Disclaimer: I do NOT own Cowboy Bebop or any of its characters…

Notes: sorry for the long wait but last months have been hell and my writing vein has been drained… this chapter turned out a little longer than what I've planned… blame it to the Dresden Dolls' songs that make me over-productive…

Btw, THANKS TO ALL MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS! (even to who told me to move my ass…)

Angel's Punishment

Chapter 8: Falling

2074, Shin's flat, Tharsis city- Mars-

"Are you saying me that you're gonna play the bait to catch that assassin!"

Shin sweat-dropped; he knew that telling her about his newest assignment wouldn't be a stroll in the park, but he shouldn't have forgotten that pregnancy made women moody, and Maho being a smartass on her own, was even moodier than any other woman.

"Well, it's not-" he tried to speak but was interrupted by her hysteric voice

"And you say Spike is like a big brother to you! What kind of man sends his little brother to the wolf's liar?" she accused knowing that Spike had always been Shin's weak spot, insulting his best friend was like kneeing him in the groin.

"Spike knows what he's doing… I trust him" he promptly replied trying not to let out any signs of the doubts that were slowly pooling in his thoughts.

"But you can't trust her…" she stated in a softer tone, lowering her gaze to the marble floor. Shin looked at her, he wanted so much to tell her that he was as scared as she was, to explain her the whole story. But what could he say? Spike had been so mysterious; he had just said that this Faye was an old comrade… not even a friend; but he felt that there was something more, something that his older friend hadn't told him, something that maybe Spike didn't want to acknowledge even to himself.

"She's not the demon they told her to be…"

There he said it. He had lied to her for the first time; from what he had seen of the people Nemesis had slaughtered in the past years, she was even worse than a demon… sure, she might have her reasons to kill the RD men, but she must find some satisfaction in the brutal act. After all if, as Spike had said, she was just an ex-partner the anger for losing him couldn't be so strong to guide her to do such calculated and cruel assassination.

"Ok… just remember that you have somebody in here who will need his daddy" the raven haired woman said placing a hand on her still rather flat belly, her indigo eyes glistening with unshed tears as they stared intensely into his deep green irises. Shin couldn't help but take a step forward and wrap his arms around her slender waist.

"I won't forget it…" he whispered in her ear, as her small hands gripped tightly at his shirt.

19:00, The Bebop - Ganymede's Orbit

Spike was having dinner on the Bebop like the old times, the only difference was that Alisa's cooking skills were absolutely incomparable to Jet's… he would have never thought he could taste such a appetizing dish sitting on the yellow couch. He had reached his ex-comrades to get some information from Ed about Nemesis' last movements and plan something to protect Shin and at the same time catch Faye.

"Yeah Ed, I've already talked with Shin… his girlfriend left two days ago to stay with a friend so we don't have to worry about her… do you have an idea about when she plans to get in action?" Spike said between mouthfuls of the typical Ganymede's deliciousness on his plate

"I don't know when she'll go to him, she's never given me any details… she just makes a quick call after the murder so I get into the security system and erase all the tapes from the cameras…" Ed replied from the stairs

"Can't you even try to sort out how much time it'll take to her to reach Tharsis from her actual position? You've talked with her three or four hours ago… I don't think she's already left"

"Impossible… we use e-mail to communicate and I can't trace the location from where she's sent it… it's the only way so they wouldn't be able to catch even me if they got her" the red haired teenager explained

"You said Faye had a bleeding wound on her right arm when you saw her in the graveyard two weeks ago... I believe she'll be more cautious this time, she'll most likely attack in the weekend… but you know that she's unpredictable, so you'd better watch out" Jet said sipping his red wine.

"There will be guards watching the flat from tomorrow morning…" Spike reassured him "plus I'll be staying somewhere in the building for the week so when she'll come I can protect her…"

"You'd better sleep well tonight, considering the difficult week that awaits you…" Alisa commented

"I'll try…"

20:00, Tharsis City - Mars

Faye was staring at the door of her soon-to-be last victim's flat; she had noticed just then that it was the same apartment building where she had killed the first one of the RD members on her black book.

'This building is probably property of the syndicate… I knew I had to organize the list by the domicile location and not randomly…' she thought to herself sighing at her mistake.

After taking a look at the hallway in both directions the dark haired assassin pressed her forefinger on the ringing button and waited for her victim to come out and face his destiny. She knew she had been too impulsive this time, she should have waited at least two days, but the thought of finally seeing even the last name cancelled was too inviting; and knowing that Shin Kikuchi had a flat in the same city were she lived surely didn't help the urge of getting on her motorbike and reach him.

"Coming!" she heard a male voice calling from the other side of the door. She smiled to herself; it looked like she wasn't the only impulsive person in the building… she had made a good choice following her instinct; she really had caught him by surprise. She took another glace at her surroundings looking for any signs of guards, maybe after her first appearance in the building three years before they had mounted a guard over the place. But she didn't see anybody… well, good for her.

Faye didn't care if there were security cameras on this time, she didn't care if they find out who she was, if they would catch her, torture her, kill her… she finally would have her revenge and then she could die in peace, she would be free to be with him again. All she hoped was that she didn't have to fight; she really wasn't in the right mood for that kind of things today, she just wanted to slice the bastard in two and, if they didn't get to catch her even this time, go home having a shower before sitting on her bed thinking about what she would do in the future, or better what she wouldn't do in the future…

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Shin hurriedly reached the door.

