COWBOY BEBOP- Old Timer's Waltz
Spike slouched in boredom, as he surfed through a hundred channels. There was absolutely
nothing on the T.V. Annoying, loud commercials, boring news reports and idiotic people selling
even more idiotic merchandise. Spike stretched out on the couch, glancing at the wall clock as
he leaned back. He had another hour until Big Shots, it seemed best to sleep for a bit.
Spike's eyes started feeling heavy, as he began to nod off. He was still awake enough to hear
faint gunshots a few decks below, Ed was starting her gun lessons today. He and Jet had helped
Faye convert yet another newly discovered room, it was now a shooting range of sorts.
Spike wondered briefly how she was doing, and thought about going down to see. But he was
much too comfortable at the moment, he could just go down later.
Jet's metal boots awoke Spike, as his partner slowly entered the rec room. Spike craned his
neck to watch Jet, as he trudged over to the viewport. Jet lit a cigarette and sat down heavily
in a chair. He gazed out into space as Spike continued watching him. Jet glanced over at Spike
briefly, as if he wanted to talk but didn't know what to say. Spike blinked, scratching his
head. Jet was acting really strange, almost depressed. He couldn't even remember the last time
Jet had come and found him without having a lecture or a bounty ready. Jet continued staring at
the viewport, looking genuinely depressed. The silence lasted for a few minutes, until Spike
finally stood up, lighting a cigg as he spoke. "Hey Jet," Spike greeted, walking over to his
friend. "Sorry if I woke you." Jet mumbled back, as Spike sat down next to him. Spike shook his
head, indicating that it wasn't a problem. Spike gazed out of the viewport as well, trying to
think of something to say. Jet glanced at him again, sheepishly this time. Spike met his gaze,
smirking slightly as he prepared to speak. Jet spoke first, turning himself towards Spike. "Hey
Spike?" Jet asked, sounding unusually hesitant. Spike cocked an eyebrow, indicating that he was
listening.
Jet smiled a bit, seeming more relaxed as he began. "Did you ever...I mean before you came
back, did you ever think that maybe Julia wasn't for you?" Spike's eyes narrowed, as memories
flooded his mind. He turned back to the viewport, the smirk fading. "That's an odd question
coming from you." Spike replied, lighting another cigarette. Jet frowned slightly, he felt
uncomfortable as hell asking Spike anything about his past. Out of all of them, Spike's past had
been the hardest to bury. It had come back to consume him more than once, and almost
suceeded. Jet knew he had no right to ask Spike to remember that time, but there
was no one else. "And, yes." Spike answered at last. He was gazing stoically at the stars
whizzing by outside. Jet blinked in surprise, Spike had always been so steadfast in his search
for Julia. It seemed unthinkable that he would've been that devoted to someone unless he was
certain of her love. "Oh.." Jet stated plainly, lighting another smoke as he leaned back in the
chair. "So then, why.." Spike turned back to Jet, his face rigid with hidden emotion. "Why did I
chase her through half the galaxy, you mean?" Spike cut in, knowing what Jet was getting at.
Although he still didn't know why Jet was interested, or why he seemed so down. Spike took a
deep breath, preparing to spin another of his stories. It seemed that whenever he and Jet talked
about things, they were always sitting right here, gazing out at the heavens. Jet nodded
slightly, and waited for the story. "It was because...I needed to know she was alive. Not that
she wasn't dead, but that she ever existed at all." Spike began, taking glances towards the door
every few moments. He'd hate it if anyone happened to walk in on such a conversation.
"It was the only way I could seperate reality from illusions, she was the only real thing I'd
ever known back then." Spike continued, taking long, slow drags between sentences.
"I thought that if I could find her, actually see her again, touch her skin, hold her in my
arms. I thought that would mean she was real, and that I was real. That there was one thing,
just one goddamn good thing in my life that I hadn't lost when I left the syndicate." Jet
nodded a bit, understanding just enough to follow Spike's meaning. "But it was never even her I
was looking for. I loved her, she loved me, and I thought that simple fact could save us. I
thought nothing could be wrong if we were together. But seeing her again didn't make everything
better. It just reminded me of what I'd left behind,the life I'd given up for this one. And then
I realized that it wasn't even about Julia anymore, because when she died I knew nothing would
bring her back. But I still had to go, I know now that Julia was never what I needed, what I
needed was to move past her, past all of it. I needed to know why she never came to meet me, and
what had happened after I'd left. It was never me that couldn't let go of the old life, Jet. I'm
the one that left after all. It was my old life that couldn't let me go. After Julia was gone it
was all about Vicious, the things he'd been doing, the lives he was ending just to lure me to
him. I realized I could never get rid of that old life, if I hadn't destroyed it, it would have
destroyed me, maybe you guys too. That's how I could finally face him and win, for the first
time I cared about someone besides me."
Jet grimaced a bit, he could tell Spike was dragging up memories he didn't want anymore.
"Spike, I'm sorry I'm making you remember all this." Jet apologized, casting his eyes
downwards. Spike smirked a bit, thinking Jet looked like the biggest aologizing kid he'd ever
seen. "It's ok, Jet. What's the problem?" Spike asked, giving Jet a knowing glare. Jet chuckled
slightly, seeing that he wasn't fooling Spike. "I just, wanted to ask you.." Jet began, acting
sheepish again as he rested a hand on his head. "Yeah?" Spike asked again, growing impatient.
He was ok with swaping stories, as long as he wasn't the only one telling them.
"How, do you know Julia wasn't for you, and that Faye is?" It was Spike's turn to chuckle, as
he realized why Jet was looking so blue. The old dog was actually getting a little lovesick.
"What's so funny?" Jet demanded, looking embarrased as he saw the jig was up.
"Oh nothing at all, and as for the question.." Spike answered, lighting yet another cigarette.
Jet did the same as they watched the stars for a moment, before Spike spoke again.
"I know now, because Julia's dead and Faye's not." Spike replied simply, leaning his chair
back. Jet raised an eyebrow, his eye twitching slightly. "That's ALL?" Jet asked, obviously
disapointed with Spike's answer. "Well, that's just how things happen, Jet." Spike explained,
smirking at Jet's reaction. "I mean sure I thought about Faye evrey now and then, I knew how
she felt. And there were times I thought Julia was lost to me, and that searching was
pointless." Jet nodded again, crossing his arms as he repeated his question. "So how did you
KNOW, Spike? What made you sure?" Spike held back more chuckles, as he tried to put his answer
into simpler terms. "I didn't, I don't think anyone does. You never know who's wrong until the
right one shows up, then if you just keep doing what you think is best, things just work out.
It's like karma." Jet tapped his finger on his leg, looking slightly annoyed. "So basically what
you're saying Spike, is that you have to meet the right woman before you can know which ones are
wrong for you?" Spike nodded, a goofy smirk on his face. To a logic-worshiping hardass like
Jet, that kind of thing was just plain ludicrous. But that was life, some things you just have
to feel your way through. "That's ludicrous." Jet stated, shaking his head. Spike shrugged his
shoulders, looking back out at the stars. "The reason I ask, " Jet said quietly, getting up. "Is
because I think I missed mine." Spike blinked in surprise, as he realized he'd been right.
"Sorry to have disturbed you." Jet apologized again, walking towards the door. "Jet." Spike
called after him, still sitting in the chair. Jet said nothing, but stopped all the same. "Let
me explain one more time. You know how I like strong women right? The kind that can survive on
their own without needing someone to do every little thing for them? I've always wanted one of
those, with a lot of skill. And tough, strong enough so that if either of us were in trouble,
one of would always be able to bail the other out. Julia wasn't like that at all, but she loved
me. She seemed so alive to me, so happy to know me. I wanted to live so she would be happy
forever. But she was in over her head at the syndicate, she couldn't handle herself well enough.
I'd decided to settle for someone who loved me, and forget the dream of having the perfect girl
for me. Then Julia died, and I realized I couldn't have protected her, there was nothing I could
have done. That's why I wanted a strong woman in the first place. To prevent that kind of pain.
As sson as Julia was gone, and then Faye broke down when I left...I knew then that she loved me,
and I loved her too. But I had to go and become a real person first. I had to make sure I was
free to live my new life, by burning away the old one."
Jet glanced back at Spike, who hadn't moved from his chair. He looked even more annoyed now.
"Spike, I understand that's how it went but it doesn't help me at all." Jet grumbled, opening
the door. "Sure it does, you're just taking it all wrong." Spike quiped back."Forget it, I
don't know what made me think you'd be any help. I must be really desperate." Jet growled as he
walked out. "You wanna know how to find the right girl, Jet?" Spike called again, standing up
as he continued to gaze out the viewport. Jet stopped again, having enough patience for one more
stupid piece of advice. "Do what you need to do, to be ready for her. And she'll present
herself." Spike said, sounding more thoughtful and serious than he had just a few seconds ago.
The words stayed with Jet as he walked down the corridor. Spike smirked, seeing that Jet had
finally seen what his point had been. It was time for Big Shots too, as Spike sunk into the
couch and turned the T.V. on.
Faye watched approvingly as Ed reloaded her glock. She had already mastered the process of
ejecting an empty clip, replacing it with a fresh one and chambering the first bullet. She was
still having a bit of trouble with the safety catch, but that was all. "You're a natural,
Edward." Faye complimented, looking at the shredded target. Almost every shot was in the center
zone, a few had strayed off when Ed had sneezed suddenly but the rest were excellent.
