For those of you who asked for longer chapters.you're about to get your
wish. This one is about 3 times the size of the rest of them. I hope it's
not too long. Anyway.On with the story.
Chapter 9: Where the Heart Is
"We write our own destiny. We become what we do."
Madame Chiang Kai-Shek
"Bebop, this is Redtail. Can you hear me, Jet?" Faye's voice came suddenly over the previously all too quiet communication system.
Jet sprang to his feet from his resting place on the couch. 'Just when I get used to having my couch back.' He grinned widely. "I hear you, Faye. I take it you want me to open the hangar then."
Jet could hear the smile in her voice as she responded. "Jet, you know you want to open that hangar because it's not unprecedented for me to make my own doors."
"Yeah." He grimaced at the memory of her blasting a whole in the hull and quickly hit the starship version of the garage door opener, allowing the Redtail to land. It was followed closely by another ship he didn't recognize but that seemed to be following Faye.
Jet proceeded to walk quickly down the hallways to the hangar, arriving just in time to meet his former crewmates as they climbed down from their vehicles. He smiled brightly, happy to have them back. "It's good to see both of you looking so well.
Ed spun from the wing of Andy's craft and scurried down the side racing to Jet and wrapping her arms around him in an enthusiastic bear hug. Jet grunted as the air was forced from his lungs all at once and patted Ed's head in response to her ecstatic, "Ed has missed Jet-person so, so, so, so much. Ed is very glad to see him."
He inhaled deeply before finding the breath to speak. "I somehow got that impression. It's good to see you too, Ed."
Faye approached then and in a very un-Faye-like move, reached to draw both her old friends into a group embrace. Jet's smile grew even bigger. "I guess Faye missed us too, Ed."
A loud yapping drew the trio's attention to Andy as she tried to simultaneously climb down from her ship and balance Ein without either of them falling. Abruptly, she dropped the rest of the way to the floor, landing lightly and released the hyper canine to his own devices. The dog raced to join the impromptu family gathering and it was with great pleasure that Jet realized they were now missing only one member of the crew. A mild sadness gnawed at him as he thought briefly of Spike but withdrew under the weight of his gratitude at having the rest of his friends returned to him.
"Well.This is nice. Are you going to introduce me or should I take that liberty myself?" Andy cut in, smirking at the touching scene before her. She was pleased to see that her friend's tough exterior really was only to protect her innermost feelings. 'She is human.'
Faye stepped back from Ed and Jet to gesture to Andy. "Sorry. This is Andy. She's a bounty hunter too. We worked together on a couple of cases on Earth and decided to become partners." Pointing to Jet, she said, "This is Jet. He'd hate it if he knew all the stories I've told you about him."
Jet turned a mildly irritated glare on Faye before taking Andy's hand and shaking it politely. "Good to meet you, Andy."
Andy grinned in response. "They were all good things anyway. Faye thinks a lot of you, despite what she might say." For her part, Faye did not deny Andy's words. She simply smiled and moved back to her ship to get her bags.
"Well, we don't have a lot of space here but you're welcome to stay for as long as you want." Jet was already playing the part of the gracious host.
"Thank you. I don't really know what the plan is at this point. Faye just said it was time for her to come back. She wouldn't go into details as to exactly what that meant."
Jet nodded. "That sounds like Faye." He looked to see Faye climbing back down from the Redtail.
She grinned. "Hey, Jet. Got anything to eat?"
He sighed. "Some things never change." He led the way down the hall to the living area. "Faye, see to it that Andy gets the grand tour and find a place for her to sleep."
Faye nodded and took Andy on a walking tour of the Bebop, beginning with the living room and ending with the back storage areas that no one ever went in.
Jet watched them start down the hallway before heading for the kitchen. He was almost out of the room when he heard the distinctive beep of the communication unit that indicated an incoming call. He pressed the button to answer and was surprised when Spike's tired face appeared on the screen. "Hey, Jet."
Jet shook his head to clear it before responding. "Hey. I wasn't sure we'd ever hear from you again."
The other man ran a self-conscious hand through his hair, sighing. "This is probably the last time I'll be able to contact you. I've been told it's not safe."
"And when have we ever done what was safe."
