Session Eleven : Goodnight Faye

Spike could've sworn he had closed his eyes for only a moment. Rising from the couch, he sat, legs parallel to each other on the cushions, and glanced around.

"Faye?"

He placed a hand in his hair. What the hell am I doing calling out to her? Shaking his head, he swung his legs over to stand up but halted midway seeing the sleeping Ed and Ein by the couch. He lifted an eyebrow at the strange coincidence that he was napping the same time as them. Again he felt the urge of calling out to his female companion.

"Faye?"

Damn. He didn't stop himself in time.

Spike sighed and stood up, leaving the sleeping duo undisturbed. The short walk he took soon brought him to the hanger where he saw an empty space where Faye's ship was supposed to be parked. Spike's first thought was she had gone to catch a bounty and claim all the money for herself. He quickly dismissed that, feeling it was wrong. Feeling?

He sighed and leaning on his own ship, did the dangerous act of lighting a cigarette. Maybe she finally decided to leave for good...No, that can't be right. She'd make a big deal about that...So where...?

The fact that he was even curious as to where she was slightly scared him because it was proof that...Closing his eyes, Spike recalled the conversation they had while eating earlier that day to gain any clues as to Faye's whereabouts. He opened his eyes and stood straight, away from his ship. Hands in pockets, he began to pace around the hanger, no particular destination in mind.

"Check it out, I managed to snag some food for us," Faye said, referring to the instant noodle cups that were littering the table. Three were set aside from the pile, steaming and ready to be consumed.

Spike stared at them, an uncontrollable twitch on his eyebrow. "More?"

Faye crossed her arms and gave him an unpleasant look. "Hey, I'd like to see you do better! It's all we can afford right now so suck it up!"

Spike couldn't help but smile. He felt like everything was...normal. He knew that despite all that had happened, they were still going to live their lives together...Spike blinked at his own thoughts and looked at Faye who still had her arms crossed. He placed a hand on the back of his neck. That was weird, he thought. Faye and myself...living together, huh?

Ed came from behind Spike and taking her noodle cup balanced it on her head while trying to eat the noodles inside.

"See? Ed likes it," Faye pointed to Ed.

"Ed is a little girl...who doesn't know better..."

Ed turned at the constant mentioning of her name. "Edward is a girl and Ed does like hot cups full of worms."

"See what I mean?" Spike said but nevertheless took his cup and began to eat it. Faye mimicked his move but refused to eat. Noticing this, Spike commented on it.

"Apparently, you don't seem to like them either," he grinned through the hanging noodles that clung to his mouth.

She glared at him before placing her cup down. "I'm just not hungry."

Spike lifted an eyebrow at her but soon shrugged it away as he continued to eat. Faye kept her gaze on the table, a whisper escaping her lips.

"What?" Spike looked at her.

"Nothing!" she looked alarmed despite the fact that she was smiling.

He sensed something was wrong, confirming it as so. He kept it to himself though and finished his noodles. Strange how he felt unbelievingly sleepy all of a sudden...

Spike halted his pacing, remembering the words she had whispered.

"The crimson cross will guide me."

Realization crossed over Spike's features. His eyes widened. "The crimson cross..."

"She asked me to meet her at our usual place, the graveyard with the only cross-shaped tombstone in Mars..."

Words from so long ago. His words. Spike froze on the spot, the nearly finished cigarette dropping from his lips only to die out before it even reached the floor.

The crimson cross. Crimson...red. The red planet. Mars.

Julia.

Faye.

Spike rushed back to where Ed was sleeping and looking at the cups on the table that was close by, Spike saw that the bottom of his and her cup were crusted with white crystals. The traces of sleeping pills. No wonder Faye didn't eat.

Almost throwing the cup back to the table, Spike yet again rushed to the hanger but Ed's words rooted him as he climbed up the stairs.

"Where Faye-Faye and Fuzzy go...?" she murmured in her sleep. Spike seemed lost in her words for a moment, pondering on his own.

He looked at the sleeping little girl from where he stood. "I don't know, Ed. But I'm going to bring them back."

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Was that her breathing?

Faye slightly winced at the raspy sounds that were scratching her ears.

Where was she? Tombstones. A graveyard. Was she dead?

No.

It suddenly came rushing back to her. The duel she had with Julia. Quickly standing up, away from the headstone she leaned on, Faye looked around. The throb on her left shoulder brought her down on her knees...in front of a corpse.

Faye gasped but seemed paralyzed as she came to realize the dead body in front of her belonged to Julia. She gazed at the lifeless form that was heaped on the equally dead grass. Julia was laying face first, something Faye was thankful for. The ground underneath her was greedily seeping in her blood, turning it into a dirty red. Faye's eyes widened. No...this wasn't supposed to happen...Spike...

