Chapter 16: Feelings
Snip. Snip. Two small branches fell to the floor with a whisper as Jet tried with more success then was his norm to shape the small bonsai trees. Steel pruning shears flashed in the garish overhead lights. Snip. Another branch dropped to join its mates. Jet sat back and examined his handiwork. He smiled in satisfaction.
A soft knock sounded on the frame of his door. Jet looked up into the lean face of his old partner. "Spike! What are you doing here?"
The other man smirked. "Coming home."
"What do you mean?" Jet carefully laid down the shears.
Spike slouched against the doorframe. "Well, we took care of the whole people trying to kill me issue."
Jet raised an eyebrow in Spike's direction.
"Andy brought up an interesting point yesterday." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Lucas was so busy trying to keep the Red Dragons from going under and finding a new leader that he completely forgot about the most obvious candidate for the job." Spike paused again and grinned. "Himself."
Jet stayed where he was crouched beside his trees. "Lucas?"
Spike simply nodded.
"Lucas is the leader of the Red Dragons now?" Jet seemed to be having difficulty wrapping his mind around the idea.
"Yup."
Jet scratched his chin thoughtfully. "And you're back now." He paused to catch Spike's eye. "To stay?"
Spike gave an uncharacteristically gentle smile. "Yeah. I'm back for good."
Jet grinned. "You seen Faye yet? Or Ed?"
"Not yet." His smile faded. "I've got a bad feeling that Faye's not going to be very happy to see me."
"You might be surprised." Jet's expression was enigmatic. "Go find her."
Spike raised an eyebrow but refrained from comment. He backed out the door to follow Jet's advice.
He almost tripped over a sleeping Ed and Ein as he rounded the corner into the living room. He smiled in amusement and continued past them, looking for Faye. She wasn't in the living room, the kitchen, or her bedroom. She hadn't been in the hangar when he'd arrived but he had almost decided to look there again with the hope that she'd gone there while he'd been talking to Jet. He knew she was on the Bebop because the Redtail was in the hangar when he'd arrived. 'Unless she left while I was with Jet. What if she saw my ship and left because she doesn't want to see me.' An unfamiliar knot of anxiety twisted in his stomach at the thought, throbbing and raising his heartbeat. He quickened his pace, not certain why he was so disconcerted by the idea of Faye's absence.
Thump. Thumpthump. Thump. He skidded to an abrupt halt. 'What's that noise?' He looked toward the door he was standing beside. It was the room he used to work out in. The room he used to go to in the middle of the night to think. He would stand at the window, looking out at the vast emptiness of space and reflecting on the irony of his world. To the best of his knowledge, no one else really went in there. 'I've been gone too long.' He briefly considered knocking. 'Nah.' The door swung silently open.
Faye threw a quick combination of punches and kicks into the punching bag she'd set up. Each blow connected with a satisfying impact. Her fists stung but she'd never liked wearing gloves. 'Don't have the luxury when you're fighting a bounty.' She paused, the sudden feeling of being watched setting her on edge. Without turning she said, "What do you want, Jet?"
Faye could just make out the sound of rustling fabric and soft-soled shoes on the metal floor. The man behind her sighed. "It's me, Faye." She whirled to face Spike's familiar voice. She stared.
He quirked a smile. "Hey."
"What are you doing here?" Her words came out more harshly then she intended.
He winced. "It's nice to see you too."
She continued to stare.
"So."
Her eyes fixed on a point behind him. "So."
"I'm sorry." His voice was quiet and sincere.
Faye's eyes drifted back to his face. She studied him with a somewhat puzzled expression. "For what?"
He sighed again. "Everything. For making all of you worry. For dragging you into my shit all over again. For leaving. All of it."
She looked away. After thinking for a moment, she replied. "It's ok."
It was Spike's turn to look confused. "Ok?"
"Yeah." A slow smirk spread over her pretty features. "We know you can't help yourself. You've always been a troublemaker."
He smiled back. "So."
