Author's Note: This story is the sequel to 'Guarded', going with the same
timeline of events in that story. I'm pretty sure that you won't need to
have read 'Guarded' to understand what's going on, seeing as this is a
completely different plot. But if you like action/adventure stories go for
it!
This story is set 1 year and eight months ( I don't really have a reason
for the amount of time other than I wanted it to be substantial but not too
much, and I'm just random like that) after the events of 'Guarded'. This
one I'm going to say is going to be straight out action/adventure with that
little bit of tension added in for good measure. So enough of the
babbling, on with the show! (Note: I don't own them, I just like to pretend
I do. Standard disclaimers apply to all chapters).
Cursed
Chapter 1
The street lights were all dimmed now on Haley Nine, it was just another one of those strange power fluctuations that happened on a nightly basis on the old Space station. Those dim lights were the porch lights of the homeless. Not to mention a refuge and blessing to the despicable creatures of the night that plague the once beautiful station. Hidden in every dark alley way was a plethora of criminals, ranging from the lowly pickpocket to the menacing killer.
However, tonight was a rather tame night for the usually active criminals of Haley Nine.
All except for Sixth and Vine, that intersection was seeing more action than it ever had before. A figure ran along the pavement, bare feet slapping hard on the waste covered sidewalk.
Ed slammed her back into the slimy brick wall behind her and slid, not so gracefully, on to the ground in the alley.
Sweat rolled from her temples, causing her bright orange hair to cling to her face, and take on a slightly less vibrant hue. Luckily, she still kept it cut short, otherwise she would have been more of a mess. The small framed sixteen year old brought a tanned hand up and wiped the sweat away, casting a quick glance behind her.
"Ein?" She called out quietly into the darkness that now surrounded her. "Ein-doggy?" She let her wide almond eyes dart around a bit. Where was Ein? He was supposed to wait right here.
Suddenly Ed felt the tip of a cold wet nose press up against her elbow, she almost shrieked with fright. She quickly clasped a hand over her mouth and did a front summersault, followed by a quick turn around to look at the owner of the cold wet nose. Ein watched as the Ed sat on her haunches, hand clasped tight over her mouth. He titled his head to the side, and barked once.
"Shhhhhhh!" Ed scrambled over to the dog on her hands and knees, and placed her hand over the dog's snout. Ein let out a tiny bit of a whine. If Jet or Spike had heard that sound they would have known it was a whine of annoyance at the young girl. Ed's eyes continued to dart about the dark alley way, as her ears began to pick up the sound of running footsteps coming her way.
"Shit, Ein-doggy," Ed said, but then shook her head. "Sorry bad word." She patted the dog on the head, and scooted her butt back so that she was further hidden in the shadows of the alley way. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she would make herself invisible.
"Over here!" A man's voice piped out from the other side of the alleyway. "I think I heard something." The man then stepped into the alley way, and Ed did the only thing she could think of. She threw Ein at him.
A large whine and bark went through the air, which was stopped abruptly when Ein's body smacked into the man's head. Ed then let out a victory laugh and jumped to her bare feet, hands fisted in triumph held high in the air.
"Way to go Ein!" Ed shouted, but then quickly threw her hands over her mouth again. Maybe this was what Spike-person called her "complete inability to act normal". Just as Ed's hands clasped over her mouth the man got to his feet, and was now backed up by two others. Ed's eyes went wide and she let out a low whistle. "Uh oh." She started to back up, and found herself knocked into a large steel trashcan.
She looked behind her, and smiled as her eyes came upon the perfect weapon. She laughed wickedly as she picked up the pair of nun chucks, and began whooshing them through the air at her foes.
The nun chucks were in actuality an old tattered pair of sneakers tied together by the shoe strings. And the men were a bit startled at the strange kid's behavior. Then again, if they knew Ed they wouldn't have been the least bit surprised.
Ed stepped forward and then readied her fighting stance. She spread her legs and bent her knees a bit to make sure she had herself well balanced. She continued to swing the 'nun chucks' around her wildly. And for this whole time she made those same strange noises that she heard on one of Spike-person's old kung-fu movies.
