A/N: Sorry for being so late but I'm a lazy guy and editing is one of those things I have to drag myself through. Oh well. There are a few things about this chapter. The title is a continuation from the third chapter of a sentence that Faye states in the original RFB about Julia.

This chapter is the highest amount of Spike/Julia that's in this story and I'm not sure whether it turned out okay or not. Spike does act different around Julia and I wanted to portray that here so he is a bit OOC but it is intended. I tried to also shed more light on Julia but... you decide how she turned out.

Anyways, thanks to the people who reviewed and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

CB

Chapter 4: Or Maybe a Devil from Paradise

"Nice wig... but I like you better as a blonde," Spike smiled and sipped on his coffee. He also stared at Julia who was looking as beautiful as ever.

"You're going to have to deal with it... for now. The Red Dragons can't identify me so I'm safe but you, you stick out like a sore thumb," Julia said.

"Really, and what's wrong with me?" Spike asked Julia in a half-joking tune.

"You still smoke, wear the same clothes as when you were in the syndicate, are half-assed and... what's with that unruly mob," Julia said signaling at Spike's hair in the same joking tone.

"If you wanted me to change, then I would have," Spike said to Julia, smirking.

"No, I'm fine with how you look, I don't really care what you look like..." she said calmly and tried to finish without finishing so Spike took up the conversation.

"At least that wasn't the reason why you didn't show up....." Spike's voice turned oddly cold at the mention of his abandonment. He waited at the graves for hours but she didn't come. He finally left and then... "It felt more like a dream than ever," Spike added.

Julia took off her sunglasses and let Spike stare into her deep blue orbs. She, in turn, looked into his eyes. A shiver went down her back, that strange feeling that she got when she looked into his two different colored eyes.

The eyes that she loved and felt protected in.

The eyes that loved and protected her in return.

The eyes that she felt warm in and they gave her warmth.

All of her desires were captured in the two small orbs and she realized yet again why she had loved him so much.

"Vicious tried to set me up... to get me to kill you or he would kill us both. I choose neither and ran..." Julia explained to Spike who looked at her gently.

"...ran far away where Vicious couldn't touch you, where no one could," Spike finished for her as he kept his gaze into her eyes. Her eyes held so many emotions at once, Spike saw her sorrow for those who died, her love for him, and her insecurity which she never allowed anyone to see. Spike saw it all and he saw himself looking back.

He loved those eyes.

"I'm sorry Spike... if you had felt deserted. I didn't mean to. I was doing it for the both of us..." Julia said in her sweetest, yet saddest tone of voice. So sweet and sad that it almost hurt for him to hear. He didn't want her to be sad, ever. He wanted to make all that sadness go away, but her blue eyes told the story of sadness and thus it always existed.

"Yes... I know," Spike said, a bit of irritation in his voice and maybe a bit of disappointment. Spike lowered his head and hid his eyes. He sat there for a moment but Julia didn't speak. There was odd silence for a minute or two before Julia decided to break it.

"Are you okay?" Julia asked Spike. The concern was obvious in her voice. Spike looked up, sad now.

"Where do you live now?...... Please take me there," he said to Julia in a low voice. She nodded and stood. Spike followed her out of the door and to her red car. He got into the passenger seat and Julia took the wheel.

CB

The barred doors tilted open and Jet tilted his head up to see Vicious and three other syndicate members follow. The three carried trays of food which Jet guessed one for each of them. But he wondered how were they going to eat? He knew Vicious wasn't going to un-cuff them. Each of the dragons stood in front of Jet, Faye, and Ed.

Each one un-cuffed one hand and held the tray out in front of them. They were each given a spoon and were told to eat. Vicious stood from a distance and watched the scene. To him it was amusing and interesting to see how sloppily they ate.

Ed was inhaling her food.

Jet was eating it slowly and Faye was afraid to eat it.

Vicious noticed this and walked in front of Faye. "You know that you won't have your strength if you don't eat," he said in cold-mocking way.

Faye shook her head. "How do I know that you haven't poisoned it," Faye said, fearless for now.

Vicious took up his sword and brought it to Faye's neck again. She didn't look fearless now. "Because I'd rather kill you with this," he said and then he pulled the sword away as a syndicate member held the tray in her arm's reach. Vicious waited until they were done to turn and leave.

On his way out, he turned. "Oh, by the way... Spike only has a little more than a day to come..." Vicious said as he left the crew again.

