Things were tense on the good ship Bebop, in fact that might have been an understatement. It had been nearly three weeks since there had been any sort of resemblance of a decent bounty. Sitting cross legged on the floor, Ed listened as the adults on board argued with one another.

They were docked on Earth, Ed was supposed to be visiting with her father, but he seemed to be AWOL at the current moment, not that it was much of a surprise, the young hacker always had a nagging feeling in her gut that things wouldn't stay good. Life was funny that way.

The forever shoddy cooling unit in the ship was out, and without incoming funds, it had been unable to be repaired for the last couple of weeks. As luck would have it, Earth was currently quiet warm. Of course Ed's visit with her father hadn't been the only reason for landing here, Jet also was meeting up with Caroline, which was also part of the current argument that Ed was listening in on, as the adults for the most part seemed oblivious to the fact that she was even in the room.

"Come on Jet, you are seriously considering cancelling your date because we haven't been able to pull a bounty? That sounds like a cop out if I have ever heard one." Faye was filing her nails on the beat up old couch.

Ed shifted her gaze back to Jet who leaned heavily in the doorway, looking frustrated and weary. "Why don't you mind your own fucking business. This doesn't really concern you woman."

A shirtless, sweaty Spike stopped in his tracks, amidst his endless pacing of the room, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "Hey! Don't talk to her like that."

Ed scooted under the table a bit more, still spying on her ship mates. She knew it was the heat getting to them all, that they hadn't been sleeping well, and she knew that sooner or later they would take their frustrations out on each other, it wasn't the first time she had bared witness to such a scene.

"Well then get control of your damned woman." Jet huffed, shoving a cigarette between his lips.

"Oh so what? I'm just some poor little subservient dame? That's some bullshit Jet!"

Spike started toward Jet with a glare, but instead stopped and grabbed Faye by the arm, dragging her toward the hallway. "Come on Faye…lets go." The two disappeared toward their room, though angry muffled yelling soon drifted down the hallway. Jet stubbed out his cigarette as he stormed off toward his bonsai room.

Sighing, Ed ruffled Ein's fur and turned to her computer. Maybe it was time for a distraction, perhaps it was time for a little cyber chess.

Several hours ticked by as early afternoon faded into evening. After winning a couple of drawn out games of chess, Ed flopped back onto the cool metal floor of the Bebop, her amber eyes fixed on the slow moving blades of the ceiling fan that did nothing more than push the stuffy air around the room.

The sound of the door to Spike and Faye's room slamming, had Ed sitting back upright in time to watch Faye stalk down the hallway to the bathroom, and then slammed that door as well. From the corner of her eye she could see Spike slink toward the hangar, and she hadn't seen Jet since the afternoon. She didn't get them, sure it was hot in the ship, sure it was hard to sleep at night, but why did they need to all be mad at each other? It just didn't make any sense. Springing to her feet, she glanced to Ein who was sleeping, his stubby little legs running in his sleep. With a smile she headed off toward Jet's bonsai room, maybe he was in a better mood now.

Pushing the door to the bonsai room open, Ed quietly crept in, to see Jet seated in front of the little potted plants head in his hands, rubbing his temples. He was dressed in a suit, a suit she had seen him in once before when they went to the hospital in search of Doctor Londes. Smiling to herself, the young hacker couldn't help but think of how dapper Jet looked, apparently he was still planning on going through with his date.

Wrapping her arms around Jet's neck, she vaulted over the back of the couch, hanging from him as if he were a sturdy tree. "Jet Person! You look so handsome! Caroline person will love your suit!"

"Damn it Edward!" Startled out of his thoughts he shrugged her off, getting to his feet. Jet readjusted his tie, and smoothed his suit out, his mouth drawn in a hard line as he stared Ed down for a moment. "I spent forever trying to get the wrinkles outta this damn thing!" Still grumbling to himself, he reached for his cigarettes. Smiling meekly, Ed slunk out of the room, muttering a quiet apology as she left, one the Jet never heard.

Slinking into the hangar, Ed spied Spike washing the Swordtail. She couldn't help but notice that the Redtail also looked quite a bit cleaner, which was kind of funny considering that Spike and Faye were apparently still mad at each other for some reason.

Perching atop a near by oil drum, Ed silently watched as the still shirtless Spike took a scrub brush to the underside of the crafts wings. Watching the muscles in his back work as he scrubbed, a grin spread across Ed's face. She might be only be a teenager, but she could clearly see part of why Faye was attracted to the lanky cowboy.

"What do you want Ed?" Spike didn't even bother to turn around, his voice void of any emotion.

Furrowing her brow, wondering how Spike even knew she was there, Ed shrugged. "Nothing. Ed is bored."

