Alright...here is it...CLIMAX TIME! OO! Aren't you excited? I am...omg. lol...I'm just too psyched (and behind in my writing) so I'm just gonna keep it short...READ ON PEOPLE! ;

Chapter 14:

Past the Point of No Return

Spike's dark grey trench coat was in pretty good shape, even though it definitely showed insights to Spike's past, which was riddled with bullet holes, swordfights, grenades, and broken cathedral windows. Emp just hoped that her blood wouldn't add to the menagerie of the coat's stories. She didn't think that Spike would miss it too much after he found out that she had left to do what he was planning to do. She didn't even think he'd notice it.

In order to leave unnoticed, Emp got up at two and left the BeBop by 2:30 in the morning. However, she wasn't as unnoticed as she hoped she would be. Strange little Edward caught her trying to leave, and Emp explained to her that she might never be coming back, which she regretted saying now. But, it was too late for second guessing herself, wasn't it? She was feeling sorry for herself. She almost wished that she hadn't met Spike or fallen in love with him for that matter. She almost wanted it to be all over, but it was too late for that too, wasn't it? She had fallen in love with Spike, she had loved falling in love with him, and now she was on her way to, perhaps, certain death. Did it really matter? Maybe. She wasn't quite sure. Sure, she was being brave by taking a cab with a gun stuffed down the back of her jeans, but what would she do when the time came to put a bullet into Sabatino's skull? Sure, she had it all worked out down to how many times she would blink, but could she really pull the whole thing off? Well, I guess you could say that she had to. She had to, or else…or else what? Or else nothing. The only thing that depended on what would happen next would be her life alone, nothing more. The thing was, she was scared. She wanted to live. She wasn't in that mindset where "well, my life sucks so I don't really give a care in hell what happens to me next". There was life for her afterwards, but now, she could not turn back. No. She was past the point of no return.

As the taxi pulled up to a warehouse, miles away from her home, she paid the fare and stood outside of the vast building, suddenly remembering everything. This is where it happened. This is where Sabatino not only murdered Cid Travaille and her partner, Mack McGinnis, but murdered her soul as well. She felt the aching pain in the back of her shoulder throb to nebulous life. She was falling into an ebb of time. She could almost feel the warm blood seeping from her wound down her back, and out with that blood flowed something else. Her own weakness, the weakness that had developed slowly after she had been forced to leave the ISSP, was bleeding out of her and being replaced with a rage so fiery that Prometheus would shy away from its flame. The part of her that had fallen asleep after her final ISSP mission was awakening within her, calling out for revenge. She was ready, now; ready to kill Mark Sabatino.

"But," she said, her voice timid and weak, "maybe that part of me that fell asleep doesn't realize that revenge is a dish best served cold." Her own words drained the old spirit of Emp out of her body and she felt lifeless. There was no more blood on her back and she wasn't in pain anymore. There wasn't going to be a corpse of Cid Travaille or Mack McGinnis inside that warehouse. All she knew regarding what was going to be in there was that Sabatino would be in there, waiting for her. Before she took her first step towards the evil building, she whispered to herself the only words she could find that reassured her even a little bit, "Hell wouldn't even expect me to do what I'm about to do."

With that one step she took, she not only left all regret behind, but she freed herself from her old spirit. The spirit that had been inside her, confusing her, making her drink, and creating that constant feeling that somebody was always right behind her, watching. She suddenly felt as it she could breathe easier, and it bemused her because she knew that she was walking into a death trap. There was one fear that this release of burden created inside her stomach: what if now, after her old soul was finally left to rest, she couldn't pull the trigger? What if she couldn't really do it after all? She knew that Spike was probably on his way, but he'd never find her in time to help her. This whole killing thing, righteous or wicked, suddenly grew cold as tasteless in her mouth. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to let herself down; she was going to do what she could. It was all spontaneous now.

She opened the door to the warehouse and stepped in. It looked the same, but she wasn't as afraid of the haunt as she was almost sure she would be. That part of me is gone now. Gone forever… There were no stains of where they were shot when trying to escape. There weren't any faces, let alone faces that she could recognize. It was a new place. She remembered what her report contained about Sabatino and this warehouse. It wasn't the headquarters of the syndicate. It was only the main warehouse where Sabatino received all his illegally received imports. He was in with Cid, one of the heads of the ISSP, to make sure that Sabatino's activities would go on unmonitored and unchecked. He was bringing in stolen ship parts that he purchased for way less from the group who stole them off of supply trucks. She remembered that when Sabatino came here, he never brought too many men with him at once in order to reduce the chance of information getting out. Emp and Mack had been infiltrating the Bacalas for weeks before he finally brought them and divulged information about the warehouse and what he was doing. The same day that Cid was killed, they had discovered Emp and Mack talking secretly in some dark corner of the warehouse and attempted to "silence" them. So now, Emp figured, he probably brings even less men to protect him and work for him when he goes there. She new that even with the knowledge that Sabatino visited this place often, the chances were small that he would be there on that particular day, but somehow she knew that today was a day that he was visiting. Call it women's intuition or whatever you want, but for some reason, she could feel that he was there. So now, knowing and remembering all of these details, she was ready.

