Alright, this is the next chapter. Quick shout out to some folks, namely:
Jeril Dragonsoul, Jen, Thwarted Shani, and Dawn Moon. Ya'll guys made me
sit down and write this chapter, even if you don't know it. Stop whining
and accept your credit.
Disclaimer: I put this in the first chapter, do I really need it again?
XXXXX
Yanking said child upwards, Spike began to snarl at her. "Alright, Ed, I've had enough of your games. What are you-" Spike stopped, and the child smiled happily at him.
"Hello, Spikey".
Dreaming: Chapter 3
Spike recoiled, dropping the person he was holding. Lithely, the adolescent child landed on all fours, then slowly stood up.
"Hello again, Spikey".
Spike stuttered for a moment, finally managing to get a sentence out.
"Who the hell are you?" He demanded. The child frowned. "You don't remember me"? He asked.
Spike smiled slightly. He did, actually. "Well, that depends. When exactly did you dye your hair black, Ed?"
The child stared at him, taken aback. "My hair is naturally black, Spikey. Don't you remember me? And who's Ed, silly?"
Spike stared, mouth agape. This girl wasn't Ed? She looked just like her.no. She didn't. This child's hair was tousled still, but it was a good amount shorter, and it was dirty black, instead of a vivid red. Like Ed, the lack of shoes and socks was apparent, but the other clothes remained roughly the same. A dirty and smudged tank top coupled with a pair of bright orange shorts. Spike grabbed the child and pulled him out of the pile of junk.
"Where we going, Spikey?" The child asked, plaintively. Spike grunted, then gave a more literal response.
"I'm going to buy you food, and you're going to tell me where you know me from, and where everybody else is".
The child smiled happily at the thought of free food, saliva dripping from his lips. He wriggled out of Spike's hands and landed on the concrete sidewalk. "I can walk by myself now, see?" The child began a carousing lollygag, zooming around random people with arms outstretched. After several seconds of that, the child decided to walk normally. For ten seconds. Then he decided that he wanted a job in the Ministry of Silly Walks, and began trying out various styles. Sneaking a glance backwards, he checked to see if Spikey was laughing yet.
Spike wasn't, but was going to start any minute now. He had been having a crazy day so far, and this Not-Ed child Spike found made him realize how much he missed the old Bebop gang already. Unconsciously, Spike quickened his pace. The quicker Spike could buy food for the kid, the quicker he could get information on who he was and how he got frozen.
XXXXX
"Wow, Spikey!! This menu is really big!!! I can't read it, though. Different language. Will you translate for me?" The kid stared at Spike imploringly. Spike sighed, his head in his hands. Already he was beginning to regret this.
"Kid, the menu's upside down. Flip it over, and you can read it." A sudden CRACK made Spike look up; the kid had twisted his neck and turned his head upside down.
"Ooo..so much food. I can have anything I want, right?" Spike nodded, silently. Reaching down, he felt for his wallet. He didn't find it, and cursed under his breath. He remembered giving it to the drunk. Spike began to think very hard.
"Kid, I need you to order lots and lots of food, okay? I need to food to come out in waves." The kid giggled. He was a lot like Ed, actually. Except for the whole not knowing who Ed was, of course. The kid's happy words broke into Spike's reminiscing.
"Spikey.I wanna get this an this an this an this an this." He went on and on, pointing with his toes. Spike ignored the odd looks he was getting from the other patrons.
"I'll get you whatever you want, but first, I need you to answer some questions I have."
The kid put down the menu and looked at Spike through a circle made by his legs. "Okay, Spikey. I'll answer anything you want. Unless I don't want to answer. Or I don't know."
"That's good enough for me, kid. First, do you have a name?" The kid giggled.
"I have lots of names, Spikey. Do you want some of them?" Spike nodded. "Well, you can't have any. All my names are mine, not yours. Go find your own name, Spikey." Spike sighed. This was going to be a long day. The kid was instantly contrite. "Oh, I'm sorry, Spikey, I didn't know you would feel so bad..Here, you can have one of my names. I'm not using this one right now." Quickly, the kid ripped a piece of tablecloth off and produced a grimy pencil from somewhere. He scribbled something on it and tossed it to Spike.
Spike looked at it in astonishment. "Your name is Matthew Saunders McGee?" The kid gurgled his free water happily.
"Weren't you listening? I told you I wasn't using that name right now. So I gave it to you. Should I call you Matthew? WAIT!! I wanna call you McGee. Is that okay, McGee?"
