a/n: so, this is the part where things start to get heavy. so, yeah. i just wanted to tell ya that. well, read and enjoy, anyway. :)

3. An Iced Latte, Tall


Martian Java, despite its name, was actually a pretty classy joint. Well, as classy as a corner coffee shop could be. The smell of freshly ground beans hung loosely in the air while soft, jazz music wafted in the background. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon line, and more patrons, looking for a caffeine fix, began to filter in.

The woman that strolled in with the crowd was hardly noticed by anyone. Her dress was simple: blue and spotty; her demeanor easy: slightly exhausted, yet content. She slipped off her white, movie starlet sunglasses and placed them in her clutch bag, and then made her way to the line.

To anyone in the little shop, she was just another pregnant woman, looking for a latte, even though caffeine was bad for the baby. The only part of her visage that demanded a second glance was her unusual purple hair. But even that color was becoming more ordinary. Under normal circumstances, said woman would have been a little put off by the lack of attention she garnished, but in this instance, anonymity was a blessing.

After ordering a blended drink, something with as little caffeine as possible, Ms. Anonymous grabbed her cup, thanked the barista, and took a seat at the counter, next to a man in a light, beige suit. Truthfully, she didn't need to sit so close to the man, seeing as thought the counter was virtually empty, but then again, that was a part of the plan. She crossed her legs at the ankle and pulled out a book from her purse. Turning the pages until she found her bookmark, the plum-haired woman delved into her read.

"The Da Vinci Code, eh? I remember my grandmother told me about that book, and how controversial it was when it first came out."

Looking up from her book, the woman glanced at the man next to her and nodded at his statement. His voice had a distinct southern twang to it, and she instantly knew she didn't like it.

"Yeah, Earthlings were a real weird bunch, so I hear," she responded.

A few moments of silence followed as she turned back to her reading. Mentally, she counted down the seconds, confident that he'd speak to her again.

"The name's Gary," he said, holding out his hand.

"Faye," she said with a smile as she lightly shook it.

"So, you come here often? Wait, I'm sorry. That sounds like a cheesy pick up line, and I am not trying to pick you up," he said, flustered.

"Oh, really?" She deadpanned, cocking a twitching brow.

"Wait, I didn't mean that, either. You're a beautiful lady, and any man with eyes can see that. Oh man, I'm not making this any easier on myself, am I?"

Faye shook her head, finding herself more and more annoyed with the man. She hoped opportunity would come knocking quickly; this was one bounty that she was ready to bag. She could only imagine what Spike was thinking, as he listened in.

"What I meant was, I've never seen you here before, and I come here almost every day."

"Oh," Faye smiled, trying to look coy. "Well, if that's what you mean, then yes, you're right. Today's my first day stopping by here. My girlfriend told me they had good frappucinos, and I just had to try one."

"That they do," he said as he took a sip of the drink in front of him. "So, would it be considered a faux pas to ask you how far along you are?"

"It probably would be, but I'm a girl of only so much class," Faye giggled at him.


From his seat in The Pink Elephant, Spike couldn't help but gag at the guy on the other end of the mike. Who in the hell did he think he was? Oh, that's right...he was the bounty. But still, that didn't give him the right to come on to his woman. And asking her how far along she is? Fuck that. If Spike had anything to do about it, oh and he would, he'd deliver an extra punch for that one.

Sipping angrily at his glass of cola, Spike continued to listen to Gary chatter, and Faye giggle. Every time she did, his anger went up a notch. Spike wasn't jealous of the jerk, why should he be? He was just…pissed at this guy's balls.

"So, I see that you haven't got a ring on your finger. Why's that?"

'Why's that!' Spike thought. Boy, this guy was getting pretty gutsy. And he didn't waste time, either. They'd only been talking for twenty minutes, tops. With that question, Gary earned himself a ripe kick in the ass.

"It's a shame, really. A lovely woman like you, pregnant no less, with a man who can't commit."

Can't commit! Who in the hell did this guy think he was? Spike pushed himself up from the table, more than intent on bagging this bounty NOW!

"Sit your ass back down, Spike," Jet commanded over the comm. Even though he didn't have visuals on him, Jet just knew that Spike was two seconds away from storming into the coffee shop. "She knows what she's doing. And besides, if you go in there and show your ass, like you obviously would, then this could blow up and get out of hand. Do you want that?"

Sighing at the older cowboy's moment of wisdom, Spike sat back down and chugged the rest of his drink.