"SABATINO!" she shrieked. "GET OUT HERE SABATINO!" He heard that. He had to have heard it. Her voice echoed loudly around the concrete and steel stomach of the building.

Indeed, Sabatino did hear her. He was in the main office of the warehouse, talking with his shipping people and whatnot when he stopped. He looked out the large glass window that viewed Emp standing out in the middle of the warehouse, staring directly towards him. He looked at her almost surprised, then gave a small smile.

"Hey Jay," he said to his large black body guard, "Ever seen a woman in distress?" Jay shook his head. Sabatino's smile grew wider as he looked out at Emp, who was yelling at him again, and laughed, "Well, you're about to."

"SABATINOOO!" Emp sung, her voice raspy, tears flowing down her face, "I'm here! C'mon out you coward!" Sabatino, in his prim and proper grey suit and tie, strolled out with one hand in his pocket and the ten men in the room right on his tail. They began to pull out their weapons, but Sabatino motioned them to back off and stand off in the corner instead.

"Weell, if it isn't Miss Emp Nemio," Sabatino laughed, dryly, "Why are you here, my dear?"

"I'm tired of running. I want to end this whole thing." She replied, her voice still loud even though he was closer. What a stupid thing for him to ask; he was the one who wanted her there. He was merely playing with her mind, and that frustrated her even more. The tears streaming down her face were warm, heated by her adrenaline, not cold tears of fear. She could feel the weight of the gun she had tucked in the back of her jeans, but she wasn't ready to use it. She wondered if she'd ever be ready to use it.

"Is that so?" he mused, "I love women who get things done by themselves instead of depending on men to do them."

"Well, it just so happens that I love men who let me get things done by myself, which wasn't the case with Spike," she laughed. It was true: Spike would never have let her do this by herself, but it's not like she hated him for it. She just wanted to make Sabatino think that she did. Her plan would never work if they thought that she wasn't alone.

"Aw. What a shame. I feel bad, really I do." That scum. You know he wasn't feeling bad for anything. His bitter smile showed just that.

"Yeah? Well, let's get down to business. I'm here, what do you want me to do now?" she asked, using one shaking hand to wipe away the tears on her face. Sabatino took a few steps closer to her, but they were still 20 feet apart from each other.

"I want the name that contact you used that you didn't put in your ISSP report," Sabatino growled, his expression changing from sweet to sour. However, Emp had no idea what he was talking about. She divulged all information in her last report, didn't she?

"What the hell are you talking about Sabatino? I listed all contacts in that report," she said. Sabatino's grin reappeared.

"Oh yes, you did. But you didn't list the REAL name of your most important contact! You wrote down a nickname or something, but it wasn't his real name!" She still had no recollection of what we was referring to, but she knew why he wanted it. In order to erase all evidence that they had been smuggling parts, he needed to 'erase' all people who knew about what they were up to. These people she used as contacts to find out more about Sabatino and the Bacalas. If he didn't know the real name of the final and most important contact, then there was one huge missing link floating out there. This was the missing link that could prove her innocent in court. She then thanked God that she didn't remember who it was that she didn't list him in her report.

"NEMIO!" Sabatino spat as he took one large menacing step towards her, "I WANT that name! GIVE IT TO ME!" Emp stared at him and smiled. Watching him beg was excellent.

"JAY!" he yelled, "Kill her, NOW!" Emp's smile fade as she saw the huge black man in the corner take out some huge gun out of his coat and she almost fainted as a bloody bullet hole found its way between his eyes. He's got people behind me? She wanted to duck, run, anything, but her body wouldn't move. With wide eyes, she managed to turn her head to see the shooter from behind and her muscles finally gave way when she saw who it was.

"Of course," she whispered, a small grin appearing on her face as she watched Spike Spiegel burst in, guns blazing. All of a sudden, she felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. She turned around to see that already, he had taken out six of the ten body guards, who were fumbling their guns. However, her moment of slow motion didn't last for much longer when an enemy bullet whizzed by her face.