'This is probably Mark needing someone to feed him… that shameless freeloader' he said to himself, knowing that at least twice a week his friend knocked at his door inviting himself to dinner with him and Maho. But when he took a look into the peephole his eyes popped out of their sockets and he forgot every thought about Mark and dinner.

"Holy shit! What's she doing here!" he whispered to no one as he took a few steps backward staring at the door in horror; his firs instinct was to reach the window and jump out in the street, but suddenly he remembered that he lived on the eleventh floor and it would have been rather difficult to survive from jumping at that height.

Shin's green eyes scanned the room for something he could use to knock her out, but when he saw the phone something in his mind clicked: he had to call Spike. He reached for the wireless lying on the leather couch and quickly composed the number of the leader's office. He was pacing around the room as he waited for someone to answer at the other side of the line.

"Hello, Spike Spiegel's office. How can I help you?" asked a gentle female voice

"Beth, it's Shin get me Spike immediately…" he told her

"Mr. Spiegel's not here, Mr. Kikuchi…" Beth replied quietly

"And where the hell is he!" he asked anxiously

"At dinner with some old friends… by the way, do you know if he knows about the party?"

"I don't have time for parties now, Beth! Find out where he is and tell him that she's already here and to move his ass..."

"but-" she couldn't even finish her sentence that he had already hang up.

Shin threw the phone on the couch and when he heard a second ring he looked back at the door petrified. His mind suggested it was better that he opened the door before she started to get suspicious, tore the door down and kill him without a second thought; but his feet wouldn't move, he wanted so much to go to his bedroom pick out his gun and shot at the door with the hope of hitting the woman behind the wooden barrier, but he knew it would have been a dumb-ass thing. He wouldn't have a chance against the woman who had killed off many of the RD most trained killers. The only thing he could do was play for time waiting for Spike to get there and help him out; till that moment he would try and distract her maybe asking her some question to keep her mind out of the real reason she came to him, after all it was common knowledge that the whole female population of the universe had a natural predisposition for talking…

Shin gathered up the little courage he had left and took a deep breath before his almost shaking hand gripped the handle and opened the door coming face to face with a beautiful face. She was standing opposite him, emerald eyes staring with interest at his stunned face; he was taken aback by her unique beauty, as Spike had said she was nothing like Julia, she had no sign of the angelic features that anybody could immediately recognize in the blonde woman that once had hold both Spike's and Vicious' hearts.

'So this is the infamous Faye Valentine…'

Her silky dark violet hair reached long past her shoulder, the deep green eyes were exalted by her long dark lashes and her bloody red lips were synonymous to perfection; he noticed that she had something of Oriental in her features but it wasn't so obvious. She was wearing blue jeans and a black double breasted mid-thigh length coat, a silky deep crimson scarf was wrapped around her neck and she was wearing black leather gloves. Shin swallowed when he noticed the sheathed katana she held in her left hand, and suddenly he returned his gaze to her face almost afraid that if he looked at it for too long she might think about using it right then.

"You're Shin, right?" Faye questioned looking at the kind features of the young man facing her; she wasn't actually expecting to meet somebody so young; he had to be around her age, if not younger, it was the first member of the RD she met that wasn't surely over his thirty.

"Y-yeah, in what can I help you?" he replied trying to sound sure of himself, but failing on the first word

"Oh, it's a long story… can I come in?" she asked sweetly

"Sure, Miss…" he moved to the side and opened the door wider so she could step inside the flat.

Meanwhile Beth had found Spike's communicator's number and was waiting on the line to hear his voice answering.

"What's the problem, Beth?" his deep voice replied on the receiver

"Good evening, Mr. Spiegel… Mr. Kikuchi has just called saying to tell you that she's already there and to-" she coughed uncomfortably

"And to what?" he asked getting worried

"Well, he said to move your posterior, sir… he seemed a little upset"

"Ok, Beth, thanks for the call…"

"Wait, Mr. Spiegel!" she managed to speak before he hung up

"Something else?" he questioned

"I just wanted to ask if you've heard about the party-" she started but got interrupted for the second time that day

"We'll talk later… bye" he said dismissing her without any second thought.

Beth stared outraged at the receiver and let out an angry growl, she was getting tired of working with those action men. All that mattered to them was killing, dealing with drugs and other illegal things, and being surrounded by voluptuous women; while she was left with the burdening task of organizing grand, ultra-expensive parties so that they could show off all their dirty money.

But this time they were gonna get it, they would learn not to sign papers without even read what was written on them; the party was already set for the day after and she would have forced them to attended to it even if it was the last thing she did in her life.

"Faye is already there, I've got to go!" Spike said grabbing his trench coat and walking towards the hangar

"Thanks for the company, Spike!" Alisa said from the kitchen

"See ya, uncle Spike" Matt echoed from the toy room

"I've told you she is unpredictable, but this is kinda extreme…" Jet said following him into the hangar

"Faye-Faye is probably anxious to put an end to it…" Ed replied

"Ed, I need you to connect the Swordfish with the cameras in Shin's flat, the audio will be sufficient… open the hangar gates, Jet… I'm leaving right now!" Spike said ignoring their discussion and jumping on his red ship but before he could close the cockpit his older friend threw something at him; he caught it and looked at the gun in his grasp

"It's loaded with tranquilizer darts… powerful ones" Jet replied with a smirk to his friend unspoken question

"Remember the promise, Spike-person… don't hurt her!" Ed shouted as she worked on her laptop sitting on the hangar floor, while Ein danced around her barking.

