OK on to chapter 5. AND I STILL OWN NOTHING (CB that is)
Chapter 5: One Way or Another
Jet looked up from his cooking. The ship had been so quiet lately. Everyone was walking on eggshells around Faye these days. Her dark mood seemed to be contagious. Hell, even the dog was miserable. Ein lifted his fuzzy head, as if he knew Jet was thinking about him, then went back to sleep. He never would have thought he couldn't stand the sound of silence, but he found himself missing Ed's constant noise and Spike and Faye's bickering. Yup, depression was weighing on everyone, even him.
He and Spike had only tackled the small bounties since Faye's ordeal. Neither would admit that they didn't want to leave her alone for long. She had changed so much, and in turn, so had everyone else. It was disturbing to finally get what he had been wishing for ever since his small crew had joined him: peace and quiet; Faye to shut up and learn her place; Ed to stop acting like a maniac every second she was awake. So why wasn't he enjoying it?
The sound of a ship docking brought him out of his reverie. Spike sauntered in, his jacket flung over one shoulder. He tossed some money on the counter next to Jet, opened the fridge, retrieved a bottle of beer, and walked into the common room, all without saying a word. Jet followed him.
"So you got the guy, then?" Jet asked, wondering why Spike was so damn moody.
"Obviously. I didn't pull those 13,000 woolongs out of my ass." Spike replied, searching for the TV remote under the couch cushions.
"What's bugging you, Spike? You've been walking around pissed off for over a week," Jet inquired, a little irritated. He folded his massive arms across his chest, waiting for a reply.
Spike ignored him. Jet just stood there. Finally, Spike looked at him and sighed.
"Let me guess, your not going to leave without an answer." Spike rubbed his temples and sat there with his head in his hands.
"Nope." Jet leaned against the wall, stoic as ever.
"Fine," Spike surrendered in an exasperated groan. He said nothing for a moment.
"Well..," Jet prodded.
"It's Faye. She told me who hurt her."
"What! I thought she didn't know!"
"Yeah, well she does."
"So why are you mad? Because she didn't tell us right away?" Jet was confused.
"No. It's because of her reason for not telling us.it's all my fault."
Jet scratched his balding head. Now he was really confused. "Her not telling is all your fault?"
"No. Well, yes-but that's not what I'm talking about."
"Well, what the hell are you talking about!"
"She was attacked because of me-"
"Spike, I thought we already went through this. You can't blame yourself because we were late to pick her up. You didn't know-"
"No, not that! He hurt her because of ME. He did it to get to ME!" "Who did?"
"Viscous."
All of a sudden everything made perfect sense. Jet walked around the couch and took a seat across from his partner. They sat in silence for while, each smoking and thinking. Jet finally broke the silence.
"So, what are you gonna do, Spike," Jet asked, not really wanting to hear the answer he knew was coming.
"Nothing," a quiet voice interrupted. Neither had noticed Faye's presence until she spoke. "He's going to do nothing."
"Faye, you know this has to end between him and me, so it might as well be now," Spike said seriously, not looking up.
"No. I won't let you go get-"
"You have no say in this, Faye. You have no right," Spike interjected.
"No right? I have no right? Damn you, I have every right! If you think I'm going to stand here and watch you give Viscous the exact thing he wanted, you're crazy! You aren't going, Spike. If you try I'll shoot you myself. There will be no more victims!" Faye was screaming.
"Then go get your gun, 'cause I'm going after him," Spike stated flatly, cold steel flashing in his eyes.
Jet stared at the two of them. Faye was trying to stare down Spike with an evil glare of her own, challenging him to test her. They just sat there, neither one speaking, each trying to make the other see things their way. Jet didn't doubt that Spike would try to leave, but from the way Faye looked, he wasn't so sure she wouldn't shoot him as promised. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't told him, Jet wondered, shaking his head. He got up, leaving the two to continue their show-down in private. Dinner wasn't going to cook itself.
***
In the end it had been a stalemate. Both had stared unblinking at the other until Jet had announced dinner. Faye had growled her annoyance before taking her meal to her room. If he wasn't going to listen to reason, she would just have to find another way to keep him from getting his ass sliced up. Think, Faye, think, she thought to herself. Her concentration was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of Ed whizzing by her door singing something about Ein. That kid may be a genius, but she sure is weird, Faye mused, shaking her head. Ed. Ed. Ed was a genius. Just the genius I need, Faye smiled to herself, getting up.