"Uh, what do we do with it?" One of the men asked as he scratched his head.
"We take," the first man stopped and ruffled his brow in confusion at the small girl that was now jumping around in circles while swinging an old pair of sneakers around her frame. The whooping sound that she was making obviously pointed to a mental disorder. "We take her back to the boss. You know how pissed off he was."
"Yeah," the man who scratched his head said nodding. "It's just, she's weird."
"What you afraid of some crazy little girl?" the other man in the group said in a gruff voice. He then pushed past his two buddies and approached Ed.
Ed stopped swinging the shoes and jumping in circles the instant that the man began to move. She now stood in her 'fighting stance' holding the shoes with the tied laces drawn taut in front of her. Her breathing was back to normal and she snarled and growled at the man approaching her.
"Hi there, little girl." The man said in a mocking voice. He hunched his large shoulders, causing his beer belly to jut out further over his tightly belted pants. He reached out a bulky hand towards her. "You want some candy? We can get you candy? Every little girl likes candy."
Ed let her snarl drop and pulled her head back to stare more openly at the man who was still slowly approaching her. She raised a brow as the man's large stubble filled face grew a wide grin at his progress. Did this guy seriously think she was that stupid? Ed shook her head.
Just as the man was about to reach out and grab the shoe laces that Ed still held in front of her, she let the one shoe drop. Ed then proceeded to kick that shoe very hard hitting the hunched over man right in the nose, breaking it upon impact. She turned herself around and used her own momentum to swing the shoe in a violent arch right for the man's kneecap.
"AHHHH!" The man let out a yell as he clasped his hands over his bleeding nose and fell to one knee. "Damn crazy kid."
At the fat man's yell the other two sprung out of their state of shock and leapt into action. Just as the leader went to take a step forward to help his friend, Ein bit his ankle and wouldn't let go. The genius welsh corgi held tight to the man's pants, snarling as he pulled back with all his might.
Ed let out another one of those Spike-person movie whoops and jumped up high, landing hard on the half fallen over form of the fat man. "Dumb- head!" Ed said in bit of sing-song voice as she then jumped off the now flattened fat man's back. While air-born Ed gave a big smile to the next guy. She planted her feet into his chest and sent him flying back out of the alley and right into a large pile of trash.
The lead guy finally got loose of Ein by kicking the poor old dog. He slammed his hand down on Ed's bony shoulder, and proceeded to turn her around to face him. Ed held her 'nun chucks' by one side and let the other flow free around the man's head. The tied shoestrings went directly into the man's mouth and the shoe circled his head twice before finally smashing him in the face. Ed then kicked the man in the shins with her hard as rocks bare feet, as a bit of payback for Ein. She then ran from the alley with Ein nipping at her heels.
"Like water! Ein-doggy!" she yelled as she smiled down at the dog. Ein barked up at her. "Spike-person would be so proud." She paused for a second after turning down the next street. "Too bad we can't tell him about it." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. Come on let's go home." Ed then made for the docks and the Bebop.
***
Spike sat on his couch in the common room, a cigarette in his slightly smirking mouth, completely content. He had his arms spread along the back of the couch, and his head tilted back so that he could watch amusedly as his smoke trailed up to the ceiling fan and got hacked to bits by the blades. Life was good.
He and Jet had just brought in a 80 million woolong bounty, and they didn't even break a sweat.
He had cigarettes-a-plenty now because he now had the money to buy them.
And best of all, Ed was out.
Where? Hell if he knew, but she was out. He let his eyes wander to the window that Jet was once again walking past. The kid was sixteen now, and very capable of handling herself. Jet was just being himself and worrying.
Spike turned his eyes back up to the ceiling fan and smiled again. Then he began to let his cigarette bob on his lips a bit.
Ed was older now, and she knew how to take care of herself. Plus she had the dog with her, and together those two were a force to be reckoned with. Strange and disturbing as that may seem, it was completely true. Ed was fine, she usually went off by herself when they docked now.