"And that better be soda you're downing. We don't need you drunk. For Faye's sake or yours."

"I'm not fucking drinking, Jet," he seethed into the comm. "It's not like I'm gonna up and forget what the doctor said."

"Just make sure that you don't. Now stop acting jealous, and just listen in!"

"Jealous!" Spike nearly shouted. He was about to set his partner straight, but the line had been disconnected. Letting that comment slide, for now, Spike resumed listening.


Back in the coffee shop, the waning distance between Faye and the bounty hadn't gone unnoticed by her. She was a bit uncomfortable with his proximity, but allowed it, if it helped her nab him. All she needed was for him to mention something, anything about Venus, and she'd have everything she needed.

Gary Nublin, at least she hoped that's was this guy's last name was, was a petty diamond thief turned big time robber after he had stolen the Trust Diamond, the largest diamond this side of the solar system. The jewel had been lifted five weeks ago when it made a stop in the Plagentram Museum on Venus for a showcase.

The crime was thought to be an inside job, since the diamond disappeared with such relative ease. Nublin had probably, or at least in Jet's ex-cop mind, infiltrated the Security Team, secured a position, and stolen the diamond that way. But all of that was cannon fodder at the moment. First, they needed to nab the perp.

"…so my trip to Venus was cut short," Gary continued on. "When work comes a-callin', I got to answer. After all, that's how I pay the bills."

He finished his droll, lie of a story with his trademark chuckle, and Faye indulged him with a laugh of her own. She took the break in conversation to glance at the thin watch on her wrist. If her eyes served her correctly, she'd been making small talk with this man for nearly forty-five minutes. That was much longer than she had anticipated. She had to make her move soon, or else the chance might pass her by.

"So, how is Venus this time of year? I hear it's quite pretty."

"Yeah, it's okay. But it's no where as pretty as you."

Faye simply smiled at him as the image of an eye-rolling Spike flashed in her head.

"I hear the Plagentram was showcasing the Trust Diamond a couple of weeks ago, but it got stolen. Boy, I would have loved to have seen that."

"It's a pity someone would take it. I mean, what would someone do with it, anyway? It's not like you could sell it, since everyone in the whole dang solar system would be looking for it."

Faye agreed with him and gave a weary sigh. She glanced out the window briefly, only to be brought back in by a splash of lukewarm liquid on her chest.

"Oh Jesus, I'm so sorry!" Gary exclaimed.

Faye looked down to see the front of her dress was soaked in coffee. Apparently, as Gary was rising to go throw away the rest of his drink, he lost his step and Faye just happened to break his coffee's fall.

"I can be such a ridiculous klutz sometimes. I promise, I'll buy you a new dress and all," he tried his best to say as he blotted her with napkins.


"Faye? Faye, what the hell is going on?" Spike demanded to know. One minute, he was listening to Faye lead the bounty into the damning evidence they needed, the next minute, all he could hear was ear-piercing static.

He looked to the windows in the bar, and groaned when he remembered that bar windows where heavily frosted, and basically pointless. He was more than ready to storm across the street and see what was up, but found the sensibility to check in with Jet first.

"Hey Jet, do you know what happened to Faye's mike?"

"I have no clue," he responded after a few seconds of static on his end. "If the sound isn't back in five minutes, then get over there."

"A lot can happen in five minutes, Jet," Spike said uneasily.

"Fine, make it three."


"Its okay, Gary, really," Faye told the man as she desperately tried to keep her cool. "Don't worry about it about it. I'm a whiz with laundry."

"That's not the only thing I hear you're a whiz at," Gary responded, his voice significantly darker, his twang significantly gone.

"Wh…what do you mean?" Faye asked, wondering if the tables where turning.

"It's simple, really, Ms. Valentine."

He gave a sadistic smirk as he watched Faye's eyes widen in something akin to fear.

"One doesn't steal the galaxy's largest diamond without knowing who his enemies are. And you, bounty hunter, are right up there with the worst."

"What makes you think I'm a bounty hunter? I'm pregnant, after all," Faye tried to play off. Seeing his eyes darken even more, she had the sinking feeling that she wasn't doing such a good job.

"The way I see it, I don't even think you're pregnant. Cosmetics are a real wonder, aren't they? Maybe next time, use some on that pretty face of yours."


"I got a real bad feeling about things, Jet. Something's not right. Can I just go now?"

"Fine, go now. Just go slow, and don't draw attention to yourself! I'll start up my ship and be ready if you need me."