Spike came in briskly, looking excited. "We've got a new hit, a big one." He informed Faye,
looking over her shoulder to admire the target. "Really? Great." Faye answered eagerly.
"Can Edward come too?" Ed asked, anticipating a chance to test her skills in real combat.
"Sure, we might need you." Spike assured her. "There's been an attack at one of the warp
gates near Earth, a lot of ships were damaged or taken out." Spike explained to Faye, as
Edward collected three clips and put them in her knapsack. "Well they must have some idea
who did it, otherwise they can't put a bounty on anyone right?" Faye pointed out, giving Spike
a cynical look as she put her lucky red jacket on. "Actully they have no leads on that." Spike
said, scrathcing his head. He'd meant it when he said they might need Ed. Faye blinked,
confused about how they could collect a bounty when there was nothing to go on. "So then,
how can we possibly find the bounty?" She asked quizzically. "Because we've got an inside
track." Spike explained, smirking wide. "VT was on a supply route to Earth, her ship wasn't
hit that bad but she's there with a few other truckers. They're helping the police clean up the
mess." Ed turned towards them, interested in the story. "And?" Faye asked critcally, searching
for a point in all this information. "And, she just called. She says she saw two ships pull away
from the gateway just before she would have gone in.
She's got a positive ID on the owners, but she's been getting almost no work lately.."
Faye's eyes lit up as she realized what a chance they'd been handed. "And she told the police
she couldn't ID the ships in time, right?" Faye offered, grinning as Spike nodded. "She's
sitting on the rest, she'll give the info to us for sixty percent." Faye's grin faded as she
gritted her teeth."Sixty? That's too much!" She shrieked, expecting they'd have just enough to
keep themselves going, no spending money for Faye this time. "Well without her we'd have no
chance, and forty percent of ten million wulongs is still worth a shot. "Ten MILLION?!" Faye
shrieked again, her grin reappearing and doubling in size. "That's still four million
wulongs!!" Spike nodded again, grinning as well. "It's going to be hell finding them, but
what else do we have to do?" Spike remarked, seeing Ed eagerly waiting for them at the door. Her
knapsack was tightly strapped to her back, she was ready to go. "Let's get to work then." Faye
suggested, grabbing an extra glock just in case.
Jet was in the hangar, tuning up Ed's ship even though there was nothing wrong with it.
It was busy work, a task Jet had given himself so that he wouldn't have to think about what
Spike had said. Was Spike right? Was he somehow not ready for a relationship, even at his
age? "Damnit, this is stupid!" Jet shouted, tossing the wrench away. It floated through the air,
coming to rest near the Redtail. Jet knew he wasn't really lonely, just old. He was afraid he
was too old to be attractive to anyone anymore. That's all it was. Jet tried to believe that,
but couldn't. He had been thinking about Elisa more than usual lately, a lot more. She had been
the core of his life, he had been able to endure anything as an ISSP officer, even the blatent
corruption as long as he could come home to her at night. And in the end it had been his
own overprotective ways that had made her leave. Jet thought about that for a minute,
and applied it to what Spike had told him. Spike had always wanted a strong, capable woman,
someone who he could leave alone knowing she could take care of herself. Elisa had been that
kind of person, she was very strong and had always enjoyed doing things on her own. He had
made it hard for her to do that, always providing everything for her, never thinking that she
might be unhappy because if it. That really hadn't ever occured to him. He was brought up to
believe that a man takes care of his woman, that it's his job to keep her safe and happy.
Yet Spike seemed to make Faye extremely happy, as happy as she got at least. He never
checked up on her, they weren't some inseperable item. Faye still had her own life just as Spike
had his, and they never invaded the other's privacy. Jet crawled out from under the sack fisher,
letting himself free-float to the hangar door. His thoughts were jumbled as he restored the
gravity and opened the door. He found himself wandering the halls, thinking more than he
probably should have been. If Spike was right, then the problem was within himself and
nowhere else. Elisa had been independant, and being so shielded and protected had made her
unhappy, to the point where as much as she'd loved him, she had to leave. Which meant that
He had never wanted that kind of woman. His kind of woman wanted to be secure, to feel that
she was taken care of and protected. Elisa had not been his ideal woman by any standards,
he'd loved her for many other reasons but the kind of woman she was didn't fit the kind of man
he was. So his recent thoughts of Elisa being his one love, and that he'd somehow screwed up
wwere wrong. It would have happened sooner or later. And she had always lectured him on
loosening up, saying that he was too hard on himself and others. She had told him once that
he'd put himself in an early grave if he didn't learn to relax and stop trying to control every
little thing that happened. Jet found new meaning in her words now, and maybe he was too
uptight. But it was a good thing, with the company he kept. If he wasn't so serious, then that
would leave Ein as the sole source of practical sense.
Jet was jolted out of his thoughts as Faye came running up to him. "We've got a new bounty,
come on!" She shouted, running past him as Spike entered the hangar. Edward dashed in
behind him, cheering wildly. Jet chuckled and followed closesly behind Faye, hoping this bounty
would take his mind off things. He understood now that he'd have to loosen up a bit if he was
ever going to handle a relationship with anyone. Perhaps that's what he needed to change,
before his dream girl came into the picture. Jet hoped against hope that Spike knew what he
was talking about for a change, and hadn't gotten his advice from some samurai movie again.
Jet climbed into the Hammerhead as Spike's voice crackled over the radio, promising to
fill him in on the way to Earth. "This sounds big, Spike." Jet said plainly as the Hammerhead
lifted off. "Four million wulongs if we pull it off." Spike replied, sounding as enthusiastic as
Ed was. Edward was sitting beside him, bouncing up and down as she cheered about the exciting
adventure. Jet looked around as they left the Bebop, Earth was looming below, with a ton of
wreckage around it. "What a mess." Jet remarked, surveying the chaos. Freighters and police
cruisers were everywhere, and several medical ships were making trips back and forth to a
temporary gate that was standard procedure for something like this.
Spike and Faye veered off towards one of the freighters, as it slowly moved away from the
wreckage and headed towards the emergency installation. As Jet followed them, he heard
Spike and Faye conversing with someone over the radio. It was V.T. What did she have to do
with all this? Jet thought now wouldbe the perfect time to practice not worrying about things,
and figured he'd find out at some point.
VT greeted them at the station's hangar bay, waving to Jet as he entered last. "Long time no
see, old timer." She joked, offering a friendly smile. "Compared to you, I'm not that old at
all." Jet returned, laughing along with her. VT led the way to a small conference room, where
she explained to Jet and Faye exactly what they were going to be attempting. "They're on Earth
now, only we don't know where for sure." VT said, puffing on a cigg with the rest of them.
"So, we've only got the ID's on the ships to go by? That's not much.." Faye put in, hoping that
this really would be worth the trouble. "It'll be enough, the trick is that we have to prove it
was them." Spike commented, crouching down in one of the small folding chairs that were the
only things to sit in on the station. "My ship has the record of their ships taking off right
before the explosions." VT explained. "So as long as we can prove they were in those ships at
the time of the attack, we're home free." Faye put in, looking suspiciously at the drink pouch
she'd gotten from the vending machine. Spike looked at Jet breiefly, expecting the usual rant on
how stupid and unplanned all this was going to be. To his surprise Jet said nothing, but looked
to VT and said "Sounds like a plan, let's do it." VT nodded back at him, then looked over
at Faye. " I wouldn't drink that if I were you." She warned, as Faye stuck a straw into her
drink pouch. Faye looked up at her quizzically, feeling thirsty enough to drink almost anything.
"Those things will give you the worst case of the runs you'v ever had." V.T warned again, as
Faye's eyes widened. She promptly threw the pouch into the trash bin, deciding it was better
to wait. Ed sat on the floor and looked up as the pouch was thrown away. "Wasteful wasteful!"
She cried, pointing at Faye accusingly. "Sometimes it's better to waste than to risk your
health." Faye shot back, lighting a cigg. Ed frowned as she poined again. "But Faye Faye smokes!
Smoking is bad for Faye Faye's health!" Edward accused, as Faye glared at her. "Just let it go
Ed, it's no big deal." Jet said, leaning back in his chair. Spike and Faye both looked at Jet
like he was crazy, their eyes wide. Jet was taking things easy and refusing to nitpick anything.
It was creepy, just plain creepy. Jet blinked as he saw their reaction, and simply shrugged his
shoulders and smirked. "We should get headed out, before the cops start searching Earth
themselves." VT suggested, standing up and looking down at Ed. Zeros was held tightly in her
grip, purring softly as Ed nuzzled the cat. "Come on, Zeros." VT commanded, gently lifting
the cat up. "Zeros is cool! Edward wants a kitty too!" Edward exclaimed, grinning as Spike
frowned. Having a cat on the ship would be total chaos, the mutt was bad enough.
Spike stopped walking as he spied a bench, and pronptly sat down on it. He lit a cigarette as
his head ached, this job was giving him a bad feeling. There was far too many things that could
go wrong, and too little info to have any real chance at catching the guys. They had all split
up after touching down on Earth, deciding it was the best way to cover a lot of area fast.
Surprisingly, Jet hadn't said anything about the plan, but had simply started off to search.
They needed to find either of the ships VT had seen, preferrably both. It was a total needle
in the haystack deal, and Spike was getting sick of it. The four million wulongs was his sole
ambition, barely keeping him from calling it quits.
