"Left!" Jill shouted, twisting herself around behind Spike in the Swordfish, keeping an eye on the last two of their pursuers while he expertly piloted the ship. He swooped left to avoid a missile, like she had said. "These guys are very persistent, Spike," she noted, clinging tightly to him. "What did you do to start this whole thing, anyway?"
"Why do you assume I started it?" he asked, playfully acting hurt as he zigzagged in between tall buildings to try to shake them off his tail.
"Trouble is kind of your middle name, hon," she teased, squeezing him around the waist. "I came back from the bathroom and every guy in the place was giving you the evil eye. You had to have done something…" She was in an especially good mood, despite the tight spot they were in. In the relatively short time she'd been with him, Jillian had quickly learned to trust in Spike's abilities to adeptly get them both into and out of trouble. But more than that, she had developed a love of flying fast in his little red racer, and couldn't help the giddy sense of glee she got whenever he'd take her joyriding.
"If you must know, I was trying to protect you," he said distractedly, banking quickly right into an alley. The small ship closest behind them couldn't maneuver quite fast enough and nicked its wing on the corner of a building, sending him careening off into a parked car. The other ship blew through the smoke plume of his friend's wreck with renewed vigor, hot on the Swordfish's tail.
"Protect me?" she repeated incredulously.
"They said… something rude. About you. I'm not going to repeat it." He seemed a little awkward, realizing it was probably a foolish thing to pick a fight over.
"Aww, Spikey," she said, leaning into him and nuzzling the back of his fluffy mop of dark hair with her face. "Were you defending my honor?"
"Yeah. So?" She could tell he was getting annoyed, which is usually what followed after embarrassment with him.
"Nothing. It's sweet. But you really don't need to go picking fights on my behalf."
He sighed. "This time I did. You're my girl," he grumbled through gritted teeth as he took a corner and sent the Swordfish sailing up straight into the sky, making a big loop to get behind the ship pursuing them, while charging up the plasma cannon. The G-forces pressed her tightly against him, the whole sensation causing her to laugh uncontrollably in sheer joy. He cocked his head to the side with a smirk and said, "You really like this, huh," before blasting the last ship out of the sky with his artillery.
She caught her breath and joked, "Oh Spike, it's almost better than sex."
"Hey..."
"What? I said 'almost'..." He laughed at her, and flicked both his wrists sideways on the controls, sending them into a barrel roll. "Woohoohoo!" she cried in exhilaration, holding onto him tight. Now he was just playing around for her entertainment, she was sure. But then he flipped some switches to make the ship hover in the sky, and began to get up.
"Your turn," he said, flipping a long leg over her head and switching places, now that the danger had passed. The Swordfish was really not designed as a two-person vehicle, but she liked how cozy it got in there. She grinned at him as he situated himself behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"By myself?" she asked, a little nervously. He had previously given her a few lessons on piloting his ship, but never alone. His arms were long enough that they could reach around her to the controls, acting as a set of training wheels, but he didn't appear to be helping this time.
"I'm right here. You know what to do. Listen to her, but don't let her push you around either. It's a delicate game of give and take. Now go, have fun." He kissed her temple and flicked the switches back to their original positions, making them start to free fall. She smiled and quickly grabbed the controls, starting out slow and steady until the muscle memory kicked in. She performed a couple maneuvers, earning a congratulatory remark and kiss to the side of her neck from Spike.
"Hey Spike, are you guys on your way back yet?" came Jet's voice over the comm system.
"Yeah Jet, just giving Jill some practice flying," Spike replied while rolling his eyes.
"Good, get back to the ship. We've got a job and I don't want to have to brief everyone twice."
"On our way," Spike affirmed, then switched off the radio. "Flying is easy. Landing is more tricky. Take us home, you can give it a shot."
"Okay…" she said, unsure of herself, as Spike nestled his face in the side of her neck.
"You'll be fine," he said with a gentle kiss just below her ear.
"Not with you being all snuggly and distracting," she retorted, smirking back at him.
"Mmm, did you get a new soap or something? You smell delicious."
She grinned, pleased he liked it. "Yeah, it's coconut. I didn't want to use yours all up." She turned the ship skyward, back to the Bebop, trying her best to focus on the task at hand. He certainly wasn't making it easy. He brushed the hair off her shoulder, tightening his arms around her, and grazed her skin with his lips. She smiled, tilting her head into him. "Spike… is this part of the lesson? Seeing how well I can land this thing for the first time ever while being incredibly distracted?"
