Disclaimer: I do NOT own Cowboy Bebop…
Notes: I know it's been something like 8 months since last update, but please forgive me… writer's block is a bitch and there's still no cure for it! I swear that if they came up with some magic pills to make it go away, I would buy a wagonload of it. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter even if I'm not so proud of it, I had a completely different idea initially, but it turned out like this, I hope it won't be too boring.
Angel's Punishment
Chapter 9: My Wings
2074, Red Dragon's HQ, Tharsis city- Mars-
"Beth has done a very good job organizing this evening…" Shin said looking around at the crowded hall of the RD headquarters. It had been years since the last time an important event had been hosted inside the walls of the syndicate building. In the past the great occasions were held in luxurious grand hotel, but the smart secretary thought it would have been a waste paying tons of money for another place, when there was such a large space in the building; and on the other hand it was easier to keep in control external threats, such as Nemesis, in a building where the security level was always at the maximum.
'After all, it's not safe going out of the nest when the wolf is nearby…' he thought turning to look at his fiancée.
"Definitely… those canapés are delicious" Maho replied lost in the blissful taste of the food she was having.
"I have a feeling that we'll have a second encounter with those canapés tomorrow morning…" he stated with a tone of voice between the worried and the disgusted, but his dark green eyes betrayed him showing a glint of mockery.
"There's nothing funny in morning sickness, Shin…" her eyes sending daggers at him, before she went back to the buffet. He smiled, he really didn't know what would be of him if there wasn't Maho at his side, if she hadn't been there in the worst moments of his life; maybe he would have gone mad like Vicious, or become an angel of death like Faye.
'She should be here already… I wonder if Spike wasn't joking when he told me Faye would come along' he didn't know why, but Faye's strange delay was getting him anxious. It wasn't normal for a mentally-sane man to care about the woman who had planned to kill him just two days before. Sure, he knew that if something happened to her Spike would be upset; after all she was an old friend and he didn't want him to lose another loved one; but she was still Nemesis, the cold-hearted assassin who had murdered many of his men.
'Faye… my name's Faye'
Her words echoed in his mind and the talk he had with her came back to surface; after the shock of his near-death, the explanations he had to give Maho, and the party, he hadn't had many time to think about what she had said to him. Under the cold mask she wore there wasn't a mad woman, a psychotic killer like he had thought for the past three years; Nemesis' alter-ego was just a wounded soul, a girl who had to deal with a great amount of bad things in her life, the apex of it losing the man she loved.
He could understand her; when he lost his brother he had felt like he wanted to kill Vicious and whomever was loyal to him, he wanted to leave the RD, but he knew that he couldn't escape them, they knew everything about him, and they would threaten the lives of the people he cared for; all he could do was stay and wait till somebody stopped Vicious.
"Don't worry, Spike can manage by himself…" Maho's voice woke him out of his thoughts; she had been there when the ex-bounty hunter had expressed his contrariety to meet RD business partners, and her fine ears had heard pretty clearly the lively curses that came out of his mouth when he had been forced to go talking with one of those bosses.
"I'm not thinking about Spike…" Shin replied, immediately regretting his words.
"So what is it? Something you can't tell me?" Maho enquired looking up with her irresistible dark blue eyes.
"I don't know how you'll react… you've been dangerously touchy lately" he knew that he could lie to her about Faye, but eventually she would have met her, and it wouldn't have been good for him if she came to know by someone else who the lavender haired woman really was.
"I have my mood swings in check this evening"
"If you say so… Faye's coming to the party this evening, she should have arrived over an hour ago, but I haven't seen her… so I'm kinda worried" Maho's indigo eyes opened to the size of plates.
"She's coming here! Does he really trust her so much?" she asked incredulous.
"I told you they were partners, Spike knows her better than anyone else… he believes that she'll be safer near him"
"And who thinks about our safety?"
"She won't try anything with so much people around…" Shin tried to explain hoping she would calm down.
"How can we be sure? After all she's a professional killer-"
"I swear that it's just a hobby…" an unfamiliar voice interrupted her. Shin looked up from the deliciousness on his plate and stared mouth agape at the person behind his fiancée. Maho turned to see who had talked and found herself face to face with a woman she had never seen before, even if she had a slight idea on who the stranger might be.
"Faye, I thought-"
"Yeah, I know I'm a bit late, but I had a deadly headache and I had to lie down for a while…" the latest arrived replied.
"Spike is talking with one of our business partners at the moment, but I'll tell him you've arrived if-"
"Don't worry, I'm a big girl… I'm sure he has more important matters to deal with now…"
'And he said he didn't like being the Dragon's leader…' Faye thought bitterly, starting to doubt Spike's words about his intention to leave the leadership of the syndicate.
"Actually he wasn't so thrilled to meet this man… I'm sure he'll be happy to see you"
"If you say so…"
While they were talking, Maho was looking at the woman; she was positively shocked, the girl in front of her didn't look like the blood-thirsty killer they told her to be, she looked more like some top model. The few times she had tried to imagine Nemesis in her mind she had envisioned a tall woman, with a well built body, lots of scars and a intimidating face; but the woman she was looking at was anything but scary and her body was lithe and flawless, a part from a nearly 2 inches long healing cut on her right bicep. She could almost say it didn't feel awkward standing near her, even Shin talked with her like she was a friend.
