"I'm gonna go home." Faye abruptly announced as she, Jet and Eunice sat at the dining room table, eating their dinner.

Eunice looked up at Faye as if she'd confessed to her a dark secret. Jet simply glanced at his best friend's girlfriend. "Good. Spike's practically dying without you."

Faye smiled at Jet. Eunice gave Jet a death glare. Jet shrugged. "What?"

"Faye, you can't!"

Faye leaned back in her chair, dropping her fork onto her plate. "And why not?"

Eunice looked at Jet, then back at Faye. "Because he totally wants Julia."

Faye looked over at Jet, who put his hands in the air and looked down as if he didn't want anything else to do with it. "W…well maybe he's changed."

"Wh-" Jet gently put his hand atop of Eunice's before Eunice would criticize Faye's decision. As she looked up at him, he swiftly shook his head as if telling her not to say anything more. Eunice sighed, looking back at Faye. "Do what you want."

Faye leaned in closely towards her friend. "Thank you." Eunice couldn't bring herself to look up at Faye, keeping her eyes on her plate. Faye gave a nod at Jet before pushing her plate away from her, getting up from her chair and leaving Jet and Eunice's apartment.

Jet looked over at Eunice as they heard the front door softly close. "Don't worry about her." Jet responded to the hurt look on Eunice's face. "She'll be okay. I promise." Eunice smiled at Jet and leaned into him, reaching behind his neck and rubbing the back of his balding head.

Faye stood in front of the door to her and Spike's condo. A million emotions swimming through her head. What was going to happen when she opened this door? Was Spike in here? What was Spike going to say? Unable to fight off her thoughts, she put the key into the lock and unlocked the door, twisting the knob and walking in.

Spike was slouched on the couch and appeared to be talking to someone. He immediately turned to the door upon it opening.

When he laid his eyes on Faye, he dropped the phone from his hand and his mouth gradually opened.

"Hey." She quietly said, still standing at in the foyer.

Spike shot up and quickly walked over to Faye before putting his finger on the bottom of her chin to lift her head and placing his lips on hers. His tongue angrily darted in and out of her mouth, a way he'd never kissed her before. He slowly separated his lips from hers, staring into her bright green irises. "Where have you been?" He whispered.

Faye kept her focus on his eyes. His telling eyes. "….Away."

Spike looked down at the floor. "I've….I've missed you…." He looked back up at Faye. "…So much, Faye."

Faye quickly looked down at the ground, nervous for a reason she didn't know. "I've missed you too." She nodded.

"I've miss you...more than I miss Julia."

Faye looked back up at Spike. She now made a decision. A Final decision. A decision that would determine her future. "This isn't going to work, Spike." She finally said it. She inhaled to try and hold back from the self-inflicted blow she'd just suffered.

"Wh-what?"

"It's not going to work. I…I need to go." Faye turned back to the door and opened it.

Spike quickly grabbed her arm. "Faye, wait!"

Faye roughly yanked her arm from his grasp. "I can't do this anymore. Goodbye, Spike." She ran out of the door and slammed it shut, leaving Spike staring at the door, waiting for her return.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

"Yes?" Eunice opened her front door to see a bawling Faye, make up streaming down her tear-stained face.

"I broke up with him. I…I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't continue trying to be someone I'm not."

Eunice watched Faye, shocked by her friend's sudden change of heart. She sympathetically smiled at Faye and wrapped her arms around her bringing her into her home.

Weeks passed by. Faye had began dating Shin Nielson, her screenwriting crush, and had fallen head over heels for his daughter, Suri. Eunice and Jet were now engaged and getting ready to move into a huge mansion. Eunice, like always, was extremely overexcited and getting on the laid-back Jet's nerves, though he loved her for it. There was no word of Spike, or what he was currently doing but Faye couldn't deny that she'd hadn't gotten completely over him. Every day, she'd try to convince herself that she was, but the reality of the situation was that she'd hadn't gotten over him and probably never would.

"CUT!" The director yelled from behind his huge and advanced camera.

"Spike, the line is very silly. You should have more of a playful demeanor, yes?" Shin Nielson stood behind the director, holding his manuscript for his comedy, Never Too Much.

Spike nodded and walked off the set to the snack table.

"Where is Shin Nielson?"

"Ah, Ms. Valentine. He's been asking about you all this morning. He's over there, talking with the director."

"Oh, I see him." Faye Valentine clip clopped towards her boyfriend, wearing white pumps, and a short yellow sundress.

Shin turned around and smiled at the sight of his lovely companion. "Ah, you look great." He said, gently grabbing her shoulders and leaving a tender kiss on her flawless cheeks.

"How are you today?" She responded, giving him a heartfelt smile.

"Busy, busy, busy. Where's Suri?"

"She's with the nanny. I was going to take her shopping with Eunice and me. Was that okay?"

"Of course, honey. Do what you want. I'm awfully busy right now, though."

"Okay, I'll leave you to your work." Faye aimed to kiss him on the cheek when he all of sudden turned his face to kiss her on the lips.

Faye pulled away, loving every moment. "Oh, you're such a pig." She playfully, responded walking off the set. He smiled, watching her until she was completely out of sight.

As she walked glimpsed at the snack bar while passing it, she immediately caught the eye of the one and only Spike Spiegel, who instantly began to follow her, chanting her name, hoping that she would stop.

Faye walked quickly past the set of an empty windowed building, aware that the only man she truly loved was following her.

"Faye! Could you stop for just a minute! Please!"

Faye stopped in her tracks and whipped around to face him. It was their first time face to face in what seemed like years.

"What do you want, Spike?" Faye choked, beginning to tear up.

"Faye, why won't you talk to me? I call and leave a voice message every day. I drive by your house sometimes wanting to come in but not knowing what to say. All I want to know is why you won't talk to me. Why….why you don't wanna be with me."

"Because…I can't, Spike." Faye turned on her heel and began to walk away.

"But why?" Spike walked quickly after her, grabbing her forearm, violently, not letting go.

"Because it's never going to work!"

"WHY?"

"BECAUSE I'M NOT JULIA!"

Faye ripped her forearm out of Spike's now weak grasp. Tears began to stream down her face.

"I…I can't be her. I can't be someone I'm not. I'm tired of trying to be like someone else just for you to love me. Face it, Spike. You'll never love anyone as much of you loved Julia. And it's obvious. And though it breaks my heart… I have to be with someone who loves me for me.

"But I do…"

"No, Spike. You love the memories I bring back to you. Memories of her. And…I…I can't be her anymore. I won't be her anymore….you…you're the love of my life." With that, Faye stepped closer to him and touched the smoothness of his tan cheek. Then, quickly ripped herself away from him, for if she didn't she would have fallen into his trap once more. She left, without looking behind her, closing the door of a chapter in her life that she would always remember.

THE END

A/N: Finally, we're at the end of the road. Let me take this time to thank everyone for reading Like Animals and a special thanks to Papai, who was really the ONLY person to review it constantly and give me feedback. The ending of this story is quite sad, but I felt that it was going to end this way, regardless of anything that happened. Faye is a survivor and strong woman and with Spike she was weakened severely and she just couldn't be that type of woman. Though she was deeply in love with Spike, she had to end it, for he was causing her the most pain in her life. On to other things, I am working another Cowboy Bebop story, but this time it will be a romantic comedy. It's called Restless and it will be about Jet and Spike living together on the Bebop, Jet gets a girlfriend, who he eventually marries. They want Spike out of the Bebop, who keeps causing trouble and the girlfriend/wife gets her trusty friend, Faye Valentine, to try to get him out of there. I hope it sounds okay lol. But, anyways, thanks again for everyone who read.

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