Spike brought his head up from its resting position and narrowed his eyes at the table. Of course, she had never been out quite so long before. It was getting close to 1 in the morning, and Jet wanted to get the hell out of dodge.
Spike blew out a thick puff of smoke at the table. And he'd admit Haley Nine was no place for a kid to be messing about at.
"Damn it." Spike mumbled and then threw his head back against the back of the couch and resumed his resting. Ed was fine.
Jet tossed the dingy red towel, that had more bleach stains on it than Ed's first laundry attempt could fully be blamed for, over his shoulder and stood across from the still lounging Spike. He crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes once again wandered over to the large window.
He'd just finished his fifth very obviously worried walk in front of the window, and had enough of this Spike not being worried to bullshit. Jet knew he was worried. He knew it.
Spike is just the type of asshole to never admit to it, and usually never have to. Jet narrowed his eyes at the window, and decided that it was about time to burst Spike's contented little bubble.
"We shouldn't have let her go out here," Jet grumbled. "We should have made her stay put."
"Oh and how were we going to do that Jet?" Spike said rolling his eyes at the older man's blatant attempt to kill his happy-time. "The girl is growing up and gaining some of that all together annoying attitude that women seem to get around that age. You know I thought we were done with women with the bad attitudes." Spike smiled as he said it, but as he let his head fall back on to the couch to rest, his smile faded. He hated that. She wasn't even here, and hadn't been for a long time, and yet she could still help Jet bring him down off of a good happy-time.
Jet let out a gruff sigh and continued to stare out the window.
"She's a big girl." Spike said rocking his head to the side to look at his partner. Jet then grimaced at Spike and began pacing again. This was the sixth pacing session since they had returned from handing in the bounty. Spike sat up and butted out his cigarette, resting his hands on his knees. He watched Jet pace, finding it just so damn familiar. Then a sly grin started to snake across Spike's thin lips.
"So," he began gaining the older man's attention. Jet stopped and regarded Spike from over his shoulder. It was just too soon for Spike to be giving in to the idea of going out looking for her. Jet narrowed his eyes at Spike waiting for the second shoe to fall. "Do you get like this with all women?" Spike continued, fully noting Jet's apprehensive expression turn to instant anger. But did he care? Hell no. Especially if it got Jet to stop pacing. "Because I see a pattern that could explain---"
Jet turned to fully face Spike, his angry glare on at full force. Jet was so angry he was about ready to pop, just about ready to charge and kill Spike. All Jet was waiting for was Spike to finish his sentence. Spike smiled. It was just too easy sometimes.
"Well?" Jet said through clenched teeth.
Spike sat back on the couch and closed his eyes. "Never mind." Spike smiled. If Faye were here she would have backed him up on the whole Jet being the protective father thing. Or at least she would have laughed and thus taken some of the heat from Jet. It just wasn't as fun to get on the old man's bad side with out somebody else there to take the fall with him.
Jet glared at Spike's smiling face for a couple of seconds, wishing many bad things upon the lanky man. He turned his back on Spike again and looked once again out the dark window. It was now 1:15 am.
Jet knew Faye would have agreed with him on the Ed thing.
A few moments later Spike heard the door opening, and the familiar smack of bare feet on the metal grating down the hall. The sound of a bark was not too long in following.
"You happy now?" Spike said to the quickly spinning form of Jet.
"Shut up." Jet said as he threw the dirty towel on the table. He then plopped himself down into the chair across the table from Spike.
Spike sat up and watched with Jet as Ed came marching into the room.
It amazed Jet that the kid was still just as small as she had been when she was thirteen. Sure, she had grown maybe two or three inches, but that was it. And she was still as skinny and bony as before, and still as freakishly limber.
"Hello," Ed gave them both a large wave, both of her arms moving in a large arch above her head.
"Hi Ed." Spike said back.
