How do I get myself into these type of things! I didn't even see that guy come in. Ok, so I admit that I probably am the queen of getting caught, but the last time I can actually remember being handcuffed was when I was with Mr. Saxophone. God, all I remember about him...if you can actually call him a him...was his sorrow. Gren...that name gives me chills. In a way, he was just like Spike, betrayed.

I took a quick look at my surroundings. A few terrible guards, nothing Spike and Jet can't handle at the moment. But the question was, what sparked them hunting me down all of a sudden for my debt? I mean, I knew my debt was a huge problem, but come on, nobody actually tried to kill me for it. The last time I remember when my debt problem got me into this much trouble was when I first met Spike...It was awhile, mind you. The time when I became known as Poker Alice.

"...got the girl. No, she isn't harmed." Faye lolled her head to her side. She didn't remember how or when, but she fell unconscious during her trip from the Bebop to where ever this place was. Uncomfortable in the position that she was in in the chair, she attempted to move her legs and arms. She quickly found that both feet were handcuffed to the metal chair, along with her hands behind her.

She took a quick look. The guards looked easy enough to take down, but they also looked smart. Could she seduce her way into getting out? Back when she was a loner and had nothing to lose she would have tried to do so. But now, there was Spike. She had somebody to come home to. If you could call the Bebop a home. Nonetheless, she decided on staying put.

"Hey," she called out to a guy who was near her. He turned around at the vixen and pointed confusingly at himself. "Yeah, you." she rolled her eyes. And here she thought that they were smart. The guy made his way sluggishly over to her. "I'm a bit thirsty. Mind getting me some water?" she told him truthfully.

"Uh, well...I don't know..." he started suspiciously.

"It's ok. She wouldn't want to do anything to put herself into any danger now that she has somebody. Am I right, cutie?" A guy came out from an adjoining room. He was the owner of the same voice who had been talking earlier when she came to. What was their plan? Faye shot him a venomous look as the guy retrieved the water and let her take her drink.

- - -

I don't know how many hours of good service I worked. While working, I couldn't help but think about Faye. She is rather hopeless at times, but I suppose that's part of her charm. Still, I'll admit that working myself to the bone did help me with my mourning over Julia at the same time. It seemed that the month would never end. The cash that me and Jet worked hard on earning for Faye's debt just wasn't enough and we both knew it. Actually, we didn't even know how much she owed, so in all actuality it was a matter of intuition. No matter how many hours we worked, it was all in vain. We did every little job, it seemed. Bounty hunting, grocers, clerks, butchers, and even garbage men. I did everything but rob a damn bank. Damn it! Am I allowed any happiness!

In what seemed like eternity, the month finally started to draw to a close. It was a couple of days before the month was going to end when the door knocked again.

"I'll get it!" Spike yelled irritatedly, racing toward the door.

"If it's them, promise me you won't kill them on the spot!" Jet barked back from the couch. He had recently gotten back from a job and was putting most of the money into their account for Faye's freedom.

"Fine, I won't kill them...I'll just torture them for information!" he retaliated. Jet sighed, and shook his head. There was no hope for him when he had a goal.

Spike reached the door and burst it open. He wildly looked around for a sign of somebody there, but instead found a letter. Gently picking it up, he slumped onto the couch next to Jet.

"What is it?" Jet grunted while counting the money that they had.

"Telling us where to meet them at. Tch, I'll give them the money we have now after I get Faye. Once the realize that it's not enough, they'll be dead."

"Are you sure? How do you know who we're up against?"

"The only person who we should be worried about if we were against him is dead now thanks to me." Spike said offhandedly. Still, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of worry over what Jet said. They were sure to have known that they weren't able to make that much money in such a short time. What were these men really up to?

- - -

"What do you want with me?" Faye asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"For you to cooperate with me." the man sighed. His fair hair fell back from his eyes as he leaned his head back in frustration. During her month long stay she still hadn't managed to get the man to tell her his name or why they wanted her money so badly. She frowned as she watched him sigh. "Could you please cooperate?"

"I'm a hostage! You expect me to cooperate with you!" she yelled back at him. The only thing she did manage to figure out was that they needed her alive. So therefore, who ever was giving this guy orders, the guy whom she thought was the ring leader and later found out wasn't true, didn't allow them to harm in her in any way shape or form.

The man came over to her with a blindfold. She started to move her head violently, trying her hardest to stop him from covering her eyes, but she was in vain. He quickly got one of the guards to hold her head still while he quickly tied the blindfold.

"Sorry." he muttered.

She sat there, stunned. Sorry, for what? What had they done besides kidnap her? More importantly, what were they planning on doing?

- - -

Just like before when they moved me, I found myself waking up in a strange place. This time I didn't wake up to the sound of voices, but rather the sound of footsteps. Like before, I was in a chair. Unlike before I was blindfolded. I didn't like this one bit. Why was I blindfolded? I was hoping that I was handcuffed, but I knew better. I had grown accustomed to the weight on my wrists and ankles so if they weren't on me, I would've felt a weight difference. These guys weren't stupid. All I could do was wait. But wait for what?

The man that had taken Faye calmly walked over to the rendevous spot. The ocean's water lapped gently, never overtaking the wooden boardwalk. It was in an open, yet secluded spot. Perfect for his people to take on Spike and they could be as loud as they wanted without having to worry about witnesses or the police. He looked behind him. Faye was sitting there, apparently she had just waken up since she was shaking her head lazily. He felt guilty about the whole thing, but he had no other choice.

His daughter was slowly dying and the only thing that was going to help her was if she was going to get a heart transfusion within this week. It seemed that the only way to save a life meant to take away a few lives. But doing it this way meant that the two lovers could be happy in another life. Right?

A red ship came swiftly down, spraying some water hither and thither. Spike quickly got out of the ship carrying a briefcase.

"Alright, I got your money. Now give me Faye."