"Well, don't just sit there and stare…it's creepy." Finally turning around Spike lit a cigarette, irritation easily readable on his face. " I'm kinda busy, go bug Faye or something would ya." Spike couldn't help but feel slightly guilty as he watched Ed shuffle out of the room, her usual bubbly demeanor seeming a little deflated as she left. He hadn't meant to snap at her, it wasn't Ed that he was irritated with.

Making her way back into the lounge of the Bebop, Ed checked on Ein, who was still sleeping, she contemplated waking him up. Deciding against it, she made her way down the hall, pausing in front of Spike and Faye's door before knocking. "Fuck off Spike." came the snappish reply from the other side.

Knocking again, Ed then pushed the door open, quietly stepping inside.

Setting the magazine in her hands down with a huff, Faye turned her gaze toward the door. "What do you want Ed?"

Timidly seating herself on the edge of the bed, Ed stared at her own feet as she swung them back and forth. " Ed is bored. Can I paint your nails Faye-Faye?"

Faye let out an agitated sigh. "I'm not your damn entertainment committee Ed. Go bother Jet or Spike, or better yet go entertain yourself."

It took a lot to upset Ed, but something finally snapped. All day her shipmates had been at each others throats, and now they were taking their frustrations out on her. Biting her lip a little, Ed turned to Faye. "Spike person would say you are being a bitch." She took a deep breath, second guessing her words for only a moment. "A big bitch."

Faye's eyes went wide. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, staring at Ed with a shocked look, until her words finally returned. "Get out Ed."

The eerie calmness in Faye's voice was all the sign that Ed needed to know that Faye was serious, hopping down off the bed, she headed back out the door, giving it a little slam as she left, heading back toward the lounge.

Flopping down on the floor beside Ein, Ed shook the dog softly. "Wake up Ein."

Lifting his head, Ein squinted and scratched behind his ear.

"Everyone is so grumpy. Lets get out of here!" Scrambling around the room, tossing a few items haphazardly into a bag, Ed shouldered it and turned back to her furry companion. "Let's have and adventure Ein!"

Pacing around the lounge of the Bebop, Jet chain smoked and muttered to himself. His nerves were frazzled, he couldn't remember the last time he actually went on a date.

"You're gonna wear a hole in the floor if you don't stop. And I for one don't feel like being sucked out into space."

Jet paused in his pacing, shaking his head at Spike's statement. "We're docked on Earth, you won't be sucked out anywhere."

Shrugging, Spike lit a cigarette, and leaned back into the couch. "When are you leaving?"

"Now." Jet heaved a deep sigh. "There are left overs from last night in the fridge if you and Faye get hungry…say…where is Faye anyways?"

"Bedroom…she's pissed at me." He stated matter of factly.

Jet shot a quizzical look to his companion, but thought better than to ask. "Well…anyways…Just don't eat them all, save some for Ed, just let her know they are in there."

Propping his feet up on the coffee table, Spike exhaled a large cloud of smoke. "What am I? Her babysitter?"

"No, she'd probably do a better job keeping an eye on you two. But knowing you and Faye you'd eat it all, and leave the poor kid to starve."

Trying to come up with a witty retort, Spike came up blank, and opted to take another long and satisfying drag from his cigarette. "Don't get your panties all in a twist old man. Quit stalling and get out there and have a good time…things will be just fine here."

Shaking his head, Jet sighed yet again. "Fine…wish me luck."

"Good luck."

As Jet headed out the main hatchway, Spike snuffed out his cigarette and got to his feet slowly, taking his time as he meandered down the hall way. Pausing in front of his bedroom door, he raised his hand to knock, but stopped for a second. Taking a deep breath he finally knocked. No answer. Pushing the door open softly, he stepped in flipping on the light. "Faye?"

Faye flipped him the bird over her shoulder, not bothering to roll over. "I thought you were Ed. I was going to apologize. You on the other hand, I'm still mad at you. "

"I figured as much, you aren't exactly on my list of favorite people right now either. Spike rolled his eyes. Their fight had been petty, and the result of boredom, uncomfortably warm temperatures in the ship, and lack of sleep. Somehow a nice bout of making out had led to things being throw in each others faces for past faults and mistakes, leaving both of them ready to strangle each other. "What were going to apologize to Ed for? Were you a dick to her too?"

Rolling over, Faye arched an eyebrow. "Kinda, she wanted to paint my nails, I told her to go bug you or Jet. I'm not exactly in the cheeriest of moods."

"No shit." Chuckling a little, Spike sat on the edge of the bed, ignoring the displeased look on Faye's face at his actions. "It's kinda funny…I told her to go bother you."

"Of course you did." Faye stated dryly. "Ya know, she pretty much called me a bitch. I wonder where she might have gotten an idea like that?"