Spike began to remember why he missed Jet and Faye more than he missed Ed. "No, you can't call me McGee. You're pushing it with the Spikey thing, kid. Take your name back and I'll rephrase my question. What should I call you?"
The kid stared at him through water glass binoculars. "Oooo.everything's so big..wow.."
Spike growled, his ire rising. "Kid.."
"Woww...hey, look at that lady!! She's got a gun.whee.."
Spike's head snapped around. This would be a good way to get information on what happened, at least. "Kid, where's the lady with the gun?"
"Whee.she's right over there, Spikey..vroom.." The kid pointed with his toes. Spike looked in the direction of the toes and saw the lady with the gun. She was very quietly emptying the till into her purse. Spike slowly got up and made his way over to her.
"Look out, Spikey!! She's got henchmen, and they're really big!! Oh wait, you're just as big as they are." The kid took the glasses off. "Now you're small..big.small.big.small." He fell off the chair with a loud crash. "Billy is dizzy..Everybody should stay the same size now, please." He fell asleep with a loud snore.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Spike quickly beat the total and utter crap out of the henchmen, ignoring how large they were supposed to be. When that enviable task was finished, he grabbed the gun from the lady. With a frightened look at her henchmen, she began to run for the exit. Spike attempted to shoot her, only to find that the gun was a bluff. Empty. Cursing, he tucked it into his waistband and began to follow her.
The chase wasn't very long or hard. As soon as she got to Spike's table, she fell with a large crash. Spike approached warily and saw that she managed to tangle her foot in Billy's lanky legs. Holding back a smile, Spike slung her over his shoulder. At least the kid was good for something, he thought. Picking Billy up by the shirt, he slung him over his other shoulder, and quickly exited the restaurant.
The clerk stared at the empty doorway, unsure of what had happened. Looking down, he saw that the bag full of money was missing.
"Um..sir?"
XXXXX
Spike walked down the street humming a jaunty little tune. He pulled the bag out from inside his shirt and opened it quickly. A rough appraisal put the value of the money within at around 3000 woolongs, though Spike would have to count it to be sure. He snapped the bag shut and tucked it back in its hiding place. Billy began to stir, so Spike dropped him on the walk unceremoniously. "Kid, start walking. I ain't carrying you all the way to the police station."
Billy prostrated himself on the ground and began to whine unmercifully. "Oh please, sir..don't turn me in. I only did it for my dear old ma. She be sitting in the junkyard sick and starving, and I only stole your wallet to pay for food and medicine and if I don't come back then she'll just die, sir, she'll just die." Spike kicked him softly.
"Get up, kid. You're making a scene and I'm not turning you in, anyway. Stop whining."
Billy looked up, and his face began to glow, tears gone. "Oh, hello, McGee. What are you doing there?"
Spike growled loudly and kicked the kid again. "Don't call me McGee, kid. C'mon, I'm going to the police station to turn this old bat in." The Old Bat began to kick and scream fitfully and Spike absentmindedly rammed his elbow into the pit of her stomach. "Go to sleep for a while, huh?" His answer was a snore, so he kept on walking. Making sure that Billy followed him, Spike turned around to see Billy snoozing on the sidewalk.
Spike picked him up and dropped him again. "Billy, wake up. We're leaving." Billy rubbed his eyes sleepily and got to his feet.
"But Spikey.You told me to go to sleep, remember? I'm so sleepy." Billy's head fell to his chest and a second snore escaped his lips.
Spike snarled at him. "This is why I don't like kids." He muttered. Picking the child up, he slung him back over his shoulder.
"Wheee.I'm flying." Billy muttered softly. Spike smiled grimly and began pushing on towards the police station where he could hopefully pick up some bounty, and perhaps even get some information on himself.
XXXXX
Alright, that's the third chapter done. I'm liking this, actually.
I gave the kid a name!! Woot. I chose Billy cause I could. So no, Billy isn't Ed. Sorry to burst anybody's bubble.
To answer somebody's question, No. Spike doesn't know it was all a dream. Not yet. I'm thinking he'll find out in the next chapter, though. I have no idea who'll tell him.
I've finally decided where I'm going with all of this. No idea where it'll end, but I've at least got a goal to work for. Will I tell you guys? Don't be stupid. If I did that, why would you read?
If you review, I'll try to get the next chapter out faster. If you do a good review, then I'll even mention your name. Is that enough for you skinflints?
