Now that she's back in that atmosphere

With drops of Jupiter in her hair

She acts like summer and walks like rain

Reminds me that there is time to change,

Since the return from her stay on the moon

She listens like spring and she talks like June,

Tell me, did you sail across the sun?

Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded

and that heaven is overrated?

But, tell me, did you fall from a shooting star ?

One without a permanent scar

And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there ?

Drops of Jupiter by Train

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" He's syndicate." Jet spit out the word like it was a bad taste in his mouth. There was a big chance that it was.

" You say that like it's a bad thing." She sipped her pink cocktail. Ed and Ein had chased eachother to God knows where, so far there wasn't a scream or someone shouting so Faye and Jet settled down under the big umbrella and talk. Her eyes twinkled back at Jet when Jet merely scowled at her.

" Faye, what are you doing here?" he asked, his black eyes focused on Nathaniel who was currently sitting, looking like a glorified beach bum at the other side of the pool. Which meant they were pretty much far apart but not far enough for Jet's liking.

" Why shouldn't I?" Jet dragged his eyes back to hers. " Rather than the fact that this planet is crawling with syndicates?" Faye merely slid lower on her chair and blinked her eyes lazily, water clinging to her eyelashes making it clumped all together like black lace.

" Well, one of the syndicates is led by none other than our old friend Spike." Jet narrowed his eyes and frowned. He didn't like the casual way Faye said that, it came to his attention that Faye was at her most reckless, most stubborn self when she was calm.

" Let's cut to the chase here, Faye. He has been searching for you for a whole year, yet he never even got close to you, they were some close calls but they couldn't quite catch you, and don't think I won't grill you on that but first things first, then out of the blue you suddenly popped out here of all places. What kind of game are you playing?" Her lips curved into a beautific smile.

" I just felt like it." Jet stared. " You felt like it. You mean you felt like being surrounded by an army of syndicates who has been determined to haul your ass in?"

" Why, Jet. You make it sound like Spike means me harm." She fluttered her eyelashes. " Cut it out. You know I didn't mean that." The smile on her face disappeared.

" Then what the fuck does he want? People have been stalking me, not just ordinary guns, pro's. Some of them have syndicate stamped all over their foreheads. I didn't know which one until yesterday when some guy who said his name is Shin came up to me and said that he was a RED DRAGON. I've seen him and his team around, I've seen the kid that is watching us right now who is currently trying to read our lips and they're not the only one. I know I'm populer in the underground Jet, but I don't deserve this kind of attention. What the hell is happening, am I dragged into something that I should know about?" Jet looked at her. Considering.

" You don't know the other guys that weren't syndicate that was following you?" Faye gave him an angry glance.

" No, I don't. I haven't done anything but catch bounties. I even started to pay up my debts, I've been laying low, Jet." His eyes swept over her, from the top of her head to the tip of her toes, taking in the scars and war wounds. He felt something flinched inside of him when he saw the number of scars, its size and wandered what kind of shit she had done to get the bounties that she had. The bounties she had caught were twisted mother fuckers. If he had any say at all, Faye would never get near any of them. His voice softened.

" You shouldn't have sent any money for us, you know. I'm not that old. Yet." She managed a smile. " If you go out on a bounty, Ed would've been alone in the ship. You know how that would end. And you also know that going out on bounties is not really the most dependable of jobs, sometimes you get dragged to other shit or you meant things to go like this instead it goes the other way around so Ed would be alone most of the time... It wasn't really a big deal." She shrugged, embarrased. Jet touched her hand.

" Thank you, Faye." Faye smiled. Feeling a bit proud that Jet had approved. A bark broke the comfortable moment and a tumble of wet teenager and dog jumped on Faye. She winced but couldn't manage to hide the smile.

" Hm, the smell of wet dog. Really builds up an appetite. Food?" Ed and Ein burst into fit of barkings. " Well, at least you guys haven't change."

" You have no idea." Jet groaned and Faye sniggered. Jet watched as Faye lifted her finger and like magic a waiter appeared. After a fifteen minute order of pretty much of everything, he vanished hurriedly. Jet knew that part of the swift service was for Faye's looks since the waiter have been watching her the whole time, and the other part was the result of the 'order' from the owner of the hotel that she would be treated like royalty. He wondered if she knew about that particular information and if she didn't whether he should tell her. It was also interesting the way Ed hung her arm around Faye even when she was eating, like she was afraid that Faye would go away again. Faye seemed to noticed it also and lifted an eyebrow at him. He shrugged.

He leaned back on his chair and put on the shades that he brought. Mars was frickin' hot. The syndicate boy with the loud flowery shirt was still watching them. He commited his face to memory, if ever Spike dared to sic him on himself. Spike had tried to put guards on him but he called them back when he found out the Jet and Ed had used them for target practice. It was interesting though that Spike had sent Shin to her, send his right hand to guard a woman, even a woman such as Faye. Faye could used the help, not that she couldn't handle herself, she's still alive isn't she? But trouble just seems to find Faye at the oddest moments and when it does, it heats up pretty fast. But sending his second is something.

When Spike had called him two years ago asking for Faye, he looked pretty surprise that she had gone but he didn't say anything. He had sometimes asked whether she had contacted them, and Jet knew that Spike had been trying to find her but he never gave out the details, and he had never asked. Jet tried hard not to involve himself in Spike's matters nowadays since they were syndicate matters so it was interesting that Spike had her followed, even guarded like now. Faye laughed at Ein that had icecream dripping from his nose, Ed laughed, too. Well, at least Faye here was doing good for the kid. She had missed Faye when she'd left, sleeping on her bed, and touching her things, watching the video that she had left behind, that was when Spike started to ask her for technicals advice. He felt a bit uncomfortable having the kid running around the syndicate headquarters but, she was over the moon about it and it was better than having her moping about in Bebop. He wondered whether he should tell that to Faye, too. Speaking of Spike.

" Spike would like to see you." Faye paused on the process of inhaling a plate of spaghetti, the look that she sent him wasn't friendly. She swallowed the batch of spaghetti and sipped on a glass of water.

" Kid, close your ears." Ed closed her ears, her mouth full with chicken and stared wide eyed at Faye. Faye passed a thoughtful look at Ein." Ein, you too." The dog lied down and hid his face under his paws. Jet frowned at both of them.

" He wants to see me, does he? Gee, what do I have to say about that, oh yes. Tell him to go fuck himself." Jet smirked. " I told him you would say that but he said to tell you anyway. Atleast he asked, now that you're here he could just drag you..." he stopped when he saw the glittering look in her eyes.

" He could," Her face was cold, and her voice was even more cold. This was not the Faye that he was used to. Faye was all brash talk and heat. This kind of anger was icy cool, a kind of anger that he didn't recognize in Faye. " but if he even try to use his syndicate muscle, tell him it will only end with a lot of bodies loitering around that would've made his stunt two years ago looks like childs play."

Jet swallowed. He knew she meant every word that she'd just said which meant that there would be a lot of bodies lying around between Faye and Spike because Spike would try to do what he just said, just to push Faye's buttons. And somehow, whether he liked it or not, he was stuck in the middle. Between his two trigger happy comrades.

How the hell did it end up like this?