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Faye stretched her arms over her head once her feet hit the metal floor of the bay back on the Bebop. It'd been quite an eventful day and she was tired. A long shower and going straight to bed were on the agenda. She watched Spike walk by, then she sprinted to catch up to him.
"This plan of yours better work, Spike." She stepped into the next corridor, blocking his path as she turned to face him. "Because if it doesn't, we do it my way." She jerked a thumb at herself.
Pulling off his jacket, Spike stepped around her without saying a word. He continued down the corridor, headed for the main living area of the ship. He wanted to go to sleep. Even as he entered the room, he wasn't sure if he'd make it to the couch. Lazily, he slung his coat onto the nearest railing.
"Jet?" he asked, looking around.
Faye came in and tossed her own jacket next to Spike's. "He's probably on the bridge." Her eyes narrowed briefly in curiosity when she noticed someone already on the couch. "Spike."
Spike followed Faye's finger. "Huh." He came around on one end of the couch as Faye positioned herself on the other, her hands firmly planted on her hips.
Vash lay on the couch Spike usually occupied, his hands locked together behind his head as a pillow, sleeping peacefully. He wasn't alone, either. Curled up near his feet was Ein and lying on her left side, snoring quietly, was Edward.
"Who's this?" Faye asked in a hushed tone.
Spike shrugged. Obviously Jet and Ed made a friend of their own while they were away.
As she looked at the man, Faye put together a few details in her head. Long red coat, blonde hair, and she caught a glimpse of a gun, slightly exposed, underneath his coat. Slowly and quietly, Faye drew her own weapon then aimed it at Vash's head.
"What are you doing?"
Faye pressed a finger to her lips, shushing him then regripped her gun. "Look at him," she whispered, nodding to Vash. "Red coat ... blonde ... a nice shiny gun ..." She was already spending her thirty billion. On what, she didn't yet know.
Ein's eyes lazily opened when he heard the click of a gun. The Corgi's head lifted and he looked from Faye to Spike, each with a weapon trained on Vash.
"Get down, stupid dog," Faye hissed at him.
Ed yawned loudly as she rolled over onto her stomach. She murmured something under her breath and sighed.
Faye gestured for Spike to grab Ed and she would move Ein out of their way. On a silent count of three, Faye snagged Ein by his collar and tossed him off of the couch. At the other end, Spike picked Ed up by the back of her shirt with one hand.
"Yaaah!" Ed exclaimed when Spike dropped her onto the floor beside him. "Hey! What is going on?" she demanded, rubbing a hand over her butt. "I was sleeping!"
Ignoring Ed, both waited for some sort of movement from Vash, yet he remained still. They exchanged a glance then Faye dared to poke the man with her fingers. Nothing.
"You think he's dead?" Spike asked, only half-joking.
"Dead or alive, I get paid. We get paid," she quickly corrected herself when she saw the look Spike gave her. She bit her lower lip, studying Vash. "Let's tie him up, though. Just to be sure."
"Find us some rope, Ed," Spike ordered, waving a hand at her. "Or anything else we can use to tie this guy up."
"Why you wanna tie up Ed's new friend?"
"Your friend?" Faye laughed sharply. "This is my future lying here."
Suddenly, Vash was wide awake and on his knees at Faye's end of the couch, a big grin on his face as he gazed upon her. "You mean our future!" He easily plucked the gun out of the flabbergasted Faye's hand, tossed it aside then whisked her into his arms as he left the couch completely. He cradled the baffled bounty hunter, his hold the only thing keeping Faye off of the floor. "I'm so glad that someone finally sees things my way!"
Spike pulled back the hammer on his gun, and that's when Vash noticed him.
"Uh oh," he murmured upon seeing the gun aimed at him. He looked down to Faye, raising an eyebrow. "You failed to mention a boyfriend."
That brought Faye out of her daze. "What!"
He pulled her closer, placing her feet firmly on the floor and he sighed. "There's no way we can talk about this? I mean, what could he possibly have that I don't?"
"Are you insane?" Faye asked, narrowing her eyes slightly on him. "Or just stupid?"
Spike lowered his gun, watching Vash with a certain amount of amusement. Did this guy have any idea that they planned to turn him over to the authorities? He put one hand to the back of his head then looked down to Ed. The girl grinned at the man in the red coat.
"Let go!" Faye pushed at Vash but he was much stronger than he looked. "Spike!"
"Faye-Faye!" Ed climbed over the back of the couch. This was more fun than the games she and her new friend had played earlier.
"You won't even let me try to convince you?" Vash asked, his tone desperate as Faye kept struggling in his arms. "At least give me a chance!"
"Get off!" She managed to free one of her arms pinned between her body and Vash's. She smashed her palm into his face, shoving him back from her the best she could. "Spike!" She was losing this battle and no one seemed to care. "Help me!"
Vash managed to get Faye's hand away from his face. He was disappointed that she wasn't going to relent to his request. With a heavy sigh, he released her and she wildly backpedaled right into Spike. Tossing her hair out of her face, Faye turned about three shades of red as she fumed at him. She'd never been so humiliated in her entire life.