I should be able to get the next chapter out by next Monday or so. Of course, I said last time that I would get THIS chapter out by Friday, and here it is Tuesday. I write faster than I think I do. So.the next chapter should be out sometime between tomorrow and Monday. Yeah.
Disclaimer: I put this in the first chapter, do I really need it again?
XXXXX
Yanking said child upwards, Spike began to snarl at her. "Alright, Ed, I've had enough of your games. What are you-" Spike stopped, and the child smiled happily at him.
"Hello, Spikey".
Dreaming: Chapter 3
Spike recoiled, dropping the person he was holding. Lithely, the adolescent child landed on all fours, then slowly stood up.
"Hello again, Spikey".
Spike stuttered for a moment, finally managing to get a sentence out.
"Who the hell are you?" He demanded. The child frowned. "You don't remember me"? He asked.
Spike smiled slightly. He did, actually. "Well, that depends. When exactly did you dye your hair black, Ed?"
The child stared at him, taken aback. "My hair is naturally black, Spikey. Don't you remember me? And who's Ed, silly?"
Spike stared, mouth agape. This girl wasn't Ed? She looked just like her.no. She didn't. This child's hair was tousled still, but it was a good amount shorter, and it was dirty black, instead of a vivid red. Like Ed, the lack of shoes and socks was apparent, but the other clothes remained roughly the same. A dirty and smudged tank top coupled with a pair of bright orange shorts. Spike grabbed the child and pulled him out of the pile of junk.
"Where we going, Spikey?" The child asked, plaintively. Spike grunted, then gave a more literal response.
"I'm going to buy you food, and you're going to tell me where you know me from, and where everybody else is".
The child smiled happily at the thought of free food, saliva dripping from his lips. He wriggled out of Spike's hands and landed on the concrete sidewalk. "I can walk by myself now, see?" The child began a carousing lollygag, zooming around random people with arms outstretched. After several seconds of that, the child decided to walk normally. For ten seconds. Then he decided that he wanted a job in the Ministry of Silly Walks, and began trying out various styles. Sneaking a glance backwards, he checked to see if Spikey was laughing yet.
Spike wasn't, but was going to start any minute now. He had been having a crazy day so far, and this Not-Ed child Spike found made him realize how much he missed the old Bebop gang already. Unconsciously, Spike quickened his pace. The quicker Spike could buy food for the kid, the quicker he could get information on who he was and how he got frozen.
XXXXX
"Wow, Spikey!! This menu is really big!!! I can't read it, though. Different language. Will you translate for me?" The kid stared at Spike imploringly. Spike sighed, his head in his hands. Already he was beginning to regret this.
"Kid, the menu's upside down. Flip it over, and you can read it." A sudden CRACK made Spike look up; the kid had twisted his neck and turned his head upside down.
"Ooo..so much food. I can have anything I want, right?" Spike nodded, silently. Reaching down, he felt for his wallet. He didn't find it, and cursed under his breath. He remembered giving it to the drunk. Spike began to think very hard.
"Kid, I need you to order lots and lots of food, okay? I need to food to come out in waves." The kid giggled. He was a lot like Ed, actually. Except for the whole not knowing who Ed was, of course. The kid's happy words broke into Spike's reminiscing.
"Spikey.I wanna get this an this an this an this an this." He went on and on, pointing with his toes. Spike ignored the odd looks he was getting from the other patrons.
"I'll get you whatever you want, but first, I need you to answer some questions I have."
The kid put down the menu and looked at Spike through a circle made by his legs. "Okay, Spikey. I'll answer anything you want. Unless I don't want to answer. Or I don't know."
"That's good enough for me, kid. First, do you have a name?" The kid giggled.
"I have lots of names, Spikey. Do you want some of them?" Spike nodded. "Well, you can't have any. All my names are mine, not yours. Go find your own name, Spikey." Spike sighed. This was going to be a long day. The kid was instantly contrite. "Oh, I'm sorry, Spikey, I didn't know you would feel so bad..Here, you can have one of my names. I'm not using this one right now." Quickly, the kid ripped a piece of tablecloth off and produced a grimy pencil from somewhere. He scribbled something on it and tossed it to Spike.
Spike looked at it in astonishment. "Your name is Matthew Saunders McGee?" The kid gurgled his free water happily.
"Weren't you listening? I told you I wasn't using that name right now. So I gave it to you. Should I call you Matthew? WAIT!! I wanna call you McGee. Is that okay, McGee?"
Spike began to remember why he missed Jet and Faye more than he missed Ed. "No, you can't call me McGee. You're pushing it with the Spikey thing, kid. Take your name back and I'll rephrase my question. What should I call you?"