"Don't be like that, Jet. I have to do this. People I care about have died to protect the Red Dragons. Annie, Julia, Lin and Shin. They all died because Vicious became the leader of the Syndicate. I won't let anyone else die because another like him gains control. If I'm here, they can't be. And I don't want anyone to go after you because they know you're my friend." Spike had grown somewhat agitated as he spoke but now with his thoughts out in the open, he relaxed, waiting on Jet's response.
"So.You're not coming back."
Spike sighed again, even more heavily than before. "Nope. At least not for a long time."
Jet felt a great sadness settle over him as he realized that his family would never be complete again. He would be forever without the nearest thing to a brother he had ever had. He nodded silently, gathering his strength before speaking. "So that's it then."
Spike nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to let you know and.thank you, for everything you did." He smiled wistfully. "Even the food."
Jet smiled then too. "Stay safe, Spike."
Spike smiled. "Thanks.If you see Ed.and Faye.could you tell them good bye for me. Tell them that I was glad to know them."
"They're here. I can probably find them if you can wait a few minutes." Jet made as if to get up.
Spike shook his head. "I'm getting the cut-off sign. I gotta go. Tell them what I said?"
Jet sighed. "You've got it, Spike."
Without further comment, Spike leaned across the screen and hit the off button leaving Jet with the burden of his "farewells." He sighed again before climbing heavily to his feet and heading for the kitchen.
Jet was almost done preparing dinner when Faye and Andy appeared in the small dining room the crew had previously almost never used. Both women had changed clothes, trading provocative bounty hunting attire for more comfortable jeans and t-shirts. Jet carried plates into the dining room and almost dropped them as he caught sight of Faye. "Wow."
Faye threw him a quizzical glance. "What?"
"I'm just in shock. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen you wearing something that both wasn't yellow and contained that much fabric." Jet chuckled as he began setting places at the table.
Faye glared. "Thanks, Jet." She focused her stare on Andy as she discovered the other women grinning and trying valiantly to contain her laughter.
"I had no idea that that outfit was such an institution." Andy choked out around her stifled good humor.
"Oh, yeah. Faye's been wearing that since I met her." Jet walked back into the kitchen for silverware.
While he was gone, Ed skipped into the room with Ein hot on her heels. Girl and dog ran circles around the table, Ed with arms stretched out to either side making plane noises. Jet stepped through the door and almost collided with her, barely hopping back in time. "Ed! Stop that."
Ed paused long enough to give Jet a searching look before continuing on her way around the table.
Jet threw his hands up in frustration and returned to the kitchen to retrieve their food.
Faye sniffed delicately. "What's that smell, Jet? It can't possibly be your cooking."
Jet emerged from the other room with a casserole dish and placed it on the table before turning a disapproving look on Faye. "There is nothing wrong with my cooking. There never has been. The only problem I have is when I have nothing to work with. Bell peppers do not fine cuisine make."
Faye grinned. "I can definitely take being proven wrong when the result smells like that."
"Ed is hungry, Jet-person." Ed had finally stopped moving and was gazing hungrily at the casserole.
"Well, let's eat then." He pulled out a chair and sat as the others found their own chairs and joined him.
They ate in silence for several minutes until Ed asked, "Is Andy your real name?"
Andy laughed. "Andy is a nickname. My real name is Miranda."
Ed nodded, satisfied and returned to her food.
Jet sat quietly, lost in thought. 'I never knew anything like that about Ed, or Faye.or Spike. I never asked but I should have.' He spoke. "How did you get into bounty hunting, Andy?"
Andy's lips curled into a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. Jet was about to apologize and tell her he was just making conversation when she answered. "It's not a very happy story. I actually used to be a teacher, fourth grade. I was happily married and the world seemed like a beautiful, wonderful place. Then two years ago, there was a bank robbery. My husband was one of the assistant managers on duty that day. He tried to keep them from shooting a pregnant teller that couldn't stop crying and they killed him for his trouble. After that, I was too angry to be an effective teacher so I decided to find a job where I could put people like the ones who killed my husband in jail where they belong. It came down to being a cowboy or applying for the ISSP. Cowboys don't have nearly the rules to follow that ISSP does, plus they pay better." She paused and tried to smile again. "So, I sold everything I owned, bought a ship, and started hunting bounty heads."
The room was utterly silent after Andy finished her tale. "I'm sorry. It was none of my business."
Andy patted Jet's arm reassuringly. "It's ok. I don't mind telling all of you."