"Hm. Yeah, we'll go with that," he said in between kisses and wandering hands.
"Spike…" Jill begged as the Bebop just came into view, resisting him with all her rapidly dwindling willpower. She tried to line up with the docking bay, but it was as if her mind wasn't even in the same galaxy. She was getting frustrated with herself. She wanted so badly to be able to return his advances, but she was stuck piloting, trying desperately not to get them both killed. Finally, she growled, "Spike! I can't. I'm too preoccupied. Take us in, and then...take me to your room."
She felt him grin against her now bare shoulder, Spike having pushed aside the lacy strap of her top. "Yes, my dear," he said facetiously, his voice deep and inviting, reaching out to take the controls from her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she let go, and then a devilish smirk came over her lips when she had a thought. As he was about to set them down on deck, she leaned back into him and ran her hand up the inside of his thigh. He inhaled sharply and the Swordfish jerked at an angle, scraping a wingtip against the deck. She cringed at the noise, not having intended for that to happen. Spike quickly recovered and set them down, but as soon as they were safely docked, his arms went firmly back around her and he tilted her head back against his shoulder. "You're gonna pay for that later," he teased her.
Sheepishly, she smiled and said, "Sorry Spikey. I didn't mean to."
He kissed her again. "It's okay. I forgive you," he said, opening the hatch as the wings folded up on themselves.
"It's almost like it's really hard to concentrate when someone else is being all sexy and distracting…"
"Hey, I took out four ships with you back here being so...enticing." He climbed up and out, and offered her a hand to follow him. She hopped down and stood in front of Spike, pressed between him and the Swordfish.
Looking up into his chestnut eyes, she smiled and draped an arm around his neck, suddenly struck with a common thought these days. "You're so beautiful, Spike," she said softly, touching his cheek. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk for a brief moment, until he leaned down and pulled her into a long and ardent kiss.
When he finally let her go, he met her gaze and asked, "My room, right?" She just nodded emphatically, prompting him to grab her by the hand and lead her inside the ship. They passed through the common room, where Jet and everyone waited for them to begin the mission briefing.
"Oh good. It's about time," Jet said, getting up from his chair. Spike kept right on going like no one was there, tugging her along by the hand, a determined look on his face.
Jill suddenly realized it was on her to come up with an excuse. "Uh, sorry Jet, just give us a few more minutes. I kinda messed up the landing, and we've got a couple things we need to, um, discuss real quick. He's really mad at me," she explained before being pulled down the hallway. She hoped it was good enough.
Jet growled and said, "Come on, you two...Spike! Get back here!"
"Hurry up! He won't let us leave until this meeting happens!" was the last thing she heard from Faye before Spike pulled her feverishly into his room and shut the door firmly behind them.
Jet impatiently tapped his foot on the floor as he looked at the clock. It had been long enough, he decided, getting up from the chair. "I've had it with those two just doing whatever they want whenever they want. There's a certain order to things around here," he said, shaking his head. "She started out as such a polite, sweet girl too, until Spike got ahold of her." She wasn't that bad, he corrected himself silently, she would just do anything to make Spike happy, and that was the problem. As he crossed the room, he saw Faye and Ed exchange a glance from the corner of his eye, surely plotting their escape. "You had both better be here when I get back, or I'm keeping your cut of the bounty," he said sternly, pointing his finger at Faye.
"Jet… come on, we've been sitting here for close to an hour! You can't do that!" he could hear Faye whine as he stomped down the hallway. Sometimes he wondered how any of them would survive if it weren't for him.
"Spike!" he bellowed, banging on the door. "Get out here! You've kept us all waiting long en–" The door opened abruptly and Spike slid out, closing it behind him again. He was tucking in his shirt and smoothing his hair, even though it looked just as messy as it always did. Spike glanced at him then looked away bashfully from his harsh gaze. Jet was no fool. He knew exactly what was going on, but didn't feel like addressing it right then. All he wanted was everybody in one place at one time.
"Sorry Jet. I'm ready. Jill's right behind me," Spike said, actually seeming genuinely apologetic. His demeanor softened in response, and they both turned down the corridor to the common room. Maybe he'd been too hard on him. He was still happy for them, after all, he just wished they could plan their alone time a little better.
