II
• • •
The small bedroom that Faye now called home was in actuality no bigger or better than the one she had had before Spike had left the Bebop.
Lying down on the bed she stared at the ceiling. Low and dark, she could touch the ceiling with her toes if she extended her leg up. Arms dangling off the bed she laid there, feeling tired and needing to sleep but not being able to. Her hand still stung from the slap she had given Spike as his welcome home present.
That is, if he really believed the Bebop was him home, and if he really wanted to stay. Faye was sure he would be gone sooner than later. The fact he was alive unsettled her. She had said her peace with his death two years ago, mourned for her fallen comrade and moved on. Damn him! The tiny blinking light from her comm. unit illuminated the tiny room in green, the light too weak for proper light but too bright for her to ignore. With a groan she shoved it underneath her pillow and once again laid down.
Recalling her actions earlier that night she pouted at her ruined present. All her effort in buying that stupid Regalia cake for Jet and her infamous anger had gotten the better of her and ruined her surprise.
She laughed bitterly at the memory of the poor little white box being hurled through the air.
She, who never did anything for anybody, had planned with relish how and where she would give Jet his cake. She had envisioned Jet's big smile and rough laugh when she would have presented the box to him. Imagined the puzzled, curious expression he would have given her before ripping it open.
She had planned up to the last detail. She would be sitting on the couch; Ed probably would be at her feet with Ein, Jet sitting on the chair, all of them watching something dumb on TV, when with a grin she would reveal the box, gleaming white and expensive.
Faye let out an exasperated sigh. It was all Spike's fault! Her hands balled into fists. Damn him! She always lost her tempter with him, always.
Turning her face over to look at the far wall she studied her boxes, all placed to look like a dresser. Her clothes folded on the top along with her makeup and personal things. She tried to make this room resemble her room as a child. She even had a doll sitting on the edge of the dresser, just like the old one.
Faye sighed and rolled her eyes at herself. She felt foolish. Foolish at her attempts at creating some sort of family, foolish at trying to be her old self, and foolish at having exposed herself to Spike.
She'd just have to bite her tongue till it bled if necessary; anything was preferable to being ridiculed by him. I just wish I could wipe that goddamn smirk off his face. That's exactly what she was thinking of when she slapped him. That thought stayed with her when without her noticing it; she fell into a light sleep. The kind of sleep where your mind is still active and when you wake up you feel no more rested than when you fell asleep in the first place.
• • •
Scratch.
Faye wrinkled her nose unconsciously and turned to her side.
Scratch.
She groaned softly.
Tap. Tap. Scratch.
Her eyes opened calmly.
Scratch. Tap. Tap.
"Who is it?" She asked, her voice throaty and sore.
Scratch.
Fuck. "Ed go to sleep. I'm not in the mood right now."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"I'm not kidding." Her voice got higher in pitch.
Tap.
"What?" She opened the door in a huff. Ed was crouched on the floor like a cat, her eyes wide and alert. Faye was blocking any entrance so Ed opened her legs like a curtain and moved through them, bouncing on the bed, sitting Indian style, her hands behind her back.
"Ed." Faye closed the door behind her. "I'm not in the mood for your games."
"Edward's not playing Faye-Faye."
Faye blinked. Ed only called herself Edward when something was bothering her. She sat on the bed next to her uncomfortably, silently cursing the lack of space. "Alright kid. Spit it out, what's wrong?"
"Edward doesn't know what to do. Nope, nope, nope."
"Do? About What?"
Ed's gaze fell to the doll on the 'dresser'."
"Ed? What do you have behind your back?"
The girl looked at Faye. "I'll tell Faye-Faye if she gives me my present."
Faye smirked. That's more like the Ed I know. You were beginning to scare me. "How about if you give me what you're hiding behind you back and I will give you your present?" She used the sweetest tone she could muster at that moment.
Ed shook her head. "Nah ah, Faye-Faye is sneaky."
Faye felt like bopping the girl against the head. She really wasn't in any mood for this. "We'll count to three and exchange them at the same time alright?"
Ed nodded.
Faye leaned down, picking up the bag she had dropped on the side of the bed and dug around, looking for Ed's gift and placing it behind her back quickly so she wouldn't see it.
"Ready? On, two–"
"Ed wants to count!"
"Alright, go ahead," came Faye's tired answer.
Ed clasped her hands together. "One... Two..." Pause. "Four, thirty-eight–"
"Three." Faye interjected.