"Don't just stand there, Emp! Get down already!" yelled Spike. She hit the floor heavily and lost sight of everything. She looked around the room where bullets were flying by and yells echoed, but she couldn't make out any of the shapes to be anybody. Where was Spike? No! Where was Sabatino? He was the one she wanted now. However, just as she was about to stand up, the echoing yells and blasts suddenly stopped. She lifted her head to see dead men lying the in the corners of the room, seeping blood, eyes wide open. She was strong, but she still couldn't hold back her tears at the gory sight.

Suddenly, someone walked up to her and held out their hand to help her up. It was Spike. She took his hand and wobbly got to her feet. However, instead of embracing her or asking if she was alright he coldly turned from her. Emp thought that maybe he was angry with her for running off to do something as stupid as what she had decided she had to do, but when she surveyed the situation further, she noticed that he had turned to Sabatino, who was on his knee, apparently trying to stand up. His eyes widened with fear as Spike pointed the gun at him.

"Well," said Spike, his voice far from angry, "I guess it's your turn, Sabatino." Emp didn't think it was possible, but Sabatino's eyes widened even more at Spike's words. He was trembling, which was a surprise. She had figured that a mobster as nefarious as Sabatino would be used to being at gunpoint. But I guess when you think about it, they usually are the ones who are behind the trigger.

"M-Mr. S-S-Spiegel…wh-what would you get from shooting m-me? I-I never did anyth-thing to y-you!" Sabatino stuttered, trying his best to regain his calm and businesslike stature. Spike just flashed him an amused grin.

"You are a nuisance to Emp and that's enough motivation for me," Spike said. Emp huddled behind him, clutching his left arm, which was hanging at his side. She watched Sabatino nervously from over Spike's shoulder. For one moment, Sabatino's glance shifted from Spike to Emp and they had a split second of direct eye contact. That short second made Emp's heart skip a beat; he looked terrified, but yet, he looked as if he knew something would help him stay alive. It wasn't a hope, but more like a knowledge that they would not succeed. Then Emp realized the flaw in their plan. Sure, they'd be rid of Sabatino, but then they would both be credited with his murder and they wouldn't be able to find any evidence to prove either herself or Spike innocent. Why? Because they weren't. They killed a mob boss and that counts as murder, despite how much good it did to the community. The only way they could get away with it was if it was self-defense, but Sabatino was kneeling on the floor, unarmed. She and Spike would be sent to jail, even if they had found the evidence that explained that her bounty was just a way to get her out the picture. She realized what the look in Sabatino's eyes meant. She knew what flaw that they would have in killing him. The flaw was her.

"Spike," she whimpered, "we can't kill him. We'll be sent to jail for murder if we do." Her wide eyes focused on Sabatino, who gave her a nervous and sly smile just as Spike's smile faded.

"I think it's a little too late to be worrying about that, you know." Spike said, his voice still as smooth as glass. Her eyes flickered around the room to all the gruesome bodies.

"But, they were getting ready to shoot me. It was like, self-defense, right? But if we kill him, an unarmed man, we'll…" she clutched his arm harder and leered at Sabatino. He knew that she would do this!

"So, what do you suppose we do then?"

"Let him go. We'll go to the police and have them sort out everything. I remember more stuff about the ISSP operation so maybe that will help, I don't know. We'll think of something, but we can't kill him like this. As much as I wish we could…we can't, Spike." She could feel Spike's body loose tension and he slowly lowered the gun. He continued to stand there and stare irately at Sabatino. Sabatino suddenly let out an armada of breaths as if he had been submerged in water the entire time and was just now reaching the surface. He's out of hot water now. Spike wished that Emp wasn't there; she was the only reason he wasn't going to shoot the dick kneeling on the floor, pretending like he was thankful that they had just spared his life. He had known just as well as Spike himself did that Emp would intervene.

"C'mon," Emp said, resolutely, "I need to get out of this tomb." She tugged on his arm and Spike reluctantly followed behind her. The sky outside was a dissimilar swirl of dark grey clouds and the air smelled of wet pavement. They began to walk a bit faster in order to get to the Swordfish before it began to rain on them, however, they only were able to put a little distance behind them before a gun shot ran out. Emp almost fell over, but she braced herself by gripping Spike's arm. She looked up to his face in fear and saw that he was staring straight ahead, jaw clenched tightly. He took his free hand and wiped away the blood from the cut that the bullet made on his cheek when it grazed his face.

