Spike lay reclined on the open dock of the Bebop, inhaling the harmful, therapeutic fumes from a lit cigarette. He gazed into the night sky, at the twinkling stars that shined their light for him to see. The sky was a magnificent color, one he'd never seen in the sky before; a deep, dark purple. He stared as stars shifted, roamed, zoomed across their plum background. As they settled, he squinted as he thought he saw Faye, smiling down at him. He stared, unmoving, at the face. Flecks of green accumulated in the sky; in her eyes. He stared and stared until something caught his eye. A star, off to the side, began to grow. Spike watched as it grew and grew. It grew until suddenly he could see nothing but pale yellow. He continued to stare, as a black bird flew across his line of vision, leaving in its wake a faint outline. He stared. The outline drew itself into a face he knew oh, so well. "Julia." he felt his lips shape the word, but never heard it. He continued to gaze into the ever-changing sky as it began to wave and flow, blowing in celestial wind. Spike longed to reach out and touch the image, wanting to run fingers through the illusion of golden locks. His eyebrows furrowed as he lay pasted to the dock. He couldn't reach; he couldn't move. "Julia," he mouthed again. But nothing happened. He watched helplessly as the phantom lips parted to speak.

"Spike-person…"

"Spike-person!" Spike shifted in his sleep. "Helloooooo!" came the voice again. His eyes blinked open to see a shiny mop of orange, hanging over him and obstructing his view. Edward looked down at him with a cheerful expression. She had been wandering the corridors of the ship that night and was distracted by the lean figure sprawled on the yellow sofa. She had watched the muscles in his arms twitch, weighed down with sleep, and heard the faint whispers escape his mouth.

"Oh, it's you," he grumbled, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Don't you know it's not nice to wake people up?" Ed maneuvered acrobatically over the back of the sofa, making her way to the coffee table.

"Ed heard Spike-person dreaming. You are one noisy sleeper!" Spike rubbed his face, pushing the hand up into his hair. Opening one eye, he looked at Edward. She was laid along the length of the coffee table, her awkward feet stuck skyward in the air behind her as a cheerful face sat propped upon two fists. "Were you having a spooky nightmare?" she inquired with an innocent smile.

"I…" Spike closed his eyes again and sighed. "I'm not sure." He grunted as he sat up, resting his groggy face in the palms of his hands.

"What were you dreaming about?" Ed asked. She sat up too, almost mimicking his actions. Spike looked up at her, unwilling to answer. He was relieved when she continued speaking. "Ed heard Spike say 'J--! J--! J--'! Were you dreaming about Papa Jet?" Spike barely smiled at the concern in the child's eyes.

"No, not Jet," he said after a long pause. He leaned back into the cushions and pulled out a cigarette. Ed sat criss-cross on the table, resting her chin on her fist.

"Hmm," she thought. "Jupiter? January? June? July? Gemstones? Spooky Jack-o-lanterns!" Spike watched her, shaking his head with every guess. The cigarette rested unlit between his lips. "Jelly! Jam! Juu-juu-bees! Jewels!"

Finally, Spike placed his large hand on top of her orange head; her last guess had been a little too close for comfort. She looked up at him curiously. "Why aren't you asleep somewhere?" he asked her, changing the subject.

"Edward could not sleep," she said, looking down at her interlaced fingers. "But not because of you, Spikey!" she hurriedly added. She grinned at him nervously. Spike smirked. Was Ed letting signs of a young, teenage girl crush show? Perhaps.

"Was it something Faye fed you? I wouldn't trust her if I were you," he said smiling.

"But Ed likes Faye-Faye!" Ed said defensively. Spike chuckled.

"I know, Ed. I'm just messing with your head." He placed his unlit cigarette behind his ear. "Faye's a good person." Ed smiled delightfully.

"Good Faye-Faye!" she laughed, lunging forward to catch Spike in a big hug. He jolted in surprise as Ed's arms encircled his neck. He lightly patted her back, feeling strangely awkward. "Good Spike-person, too!" she said in a sprightly tone. Spike smiled pitifully as he let out a sigh.

"Ok," he said, gently unleashing himself from her grip. He stood, carefully stretching out his arms and back. "I'm gonna go get some shut-eye. I suggest you do the same." As his hands came down, he let one rest on her head again. He stroked her hair as one would stroke Ein's fur.

"Okey-dokey, Spike-person," she smiled. Plopping herself down on the sofa where Spike had been, Ed made herself comfortable. She watched as he dragged his jacket off the back of the sofa and tossed it over his shoulder. He stopped at the stairs.

"Hey Ed," he called.

"Mm?"

"Don't wake people up like that again."

"Ay ay, Captain Spike-person!" she saluted, closing her eyes. Spike continued on to his room.

Spike, you're gettin' soft, he told himself, grateful that she woke him from his nightmare.

Ah, Julia! Haven't seen much of her lately, have we? A dream sequence. Pretty weird, huh? I thought it would be more realistic (er, more unrealistic, in terms of how real dreams are... ya know). Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc! Until next time!