Jet was about to give up as well, as he walked down yet another empty street. This planet seemed
so dull at times, where was everyone? Jet lit a smoke and withdrew his comm. unit, trying to
reach one of the others. "You're wasting your time, Jet." VT called from behind him.
Jet turned around and saw her, with Zeros clinging to her shoulders. They both looked as bored
and ready to quit as he felt. "The gateway took some nearby satelites with it, it's impossible
to send transmissions down here right now." VT explained, lighting a cigg as she leaned
against the alley wall. Jet looked at her, grinning slightly. She wasn't too worried about any
of this, and she was older than him. Was it really so much better to just ease up and relax?
"So how do we reach the others?" Jet asked, feeling even more like giving up now.
VT crossed her arms, smirking a bit as she looked at Jet. "They'll show up sooner or later,
we should just find a place to wait." VT suggested, looking up and down the street to see if
anyone was coming. "That's it?" Jet questioned, no longer able to continue 'taking it easy'.
"We don't try to find them or reach them at all? We just wait?" Jet continued, feeling the
anxiety creeping back. VT blinked at him, surprised by the outburst. "What else is there?"
VT inquired, confused as to how someone who'd been laid back until a few seconds ago was
suddenly so worrisome. Jet thought about that for a minute, there really wasn't anything
to do. With no way of knowing how the others were doing, they had no new info at all.
"Let's go over what we've got so far." Jet suggested finally. VT slumped, not wanting to do
anything right now. "What could that possibly do to help?" VT answered, wishing that either
the crew or the bounties would show up soon. Jet sighed, seeing that his usual logical self
wasn't sitting well with VT "It'll kill some time, if nothing else. You said yourself we
should wait, right?" Jet offered, not knowing how much time they could kill with such small
amounts of information. "Ah what the hell, sure." VT agreed at last, walking over to a
small patio cafe. It was blazing hot out, and the shade of the tarp roofsmade Jet feel
a bit better as he followed VT They sat down at a table as Jet tried his comm. unit again.
"You just don't give up, do you Jet?" VT asked dryly, smiling all the while as Jet messed
with the control knobs. "It's the company I keep, they're contagious." Jet replied, chuckling
as comm. unit hissed static. VT smirked jokingly as she nodded, contagious was a nice word
to use for his crew, in her opinion. Sometimes they seemed totally insane. Jet was different
though, not that he was normal but at least he made good sense.
VT wondered for a minute how a man like him could be hopping galaxies with the likes of Spike
and Faye, and not have found himself a woman by now? "Say Jet, lemme ask you something." VT
said as Jet gave up on the comm. unit. "Sure, what is it?" Jet asked, a bit taken by VT wanting
to know anything about him. "You don't have a girl, do you?" VT asked, resting her elbows on the
counter. Jet blinked as he stood straight up,his jew dropped as his mind tried to find a reason
why she'd ask something likw that. he could only think of one. "Uhhh no, I don't. I used to, but
not for a long time now.." Jet answered, keeping his eyes fixed down on the table. "Why'd you
ask?" Jet inquired, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. VT cocked an eyebrow as her smirk
widened,she realized what Jet thought she had meant. "I was just wondering why an old timer like
yourself hasn't found himself a good woman by now, that's all." VT explained, laughing as Jet
realized he'd been way off. "Just haven't found the right one I guess, I'm kind of picky."
Jet continued, smiling a little. VT was rather fun to talk with, even though they'd never
met in person before today. She was old like him, but she didn't let it get to her like he did.
She didn't look much older than 30, it was more that her features weren't very feminine.
That was largely due to the way she dressed, in Jet's opinion. There wasn't really anything
wrong with her figure either, a little husky but he guessed that came with the territory.
"What is it, Jet?" VT asked suddenly. Jet snapped out of his thoughts and saw that VT was
tapping her finger on the table, looking throughly unamused. He realized he must have been
staring at her that whole time, and looked away sharply. "Nothing I was just, wondering how old
you are VT. I'm not too good at judging age." Jet lied, hoping it covered him well enough.
VT smirked a bit more, leaning closer to Jet. "How old do you think I am?" VT asked plainly,
smiling as Jet rubbed his bald head. "Oh, I dunno. I'd say maybe..38?" Jet stammered, trying
to sound like he believed it. He thought she must be more like thirty two, thrity five at most.
VT burst out laughing, almost throwing Zeros off of her. "You're right Jet, you're terrible at
judging age. If you were a handsome young guy I'd say you were trying to flatter me!" VT
exclaimed, laughing heartily as Jet scratched his head. It looked like his cover was safe, at
least. "How old ARE you then?" Jet asked, deciding he really would like to know. VT rested her
chin in her hand, looking at Jet with a smile. "Promise not to tell?" VT asked, cocking an
eyebrow. Jet matched smile and nodded, leaning closer. "Forty two." VT said plainly, smiling
wider as Jet almost fell over. She really didn't look a day over 30, in Jet's opinion. How could
she be over forty? She was almost ten years older than him, and she looked and acted a great
deal younger than he did. "Guess Spike was right after all." Jet admitted slowly, lighting
another cigg. "How's that?" VT questioned, looking suspicious. Had Spike been running his mouth
about her age? "He was trying to tell me earlier, that I need to stop acting so damn uptight and
relax a little. I guess he was right." Jet explained, chuckling a bit. "I mean I'm not even
forty yet, and I act a lot older than you do. You're lucky VT, you're very young at heart. I'd
go crazy throwing caution to the wind as much as the others do. You should be glad you're not
uptight and grumpy like me." Jet continued, smiling at the last sentence. VT smiled back,
a smile that belonged on a much younger woman. VT was somehow so enjoyable to be around,
he felt his tension lighten with every joke they told. And unknown to him, VT was thinking
that Jet was just as enjoyable to be with. He was the old-fashioned kind of man that was in
very short supply these days. In spite of herself, VT was beginning to think that perhaps
there was such a thing as romance after her husband.
Thw Swordfish glided low to the ground, as the Redtail soared high above it. Faye was
getting extremely tired of looking for these so-called getaway ships, and longed for a shower.
Even Ed's enthusiasm had drained away, as she mummered nonsense and balanced the laptop on her
head. She hatd being cramped up in such a small space, and wanted to run around outside.
The run-down shelter that used to be Ed's home passed by slowly, as Edward gazed out the window.
She'd been utterly bored and lonely all by herslf on Earth, she liked being on the Bebop so much
more, where Ein was always there to play with.
"I'm picking up another ship." Spike's voice crackled over the radio. The reception had been
terrible ever since they'd gotten down here, and the comm. units weren't working at all.
"It's probably just another civillian." Faye sighed, refusing to get her hopes up.
"Have Edward run a check, this could be rhe one." Spike's voice demanded.
Faye frowned wearily at the radio, but there was no harm in making sure, after all.
"Can you ID that ship on the radar?" Faye asked, as Edward stared at her blankly.
"Sure, sure. Ed will check." She replied sleepily. An insane grin formed on her face as
she typed away. "It's a match! spikey found a match!" Ed exclaimed, calling up the data.
"Alright! Finally!" Faye agreed, informing Spike. "That's the one, it's about time!" She
cheered, hearing Spike's eager voice respond. "Ok, I've got this one. You guys go and find Jet,
there's still one more out here somewhere." Faye looked confused, not wanting to go on another
search and miss all the fun. "Why do I have to go?" Faye whined, dreading the though of more
boredom. "Because this guy's going to see us following him, it'll be less suspicious with just
me. And as soon as he sees what's up he'll tell his friend, and then we'll never find the other
one." Spike explained, although he was glad it wasn't him that had to go and find the others.
"No way! You go find Jet!" Faye argued, gritting her teeth. "Do you think you can follow this
one without going overboard?" Spike's voice asked. Faye was angered by his insinuation, but
didn't have the energy to argue and simply growled at him, turning off the radio.
The Redtail pulled away as Spike smirked. She'd never keep herself from running the guy down
anyway. As he neared the ship, Spike weaved from side to side, slowly cutting the engines
down to minimum. He pushed the Swordfish into a dive, pulling up at the last second as the
Swordfish made a rough landing. As he'd hoped, the other ship landed soon after. A tall man
with wirey glasses and long blonde hair got out of the ship, cautiously approaching the
Swordfish. Spike opened the cockpit, grabbing his headphones and setting them to record.
He put them on and jumped out of the cockpit, startling the tall man as he began to stumble
around. Spike muttered things to himself in a slur, as he took wide staggering steps to the
other man. He stumbled past him, and let out a huge burp as he fell flat on his face.
A letter was in Spike's motionless hand, addressed to the owner the ship's ID had given.
Spike stayed that way until the man bent over him, inspecting Spike's motionless body
and then the letter. "You alright guy?" the man asked. "Got a letter here, for.." Spike
mummered, holding the letter out slowly. The man took it, peering closer at the address.
Spike held his hands over his head, gently pushing the record button on his headphones.
"It's for, Charlie Vernon, it's important.." Spike mummered again. The man scratched his head,
looking the letter over. "Well that's me, I guess I'll take it. had a bit too much to drink?"
Charlie replied, bending over to inspect Spike again. A gun was in hand this time, he wasn't
all that stupid. But Spike already had the evidence he needed, a positive ID had been made.