"No clue." Shrugging innocently Spike turned his gaze toward Faye. "And I missed it? Damn."

"Shut up Spike."

Deciding to steer the conversation in another direction, Spike flopped down next to Faye on the bed. "Jet left a little bit ago, he said there are leftovers in the fridge, we just have to save some for Ed."

"How will I ever manage to resist eating all of that five star cuisine." Faye rolled her eyes and pushed off the bed, climbing over Spike without another word. He was half tempted to grab her and pull her back to bed, but he just didn't have the energy to deal with her right now. Instead he opted for stretching out taking up as much of the bed as he could, finally comfortable he closed his eyes and drifted off.

After about an hour of aimlessly wandering, Ed and Ein had found themselves in a forest. Climbing on every and anything, Ein sniffed everything, and Ed took in the surroundings, she had never really spent anytime in the woods, and there were all sorts of neat things to see. Things like mossy logs, bright flowers and funny looking mushrooms that probably shouldn't be touched, for they certainly were not shitake.

Coming to a little clearing, Ed set her bag down, and flopped down on the ground, stretching out on her back to stare at the dull sunlight barely filtering through the high tree branches. It would be getting dark soon, she supposed she probably should head back to the Bebop, at least she had brought a flashlight with her, just in case. But just for a little while longer she was going to enjoy the stillness of the forest. I hope they are in better moods when I get back.

From his spot beside her, Ein perked his ears and gave a low whine suddenly get to his feet, running back to the tree line, barking as he turned back to her, breaking the serenity of the moment.

"What is it Ein?" Ed was suddenly aware of a sound that was similar to the rumbling of a distant train, and for a second, she thought she felt the earth beneath her move. Ein barked again, and Ed got to her feet to follow after him, but never got the chance as the ground beneath her gave way. The last thing that registered to Ed was a lot of dirt, and a strong earthy smell, before everything went black.

Something smelled like it was burning, scratch that, something was definitely burnt. Slowly opening his eyes, Spike sat, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What the hell is that?" Shuffling out of his bedroom, he could see the slight haze of smoky air in the humid air of the ship. Walking down the hall, he rounded into the kitchen to see Faye staring at a smoking pan, her hands on her hips, shaking her head muttering obscenities to herself.

"What the hell happened in here?"

Faye jumped, startled by the sound of his voice. "I was heating up those leftovers…and I kind of fell asleep on the couch."

"Good job." Spike was about to add another sarcastic quip, but the defeated look on Faye's face was almost down right pathetic. Fishing around in his pocket for his cigarettes, he lit one and leaned against the door frame. "Ya know…I think we have enough money to splurge on a pizza or something. We'll clean this mess up later." He shifted his gaze to the pan on the stove top that looked caked with the burnt mess of what would have been dinner. "Or maybe we can toss that and just get a new pan."

Faye smiled faintly, but the smile was gone just as soon as it appeared. "Yeah. I guess so."

"What kinda pizza do you want?"

"Just get whatever."

Spike sighed. "Well aren't we just a merry ray of sunshine."

Spike's goading was doing little to lessen her mood. "Well maybe I am just bitter since I am so damn old. Or maybe my heart is just frozen from the cryo sleep."

Biting his lip slightly Spike knew that she was serious when she said she was still mad. Of course his digs at her during their fight had been very personal and almost down right childish, but she had been the one to throw Julia in his face, of course only after he had brought up her numerous cut and run attempts. "Look…that fight was fucking stupid, we're both just tired and frustrated…can we just be done with this shit?"

Remaining silent for a few moments, Faye lit a smoke for herself. "I don't know…you tell me. Can we?"

Shaking his head and throwing his hands in the air, Spike left the kitchen, calling over his shoulder. "Whatever….I'll just ask Ed what kind of pizza she wants. At least she might have some meaningful input."

Faye scoffed at his retreating form, taking a long drag off her cigarette. She knew it was pointless to keep being mad at him. They had both been extremely immature and stupid, he had given her the closest thing to an apology that she was probably going to get for the mean time, and she knew that she would forgive him, but he had pissed her off, and against her better judgment she just didn't feel like giving in just yet.

In fact just thinking about it lit anew the fire in her. Grabbing the pan, her newest source of irritation, she chucked it at the wall grimacing as the caked on burnt remnants of the leftovers scattered along the floor. "Fuck."

Opening her amber eyes slowly, Ed sat up, brushing the dirt from her head. Fishing around blindly, she fumbled for her bag, grabbing a flashlight and switching it on, in awe of her surroundings. She had fallen through into what looked like some sort of mine shaft. The dirt walls were lined with rotting wood beams, and large hunks of rocks.