Both grabbed the others object in a flash and turned their backs to one another. Ed held in her hands a doll, almost identical to the one Faye had. She looked at the one in her hands and compared it to Faye's. Same porcelain skin, same style dress, same bow in the hair. Ed smiled, she liked her present.
Faye looked down, surprised and a bit disappointed to find Ed's comm. unit. With a frown she turned on the screen and saw a message from earth. She looked back at the young girl only to find her peaking over her shoulder.
"Damnit Ed! Don't do that!" It was almost eerie how quiet Ed could be when she wanted to.
"Read the message. Read the message."
"I was just going to before you almost gave me a heart attack." Giving Ed a look that could kill Faye looked down and pressed a button to see the screen emitting a photograph of earth. "What is this place?"
"Ed doesn't know, but father person sent it." Ed pointed down the left corner of the screen. It did in fact have her father's signature on it. The photograph taken was of a field of green pastures, the ocean barely seen on the edge. A seagull was caught in between a dive.
That's strange. This picture must have been taken before the moon was crushed. There's nothing like that now, it's all hard earth and rock.
"What's Faye-Faye thinking?"
"Huh?" She looked up at Ed. "Nothing... It's just that, your father couldn't have possibly taken this picture. Well... not unless he was at least seventy years old."
"Like Faye-Faye?"
"Hey! Watch it! I might realistically be seventy something but I don't look a day over twenty-three."
Ed giggled and moved further down in the bed, giving Faye a chance to turn around and face her more comfortably.
"So what do you think this is?"
Ed shrugged. "Dunno, dunno, but Ed has to find out."
"I'm sure if you tell Jet he can help-"
"No!" Ed stood up on the bed, covering Faye's mouth with her hand. "Only Faye-Faye can know! Only Faye-Faye!"
Faye nodded slowly, surprised by the girl's reaction. Ed sat back down, the desperate look in her eyes gone, replaced by a smile. "Pinky swear."
Huh? Faye looked at the pinky Ed extended towards her. Doesn't this kid know me? I don't keep most of my promises, actually I don't keep any of them, especially a childish pinky swear. Thinking more deeply about it Faye shrugged and agreed. If it makes her happy.
"Okay then Faye-Faye will help Ed!"
"What? I didn't agree to helping-"
"Yes you did! Yes, yes yes."
Faye sighed exhausted. "I'm tired Ed. We'll talk about it in the morning alright?"
"It's already morning Faye-Faye."
Faye looked at the digital clock on the comm. unit she was holding. The red numbers blared 9 hundred hours. "Well then, we'll talk about it in the afternoon." She shoved her out of the bed and laid down facing the wall.
"But Faye-Faye has to learn the plan."
Faye muffled something unrecognizable in protest.
"Faye person has to convince Jet to fly to earth without telling him the truth."
"Earth?" She turned back around. "That's the last place I wanna go." She snorted. "Nice try but find someone else.
"No!" Grabbing the pillow she whacked her back with it hard.
"Listen here you little" The look Ed was giving her was exasperating. It was the same look she used to con people into giving her what she wanted. She had taught Ed how to do it awhile back when she had assisted her on a job. Fuck. Caught by my own trick. That'll teach me to be nice to the kid.
"What am I suppose to tell him?"
"Dunno, dunno. Faye-Faye will think of something."
"You give me too much credit kid." Rolling on her back she sighed, closing her eyes. She felt something heavy on her right. Opening one eye she saw Ed laying next to her, hugging the doll tightly. Kids. You can't live with them, you can't live with them. Closing her eyes she fell asleep.
• • •
What am I doing? I can't go back to earth. Nothing good comes out of that place. I'm a shining example of that. Faye continued pacing the living room. And just what am I going to say? Hey asshole. I need to go to earth. Faye shuddered and plopped down on the couch. Yeah right. Jet'll tell me to go to hell. Studying her nails absentmindedly she frowned. I'll just make up something when I see him. Most of her best moments had been on the fly. No thinking, just do it. That was her motto. Thinking got her in trouble. Thinking about earth, her past, her old weak self. An image of Ed flashed through her mind.
Faye had had the luxury of remembering her past, but Ed was still trying to sort out hers. Even if she didn't admit it, the young girl was lost. Faye didn't like to admit it to anyone; much less to herself but she saw a lot of herself in Ed.