Spike then shook his head at the kid. She was soaking wet, and dripping all over the floor. Her short orange hair was as usual stuffed under the white cowboy hat. Which incidentally she hung on a hook at the end of the hallway to the hangar bay every time she left the ship, but put it back on as soon as she entered. She would then proceed to wear the damn hat for a couple of hours eventually putting it back on the hook. This was another one of those new things that developed in Ed after Faye left. The attitude came not long after.
"Why the hell are you all wet?" Jet asked running a hand over his face. His voice sounded defeated, and Spike had to smirk at that. He was so the protective father figure on this ship.
"Ed swam to the ship." Ed said plopping down on the ground between the two men, right before the table. Ein jumped up on Ed's head and sat on top of the white cowboy hat pushing it down over her eyes. She tilted her head a bit so that she could look at the two men with one eye. Which was honestly rather hard considering she had to keep switching her view from one to the other.
Jet let out a sigh and went to the kitchen to no doubt get Ed some dinner. Spike threw the red towel at Ed and gave her a smirk.
"Dry up." He said. Ed then removed Ein from her head, along with the cowboy hat and then put the red towel a top her orange hair.
Spike surveyed the youngest member of the crew. Yeah, he'd admit it, she was an official member of the crew. And there she sat. Bare feet, that he and Jet had decided were made of steel. Black bicycle shorts that were showing a bit of fading in the fabric. And then the only part of the outfit that had changed over the years, the shirt. No longer was it a large men's sleeveless t-shirt that showed more skin than it covered. New 'developments' as Spike had put it, meant new wardrobe. So in its place there was a bright yellow t-shirt, sleeves included, with a hand painted orange smiley face on it. Ed had decided the only way she would were the shirt was if she could make it an Ed original.
Needless to say, Ed at sixteen knew how to dress for success. No shoes. Black bike shorts, a yellow shirt with an orange smiley face, and most often times a large white cowboy hat. Spike shook his head, and stared at the white cowboy hat on the table.
He reached out and picked it up, and began rotating it in his hands. He stared at that hat and let all the memories he had of it come back. A smile snuck its way onto his face.
"Does Spike-person want to wear Ed's Faye-Faye hat?" Ed said peeking at him from behind the red towel as she roughly dried her hair.
"No Ed." Spike said setting the hat back down on the table as he stood up. Spike then walked over to the ladder to the bridge and floated up it. He was going to get the damn ship moving.
Ed sat on the ground and watched Spike float up to the bridge. Once he was fully out of sight, Ed grabbed the white hat and tore away the loose inner lining of the top of the hat. Ed pulled out of her pocket the small bit of shiny metal that she had taken pains to get tonight and shoved it in the hole she made. Placing it along side another piece of similar metal in the hole. She then quickly replaced the lining of the hat, when she heard the footsteps of Jet come back into the room. He carried with him a steaming bowl of something. Ed placed the hat quickly back on her head and smiled up at Jet.
"Jet-person has made Ed soup." Ed said watching wide eyed as Jet set the bowl down on the table in front of Ed. Ed scooted up a bit and just looked at the soup.
"Eat it all." Jet said gruffly but still gave the kid a smile. "Where's Spike?"
"Up. Up UP." Ed sang as she dove her spoon into the soup.
"What's he doing up there?" Jet asked, rolling his eyes after he realized who he was asking. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm getting us off this damn station." Spike said back. The ship then roared to life and Jet was grumbling as he ran to the ladder up to the bridge.
"You're going to kill my ship." Jet said as he went. Ed just smiled.
"Two down, Ein-doggy." She said pointing her spoon at her partner. "Two down and five to go! Let the adventure begin." Ed yelled as she took another heaping spoonful of soup into her mouth.
"We don't even know where we're going yet, Spike." Jet's voice carried down from the bridge and Ed's face lit up with joy.
"Ed, where are we going?" Spike yelled down to her. Ed smiled and jumped to her feet soup bowl, and spoon in hand. "Back to Ganymede."
There was a brief pause over head.
"See, we know where we're going." Spike said and then the ship began to move off the station dock.