"On that note.anyone else want a beer?" Faye pushed her chair back and headed for the kitchen. Ed opened her mouth to speak. "Not you, Ed." Her mouth closed and she pouted her disappointment.
"Ed is big girl now."
"Ed is still talking about herself in the third person." Faye threw back from the kitchen. "Andy? Jet?" Two voices sent a unison "yes" back to her. Faye returned moments later with three beer bottles in hand.
Jet waited for Faye to take a couple sips before relating the message he'd been given earlier. "I got a call earlier."
"Yeah? Who from?" Faye took another sip before settling her drink on the table in front of her.
"Spike." He waited for her reaction.
"Oh." She paused. "What did he have to say?"
"He called to say goodbye. He said I should tell you and Ed that he was glad to have known you."
"And he couldn't wait and talk to Ed and I himself?" Faye's voice was tinged with anger.
"He said it was dangerous for him to contact us. He didn't want anyone to come after us because we know the leader of the Red Dragons."
"You know the what!" Andy stiffened in her chair and her face paled considerably.
Jet turned to face Andy at her sudden outburst. "Spike Spiegal."
Andy turned angrily to Faye. "How come you neglected to mention that you're connected to the Syndicate?"
Faye stared at her partner for a moment before answering. "We're not really connected. Spike was a member of the crew up until just shortly before I met you. Because of circumstances that I don't entirely understand and really don't feel like going into right now, he killed the last leader of the Red Dragons. Apparently that means he has to take his place. We didn't even know if he was going to survive the injuries he sustained during their fight until about a week ago." She paused and blinked rapidly turning her face from away from her friends. "I guess he's really not coming back."
Jet answered quietly. "I'm sorry, Faye. He's not."
She nodded and turned back to Andy. "You don't have to worry about the Syndicate. We won't have anything to do with them." Jet nodded.
"No more Spike-person?" Ed asked with the voice of a terrified girl half her age.
"It'll be ok, Ed." Jet reached a protective arm around the young hacker's shoulders. She sniffled quietly.
"Excuse me." Faye climbed to her feet and walked quickly down the hall to her old room.
"He must really be something special." Andy gave Jet a sympathetic smile.
He returned it unevenly. "Yeah. He was something."
tbc (wow. that was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. reviews please.)
Chapter 9: Where the Heart Is
"We write our own destiny. We become what we do."
Madame Chiang Kai-Shek
"Bebop, this is Redtail. Can you hear me, Jet?" Faye's voice came suddenly over the previously all too quiet communication system.
Jet sprang to his feet from his resting place on the couch. 'Just when I get used to having my couch back.' He grinned widely. "I hear you, Faye. I take it you want me to open the hangar then."
Jet could hear the smile in her voice as she responded. "Jet, you know you want to open that hangar because it's not unprecedented for me to make my own doors."
"Yeah." He grimaced at the memory of her blasting a whole in the hull and quickly hit the starship version of the garage door opener, allowing the Redtail to land. It was followed closely by another ship he didn't recognize but that seemed to be following Faye.
Jet proceeded to walk quickly down the hallways to the hangar, arriving just in time to meet his former crewmates as they climbed down from their vehicles. He smiled brightly, happy to have them back. "It's good to see both of you looking so well.
Ed spun from the wing of Andy's craft and scurried down the side racing to Jet and wrapping her arms around him in an enthusiastic bear hug. Jet grunted as the air was forced from his lungs all at once and patted Ed's head in response to her ecstatic, "Ed has missed Jet-person so, so, so, so much. Ed is very glad to see him."
He inhaled deeply before finding the breath to speak. "I somehow got that impression. It's good to see you too, Ed."
Faye approached then and in a very un-Faye-like move, reached to draw both her old friends into a group embrace. Jet's smile grew even bigger. "I guess Faye missed us too, Ed."
A loud yapping drew the trio's attention to Andy as she tried to simultaneously climb down from her ship and balance Ein without either of them falling. Abruptly, she dropped the rest of the way to the floor, landing lightly and released the hyper canine to his own devices. The dog raced to join the impromptu family gathering and it was with great pleasure that Jet realized they were now missing only one member of the crew. A mild sadness gnawed at him as he thought briefly of Spike but withdrew under the weight of his gratitude at having the rest of his friends returned to him.