Not in the way she acted. Heavens no.But in the little things she did. A smile here, a sigh escaping when she thought no one was looking. Once Faye had caught Ed with a far away look she had never seen on her face before. Once Faye's father had caught her with a similar look when she was a little girl. There was no way she could get out of this, but as she tried to stand up to go find Jet, her legs wouldn't work. Instead of going to earth I'd prefer to, I don't know, suck up to-
"Look who's up and doing nothing?"
Spike.
"What do you want?"
"I'd say another slap but I don't want you to sprain your wrist dear." There was something dark in the way he said that as he sat down on the chair, turning on the TV and staring at it.
She felt footsteps behind her and looked back. "It's late to be just be waking up, even for you Faye." Jet said, as he looked her over. She was wearing a tiny t-shirt and shorts.
"Who asked you?" Faye felt cornered.
"Don't expect me to cook you breakfast."
"Don't worry about that Jet," Spike began. "Vampires don't need edible food. They suck out people's blood right Faye? And while she's add it, their hopes dreams and bank accounts.
The amount of pressure Faye was exerting on her tongue to keep from lashing out at him was down right painful. All three of them focused on the TV, Faye biting her lip, not wanting to tell Jet about going to earth with Spike in the room. She was suddenly very aware of his body just feet away from hers and the thought was suffocating.
"Are you alright?"
She looked at Jet, narrowing her eyes. "Yeah why?"
"You're sweating."
Spike didn't look at them but Faye knew he was listening. Her hand went up on her forehead. She was sticky and hot. She felt her stomach burn with anger. Not only are these assholes acting like nothings happened but to top it all off I look like shit! She stood up, the couch moving slightly with the force of her movement.
Both men turned to look at her. Turning to Jet she stated. "We're going to earth."
"What? Where did this come from? Faye!"
She was half way out when she stopped not bothering to turn around she looked over her shoulder. "If he's aloud," she began pointing at Spike, "to return and act like nothings changed then I can say we're going to earth.
Jet let out a groan and sat down where she had been just moments before. "Why does she want to go to earth? I thought that was the last place she'd want to go.
"Why?"
Jet swallowed, not exactly sure if he should tell Spike this. "You weren't here long enough to see Faye try and deal with her past." The pause that followed made Spike turn to look at him.
The words didn't come easily to Jet. "It was like she was two different people. One moment she'd be the same smart ass woman we'd known and the next she'd be shy and polite." Jet scratched his beard. "It was like she didn't know who to be. The girl of the past or the woman she thought she was." The old man looked at Spike. "And here you come and piss her off.
"What did I do?"
"Hey man. She was really worried about you." The incredulous look Spike gave him offended Jet. "She was! Hey, you know it's not like me to defend a woman, especially a woman like Faye but when it's the truth it's the truth. I don't know if she was all jumbled up with her past or what, but she took your death really hard.
The smirk slowly faded from Spike's face. "So what do you want me to do about it?"
"Apologize."
The silence returned and they returned to pretending to watch the TV. A few minutes passed before he broke the silence. "Are we going to earth?"
Scratching his head Jet replied, "Yeah."
• • •
It had been more than a year since Faye had laid eyes on the big blue ball she recognized as earth. Out of all the planets in her mind, earth was the most beautiful. Not only because it was the place she was born, but also because it gave her a warm tingle deep inside.
Standing in the cockpit Faye looked out the ship through the window, her chest tightening when the ship was close enough to see the moon belt orbiting around the earth.
She must have been one of the last persons to see the moon intact. And what a beautiful moon it was. Because of it we had waves in the ocean; we had fish in the sea. After the big gate accident that caused the moon to explode, most of the earth was battered by fragments of moon hitting the surface and killing most everything. And because the moon was what caused the waves in the ocean, without its magnetic pull most sea animals died off. The people of earth built machines that crated artificial waves but they weren't able to measure the amount of success it had. For all they knew nothing was living underneath the great expanse of water.
In some oceans people had spotted things swimming under the water, in some areas the water was so stagnant nothing could survive in it.
Faye had loved the ocean as a child. As a kid she spent every Sunday with her family by the beach or in a boat. Her father had taught her deep sea diving and she would go almost daily for years. Her mother always worried about her but she didn't care. It was a whole new world under the water. It was the closest thing she could get to another planet. Young Faye wanted nothing more than to travel and see the galaxy, the only planets inhabitable on her time where Venus and Mars. Planets father away like Jupiter and Saturn where pet projects. Mars was first on her list of places to visit. Little did I know.