Clutching his hands together at his heart, Vash declared, very over- dramatically, "Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but someday, you'll realize that you can't live without me!"
"Give me that gun because I'm going to kill him!" Faye shouted as she wrestled with Spike for his gun. "Give it to me! Now!" She grunted when Spike managed to pin one of her arms behind her back. Still red-faced, she gritted her teeth at the grinning moron before her.
Ed applauded for Vash. "Yay!"
Spike lowered his voice as he watched Vash take a few bows for his adoring 'audience'. "I don't think this is the guy we're looking for."
"I couldn't care less right now. I still want to shoot him!" Faye snarled in reply. She tried to get her arm loose but Spike wasn't about to let go.
"What's going on?" All four turned when Jet entered the room. He looked from Vash to Spike and Faye, noticing the gun in Spike's hand. "I missed something."
Faye used the distraction to yank her arm free and she approached Jet. "Who is this idiot?" she demanded, pointing a finger at Vash.
Ed leapt from the couch and Vash barely managed to catch her in his arms. "Vash the Stampede! Ed's new friend!"
Faye's arm dropped to her side and, wide-eyed, she and Spike turned to the blonde man. He was frantically trying to get Ed off of his shoulders. Laughing, the girl grabbed onto his hair and he stumbled back and forth. A moment later, he lost all balance and the both of them tumbled to the floor, landing with a thump.
Ed stood up, looking down at him, hidden from the others' view behind the couch. "Ooops."
"I'm ... fine," was his strained reply.
"You can't be serious." Spike turned to Jet, who nodded in confirmation.
"How do you know the name?" Jet asked as Vash pulled himself up from the floor.
"You mean you don't - "
"He's worth a sixty billion bounty!" Faye exclaimed as she seized Jet by his shirt. She winced when she heard Vash fall onto the floor again. "Well, some guy in a red coat with blonde hair named 'Vash' is." She jerked her head in Vash's direction. "It can't be him, though."
"Sixty billion?" Jet looked from Faye to Spike, waiting for the punchline. "Are you kidding?"
Spike shook his head. "No. Heard about it when we went into the nearest town." He put his gun away, not overly concerned with the threat Vash posed to them. "Guy we talked to said he's leveled whole cities."
All three turned to see Vash wrestling on the floor with Ed and Ein. The girl and the dog were winning.
"Where'd you find him?"
"He found us." He gave them an overview of what transpired while they were in April City. "They all left," he said with a shrug once he'd finished his story. "No one was wounded or killed."
"And that's the same guy?" Spike gestured in Vash's direction.
He nodded. "He's been like ... that ever since," he replied then paused. "Ed and Ein won't leave him, they like him so much. He kept an eye on them while I did repairs." He studied his associates. "You guys really don't plan to turn him over, do you?"
"Well, I -"
"It's sixty billion, Jet!" Faye interrupted.
"Which is impressive, but ... " He shifted his gaze back to the man who played with Ed. "I don't see why we should. I owe him for what he did." He looked to Faye and Spike, who stared at him as though he spoke another language. "Ed likes him."
"Who cares! I want that money!"
Spike placed a hand on Faye's shoulder and shook his head when she looked at him. Jet had a point - the man had saved their lives. They owed him something in return.
"You too!" Faye tossed her hands in the air and went over to the couch to sulk. "I'm the only one on this ship who hasn't lost her mind!"
Ed leaned over the back of the couch, grinning. "Faye-Faye, come play with us!"
Faye shoved Ed off the couch then she kept on scowling. Sixty billion! Right here, on our ship and these two have an attack of stupidity! This Vash idiot must be contagious.
"Huh?" She blinked, her scowl turning to surprise when her gun, handle towards her, appeared in front of her. She followed the arm holding it then frowned when she saw Vash on the other end.
Vash smiled when she made eye contact with him. "A lady as beautiful as you shouldn't be carrying one of these," he said, waving her gun a bit. "I'm here to protect you now. And I always will. Even if you decide to not marry me."
She snatched the gun from his hands and leaned towards him. "GO! AWAY!"
Vash, his smile replaced with a more hurt expression, sighed. "I'm beginning to get the impression that you don't like me."
She jumped to her feet, forcing him to stand up straight. "What kind of a fool are you?"
He grinned. "A fool in love with you!" he proudly answered.
Jet and Spike smothered their laughter. This was the funniest thing they'd seen in ages. And the fact that Faye was on the receiving end of it, well, that made it all the more entertaining.
"ARGH!" She shoved him out of her way then headed for her quarters.
As soon as she was gone, Spike and Jet finally broke down.
"Did you see the look on her face?" Spike howled, wiping a tear from his eye.
Vash, on the other hand, rubbed his chin with his fingers as he stared down the corridor in which Faye had vanished. He glanced at Ed, who appeared next to him. "This is going to be a tough one," he said. He leaned over to her, his hands resting on his knees as he grinned. "But where there's a will ... !"
"There's a Faye-Faye!" Ed cheerfully responded.
More To Come ...
Song Title Used: "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family