Ed danced around with her soup and stared out the window as the took off. The soup went flying all around the common room, but Ed didn't care. Ed wouldn't care. Not while there was adventure on the horizon.
*****
OK, guys that's chapter one, starting out a bit rough I know, but give it some time. I'm hoping to get the chapters up pretty quick, but I promise nothing. Tell me what you think.
Cursed
Chapter 1
The street lights were all dimmed now on Haley Nine, it was just another one of those strange power fluctuations that happened on a nightly basis on the old Space station. Those dim lights were the porch lights of the homeless. Not to mention a refuge and blessing to the despicable creatures of the night that plague the once beautiful station. Hidden in every dark alley way was a plethora of criminals, ranging from the lowly pickpocket to the menacing killer.
However, tonight was a rather tame night for the usually active criminals of Haley Nine.
All except for Sixth and Vine, that intersection was seeing more action than it ever had before. A figure ran along the pavement, bare feet slapping hard on the waste covered sidewalk.
Ed slammed her back into the slimy brick wall behind her and slid, not so gracefully, on to the ground in the alley.
Sweat rolled from her temples, causing her bright orange hair to cling to her face, and take on a slightly less vibrant hue. Luckily, she still kept it cut short, otherwise she would have been more of a mess. The small framed sixteen year old brought a tanned hand up and wiped the sweat away, casting a quick glance behind her.
"Ein?" She called out quietly into the darkness that now surrounded her. "Ein-doggy?" She let her wide almond eyes dart around a bit. Where was Ein? He was supposed to wait right here.
Suddenly Ed felt the tip of a cold wet nose press up against her elbow, she almost shrieked with fright. She quickly clasped a hand over her mouth and did a front summersault, followed by a quick turn around to look at the owner of the cold wet nose. Ein watched as the Ed sat on her haunches, hand clasped tight over her mouth. He titled his head to the side, and barked once.
"Shhhhhhh!" Ed scrambled over to the dog on her hands and knees, and placed her hand over the dog's snout. Ein let out a tiny bit of a whine. If Jet or Spike had heard that sound they would have known it was a whine of annoyance at the young girl. Ed's eyes continued to dart about the dark alley way, as her ears began to pick up the sound of running footsteps coming her way.
"Shit, Ein-doggy," Ed said, but then shook her head. "Sorry bad word." She patted the dog on the head, and scooted her butt back so that she was further hidden in the shadows of the alley way. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she would make herself invisible.
"Over here!" A man's voice piped out from the other side of the alleyway. "I think I heard something." The man then stepped into the alley way, and Ed did the only thing she could think of. She threw Ein at him.
A large whine and bark went through the air, which was stopped abruptly when Ein's body smacked into the man's head. Ed then let out a victory laugh and jumped to her bare feet, hands fisted in triumph held high in the air.
"Way to go Ein!" Ed shouted, but then quickly threw her hands over her mouth again. Maybe this was what Spike-person called her "complete inability to act normal". Just as Ed's hands clasped over her mouth the man got to his feet, and was now backed up by two others. Ed's eyes went wide and she let out a low whistle. "Uh oh." She started to back up, and found herself knocked into a large steel trashcan.
She looked behind her, and smiled as her eyes came upon the perfect weapon. She laughed wickedly as she picked up the pair of nun chucks, and began whooshing them through the air at her foes.
The nun chucks were in actuality an old tattered pair of sneakers tied together by the shoe strings. And the men were a bit startled at the strange kid's behavior. Then again, if they knew Ed they wouldn't have been the least bit surprised.
Ed stepped forward and then readied her fighting stance. She spread her legs and bent her knees a bit to make sure she had herself well balanced. She continued to swing the 'nun chucks' around her wildly. And for this whole time she made those same strange noises that she heard on one of Spike-person's old kung-fu movies.
"Uh, what do we do with it?" One of the men asked as he scratched his head.
"We take," the first man stopped and ruffled his brow in confusion at the small girl that was now jumping around in circles while swinging an old pair of sneakers around her frame. The whooping sound that she was making obviously pointed to a mental disorder. "We take her back to the boss. You know how pissed off he was."