"Well.This is nice. Are you going to introduce me or should I take that liberty myself?" Andy cut in, smirking at the touching scene before her. She was pleased to see that her friend's tough exterior really was only to protect her innermost feelings. 'She is human.'
Faye stepped back from Ed and Jet to gesture to Andy. "Sorry. This is Andy. She's a bounty hunter too. We worked together on a couple of cases on Earth and decided to become partners." Pointing to Jet, she said, "This is Jet. He'd hate it if he knew all the stories I've told you about him."
Jet turned a mildly irritated glare on Faye before taking Andy's hand and shaking it politely. "Good to meet you, Andy."
Andy grinned in response. "They were all good things anyway. Faye thinks a lot of you, despite what she might say." For her part, Faye did not deny Andy's words. She simply smiled and moved back to her ship to get her bags.
"Well, we don't have a lot of space here but you're welcome to stay for as long as you want." Jet was already playing the part of the gracious host.
"Thank you. I don't really know what the plan is at this point. Faye just said it was time for her to come back. She wouldn't go into details as to exactly what that meant."
Jet nodded. "That sounds like Faye." He looked to see Faye climbing back down from the Redtail.
She grinned. "Hey, Jet. Got anything to eat?"
He sighed. "Some things never change." He led the way down the hall to the living area. "Faye, see to it that Andy gets the grand tour and find a place for her to sleep."
Faye nodded and took Andy on a walking tour of the Bebop, beginning with the living room and ending with the back storage areas that no one ever went in.
Jet watched them start down the hallway before heading for the kitchen. He was almost out of the room when he heard the distinctive beep of the communication unit that indicated an incoming call. He pressed the button to answer and was surprised when Spike's tired face appeared on the screen. "Hey, Jet."
Jet shook his head to clear it before responding. "Hey. I wasn't sure we'd ever hear from you again."
The other man ran a self-conscious hand through his hair, sighing. "This is probably the last time I'll be able to contact you. I've been told it's not safe."
"And when have we ever done what was safe."
"Don't be like that, Jet. I have to do this. People I care about have died to protect the Red Dragons. Annie, Julia, Lin and Shin. They all died because Vicious became the leader of the Syndicate. I won't let anyone else die because another like him gains control. If I'm here, they can't be. And I don't want anyone to go after you because they know you're my friend." Spike had grown somewhat agitated as he spoke but now with his thoughts out in the open, he relaxed, waiting on Jet's response.
"So.You're not coming back."
Spike sighed again, even more heavily than before. "Nope. At least not for a long time."
Jet felt a great sadness settle over him as he realized that his family would never be complete again. He would be forever without the nearest thing to a brother he had ever had. He nodded silently, gathering his strength before speaking. "So that's it then."
Spike nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to let you know and.thank you, for everything you did." He smiled wistfully. "Even the food."
Jet smiled then too. "Stay safe, Spike."
Spike smiled. "Thanks.If you see Ed.and Faye.could you tell them good bye for me. Tell them that I was glad to know them."
"They're here. I can probably find them if you can wait a few minutes." Jet made as if to get up.
Spike shook his head. "I'm getting the cut-off sign. I gotta go. Tell them what I said?"
Jet sighed. "You've got it, Spike."
Without further comment, Spike leaned across the screen and hit the off button leaving Jet with the burden of his "farewells." He sighed again before climbing heavily to his feet and heading for the kitchen.
Jet was almost done preparing dinner when Faye and Andy appeared in the small dining room the crew had previously almost never used. Both women had changed clothes, trading provocative bounty hunting attire for more comfortable jeans and t-shirts. Jet carried plates into the dining room and almost dropped them as he caught sight of Faye. "Wow."
Faye threw him a quizzical glance. "What?"
"I'm just in shock. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen you wearing something that both wasn't yellow and contained that much fabric." Jet chuckled as he began setting places at the table.
Faye glared. "Thanks, Jet." She focused her stare on Andy as she discovered the other women grinning and trying valiantly to contain her laughter.
"I had no idea that that outfit was such an institution." Andy choked out around her stifled good humor.
"Oh, yeah. Faye's been wearing that since I met her." Jet walked back into the kitchen for silverware.
While he was gone, Ed skipped into the room with Ein hot on her heels. Girl and dog ran circles around the table, Ed with arms stretched out to either side making plane noises. Jet stepped through the door and almost collided with her, barely hopping back in time. "Ed! Stop that."