"By the way this is Maho, my fiancée… she'll keep you company till I get Spike" Shin's voice woke her from the stand-by state and she instinctively extended her hand towards Faye.
"Nice to meet you, Faye…" she said with small smile. Faye looked down at the slender hand that was offered to her, this Maho seemed a good girl, and thinking that the day before she was about to kill her man, Faye felt a wave of nausea pass her. Maho had the right to doubt of her, how could you trust a bloody killer?
"Nice to meet you, too…"
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
"Ass-kisser…" Spike muttered to himself having finally managed to scroll off the annoying short man who had been talking to him for the past forty-five minutes. The infuriating dwarf had a non-stop conference about how better it was now that Vicious was dead, saying that the silver haired man had wanted too much money from the Red-Eye dealing and had threatened his life a lot of times.
He was the boss of a small organization, they controlled the traffic of Red-Eye in a lost town, Spike recognized at first sight that he was just a small fry, his fingers were full of golden rings and he had a nauseating aura of vulgarity. A syndicate leader like Mao, Vicious, Shin or even him would never wear all that jewelry, their strength ad power was in their personality and in their actions, not in what they wore… he was sure that the short man never took a bullet, he had probably never took part into a gunfight, he was just a coward who never got his hands into the blood of his victims.
He quickened his pace, he wanted to reach Faye as soon as possible; a few moments before he had seen Shin in the distance gesturing him that she was finally there, Spike had waved his hand to let him know he was arriving and Shin had nodded going back to he bar. He had looked at the barstool and he had seen Faye sitting with Maho.
The bar was at the opposite side of the hall from where he was, but he could recognize without problems the two womanly figures enjoying a drink, after all they were the only women sitting there. He smiled inwardly, Faye couldn't really stay away from alcoholics and cigarettes, she'd always been a worldly woman.
His smile promptly turned to a frown when he felt a tap on his shoulder; he had an excuse already on his tongue while he moved his head to look at the newly earned nuisance, but was interrupted by the elegant man whom now faced him.
"Finally we met, Mr. Spiegel…" the man said shaking his hand, Spike noticed just from the little strength he had in his hold that the man wasn't another one of those insignificant jerks, they always shook his hand with force or even kissed him, while the man he had in front was not an idiot, he could see that he was somebody like himself, he could read it into his cold eyes, the man in front of him was a killer not just some twit. He had to be an internal, probably somebody recruited by Vicious.
"I'm Maxim Revnik, at the head of the technological department of the Red Dragon" he presented himself. Spike smiled back, 'I just knew he had to be an internal…"
"It's rare seeing one of you guys…" he replied truthfully.
"We're asocial lab-rats, sir…" he said with a small smile, his dark eyes vibrating with maliciousness and something else Spike couldn't figure out, something that made him uncomfortable… he was definitely one of Vicious' acquisitions.
"So, how are things going with Nemesis?" Maxim asked, wanting to test his leader's sincerity.
"We have still a long way to go before catching her… she's well trained" Spike lied, not liking the interest that Mr. Revnik seemed to have for Faye.
"There're rumors that we've got new information…" the bald man replied, readjusting his glasses with a forefinger.
"Not really…" another lie.
"Well, if there is news our department would be happy to help…"
"Very happy…" the woman, now standing to Maxim side, said with a smile of complicity.
"Oh, Mr. Spiegel, this is Leila Lyndon… she's an essential element to our team, the best hacker I've ever known…"
Spike's lips turned up in a fake smile shaking his hand with the short haired blonde woman, another face he had never seen; she was about his age, a slender figure and she was quite tall for being a woman, she was almost eye-level with him. Her deep chocolate eyes burnt with hate when he heard her voice for the second time.
"I just can't wait to put my hands on Nemesis… the bitch killed my brother two months ago…"
"Nemesis killed your brother?" 'Here's another member to the Nemesis-haters fan club…' Spike thought with sarcasm.
"She slaughtered him and let him drown in his own blood inside a pool… His name was Lewis, one of our best men. " she explained, her voice strangely cold even as she spoke of a fact that would have caused some emotions in anyone else.
"Let's forget about those bad memories for this evening, Leila… we're here to enjoy ourselves" he looked at her with a stern look.
"Whatever…" she replied, turning her head to another direction.
"Talking about enjoyments… you're not here with a lady, sir?"
"She's having a few words with a friend at the barstool…"
"I don't see any women at the barstool…" Spike's eyes scanned quickly the people waiting for a drink and noticed with disappointment that effectively there were no more women sitting there.
"Looks like she disappeared…" the cold voice of his subordinate stated, not a trace of worry in it… on the other hand Spike would swear there was veil of wicked irony.
"Will you excuse me? You know how women are…"
"Always in need of attentions, I know…" Maxim wrapped his arm around Leila's waist and with a smile said
"See you around, Mr. Spiegel…" Leila said staring as Spike waved his hand to them walking towards where Faye had been.
"He didn't look as an over-protective partner the first time I saw him…" the blonde woman observed staring at Spike's back.
