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Chapter 13: Conversations

Faye returned to the living room to find both Syndicate men asleep. Lucas dozed serenely in a chair, head lolling to one side while Spike slept fitfully on the couch, shifting every few minutes in discomfort. After pausing to take in her sleeping comrades, Faye moved into the kitchen to talk to Jet.

Jet saw her approach from the corner of his eye. "Hey. You didn't hurt anyone on your way in here, did you?"

Faye scowled. "No, I don't hit sleeping injured people even if the deserve it."

Jet nodded. "That's good to know."

"Don't start with me, Jet. Andy already beat you to the whole lecture thing. I'll try to behave. I won't promise not to fight back though. If he can't act mature that's not my problem."

Jet glared at her. "And he's the only one here who ever acts immature." His voice dripped sarcasm.

Faye shook her head, an angry retort on the tip of her tongue, then changed her mind and simply sighed. She studied Jet's face. "Aren't you mad?"

Jet turned to face her. "At Spike?" She nodded that he understood her meaning so he continued. "Yeah, I'm mad. He left to get himself killed and then when he didn't, he called to say he was never coming back. Now he's back. He's still my friend, Faye. He's your friend too."

Faye gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Is he?"

"You know he is."

Faye's gaze dropped to the dirty linoleum. "Friends don't abandon each other. They don't run off to die when their friends need them."

Jet's eyes held kind sadness as he replied. "You know there was more to it then that. Lucas told us about some of his reasons." He rubbed a hand over his tired features before going on. "He said Spike wanted to come back but he felt he had to stay. He was worried someone worse then Vicious would take over the Syndicate and that more people would be hurt."

Faye looked up to meet Jet's eyes. "Andy told me. Spike always did have a soft spot for people that couldn't defend themselves."

Jet smiled fondly. "Yeah, he did. Apparently, he still does."

Faye's usual smirk returned, if somewhat subdued. "I did say I would try to be good, didn't I?"

"Yup, and I'm holding you to that." He grinned at her before turning back to the stove and the spaghetti he had been working on.

Faye left the room feeling better. 'Jet's good at that, making everything better.' She smiled as she walked back into the living room. Ed was working on her computer in the middle of the floor completely oblivious to the fact she might be in the way. 'It's nice to see some things never change.' Faye's smile broadened at the thought.

"Hey." Faye turned toward the greeting to see Spike attempting to sit up from his previously reclined position on the couch.

"Hey. Feeling any better?" She asked as she bit back her instinctive caustic remark. 'This being nice stuff is hard.'

"A little. Thanks." Having achieved an upright position, Spike leaned his head against the back of the couch weary at the effort he'd just put forth. He was definitely too tired for their usual acidic banter.

Faye shuffled her feet uncertainly. What could she say that wouldn't start a fight? She couldn't think of anything.

"Jet told you why I stayed?" His eyes were closed but his voice was alert.

"Yeah. He said you were trying to keep things from getting as bad as they were under Vicious."

He nodded without lifting his head from the couch. "Yeah. There is no one else right now. I don't want to be the leader of the Red Dragons."

Faye slowly lowered herself onto the table beside the couch. "What do you want to do?"

His eyes opened and he stared up at the ceiling for a moment before smiling at her. "You're the first one who's asked me that, Faye." He paused, thinking. "I don't really know what I want. I wasn't exactly happy hunting bounties on the Bebop but that could have just been because I didn't expect to be. I know I don't want to be in the Syndicate. I think I just want to be happy for a while. That's what I'd really like."

She studied him, taking in the emotional fatigue as well as the physical. "What would make you happy, Spike?"

His mismatched eyes met hers then and he smiled again. "I wish I knew." He closed his eyes and leaned back.

Faye stood, not sure what to think of their first real conversation since he'd gone to fight Vicious. "You should get some more sleep."

He nodded, eyes still closed and she stood watching his relaxed form as he slowly drifted back to unconsciousness. After his breathing slowed to the steady rhythm of sleep, Faye moved quietly around the edge of the table and headed for the hallway once again.

As she rounded the corner into the hallway she almost ran headlong into Andy. "Hi." Andy wore a smirk that seemed to radiate mischief as she greeted her friend.

Faye suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "Hi." Andy's smirk grew into a full-fledged grin. "What?"

"You like him."

Faye's heart jumped and she silently berated herself for such a silly reaction. Outwardly, she gave no sign of her inner attempt at a heart attack. "Who?"

"You know who."

"Obviously, I don't. What are you talking about?"

Andy rolled her eyes and slouched against the wall. "Spike, of course."

Faye scrunched her nose in irritation. "That's ridiculous."

"Sure it is." Andy didn't bother to soften her sarcasm even slightly.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Faye's hands unconsciously balled into fists as adrenaline coursed through her system. "You hardly know me at all."

"One would have to be stupid or blind to miss the sparks flying during your conversation just now." Andy's arms folded across her chest and her amused smile turned to a frown. "Neither of you saw me come in." She tempered her ill received remark with what she perceived would be a better-received comment. "You hide it well but I could still tell how devastated you were when you thought he wasn't coming back."

Faye sighed and slumped against the wall beside her partner. "I admit nothing."

Andy's smirk returned. "But you're not denying it either?"

Faye smiled faintly. "I plead the fifth."

"Huh?"

Faye sighed again. "Don't worry about it. It's an old Earth expression."

Andy nodded, willing to let it go. "Oh."

The two women stood in silent companionship for several long moments before Faye turned a sly smile in Andy's direction. "What about you and Lucas?"

"He's not my type."

Faye's mouth dropped open. "How can he not be your type? He's cute and smart and available." Faye paused, then added. "And he seems relatively emotionally stable. You can't ask for much more than that."

Andy laughed. "Ok, ok. So maybe he's everybody's type."

"And?" Faye prodded.

"Well, you said it yourself, he's cute, smart, and emotionally stable. And as far as I can tell not married or gay." Andy shot Faye an incredulous look. "Of course I like him." They laughed and chatted for a good half hour before heading back into the living room on their way to see if Jet was done cooking yet.

BOOM!!! A loud explosion shook the entire ship, sending its occupants flying in all directions. Then, the lights flickered and went out.

tbc(enough chatting, on with the action-please review)