The kid stared at him through water glass binoculars. "Oooo.everything's so big..wow.."
Spike growled, his ire rising. "Kid.."
"Woww...hey, look at that lady!! She's got a gun.whee.."
Spike's head snapped around. This would be a good way to get information on what happened, at least. "Kid, where's the lady with the gun?"
"Whee.she's right over there, Spikey..vroom.." The kid pointed with his toes. Spike looked in the direction of the toes and saw the lady with the gun. She was very quietly emptying the till into her purse. Spike slowly got up and made his way over to her.
"Look out, Spikey!! She's got henchmen, and they're really big!! Oh wait, you're just as big as they are." The kid took the glasses off. "Now you're small..big.small.big.small." He fell off the chair with a loud crash. "Billy is dizzy..Everybody should stay the same size now, please." He fell asleep with a loud snore.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Spike quickly beat the total and utter crap out of the henchmen, ignoring how large they were supposed to be. When that enviable task was finished, he grabbed the gun from the lady. With a frightened look at her henchmen, she began to run for the exit. Spike attempted to shoot her, only to find that the gun was a bluff. Empty. Cursing, he tucked it into his waistband and began to follow her.
The chase wasn't very long or hard. As soon as she got to Spike's table, she fell with a large crash. Spike approached warily and saw that she managed to tangle her foot in Billy's lanky legs. Holding back a smile, Spike slung her over his shoulder. At least the kid was good for something, he thought. Picking Billy up by the shirt, he slung him over his other shoulder, and quickly exited the restaurant.
The clerk stared at the empty doorway, unsure of what had happened. Looking down, he saw that the bag full of money was missing.
"Um..sir?"
XXXXX
Spike walked down the street humming a jaunty little tune. He pulled the bag out from inside his shirt and opened it quickly. A rough appraisal put the value of the money within at around 3000 woolongs, though Spike would have to count it to be sure. He snapped the bag shut and tucked it back in its hiding place. Billy began to stir, so Spike dropped him on the walk unceremoniously. "Kid, start walking. I ain't carrying you all the way to the police station."
Billy prostrated himself on the ground and began to whine unmercifully. "Oh please, sir..don't turn me in. I only did it for my dear old ma. She be sitting in the junkyard sick and starving, and I only stole your wallet to pay for food and medicine and if I don't come back then she'll just die, sir, she'll just die." Spike kicked him softly.
"Get up, kid. You're making a scene and I'm not turning you in, anyway. Stop whining."
Billy looked up, and his face began to glow, tears gone. "Oh, hello, McGee. What are you doing there?"
Spike growled loudly and kicked the kid again. "Don't call me McGee, kid. C'mon, I'm going to the police station to turn this old bat in." The Old Bat began to kick and scream fitfully and Spike absentmindedly rammed his elbow into the pit of her stomach. "Go to sleep for a while, huh?" His answer was a snore, so he kept on walking. Making sure that Billy followed him, Spike turned around to see Billy snoozing on the sidewalk.
Spike picked him up and dropped him again. "Billy, wake up. We're leaving." Billy rubbed his eyes sleepily and got to his feet.
"But Spikey.You told me to go to sleep, remember? I'm so sleepy." Billy's head fell to his chest and a second snore escaped his lips.
Spike snarled at him. "This is why I don't like kids." He muttered. Picking the child up, he slung him back over his shoulder.
"Wheee.I'm flying." Billy muttered softly. Spike smiled grimly and began pushing on towards the police station where he could hopefully pick up some bounty, and perhaps even get some information on himself.
XXXXX
Alright, that's the third chapter done. I'm liking this, actually.
I gave the kid a name!! Woot. I chose Billy cause I could. So no, Billy isn't Ed. Sorry to burst anybody's bubble.
To answer somebody's question, No. Spike doesn't know it was all a dream. Not yet. I'm thinking he'll find out in the next chapter, though. I have no idea who'll tell him.
I've finally decided where I'm going with all of this. No idea where it'll end, but I've at least got a goal to work for. Will I tell you guys? Don't be stupid. If I did that, why would you read?
If you review, I'll try to get the next chapter out faster. If you do a good review, then I'll even mention your name. Is that enough for you skinflints?
I should be able to get the next chapter out by next Monday or so. Of course, I said last time that I would get THIS chapter out by Friday, and here it is Tuesday. I write faster than I think I do. So.the next chapter should be out sometime between tomorrow and Monday. Yeah.