"Anyone would be worried if his woman was rounded by enemies…"
"So you still believe it's her…" their eyes meeting in a knowing glance.
"This is the only plausible track we've got in three years… it won't kill us if we follow it"
"Should I look up for other information about her?"
"Yes, but not in the ordinary way…." They had already checked and hacked every archive where there could be information about Miss Valentine, but she was like a ghost, no past, no relatives, and no residence… like a perfect assassin she had no life and left no tracks.
"Do you want me to talk with her?" Leila offered.
"She'd be distrustful with you, but if she is really Nemesis she won't be able to stay away from her weapon too long…"
"I'll go to the gym more often then…"
"You read my mind, honey…"
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Meanwhile at the bar.
Faye ordered a glass of red wine to the bartender, earning a shocked look from the young lady sitting next to her. Maho wasn't an expert about wines but she knew that alcohol wasn't the best for somebody who wasn't feeling very well, and Faye had said that she had a serious headache for the past hours. Doubts began pooling in her mind, maybe the green eyed woman was lying, maybe she had been planning some tricks on them; perhaps she had been stuffing the building with explosives and was now waiting for the grand finale with fireworks.
"You want something?" she offered to the raven haired woman not understanding the strange glare she was giving her.
"No, thanks… no alcohol for me" Maho shook her head smiling; even if some alcohol into the circulation wouldn't have been a bad idea; she was going mental, her paranoiac mind was creating crazy fantasies and she didn't like it. If she kept looking at Faye as if she was a human-eating alien, the violet haired woman would surely get a bad impression about her.
"Teetotal?" Faye asked sipping at her refined drink.
"No… pregnant…" Maho answered in deadpan; Faye's emerald eyes widened noticeably and she almost chocked her drink, at that Maho couldn't help but grin… after all Faye's behavior was not that of an assassin, she seemed pretty normal, a part from the drinking habit and that thing on her back. Maho couldn't deny that, even if she didn't feel totally at ease in her presence, Faye didn't have a threatening aura around her; maybe if they had met in a different occasion they could have been friends.
"So are you from Mars, too?" she asked now eager to know something about her, but not wanting to touch subjects concerning the present time.
"No, I was born in Singapore…"Faye replied, glad that for once she didn't have to use her fantasy to answer those simple questions. The memories that had finally come back to her served just for this, to know where she came from… knowing who she had been wasn't important, she had changed too much, and mourning over her past self would be of no use.
"Singapore?" Maho was sure she had never heard of a place with that name.
"Earth…" Faye explained shortly.
"Oh, I thought it was practically uninhabited after the gate accident…"
"Well, there're still a lot of people living there, even if the climate is really inhospitable… but I was born before the gate accident…" she admitted, still unsure of why she was telling to this girl those things about her life.
"You don't look that old…"
"I had an accident and I've been in a cryogenic-tank for over fifty years; I woke up six years ago…"
"Oh, I understand…"
Silence fell between them; Faye knew well that people got silent when she spoke about the cryogenic-sleep, she hadn't spoken about it with many people but it always had the same effect, they never knew what to tell her. Someday in the past she had read that this medical treatment was opposed by many catholic movements because, in their opinion, those people who fooled Death were sinners and they should pay for trying to cheat God's judgment. So she preferred keeping it for herself than having to deal with some fanatic who wanted to 'make her pay for her sin'.
Maho was intently staring at Faye, who was looking at the dancing people with a lost look. She noticed for the first time that Faye's eyes were the same color of Shin's, just a little lighter; the only evident difference was that her eyes seemed tired and sad, the eyes of someone who had shed lots of tears and had seen many awful things. Nobody explained her the causes of Faye's metamorphosis into Nemesis; but by the look in her eyes she could tell that the violet haired woman had been through a lot of shit in her life; and at one point she had probably got tired of it.
"I'm sorry…"
"For what?"
"For what I said before… it's just that…"
"Don't worry, you were right… I'm a killer after all… I should be the one apologizing to you and Shin; you've been overly nice to me, even if I've threatened his life and your happiness"
"We've grown up in a place where kindness was the only thing you can got… and Shin had never lost this Good Samaritan attitude, he always tries to see the best qualities in the people he meets"
"I noticed that…" Faye smiled. Maho was really a nice girl; she would have never thought that people who were involved with the syndicate's men could be like that, but as Maho had said there's something good in everyone. If it wasn't for Shin, Spike would be dead, and she would have never seen him again.
"Hey, girls!"
"Speaking of the devil…" she trailed off jokingly, hearing Shin's voice.
"I saw Spike coming, so I'm taking her away for a dance before the song ends…" the ex-leader said taking Maho's hand and helping her off of her seat.
"Don't you think it'd be better if we waited for him?" the dark haired beauty suggested uncertainly.
"No need to worry, Maho, as I said I'm big enough to stand on my own… go dance, your guy here is impatient"
Faye smiled looking as the couple reached the dancing people; they were a real perfect match, being near them you could almost sense the contentedness that transpired between the two. She had never experienced something like that, for her the word 'love' had always been connected with grief and loneliness, perhaps because the one person she had loved the most hadn't retuned her feelings, or because the people who had cared for her were no longer among the living.