"Oh, Edward.," Faye called down the hall after her.
Ed turned around and danced back towards Faye.
"Faye-Faye speaks! Is Faye-Faye all better now?" Ed asked, jumping up to hug her.
"Um.yes. I'm much better now," Fayed said sweetly, leading Ed back into her room.
"Wow!" Ed said, her amber eyes as big as saucers. She had never really had a good look at Faye's quarters before. Faye had always thrown her out. She started picking things up and examining them, even Faye's bras.
Faye just sat there, trying very hard not to be annoyed. She needed Ed's help.
"Come sit down, Ed. I want to talk to you about something very serious. But it has to be our secret, ok?"
"Faye-Faye wants to tell Edward a seeeeeeeeeecret. Ooooooooo," Ed said in her spooky voice, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Yes, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Promise, Ed."
"Ok, Edward promises. Ed and Faye-Faye have a secret!" she sang, bouncing.
"Ed, I need your help. I need you to make it so that the computer on Spike's ship won't work. Can you do that?"
"Sure Ed can. But why make Spikey-Spike's ship not work?"
"So Spike won't leave us and get himself killed," Faye explained.
"Why would Spike-person leave?" Ed was confused.
"Well.he wants to go kill that man that hurt me."
"But that's good, right?"
"No. This bad man wants to kill Spike, and I don't want him to die. Do you want Spike to die, Ed?" Faye said holding the girl still so that she could see just how serious she was.
"No. Ed doesn't want Spike to die," Ed said quietly.
"Good. So then you'll help?" Faye asked hopefully.
"Roger-Roger. Ed's on the job!" she said gleefully, giving Faye a salute. "Ed will do it now!"
The young girl ran from Faye's room, flapping her arms and making airplane noises.
'That was easy enough,' Faye thought, pleased with herself. She lay back on her bed and smiled for the first time in weeks.
"I don't know why I care about you, Spike. But if I have to live with it so do you." Faye sat up, grabbed her bathrobe, and went to take a shower. Suddenly, she was tired of living in sweatpants.
OK! I know this was short, but I'm eager to post this. Chapter 6 up soon! Thanks for all the great reviews!
Chapter 5: One Way or Another
Jet looked up from his cooking. The ship had been so quiet lately. Everyone was walking on eggshells around Faye these days. Her dark mood seemed to be contagious. Hell, even the dog was miserable. Ein lifted his fuzzy head, as if he knew Jet was thinking about him, then went back to sleep. He never would have thought he couldn't stand the sound of silence, but he found himself missing Ed's constant noise and Spike and Faye's bickering. Yup, depression was weighing on everyone, even him.
He and Spike had only tackled the small bounties since Faye's ordeal. Neither would admit that they didn't want to leave her alone for long. She had changed so much, and in turn, so had everyone else. It was disturbing to finally get what he had been wishing for ever since his small crew had joined him: peace and quiet; Faye to shut up and learn her place; Ed to stop acting like a maniac every second she was awake. So why wasn't he enjoying it?
The sound of a ship docking brought him out of his reverie. Spike sauntered in, his jacket flung over one shoulder. He tossed some money on the counter next to Jet, opened the fridge, retrieved a bottle of beer, and walked into the common room, all without saying a word. Jet followed him.
"So you got the guy, then?" Jet asked, wondering why Spike was so damn moody.
"Obviously. I didn't pull those 13,000 woolongs out of my ass." Spike replied, searching for the TV remote under the couch cushions.
"What's bugging you, Spike? You've been walking around pissed off for over a week," Jet inquired, a little irritated. He folded his massive arms across his chest, waiting for a reply.
Spike ignored him. Jet just stood there. Finally, Spike looked at him and sighed.
"Let me guess, your not going to leave without an answer." Spike rubbed his temples and sat there with his head in his hands.
"Nope." Jet leaned against the wall, stoic as ever.
"Fine," Spike surrendered in an exasperated groan. He said nothing for a moment.
"Well..," Jet prodded.
"It's Faye. She told me who hurt her."
"What! I thought she didn't know!"
"Yeah, well she does."
"So why are you mad? Because she didn't tell us right away?" Jet was confused.
"No. It's because of her reason for not telling us.it's all my fault."
Jet scratched his balding head. Now he was really confused. "Her not telling is all your fault?"