"We'll see…" he said to himself waving to his ex-comrades before grasping the cloches of the Swordfish and shooting off in the sky.

Faye went past Shin and into the sumptuous flat; he could feel a shiver ran down his spine as the pointy tip of the black sheath touched his leg, in other occasions he would have gripped the sword and disarmed her, but right now his nerves was so tense it would have been a suicide.

"Well, I believe you know who I am, and what I'm doing here…" she said quietly when she heard the door closing

"M-maybe" he replied in a little voice, she turned to him with a small smile on her lips

"I'll give you a hint, since I feel particularly happy today… I'm here to finish a work started years ago; you're the last on my list… I hope you're not offended by that…"

"Oh, no… no offense at all…" he didn't know what to say, it was kind of difficult trying to keep on a conversation with somebody who had came purposely to kill you off; but his survival instinct kicked in at the right moment and he found his voice again

"I just wanted to ask you a question, if you don't mind…" Shin looked at her with big puppy eyes, if she would accept to answer his question maybe he would have a bit more time to live

"Sure, but please don't start begging for your life… your colleagues had already tried the pity-card, and you know well where it led them…" she warned coldly

"I- I wanted to ask you why are you doing this? Why are you killing us?"

'Nice try, Shin, now she'll kill you just for the idiotic question…' he mentally scolded himself

Faye seemed to ponder a bit around the subject and Shin was sure that if she wouldn't answer his question soon, he would have died of heart failure. The dark haired assassin took off her coat and laid it on the nearer armchair, then she discarded her gloves and finally she sat down on the cushion and crossed her long legs busying herself looking at the black decorated sheath of her katana. Shin couldn't believe at his eyes, his going-to–be-murderer was sitting in his house looking as if she was on a normal visit to one of her friends.

"That's actually a good question, Shin… you're the first one that's not only concerned about his worthless life… it's a rare behavior for somebody who's gonna met his fate in less than an hour" she said finally looking up to his eyes, noticing they were the same color of hers.

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Spike was listening at their conversation from the Swordfish, the audio was not the best, there were some disturbing noises that cut off completely some words but generally he could work out what they were saying.

"I just wanted to ask you a question, if you don't mind…" he heard his friend's voice asking to Faye and arched and eyebrow wondering what his friend was up to; it was a little out of character for Shin to be so daring

"Sure, but please don't start begging for your life… your colleagues had already tried the pity-card, and you know well where it led them…" that was surely something he wasn't expecting from someone like Faye, it seemed more like something one of Vicious' men could have said. And her voice seemed so cold and toneless, so different from her usual almost-theatrical attitude; maybe something had really changed in her personality, maybe his wish of getting things back as they were before Vicious and Julia's deaths would remain just a hope.

"I wanted to ask you why are you doing this? Why are you killing us?" Spike smiled to himself… Shin was really excelling himself today; Faye was the kind of woman that, if in the right mood, could go on hours answering a question like that. The ex-bounty hunter still remembered the long talk she had with Ein about her past, while he was in the bathroom; he had to say she really had a gift for story telling. The moment of silence that followed Shin's question got Spike worried; if she wasn't the same woman anymore she wouldn't even have answered the question, and that was a problem… a serious one.

"That's actually a good question, Shin… you're the first one that's not only concerned about his worthless life… it's a rare behavior for somebody who's gonna met his fate in less than an hour" his smile turned into a satisfied smirk, even if her reply was still extremely cold he could hear the interest in her tone, now he was sure that he would have arrived in time for saving his friend and stopping his long lost beautiful partner from signing her own death's contract.

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"Thanks-" he didn't know why he had thanked her, but mostly he hated the fact that he almost blow off his cover because he was about to say her real name out loud; and actually she interpreted his pause as a way to ask her name, and surprisingly enough she replied

"Faye… my name's Faye" she told him evenly. She didn't really know what it was with this guy, but he made her feel at ease, he wasn't like all the others, full of themselves and with that cold stare typical of a man that had done nothing but killing for all his life. In her eyes Shin looked like the shy guy that would help old women crossing the road, rescue kittens from the trees and save pretty girls from molesters; he had this well-mannered-knight-in-shining-armor look on his face that she just couldn't help but notice. Perhaps it was this difference from the other members of the RD that made her act around him almost as if he was an old friend, and she really needed someone to talk to lately.

"Oh… thanks, Faye" he was shocked to hear that she had actually shared her name with him, he felt almost as if she trusted him

"No problems… but you don't need to stand there like a statue, don't worry I'm not going to play any tricks on you… "

"ah, ok…" he said a little embarrassed taking some steps backwards till his calves hit the cushion of the armchair and he fell onto it under Faye's amused gaze; he muttered an apology and adjusted his position on the cushion.

"Now that you're at safe distance from me and my sword, I believe I can answer your question…" she said smiling knowingly having noticed how he hadn't turned his back to her reaching the armchair.

"So, Shin, you don't seem the kind of guy that joins a syndicate like the Red Dragon by your own choice… I'm sure your childhood hasn't been one of the best periods of your life, right?"