The dark haired woman stood up and reached for her half filled glass; she wasn't in the mood for waiting for Spike, he had never been a punctual person and she needed a cigarette badly. She smoothed down her black silky dress, checked her chest just to make sure that everything was in the right place, and most important covered. Not that she was shy about her body, but it's rather embarrassing when something slip out in front of strangers, she knew it from experience.
"Anyone has a cigarette?" she asked with a saccharine voice to the men sitting at the barstool. They turned to her and stared at her with malicious eyes; one of them didn't hesitate and passed her a pack of cigarettes letting it slide on the smooth surface of the barstool. Faye caught it and smirked triumphantly when she noticed that it was her favorite brand, she took out one and showing him the pack she held in her hand she moved towards the exit; not before showing her gratitude with a seductive grin and a barely audible "Thanks…"
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Spike put his hands in his pockets and tried to appear calm and collected, Faye couldn't have gone far, he looked around the crowd in search of his ex partner, but the only people he found were Shin and Maho moving in rhythm with the slow music on the dance floor. He felt kind of relived; they wouldn't have let her alone if they weren't sure she was safe, they had probably left her with someone trustful. And since she wasn't in the hall, she had probably gone out smoking… bad habits die hard after all.
He was a bit surprised when he found her alone on a balcony, but what surprised him wasn't properly her loneliness, but the work that some tattoo artist had inked on her back. He would have never thought that Faye would want any kind of mark on her body, she had been extremely conceited, and she would go into a tantrum every time she got even a little scratch. Something must have surely changed because she voluntary let somebody trace indelible wings on the perfect skin of her back.
Spike observed that they weren't properly angel's wing, they had something of sinister but nonetheless they were beautifully drawn. The tattoo didn't occupy all of her back, in length it reached her rear end, but a rather large amount of skin along her spine was left untouched by the black ink while some feathers were tattooed on both her shoulder. She had chosen a dress that purposely let her back entirely bare, the black silk fitting her curves perfectly, the two layers of tissue, that covered her chest leaving a cleavage that almost reached her navel, came together behind her neck.
She turned to him with a cigarette in hand, and he couldn't help but admire the work of art that her body was, smooth lines and audacious curves all linked in a perfect proportion. Faye studied him, for the second time in her life she had the occasion to see Spike in a tuxedo; he looked good, but she had always thought that his hair were really incompatible with anything elegant. She loved seeing him in his blue suit, with the sleeves rolled up and the tie carelessly set around his neck; his clothes reflected his personality and attitude, and they adapted perfectly with his lanky body and his lazy movements.
"How did you know it was me?" her voice suddenly broke the silence.
"I can smell a 'Lucky Strike' miles away…" she looked at him, her eyes staring in his irises deeply, and he knew that his answer didn't satisfy her.
"So if I offered you one you would decline…" she said moving her gaze away to the city landscape, remembering that he would only smoke Marlboro.
"You offering me a cig is a once-in-life thing… I cannot refuse" he said reaching for the little pack on the marble railing.
"Have you got a light?" he asked looking curiously as she let one of her hands slid down on her right thigh, reach inside the slit and taking a small metallic object from the thigh holster on her leg. She always kept the small object with her; she didn't want anyone to steal it.
"I thought I would never see this again…" he said smiling at his Zippo, glad that for once she didn't hid a dagger in the holster.
"The cops wouldn't have needed it, so I just took it…" they stood in silence for a few minutes.
"…I've bribed Ed…" he answered to her initial question.
"She was never the secret-keeper par excellence…"
"It's been more difficult than what you think…" he admitted toying with the lighter in his hand like he had done many times before.
"…"
"She was scared that I would hurt you… once again"
Faye tensed, she could sense that he wanted to take their talk on a different level; his voice had assumed a deeper tone, something he usually did when they got on serious matters. She could hear in his tone a hint of something, she couldn't say if it was an attempt at apologize or if he was asking for some kind of explanation.
She knew that sooner or later they would have to talk about the past, about that night three years before when everything changed; that night when he had hurt her spirit so deep that it had left an indelible scar. Whatever he meant with that sentence she wasn't ready for replying yet, it was too soon, her mind had still to get used to the fact that Spike was there, smoking near her like they had done many times before, staring in the distance in complete silence, or sharing a few words about random things.
She had loved those moments of pure quiet in the past; after a bounty gone badly or following one of their bickering he would reach her on the deck, ask for a cigarette and sit near her watching the expanse of water before their eyes. It was their way to forgive each other; and she remembered well that every time they were sitting like that she had to hide her face behind her raised knees not to let him see the genuine smile that she couldn't suppress.
But now it was different, they weren't on the Bebop, the sea was far from them and mostly the calm that she had been able to sense in the air three years ago, was replaced by an aura of tension and regret; the feeling of easiness and complicity she remembered, was oppressed by the weight of the sadness, the solitude and the anger she had carried inside for the past years. She was aware that the only way to get out of that void she got herself into, was to open up, to let go all the pent up sorrows inside her heart; but she didn't know if she would ever been able to do that, she wasn't even sure if she really wanted to let everything go… she had done it in the past and everything she had got in return were new torments.
"How's Jet?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.
"He's the same old Jet…"
"And the mutt?" Spike chuckled, throwing the butt of his expired cigarette on the plant-pot near him.