"Yeah."
He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm back."
She looked surprised. "How?"
"Lucas took over for me. It was Andy's idea."
Faye nodded. "He's perfect for the job."
"Yeah."
"What will you do now?"
Spike looked away as though he were lost in thought. "Well." He glanced at his watch. "Jet's probably started cooking so, I'll probably go get ready for dinner."
"I meant on a slightly larger scale then this evening." She growled in irritation.
He grinned widely. "I missed this."
She scowled. "Pissing me off?"
"I prefer to think of it as verbal sparring with a worthy opponent."
Faye shook her head with a small smile. "Sure, Spike." She turned back to the punching bag and began her routine again.
Spike leaned against the wall, watching his old partner as she pounded the innocent leather bag. "I thought about what you said before I left."
Faye didn't pause. "You heard me?"
"Yeah. I heard." He took a deep calming breath. "Did you mean it?"
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."
He nodded. "You want to know what I think?"
Faye laughed humorlessly. "Probably not."
"I think" He paused to steady his voice. "the feeling is definitely mutual."
Faye threw one last blow before turning to face him with an incredulous look. "What feeling?"
He groaned. "Come on, Faye. You know what I'm talking about."
Faye settled bruised fists on her hips defiantly. "I don't think I do. You'll have to elaborate."
"You're really going to make me say it?" Spike whined.
"Most definitely." She waited.
"Fine." He crossed his arms and spit out the words before he could contemplate them too deeply. "I love you."
"Really?"
Spike paused for a moment, examining how he felt. "Yeah, I do." His voice carried his considerable surprise.
Faye nodded. "Good." The young bounty hunter moved past him out the door.
Spike followed her into the hallway, staring after her retreating form. "Good?" He shook his head in disbelief. "What is that supposed to mean?"
But Faye didn't answer. She just sauntered down the Bebop's halls, smiling. She pictured Spike's face and thought, 'It's going to be a beautiful day.'
The end
Anyone interested in a sequel? Let me know what you think.
Snip. Snip. Two small branches fell to the floor with a whisper as Jet tried with more success then was his norm to shape the small bonsai trees. Steel pruning shears flashed in the garish overhead lights. Snip. Another branch dropped to join its mates. Jet sat back and examined his handiwork. He smiled in satisfaction.
A soft knock sounded on the frame of his door. Jet looked up into the lean face of his old partner. "Spike! What are you doing here?"
The other man smirked. "Coming home."
"What do you mean?" Jet carefully laid down the shears.
Spike slouched against the doorframe. "Well, we took care of the whole people trying to kill me issue."
Jet raised an eyebrow in Spike's direction.
"Andy brought up an interesting point yesterday." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Lucas was so busy trying to keep the Red Dragons from going under and finding a new leader that he completely forgot about the most obvious candidate for the job." Spike paused again and grinned. "Himself."
Jet stayed where he was crouched beside his trees. "Lucas?"
Spike simply nodded.
"Lucas is the leader of the Red Dragons now?" Jet seemed to be having difficulty wrapping his mind around the idea.
"Yup."
Jet scratched his chin thoughtfully. "And you're back now." He paused to catch Spike's eye. "To stay?"
Spike gave an uncharacteristically gentle smile. "Yeah. I'm back for good."
Jet grinned. "You seen Faye yet? Or Ed?"
"Not yet." His smile faded. "I've got a bad feeling that Faye's not going to be very happy to see me."
"You might be surprised." Jet's expression was enigmatic. "Go find her."
Spike raised an eyebrow but refrained from comment. He backed out the door to follow Jet's advice.
He almost tripped over a sleeping Ed and Ein as he rounded the corner into the living room. He smiled in amusement and continued past them, looking for Faye. She wasn't in the living room, the kitchen, or her bedroom. She hadn't been in the hangar when he'd arrived but he had almost decided to look there again with the hope that she'd gone there while he'd been talking to Jet. He knew she was on the Bebop because the Redtail was in the hangar when he'd arrived. 'Unless she left while I was with Jet. What if she saw my ship and left because she doesn't want to see me.' An unfamiliar knot of anxiety twisted in his stomach at the thought, throbbing and raising his heartbeat. He quickened his pace, not certain why he was so disconcerted by the idea of Faye's absence.