"Right…" he said absentmindedly

"Raised up in an orphanage and sold to a criminal organization to become a killer… you know how it is to feel lonely and impotent even over your own life" she said looking straight into his eyes

"I haven't been the luckiest of the children…" he replied lost in the depths of her eyes and in the sensual understanding tone of her voice

"Well, my childhood was the exact opposite of yours… what I wanted I got; I was a spoiled little brat grown up by a too permissive and sickening rich family. Being an only daughter my parents would do anything I wanted, so when I was twenty they got the great idea of buying me a space flight in one of the newest shuttle… but there was an accident and their spoiled princess turned into a sleeping beauty. I've been in a cryogenic tank for over fifty years and when I finally woke up six years ago I didn't even remember who I was…" she sighed and looked down at her hands a bitter smile on her lips; Shin was staring at her with a rapt look, the woman who was supposed to kill him was actually telling him about her life… and it didn't seem a happy tale at all.

"But looking back I think it's been better that way. That naïve innocent girl couldn't have put up with being chased around the whole Solar System by creditors, cops and bounty hunters… she wouldn't have survived being drugged up, raped and humiliated in any possible way… that Faye wouldn't have survived in 2068, but Faye Valentine..." the dark haired woman let out a low chuckle that kind of scared the brown haired RD member sitting opposite her

"She knows no bounds, fears or even dignity… she's a free spirit, a survivor, a though ass bitch without any care in the world… or at least that's what she thought she was"

"And what made her change her mind?" Shin suddenly asked too caught up in the narration to notice he said it out loud

"One day she met a cowboy in a casino, she messed up his bounty, robbed him off of his money and fuel and then run away… simple routine for someone like her; but Fate crossed their roads again and from that day everything changed. She invited herself to live with him and his comrades and she started feeling something inside of her; something that had been dozing off for decades started stirring inside her mind and heart… it was a sense of belonging; the need of finding someone who cares for you, someone you care for; it was the wish of having a place to came back, a place to call home. And she started to believe that maybe she had finally found it, she convinced herself that the bunch of odd people she lived with were in a sort of way her family… and she was happy, after three years of loneliness and wandering she was finally happy. But as they say-"

"Nothing good last long…" he completed her sentence.

"She made the mistake of falling in love… you know Shin, love is a selfish emotion, you feel like the object of you affections is only yours and nobody or nothing has the right to take it away from you… but nobody could decide for someone else's life, even less if your love is not returned… I couldn't do anything to save him, so I just let him go; I let him get his revenge 'cause I knew that I would have done the same in his situation… and he never came back, he left and he took along that piece of my heart that had finally started to unfrozen, that part of me that still was able to hope, to love, to live"

Shin was starting to feel sick; that girl sitting in his living room was everything but a demon… she was a betrayed soul, a lonely spirit that had been looking for someone to love for so much time just to have it taken away the moment she found it. His willpower was starting to give in; he felt the urge to tell her that it was all a lie, that the man she so desperately loved was still alive, that she would see him again that same night. But what could he say? As she had said, hope was a stranger feeling to her, how could she believe him after three years of grief?

"Well, Shin, here's the answer to your question" he snapped off of his wondering and focused his gaze on her

"I'm doing this because I'm selfish and unforgiving, because you and your likes took him away from me… I'm doing this because I want him back… I need him back… but I'm not God, I can't revive the dead, all I can do to be with him again is die, but not before I get my revenge… my soul wouldn't be able to rest in peace till even the last of you has let out his last breath…" she stood and slowly unsheathed the silver blade of the katana

"I came here to punish you for participating in killing the only man I've ever loved, but to tell you the truth for the first time I feel unsure, you're different from the other of your kind…" Faye stared intently at the smooth surface of her weapon, her green eyes reflecting clearly on it.

"But I won't stop now… I hope you can understand…" her lips tightened in a resolute line and her eyes looked straight into the depths of his forest green irises. Her lithe figure stepped forward towards him with a godlike grace and she whispered a single word before gripping with both hands the hilt of the sword

"I'm sorry…"

Shin's eyes widened as he instinctively retired into the back of the armchair bringing his arms to protect his frame. He really couldn't die like that; he had made a promise to Maho, to their child, and he wouldn't give it up.

"Wait, Faye! He's not dead!" he shouted the first thing that came to his mind, the only thing that probably would stop her.

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Spike had just landed on the roof of the building; he had listened to the whole conversation that his two friends had into Shin's flat, and he was devastated. All he wanted was to reach the damn door and put an end to that foolishness… yeah, foolishness… it was the only word that could completely give a sense to what had been happening since the first day he entered into the Red Dragons. His whole life had been a failure, the people he cared for had fallen one by one; he was worse than a disease, anything he had touched, sooner or later, inexorably either died or get mad, just like happened with Julia, Mao, Annie, Vicious and Lin; even people he met for a few hours had gotten the same Fate, like Rocco Bonaro, Katerina or Gren.

But he couldn't forgive himself if he let two of the most important people in his present life destroy each other for one of his many mistakes... not in his new life. He shouldn't have left the Bebop to go after Vicious; he should have stayed with the people who really cared for him, with the ones that were always there to stitch him up when he got back beat up from a bounty. Spike knew it hadn't been the best moment for leaving, Jet had a gunshot wound on his leg, and Faye's mind had been under a lot of stress after getting back her memories and discovering that she was really alone in the world; but his selfishness had won over and he had went away without looking back.

