Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or any of its characters. Lyrics from "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLaughlan have been used.

Happily Ever After

So this is how the story ends:

The once lonely princess finally finds her battle-worn knight, they ride into the blazing sunlight on his gleaming white horse. And from there, they passionately kiss and live happily ever after.

Happily ever after¡¦

____________________________________________

And this is how the story really ends:

Faye stood in the shadows of the hangar, her heart quietly bleeding.

Drip. Drip

You hear that, Spike? Your hear me bleeding?

Maybe he would come back. Maybe he would not.

That was the whole point, she supposed. She would never know when she would see him again. Maybe if they had been part of that fairy-tale, that story of the beautiful princess and knight¡¦ Maybe then, they could have lived happily ever after.

But if Julia was not the golden princess to save Spike, then the knight did not want to be saved. No, he should have died on the battlefield.

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

Faye softly smiled as she remembered watching him leave. Her eyes had been clear and true, while his had been sorrowful and cloudy. She knew what he had sought from her. Another chance. A chance to make it all right. Redemption.

Remember the good times that we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad

It had only been a week since his departure, and there was the chance that he would return. And a greater chance that he would not.

How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun
Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one

They were not meant for each other. It was plain as day to see. Yet, the pangs of regret and disappointment were there. If only. If only. That¡¯s all one could think in situations like these.

If only he had met her before Julia. If only she had died in the accident. If only he had not tried so hard to love Faye. If only she had not tried to love him more than she could.

If only.

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

Perhaps, they were not capable of falling in love anymore. Once, long ago, they had been capable of such emotions. But it was when they were younger, before they had seen all the cruelties life could bring. Maybe, before then, they could have loved each other the way they wanted.

I'm so tired, but I can't sleep
Standing on the edge of something much too deep

Even now, as her heart lay broken at her feet, she could only shake her head. Her mouth in an almost smile.

It's funny how we feel so much, but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard

We almost made it, Spike. We could almost say we lived happily ever after.

But, this was not meant to be. It was wrong for them to try to make each other into something they were not. But, almost.

They almost made it.

And that made her smile.

But I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

It was all right. Her heart hurt, her hands trembled. But, it would be all right. Even if he was gone forever.

I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose

They could cry themselves an ocean, but it would not change who they were. But maybe it was better this way. They had helped each other, given each other a shoulder, support that they could not have found anywhere else.

Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night
You gave me everything you had, oh, you gave me light

So even if she bled, even if she cried, she could one day be able to say,

¡±Once, I reached out. And, so did he.¡±

MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE, COWBOY.