A/N: Ok guys. I debated with myself for a whole day and even consulted with a friend about whether I should publish this chapter in all its zesty glory… but in the end I decided that I would keep it clean, following the R rating of my previous chapters. I omitted the lemon… but if you would like to read the chapter in its entirety, you can shoot me a PM and I'll be more than happy to send you the complete chapter.

Faye wrapped the towel around her head and shrugged into her bathrobe. The bathroom was so steamy she could hardly see and the cool air that hit her face when she opened the door was bliss. She had purposefully showered last… she didn't want Jet and Spike complaining about there being no hot water because of her.

The Bebop was unusually quiet. She stepped out into the lounge and found Spike lazily flipping through the channels on TV.

"Where're Jet and Ed?" she asked him.

"Jet said he was going off to a bar somewhere… and Ed said she was going to look for her Nathan-friend" Spike replied, a look of pure boredom on his handsome face.

They were still on Ganymede; Jet had prolonged their stay because he had been feeling a little homesick. The day before, he had gone to visit his parents' graves and had been feeling a little down since. Faye and Spike didn't pester him about it. Sometimes a man needed some time to himself.

"How long ago did they leave?" she asked.

"Just now. Not even five minutes ago" Spike answered.

"Oh, I see" she said.

It had been three days since he had crashed her date with Andy… three days since she had kissed him. But things hadn't changed at all. He didn't mention it and so she didn't mention it. It was frustrating but she didn't want to seem desperate or anything. She noticed he wasn't wearing the blue suit, but rather some old pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

"Aren't you doing anything tonight?" she asked curiously.

"Nope. Gotta save up my woolongs" he said.

"What for?" she scoffed. "You never save your woolongs"

"Hark who's talking. I'm surprised you haven't been to a casino yet" Spike said.

"I'm trying to kick that habit, ok? Just like I'm trying to quit smoking" Faye said, hands on her hips.

"That's good" he said, sounding anything but interested.

"You should too, you know. It's not healthy."

At her words, Spike pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one, taking a long drag. She pursed her lips. "Well, whatever, it's really not my business" she said, and left the obnoxious man alone in the lounge. How was it possible that he annoyed her so much yet she still couldn't picture a life without him in it? He was like a drug… he was bad for her, but she needed him. She loved his company.

And you love him, too… Faye shook her head. No, that wasn't true. It wasn't.

Anyway, she had something she wanted to do, and if Spike wasn't going to do anything tonight, he might be able to help her. She quickly dried herself off, pulled on a pair of tiny, black, cotton shorts and a matching sports-bra. She combed her hair and put it up in a pony-tail. Jogging, she made her way back to the lounge where Spike was still flicking through the channels.

"Spike" she panted, jogging in place, "I need your help"

Spike tore his eyes away from the TV and looked her up and down before answering. "What do you want? I don't have money"

"I don't want your money, you dolt. I want you to help me train. I know you know some sweet moves… and I want to learn. Not that I'm bad or anything... I know a thing or two" she said, jogging her way to the front of the TV and blocking his view. "I just feel that if you were to train with me, I'd be better prepared, you know?"

"No" he replied, tilting his head so that he could see around her.

"Oh come on! Please?" she asked sweetly. "I'll make you dinner if you do" she added hopefully.

"You can cook?" He raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Of course I can cook! Just because I don't like doing it doesn't mean I don't know how" she snapped, feeling slightly offended.

"You're not going to poison me are you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe" she answered, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Alright. But I warn you I'm not a good teacher" he said, turning the TV off and tossing the remote aside. "Show me what you know" he added.

"What, here?" she asked, looking around.

"Yeah, here… do we have a special training room on the Bebop, Faye? Because I want to know about it if we do" he said, tossing his t-shirt on the couch. Damn, his body was nice. He walked to her and smiled.

"Don't be an ass… geez" she said, looking away from his abs. Without warning, she threw a punch at him that nearly connected.

"Whoa… not bad, Valentine" he smirked. "I've always loved a woman who can kick my ass" he added with that arrogant—yet sexy—smile.

She threw another punch but this time Spike blocked it, pushing her fist down and flicking her forehead with his free hand.

"Hey!" she said, rubbing the spot he had hit.

"You rely too much on blunt force" he said lazily. "You have to let your movements flow… like water" he said.

Faye snorted. "Ok, Bruce Lee" she said. Spike looked surprised.

"You know the Master?" he said.

"You mean Bruce Lee? Yeah I know him. I was a big fan when I was a little girl… watched all his movies" she said. "Is that where you got your moves from?"

"In great part" Spike answered with a grin.

Without warning, Faye kicked him, but he managed to block it with his arm.