Spike rushed down the stairs slowing down a bit just to look at the indication of the floor, he knew he could have used the elevator, but it gave him the feeling of stillness, of passiveness; while running down the steps was a lot more exciting and it was a good way to get rid of the load of adrenaline that was flowing through his veins. The messy green haired man stopped when he reached the eleventh floor and gave a quick look at the surroundings to remember himself where his friend lived. Finally he recognized Shin's door and run to it knocking loudly on its wooden surface.

"Open up, Shin! It's Spike!" he yelled hoping that would bring Faye's attention out of her actual intentions till he tore the damn door down.

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"Open up, Shin! It's Spike!"

Her jade eyes widened as her ears picked up the familiar voice that had shouted from the other side of the door, but she knew it was just a trick of her mind, and what Shin had said, had intensified the effect.

"Looks like I was wrong about you… you're just like all of them" the violet haired woman said coldly feeling betrayed; he had used her weakness just like Morimoto had, but this time she wouldn't fall for it… even if the whole syndicate was out of that door she would have completed her task, she had spent the last three years of her life onto this mission and she wasn't going to give up now that she could already see the finishing line.

Shin was as shocked as she was, finally Spike had arrived… not really at the best moment, but at least it wasn't too late. Her bitter words hadn't really hit a soft spot in him… sure, he felt bad for her, but soon she would see that he wasn't lying. His eyes were no longer fixed on the blade ready to strike onto his body, but to the door that was about to give out under Spike's pushing.

The katana was already moving when a loud crash echoed in the room and after that a gunshot roared into the walls. Faye's grasp on the sword failed and the weapon fell to the ground unmoving, her lips let out a pained sigh as her eyes stared at the dart on her left shoulder; her right hand moved to take off the stinging object that was slowly but efficiently releasing into her body the sedative liquid. A few tears escaped her closed eyes as she threw the dart on the ground before she opened them back again to look at the one who had interrupted her, she wanted to memorize his face in her mind because he would pay for doing that to her.

"Faye…" Spike called softly her name when he noticed her stare finally fixing on his figure; he immediately noticed the irritated expression on her features turning into a confused one, their eyes locked and he felt a pang of guilt hitting him to the pit of the stomach, her once lively eyes were shadowed, he could sense that she was tired of living, she was tired of feeling pain, tired of being alone… she had become just like he had been, and it was his fault. He was about to tell her that it was really him, but she didn't give him the time, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed on the floor.

Shin was still sitting on the armchair motionless, he snapped out of the trance when he heard the thud of Faye's body falling to the ground, he was about to go pick her up but decided to let Spike do it… after all it was him she needed now, not anybody else. Spike reached in two fast steps her lying figure and lifted her into his arms, her head rolled into his shoulder and he looked at her pale face partially covered by the long dark strands of hair. His mismatched russet eyes caught sight of her lips moving a bit and moved her head nearer to his neck so he could hear whatever she was mumbling.

"You're not real…" that few words spoken lightly on the skin of his neck gave him a shudder; they were so similar to the ones spoken to him by another woman a few moment before she slipped away, the only difference was that Faye would be still alive after this, she would woke up and it wouldn't be easy for her to accept the reality, to understand that her life and her actions till that day had been conditioned by a lie, a single terrible lie.

"What are you gonna do now?" Shin asked looking as his friend stood with Nemesis' body lying unconscious in his arms.

"I'm taking her home…" he replied walking towards the doorway

"Do you need a car?"

"Nah, the Swordfish will be all right…" Spike's feet touched the floor outside the flat and tuned to the younger man who was still in the living room

"And, Shin… you'd better do something for this door before going to bed…" he said with a small smirk on his thin lips

"I won't be able to sleep, anyway…" he said reaching the lanky green haired man at the entrance "this thing scared me too much…" he handled him the sheathed katana that had almost taken away his life.

"This thing has done a lot more than just scaring many men and women…" he stated recognizing the sword now in his hand as Vicious' weapon. Even if he didn't feel any pain he would have sworn the skin on his palm was getting burned by the cursed katana, the same sword that had almost killed him twice.

"I'd better leave before our sleeping shrew here wakes up… see you, tomorrow" the lanky figure moved from the doorway towards the elevators… there was no way he was going to carry her till the roof.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow…" the brown haired man whispered kicking the broken door lying on the floor, thinking about what he could say to his girlfriend about it.

Spike had been sitting on the wooden floor of his bedroom for the whole night; his back was aching and his ass had gone numb hours before. A full ashtray laid near him along with a bottle of tequila and a half-full glass of the same liquor; one of his long legs was stretched in front of him, while the other was bent to support his right forearm. The green mop of hair was resting against the mattress of the king sized bed where, unlike the current occupant, he had spent innumerable sleepless nights during the last two months. He opened his dark eyes and cursed when he noticed that his last cigarette had expired between his fingers; he could say it was already morning by the few ray of sunlight that filtered through the badly closed window shutter.

The ex-bounty hunter turned his head to look at the sleeping figure on his bed, her dark long hair were scattered on her back and partially on her face, covering the peaceful features of her appearance. Faye was lying on her stomach fully clothed in jeans and a black v-necked fitted sweater, Spike had taken care of removing her knee-high boots, which had turned out to be an arduous deed. One of her hands was lying next to her head while the other was somewhere under the pillow; the sedative that Jet had given him really was something potent, she hadn't moved since he had laid her down twelve hours before.