"You're not good in avoiding subjects, Faye…"
"I wasn't trying to avoid anything…" she defended, mentally cursing herself for asking about the stupid dog, Spike knew well that she couldn't stand the animal.
"It shouldn't have happened that way…" he said after a pause, his hands finding their way into the pockets of his black trousers.
"What?" she asked turning to look at his profile barely lightened by the street lamps; she noticed how his hair for once seemed to have a plain dark color, and not their unique forest green. Being at his side she could only see one of his eyes, and by the way in which it clearly reflected the light she could say that it was his fake one, the eye of the past.
"When I left… you shouldn't have been there" he replied his face turning so that he could stare into her eyes.
"Do you think it would have hurt less if I didn't see you walk away?" her voice surprisingly didn't waver as she spoke, but she could already feel her throat tightening, and she had to wrap her arms around herself to keep her hands from trembling. She hated when her body would go crazy like that; she was trying with all her might to keep her coolness, not to get overwhelmed by the feelings that were awakening as she looked into his beautiful eyes; but her body just wouldn't listen.
"No, I don't… it's just that I was already feeling responsible for one woman's death… I didn't want to feel guilty for leaving another one behind…"
At that Faye didn't know how to react; he was confusing her, like he had always done; one moment he was a jackass without a care in the world, the moment after he was a knight in shining armor, ready to help you out of troubles, obviously always denying he did it because he 'cared'. She didn't know how she should feel: pleased because he had felt bad for leaving her behind, or upset because the guilt he had felt hadn't been enough to stop him.
A cough distracted them from their staring contest and Faye felt almost relieved because she didn't really know what to say next. Spike recognized instantly the figure of his secretary, noticing that dressed up she was definitely a beautiful girl.
"Excuse me, Sir, but before the evening ends you should make your speech…"
"Speech?" Spike repeated not liking the sound of it.
"Well, it's just a formality when a new leader takes over… I've written you one if-" Beth offered.
"I won't need it, Beth… but thanks for the offer" the lanky man replied taking a step in her direction
"Oh, no problem… since Faye told me you were of few words I just thought-" she said looking at Faye, easily recognizing the dress that had taken them almost three hours to choose.
"Don't overdo, you already proved your abilities organizing this thing… thanks again" he said dismissing her and leaving the two women on the balcony alone.
"He has something on his mind…" Faye said looking to the spot where he had been standing.
"You think?"
"I'm sure of it…" Faye said getting the empty glass she had left on the railing.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you two once again… every time I'm looking for him he's disappeared somewhere with you" the secretary admitted
"You didn't interrupt anything…" Faye reassured her, silently grateful for her apparition in that moment.
"You seemed to be in the middle of some serious talk…"
"Nothing that we can continue somewhere else…"
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Spike was on a wooden platform, a Dragon carved on the frontal surface. All the people in the room was looking at him and he felt like a teen years old at the annual school-play, he looked over the crowd and easily individuated both Shin, who was with Maho; and Faye, who was still talking with Beth in a corner. He cleared his throat and a moment after he could hear his own voice echo through the hall.
"Well, first off I wanted to thank Shin for saving my life and for taking my place in those three years while I was recovering. I must say that this role has never been one of my aims; I'm not diplomatic and temperate like Mao was. Shin demonstrated to be a great leader, managing to keep together a syndicate that was on the brink of extinction, he was able to stand between the internal factions and to keep down the rumors of Nemesis' killings. We all owe him greatly, and I'm sure Mao would be proud of his work."
From where she was standing Faye smirked knowing that, with a start like that, Spike had something up to his sleeve; while on the other side of the hall Shin was looking at his friend having a bad feeling about what he was going to say next, the palms of his hands sweating uncontrollably.
"That's why I'll unquestionably leave him this position after putting an end to Nemesis' murders; he's the one who has the right to take the role of our leader. I betrayed Mao when he needed me the most, and my presence here would just stir up rebellions, my role in the RD died along with Vicious, I'm just a reminder of a past the Red Dragons need to forget in order to go on."
Shin's eyes went wide, but deep inside himself he already knew that Spike was going to do something of the kind, after all he had warned him.
"I should also thank every one of you for the great work you're doing everyday for the syndicate; and I wanted to remember even all those men we lost by the hands of Nemesis… I know many of them were your friends or even your family; but I'll make sure you'll get your revenge the moment we catch her… that I hope will be soon"
A moment of silence and then the walls echoed with applauses and even some insults towards Nemesis, that Faye tried to ignore.
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Spike's flat, Tharsis city - Mars
Later that night the two ex-bounty hunters had finally reached Spike's flat; they had changed in more comfortable clothes and while Faye was in the bathroom taking off her make up, Spike was in the kitchen looking for a bottle of liquor. The refined wines they served at the party hadn't really satisfied his thirst, he had spent too many nights in crappy pubs, downing glasses of strong alcoholics in the past years and was no more used to the low alcoholic level of wine.