Thump. Thumpthump. Thump. He skidded to an abrupt halt. 'What's that noise?' He looked toward the door he was standing beside. It was the room he used to work out in. The room he used to go to in the middle of the night to think. He would stand at the window, looking out at the vast emptiness of space and reflecting on the irony of his world. To the best of his knowledge, no one else really went in there. 'I've been gone too long.' He briefly considered knocking. 'Nah.' The door swung silently open.
Faye threw a quick combination of punches and kicks into the punching bag she'd set up. Each blow connected with a satisfying impact. Her fists stung but she'd never liked wearing gloves. 'Don't have the luxury when you're fighting a bounty.' She paused, the sudden feeling of being watched setting her on edge. Without turning she said, "What do you want, Jet?"
Faye could just make out the sound of rustling fabric and soft-soled shoes on the metal floor. The man behind her sighed. "It's me, Faye." She whirled to face Spike's familiar voice. She stared.
He quirked a smile. "Hey."
"What are you doing here?" Her words came out more harshly then she intended.
He winced. "It's nice to see you too."
She continued to stare.
"So."
Her eyes fixed on a point behind him. "So."
"I'm sorry." His voice was quiet and sincere.
Faye's eyes drifted back to his face. She studied him with a somewhat puzzled expression. "For what?"
He sighed again. "Everything. For making all of you worry. For dragging you into my shit all over again. For leaving. All of it."
She looked away. After thinking for a moment, she replied. "It's ok."
It was Spike's turn to look confused. "Ok?"
"Yeah." A slow smirk spread over her pretty features. "We know you can't help yourself. You've always been a troublemaker."
He smiled back. "So."
"Yeah."
He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm back."
She looked surprised. "How?"
"Lucas took over for me. It was Andy's idea."
Faye nodded. "He's perfect for the job."
"Yeah."
"What will you do now?"
Spike looked away as though he were lost in thought. "Well." He glanced at his watch. "Jet's probably started cooking so, I'll probably go get ready for dinner."
"I meant on a slightly larger scale then this evening." She growled in irritation.
He grinned widely. "I missed this."
She scowled. "Pissing me off?"
"I prefer to think of it as verbal sparring with a worthy opponent."
Faye shook her head with a small smile. "Sure, Spike." She turned back to the punching bag and began her routine again.
Spike leaned against the wall, watching his old partner as she pounded the innocent leather bag. "I thought about what you said before I left."
Faye didn't pause. "You heard me?"
"Yeah. I heard." He took a deep calming breath. "Did you mean it?"
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."
He nodded. "You want to know what I think?"
Faye laughed humorlessly. "Probably not."
"I think" He paused to steady his voice. "the feeling is definitely mutual."
Faye threw one last blow before turning to face him with an incredulous look. "What feeling?"
He groaned. "Come on, Faye. You know what I'm talking about."
Faye settled bruised fists on her hips defiantly. "I don't think I do. You'll have to elaborate."
"You're really going to make me say it?" Spike whined.
"Most definitely." She waited.
"Fine." He crossed his arms and spit out the words before he could contemplate them too deeply. "I love you."
"Really?"
Spike paused for a moment, examining how he felt. "Yeah, I do." His voice carried his considerable surprise.
Faye nodded. "Good." The young bounty hunter moved past him out the door.
Spike followed her into the hallway, staring after her retreating form. "Good?" He shook his head in disbelief. "What is that supposed to mean?"
But Faye didn't answer. She just sauntered down the Bebop's halls, smiling. She pictured Spike's face and thought, 'It's going to be a beautiful day.'
The end
Anyone interested in a sequel? Let me know what you think.