There was something different in her; the longer hair gave her a more mature look, and the different choice of clothing really didn't do justice to the younger skimpy version of her attire; he had never seen her body so covered and it disturbed him. He wanted the half naked Faye back into his life, and not because she was a delightful sight for his eyes, but because that was the Faye Valentine he knew, the one with the fiery piercing emerald eyes, with the careless bitchy attitude, the one with the strong personality who would have never let anyone broke her. He wanted back the stubborn woman who would never listen to anybody, who would have gone after him every time he risked his life on a stupid bounty; she should have been the one rescuing his almost dead body after the showdown with Vicious, at the time he would have bet all he owned on it… but now he knew he would have lost everything.

Spike sighed standing up with some difficulty after discarding the dead cigarette on the ashtray, he turned his gaze to his ex-partner and brushed away some bangs from her cheeks, maybe he had wronged judging her three years before, she wasn't the invincible woman he thought her to be… true, she could have survived death fifty years before, but she was as fragile as any other human being and he should have considered it. He had been the one making her fragile; he had been the one breaking her… it was him who made her become the dark angel she now was… an angel of death.

It was his own fault if the Faye Valentine he knew was no more there, because even if she had been self-centered and bitchy, she had never been cold-hearted and merciless like she now was… one of the things that he envied her was the great value she gave to life, to her it didn't matter how much shit one had gone through in his life, all that mattered was not to die because after death there was nothing more to save. Faye had tried many times to make him understand her philosophy, every single time he had gone on a suicidal mission she was there picking up the pieces, she had been the creator of his second chances, the reason he could have seen Julia one last time before everything crashed down.

"Somewhere inside there you're still alive, Faye… I'll find you" he promised more to himself than to her in a barely audible whisper, then he left the room and closed the door behind him heading for the bathroom.

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Faye awoke with a start, her eyes snapping open immediately noticing the unfamiliar surroundings, but she didn't get scared, it happened sometimes to wake up and not recognizing the room, that was how her memories were coming back to her, blurry retails of her past reality invading her current life, like the first time in the shower; sometimes she felt like she was living in two different worlds, the past and the present… just like Spike had. But her reminiscences had never been so real; this time she could smell a strong reek of cigarette and a slight feebler scent of alcohol, even the pillow smelled of something that was familiar to her: cologne.

Slowly she rose on the mattress getting on her knees, she looked around some more and noticed that, even if the bedroom was luxurious, it was quite messy, there were male clothes scattered on the two chairs, some books on the nightstand and a full ashtray with a bottle of liquor on the floor near the bed. The dark haired woman was sure that somebody had been watching her for the night, and she remembered the whole accident at Shin's flat… they probably had caught her and were scared that she could escape.

'Fools…' she thought noticing that after all in the end they had left her alone in the room.

The bed squeaked under her weight as she moved to get out of it, but as soon as she moved to stand a sharp pain hit her on the head; her emerald eyes closed and she brought a hand up to her forehead. The tranquilizer they had shot her was having its side effects; she was now sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on her knees and her head resting on her palms. Faye cautiously reopened her eyes and looked at the feet planted on the parquet; she moved her toes and was relieved that at least the sedative was killing only her head. She was about to try and stand up again when her eyes lost their focus and her head throbbed in pain.

"Fuck…" she muttered under her breath suddenly realizing that in those conditions she wouldn't have escaped from the syndicate's men so easily.

"Not exactly a morning person, unh?" a familiar voice spoke from the door. Faye's eyes turned to the voice ignoring the shooting pain it caused to her brain, and what she saw surely wasn't going to help the headache. Spike Spiegel, or somebody who looked exactly like him, stood in the doorway staring at her with a lopsided grin plastered on his lips. He was wearing a pair of baggy grey pants that he probably wore to sleep and a ridiculous light green t-shirt with some beer advertisement printed on it, he had never been a man of fashion but that really was a disturbing sight.

"How in the hell-" she started to ask but got interrupted by his reply

"No, just listen, Faye… I've been in a coma for the past three years after Shin saved me… I'm the leader of this damn thing now; but it won't last long…" he looked at her for any reaction, but all she did was staring at him with a blank stare then, out of the blue, she let out an amused laugh… she surely had surprised him a lot today.

"At least I hope they've paid you well for having the facial plastic surgery…" Faye said convincing herself that the man in front of her was just a pawn in the torturing game the RD had planned for her

"It's really me, Faye…" the green haired man said taking a step in her direction, unbelieving that she didn't want to recognize him as her long lost partner

"Yeah, and I'm Mother Teresa…" she replied, every word dripping with sarcasm

"Didn't know you were catholic…"

"I'm not, Mr. Whatever-is-your-name…" she kept on challenging him, her emerald glare fixed on his russet eyes. There was a moment of silence before he let a smile graze his features and said

"Looks like I was wrong, you're still a stubborn shrew…"

"And how would you know I was one?" her seductive voice taunted his ears as she arched a perfect eyebrow at his statement. He stared at her, if he wanted to get her back to her senses he needed to strike deeper, he had to remind her who he had been, who she had been, if he waned her to finally recognize him as Spike. He took a few steps to stand in front of her and then in a fluid movement went down to get at eye level with her, the hands supporting his weight planted firmly on the mattress at her sides, he could feel her quickening breath on his lips just like that time years ago.