"Yeah," the man who scratched his head said nodding. "It's just, she's weird."
"What you afraid of some crazy little girl?" the other man in the group said in a gruff voice. He then pushed past his two buddies and approached Ed.
Ed stopped swinging the shoes and jumping in circles the instant that the man began to move. She now stood in her 'fighting stance' holding the shoes with the tied laces drawn taut in front of her. Her breathing was back to normal and she snarled and growled at the man approaching her.
"Hi there, little girl." The man said in a mocking voice. He hunched his large shoulders, causing his beer belly to jut out further over his tightly belted pants. He reached out a bulky hand towards her. "You want some candy? We can get you candy? Every little girl likes candy."
Ed let her snarl drop and pulled her head back to stare more openly at the man who was still slowly approaching her. She raised a brow as the man's large stubble filled face grew a wide grin at his progress. Did this guy seriously think she was that stupid? Ed shook her head.
Just as the man was about to reach out and grab the shoe laces that Ed still held in front of her, she let the one shoe drop. Ed then proceeded to kick that shoe very hard hitting the hunched over man right in the nose, breaking it upon impact. She turned herself around and used her own momentum to swing the shoe in a violent arch right for the man's kneecap.
"AHHHH!" The man let out a yell as he clasped his hands over his bleeding nose and fell to one knee. "Damn crazy kid."
At the fat man's yell the other two sprung out of their state of shock and leapt into action. Just as the leader went to take a step forward to help his friend, Ein bit his ankle and wouldn't let go. The genius welsh corgi held tight to the man's pants, snarling as he pulled back with all his might.
Ed let out another one of those Spike-person movie whoops and jumped up high, landing hard on the half fallen over form of the fat man. "Dumb- head!" Ed said in bit of sing-song voice as she then jumped off the now flattened fat man's back. While air-born Ed gave a big smile to the next guy. She planted her feet into his chest and sent him flying back out of the alley and right into a large pile of trash.
The lead guy finally got loose of Ein by kicking the poor old dog. He slammed his hand down on Ed's bony shoulder, and proceeded to turn her around to face him. Ed held her 'nun chucks' by one side and let the other flow free around the man's head. The tied shoestrings went directly into the man's mouth and the shoe circled his head twice before finally smashing him in the face. Ed then kicked the man in the shins with her hard as rocks bare feet, as a bit of payback for Ein. She then ran from the alley with Ein nipping at her heels.
"Like water! Ein-doggy!" she yelled as she smiled down at the dog. Ein barked up at her. "Spike-person would be so proud." She paused for a second after turning down the next street. "Too bad we can't tell him about it." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. Come on let's go home." Ed then made for the docks and the Bebop.
***
Spike sat on his couch in the common room, a cigarette in his slightly smirking mouth, completely content. He had his arms spread along the back of the couch, and his head tilted back so that he could watch amusedly as his smoke trailed up to the ceiling fan and got hacked to bits by the blades. Life was good.
He and Jet had just brought in a 80 million woolong bounty, and they didn't even break a sweat.
He had cigarettes-a-plenty now because he now had the money to buy them.
And best of all, Ed was out.
Where? Hell if he knew, but she was out. He let his eyes wander to the window that Jet was once again walking past. The kid was sixteen now, and very capable of handling herself. Jet was just being himself and worrying.
Spike turned his eyes back up to the ceiling fan and smiled again. Then he began to let his cigarette bob on his lips a bit.
Ed was older now, and she knew how to take care of herself. Plus she had the dog with her, and together those two were a force to be reckoned with. Strange and disturbing as that may seem, it was completely true. Ed was fine, she usually went off by herself when they docked now.
Spike brought his head up from its resting position and narrowed his eyes at the table. Of course, she had never been out quite so long before. It was getting close to 1 in the morning, and Jet wanted to get the hell out of dodge.
Spike blew out a thick puff of smoke at the table. And he'd admit Haley Nine was no place for a kid to be messing about at.