Faye returned from the bath and seated herself at the kitchen table, her hair was down to her shoulders and slightly wavy, having been twisted in a French bun for many hours. She was wearing a deep red tank top and black shorts; her quick hand promptly claiming the filled glass on the table as hers while Spike was pouring down some more liquor in his glass. Her emerald eyes looking up to trace his facial features; he hadn't changed one bit, his expression was always between serious and playful, his lips always curved in that trademark ironic semi-smirk.
After all he was still the same lanky cowboy she had fallen for; he hadn't lost his characteristic calm demeanor, his true self always hidden behind an enigmatic mask that only a few people could look past. She had learned that despite what anybody would think Spike wasn't a mysterious fascinating guy, he didn't hide behind a mask to be more intriguing; he just wasn't a straightforward person. Being a martial artist and syndicate member had changed him, he had became defensive not only on the outside but even on the inside, let out his feelings would have meant having a weakness, and in his past situation that would have meant death.
But Faye was sure that actually he wasn't cynical or totally selfish; she remembered how often he would put his life on the line for helping the others, in the past she believed he did it just because he was a bit suicidal, but it didn't took long to understand that it was more like a way to seek redemption for his past, it was his inner self trying to cut the tight ropes in which it was tied.
Spike was changing in a better way, and he needed stability, that was the reason because he wanted to go back to the Bebop, the RD was like a prison for him, it was like burying a part of him all over again. And she would give anything to go back with him as before, to kill time playing solitaire, painting her toenails and pissing him off; but she couldn't, she wasn't that Faye anymore. Her plan was that of putting an end to her life after getting revenge, or at least to change her name and hide in a forgotten planet, somewhere like Callisto, but now that her plan was shattered she couldn't even go back as nothing happened. She felt like she didn't deserve the chance of being with him that Fate was giving her, she was no more the Faye he knew; the stubborn 'shrew woman' was gone, buried alive by her dark side. What remained was just Nemesis.
"I'm leaving this place as soon as possible, you'll never hear about me anymore…" she said in a soft voice, he didn't seem to have heard her for a long time till she finally heard his voice speaking while he sat down on the chair opposite her.
"Do you really think you can escape the Dragons?"
"I've done it for three years without your help…"
"Julia escaped from them for three years, and when she thought she was finally free they were still there...and we know how it ended…"
Julia… that name again. The damn bitch was like a parasite on his mind and heart, she was like a tick: when you think you've got it off of you, it leaves its fucking minuscule head under your skin and most likely will get you an infection. She was six feet under the ground, being eaten by little bugs and still she was one of his first thoughts, when all she had done was fucking with him behind the back of her boyfriend. Faye scolded herself mentally; she had to stop blaming everything on the blonde woman, even if she would never like her, she had to give in and accept the fact that Spike saw in Julia a good person… a perfect person.
"Don't even start comparing me to Julia, Spike… we're opposite. She was persecuted by the man she betrayed, she was their prey; while I'm being hunted merely because they're scared of me, 'cause actually I'm their hunter…"
"The situations may be different, but at the top of it there's the same man…"
"Don't think you're the Prime Mover of the universe around which everything and everybody turn, Spike… I've done many things for you or because of you, this was just for me… it was my choice, it was my revenge, it was my love… not yours, it's never been yours…"
"Faye-"
"Don't Faye me! I don't wanna hear the advice of a man who never listened to anybody… just let me go! Why can't you leave me alone? Three years ago you didn't seem so interested in my well being… so what's different now?"
He didn't respond, he couldn't respond… Three years ago when he left the Bebop, he hadn't listened to anybody, she had exposed herself trying to stop him, she had let her mask fall with the hope that he would change his mind; but he had kept on walking, apparently indifferent to her enraged gunshots and muffled sobs. How could he expect her to give up so easily? He knew well that as for stubbornness she could compete with him as an equal, and if she had decided to leave, he could do very little to stop her.
Her emerald eyes shone with unshed tears, he had already seen that look in her eyes before, and it always took his breath away… Julia's eyes were always cold, covered by a veil of apathy, they never betrayed any feelings; but Faye's had pure fire in them, they shone with passion and determination but even with a bit of desperation and grief. She was asking him to let her be, to go back with the dead, he could sense that she was tired of suffering, worn out by her need for revenge, her blind rage had drained her and all she wanted was peace… her eyes were begging him not to give her fake expectations, to leave her alone with her ghosts forever.
Her love for him had destroyed her, how could he demand her to stay with him? How could he force her to go back to a man who had only hurt her? The man who didn't think twice before leaving everything for a dead woman…it was obvious that she didn't believe him anymore; she had trusted him with her life once, she had been ready to give him everything, but he had refused her and betrayed her faith.
"Can't you see I don't belong here? This is not the right place where I should be, this isn't even the right time… you're dead to me, Spike… like I should be dead to this world… I need to leave, to disappear… I don't have the strength to go on anymore…"
Her voice was soft and low, almost exhausted she seemed calm and collected but he knew that inside she was battling with different emotions. Faye had always been hot tempered, but only about trivial matters. She would scream and bitch for hours over a robbed cigarette or a ruined dress; but when it came to serious or personal matters she always got silent and composed, the only thing that let out her real state of mind were her eyes. Staring into those emerald pools he could feel his willpower weaken, his heart suggesting him that maybe it was really better if he let her go, if he renounced to his plans… his egoism had damaged her enough.