"Look at my eyes…" his deep voice seemed to have come out directly form those mismatched dark pools she had already got to see from such a close distance the last time she had seen him… no, not him… this man wasn't Spike… Spike was dead.

"Even the real Spike got a surgery on his eyes…" she stated matter-of-factly before replying with more force in her voice "Why don't you just kill me? You're wasting your time with this farce, I've tormented myself enough for the past three years… torturing me with this is useless"

Spike just stood there looking into the depths of her emerald eyes, it comforted him that at least she hadn't lost her former stubbornness; she wasn't totally apathetic as he had thought. Her eyes were no more blank like a few moments before, they were starting to shown their true flaming nature and he now knew for sure that Faye Valentine was really still alive inside Nemesis' cold exterior, she was waiting for someone to wake her up, to bring her back to the surface before she drowned into an abyss of hurting memories.

"We were in this same situation" he started calmly "I said that I thought I was watching a dream that I would never awaken from. And that before I knew it, the dream was all over… you told me your memories came back, but you didn't find anybody waiting for you. You asked me why I was throwing my life away and I told you I wasn't going there to die. I was going there to see if I really was alive… and while I walked away I could hear your gun empting into the ceiling" he held their gaze and noticed that she was slowly melting, she was starting to believe him, but nonetheless he continued… you could never be sure with someone like Faye. He stood up her eyes not following his but staring right ahead, through him.

"Do you need me to mention any other episode? I don't know like the first time I came in while you where having a shower and you shot me; the first time you rescued me after I had fallen from the church's rose window; the first time I heard you humming and told you that you sang off key; or the first time I saw you cry while watching the tape from your forgotten past… do I have to continue? That time we were after Mad Pierrot and you tried to hide from me his e-mail 'cause you were worried; when you went after that damn tech sect alone and I came looking for you; or even that time-"

"STOP IT!" she hang her head, violet bangs fell like a curtain on her beautiful face "How-? What-? Why-? Goddamnit there are no fucking questions to ask anymore!" she gripped at the fabric of her jeans tightly, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. She couldn't believe it… he was really there, breathing, talking and wearing that stupid t-shirt that was ruining the atmosphere. She knew she should have gone and dug a hole in the ground where he was buried so she could have seen with her own eyes his inexistent corpse. She had spent three years of hell grieving for her loss, killing for revenge, fantasizing about having him back into her life while he was sleeping somewhere in the same city she had been living.

"You were asleep for all this time; I should have thought about it, I should have never believed to the damn cops… I'm so fucking stupid!" she said to herself bringing a hand to her cheeks wiping some of the tears that had started to flow from her eyes.

"You and I both have made mistakes… we're not stupid… we've just been living in a dark world for far too long and our eyes are not used to the sparkles of light that we sometimes encounter…" he sat down next to her, he really wanted to run his fingers through her long silky hair, to cradle her in his arms and just for a moment find some comfort in each other; but he had never been the emotional type, he just wasn't that kind of guy. So he stayed there looking at the wall opposite him till he felt a smaller hand reaching for his arm, wrapping it around the body next to his and a flash of purple passed in front of his view before he felt a light weight on his lap.

"Just for a moment… I need you to hold me just for a moment" Faye's worn out voice whispered into his neck as she laid her head onto his shoulder and breathed shakily into the nape of his neck, her arms going around him to met on his back where she tightened her grip. He gave her no verbal response, but his strong arms went around her small frame as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of rain and citrus fruits he could smell in her hair.

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"I don't care if he's having an audience with the pope! I must talk with Mr. Spiegel now!" the young woman stated to the two guards standing in front of Spike's flat inside the same building where the RD headquarters were located.

"Miss Staenberg, we can't let you in, we've got orders to respect…" said patiently one of the two guys

"Listen, you already know about the party this evening… well, if you let me in I promise I'll take you with me" she promised, the two young members of the criminal organization looked at each other sharing a dubious glare

"And I don't have a protective husband who's waiting me at home tonight…" Beth added in a seductive voice gazing at them over her small reading glasses. The guards took their time considering her petite body clad in a professional grey tailleur, her deep violet eyes captivating them and her auburn hair held in a high ponytail. Her smile was predatory and they gave into the temptation.

"Ok, but-" the other guy accepted before being interrupted

"Don't worry you won't get into trouble, my word… now, please, open!"

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Faye and Spike were still in the same position, neither of them had moved even if the moment she had requested was definitely passed; they were too absorbed into their own world to think about the passing time. She was completely lost into the manly essence she could smell onto his skin, cigarette mixed with alcohol and the delicate cologne of the aftershave he had used even on the Bebop; she remembered she loved waking up later and going into the bathroom after he had shaved, being surrounded by that deep scent always made her lightheaded and it was a wonderful way to start the day.

The RD leader didn't felt uncomfortable with her in his arms, actually he hadn't been hugged so many times in his life, he didn't remember sharing affectionate moments with his parents, and when he was with girls it was just for sex; Julia had embraced him a few times but she had always felt distant to him, even in their last encounter he had felt cold in her arms. But maybe it was just that he was so tired for not having sleep during the night that he would have laid down on the bed with her still wrapped in his arms and drifted off into a peaceful sleep, her warm body really was a deadly somniferous. But just when he was closing his eyes the door of his bedroom opened widely.

