Here's Chapter 2! And yeah, Spike's actually in it! Don't worry, you'll see… Oh, and I still don't own Cowboy Bebop. (Keep On Turning…)
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Two figures lay on the side of a grassy hill, shaded by a tree, staring at the stars. The park's landscape rolled peacefully away on either side of them until it reached the gates and walls. But even then, the greenery continued on, a contrast in some places to the towering skyscrapers. The angels loved all life, and here in Shangri-La, life ruled.
"More like the memory of life," Spike mused. He abruptly sat up, yawning and running his hand through his dark green hair. Beside him, Julia shifted and looked up at him with her blue eyes. Grinning wickedly, he reached down and took a few locks of her blond hair, quickly tying them into a knot. She slapped his hand away before the tangle got any worse and sat up to unknot it. Spike leaned back and watched the sky again with his brown eyes until Julia finished, then looked back down. She put a fist on her hip and glared at him. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her.
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Night sky again. The stars have hardly shifted and Spike knows they'll never disappear fully; they still shine during the day, peeking out mischievously from behind the clouds. A light breeze blows across his skin and he shivers a little, pulling his heavy coat a little higher up to cover that shoulder. Nestled against his bare chest, Julia murmurs something and snuggles in a little closer. Spike sighs and shakes her shoulder, waking her up. He nods to the moon, how it's almost below the horizon.
They leave the park hand in hand, heading for Julia's apartment, not trying to beat the dawn, just strolling, enjoying the chillier air, the prelude to fall in Shangri-La. They take a short nap, making up for lost sleep, and eat a light lunch. Spike leaves Julia at about noon, heading for his own apartment. Safe inside his own castle, he seats himself at the window and stares out the glass, wondering, pondering at the apathy he now feels.
He has everything he could want. Julia loved him, they were together, and no crazy, sword-wielding maniac was after him.
But somehow, something was missing.
With a groan, he realizes what it is. No bounties, no excitement was in his life anymore. He blows a hefty sigh.
"I guess even Heaven can get boring after a while," he mutters. "I can't believe I miss getting shot at."
"I know what you mean," a voice unexpectedly answers.
Spike whirls around, hand groping for a gun that he knows isn't there; no evil is allowed in Shangri-La, so he thought he wouldn't need a weapon. His surprise visitor smirks and holds his hands up, shutting the apartment door with a foot. Spike eyes the door like it betrayed him. He'd spent a lot of time and effort making sure all the locks on it would make it impenetrable to all but the most stubborn angel…
With that thought, his eyes narrowed, and he turned his head to regard his intruder, who had taken a chair and was now lounging, looking at Spike with a pensive air.
"So," he says, "What are you going to do about it?"
Spike blinks. "About what?" he asks.
"Your boredom. The source of your lethargy."
Spike shrugs. The angel rolls his eyes and leans forward.
"Spike, I have a bargain for you. It'll definitely cure your boredom."
Spike looks at him harder. "What kind of bargain?"
"Think of it as a deal. Things are going downhill on Mars, did you know?"
"How can I know when I'm stuck here?"
It was the angel's turn to shrug. "I don't know. But I do know that Mars really needs a hero-of-sorts right now."
Spike stares at him, puzzled, until it dawns upon him. "Wait…You want me to go to Mars?!" The angel nods, and Spike waves his hands furiously in the air. "No Way. That wouldn't work at all."
The angel raises an eyebrow. "And why not?"
Spike lifts up a finger. "One. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm dead. Two." He lifts another finger. "What makes you think I wanna go back to Mars? And three." A third finger. "I've got Julia now; I can't just leave her."
The angel raises three fingers of his own. "Three. Julia already knows about this. She realizes there's a distinct possibility that you will accept my offer, and she's come to terms with that." He puts one finger down. "Two. Mars is your home. And besides, I know you like to be where the action is." He puts down another finger. "And one." The angel tilts his head to the side and looks at Spike. "Whatever makes you think you'll be going back as a spirit?" He puts down the last finger and considers his hand. "It looks like you're out of excuses."
Spike sits back and looks at the angel. "Alright. Lemme ask one question. Do I really have a choice?"
The angel smiles wickedly. "Of course not."
Spike rocks back and laughs. "I figured as much. Angels are the syndicate of Shangri-La." He looks down, glancing at the pale figure. "Alright. I'll do it." Mars, here I come!"
The angel chuckles a bit and snaps his fingers.
"Here we go again."
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And there you go! That's Chapter 2 for ya! Please review, alright? I'll give you a cookie if you do!