"No. Well, yes-but that's not what I'm talking about."
"Well, what the hell are you talking about!"
"She was attacked because of me-"
"Spike, I thought we already went through this. You can't blame yourself because we were late to pick her up. You didn't know-"
"No, not that! He hurt her because of ME. He did it to get to ME!" "Who did?"
"Viscous."
All of a sudden everything made perfect sense. Jet walked around the couch and took a seat across from his partner. They sat in silence for while, each smoking and thinking. Jet finally broke the silence.
"So, what are you gonna do, Spike," Jet asked, not really wanting to hear the answer he knew was coming.
"Nothing," a quiet voice interrupted. Neither had noticed Faye's presence until she spoke. "He's going to do nothing."
"Faye, you know this has to end between him and me, so it might as well be now," Spike said seriously, not looking up.
"No. I won't let you go get-"
"You have no say in this, Faye. You have no right," Spike interjected.
"No right? I have no right? Damn you, I have every right! If you think I'm going to stand here and watch you give Viscous the exact thing he wanted, you're crazy! You aren't going, Spike. If you try I'll shoot you myself. There will be no more victims!" Faye was screaming.
"Then go get your gun, 'cause I'm going after him," Spike stated flatly, cold steel flashing in his eyes.
Jet stared at the two of them. Faye was trying to stare down Spike with an evil glare of her own, challenging him to test her. They just sat there, neither one speaking, each trying to make the other see things their way. Jet didn't doubt that Spike would try to leave, but from the way Faye looked, he wasn't so sure she wouldn't shoot him as promised. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't told him, Jet wondered, shaking his head. He got up, leaving the two to continue their show-down in private. Dinner wasn't going to cook itself.
***
In the end it had been a stalemate. Both had stared unblinking at the other until Jet had announced dinner. Faye had growled her annoyance before taking her meal to her room. If he wasn't going to listen to reason, she would just have to find another way to keep him from getting his ass sliced up. Think, Faye, think, she thought to herself. Her concentration was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of Ed whizzing by her door singing something about Ein. That kid may be a genius, but she sure is weird, Faye mused, shaking her head. Ed. Ed. Ed was a genius. Just the genius I need, Faye smiled to herself, getting up.
"Oh, Edward.," Faye called down the hall after her.
Ed turned around and danced back towards Faye.
"Faye-Faye speaks! Is Faye-Faye all better now?" Ed asked, jumping up to hug her.
"Um.yes. I'm much better now," Fayed said sweetly, leading Ed back into her room.
"Wow!" Ed said, her amber eyes as big as saucers. She had never really had a good look at Faye's quarters before. Faye had always thrown her out. She started picking things up and examining them, even Faye's bras.
Faye just sat there, trying very hard not to be annoyed. She needed Ed's help.
"Come sit down, Ed. I want to talk to you about something very serious. But it has to be our secret, ok?"
"Faye-Faye wants to tell Edward a seeeeeeeeeecret. Ooooooooo," Ed said in her spooky voice, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Yes, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Promise, Ed."
"Ok, Edward promises. Ed and Faye-Faye have a secret!" she sang, bouncing.
"Ed, I need your help. I need you to make it so that the computer on Spike's ship won't work. Can you do that?"
"Sure Ed can. But why make Spikey-Spike's ship not work?"
"So Spike won't leave us and get himself killed," Faye explained.
"Why would Spike-person leave?" Ed was confused.
"Well.he wants to go kill that man that hurt me."
"But that's good, right?"
"No. This bad man wants to kill Spike, and I don't want him to die. Do you want Spike to die, Ed?" Faye said holding the girl still so that she could see just how serious she was.
"No. Ed doesn't want Spike to die," Ed said quietly.
"Good. So then you'll help?" Faye asked hopefully.
"Roger-Roger. Ed's on the job!" she said gleefully, giving Faye a salute. "Ed will do it now!"
The young girl ran from Faye's room, flapping her arms and making airplane noises.
'That was easy enough,' Faye thought, pleased with herself. She lay back on her bed and smiled for the first time in weeks.
"I don't know why I care about you, Spike. But if I have to live with it so do you." Faye sat up, grabbed her bathrobe, and went to take a shower. Suddenly, she was tired of living in sweatpants.
OK! I know this was short, but I'm eager to post this. Chapter 6 up soon! Thanks for all the great reviews!