CB

Julia pulled the keys out of her pocket and inserted them into the keyhole. She fidgeted a bit and then turned the knob and opened the large, wooden door. She held the door open for Spike who stepped in and looked around at her place. It was a small two room with a guest room and a main room. It also had a living room and a bathroom. But, while it wasn't grand or anything, it sure as hell beat the Bebop.

"Nice place," Spike said. "Cozy," he added after looking around a bit more. He sat down in on her couch and rested his legs on the arm rest. At his rudeness, Julia smiled back. It was an inside joke.

Spike sat up as Julia walked into the kitchen. "I'm going to make dinner," she said, her face staring away from Spike.

"At ten PM?" Spike asked with curiosity.

"I didn't have my dinner yet," Julia said. Spike's stomach growled. Julia's face broke into a smile. "And from my observations, you haven't either," she said laughing. Spike blushed, his habit when his stomach went rogue.

CB

"You're eating slowly for once," Julia said to Spike who was slowly eating his food instead of inhaling it like he always did.

"On the Bebop, my partner did the cooking and it tasted horrible so we all ate fast but now that I have some good food, I'm savoring it," Spike said with a smile and as he slowly chewed the steak in his mouth. If he wasn't mesmerized by Julia, he could probably eat all day.

"Bebop?" Julia asked.

"The old fishing ship where we catch bounties on," Spike said. He already had a feeling that Julia knew he was a bounty hunter so he didn't need to waste words.

There was another silence. They hated the silence because it was too empty for both of them. They had been silent to each other for three years. Spike looked up from his food. "So what have you been doing these past three years?" he asked Julia,

"Got a few jobs as a waitress, secretary, and right now I'm a bartender," Julia said as if she was recapping a boring game that she had played. "But unlike you, I haven't been off Mars... here I am working a stable life in one place while you run off and do your own thing everywhere, makes me kind of jealous." she added.

"Kinda reminds you of old times..." Spike said in an almost reminiscing voice. He zoned out for a second but was snapped back when Julia accidentally dropped her fork on her plate, making a loud ring.

Julia blushed and picked up the fork. She looked at Spike who was staring her straight in the eyes. Julia could feel herself growing nervous from the look as it was almost overwhelming. She tried to look away but found that she couldn't. He had locked the gaze.

Spike slowly got up from his seat and walked over to her. The whole time, keeping the stare. Julia was surprised to feel his warm hand on her cheek. She shuddered then blushed but Spike took no notice.

Julia stood with Spike's hand still on her cheek. He slowly pushed her face towards his which he moved into hers and they met in the middle. For the first time in three years, Spike felt free. He kissed her deeply again and wrapped his arms around her. She, in turn, did the same and they stood for a second before they walked, still in arms, to Julia's room.

CB

Vicious sat quietly on his chair, in his apartment. It was late:

1:00 AM.

He smiled for a second.

Spike had 23 hours left to show or he would delight in killing Spike's friends. He tried to imagine the delight in killing Spike's friends but none came. It was odd too, since he liked killing anything of Spike's. But the Van using their resources for the weak crew, instead of Spike himself was regarded with Vicious as an act of cowardice.

The Van were cowards, they were weak. Vicious reminded himself these things everyday. Every night. Mostly all the time.

The syndicate doesn't need corpses who have lost the blood to hunt their enemies...

Vicious told himself that because it was against his code, the Van had to die. Vicious suddenly thought about that. Killing the Van now would put him as leader and with Spike coming soon, Vicious could take control and kill him and his crew. He smiled at the thought.

His infinite patience had given him the gift to wait for these occasions. He had wanted to become the leader since he was 18. But with Mao, the Van, and Spike still in the way, he would never have made it. But Mao was dead, Spike was gone, and the Van would be soon. Vicious smiled cruelly as the crow landed on his shoulder.

Soon, he would wake them all up.

CB

Spike smoked a cigarette as he lay naked on his back with Julia's head resting on his chest. He had missed the feeling of the warm body on top of him. It had been three years, after all. While Julia lay asleep. He lay awake. His dream had come true, but he couldn't leave yet.

Something still bound him.

Jet... Faye... Ed... Ein... he was bound to them. He wanted to help them but was afraid. Vicious.... His equal in all his fighting. All of their fights ended in a draw but Spike knew that this draw would be both of them dying or both of them living. He looked down at Julia. No, he had to fight.

Sooner to end the dream than later.

CB

Hope you enjoyed. Please drop some insight too, I really want to know if there is anything I need to work on. Otherwise, thanks for reading and I'll have the next chapter up soon.