Spiek sprung to life, kicking the man's gun away as he cartwheeled to his feet. Two hard
punches knocked the man out cold, as Spike stood over him smirking. The radio in Charlie's
ship sparked to life, as someone's voice called for him. Spike grabbed the radio, mimicking
Charlie's low, gravely voice as best he could. "Where are you? The police are searching Earth
we've gotta split!" The other man shouted. "I know." Spike replied, not sounding very much like
Charlie, but with the reception being so bad it wuldn't matter that much. "Two of them were on
my tail just now, I had to lose them. Where are you?" Spike asked, hoping that Charlie's partner
was as dumb as he had been. spike wasn't disapointed, as Charlie's partner gave his location and
advised him to hurry. Spike would most certainly do that, as he climbed into the Swordfish and
and picked up the radio. "Faye, did you find Jet?" Spike asked as the thrusters lifted
him back into the air. There was silence, then came Faye's dismayed voice. "Yeah, but the other
ship's getting away!" Faye cried. Spike frowned, realizing he hadn't fooled Charlie's pal
one bit. "Jet and VT saw him take off, I'm going after him! Did you get the other one!"
Faye's voice screamed, as Spike heard the Redtail taking off over the radio.
"Yeah, I got him." Spike answered, looking at the uncoscious man next to him. "And a record of
him admitting his ID. Don't let the other one get away!" Spike shouted to Faye, speeding up as
he saw a ship in the distance. It was pretty high up already, catching it would be a challenge.
Faye looked back at the Hammerhead behind her, hoping Jet's old ship could keep up with her.
There was no way she was going to let this bounty slip away, she hadn't spent all day in
the scorching heat for nothing. The ship accelerrated away from her, leaving a trail of small,
metallic spheres. The ship's computer warned her that they were explosives, as Faye scowled and
veered away. The Hammerhead followed suit, as one of the spheres brushed past the hull.
VT gasped as the explosion rocked the ship, and looked over at Jet, who was stoically
fighting to keep the ship steady. "Why is it that everytime I see you guys, something gets
blown up?" VT asked, sounding more sarcastic than concerned. "Just lucky I guess." Jet countered
dryly, as he aimed the harpoon. In a few seconds the ship would be out of his range, and Faye's
ship was behind his now. It was now or never. The computer was taking it's time getting a lock
on the ship, and with all the spheres floating around them, it was too dangerous to aim
manually. If the harpoon hit even one of those spheres, there would be no more harpoon. Maybe
no more Hammerhead either. He had one shot. Jet glanced over at VT, who was looking at him with
narrow eyes, as if he was taking entirely too long. Jet remembered what Spike had said, and
how VT seemed so much more youthful than him even though she was years older. Jet took a deep
breath, and decided he couldn't do it. There was too much risk, if he just took the shot,
he'd miss and they'd be out four million wulongs. "Guess there's really no hope for this old
dog." Jet muttered, as the computer lost the ship again. VT suddenly lunged over, grabbing
Jet's hand. "Just go for it!" She shouted at him, bringing his hand and her own down on the
trigger. The harpoon shot clean through the field of spheres, imapling the ship's hull. It had
barely missed the engines, and the ship was losing speed. If it came any closer, the ship would
hit it's own mines and they'd be toasted along with it. Jet looked at VT in shock, as she
smirked knowingly at him. "You just have to go for it sometimes." VT lectured, nodding at Jet.
Jet blinked as he smiled back at her, seeing that she still held his hand.
Faye was slowly manuevering through the spheres, reaching the ship without incident.
Jet looked at his hand, on top of VT's own, then at the harpoon. It had been a helluva shot,
betterthan he could have hoped for if the computer had aimed for him. But they were stuck now,
reeling the harpoon in would certainly detonate one of the spheres, and Faye couldn't bring the
ship down without doing the same. "Well, this should be interesting." Jet commented, sighing as
Faye's voice came over the radio. "Jet! I can't get him down, there's mines everywhere!"
Faye whined, sounding completely out of ideas. So was Jet. VT shrugged her shoulders, indicating
that she was fresh out as well. Jet grimaced and looked out the window. Where the hell was
Spike?
Spike arrived just in time to see the harpoon launch, whistling as it found it's mark.
"That's a nice one Jet." Spike mused, surveying the situtation as he brought the Swordfish
alongside the Hammerhead. He waved to Jet just as Jet looked out his window, pointing
up to the spheres. Spike nodeed, set the autopilot and popped the hatch. It was a good thing
the ship hadn't made it out of the atmospehere, his floating act would be useless in this
situation. Spike deftly stepped onto the Hammerhead's hull, and proceeded to climb up the
harpoon cable. The mines were everywhere, one wrong move and he'd be toast.
"Oh well, least I'm not bored anymore." Spike quiped, climbing up to the getaway ship.
The cable was swaying back and forth, swinging him dangerously close to the spheres.
Faye was watching him from her ship, her face showing heavy concern. Spike kept thinking
about the money, the generous amounts of money they'd get when this was over. All he had to
do was get to the ship, and detatch the harpoon. Spike reached the top of the cable, as Faye's
cockpit opened. She stood ready to help, as he climbed onto the other ship.
The bounty decided to make a break for it, his ship was furthest from the mines. The thrusters
fired as Spike was shaken off the hull, falling back towards the spheres. Faye grabbed his leg
and held on tight, lifting him up to the Redtail. They both jumped inside and
Faye flew the ship away from the mines, looking back as the Hammerhead was pulled into them.
VT's jaw dropped as the spheres drew closer, this was it. "Aww damn, to hell with it!"
Jet announced, popping the hatch as reached for his gun. "What are you gonna do?" VT exclaimed
in shock, as Jet fired the gun. "I'm gonna just go for it." Jet answered, emptying the gun
as he shot holes around the harpoon. It was dislodged as Jet ran out of bullets, and fell back
towards then as Jet cut the engines. The Hammerhead fell away as the harpoon set off the mines,
explosions were everywhere. VT stared at Jet in disbelief as he grinned at her, reloading the
gun. The getaway ship fell as well, catching several mines on the way down. The pilot opened the
cockpit and jumped as his ship exploded behind him, landing heavily on the Hammerhead as Jet
brought the thrusters back up, stopping the ship inches from the ground. The man looked scared
out of his mind, and he had some cuts and bruises but he was alive. the bounty was all theirs.
VT grinned at Jet, giving him a thumbs up the Hammerhead touched down. Spike and Faye were
runnning over to meet them, as Jet opened the cockpit and gave Spike a nod. It had felt great,
really great to let go like that. It had been crazy, but maybe that's what Jet was missing.
A little bit of craziness could do him good. Jet took VT's hand as they stepped out of the ship,
watching Faye cuff the frightened bounty. VT gave him a warm smile, and Jet suddenly saw what
Spike had been talking about. VT, who was as reckless as any young person, was exactly the kind
of woman who could show him how to kick back and relax. He hadn't known before that's what he
needed, but he knew now.
Faye laughed gleefully as her share of the bounty was handed to her. It had most definetely
been worth it, she thought. Jet waved as VT's freighter pulled away from the Bebop, handing
a money card to Spike as well. "Well, that's that." Jet stated plainly, walking off the bridge
with a grin on his face. "What's he so happy about?" Faye inquired, giving a confused look
to Spike. "I have no idea, but be thankful he's happy." Spike answered, smirking as he
regarded the money card.
Jet walked to the hangear bay full of youthful spirit, he felt great. And it was going to get
better, he thought. He went into his room quickly, snatching up his tan suit and fedora as
he glanced around. He didn't want Faye or Spike to know about this, he'd never hear the end of
it. he changed quickly and went into the hangar, climbing into the Hammerhead as he began
humming. As he lifted off, he wondered what she would be wearing, if she remembered where to
meet, and if he really had a chance at making this one last. Jet flew the ship down to
Venus, making sure he had enough time before the Bebop left orbit. It would be at least an hour,
plenty of time for a chat and maybe a few drinks. He landed the Hammerhead near
the water fountain, checking himself over nervously as he waited. The restaurant was right
across the street, now she just needed to show up. Jet began to doubt that she would,
shaking the ideas from his head as he waited. Jet looked down at his watch, and when
his gaze shifted back to the restaurant, there she was. The overalls replaced by a long skirt
and a sleevless top with leopard spots printed all over it. Her hair was hanging down,
no longer tucked under the hat she always wore. A single necklace graced her body, shimmering
in the fading light as nightfall came. "Hey there, old timer." VT greeted, smiling as Jet
walked over to her. "Hello yourself, young lady." Jet replied, smiling back as she took his
arm. "Can I offer to treat you to dinner? Although I can't imagine what you'd want with an old
guy like me." Jet asked, grinning as VT cocked an eyebrow. "I'm sure I'll find something, and
yes, you better." VT said, as they strolled into the restaurant together. Jet breathed a
silent sigh of relief, glad that she'd shown up. Asking her to meet him in the first place
had been difficult, but it was getting easier with every passing moment. All he had to do was
relax, and not worry so much.
YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS........................................................
SPIKE: This is just perfect...Hey Jet, did you hear?
JET: Hear what?
SPIKE:About the next episode, we dont' get to do anything!
JET: What? You're kidding! Then what's it going to be about?
ED: It is a secret!
FAYE: That's right Edward, don't tell anyone.
SPIKE: Come on Faye! Just a hint?
JET: Yeah, you can tell us that at least!
FAYE: Ok, here's a hint. It's all about me!
SPIKE and JET: HUH?
ED: The next episode is, Amnesia girl blues, part one!
FAYE: Finally, I get my own episode! No one's allowed to miss it!
