She took the whole top off the box and further studied its contents. It was a thin gold chain with a tiny, delicate golden sunflower charm hanging from it. She lifted the chain out and let it dangle from her fingers, admiring it as the charm spun cirles in mid air.
"Well, what do you think? Spike told me your favorite flowers were sunflowers-"
Ed's singing became louder.
"-but I didn't know if he was telling the truth, but when I was, er, passing by a store I saw this and I thought you might like it, but if you don't I'll take it right back, and get you something you do like because they had a wide variety of charms at that store, all at reasonable-"
"Jet, stop babbling, I love it."
Jet sighed with relief and smiled.
"It's beautiful! That was really sweet of you Jet, you didn't have to. Can you help me get it on?"
She handed the ends of the chain to Jet behind her neck and lifted up her hair. Jet's large clumsy hands tried to link the clasp with quite a bit of trouble. Grunting Jet finally closed it. Gabby, who had been waiting patiently, turned around and without thinking, kissed Jet on the cheek.
Woah. Jet thought as he felt the sparks of electricity fly along his skin where her lips had touched his cheek.
Gabby, stood up a little too calmly, trying as hard as she could not to show her embarassment. She giggled and wiped her light lipstick off his cheek.
"I.....I think I'll go and, um , organize my room. Yeah."
With that she walked off, not daring to look back at Jet even though she could feel his eyes boring twin holes into the back of her head.
Once Gabby was out of sight, Jet sighed and rubbed his cheek where she had kissed him. Damn, he thought. If she didn't feel that then....... But, he sighed sadly, I know the chemistry is on his end only. That's it. No more thinking of Gabby like this. She's basically a lost cause. And what if something did happen to us and it didn't work out? I wouldn't leave, this is MY ship. She would probably leave, and be in danger. No, if I care for Gabby at all, even if it has to be just as friends, I can't let that happen. End of story.
Gabby broke into a run as soon as she was out of earshot of Jet. She flew into her room and flopped on the bed, face down., breathing heavily. Stupid, stupid, stupid!! I have to start thinking, THEN acting! She rolled over on her back with a comforting thought. It was harmless, really. He gave me a nice gift and I was thanking him. I mean, that's just how I work. If Faye or Spike had given it to me I probably would have reacted in the same way. Maybe. Plus, it's not Jet I'm having troubles with, it's just his image. Yeah, that's it. She had always liked the bulky, muscular, well, manly type of men. The type who could wrap you up in their arms and make you fell, oh so small..... She trembled in excitment. Just like Jet. Oh, well. Hmm, I seem to be saying that a lot lately. Jet doesn't feel anything for you, and you know it, so anything you might think has even a tiny hidden meaning in it, ignore it. THUNK. She hit her head against the wall. Ignore it. THUNK. Ignore it. THUNK.....
Spike wrapped his pillow over his ears and started to chant in an effot to dorwn out the banging that was coming from Gabby's room.
"Ignore it."
THUNK.
"Ignore..it."
THUNK.
"Ignore it...!"
THUNK.
"IGNORE IT!"
"That's it....."
He stood up and stormed into the hall to Gabby's room ready to let her know exactly what was on his mind. He stood in the doorway, and all Gabby could see was a tall, looming shadow in the doorway. Something in the back of her mind clicked. She shrunk back against the wall in fear, and whimpered.
"No Daddy, please."
She said this so quietly that Spike didn't hear her and walked in the room.
"Daddy, no!"
She shrank even farther against the wall and started to shake uncontrollably. Spike heard her this time, and sped towards her hurriedly as she curled up in a ball. He shook her as she kept babbling on and on about how she was sorry, Daddy. Her eyes were glazed over. He shook her as hard as he could.
"Snap out of it!"
Spike looked down into Gabby's face, pale and scared, but the crazy look was gone. She was still shaking, and he could see the dim light from the hall reflecting the tears in her eyes that were threatening to spill over.
"Thanks." She whispered weakly.
Spike didn't say anything, but held her tightly as her violent sobs shook both their bodies. Spike was mad. Very mad. He just couldn't understand how anyone could do this to another living being, especially Gabby. His eyes hardened over with hate as he intensified his grip on her. It's all the syndicates' fault. Gabby could be a regular girl, free of the phantoms of her past, and he would be, well, what would he be, he thought. What would I be without the syndicates? Who cares, came a voice from the back of his brain. You didn't have anything going for you anyway. Gabby on the other hand, could be living a perfect life.
Gabby sighed as the last dry sobs escaped her body. She would have never have guessed that Spike could be so strong. She just looked so.....lanky. She noticed the increasing of his hold on her, and it was starting to get painful.
"Umm, Spike? I kind of need to breathe...."
Spike backed off and looked Gabby straight in the eye.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
She smiled at Spike, but he was still frowing at her in worry.
"He must have really messed you up, huh?"
"....I guess."
"There's no 'I guess' about it."
Faye appeared in the dorrway and walked over to the bed where Spike and Gabby had been sitting. She hadn't heard their whole conversation, but knew that something was wrong, but didn't want to call attention to it. She stretched and yawned and said the first thing that came to mind.
"Hey, Gabby, you ever been to a casino?"