"Damn it." Spike mumbled and then threw his head back against the back of the couch and resumed his resting. Ed was fine.
Jet tossed the dingy red towel, that had more bleach stains on it than Ed's first laundry attempt could fully be blamed for, over his shoulder and stood across from the still lounging Spike. He crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes once again wandered over to the large window.
He'd just finished his fifth very obviously worried walk in front of the window, and had enough of this Spike not being worried to bullshit. Jet knew he was worried. He knew it.
Spike is just the type of asshole to never admit to it, and usually never have to. Jet narrowed his eyes at the window, and decided that it was about time to burst Spike's contented little bubble.
"We shouldn't have let her go out here," Jet grumbled. "We should have made her stay put."
"Oh and how were we going to do that Jet?" Spike said rolling his eyes at the older man's blatant attempt to kill his happy-time. "The girl is growing up and gaining some of that all together annoying attitude that women seem to get around that age. You know I thought we were done with women with the bad attitudes." Spike smiled as he said it, but as he let his head fall back on to the couch to rest, his smile faded. He hated that. She wasn't even here, and hadn't been for a long time, and yet she could still help Jet bring him down off of a good happy-time.
Jet let out a gruff sigh and continued to stare out the window.
"She's a big girl." Spike said rocking his head to the side to look at his partner. Jet then grimaced at Spike and began pacing again. This was the sixth pacing session since they had returned from handing in the bounty. Spike sat up and butted out his cigarette, resting his hands on his knees. He watched Jet pace, finding it just so damn familiar. Then a sly grin started to snake across Spike's thin lips.
"So," he began gaining the older man's attention. Jet stopped and regarded Spike from over his shoulder. It was just too soon for Spike to be giving in to the idea of going out looking for her. Jet narrowed his eyes at Spike waiting for the second shoe to fall. "Do you get like this with all women?" Spike continued, fully noting Jet's apprehensive expression turn to instant anger. But did he care? Hell no. Especially if it got Jet to stop pacing. "Because I see a pattern that could explain---"
Jet turned to fully face Spike, his angry glare on at full force. Jet was so angry he was about ready to pop, just about ready to charge and kill Spike. All Jet was waiting for was Spike to finish his sentence. Spike smiled. It was just too easy sometimes.
"Well?" Jet said through clenched teeth.
Spike sat back on the couch and closed his eyes. "Never mind." Spike smiled. If Faye were here she would have backed him up on the whole Jet being the protective father thing. Or at least she would have laughed and thus taken some of the heat from Jet. It just wasn't as fun to get on the old man's bad side with out somebody else there to take the fall with him.
Jet glared at Spike's smiling face for a couple of seconds, wishing many bad things upon the lanky man. He turned his back on Spike again and looked once again out the dark window. It was now 1:15 am.
Jet knew Faye would have agreed with him on the Ed thing.
A few moments later Spike heard the door opening, and the familiar smack of bare feet on the metal grating down the hall. The sound of a bark was not too long in following.
"You happy now?" Spike said to the quickly spinning form of Jet.
"Shut up." Jet said as he threw the dirty towel on the table. He then plopped himself down into the chair across the table from Spike.
Spike sat up and watched with Jet as Ed came marching into the room.
It amazed Jet that the kid was still just as small as she had been when she was thirteen. Sure, she had grown maybe two or three inches, but that was it. And she was still as skinny and bony as before, and still as freakishly limber.
"Hello," Ed gave them both a large wave, both of her arms moving in a large arch above her head.
"Hi Ed." Spike said back.
Spike then shook his head at the kid. She was soaking wet, and dripping all over the floor. Her short orange hair was as usual stuffed under the white cowboy hat. Which incidentally she hung on a hook at the end of the hallway to the hangar bay every time she left the ship, but put it back on as soon as she entered. She would then proceed to wear the damn hat for a couple of hours eventually putting it back on the hook. This was another one of those new things that developed in Ed after Faye left. The attitude came not long after.