'Poor thing, she doesn't even imagine what we're gonna do to her as soon as we catch her…'
'I really can't wait to be inside of her hearing her screams of pain… I could already smell the sweet scent of her blood…'
'I just can't wait to put my hands on Nemesis… the bitch killed my brother two months ago…'
Leila's words and her determination to avenge her brother came back to Spike's mind, along with the talk he had heard between two of his men some time before. Even though the fractures between the RD members, the efforts for Nemesis' capture were the only element of cohesion, what had kept the organization together for three years, they wouldn't forget her so easily. She would be alone against a syndicate filled with rage and frustrations, she would become their scapegoat. Their strength had always been the persistency, if they couldn't catch her with their skills; they would tire her out always being on her heels, and when she would be at the limit of her physical and mental control they would get her. Just like, after a strenuous chase, the hunter's dogs rouse the fox; even if the fox have always been in charge during the hunt, thanks to its slyness and agility.
"They'll never leave you alone… you've pushed them too far"
She had to understand that if she wanted to free herself from the RD the only way was to let him help her, he had to make sure that nobody, except from Shin, Mark and himself, knew her alias. Till that moment he needed to keep her near, to be sure she was safe… he didn't think he could get over the loss of another person who cared for him. He had to wake her up from this passive state she had fallen into; she had to react, or she would become a living ghost just like him.
Faye fell silent, her thoughts went back to the faces of all the people she killed and the wave of regret came back to a full force; she didn't care if they would follow her to the end of the universe, she just needed to leave that place. Every moment she spent in that building was like an eternity, she was sick of all that men and women smiling kindly at her, believing she was just the newest whore of their boss, completely unaware that they were being friendly with the killer of their colleagues. When she returned their smile she felt like the biggest hypocrite in the solar system, she pitied them, and she felt angry with herself whenever her subconscious made her believe one of those smile could be considered a sign of forgiveness.
"I'll deal with it…" she replied swaying the liquor inside her glass
"Haven't you learned my lesson?" his soft smoky voice inquired when she lifted her gaze to his mismatched irises.
"You're still alive, aren't you?" to everybody else it would have been obvious that it was a rhetoric question; but in Spike's mind that sounded like a real question.
'I'm going there to see if I'm really alive…'
He finally had an answer to that question, an affirmative one; but he understood that Faye didn't need an answer; she was just trying to prove her point.
"Yeah, but at what price? I've lost everything …"
"Do you think I haven't?" she replied bitterly.
The ex-cowboy sighed breaking the eye-contact with the dark haired woman sitting opposite to him; he gathered their glasses and got up from the chair, turning to put them in the sink.
"So you've made your choice…" he asked turning on the faucet and quickly washing the two glasses.
"I'm still a stubborn shrew after all…" she smiled sadly, looking at his shoulder blades well evident under his navy blue t-shirt.
"You know Faye, I'm not used to interfere with other people's business… but Shin taught me that caring for someone doesn't mean let them do whatever they want…" She might be stubborn but he wasn't going to let her go without a fight; he didn't like to interfere in other people's lives, but there's a first time for everything.
'Did he just admit he cares for me?' she wondered if her ears hadn't fooled her; maybe she should have left that glass of Jack Daniel's filled.
But she had no time for any speculation because with a feline movement he had blocked her wrists on the table with one hand. His long and strong fingers viciously grasping her slender wrists; she stared at their hands, noticed the contrast between his tanned skin and her milky white complexion, she was mesmerized by the strength of his grasp and knew that any struggle would have been futile. In a few moves he had her out of the chair, his body behind hers as his hands skillfully tied her wrists with a dishtowel he had got from the kitchen.
"You're still a rookie, Romani…" he whispered in her ear as he tested the efficiency of the home-made cuffs.
"Let me go, Spike! I thought you'd understand…" she bit back not liking the way things were turning out.
"I understand you need to leave, but I don't agree on the timing…" his voice stated as he dragged her through the hallway.
"And what do you plan on doing? Keeping me locked up in the bathroom since you believe it's the right moment to let me go!" she was loosing her temper; she had kept calm till now but she had never liked being ordered around.
"Nothing that I haven't done before…" he replied, the smirk evident in his voice.
Now she was seriously taking into consideration to beat the hell out of him; after all he had spent the past years immobilized while she had worked her ass out, training with the katana and learning some essential martial moves. From a logic point of view she should be favored in the fight; she just needed to find a way to free her arms, maybe by tripping him up, and then he would be at her mercy.
"Don't even think about it, Faye… you know you'll never beat me"
She mentally sighed; it seemed that Spike hadn't lost the ability to read her like an open book, she hated it but it was impossible to prevent him. They stopped at the door of his bedroom; at least she was going to spend the night on a comfortable bed instead of a hard toilet bowl. He opened the door, turned on the lights and let her in.
"I believe this is what cops call unlawful restraint… plus locked up in your bedroom I feel like a sex pet" she said looking around the room, noticing the mess of clothes that they had left on the mattress and the floor while changing for the party. In some things they were really alike.
"I'm not locking you up…" he said rummaging through his dresser.
"Wha-?"
"Get on the bed…" he cut her off slamming shut the closet and reaching with two long strides the nightstand.