Spike slouched in boredom, as he surfed through a hundred channels. There was absolutely
nothing on the T.V. Annoying, loud commercials, boring news reports and idiotic people selling
even more idiotic merchandise. Spike stretched out on the couch, glancing at the wall clock as
he leaned back. He had another hour until Big Shots, it seemed best to sleep for a bit.
Spike's eyes started feeling heavy, as he began to nod off. He was still awake enough to hear
faint gunshots a few decks below, Ed was starting her gun lessons today. He and Jet had helped
Faye convert yet another newly discovered room, it was now a shooting range of sorts.
Spike wondered briefly how she was doing, and thought about going down to see. But he was
much too comfortable at the moment, he could just go down later.
Jet's metal boots awoke Spike, as his partner slowly entered the rec room. Spike craned his
neck to watch Jet, as he trudged over to the viewport. Jet lit a cigarette and sat down heavily
in a chair. He gazed out into space as Spike continued watching him. Jet glanced over at Spike
briefly, as if he wanted to talk but didn't know what to say. Spike blinked, scratching his
head. Jet was acting really strange, almost depressed. He couldn't even remember the last time
Jet had come and found him without having a lecture or a bounty ready. Jet continued staring at
the viewport, looking genuinely depressed. The silence lasted for a few minutes, until Spike
finally stood up, lighting a cigg as he spoke. "Hey Jet," Spike greeted, walking over to his
friend. "Sorry if I woke you." Jet mumbled back, as Spike sat down next to him. Spike shook his
head, indicating that it wasn't a problem. Spike gazed out of the viewport as well, trying to
think of something to say. Jet glanced at him again, sheepishly this time. Spike met his gaze,
smirking slightly as he prepared to speak. Jet spoke first, turning himself towards Spike. "Hey
Spike?" Jet asked, sounding unusually hesitant. Spike cocked an eyebrow, indicating that he was
listening.
Jet smiled a bit, seeming more relaxed as he began. "Did you ever...I mean before you came
back, did you ever think that maybe Julia wasn't for you?" Spike's eyes narrowed, as memories
flooded his mind. He turned back to the viewport, the smirk fading. "That's an odd question
coming from you." Spike replied, lighting another cigarette. Jet frowned slightly, he felt
uncomfortable as hell asking Spike anything about his past. Out of all of them, Spike's past had
been the hardest to bury. It had come back to consume him more than once, and almost
suceeded. Jet knew he had no right to ask Spike to remember that time, but there
was no one else. "And, yes." Spike answered at last. He was gazing stoically at the stars
whizzing by outside. Jet blinked in surprise, Spike had always been so steadfast in his search
for Julia. It seemed unthinkable that he would've been that devoted to someone unless he was
certain of her love. "Oh.." Jet stated plainly, lighting another smoke as he leaned back in the
chair. "So then, why.." Spike turned back to Jet, his face rigid with hidden emotion. "Why did I
chase her through half the galaxy, you mean?" Spike cut in, knowing what Jet was getting at.
Although he still didn't know why Jet was interested, or why he seemed so down. Spike took a
deep breath, preparing to spin another of his stories. It seemed that whenever he and Jet talked
about things, they were always sitting right here, gazing out at the heavens. Jet nodded
slightly, and waited for the story. "It was because...I needed to know she was alive. Not that
she wasn't dead, but that she ever existed at all." Spike began, taking glances towards the door
every few moments. He'd hate it if anyone happened to walk in on such a conversation.
"It was the only way I could seperate reality from illusions, she was the only real thing I'd
ever known back then." Spike continued, taking long, slow drags between sentences.
"I thought that if I could find her, actually see her again, touch her skin, hold her in my
arms. I thought that would mean she was real, and that I was real. That there was one thing,
just one goddamn good thing in my life that I hadn't lost when I left the syndicate." Jet
nodded a bit, understanding just enough to follow Spike's meaning. "But it was never even her I
was looking for. I loved her, she loved me, and I thought that simple fact could save us. I
thought nothing could be wrong if we were together. But seeing her again didn't make everything
better. It just reminded me of what I'd left behind,the life I'd given up for this one. And then
I realized that it wasn't even about Julia anymore, because when she died I knew nothing would
bring her back. But I still had to go, I know now that Julia was never what I needed, what I
needed was to move past her, past all of it. I needed to know why she never came to meet me, and
what had happened after I'd left. It was never me that couldn't let go of the old life, Jet. I'm
the one that left after all. It was my old life that couldn't let me go. After Julia was gone it
was all about Vicious, the things he'd been doing, the lives he was ending just to lure me to
him. I realized I could never get rid of that old life, if I hadn't destroyed it, it would have
destroyed me, maybe you guys too. That's how I could finally face him and win, for the first
time I cared about someone besides me."
Jet grimaced a bit, he could tell Spike was dragging up memories he didn't want anymore.
"Spike, I'm sorry I'm making you remember all this." Jet apologized, casting his eyes
downwards. Spike smirked a bit, thinking Jet looked like the biggest aologizing kid he'd ever
seen. "It's ok, Jet. What's the problem?" Spike asked, giving Jet a knowing glare. Jet chuckled
slightly, seeing that he wasn't fooling Spike. "I just, wanted to ask you.." Jet began, acting
sheepish again as he rested a hand on his head. "Yeah?" Spike asked again, growing impatient.
He was ok with swaping stories, as long as he wasn't the only one telling them.
"How, do you know Julia wasn't for you, and that Faye is?" It was Spike's turn to chuckle, as
he realized why Jet was looking so blue. The old dog was actually getting a little lovesick.
"What's so funny?" Jet demanded, looking embarrased as he saw the jig was up.
"Oh nothing at all, and as for the question.." Spike answered, lighting yet another cigarette.
Jet did the same as they watched the stars for a moment, before Spike spoke again.
"I know now, because Julia's dead and Faye's not." Spike replied simply, leaning his chair
back. Jet raised an eyebrow, his eye twitching slightly. "That's ALL?" Jet asked, obviously
disapointed with Spike's answer. "Well, that's just how things happen, Jet." Spike explained,
smirking at Jet's reaction. "I mean sure I thought about Faye evrey now and then, I knew how
she felt. And there were times I thought Julia was lost to me, and that searching was
pointless." Jet nodded again, crossing his arms as he repeated his question. "So how did you
KNOW, Spike? What made you sure?" Spike held back more chuckles, as he tried to put his answer
into simpler terms. "I didn't, I don't think anyone does. You never know who's wrong until the
right one shows up, then if you just keep doing what you think is best, things just work out.
It's like karma." Jet tapped his finger on his leg, looking slightly annoyed. "So basically what
you're saying Spike, is that you have to meet the right woman before you can know which ones are
wrong for you?" Spike nodded, a goofy smirk on his face. To a logic-worshiping hardass like
Jet, that kind of thing was just plain ludicrous. But that was life, some things you just have
to feel your way through. "That's ludicrous." Jet stated, shaking his head. Spike shrugged his
shoulders, looking back out at the stars. "The reason I ask, " Jet said quietly, getting up. "Is
because I think I missed mine." Spike blinked in surprise, as he realized he'd been right.
"Sorry to have disturbed you." Jet apologized again, walking towards the door. "Jet." Spike
called after him, still sitting in the chair. Jet said nothing, but stopped all the same. "Let
me explain one more time. You know how I like strong women right? The kind that can survive on
their own without needing someone to do every little thing for them? I've always wanted one of
those, with a lot of skill. And tough, strong enough so that if either of us were in trouble,
one of would always be able to bail the other out. Julia wasn't like that at all, but she loved
me. She seemed so alive to me, so happy to know me. I wanted to live so she would be happy
forever. But she was in over her head at the syndicate, she couldn't handle herself well enough.
I'd decided to settle for someone who loved me, and forget the dream of having the perfect girl
for me. Then Julia died, and I realized I couldn't have protected her, there was nothing I could
have done. That's why I wanted a strong woman in the first place. To prevent that kind of pain.
As sson as Julia was gone, and then Faye broke down when I left...I knew then that she loved me,
and I loved her too. But I had to go and become a real person first. I had to make sure I was
free to live my new life, by burning away the old one."
Jet glanced back at Spike, who hadn't moved from his chair. He looked even more annoyed now.
"Spike, I understand that's how it went but it doesn't help me at all." Jet grumbled, opening
the door. "Sure it does, you're just taking it all wrong." Spike quiped back."Forget it, I
don't know what made me think you'd be any help. I must be really desperate." Jet growled as he
walked out. "You wanna know how to find the right girl, Jet?" Spike called again, standing up
as he continued to gaze out the viewport. Jet stopped again, having enough patience for one more
stupid piece of advice. "Do what you need to do, to be ready for her. And she'll present
herself." Spike said, sounding more thoughtful and serious than he had just a few seconds ago.
The words stayed with Jet as he walked down the corridor. Spike smirked, seeing that Jet had
finally seen what his point had been. It was time for Big Shots too, as Spike sunk into the
couch and turned the T.V. on.
Faye watched approvingly as Ed reloaded her glock. She had already mastered the process of
ejecting an empty clip, replacing it with a fresh one and chambering the first bullet. She was
still having a bit of trouble with the safety catch, but that was all. "You're a natural,
Edward." Faye complimented, looking at the shredded target. Almost every shot was in the center
zone, a few had strayed off when Ed had sneezed suddenly but the rest were excellent.