Jet stopped him just before they reached the living room. "You've, uh, got some lipstick on your face there…"
Spike's eyes widened slightly and he quickly scrubbed it off with his cuff. "Heh, thanks." Jet nodded in amused acknowledgement and called the meeting in session as he took his seat.
"What about Jill?" Faye asked, "Why doesn't she have to be here?"
"I'm here!" Jill shouted as she stumbled into the room, trying to pull her unruly hair back into a short ponytail. "Sorry guys, I'm here. Go ahead Jet, do your thing, we're all listening." She squished herself in between Faye and Spike, carving out a spot on the couch. Faye looked slightly annoyed, but Spike put his arm around Jill and pulled her closer to him, giving Faye more room.
"Okay, finally," Jet began. "As I'm sure you all are aware, we're pretty much broke again. But I hopefully have a solution for that. I've got an inside tip on a high-yield bounty that hasn't yet made its way into the mainstream media yet."
"Sounds too good to be true," Faye muttered, rolling her eyes.
"It usually is," Spike replied quietly.
Jet sighed and retorted, "Then stay home. Jill and I will take this one."
"Me?" she asked.
"Yes. You're a vital part of this mission."
"Why's that?" Spike asked suspiciously.
"Ed," Jet said, motioning to her, now that he had secured everyone's attention. She sleepily turned on the viewscreen to display a picture and fact sheet of an obviously well to-do gentleman. "This is Emile de la Croix. He's a wealthy baron with a certain interest in classical art."
"What's he wanted for?" Faye asked.
"Him? Nothing," Jet answered, nodding to Ed and noting Faye's frustrated expression. A picture of a small wolf figurine came up on the screen as Ed lazily hit a button. "This is the calling card of the high profile cat burglar known as the Shadow Wolf."
"Oh!" Jillian interjected. "Yeah, he's been around for a while! I remember hearing about him back on Mars. He was known for stealing things that were supposedly unstealable. I heard he somehow got through randomly-generated laser field security once without ever setting it off. And he always left those little black wolves in place of the loot."
"Exactly," Jet said.
Faye snickered under her breath, "Sounds like someone's a fan."
"The ISSP hasn't been able to figure out who he is after all these years," Jet continued, "but that was before Radical Edward was on the case." He looked to her proudly, excited to explain Ed's brilliant involvement.
"You think he's this de la Croix guy, don't you," Spike interrupted, getting to the point.
"Yes, Spike," Jet sighed, unable to hide his disappointment with his partner stealing his thunder.
"What's it got to do with me? Why am I important?" Jill asked.
This briefing was not going as he planned, with everyone constantly interrupting. "Well, my friend, you're our 'in'. Ed found de la Croix's name on the confirmed guest list to the annual Tharsis City Fine Arts Gala in a couple days."
"I don't think I'm invited, Jet."
"But Jillian Arainai the crime syndicate leader would be," Jet said slyly.
"Hold on," Spike stopped him. Jet could already tell he didn't like where this plan was going. "You want her to waltz in there and use her false status to secure us an invitation? She's still got a price on her head, Jet."
"Like I said, nobody else knows about Emile being the Shadow Wolf. There's no reason any other bounty hunters would be there. Plus they'd have to figure out a way in, and the guest list is pretty exclusive." Jet could agree the situation wasn't ideal, but felt there was no other option, and the odds were on their side.
Spike scowled at him, then glanced at his girlfriend beside him. "I just don't like it, Jet. It's too risky."
"Since when are you the cautious one?" Faye said.
"Since it was revealed who would be put in the most danger," he snapped.
"I can do this, Spike," Jill added with a glimmer of confidence. Jet tried to hide his relief that she'd taken his side, knowing she was the only one of the team that would have a chance at changing Spike's mind.
Spike spoke softly to her, but Jet could see him pleading with his eyes. "No. It's too dangerous. We could run into all sorts of people who'd kill to get their hands on you."
"What else have we got, though? I can do this. I can help." She put her hand on his cheek and stared him down with her own determined plea.
Jet watched them tensely, mentally crossing his fingers. Finally Spike sighed loudly and turned back to Jet. "Fine. But she stays with me the whole time."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jet agreed, "Fair enough."