"Why the hell are you all wet?" Jet asked running a hand over his face. His voice sounded defeated, and Spike had to smirk at that. He was so the protective father figure on this ship.
"Ed swam to the ship." Ed said plopping down on the ground between the two men, right before the table. Ein jumped up on Ed's head and sat on top of the white cowboy hat pushing it down over her eyes. She tilted her head a bit so that she could look at the two men with one eye. Which was honestly rather hard considering she had to keep switching her view from one to the other.
Jet let out a sigh and went to the kitchen to no doubt get Ed some dinner. Spike threw the red towel at Ed and gave her a smirk.
"Dry up." He said. Ed then removed Ein from her head, along with the cowboy hat and then put the red towel a top her orange hair.
Spike surveyed the youngest member of the crew. Yeah, he'd admit it, she was an official member of the crew. And there she sat. Bare feet, that he and Jet had decided were made of steel. Black bicycle shorts that were showing a bit of fading in the fabric. And then the only part of the outfit that had changed over the years, the shirt. No longer was it a large men's sleeveless t-shirt that showed more skin than it covered. New 'developments' as Spike had put it, meant new wardrobe. So in its place there was a bright yellow t-shirt, sleeves included, with a hand painted orange smiley face on it. Ed had decided the only way she would were the shirt was if she could make it an Ed original.
Needless to say, Ed at sixteen knew how to dress for success. No shoes. Black bike shorts, a yellow shirt with an orange smiley face, and most often times a large white cowboy hat. Spike shook his head, and stared at the white cowboy hat on the table.
He reached out and picked it up, and began rotating it in his hands. He stared at that hat and let all the memories he had of it come back. A smile snuck its way onto his face.
"Does Spike-person want to wear Ed's Faye-Faye hat?" Ed said peeking at him from behind the red towel as she roughly dried her hair.
"No Ed." Spike said setting the hat back down on the table as he stood up. Spike then walked over to the ladder to the bridge and floated up it. He was going to get the damn ship moving.
Ed sat on the ground and watched Spike float up to the bridge. Once he was fully out of sight, Ed grabbed the white hat and tore away the loose inner lining of the top of the hat. Ed pulled out of her pocket the small bit of shiny metal that she had taken pains to get tonight and shoved it in the hole she made. Placing it along side another piece of similar metal in the hole. She then quickly replaced the lining of the hat, when she heard the footsteps of Jet come back into the room. He carried with him a steaming bowl of something. Ed placed the hat quickly back on her head and smiled up at Jet.
"Jet-person has made Ed soup." Ed said watching wide eyed as Jet set the bowl down on the table in front of Ed. Ed scooted up a bit and just looked at the soup.
"Eat it all." Jet said gruffly but still gave the kid a smile. "Where's Spike?"
"Up. Up UP." Ed sang as she dove her spoon into the soup.
"What's he doing up there?" Jet asked, rolling his eyes after he realized who he was asking. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm getting us off this damn station." Spike said back. The ship then roared to life and Jet was grumbling as he ran to the ladder up to the bridge.
"You're going to kill my ship." Jet said as he went. Ed just smiled.
"Two down, Ein-doggy." She said pointing her spoon at her partner. "Two down and five to go! Let the adventure begin." Ed yelled as she took another heaping spoonful of soup into her mouth.
"We don't even know where we're going yet, Spike." Jet's voice carried down from the bridge and Ed's face lit up with joy.
"Ed, where are we going?" Spike yelled down to her. Ed smiled and jumped to her feet soup bowl, and spoon in hand. "Back to Ganymede."
There was a brief pause over head.
"See, we know where we're going." Spike said and then the ship began to move off the station dock.
Ed danced around with her soup and stared out the window as the took off. The soup went flying all around the common room, but Ed didn't care. Ed wouldn't care. Not while there was adventure on the horizon.
*****
OK, guys that's chapter one, starting out a bit rough I know, but give it some time. I'm hoping to get the chapters up pretty quick, but I promise nothing. Tell me what you think.