Spike came in briskly, looking excited. "We've got a new hit, a big one." He informed Faye,
looking over her shoulder to admire the target. "Really? Great." Faye answered eagerly.
"Can Edward come too?" Ed asked, anticipating a chance to test her skills in real combat.
"Sure, we might need you." Spike assured her. "There's been an attack at one of the warp
gates near Earth, a lot of ships were damaged or taken out." Spike explained to Faye, as
Edward collected three clips and put them in her knapsack. "Well they must have some idea
who did it, otherwise they can't put a bounty on anyone right?" Faye pointed out, giving Spike
a cynical look as she put her lucky red jacket on. "Actully they have no leads on that." Spike
said, scrathcing his head. He'd meant it when he said they might need Ed. Faye blinked,
confused about how they could collect a bounty when there was nothing to go on. "So then,
how can we possibly find the bounty?" She asked quizzically. "Because we've got an inside
track." Spike explained, smirking wide. "VT was on a supply route to Earth, her ship wasn't
hit that bad but she's there with a few other truckers. They're helping the police clean up the
mess." Ed turned towards them, interested in the story. "And?" Faye asked critcally, searching
for a point in all this information. "And, she just called. She says she saw two ships pull away
from the gateway just before she would have gone in.
She's got a positive ID on the owners, but she's been getting almost no work lately.."
Faye's eyes lit up as she realized what a chance they'd been handed. "And she told the police
she couldn't ID the ships in time, right?" Faye offered, grinning as Spike nodded. "She's
sitting on the rest, she'll give the info to us for sixty percent." Faye's grin faded as she
gritted her teeth."Sixty? That's too much!" She shrieked, expecting they'd have just enough to
keep themselves going, no spending money for Faye this time. "Well without her we'd have no
chance, and forty percent of ten million wulongs is still worth a shot. "Ten MILLION?!" Faye
shrieked again, her grin reappearing and doubling in size. "That's still four million
wulongs!!" Spike nodded again, grinning as well. "It's going to be hell finding them, but
what else do we have to do?" Spike remarked, seeing Ed eagerly waiting for them at the door. Her
knapsack was tightly strapped to her back, she was ready to go. "Let's get to work then." Faye
suggested, grabbing an extra glock just in case.
Jet was in the hangar, tuning up Ed's ship even though there was nothing wrong with it.
It was busy work, a task Jet had given himself so that he wouldn't have to think about what
Spike had said. Was Spike right? Was he somehow not ready for a relationship, even at his
age? "Damnit, this is stupid!" Jet shouted, tossing the wrench away. It floated through the air,
coming to rest near the Redtail. Jet knew he wasn't really lonely, just old. He was afraid he
was too old to be attractive to anyone anymore. That's all it was. Jet tried to believe that,
but couldn't. He had been thinking about Elisa more than usual lately, a lot more. She had been
the core of his life, he had been able to endure anything as an ISSP officer, even the blatent
corruption as long as he could come home to her at night. And in the end it had been his
own overprotective ways that had made her leave. Jet thought about that for a minute,
and applied it to what Spike had told him. Spike had always wanted a strong, capable woman,
someone who he could leave alone knowing she could take care of herself. Elisa had been that
kind of person, she was very strong and had always enjoyed doing things on her own. He had
made it hard for her to do that, always providing everything for her, never thinking that she
might be unhappy because if it. That really hadn't ever occured to him. He was brought up to
believe that a man takes care of his woman, that it's his job to keep her safe and happy.
Yet Spike seemed to make Faye extremely happy, as happy as she got at least. He never
checked up on her, they weren't some inseperable item. Faye still had her own life just as Spike
had his, and they never invaded the other's privacy. Jet crawled out from under the sack fisher,
letting himself free-float to the hangar door. His thoughts were jumbled as he restored the
gravity and opened the door. He found himself wandering the halls, thinking more than he
probably should have been. If Spike was right, then the problem was within himself and
nowhere else. Elisa had been independant, and being so shielded and protected had made her
unhappy, to the point where as much as she'd loved him, she had to leave. Which meant that
He had never wanted that kind of woman. His kind of woman wanted to be secure, to feel that
she was taken care of and protected. Elisa had not been his ideal woman by any standards,
he'd loved her for many other reasons but the kind of woman she was didn't fit the kind of man
he was. So his recent thoughts of Elisa being his one love, and that he'd somehow screwed up
wwere wrong. It would have happened sooner or later. And she had always lectured him on
loosening up, saying that he was too hard on himself and others. She had told him once that
he'd put himself in an early grave if he didn't learn to relax and stop trying to control every
little thing that happened. Jet found new meaning in her words now, and maybe he was too
uptight. But it was a good thing, with the company he kept. If he wasn't so serious, then that
would leave Ein as the sole source of practical sense.
Jet was jolted out of his thoughts as Faye came running up to him. "We've got a new bounty,
come on!" She shouted, running past him as Spike entered the hangar. Edward dashed in
behind him, cheering wildly. Jet chuckled and followed closesly behind Faye, hoping this bounty
would take his mind off things. He understood now that he'd have to loosen up a bit if he was
ever going to handle a relationship with anyone. Perhaps that's what he needed to change,
before his dream girl came into the picture. Jet hoped against hope that Spike knew what he
was talking about for a change, and hadn't gotten his advice from some samurai movie again.
Jet climbed into the Hammerhead as Spike's voice crackled over the radio, promising to
fill him in on the way to Earth. "This sounds big, Spike." Jet said plainly as the Hammerhead
lifted off. "Four million wulongs if we pull it off." Spike replied, sounding as enthusiastic as
Ed was. Edward was sitting beside him, bouncing up and down as she cheered about the exciting
adventure. Jet looked around as they left the Bebop, Earth was looming below, with a ton of
wreckage around it. "What a mess." Jet remarked, surveying the chaos. Freighters and police
cruisers were everywhere, and several medical ships were making trips back and forth to a
temporary gate that was standard procedure for something like this.
Spike and Faye veered off towards one of the freighters, as it slowly moved away from the
wreckage and headed towards the emergency installation. As Jet followed them, he heard
Spike and Faye conversing with someone over the radio. It was V.T. What did she have to do
with all this? Jet thought now wouldbe the perfect time to practice not worrying about things,
and figured he'd find out at some point.
VT greeted them at the station's hangar bay, waving to Jet as he entered last. "Long time no
see, old timer." She joked, offering a friendly smile. "Compared to you, I'm not that old at
all." Jet returned, laughing along with her. VT led the way to a small conference room, where
she explained to Jet and Faye exactly what they were going to be attempting. "They're on Earth
now, only we don't know where for sure." VT said, puffing on a cigg with the rest of them.
"So, we've only got the ID's on the ships to go by? That's not much.." Faye put in, hoping that
this really would be worth the trouble. "It'll be enough, the trick is that we have to prove it
was them." Spike commented, crouching down in one of the small folding chairs that were the
only things to sit in on the station. "My ship has the record of their ships taking off right
before the explosions." VT explained. "So as long as we can prove they were in those ships at
the time of the attack, we're home free." Faye put in, looking suspiciously at the drink pouch
she'd gotten from the vending machine. Spike looked at Jet breiefly, expecting the usual rant on
how stupid and unplanned all this was going to be. To his surprise Jet said nothing, but looked
to VT and said "Sounds like a plan, let's do it." VT nodded back at him, then looked over
at Faye. " I wouldn't drink that if I were you." She warned, as Faye stuck a straw into her
drink pouch. Faye looked up at her quizzically, feeling thirsty enough to drink almost anything.
"Those things will give you the worst case of the runs you'v ever had." V.T warned again, as
Faye's eyes widened. She promptly threw the pouch into the trash bin, deciding it was better
to wait. Ed sat on the floor and looked up as the pouch was thrown away. "Wasteful wasteful!"
She cried, pointing at Faye accusingly. "Sometimes it's better to waste than to risk your
health." Faye shot back, lighting a cigg. Ed frowned as she poined again. "But Faye Faye smokes!
Smoking is bad for Faye Faye's health!" Edward accused, as Faye glared at her. "Just let it go
Ed, it's no big deal." Jet said, leaning back in his chair. Spike and Faye both looked at Jet
like he was crazy, their eyes wide. Jet was taking things easy and refusing to nitpick anything.
It was creepy, just plain creepy. Jet blinked as he saw their reaction, and simply shrugged his
shoulders and smirked. "We should get headed out, before the cops start searching Earth
themselves." VT suggested, standing up and looking down at Ed. Zeros was held tightly in her
grip, purring softly as Ed nuzzled the cat. "Come on, Zeros." VT commanded, gently lifting
the cat up. "Zeros is cool! Edward wants a kitty too!" Edward exclaimed, grinning as Spike
frowned. Having a cat on the ship would be total chaos, the mutt was bad enough.
Spike stopped walking as he spied a bench, and pronptly sat down on it. He lit a cigarette as
his head ached, this job was giving him a bad feeling. There was far too many things that could
go wrong, and too little info to have any real chance at catching the guys. They had all split
up after touching down on Earth, deciding it was the best way to cover a lot of area fast.
Surprisingly, Jet hadn't said anything about the plan, but had simply started off to search.
They needed to find either of the ships VT had seen, preferrably both. It was a total needle
in the haystack deal, and Spike was getting sick of it. The four million wulongs was his sole
ambition, barely keeping him from calling it quits.