The sharp pain that her shoulder gave her brought her out of her thoughts. Grinding her teeth, Faye put her weapon away and placed a hand on her wound. She stood up. Slightly breathing hard, she gave a final stare at Julia before closing her eyes. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

Slowly turning around, Faye began walking down the same path she came in. She was scared. She didn't know or understand why. She had wounded several people before, cheated on them, stole from them...even killed them. So why did she fear now?

Because the person Faye killed was Julia.

She was his love. The only woman he respect. The only woman he would give up his life for. The only woman he would do anything for...what he wouldn't do for Faye.

Faye cried out but it wasn't because of the pain in her shoulder. Were those tears that threatened to fall?

"Faye."

She heard her name being called from so faraway despite the fact that he was right in front of her.

"Spike..."

He saw her bleeding shoulder. The thin streams of blood that ran down her arm and trailed her steps began to form a small pool of blood. "What happened?"

Faye looked away and remained quiet but her eyes would refuse to conceal themselves. No longer would they tint themselves emotionless. They shook with fear and pain but most of all...with the desire to...

"Where's Julia?"

Faye did not look at him because he mentioned her name but because she heard the click of a gun.

"Spike?" she gasped seeing his gun pointed at her. She took a step back. No...Spike...

Spike however, kept his ground and his arm straight. He was clever. Faye was right when she knew he masked his emotions quite well. Inside, he was hesitating.

I don't understand...why am I...reluctant? Why can't I keep myself straight. She...she hurt Julia!

...But Julia hurt her too.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Faye spoke, her vision on the ground. "I didn't want to let it go. Let you go. Jet died and...I couldn't have anything else taken away from me."

Spike's eyes wavered for a moment at her words. His palms began to sweat, yet he kept the gun aimed at her.

Faye continued. "It's true. Julia. I met her earlier in a bar and she asked me give you the message to meet her here today. But I couldn't. I didn't want to see you go. I couldn't take another blow like that."

"What makes you think I would have gone for sure?" Spike spoke. Who was he kidding? Of course he would've gone because Julia was the only woman...His aim went a little to the right, away from Faye.

Unaware of that fact, Faye finally looked up at Spike, working in his words. The pain on her shoulder began to run down her arm and up the side of her neck. "But..." she whispered. Then she took a step forward, her unwounded arm extended out, her hand a fist. "But she was going to kill you!"

Spike broke. The gun went down and his pained expression shattered his mask and crashed through on his features. Faye gasped at her words and his reaction but most of all at the grief she had caused him.

"Julia...she tried to kill you too...?" His words came out unmasked as well.

Faye's head dropped. "Yes."

"She's dead, isn't she?"

"...Yes."

Faye felt it. The sorrow that seeped from Spike seemed to cling to her. It was unbearable and crushing. And she had caused it. I wanted all of us to stay together...I wanted it to be okay...I was trying to save you but all I did was...Faye had killed Spike as well.

Spike looked at Faye and his eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

Faye held her gun in her right hand, almost caressing it. "I'm going to do what you want to do." She smiled. It was the same smile Spike had seen on her the first time he had laid eyes on such a person. So sad...So beautiful...

"Faye...no..." Spike took a step towards her.

The gun was already positioned against her temple. "Don't try, Spike Spiegel. I know this is what you want."

"No!" Spike threw away his own gun. "NO! It's not!"

"Enough talk. Just let me do this..."

"Why?" he demanded.

Again that smile. "It's not an answer but I still want you to know...I love you."

"NO, FAYE!"Spike began toward run to her."Let me-!"

The graveyard was undisturbed, a quiet sanctuary for those who had fallen into eternal rest. Loved one could also come and visit and enjoy and experience the peace and sorrow that the deceased were cursed to endure for all eternity. That day, however, the silence was pierced and shattered but the sorrow was heightened. A voice echoed to a highly volumed blast. This melody added yet another victim to the sanctuary of corpses.

"Faye!"

Spike rushed over to catch her, ignoring the blood and the mess. In reality, her face remained slightly intact, as if mocking him. He saw her eyes dim, they would forever be tinted now, against their will they would lay behind closed eyelids and soon turn into nothing.

"Faye..." Spike whispered. He blinked, refusing to let the image of her blur behind his tears. "You should have let me talk. You should have let me..."

He caressed her, holding her closer to his body. "Faye...I love you too."

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Who's gonna carry that burden?

Yup, that's the end. Sad, huh? Well that's a tragedy for ya. Hehe...I hope you all enjoyed this story and thank you all for reading it and actually liking it. It's my first completed Cowboy Bebop story. I also hoped you enjoyed the lengthy chapter. Well, as always,

Thank you.