Glancing up from where she fell, Ed figured it was about a twelve to fifteen foot drop, she was a little impressed that other than a few sore spots she was uninjured. From the top of the hole, Ein barked, looking down at her, struggling a little as he started to slip on the loose dirt.

Looking for a way to climb back out, Ed quickly realized that was not going to be a option, she would need help, and not the kind that a stumpy little dog would be able to offer. But then again, maybe he could help after all. "Ein! Go back to the Bebop. Get Spike and Faye-Faye. Okay?"

Ein laid down peering down at her, and whined loudly, his head resting between his paws.

"Ein! Come on, be a good boy. Ed needs your help."

Cocking his head from side to side, Ein got up once more, peering down one last time before bounding off. With a sigh Ed sank back against the wall, turning off her flashlight to conserve the battery, wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the chill in the air. She hoped that her two shipmates would stop fighting long enough to pay attention to the dog. Either way, she knew she was in for a long night.

"Hey Ed! We're getting pizza, what kind do you want?" Spike's yells were met with silence, which struck the lanky man as odd. The mention of pizza should have had the exuberant hacker cart wheeling into the room. Scratching the back of his head, Spike shrugged. "Yo Ed! Where the hell are you!?"

Meandering into the hangar, Spike could hear the faint sound of Ein's barking from outside. Flipping the switch, he waited for the bay doors to open. Must be outside. However as soon as the door opened, only the stubby legged corgi stood outside. Hmmm "Edward! Come on…I don't feel like playing games. Get your ass in here….or you don't get any pizza!"

Shrugging he turned back for the door. "Fine whatever then." he muttered to himself, running into Faye who was making her way outside.

"What in gods name are you yelling about?"

"I can't find the kid. I found the mutt, but I dunno where she is."

Ein whined, and laid down at the couples feet. "Well maybe she's inside somewhere." Faye offered.

Spike pushed passed her, and back into the hanger, whistling sharply as he did. "Come on Ein."

Ein did not follow, but instead barked, and took a few steps away from the door, laying back down and whining once more.

Eyeing the dog suspiciously, Faye grabbed Spike's arm to stop him. "Uhh…Spike…I think he wants us to follow him."

"Yeah right. You talk to dogs now do you?" Spike suppressed a laugh. " That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever…" Another round of barking from Ein stopped Spike mid sentence, as he took a few more steps forward, his stumpy tail wagging. With a defeated sigh, Spike rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine….I'll get my coat."

Forty-five minutes of following Ein into the woods still yielded no sign of the red headed hacker. The whole walk had been silent, save for the clicking of lighters as Spike and Faye traded off smoking cigarettes, and the crunching of dirt and twigs beneath their feet.

Tonight was the first night in four days that it had finally cooled off at night, in fact it was down right chilly as night had set in. Peering at Faye from the corner of his eye, Spike could see her illuminated in the dull glow from the flashlight in his hand, her arms wrapped around herself. Shaking his head slightly, he smirked. "Told ya you shoulda brought a coat." Faye did not respond. "Do you want to wear mine?"

"I'm fine."

Ein jogged a little a head, and came to a stop in a clearing, sitting down, and barking excitedly.

"Ein! Did you find Spike and Faye?"

Both adults looked at each other at the sound of Ed's voice, Spike shone the flashlight a head of them, as the hurried over to the sound, soon noticing the hole in the ground. They both cautiously peered in.

"Ed are you ok?"

The young girl squinted under the beam of Spike's flashlight and nodded. "Yeah, Ed is okie dokie. But I can't get out."

Glancing around for anything useful, turned out to be quickly futile, as Spike raked a hand through his hair. "Look Ed, were going to have to leave and go back to the ship to get some rope or something, then we can get you out. Do you want one of us to uhh…stay here?"

Ed nodded. "Faye-Faye…will you stay?"

"Yeah, I'll…stay…" her words were distracted and trailed off, as she grabbed Spike's arm.

Arching an eyebrow he gave her a puzzled look. "What?"

"Did you feel that? I swear the ground just moved."

"Faye…you're losing it. I didn't feel…" his words were cut off, as he soon too felt something. "Never mind.."

Before either could react the ground they were standing on gave way, sending both of them as well as Ein on a fall into the mine. Spike was subconsciously aware of a slight popping sound, and an intense pain in his ankle as he hit the ground, he forced his eyes shut, trying to keep the falling dirt out of them. Somewhere near by he could hear Ein yelp, and a silent thud, which he could only assume was Faye hitting the ground as well.

Pulling his hands over the back of his head, Spike curled into a ball, and waited for the downfall of dirt and rocks to stop. This certainly was lovely, quite the charming way to spend the evening really, it was going to be a long night for sure.