Good-bye Ed,

Hello Pa.

Chapter 2

Jet walked into Edward's dimly lit room and looked down at the red haired girl who was fiddling with her computer. "Ed, me and Faye are going out. I need you to watch the ship while we're gone, okay."

Ed looked up from her computer that she was almost done repairing. "Ed hungry," she said in a dispirited voice.

Jet scratched the back of his head and gave the girl a sympathetic look. He was hungry too, but they had eaten the last of the food for dinner last night. "You can't be that hungry," he said, trying to be reasonable. "You ate last night."

Edward began to rock back and forth. "But Ed had no breakfast."

"Neither did I, and I'm not hungry." As if on cue Jet's stomach growled. He blushed, then muttered, "We'll have more food as soon as Faye and I catch that new bounty head."

"Ed hungry now."

Jet gave Edward a mildly annoyed look. "And as I just said, we'll have money to buy food just as soon as…"

"Ed hungry now!" Edward fell backwards onto the floor and continued to scream. "Ed hungry now! Ed hungry now!"

Jet's eye began to twitch and just when he was about to say something Faye walked into the room. "What's the commotion about," she asked.

"Ed hungry now! Ed hungry now!"

Faye seeing what the commotion was about became no longer interested in it and changed the subject. "Have you seen my new pair of shoes?"

"No," Jet said. "But now isn't the time to start looking for them. We have to start searching for that bounty head, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Faye said off handily. "Guess I'll go get Spike." A deadly silence fell over the room. Edward stopped screaming and sat up straight. Jet became suddenly interested with the floor, and Faye's face took on a somewhat sad expression. To lighten up the suddenly downcast mood she tried to laugh, but the laugh was hallow.

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"Can I get a check," Spike called over his shoulder. "In a minute, Ok," the red headed waitress replied, writing down the orders of another customer. "No it's not Ok," he muttered under is breath. He didn't no why but he was feeling agitated lately. Maybe it was because of the loss of last night's sleep or the unspeakable happening on the bebop. He rested his head on the table, letting out aloud yawn.

"What's your problem," the girl sitting opposite to him asked. "You look like something out of a horror film." Spike glared at the brown-skinned girl in front of him, who in turn began to giggle, making her short thick black hair brush against the sides of her face. He suddenly knew why he was feeling so agitated.

"Can I get a check," Spike repeated, only this time a bit louder. The red headed waitress stomped over to his table and slammed the bill onto the tabletop. "Happy," she asked. Spike gave her a toothy grin and nodded.

"Hey," the girl said. "I'm not done eating. You can't leave yet." Spike paid her no mind. Reaching into his pocket he took out about twenty-five woolong. "Jerk," the girl managed to say as she quickly gobbled down most of what was left of her food. Still ignoring her, Spike got up and walked away from the table. "You're not leaving without me," the girl shouted, slamming down her fork. She gave the food she had not yet finished a forlorn look before scurrying after Spike.

Spike looked behind him and sighed in disgust when he saw that the girl was following him. "Where are you going now," she asked him.

"None of your business," was his reply. He lengthened the strides of his long legs.

"Hey, wait up!" Running up to Spike the girl grabbed his hand.

Spike stopped walking and looked down at the girl. His eyes were filled with a look that surpassed annoyance. "Stop following me little girl."

"I'm not little, I'm fourteen. And I told you, my name is Claris, not little girl!"

"I'll call you what I like, little girl," Spike retorted flicking her hand away. He then proceeded to walk. He could hear her footsteps behind him. Who does this girl think she is? First she breaks into my room, points a gun to my head, and demands that I protect her. I don't think so. Spike figured enough was enough. Turning around he shouted," Stop following me!" She was gone.

"Are you okay," a man asked tapping him on his shoulder. Spike not being in a social mood at the moment turned to face the speaker and tell whomever it was to buzz-off. However he was silent. Spike was surprised to see the old bartender. "Are you okay," the bartender asked once again. Spike didn't understand why he was so surprised to see him or why the old geezer seemed to care so much about his well being.

