through, but she knew well enough that it couldn't be anything short from Hell. Maybe she really was in love with Spike. Maybe she really was innocent. It occurred to Faye that Emp didn't really meet the cold blooded killer profile, especially if she was constantly bawling like she had heard her do during the past few days. However, it really wasn't her problem whether or not Emp got sent to jail.

"I didn't kill anyone, Faye." Whimpered Emp. Faye stopped dead in her tracks. It almost seemed as if Emp had been reading her thoughts. Emp continued, after she seemed sure that she had Faye's full attention, "Faye, you've got to help me, please. I cant prove my innocence by myself." Yet again, Faye's conscious set in. Was she actually starting to believe Emp's pitiful story? However, Faye still derived that it wasn't her problem, but she didn't want to be too cruel.

"Yeah, like I owe you any favors," Faye said with a fake optimism, "But listen, I'm sure that if you're innocent, the police will straighten it all up when we turn you in. Just be optimistic. I mean, things could be worse. You could be dead." Emp looked up at her, gravely and, without any emotion other than sorrow asked, "That's worse?" Faye stood in the doorway staring at Emp's cold eyes and, without saying anything, shut the door.

Emp was devastated. Spike never mentioned anything about relationship with Faye besides her being a colleague. How could he deceive her like that? But, even after two testimonials that Spike was just using her heart to get her to the BeBop, she still wasn't completely convinced that Spike didn't really love her. He had kissed her, held her, taken care of her, and taken a bullet for her. Of course, bounty hunters don't get any money if the bounty is dead, but if he died, he wouldn't get the money either. Plus, his eyes showed such emotion when they looked into hers. They showed such affection and compassion, even at times when he didn't say anything to express his feelings. The moments they shared, the words that were said, and their time spent together, even if it was a short time, led her to believe that there was something else there other than to get to her price tag. However, she didn't know what to think about him and Faye. Was it true? She couldn't tell.

"But I guess it doesn't matter as long as I'm cooped up in here. I'm going to be shipped off to the nearest police station in a day or two." Sighed Emp, but it seemed that her prayers were answered. As soon as she said that, The door opened and Ed peered in.

"Emp Emp!" whispered Ed, "We must evacuate the BeBop immediately! Now! Now!" Emp stood up briskly and stepped towards the door just as Ein popped his head into the room.

"Ed, why are you helping me?" asked Emp, baffled.

"Ed has been doing nasty, nasty research for Emp Emp. Ed knows Emp Emp is not guilty, right Ein?" continued Ed, motioning to Ein, who barked a response. Ed motioned Emp to follow her and said, "Ed and Ein will cover for you in this dangerous mission impossible!"

"Oh Ed, thank you so much! How can I thank you?" asked Emp, who was now on the BeBop's landing pad outside.

"Umm," thought Ed, "you can bring back souvenirs for Ed!" Emp nodded and slinked off as Ed and Ein ran back inside to make sure that nobody saw them.

Four hours after Emp's great escape, Spike finally woke up. He groggily sat up, cringing only a bit from his injury. His eyes finally focused just as Jet was walking by. Spike jumped to his feet and began to interrogate Jet.

"Where's Emp? You didn't turn her in did you?" he growled at Jet, who stopped from walking, startled.

"Well, we were considering it, but she escaped. By Ed's help I presume." Responded Jet.

"I thought you said you would help her." Continued Spike, grabbing his shirt and jacket.

"Yeah, well when the real Sabatino upped her bounty to 20,000,000, Faye and I couldn't resist."

"What do you mean the real Sabatino?" asked Spike, puzzled. He paused from putting on his jacket. 20,000,000 woolongs: that was enough to attract even more bounty hunters than before. Her bounty almost didn't seem reasonable. Spike had seen many serial killers worth only half that and those were the criminals who were actually guilty.

"Well, the Sabatino you shot was his double. Some guy who looks like him in order to protect him. Somehow, he altered the evidence to show that Emp killed the guy and possibly you." Jet said and continued when Spike began to speed-walk to the door, "Hey! Where are you going?"

"Where do you think? To protect my woman." He answered. Jet continued after Spike all the way to the ship hanger, where the Swordfish II was parked.

"Spike, c'mon! It's 20,000,000 woolongs! She cant possibly mean that much to you!" pleaded Jet. Spike turned on him.

"Jet, either you help her or you help Sabatino. Which ever one you choose, I don't care, because I know that I've made the right choice." Spike gave Jet one last glance and then jumped into the Swordfish only to take off leaving Jet behind to ponder his decision and Faye, who was secretly watching, wishing she hadn't lied to Emp.

Let's see...who's more evil in my story? Sabatino or Faye? XD You know...if I were Spike...I definately turn Emp in for the cash. uu yup yup! ee; JUST KIDDING! Since I started rewriting this fic, I had wanted to created that fight scene between Spike and Sabatino for awhile...that whole double thing? woo. I just love that...to me, it's like...weird...in a sorta-kinda-good way...ee; Of course, I'm rambling, but I dont know...whatever. lol. I just hoped you like it:D BTW, until I revised chapter 10 a few days before I put it up, I didnt realize how much some of the sentences I write DONT make sense...ee; Keep in mind that I write this stuff at like...9:30 at night...xX; My brain kinda shuts down in the grammarical sense and turns on in the creative sense so...yeah. I dont think there's that much, but yeah...excuse the mispells and such. Anyway...enough of me! I'll see you guys next week after I get back from camp. :P BYEE! hugs