Jet was about to give up as well, as he walked down yet another empty street. This planet seemed
so dull at times, where was everyone? Jet lit a smoke and withdrew his comm. unit, trying to
reach one of the others. "You're wasting your time, Jet." VT called from behind him.
Jet turned around and saw her, with Zeros clinging to her shoulders. They both looked as bored
and ready to quit as he felt. "The gateway took some nearby satelites with it, it's impossible
to send transmissions down here right now." VT explained, lighting a cigg as she leaned
against the alley wall. Jet looked at her, grinning slightly. She wasn't too worried about any
of this, and she was older than him. Was it really so much better to just ease up and relax?
"So how do we reach the others?" Jet asked, feeling even more like giving up now.
VT crossed her arms, smirking a bit as she looked at Jet. "They'll show up sooner or later,
we should just find a place to wait." VT suggested, looking up and down the street to see if
anyone was coming. "That's it?" Jet questioned, no longer able to continue 'taking it easy'.
"We don't try to find them or reach them at all? We just wait?" Jet continued, feeling the
anxiety creeping back. VT blinked at him, surprised by the outburst. "What else is there?"
VT inquired, confused as to how someone who'd been laid back until a few seconds ago was
suddenly so worrisome. Jet thought about that for a minute, there really wasn't anything
to do. With no way of knowing how the others were doing, they had no new info at all.
"Let's go over what we've got so far." Jet suggested finally. VT slumped, not wanting to do
anything right now. "What could that possibly do to help?" VT answered, wishing that either
the crew or the bounties would show up soon. Jet sighed, seeing that his usual logical self
wasn't sitting well with VT "It'll kill some time, if nothing else. You said yourself we
should wait, right?" Jet offered, not knowing how much time they could kill with such small
amounts of information. "Ah what the hell, sure." VT agreed at last, walking over to a
small patio cafe. It was blazing hot out, and the shade of the tarp roofsmade Jet feel
a bit better as he followed VT They sat down at a table as Jet tried his comm. unit again.
"You just don't give up, do you Jet?" VT asked dryly, smiling all the while as Jet messed
with the control knobs. "It's the company I keep, they're contagious." Jet replied, chuckling
as comm. unit hissed static. VT smirked jokingly as she nodded, contagious was a nice word
to use for his crew, in her opinion. Sometimes they seemed totally insane. Jet was different
though, not that he was normal but at least he made good sense.
VT wondered for a minute how a man like him could be hopping galaxies with the likes of Spike
and Faye, and not have found himself a woman by now? "Say Jet, lemme ask you something." VT
said as Jet gave up on the comm. unit. "Sure, what is it?" Jet asked, a bit taken by VT wanting
to know anything about him. "You don't have a girl, do you?" VT asked, resting her elbows on the
counter. Jet blinked as he stood straight up,his jew dropped as his mind tried to find a reason
why she'd ask something likw that. he could only think of one. "Uhhh no, I don't. I used to, but
not for a long time now.." Jet answered, keeping his eyes fixed down on the table. "Why'd you
ask?" Jet inquired, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. VT cocked an eyebrow as her smirk
widened,she realized what Jet thought she had meant. "I was just wondering why an old timer like
yourself hasn't found himself a good woman by now, that's all." VT explained, laughing as Jet
realized he'd been way off. "Just haven't found the right one I guess, I'm kind of picky."
Jet continued, smiling a little. VT was rather fun to talk with, even though they'd never
met in person before today. She was old like him, but she didn't let it get to her like he did.
She didn't look much older than 30, it was more that her features weren't very feminine.
That was largely due to the way she dressed, in Jet's opinion. There wasn't really anything
wrong with her figure either, a little husky but he guessed that came with the territory.
"What is it, Jet?" VT asked suddenly. Jet snapped out of his thoughts and saw that VT was
tapping her finger on the table, looking throughly unamused. He realized he must have been
staring at her that whole time, and looked away sharply. "Nothing I was just, wondering how old
you are VT. I'm not too good at judging age." Jet lied, hoping it covered him well enough.
VT smirked a bit more, leaning closer to Jet. "How old do you think I am?" VT asked plainly,
smiling as Jet rubbed his bald head. "Oh, I dunno. I'd say maybe..38?" Jet stammered, trying
to sound like he believed it. He thought she must be more like thirty two, thrity five at most.
VT burst out laughing, almost throwing Zeros off of her. "You're right Jet, you're terrible at
judging age. If you were a handsome young guy I'd say you were trying to flatter me!" VT
exclaimed, laughing heartily as Jet scratched his head. It looked like his cover was safe, at
least. "How old ARE you then?" Jet asked, deciding he really would like to know. VT rested her
chin in her hand, looking at Jet with a smile. "Promise not to tell?" VT asked, cocking an
eyebrow. Jet matched smile and nodded, leaning closer. "Forty two." VT said plainly, smiling
wider as Jet almost fell over. She really didn't look a day over 30, in Jet's opinion. How could
she be over forty? She was almost ten years older than him, and she looked and acted a great
deal younger than he did. "Guess Spike was right after all." Jet admitted slowly, lighting
another cigg. "How's that?" VT questioned, looking suspicious. Had Spike been running his mouth
about her age? "He was trying to tell me earlier, that I need to stop acting so damn uptight and
relax a little. I guess he was right." Jet explained, chuckling a bit. "I mean I'm not even
forty yet, and I act a lot older than you do. You're lucky VT, you're very young at heart. I'd
go crazy throwing caution to the wind as much as the others do. You should be glad you're not
uptight and grumpy like me." Jet continued, smiling at the last sentence. VT smiled back,
a smile that belonged on a much younger woman. VT was somehow so enjoyable to be around,
he felt his tension lighten with every joke they told. And unknown to him, VT was thinking
that Jet was just as enjoyable to be with. He was the old-fashioned kind of man that was in
very short supply these days. In spite of herself, VT was beginning to think that perhaps
there was such a thing as romance after her husband.
Thw Swordfish glided low to the ground, as the Redtail soared high above it. Faye was
getting extremely tired of looking for these so-called getaway ships, and longed for a shower.
Even Ed's enthusiasm had drained away, as she mummered nonsense and balanced the laptop on her
head. She hatd being cramped up in such a small space, and wanted to run around outside.
The run-down shelter that used to be Ed's home passed by slowly, as Edward gazed out the window.
She'd been utterly bored and lonely all by herslf on Earth, she liked being on the Bebop so much
more, where Ein was always there to play with.
"I'm picking up another ship." Spike's voice crackled over the radio. The reception had been
terrible ever since they'd gotten down here, and the comm. units weren't working at all.
"It's probably just another civillian." Faye sighed, refusing to get her hopes up.
"Have Edward run a check, this could be rhe one." Spike's voice demanded.
Faye frowned wearily at the radio, but there was no harm in making sure, after all.
"Can you ID that ship on the radar?" Faye asked, as Edward stared at her blankly.
"Sure, sure. Ed will check." She replied sleepily. An insane grin formed on her face as
she typed away. "It's a match! spikey found a match!" Ed exclaimed, calling up the data.
"Alright! Finally!" Faye agreed, informing Spike. "That's the one, it's about time!" She
cheered, hearing Spike's eager voice respond. "Ok, I've got this one. You guys go and find Jet,
there's still one more out here somewhere." Faye looked confused, not wanting to go on another
search and miss all the fun. "Why do I have to go?" Faye whined, dreading the though of more
boredom. "Because this guy's going to see us following him, it'll be less suspicious with just
me. And as soon as he sees what's up he'll tell his friend, and then we'll never find the other
one." Spike explained, although he was glad it wasn't him that had to go and find the others.
"No way! You go find Jet!" Faye argued, gritting her teeth. "Do you think you can follow this
one without going overboard?" Spike's voice asked. Faye was angered by his insinuation, but
didn't have the energy to argue and simply growled at him, turning off the radio.
The Redtail pulled away as Spike smirked. She'd never keep herself from running the guy down
anyway. As he neared the ship, Spike weaved from side to side, slowly cutting the engines
down to minimum. He pushed the Swordfish into a dive, pulling up at the last second as the
Swordfish made a rough landing. As he'd hoped, the other ship landed soon after. A tall man
with wirey glasses and long blonde hair got out of the ship, cautiously approaching the
Swordfish. Spike opened the cockpit, grabbing his headphones and setting them to record.
He put them on and jumped out of the cockpit, startling the tall man as he began to stumble
around. Spike muttered things to himself in a slur, as he took wide staggering steps to the
other man. He stumbled past him, and let out a huge burp as he fell flat on his face.
A letter was in Spike's motionless hand, addressed to the owner the ship's ID had given.
Spike stayed that way until the man bent over him, inspecting Spike's motionless body
and then the letter. "You alright guy?" the man asked. "Got a letter here, for.." Spike
mummered, holding the letter out slowly. The man took it, peering closer at the address.
Spike held his hands over his head, gently pushing the record button on his headphones.
"It's for, Charlie Vernon, it's important.." Spike mummered again. The man scratched his head,
looking the letter over. "Well that's me, I guess I'll take it. had a bit too much to drink?"
Charlie replied, bending over to inspect Spike again. A gun was in hand this time, he wasn't
all that stupid. But Spike already had the evidence he needed, a positive ID had been made.