"S-Spike! Are you… "Emp began but a cold laugh cut her short. Sabatino was standing at the door of the warehouse, pointing a gun in their direction and laughing his head off.

"You didn't really think that I'd let you go, did you?" he cackled. Emp looked back to Spike and was practically thrown aside as he whipped around, pulled out his gun, and fired shots at Sabatino.

Emp waited. Where's the noise? She had flinched in anticipation of the sound of Spike's gunfire, but instead of a loud bang like she had heard in the warehouse, all she heard was a small "click". The clip was empty. Even if Spike had tried to kill Sabatino inside, there weren't any more bullets left to shoot him with! Spike, without moving a single muscle except his hand, dropped the gun and it fell to the ground with a dusty thud. Emp clutched to Spike's arm once more and peered around his shoulder like a little child.

"Ha! Ha! Just my luck!" Sabatino chortled and adjusted his aim, "But then next one's going to be in dear Nemio's forehead." Spike shoved her behind him, shielding her, and she cowered behind him. We're never getting out of this alive. Just then, a small cold drop of water landed on her arm and as it slowly slithered down towards the pull of gravity, she felt it: that heavy feeling in the back of her jeans. She still had her gun, which was fully loaded. She had almost forgotten about it! So, as the small raindrops began falling down to earth, slowly growing in number, she rested her head on Spike's back.

"There is still a way, Spike," she whispered, a sad smile appearing on her face. As she reached back and touched the cold metal, she took Spike's hand with her other hand. Finally, with a sniffle and a small laugh, she slid the heavy pistol into his hand and said breathlessly, "Blow him away."

"So, any final words you two?" said Sabatino, his mind completely blind to what was going to happen, "I really wish I could kill both of you together, but I don't think that this gun is capable of that at this range." Spike, with the gun in his hand behind his back, flashed his cool look at Sabatino and grinned.

"Well, we don't want you to go to so much trouble for us," Spike laughed. There was a cold and still silence. Sabatino held his stilled gun pointed at Spike's head with a smug grin. Spike noiselessly fastened his grip on Emp's gun, unable to distinguish between the coldness of the steel and Emp's icy hand. Emp huddled against Spike, silently crying and trying to swallow her fears once and for all. Meanwhile, the rain fell upon them like snow, light and hushed. In that moment, there was complete silence, and as quickly as it had swept over them, it was shattered. Quicker than any bullet, Spke shoved Emp to the ground and lunged at Sabatino. Sabatino reacted quickly enough and shot at Spike, but it wasn't Spike's time. With a dodge roll, he shot and landed his bullet effortlessly.

Sabatino didn't fall down right away, but took one large step back. His eyes almost popped out of his head and as blood began to trickle out of the corner of his mouth in small coughs. Judging by his range, Spike was pretty sure that the bullet merely stayed deep in Sabatino's chest instead of exiting out his back. The gun in Sabatino's hand merely succumbed to the gravity and clamored to the ground, leaving the limpness of Sabatino's hand in the past, and at long last, the real Sabatino followed it, face first into the damp dirt. The rain began to plummet down from the sky.

Spike, who was belly down in the dirt and trying to swallow the taste of the adrenaline that had flooded into his mouth, rolled over onto his back and let the rain fall over his face. I've been through much tougher stuff than this. So why then do I feel so relieved? He let out a huge sigh. This battle was far from over, but Emp's immediate danger had finally been diminished and she was safe at last.

"Hey Emp," he called, his voice breathy and calm, "you alright?" He could hear her sniffling and crying not too far away. He called for her again, but all he heard were sobs. He propped himself up on his elbows to look for her and he saw her. She was only a couple feet away sitting on her knees, crying to the sky. Spike slowly stood up and strode over to her. He stood above her, his shadow caressing her as she looked down and wept into her hands, and then he knelt down next to her, pressing his body up against hers.

"Don't cry," he said quietly, moving her hands away and wiping away a tear from her cheek, "you don't need to be afraid anymore." She looked at him, tears coursing down her face, and although she didn't smile to reassure him, he could see in her eyes that she wasn't afraid. She took a long deep breath and cried into his shoulder. Contemplating their next move, Spike placed one hand on the back of her head on one on her back, holding her and letting her cry until the police came and took them away.

Okay...what do you think? Thank god that idiot Sabatino is gone...that &!# is an insult to the italian race...XD Okay..so the story is coming to a close and we're actually to the point where I havent finished writing the next chapters so there may be a bit more of a wait...sooo...I'll see ya guys soon! ; wave BYEE!