"Are we there yet?"
"Almost Ed." Spike answered from his sitting position a few feet behind and to the left of Faye. Jet was sitting facing the wall to their right, trying to get the permit for landing cleared up.
Spike was monitoring the distance between them and the fragments of moon, making sure they didn't drift too close. Ed was looking over his shoulder, impatient to land.
Tired of sitting in her room Faye had walked into the cockpit, ready with a sarcastic remark when the view of the earth took her breath away. Not really noticing Spike, Jet or Ed she walked up to the glass, lost in thought she stood there hugging herself tightly.
Hearing Ed's voice brought her out of her thoughts. Faye sighed and looked away. It hurt too much to think of her past.
"What's Faye-Faye thinking? Ed wants to know."
"Hmm?" She looked up at the Ed, not being bale to avoid looking at Spike as well. "I" The look Spike was giving her bordered on something she wasn't sure about. She wasn't sure if he was looking at her or just looking up.
"Okay we're cleared." Jet turned of the screen he had been looking at and put his hands behind his head. "Hope this isn't some wild goose chase Faye.
She didn't answer him but looked at Ed. The young girl shifted and let go of Spike's chair. Spike didn't miss the little interaction between the two females. He couldn't make anything of it at the moment so he stored it in the back of his mind for another time.
"Ready to take us in?" Jet asked.
"Okey doke." He looked up at Faye with a grin. "Can you move out of my way? You're blocking my view.
Faye had turned around to take another look at the earth. Hearing Spike's voice made her jump. "Yeah, okay." She walked out of the room quickly, hiding her face.
"What's up with her? I was only kidding." He looked back at Jet. Spike was certain his little joke would bring Faye out of whatever funk she was in. Didn't she know by now you drive a ship like the Bebop through monitors?
"Have you apologized yet?"
"It ain't my style."
"You better make it your style."
"I don't see her apologizing for hitting me."
"Damn Spike!" Jet stood up ready to leave the cockpit. "I swear you two act like five year olds. You fix this yourself and you fix it quick. I'm tired of this shit. The faster you apologize the faster she tells us why the hell we're here and the faster we can get the hell off this planet.
Spike saluted the back of Jet's retreating figure. "Yes sir."
• • •
"Okay children. We broke through the atmosphere, now what?" Came Spike's voice echoing throughout the ship's communication system. Now alone and still sitting down in the cockpit Spike leaned back, hiking his feet up on the monitor he opened a pack of cigarettes.
"Yummy! Nothing like that fresh nicotine smell to wake you up in the morning." He tapped the case on his palm and took one out, examining it with appreciation. In one quick motion he clicked on the lighter and inhaled. One hand now behind his head he looked out the window, observing the bright blue sky of earth. That's one of the things he couldn't really get used to. That blue. In Mars, at the most the sky was a foggy gray and he liked it that way. It made him think he was safe in the shadows.
Earth was just too bright and cheery for his liking. And now with the moon meteors falling like raindrops it was truly one of the last planets he wanted to visit.
Closing his eyes for a little cat nap he froze when tiny fingers touched the hand behind his head, placing a piece of paper there. Without even turning around he knew the culprit was gone. He felt her light erratic steps make their way to the door and out. Opening his eyes he took another drag of his cigarette, leaving it to dangle between his lips as he unfolded the piece of paper. Scribbled childishly were two numbers.
"Coordinates?" He typed them in the computer and sure enough they pinpointed a destination. He frowned slightly. "We'll I'll be a monkey's uncle. Now what does Ed have to do with all this?" He remembered the look Ed had shared with Faye. "Tsk tsk. Keeping secrets are we ladies? He thought about not cooperating with all this and speaking with Jet but he just... didn't really care one way or another. He had come to the Bebop because that was the only place he had left to go to. Was it too much to ask for things to be simple just this once? But it never was simple with women involved. Faye was truly going out of her way in making him feel like hell. I feel so loved.
His cigarette almost out, he squashed it under his foot. Turning to leave he caught a shadow by the doorway.
"Ed I know you're there."
He heard feet shuffling and Ed's red mane of hair was the first thing he recognized followed by the girl herself, walking in like she had lead weights attached to her feet.
"Did Spike-Spike get Edward's message?"
"Yes he did." He took another cigarette out.
"Okay." She turned to walk away but his cough stopped her.