"You've certainly mastered the element of surprise, I'll give you that" he said. "You're just dealing with a master here" he said. Faye rolled her eyes. "See, what you do when the enemy blocks your kick like that, you use your other leg to deliver the blow" he explained. He proceeded to demonstrate the move without actually hurting her.

"That's too hard" Faye complained. "I can't balance like that!"

"Not with an attitude like that" Spike said. "Let's start with a simple move. Come at me"

"What… like, now?"

"Yes, just run at me like you're going to punch me"

"Can I really punch you?"

"You can try" he said with a grin. Faye ran at him but before she could so much as make a move, he had grabbed her wrist and flipped her over so that she landed flat on her back with a thud.

"Ow!" she wailed, grabbing her back with one hand. Spike peered over her.

"Are you alright the—aaagh!" he clutched his face. She had punched him as he had bent down to check on her.

"Element of surprise, baby" she said, jumping to her feet.

"That was actually really good" he said grumpily, rubbing his cheek.

"Never trust women, Spike-o" she said.

"Oh yeah?" he said, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that Spike… stop it!" she said, backing away. At that precise moment, Spike looked like a predator and she felt like the helpless prey. He ran at her and she squealed with both fear and delight as she ran away from him. Something about that dangerous look thrilled her and scared her at the same time. He easily jumped over the furniture and blocked her path so that she collided with him. He began to tickle her.

"NO! STOP IT!" she shrieked, gasping for breath.

They tripped over Ein's food bowl and came crashing down to the metal floor. Still, Spike didn't stop tickling.

"Stop! Spike! I'm gonna pee my pants!" she lied. But the lie worked; he stopped tickling her. But God, he was heavy. He was pinning her down with his body. His warm skin against hers sent shivers up her spine. "Get off" she whispered, looking up into his eyes.

"No. I think I like it here" he said simply. Then without warning, he bent his head down and kissed her. It was a quick, hard kiss, but it still made her feel on fire.

"Why do you do that, Spike? Why do you kiss me and then act like it never happens?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know" he answered. "I'm… I guess I'm a coward"

"What are you afraid of?"

"You"

"Why me?"

"I don't know"

They remained silent for a moment, and then she tangled her fingers in his curls and brought his face down to hers for another kiss. He opened her mouth with his and the kiss became something more. Her whole body tensed, but she liked it. She wasn't going to stop him this time. She wanted him to kiss her. And it appeared he wanted to kiss her too.

In an act of bravery, she grabbed his hand and placed it over her breast. He squeezed gently and then slipped his hand under the fabric of her sports-bra. The contrasting coolness of his fingers against her warm skin made her gasp, but she didn't stop him, and she didn't break the kiss. She adjusted her body beneath his so that he was fully on top of her, resting between her legs. She felt him pressing hard against her inner thigh and it thrilled her. He wanted her… just like she wanted him. He broke the kiss and pulled back so that he was kneeling between her legs. He looked down at her and simply stared.

"What?" she asked nervously.

He reached out to her and pushed her bra up so that it rolled and collected beneath her chin, exposing her breasts to him. And still, he remained silent.

"What?" she repeated. The urge to cover herself was threatening to take over.

"You're fucking beautiful" he said, staring at her tits. He pulled her up so she was in a sitting position and she lifted her arms so he could remove the bra completely. She was now semi-naked in front of Spike. Was this really happening? It was surely a dream…

She thought about where they were doing all of these things: in the lounge, in the middle of the Bebop… What if Jet came in? What if Ed?!

"Spike… not here… what if we are caught?" she said.

"Not here" he agreed, getting to his feet. He held out his hand to her and pulled her to her feet when she took it. He pulled her in and bent his head to kiss her again. She broke away and collected her clothes and Spike grabbed her arm and pulled her back into him again. He kissed her yet again, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her from the floor. She wrapped her long legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and he began to make his way down the metal passage.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking down at him with a grin.

"My room" he said. Sure enough, they passed the door to her room and went into Spike's room. It was surprisingly neat. Of course it was; he hardly ever used it. She climbed off him and sat on his bed. He stood in front of her, tracing her lips with his finger. "You're fucking beautiful" he said again.

"Do you really want this Faye? Stop me now if you don't want this" he said shakily.

"I want it, Spike" she said...

Spike plopped back down on the mattress, looking up at the ceiling. Faye lay on top of him, arms tucked in between their bodies.

"What now?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know" he answered, wrapping his arms around her. "I don't know how this changes things"

"Me either. Does it have to?"

"I don't know" he repeated. "This…" But he trailed off.

"What?" she asked. She could practically sense him battling himself inside his head.

"It didn't mean anything. It was just sex."