"What's it to you," Spike asked. The old man smiled and walked up to Spike taking his hand into is own. "My name is Marvin, but everyone calls me Pa." Pa released Spike's hand after two good shakes. "You still didn't answer my question," Spike said. Pa chuckled but stopped when he saw the serious expression on Spike's face. Pa apologized, saying he meant no harm. "Well I guess I should go," Spike said turning to leave. Pa grabbed his arm and asked, "How about having a drink with me."

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"Don't lie, I know you know where she is," Faye smiled mischievously. Now if you tell me where this Claris is I'll give you something special." The six-year-old boy burst into tears. "Hey stop that," she said clasping a hand around the boy's mouth. "Now that's enough of that.

"What are you doing with my boy," an extremely large lady screamed. Faye released the boy and he scurried over to his mother. "I said what where you doing to my boy?" She slowly approached Faye, who swore with every step the lady took she could feel the ground move. The woman was now hovered over her. Sweat rolled down Faye's face as her life passed before her eyes. As much of her life she could remember anyway.

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He had thought she had disappeared, but when he and this "Pa" turned a corner, there she was with her head popping out a window of a car. "Hey!" she shouted while giggling, one of her arms waving frantically about.

The old man's face grew hard as he looked at the girl. "Claris," he said in a stern voice, "What have I told you about exposing yourself?" the girl gulps and her arm slumps down. "Now, get back in the car." Like a dog that just received a command from its master the girl obeyed and she disappeared into the interior of the car. Spike smiled, glad to see that somebody was able to control the girl. But when he realized that the girl and the old man must be connected in some way he turned to Pa.

"What is it you want with me?" he asked his long eyes narrowing to tiny slits as he searched the old mans face.

"I want to show you something." Pa answered simply and moved to the back of the car, once there he motions for Spike to follow. Spike contemplated quickly whether or not he should take off that very second and leave that old man and brat behind. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they wouldn't go looking for him, not if he left the planet. Oddly though, something about Pa reminded him of somebody, he had no idea whom, but that feeling made up his decision to stay, just long enough to see what the old geezer had in the trunk of his car.

Spike slowly made his way over to him, walking as if he had all the time in the world. Once there he looked down and his mouth dropped, his eyes widened. "Th-th-that, that is, that is---"

"A Compulsory Introverted Fusion Gun." The old man said for Spike and then hurriedly closed the trunk back up and quickly locked it. "I know that's a mouth full of words so you can just call it FG."

Spike's eyes were on the exterior of the trunk looking almost as if he was able to see through the black paint and metal to the gun that lay beneath. Panic suddenly shot through him and his head jerked in the direction of Pa. "How did you get that?! There is only one of those in this whole entire universe!" his hands were on his head pulling frantically on his hair. "If somebody sees me with this thing, they'll kill me!"

It hit him, like a bucket of ice water. So, that's what happened the other day with the girl and that little shoot out in the parking lot, those people were after that gun. With this shocking realization a million questions flooded into Spikes head. Why had the old man left the girl in charge of such a dangerous weapon, one that was powerful enough to blow up a planet the size of Mars? Not only that but how did that same girl and that old man know Spike and lastly, what did they want with him?

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"Creeping in the shadows, hidden from all light, in the darkest corners of the Bebop is…Cowgirl Ed! He he he!" Ed bounced around the storage room doing an occasional cartwheel. Not noticing Ein she tripped over him and fell flat on her butt. "Ow Ein," she said rubbing her sore rump. Ein made a whining noise as he tried to untangle himself from Ed's long legs. Ed helped him by picking him up and holding him high above her head. "Are you bored too," she asked tilting her head to the side.

"Arf. Arf."

Ed sucked on the side of her cheeks and thought about what they could do to over come the boredom. "Hmm…dwya wanna find some food?"

"Arf. Arf."

Ed smiled and let Ein fall to the floor. Then quickly getting to her feet she dashed to her room to get ready to go. About seven minutes later, Ed and Ein were off the Bebop and on a motor scooter heading, hopefully, somewhere with food. Ein of course was in a green backpack on Edward's back; head poked out and tongue swaying in the air. They made their way, at moderate pace, into to an area that was filled with the aroma of delicious food. "Oh, Ed's stomach is rumbling."