Ed paused long enough to give Jet a searching look before continuing on her way around the table.
Jet threw his hands up in frustration and returned to the kitchen to retrieve their food.
Faye sniffed delicately. "What's that smell, Jet? It can't possibly be your cooking."
Jet emerged from the other room with a casserole dish and placed it on the table before turning a disapproving look on Faye. "There is nothing wrong with my cooking. There never has been. The only problem I have is when I have nothing to work with. Bell peppers do not fine cuisine make."
Faye grinned. "I can definitely take being proven wrong when the result smells like that."
"Ed is hungry, Jet-person." Ed had finally stopped moving and was gazing hungrily at the casserole.
"Well, let's eat then." He pulled out a chair and sat as the others found their own chairs and joined him.
They ate in silence for several minutes until Ed asked, "Is Andy your real name?"
Andy laughed. "Andy is a nickname. My real name is Miranda."
Ed nodded, satisfied and returned to her food.
Jet sat quietly, lost in thought. 'I never knew anything like that about Ed, or Faye.or Spike. I never asked but I should have.' He spoke. "How did you get into bounty hunting, Andy?"
Andy's lips curled into a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. Jet was about to apologize and tell her he was just making conversation when she answered. "It's not a very happy story. I actually used to be a teacher, fourth grade. I was happily married and the world seemed like a beautiful, wonderful place. Then two years ago, there was a bank robbery. My husband was one of the assistant managers on duty that day. He tried to keep them from shooting a pregnant teller that couldn't stop crying and they killed him for his trouble. After that, I was too angry to be an effective teacher so I decided to find a job where I could put people like the ones who killed my husband in jail where they belong. It came down to being a cowboy or applying for the ISSP. Cowboys don't have nearly the rules to follow that ISSP does, plus they pay better." She paused and tried to smile again. "So, I sold everything I owned, bought a ship, and started hunting bounty heads."
The room was utterly silent after Andy finished her tale. "I'm sorry. It was none of my business."
Andy patted Jet's arm reassuringly. "It's ok. I don't mind telling all of you."
"On that note.anyone else want a beer?" Faye pushed her chair back and headed for the kitchen. Ed opened her mouth to speak. "Not you, Ed." Her mouth closed and she pouted her disappointment.
"Ed is big girl now."
"Ed is still talking about herself in the third person." Faye threw back from the kitchen. "Andy? Jet?" Two voices sent a unison "yes" back to her. Faye returned moments later with three beer bottles in hand.
Jet waited for Faye to take a couple sips before relating the message he'd been given earlier. "I got a call earlier."
"Yeah? Who from?" Faye took another sip before settling her drink on the table in front of her.
"Spike." He waited for her reaction.
"Oh." She paused. "What did he have to say?"
"He called to say goodbye. He said I should tell you and Ed that he was glad to have known you."
"And he couldn't wait and talk to Ed and I himself?" Faye's voice was tinged with anger.
"He said it was dangerous for him to contact us. He didn't want anyone to come after us because we know the leader of the Red Dragons."
"You know the what!" Andy stiffened in her chair and her face paled considerably.
Jet turned to face Andy at her sudden outburst. "Spike Spiegal."
Andy turned angrily to Faye. "How come you neglected to mention that you're connected to the Syndicate?"
Faye stared at her partner for a moment before answering. "We're not really connected. Spike was a member of the crew up until just shortly before I met you. Because of circumstances that I don't entirely understand and really don't feel like going into right now, he killed the last leader of the Red Dragons. Apparently that means he has to take his place. We didn't even know if he was going to survive the injuries he sustained during their fight until about a week ago." She paused and blinked rapidly turning her face from away from her friends. "I guess he's really not coming back."
Jet answered quietly. "I'm sorry, Faye. He's not."
She nodded and turned back to Andy. "You don't have to worry about the Syndicate. We won't have anything to do with them." Jet nodded.
"No more Spike-person?" Ed asked with the voice of a terrified girl half her age.
"It'll be ok, Ed." Jet reached a protective arm around the young hacker's shoulders. She sniffled quietly.
"Excuse me." Faye climbed to her feet and walked quickly down the hall to her old room.
"He must really be something special." Andy gave Jet a sympathetic smile.
He returned it unevenly. "Yeah. He was something."
tbc (wow. that was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. reviews please.)