Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop...that said: Enjoy!

Chapter Three: The Haunting Past

What to do now...Jet sighed and continued polishing the glass windows of the ship. Last time he had been here, he had been telling Spike a story...what was it now? Jet couldn't remember anymore-he just knew that he had told Spike he hated that story. Something about cats? No...that was Spike's story and he smiled, remembering it. He couldn't remember his own story still...something about climbing a mountain, he thought. There had been a message, but Spike hadn't listened. Where would Jet be now if Spike had listened? Would they be running away from the syndicate? Probably tracking down another fruitless bounty.

Every room of the Bebop brought back so much, memories flooding Jet's mind until he had to sit down and carefully shift through them. He couldn't seem to get anything done, but just moved from room to room in a daze and remembered. No matter how much he laughed at himself for trying to live in the past, he just couldn't seem to shake it off.

And it wasn't just the past with Spike, Faye, Ed and Ein...it was his whole past. He kept thinking about being Black Dog and working for the police. He kept remembering his "friend" that had caused the loss of his arm. It was as if he now had time to think about his whole life...stuff he hadn't thought about in years. He wondered how Alisa was getting on. He could have gone to visit her again, but there was nothing left for him to say to her. Besides, he had turned in her new boyfriend, Rhint, so they weren't exactly on good terms. Jet stopped polishing and wondered where she was now and if Rhint had ever come back. He hoped the two of them were happy together. Maybe they had even settled down somewhere and had a family. It seemed weird to him to imagine Alisa with kids. If things had gone differently, Jet could have been the one married to her. But it wasn't the right kind of life for him...he knew that, so why did he keep thinking about it?

He sighed and considered for the second time the possibility of selling the Bebop. What good were memories? Moping around and wandering from room to room wouldn't fix anything. It wouldn't bring Spike or Faye back. Jet put away the cleaning supplies and walked the length of the ship, once, twice, three times. Back and forth, back and forth, backforthbackforth...there was so much to remember. The Bebop was a part of himself. He knew everything about it, could find his way around in the dark, knew all the noises it made and it had been his home for so long now. He couldn't remember how long. As a matter of fact, Jet Black couldn't remember much about life before the Bebop, before Spike. It was strange to live here without him. Spike had always been here, ever since that day they had first met and grudgingly gained respect for one another. It wasn't until the moment when Spike was leaving, that Jet knew suddenly they were friends through it all. It was true...Jet hadn't really taken the time to think about his friendship with Spike. He had taken that for granted without realizing it. But now that it was so quiet and he could finally hear himself think, he realized that he had always liked Spike, had always thought of him as someone he could count on. Not that he would have admitted it out loud ever, but still...the friendship was there.

I don't like being here...alone. Jet thought, something that he would never have guessed just a few weeks ago. He had always considered himself such a solitary person. A group of one. Suddenly it seemed he was much more dependent on human care than he ever would have suspected. He had a sudden longing to get off this ship, make a new start, find some other job that didn't involve risking his neck everyday. But then, Jet smiled a little, I seem to have a knack for ending up with those kind of jobs.

He sunk down into the nearest chair and then jumped back up again. How long had his bonsai garden gone without watering? He had totally forgotten about his plants in the light of these past few weeks! He chuckled, remembering how Ed had flooded this room when he had asked her to water for him. There was no one who loved these trees like Jet Black. A few moments later, humming softly, he was happily engrossed in watering each small tree and his fingers were covered with dirt.

"Some things never change."

Startled, Jet stopped and looked up. At first, all he saw was a tall pair of white boots and beyond that...Faye. She yawned widely and pushed a pair of sunglasses back on top of her short hair. Shocked, he just sat there and stared at her. She gave him a wry smile and leaned comfortably against the door frame.

Faye...

"When's dinner?" She asked, looking ready to sling some sarcastic comment at him, as always.

Jet stood up, convinced that if he were to walk to the table or maybe to the couch, he would bump into Spike somewhere.

"H'lo! Jet...you there?" Faye demanded, rapping smartly on his skull.

Jet glared at her and rubbed his head. He felt dizzy, as if the ship were flipping around in circles. He had to reach out and grab Faye's arm to steady himself.

"Careful there, old man." In spite of her teasing, Faye looked concerned and a little bit bewildered. This was clearly not what she had been expecting. Dimly, he wondered why she had come back...what exactly she was expecting from him.

The world still seemed to be spinning. He was reminded suddenly of Spike's two different eyes, because Jet felt as if he were seeing two different images and he couldn't quite manage to see where one ended and the other began. Spike was dead, said one eye. No, if he just walked out to the couch, Spike would be there...sleeping or smoking, said the other. And Faye...she had come back and was standing here. Or maybe she had never left. He thought he remembered her leaving...but the other eye told him she was just hungry, she had never left, never would. They would cruise around, the five of them...forever. And louder than all of that, something inside him was indescribably glad to see her and he realized he still had not said anything.

