-64- Go Your Own Way

[luckyvalentine]

[she only takes the time for a short shower because things like that aren't easy to track town in town-- and, as far as she's concerned, she's going to be there for a while. Other than that, a few important belongings stuffed into her pockets and she shuts up her room.]

Comments

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[gottaknockhard]

[It turned out Spike was a little too late to find her in his room, and he was only marginally relieved that the floor wasn't stained in someone's blood by the time he got to it. There was always the chance that Vicious had been bluffing, but there were enough signs that someone had been there to make him doubt. Which means he has something coming to him.

Honestly, he'd be in a better mood if he'd ended up in the clinic instead of wasting his quality time trying to out-manipulate a guy who had spent weeks setting him up. By the time it was over, all he had to show was more frustration and the nagging dread of finding the consequences of hesitation. So he searched, because as much as he doubted she'd be happy to see him, it was important to check if she was alive.

Bumping into her on the way out has to be some kind of luck. He stops in his tracks as soon as she comes around the corner, unsure of how to react.]

--Faye.

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[luckyvalentine]

[there is a moment of mild surprise-- she hadn't expected to find him. Part of her had wondered if she might ever have run into him again, with the way that he was hiding and she was running. Nevermind the way that Vicious has of interrupting lives around him.

The moment of uncertainty, though--her standing there and showcasing every bruise that man left her with--it doesn't last.

All that anger that she's been able to do nothing with but sit in a dark room and simmer with for more than a day, it all comes storming back.

She marches right for him]

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[gottaknockhard]

[She looks better than he expected. Nothing looks cut off, anyway. She's breathing. Angry at him, sure, but that's normal. Spike doesn't ask what happened. Somehow with the way she's storming towards her he thinks that might not go over well, so he doesn't say anything at all.]

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[luckyvalentine]

[unlike most other times that she has faced off with him, there is no hesitation this time.

As soon as she closes that distance, walking right up into his space, she swings. She's not thinking about whether it's a smart idea or not, or if he's going to catch her, or whether he even knows why she's attacking him. She's not thinking about much. It's just something she needs]

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[gottaknockhard]

[Maybe because he recently had an intimate experience with how unbearable it is not to be able to hit something that he gives that one to her. ...Or maybe he thinks he can use something to stop the running dialog of his last conversation playing in his head -- which that sock to his jaw manages to do long enough to bring things into focus.

He always knew she could pack a punch if she was motivated enough.]

You're leaving? [Spoken as if Faye hadn't just tried to take his head off; although Spike's hands slip out of his pockets in case she's not finished making her point.]

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[luckyvalentine]

[and she really looks like she'd love to continue pressing her point, but she is... tired]

And you decided to finally come back and grace us all with your presence?

[figures.]

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[gottaknockhard]

[Spike doesn't want to get into where he was or why he came back; she doesn't need another reason to storm out. The fact remains that he should have taken care of it long before then. (Because that turned out so well, right?)]

I didn't know. [A statement, not an excuse. The whole time Spike was waiting for Vicious, he was with Faye. What did he really expect was going to happen?]

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[luckyvalentine]

Shut up!

[she spits the words at him. That is one of the absolute last things she wants to hear come out of his mouth. Because he did know what was lurking around the castle, and he chose to keep that information to himself]

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[gottaknockhard]

I didn't know about you. [Might as well clarify and dig that hole a little deeper.] He was late sending a message this time.

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[luckyvalentine]

I said shut up!

[yeah, Spike still isn't doing himself any favors. Vicious was 'late in sending a message'... like this is all just some big game. Though, she could believe that it is a big game to him. The only one he's ever been interested in, and now it's starting over here.

Well, she's done playing.]

You know what? You two are the perfect pair.

[two uncaring peas in a pod]

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[gottaknockhard]

[Ordinarily a tame insult like that would roll right off his back, but not where Vicious is concerned. Instead, his eyes harden and he has to clench his jaw to keep from replying in a way that would ruin any chance of them staying friends. (Everyone has their triggers. Some are just more violent than others.) When he talks again, his voice is cold and forcefully distant.]

You probably had the right idea. [For once, she can put those disappearing skills of hers to good use. If she can stand to keep out of trouble longer than Spike can.] I'd take my time coming back here.

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[luckyvalentine]

[her gaze also freezes over, as that comment sticks deep. It lands right in the pit that Vicious' words picked at, right with everything that she'd been stuck mulling over for hours in the dark.]

Don't worry. I wouldn't want to get in your way.

[and just as her words promised, she's goes to pass him by and continue her way out of this place]

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[gottaknockhard]

[He inhales sharply as she passes. That's not how he meant... Faye has no idea what the situation was when he left Vicious just to see if she was okay. He doesn't explain though, and he doesn't apologize. If she's mad enough to stay away from someone who obviously brings her nothing but misery, she'll be better off.]

Watch your back.