Faye tensed up and bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Don't you fucking cry, Faye Valentine, she scolded herself. She was an idiot for caring. Of course it hadn't meant anything. It was just sex. Just a very good fuck session and nothing more. Had she really believed it had meant something? Was she that stupid?

"I know" she said, sitting up. "So it shouldn't change a thing, right?"

She fought back the tears that were burning in her eyes.

"Yeah…" he said rather coldly. "It's just that—"

"Don't worry about it Spike" she interrupted him. She pushed herself off of him and looked around for her clothes. "I get it ok? We're adults. It was just sex. No biggie" she said, pulling her shorts on. "Really, no need to get all sentimental" she added, fixing her sports-bra over her breasts.

"Faye—"

"Good night."

With that, she left his room and ran to her own. She closed the door and locked it before leaning against the metal barrier. She was shaking. Her knees were weak but not from the intense pleasure she had felt just moments ago in his arms. She was shaking because her heart was threatening to break. She threw herself on her bed and let the tears flow.

Stupidly, stupidly, she had believed that she and Spike had shared something special.

Stupidly, stupidly, she thought he might feel something for her.

"It didn't mean anything…" she repeated his words to herself.

Stupidly, stupidly… her heart shattered into a million pieces...

"Faye-Faye? Are you alright?" Ed asked quietly. Faye sniffled and wiped her eyes, opening the cockpit of the Red Tail.

"I'm fine, Ed. Don't worry about it, ok?"

Ed pouted. Faye-Faye's eyes were red and puffy. She was shoving a suit case into the zip craft.

"Why are you crying, Faye-Faye? Don't cry…" Ed said. From her backpack, she pulled out a small, clear bag full of colorful cookies. It was tied with a little pink bow. "Be happy? Edward bought these with her wooly woolongs for the Bebop-Bebop. Smile, Faye-Faye…"

Faye took the little bag Ed handed her and cried harder. "Gosh, I'm sorry Ed. Never mind me, ok? Thank you for this gift. I'll bring something back for you too" she said, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

Ed watched the girl climb into her zip craft.

"Do not apologize for crying… without this emotion, we are only robots" Ed said quietly.

Faye closed her eyes, nodded once, and turned to Ed. "Listen… don't tell the guys I've gone, ok? And don't tell them I was crying!" She closed the cockpit once the hacker nodded.

Ed backed up against the wall as the Red Tail zoomed out of the hangar.

"Poor Faye-Faye. I wonder what happened to her, Ein?"

The data dog only whimpered.

There was a knock on his door and he jumped out of bed immediately. Maybe it was Faye.

He had wanted to let her cool off before going to her room and explaining to her that he was an asshole… that he hadn't meant what he said. That sex with her had meant something… he just didn't know what.

But when he opened the door, no one was there. Instead, there was a small, clear package on the floor, full of colorful cookies.

Ed. It had to have been. He smiled to himself and picked up the package. He wondered if he should go and talk to Faye now, but her door was still shut and he didn't really want to face her after what he had said. It had been a dick thing to do.

Besides, how could he explain to her what was going on inside him when he didn't even know himself?

No, it was batter if he talked to her tomorrow.

"It was nice meeting you here, Jet. I kinda missed you guys" Gwen said.

Jet smiled. By sheer coincidence, he had found Gwen sitting alone at a bar. He had never expected to see her again, but as fate would have it, here she was. He was walking her back to her car.

"Well, you're always welcome at the Bebop, you know. Come visit us some time" he said.

She grinned. "Alright. I will" she said, unlocking her car. They stayed quiet for a moment. Then she got on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

"Good night Jet" she said.

"Good night, Gwen."

He waved at her as she drove away. She was a fine woman. In fact, he really liked her.

He looked up at the evening sky tinged with pink and orange. Suddenly, he thought he saw a familiar zip craft zoom by overhead. Maybe he had mistaken it, but it had kind of looked like the Red Tail.

Ah well, if it was, that girl was probably going to use up her money on a casino or something. Whistling cheerfully to himself, Jet made his way back to the Bebop.

Johanna: "I've had enough violence to last me a lifetime, and I bear it still; not in scars on my skin, but in the memories that rise up in my mind when I least want them [...]"

Nemesis: "We can not escape tragic roads. It is like grasping at the sun & trying to catch air [...]"

Johanna: "What kind of miracle ripped out your heart, and left you breathing?"

Nemesis: You.

A/N: Text inside the parenthesis are quotes from (in order from top to bottom): Veronica Roth - Allegiant, Ace Antonio Hall, and A.B. Shepherd - Lifeboat.

Also, Ed's quote about crying is from Eat, Pray, Love.

Next chapter... To the Ghosts from the Past!