A/N: For those of you who didn't read what I posted, I think I totally blew out my mind this weekend with all the chapters I did. Think I'm over my 'writer's block' though. And cowgirl and blooknaburg, do you find it nessecary to post something on every single chapter? I love it! ^_^
"Well, what do you think? Spike told me your favorite flowers were sunflowers-"
Ed's singing became louder.
"-but I didn't know if he was telling the truth, but when I was, er, passing by a store I saw this and I thought you might like it, but if you don't I'll take it right back, and get you something you do like because they had a wide variety of charms at that store, all at reasonable-"
"Jet, stop babbling, I love it."
Jet sighed with relief and smiled.
"It's beautiful! That was really sweet of you Jet, you didn't have to. Can you help me get it on?"
She handed the ends of the chain to Jet behind her neck and lifted up her hair. Jet's large clumsy hands tried to link the clasp with quite a bit of trouble. Grunting Jet finally closed it. Gabby, who had been waiting patiently, turned around and without thinking, kissed Jet on the cheek.
Woah. Jet thought as he felt the sparks of electricity fly along his skin where her lips had touched his cheek.
Gabby, stood up a little too calmly, trying as hard as she could not to show her embarassment. She giggled and wiped her light lipstick off his cheek.
"I.....I think I'll go and, um , organize my room. Yeah."
With that she walked off, not daring to look back at Jet even though she could feel his eyes boring twin holes into the back of her head.
Once Gabby was out of sight, Jet sighed and rubbed his cheek where she had kissed him. Damn, he thought. If she didn't feel that then....... But, he sighed sadly, I know the chemistry is on his end only. That's it. No more thinking of Gabby like this. She's basically a lost cause. And what if something did happen to us and it didn't work out? I wouldn't leave, this is MY ship. She would probably leave, and be in danger. No, if I care for Gabby at all, even if it has to be just as friends, I can't let that happen. End of story.
Gabby broke into a run as soon as she was out of earshot of Jet. She flew into her room and flopped on the bed, face down., breathing heavily. Stupid, stupid, stupid!! I have to start thinking, THEN acting! She rolled over on her back with a comforting thought. It was harmless, really. He gave me a nice gift and I was thanking him. I mean, that's just how I work. If Faye or Spike had given it to me I probably would have reacted in the same way. Maybe. Plus, it's not Jet I'm having troubles with, it's just his image. Yeah, that's it. She had always liked the bulky, muscular, well, manly type of men. The type who could wrap you up in their arms and make you fell, oh so small..... She trembled in excitment. Just like Jet. Oh, well. Hmm, I seem to be saying that a lot lately. Jet doesn't feel anything for you, and you know it, so anything you might think has even a tiny hidden meaning in it, ignore it. THUNK. She hit her head against the wall. Ignore it. THUNK. Ignore it. THUNK.....
Spike wrapped his pillow over his ears and started to chant in an effot to dorwn out the banging that was coming from Gabby's room.
"Ignore it."
THUNK.
"Ignore..it."
THUNK.
"Ignore it...!"
THUNK.
"IGNORE IT!"
"That's it....."
He stood up and stormed into the hall to Gabby's room ready to let her know exactly what was on his mind. He stood in the doorway, and all Gabby could see was a tall, looming shadow in the doorway. Something in the back of her mind clicked. She shrunk back against the wall in fear, and whimpered.
"No Daddy, please."
She said this so quietly that Spike didn't hear her and walked in the room.
"Daddy, no!"
She shrank even farther against the wall and started to shake uncontrollably. Spike heard her this time, and sped towards her hurriedly as she curled up in a ball. He shook her as she kept babbling on and on about how she was sorry, Daddy. Her eyes were glazed over. He shook her as hard as he could.
"Snap out of it!"
Spike looked down into Gabby's face, pale and scared, but the crazy look was gone. She was still shaking, and he could see the dim light from the hall reflecting the tears in her eyes that were threatening to spill over.
"Thanks." She whispered weakly.
Spike didn't say anything, but held her tightly as her violent sobs shook both their bodies. Spike was mad. Very mad. He just couldn't understand how anyone could do this to another living being, especially Gabby. His eyes hardened over with hate as he intensified his grip on her. It's all the syndicates' fault. Gabby could be a regular girl, free of the phantoms of her past, and he would be, well, what would he be, he thought. What would I be without the syndicates? Who cares, came a voice from the back of his brain. You didn't have anything going for you anyway. Gabby on the other hand, could be living a perfect life.
Gabby sighed as the last dry sobs escaped her body. She would have never have guessed that Spike could be so strong. She just looked so.....lanky. She noticed the increasing of his hold on her, and it was starting to get painful.
"Umm, Spike? I kind of need to breathe...."
Spike backed off and looked Gabby straight in the eye.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
She smiled at Spike, but he was still frowing at her in worry.
"He must have really messed you up, huh?"
"....I guess."
"There's no 'I guess' about it."
Faye appeared in the dorrway and walked over to the bed where Spike and Gabby had been sitting. She hadn't heard their whole conversation, but knew that something was wrong, but didn't want to call attention to it. She stretched and yawned and said the first thing that came to mind.
"Hey, Gabby, you ever been to a casino?"
A/N: For those of you who didn't read what I posted, I think I totally blew out my mind this weekend with all the chapters I did. Think I'm over my 'writer's block' though. And cowgirl and blooknaburg, do you find it nessecary to post something on every single chapter? I love it! ^_^