Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the characters contained within this ficlet. They are owned by the creators of Cowboy Bebop, and I am merely borrowing them for my own creative purposes.

Author's Notes: This is what happens when you listen to Josh Groban's song "Remember When It Rained" on a Saturday morning while trying to sleep a little more. This is very much raw and unedited, but I want to see what you all think. Comments are my lifeblood.



Remember When It Rained

It had been weeks since he'd left. Since he'd died. Yet somehow, she was finding it impossible to move on.

Coat pulled tighter around her frame, Faye wandered the streets. She didn't have any idea where Jet had landed the ship, only that once he had, she needed to get out. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other since the night Spike had left to face Vicious. It was as if words dried up when their friend had gone to his death, and the two of them had never liked each other anyway. Thus, the second they'd landed -- she thought they might be on Earth, somewhere -- Faye had grabbed a jacket and left, walking aimlessly, with no intention to return to the ship anytime soon.

Hands stuffed deep into the pockets of her coat, she let her mind wander. She wasn't even paying attention to where she was going, she was just walking. Her feet seemed to avoid all obstacles by themselves, and for this she was grateful. She didn't feel like paying attention to her surroundings just now. She hardly felt it when the first raindrop hit the top of her head.

Stopping right where she was, middle of the sidewalk or not, she stared upward. Rain started to fall lightly, and within minutes what could at first be called a light drizzle had turned into a steady downpour. Faye was soaked to the skin, but she didn't care. Closing her eyes, she let the rain wash over her skin, and shivered. She could have stayed like that forever, her mind drifting in a grey haze, if a memory hadn't chosen that moment to explode into her mind.

You're the one who's tied to the past! she heard herself scream.

A broken sob escaped from her throat, and Faye Valentine ran.

The rain was coming down so hard and fast that she couldn't see even a foot in front of her, but she didn't care. She ran and ran, releasing all the pent-up energy weeks on the ship had built up inside of her. Tears mingled with rain and ran down her face in salty tracks. She could taste them, and they only fueled her on. Her legs began to ache, but she didn't stop. The only thing that made her end her frantic run was the fact that she ran into something. Something hard.

Raising her eyes, she noticed she'd run into a guardrail, the kind that kept people from falling off a steep drop into the ocean. Mutely, she watched the waves crashing over the rocks below. The fall was long.

Shaking her head and sending water droplets flying everywhere, Faye sank to her knees, hugging herself tightly as she knelt there, crying silently. Never before now had she felt the grief over Spike's death so keenly. She hadn't allowed herself to, had tried to remain the stoic, uncaring Faye Valentine he and Jet had both known. Though, if she'd truly been that woman, she never would have allowed herself to love Spike, and she wouldn't be kneeling on some unknown street, mourning him.

Then she felt the hand on her shoulder, and the rain falling onto her suddenly stopped.

Startled, she looked up, seeing a hulking shape towering above her. Blinking raindrops from her eyes, she registered that it was Jet she was looking at, and she slowly rose to her feet. Even in her heeled boots she was shorter than him. Green eyes met grey, and she didn't bother to dry her tears.

"How did you find me?"

"I followed you, when you left the ship."

"You -- How dare you follow me --"

"I did it because I was worried, Faye."

That gave her pause, and caused more tears to fill her eyes. She could feel the rainwater sliding down her skin, dripping from her hair. She probably looked ridiculous, standing there. It didn't matter. Attempting to salvage what was left of her pride, she straightened, staring directly into his eyes. "Worried? You? About me? Don't joke with me Jet, I'm not in the mood."

His eyes hardened. "Don't do that, Faye."

"Don't do what? Since when have you ever worried about me? You always worried more about your precious Spike than you did about me. And yet it's funny, you didn't bother to try and stop him when he left --"

At first, she didn't register that he'd slapped her. Seconds after it happened she felt the first sting in her cheek, and raised a hand to lay against it, staring wide-eyed at Jet. His eyes were smoldering. "How was I supposed to stop him, Faye? My leg was busted. I … I couldn't have stopped him if I'd wanted to."

"At least I tried!" she cried, her voice shaking. "I tried to keep him from leaving but … he … he left anyway …" All pretense gone now, Faye buried her face in both hands, weeping silently. The hard veneer had slipped away completely now. It didn't matter.

She felt Jet's arms encircle her, felt the rain falling on both of them again, and she didn't try to fight him. Her arms slipped around him in response, and she laid her head against his chest as she cried.

If only the rain could wash away all the pain.