"Faye-you..." he heard himself begin.

Faye blinked and pried his fingers from her arm. "Oh good! You're not catatonic after all...really, Jet! You ought to work on your people skills. Maybe you could learn how to treat a guest too."

He still couldn't seem to grasp reality.

Faye surged forward, talking on and on. He only caught part of her tirade. She was the same as always, he thought, unable to repress a grin. "-and that day you 'came to my rescue', you locked me in a bathroom, of all places! How can you expect to make any friends if you lock all your guests up? Someday I'll lock your stupid ass in a bathroom and see how you like it! That will teach you how to treat a guest! And just now...I could have hit you over the head with a brick and you wouldn't have noticed-"

"My bonsai trees!" Jet broke in suddenly and turned away from Faye quickly. He grasped the hose and managed to turn it off, but the water level seemed to be rising anyways. Jet caught a glimpse of Faye's surprised face and started laughing. He couldn't help it...he had just flooded his precious trees! He realized he was laughing alone and stopped abruptly.

"Well? Don't just stand there, stupid...grab a mop and help!"

Faye sighed and to his surprise, took the mob he held out to her. Soon after, the room was only 'pleasantly damp', not to mention clean. Faye had long worn out her welcome and was complaining again.

"Shut up." Jet said automatically and saw Faye staring, looking hurt.

"You're not listening."

"No."

"I was asking if you'd be interested in letting me stay here, on the ship again," she paused and looked worried. Thinking maybe she shouldn't have asked, Faye added quickly, "just a short while...y'kno, 'til I get back on my feet again."

"How'd you get in?" Jet asked, suddenly realizing he had no idea.

"It was easy," Faye said in a loftily superior tone. "I've parked here so often, it was no problem...besides, the ship's not moving very fast. I ran out of fuel and you were the closest around. I was worried..." she trailed off.

"Why's that?"

"I tried talking to you, but no one was responding and the ship was moving so slow. I thought...well, something could have happened to you, so I came in," Faye said defensively, since Jet was glaring at her.

"I can take care of myself," he heard himself say more gruffly than he had intended. But it had taken him by surprise...it wasn't like Faye to be worried about him after all.

"Right, right...well...I'm still out of fuel and you were still the closest one around."

Jet pushed past her, leaving Faye fumbling for words. He didn't know what to say to her...she was so different. He was so different. Everything and everyone had changed. What was it that she had said to him? Oh...that's right, everything's falling apart Jet. It's not just us. Or something to that extent. Well, his life had fallen apart years before. It hadn't stopped him then, he just moved on. As if she knew what he were thinking, Faye called angrily, "I see right through you, Jet Black! And contrary to your personal belief, you're not made of stone!"

"Are you staying, then?" Jet asked tonelessly.

Faye scowled at him and kicked the floor. Finally she replied, "only for a while."

Great...now I'm stuck with this wench again...He sighed, she'll probably make me repair her ship again and supply her with fuel... Jet couldn't help wondering how "that woman" managed to wreck her ship so often and how did she manage to be so god-damn annoying? He caught himself thinking, if only she'd go away soon, so I could hear myself think. I really should travel alone- and remembered suddenly that hearing himself think was what had made him so depressed. He made dinner without paying much attention to it and when he sat down with Faye to eat, she was silent and brooding.

"Look...I-uh, well...I'm...sorry that I wasn't very nice, um, earlier-" God this was hard. Faye glared at him. "And...uh, well, I was just surprised to see you again and all."

"You told me to give you a call and come back anytime," Faye pouted, but she seemed happy again underneath her sarcastic exterior.

"Yeah, well...you surprised me," he repeated lamely.

"Should I give you a three months warning next time before I happen to run out of fuel in your personal section of the universe?" She snapped.

Jet gave in and laughed, glad to be laughing with an old friend again. Faye saw the funny side of it and joined in.

"Believe it or not...I've actually kinda missed you," Faye said awkwardly.

"Well...it's been pretty uneventful without you bugging me."

She smiled back and slowly, Jet felt himself coming back to the present. It was time to move on with his life...it was time to put the pieces back together and go forward again. At least now, he had a friend to help him. And that made all the difference in the world.

Well...kind of a long chapter, but I had a really hard time trying to figure out where to end it!! . Anyways...basically, a few Jet revelations and back: Faye-Faye!! Let me know what you think of this part...if you have any suggestions for what to have happen next, send 'em along. Oh, and if anyone thinks of any good sarcastic Faye comments, send those along too! Thanx oh so much, keep reading, and more coming soon! ~CronoCat ^.^