"Can I talk to you a moment Ed?"
Shoulders slumped she dragged her way to his side, sitting down on one of the armrests.
"Now here's my question." He began slowly, not wanting to run her off. Her face scrunched up, like she were expecting a blow to the face. She held her breath waiting for him to ask his question. "How have you been?
Her eyes popped open like rubber balls and the smile he remembered so vividly returned in full force. "Spike-Spike wants to know about Ed?
"Sure." He said flicking the ash on the floor.
"Hee! Hee!" She laughed delighted at his attention. "Ed's been good good good! Jet person's been teaching Ed about ships and Faye person has been teaching Ed about-" Spike was studying her very carefully and she had him on baited breath when she stopped, catching herself just in time. Her eyes got wide as she caught on to his game. He was milking her up for information. Ooh, Spike-person's sneaky just like Faye-Faye.
"Ed?"
Bringing one leg up, she began picking at it. "Has Ed ever told Spike person about what happened after she came back to the Bebop?"
"No, I don't believe I've heard that one."
"Well," she began talking to her foot more than to Spike. "When Ed came back the ship was haunted."
Spike almost coughed. "Did you say haunted?"
"Yup! Haunted. Haunted. Haunted!" She raised her arms up in excitement. "The ghost walked the ship night and day. Spooky!" She finished with a special effect on her voice.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, yes!"
Spike decided to go along with the story. He didn't have anything better to do anyway.
"What did the ghost want?"
"The ghost wanted to be saved. He roamed the ship making Jet person and Faye-Faye very sad."
Spike stared at the young girl with a serious expression, the cigarette forgotten.
"Jet person would fix everything he could get his little fingers on and Faye would cry and cry." Ed nodded to herself. "Cry and cry and cry. Fix and fix and fix. And the ghost wouldn't go away. They would see him everywhere, in their shadows, on their food, in their dreams.
"What happened?"
"Ed came!" she said happily. "The genius that is Ed knew that she would have to talk with the ghost. Tell ghost person that he was making everybody sad and lonely. So she looked for him night and day. Day and night... Night and day... Spooky!" She gauged his reaction, satisfied with his expression she continued. "But Ed was wrong.
"Wrong?" She never admits that. What's she talking about?
"Yessiree! Yes, yes, yes. Because Ed thought ghost person was a ghost but he wasn't. He was just a lost man. Lost, lost, lost. So Ed told lost person to go and find himself and when he was ready to come back.
"Come back?"
"To the Bebop."
"I see... And you spoke to him?
"No silly." She waved a condescending hand at him. "I am speaking to him.
The dumbfounded look Spike gave her made her giggle. "The ghost was Spike person! And Spike-Spike came back! Back! Back! Back!
Spike's head felt like it was stuck between pliers and they were slowly turning his brain to jelly.
"There's only one problem," she said sticking up her index finger close to his face. "Jet person and Faye-Faye are still sad." She nodded and Spike unconsciously nodded with her.
"Arriving at specified location on planet earth. Need permission to land. Contact id 24972.
"Yeah! We're here! We're here!" Ed danced around the cockpit, completely forgetting what she had told Spike moments before.
"What's this crap about contacting someone?" Jet poked his head in, annoyed.
Spike pulled himself together. The questions he had for Ed had to wait till they were alone. "I don't know," he looked at the monitor. "Seems we have found a fully operational city.
"What? On earth? Since when can anybody live long enough to build a city with all these meteors destroying everything?" Spike got up from his seat and Jet sat down, punching some keys on the dashboard a face popped up on the screen.
"State your reason for landing here."
Jet and Spike looked at each other, completely caught off guard. There hadn't been any type of real enforcement on earth since the gate incident. The planet was too unpredictable for anybody to gain control and keep it.
"How'd you find this place?" Jet murmured to Spike.
"Luck."
Spike smirked at the expression on Jet's face. He shrugged his shoulders innocently.
"Hello? I don't have all day. Either you state your reason or get the hell out." The face on the screen said impatiently.
Jet swallowed his insults and turned back to the screen with a smile. "I'm sorry. Yes our reason is we are visiting a- uh"
"Mother." Spike said.
"Yes mother. Wait, mother?"
"Yes mother."
"Whose-"
"You're mother," Spike clarified before the man on the screen could figure out their lie. He turned to look at the man. "She's sick, very sick. And Jet here," he patted Jet's chest empathetically, "is very worried about her. He just doesn't like to cry in public, ya know how it is.