Spiek sprung to life, kicking the man's gun away as he cartwheeled to his feet. Two hard
punches knocked the man out cold, as Spike stood over him smirking. The radio in Charlie's
ship sparked to life, as someone's voice called for him. Spike grabbed the radio, mimicking
Charlie's low, gravely voice as best he could. "Where are you? The police are searching Earth
we've gotta split!" The other man shouted. "I know." Spike replied, not sounding very much like
Charlie, but with the reception being so bad it wuldn't matter that much. "Two of them were on
my tail just now, I had to lose them. Where are you?" Spike asked, hoping that Charlie's partner
was as dumb as he had been. spike wasn't disapointed, as Charlie's partner gave his location and
advised him to hurry. Spike would most certainly do that, as he climbed into the Swordfish and
and picked up the radio. "Faye, did you find Jet?" Spike asked as the thrusters lifted
him back into the air. There was silence, then came Faye's dismayed voice. "Yeah, but the other
ship's getting away!" Faye cried. Spike frowned, realizing he hadn't fooled Charlie's pal
one bit. "Jet and VT saw him take off, I'm going after him! Did you get the other one!"
Faye's voice screamed, as Spike heard the Redtail taking off over the radio.
"Yeah, I got him." Spike answered, looking at the uncoscious man next to him. "And a record of
him admitting his ID. Don't let the other one get away!" Spike shouted to Faye, speeding up as
he saw a ship in the distance. It was pretty high up already, catching it would be a challenge.
Faye looked back at the Hammerhead behind her, hoping Jet's old ship could keep up with her.
There was no way she was going to let this bounty slip away, she hadn't spent all day in
the scorching heat for nothing. The ship accelerrated away from her, leaving a trail of small,
metallic spheres. The ship's computer warned her that they were explosives, as Faye scowled and
veered away. The Hammerhead followed suit, as one of the spheres brushed past the hull.
VT gasped as the explosion rocked the ship, and looked over at Jet, who was stoically
fighting to keep the ship steady. "Why is it that everytime I see you guys, something gets
blown up?" VT asked, sounding more sarcastic than concerned. "Just lucky I guess." Jet countered
dryly, as he aimed the harpoon. In a few seconds the ship would be out of his range, and Faye's
ship was behind his now. It was now or never. The computer was taking it's time getting a lock
on the ship, and with all the spheres floating around them, it was too dangerous to aim
manually. If the harpoon hit even one of those spheres, there would be no more harpoon. Maybe
no more Hammerhead either. He had one shot. Jet glanced over at VT, who was looking at him with
narrow eyes, as if he was taking entirely too long. Jet remembered what Spike had said, and
how VT seemed so much more youthful than him even though she was years older. Jet took a deep
breath, and decided he couldn't do it. There was too much risk, if he just took the shot,
he'd miss and they'd be out four million wulongs. "Guess there's really no hope for this old
dog." Jet muttered, as the computer lost the ship again. VT suddenly lunged over, grabbing
Jet's hand. "Just go for it!" She shouted at him, bringing his hand and her own down on the
trigger. The harpoon shot clean through the field of spheres, imapling the ship's hull. It had
barely missed the engines, and the ship was losing speed. If it came any closer, the ship would
hit it's own mines and they'd be toasted along with it. Jet looked at VT in shock, as she
smirked knowingly at him. "You just have to go for it sometimes." VT lectured, nodding at Jet.
Jet blinked as he smiled back at her, seeing that she still held his hand.
Faye was slowly manuevering through the spheres, reaching the ship without incident.
Jet looked at his hand, on top of VT's own, then at the harpoon. It had been a helluva shot,
betterthan he could have hoped for if the computer had aimed for him. But they were stuck now,
reeling the harpoon in would certainly detonate one of the spheres, and Faye couldn't bring the
ship down without doing the same. "Well, this should be interesting." Jet commented, sighing as
Faye's voice came over the radio. "Jet! I can't get him down, there's mines everywhere!"
Faye whined, sounding completely out of ideas. So was Jet. VT shrugged her shoulders, indicating
that she was fresh out as well. Jet grimaced and looked out the window. Where the hell was
Spike?
Spike arrived just in time to see the harpoon launch, whistling as it found it's mark.
"That's a nice one Jet." Spike mused, surveying the situtation as he brought the Swordfish
alongside the Hammerhead. He waved to Jet just as Jet looked out his window, pointing
up to the spheres. Spike nodeed, set the autopilot and popped the hatch. It was a good thing
the ship hadn't made it out of the atmospehere, his floating act would be useless in this
situation. Spike deftly stepped onto the Hammerhead's hull, and proceeded to climb up the
harpoon cable. The mines were everywhere, one wrong move and he'd be toast.
"Oh well, least I'm not bored anymore." Spike quiped, climbing up to the getaway ship.
The cable was swaying back and forth, swinging him dangerously close to the spheres.
Faye was watching him from her ship, her face showing heavy concern. Spike kept thinking
about the money, the generous amounts of money they'd get when this was over. All he had to
do was get to the ship, and detatch the harpoon. Spike reached the top of the cable, as Faye's
cockpit opened. She stood ready to help, as he climbed onto the other ship.
The bounty decided to make a break for it, his ship was furthest from the mines. The thrusters
fired as Spike was shaken off the hull, falling back towards the spheres. Faye grabbed his leg
and held on tight, lifting him up to the Redtail. They both jumped inside and
Faye flew the ship away from the mines, looking back as the Hammerhead was pulled into them.
VT's jaw dropped as the spheres drew closer, this was it. "Aww damn, to hell with it!"
Jet announced, popping the hatch as reached for his gun. "What are you gonna do?" VT exclaimed
in shock, as Jet fired the gun. "I'm gonna just go for it." Jet answered, emptying the gun
as he shot holes around the harpoon. It was dislodged as Jet ran out of bullets, and fell back
towards then as Jet cut the engines. The Hammerhead fell away as the harpoon set off the mines,
explosions were everywhere. VT stared at Jet in disbelief as he grinned at her, reloading the
gun. The getaway ship fell as well, catching several mines on the way down. The pilot opened the
cockpit and jumped as his ship exploded behind him, landing heavily on the Hammerhead as Jet
brought the thrusters back up, stopping the ship inches from the ground. The man looked scared
out of his mind, and he had some cuts and bruises but he was alive. the bounty was all theirs.
VT grinned at Jet, giving him a thumbs up the Hammerhead touched down. Spike and Faye were
runnning over to meet them, as Jet opened the cockpit and gave Spike a nod. It had felt great,
really great to let go like that. It had been crazy, but maybe that's what Jet was missing.
A little bit of craziness could do him good. Jet took VT's hand as they stepped out of the ship,
watching Faye cuff the frightened bounty. VT gave him a warm smile, and Jet suddenly saw what
Spike had been talking about. VT, who was as reckless as any young person, was exactly the kind
of woman who could show him how to kick back and relax. He hadn't known before that's what he
needed, but he knew now.
Faye laughed gleefully as her share of the bounty was handed to her. It had most definetely
been worth it, she thought. Jet waved as VT's freighter pulled away from the Bebop, handing
a money card to Spike as well. "Well, that's that." Jet stated plainly, walking off the bridge
with a grin on his face. "What's he so happy about?" Faye inquired, giving a confused look
to Spike. "I have no idea, but be thankful he's happy." Spike answered, smirking as he
regarded the money card.
Jet walked to the hangear bay full of youthful spirit, he felt great. And it was going to get
better, he thought. He went into his room quickly, snatching up his tan suit and fedora as
he glanced around. He didn't want Faye or Spike to know about this, he'd never hear the end of
it. he changed quickly and went into the hangar, climbing into the Hammerhead as he began
humming. As he lifted off, he wondered what she would be wearing, if she remembered where to
meet, and if he really had a chance at making this one last. Jet flew the ship down to
Venus, making sure he had enough time before the Bebop left orbit. It would be at least an hour,
plenty of time for a chat and maybe a few drinks. He landed the Hammerhead near
the water fountain, checking himself over nervously as he waited. The restaurant was right
across the street, now she just needed to show up. Jet began to doubt that she would,
shaking the ideas from his head as he waited. Jet looked down at his watch, and when
his gaze shifted back to the restaurant, there she was. The overalls replaced by a long skirt
and a sleevless top with leopard spots printed all over it. Her hair was hanging down,
no longer tucked under the hat she always wore. A single necklace graced her body, shimmering
in the fading light as nightfall came. "Hey there, old timer." VT greeted, smiling as Jet
walked over to her. "Hello yourself, young lady." Jet replied, smiling back as she took his
arm. "Can I offer to treat you to dinner? Although I can't imagine what you'd want with an old
guy like me." Jet asked, grinning as VT cocked an eyebrow. "I'm sure I'll find something, and
yes, you better." VT said, as they strolled into the restaurant together. Jet breathed a
silent sigh of relief, glad that she'd shown up. Asking her to meet him in the first place
had been difficult, but it was getting easier with every passing moment. All he had to do was
relax, and not worry so much.
YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS........................................................
SPIKE: This is just perfect...Hey Jet, did you hear?
JET: Hear what?
SPIKE:About the next episode, we dont' get to do anything!
JET: What? You're kidding! Then what's it going to be about?
ED: It is a secret!
FAYE: That's right Edward, don't tell anyone.
SPIKE: Come on Faye! Just a hint?
JET: Yeah, you can tell us that at least!
FAYE: Ok, here's a hint. It's all about me!
SPIKE and JET: HUH?
ED: The next episode is, Amnesia girl blues, part one!
FAYE: Finally, I get my own episode! No one's allowed to miss it!