Faye flopped unceremoniously down on the unmade bed, her arms were starting to hurt from the forced position they were in, plus she was kind of scared by whatever Spike was looking for. If he said he wouldn't lock her up maybe he wanted to drug her with some powerful somniferous like he did the other night, and she wasn't really eager to have a massive headache the next morning.
"What are you looking f-?" she didn't end the question because the answer was now dangling in front of her own eyes.
"Found it!" Spike said with a smirk on his thin lips.
Faye was staring wide eyed at the handcuffs he had gotten out of his nightstand; they weren't the usual cuffs you used on criminals and bounty heads, with their rather long chain they looked more like one of those adult toys used by people who enjoy sadomasochistic games.
"I'd never thought you hid such things in your nightstand…" she taunted, regaining control over the situation.
"Jet trims bonsais in his spare time… I have hobbies too…" Spike replied sitting next to her and untying the dishtowel from her wrists. He made her lie down on the bed before bringing her hands over her head to handcuff her wrists over the headboard.
"This is getting interesting…"
If she couldn't get him with her newest fighting skills maybe some of her old tricks would help her out, and seeing the position she was in, the best she could came out with was the evergreen seduction card; something she'd never tried on Spike Spiegel before.
Spike could feel her words on his very skin, every syllable a puff of air spoken upon the sensitive skin of his neck; and he couldn't help but turning his head to look down in her eyes. He was for a moment trapped into her jade gaze; the dilated pupils gave her irises a darker shade of emerald and the sweet scent of alcohol, that passed through her crimson lips as she breathed, thrilled his senses. In that single moment he felt the strong need to crush his lips against hers, to wipe the taunting smirk she had printed on her lips; he wanted to make clear that he was the one in control, not her.
The dark haired gambler always had that effect on men when they got near her; they weren't attracted by her beauty, by her grace or delicate manners, she wasn't the type of woman that awaken in men a sense of fatherly protectiveness towards her. She was intriguing and tempting because of her wildness, she was totally unpredictable, she was sneaky and selfish like a cat; and her unruly personality awakened in whoever got near her a desire for possession, the need to tame her nature, to try and control her rebellious self. But, unfortunately for her, Spike had learned to control those urges a long time ago.
"It's a pity that I don't mix work with pleasure, Faye…" he said staring directly into her eyes, before standing and leaving her alone in the dark room.
When he closed the door behind his back she kept on staring at the spot where he had been, she knew for sure that if she turned her head the tears that had been pooling under her eyelids would slid out of their hiding place and wet the delicate skin of her cheeks.
Faye closed her eyes and gritted her teeth to suppress the chain of curses that was about to escape her mouth; then she gave an energetic pull on the chain out of frustration, she was angry with herself for even believing she could fool her old partner with her seductive tricks, Spike was not your average man.
"Why am I so fucking stupid!... Why…" her voice whispered before she buried her face in the pillow, attempting to hide and dry the tears of defeat and betrayal that were now streaming down her porcelain face.
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A/N: well, first off, sorry again for the long delay, I have no control over my inspiration and my Muse went off to spend her holidays in some unknown island of the Pacific…so just forgive me please… secondly, as I said before, this chapter got over many changes, I was never satisfied with what I had wrote and I had to rewrite it lots of times. I hope next chapter will be easier…
Here's some information on the next chapter: it'll be called 'Circle of Regrets', Faye will be reflecting over the past three years and have a talk with the good old Zhang, who will help her out with her pangs of conscience… meanwhile our favorite green haired lunkhead will be cursing over useless kinky handcuffs and incompetent syndicate guards; while looking for his 'beloved' shrew woman all over Tharsis… but don't worry it won't take him too long to find her again… he's a space cowboy after all!
And now it's the moment for some funny stuff:
Spike is sitting on the couch taking various objects out of a bag
Spike: oh, here's the collar! I thought I have forgotten it… the leash, and the skimpy black leather outfit, the set of cuffs...
Faye enters the room and notices the strange objects on the coffee-table
Faye: what the hell is all this stuff!
Spike: well, the other day you said-
Faye looks confused: what did I say?
Spike: y- you said you felt like a sex pet, so I thought you might even want to look like one…
Faye reaches the table and starts to pick up the unusual tools
Faye holds up a leather whip: and what is the use for this?
Spike's lips turn up in a malicious smile: don't worry… I'll use it just if you're bad girl…
Faye: you little sadist… I'm gonna show you a good use of it!
Faye throws herself at Spike and starts lashing him
Me: what the hell is happening in here!
Faye: this bastard is just getting what he deserves for being a fucking sadist -every word is underlined by a whip on Spike's helpless form-
Spike: I didn't do anything!
Faye: oh, sure, but it was obvious that you wanted to dress me like a fucking whore and fucking rape me!
Spike tries to protect himself from the violet haired fury sitting on his lap: I was joking, I would never rape you!
Faye has an evil glint in her eyes: shut up, you dirty bitch-fucker…
Me: better leave them alone… Faye seems to be enjoying it --walks off--
Spike's voice is heard in the distance: please stop it! You're scaring me, Faye!
Faye: that's Mistress Faye to you… and now be a good boy and let me put this collar on…