Glad to be able to finally go, Spike threw some money on the counter and calmly sauntered out of the bar and towards the café.


"I guess you don't know how many two-bit hunters I've killed over the last couple of weeks, do you?" Gary asked, amazed that the woman in front of him didn't try to call attention to the situation. "Well, it's been more than a few. But they weren't as smart as you are. At least you know how to keep you mouth shut."

Faye stared at him, not quite sure what to do. If he knew who she was, then it was quite feasible that he'd be armed. And if the look in his eyes indicated anything, then he was dangerous as well. Thinking fast, Faye tried to figure something out. Maybe Spike was right, maybe she should have sat this one out. After all, if things went wrong, it was two lives that'd be on the line.

"I must be getting soft, or maybe it's the location, but I'm apt to let you live. Now if you'll excuse me," he said, his perky, southern twang coming back, "it's been great talking with you, but I really must go."

Nodding dumbly at him, Faye held in her breath, more than glad to see him go. As the bounty turned around, he saw a lanky man in a blue suit, accented with a mop of green hair, heading towards the coffee shop. It only took him mere seconds to realize who that man was, and an even shorter amount of time to realize that he was being ambushed.

Thinking back to Faye and suddenly feeling less generous than before, he slid his hand into his waistband and faced the woman. She was just getting up from her seat, wiping away the wrinkles that had accumulated on her dress. He walked back up to her, and leaned in close, as to not alert the attention of the people around them.

"So this was all a set up, huh?" he breathed in her ear. "Well then, it seems as though you really were smarter then I thought. Anything you want to say for yourself?" He asked as he leveled his gaze with hers.

"A…a tall latte…"

Her words died in her throat and her eyes grew wide. She knew that something was instantly wrong, but her brain simply couldn't register it at the moment.

"…I…iced."


At that moment, Spike's mike flickered back into existence and he heard those words fall from Faye lips. As he peered into the shop, seeing Gary's back facing him, his feeling of dread shot through the roof.

"Did you hear that, Jet? Get over here, now!"

It was only when he saw Faye collapse to the floor, did Spike finally break out into a full sprint.


"Maybe next time on the latte, honey," Gary said to her as he removed the five inch blade from her stomach. "May you rot in hell, hunter."

"Not before you do," an irate voice uttered from behind him. Gary never had a chance to see the voice's owner, though. He looked down and saw the hole now in his chest, and collapsed to the floor, along with Faye.

Spike dropped his gun after that, completely oblivious to the shrieks and screams around him. He took in the sight before him and felt his heart clench. Faye lay on the ground, blood gushing from an unseen wound, further staining her already soiled dress. Her eyes were wide and her hands were curled around her. Shock already registered in her features.

"Faye? Faye! Damnit, look at me!" Spike yelled, pressing a hand to her wound. "I fucking told you that this was a bad idea!"

"You weren't supposed to kill him!" Jet boomed as he entered the café. His words quickly ceased when he saw why Spike had shot, though.

"Try and stop the bleeding!" Jet said, trying his best to stay calm and rational. "And somebody call the damn police! She ain't gonna stop the bleeding herself!"

Pushing hair out of her face, Spike shook his head, almost as if trying to shake the image loose. Maybe if he shook hard enough, he could make this all go away.

"Sp…Spike?" Faye sputtered, blood slowly oozing out of the corner of her mouth.

"Shut up, Faye. Now's not the time to talk."

A shallow smirk lit up Faye's paling face; it was good to see her cowboy still had his humor.

"You…you were right…"

"Don't seem so surprised," Spike told her, unsure of what emotion to show. "Just…just stop talking. The ambulance should be her any minute now. Everything's gonna be okay."

"I think he…he hit the baby."

Spike's blood ran cold at those words. If it wasn't bad enough that Faye was hurt, now he had to worry about his baby, too. Boy, was this a really bad idea.

"Everything's gonna be okay. Just hold on," he comforted. "Just hold on..."

And those where the last words that Faye heard before she sank into pained oblivion. If pain could be described in color, then she was sure it would look like this. Vibrant reds, electric blues, neon greens, and blinding yellows assaulted her senses and numbed her mind. What had she gotten herself into? What had she done? As she sunk deeper into that tortured rainbow, though, her thoughts all but ceased. And then there was black.


so, crazy enough yet? what's gonna happen to faye and the baby? well, we'll just have to wait and see...

phoenix