"Mr. Spiegel, we need to talk about a-" the intruder stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth agape as she stared at the two figures embracing on the bed. Spike had a bored expression on his face as he looked at his secretary; he felt Faye's head moving from his shoulder to take a look at the newly arrived and her arms loosened around his back coming to rest on his shoulders.

"I had a rough night, Beth… what's the problem?" he asked releasing the dark haired ex-bounty huntress from his grip on her waist when she made a move to stand on her own still unsteady legs.

"I didn't mean to interrupt anything, sir… I'm sorry" she apologized already playing in her mind the moment he would have fired her for such an outrageous action, even if it was a little difficult picturing him in such a serious act with the kind of attire he was wearing at the moment.

"You've started out well, girl… don't get scared, kick his ass if it's needed…" Beth turned to the long haired woman standing bare-footed next to Spike; she had never seen her before, but the lady had a strange aura around her, and she seemed quite at ease with the syndicate's leader. The auburn haired girl had heard some voices on Spike's lover, but from what she knew the woman was blonde and mostly she had died years ago, there was not a chance the infamous Julia could be the dark haired lady facing her.

"Don't influence badly my employees, Romani…" he warned her teasingly using her old nickname

"If she arrived here despite the guards, who are surely controlling the entrance, I'm sure she's not so innocent, Goujo…" her reply was fast and effective, and it brought a smirk on his thin lips… it was good having Faye spiting smartass replies at his face again

"Oh about the guards, they're not-" Beth started to say

"Involved in any way, I'm sure about it…" he cut her off sarcastically "by the way, this refined lady is Faye Valentine; whatever comes out of her mouth doesn't have to be taken seriously…" Spike said half joking

"Yeah, sure…" Faye chuckled feeling more relaxed around him after the hug; she reached for her socks on the floor and started putting them on while she listened to their conversation.

"So tell me what you're here for…" he asked standing on his feet

"It's about the party the Red Dragons have organized for your awakening…" she explained calmly

"And when should this thing be held?" Spike asked passing a his fingers through the mess on his hair, and feeling already bored just thinking about having to put on a damn tuxedo and spending a night talking with people he couldn't care less about.

"Tonight…"

"What!" he asked incredulously

"You've signed the papers a month ago, sir… it's not my fault if you didn't read before putting your name on it…" Beth said courageously

"It's different; he never learnt how to read…" the emerald eyed woman smugly replied as she struggled with her black boots' buckles

"Can't we postpone it?" he asked ignoring his partner's remark

"Absolutely not!" the violet eyed secretary stated sure of herself

"If you put it this way I've got to agree, but I need you to take Faye to buy a dress and everything else she needs for the party, and bring five men with you… serious ones, so do not include the guards outside here… ask for Mark and Chris let them choose the other three" Spike ordered naming the guys he trusted the most inside the organization; he knew there were two factions that divided the syndicate: the one more moderate, and the one that still was loyal to Vicious, that even after being decimated by Nemesis' assassinations still refused to accept his leadership.

"Spike, I don't-" Faye tried to speak but her voice was stopped by Spike's

"If I have to go you'll tag along…" he said resolutely and seeing the doubts in her eyes he added

"Besides I can't go there all alone, right?"

A/N: well, I really hope you liked this sickening long chapter, finally I got to write Spike and Faye in the same scene… it's been long since the last time I wrote something where they actually talked, so if they seem a little OOC bear with me, it will get better (or so I hope…). Don't ask me when next chapter will be out, I plan to finish it for the end of the month, but it could come sooner or even later, so don't get mad at me… and there might be a change of rating in the next chapters, I just hope it won't bother you…

If you want anticipations on the next chapter I can say that there is gonna be a party, our cowboy will met a bald guy who doesn't like him one bit, he will have an argument with Faye, and he also will have to get accustomed to another change in Faye's appearance other than her longer hair... no, Spike, not a third leg…

Spike: oh, c'mon… I'm sure they've all thought about the same thing…

Faye: what about me and a third leg?

Spike: in the next chapter I'm gonna find out you've grown a third leg, right Val?

Me: damn it Spike! I said she's NOT gonna get a third leg!

Faye: I'll be like Gren! That's disgusting!

Spike: what the hell does Gren have to do with this?

Faye: you don't know? Well, he was kinda like an androgynous

Spike: a what!

Faye: he was both male and female; he had those huge boobs and-

Me: ENOUGH, Faye! I believe we all know about Gren; now let him rest in peace…

Faye: but I was just-

Me: you NEVER 'just' do something…

Faye: hey, I haven't talked with Spike for 8 long chapters! What's wrong with you? We were JUST having a civilized conversation for once... and stop being so bossy, remember I still have place in that damned list of mine!

Me: keep this up and you'll really get a third leg…

Faye: are you threatening me, little smelly piece of shit?

Me: I'm JUST warning you, bitch!

Spike: oh, god… there's nothing worse than two PMSing women… I can already feel a headache build up

Ps: sorry for the idiotic barter, but I couldn't help it (I got to read a story I have a writer's block for, in hope of putting down some lines and I saw I used to write the A/N in this way… so I got nostalgic) btw I wanted to thank ALL of you for the wonderful reviews, you know how much they mean to me, and I really hope you'll leave a few lines even for this chapter… I've been feeling a little under the weather these days and they would be the best therapy I LOVE YOU ALL GUYS!

oh, and sorry for the mistakes... this chapter hasn't been through beta-reading yet, so sorry if it's a little messed up