The man on the screen looked at Jet, mistaking the anger he saw radiating from his eyes as worry.
"Okay, that's all I wanted to know. You can park at gate 7." The man looked at Jet, "Hey man, you have my sympathies." With that he cut communication.
"Sick mother!" He slapped Spike's hand away from his chest. "Is that all you could think of?
"Hey, hey, don't blame me." Spike backed away playfully from Jet. "You were stuttering and breaking up there. Besides, the sick mother routine always works.
"Why couldn't it have been your mother?"
"Because there's no fun in that."
"Fun for who? I'm not laughing."
Spike smirked, "But I am."
• • •
An underground city, I never would have thought it.
The Bebop crew had left their ship parked on the gate and were scouting the city randomly. None knew exactly why they were there for, including Faye. To make up for that very small but important fact she increased her smart ass act ten fold so the two men would leave her alone.
As they walked she looked at the back of Ed's head as the young girl walked ahead of her. Since leaving the ship she hadn't had a single chance of talking to her in private. Her gaze traveled from the young girl's head to the head of the man she was holding hands with, Spike.
Since when is Spike the touchy feely type? She narrowed her eyes instantly. That man wants something. She just couldn't figure out what. But he could always choose the worst times for his little games.
Jet walked next to her with a scowl on his face. Faye knew she couldn't keep him in the dark for much longer. She'd have to think of a pretty good lie and soon. Sighing quietly she looked at her surroundings. As far as she could tell the city was built in old subway tunnels. The ceiling was a good one hundred feet up and the air circulating was as close to a cool breeze as you could get underground. The actual train tracks where covered and made into roads. The crew had learned that using stored heat energy from the earth's core; the people of earth had been able to create a force field around their city. It served to deflect the meteors that happened to fall on the surface of their city. That's how they had been able to live in relative peace.
Faye felt a surge of pride at that without knowing exactly when the patriotism to her planet had been born in her.
"So where are we going Faye?" Spike asked her. They had stopped walking and she almost bumped into him.
"Ed wants to go there." She pointed her hand at a good-looking hotel a few buildings down from where they were standing.
Gazing over the fancy doors and the doorman at the entrance Jet knew it'd be expensive. "I don't think we can afford that Ed."
"But Ed wants to go there."
"No Ed. How about-" The look Ed had given Faye days before was given to Jet. Faye held back a smirk as she watched Ed do her magic on the old man. Works like a charm.
"See you've been teaching your little tricks to the kid." Spike was suddenly next to her. She felt his breath on her cheek and jumped before she could control herself.
"Damn Spike!
"A little jumpy aren't you?"
"With a mug like yours who wouldn't be?" She moved away from him trying to maintain her composure. She hadn't gotten used to Spike being alive yet. His presence gave her goose bumps all over.
"Okay we're going to that hotel, the" he squinted his eyes.
"I think you need glasses Jet."
"Screw you. I just need to get closer. Nobody can see that sign from all the way over here.
"The Villa Ikar," Spike and Faye said simultaneously. Jet looked at both of them slack jawed.
"Shut up." He took Ed's hand and began walking briskly. Faye and Spike followed behind him, nipping at his heels.
"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to insist you take an eye exam before you pilot the Bebop again. It's just not safe." Spike said loud enough for Jet to hear. At seeing his back tense up he smiled.
"Don't take it hard Jet," Faye continued. "When a man reaches a certain age it's only natural for him to start going blind.
"Glasses might give you an edge with the ladies." Spike said.
"Sure they can." Faye agreed. "No woman can resist a balding man with four eyes.
"Go to hell!
Spike and Faye couldn't contain their laughter any longer. The madder Jet got, the more Spike and Faye laughed. Even Ed joined in, making Jet's eyes bulge and that vein in his forehead swell up grotesquely.
"Here! Take the kid, I need a break from you little smart ass shits." With that he walked down the street, hands in his pockets and his head looking straight ahead. Ein decided to follow him, giving a glance back with her tongue hanging out to the side.
"Aw come one! We were only kidding." Spike called out to him with a chuckle.
"Shit. I think he's really pissed of this time."
Faye and Spike laughed looking at each other for an instant. In that instant the awkwardness returned but before it could take its full effect Ed spoke up.
"Let's go already! Ed wants to take a nap." Taking Faye's hand she pulled her along.
"Wait a minute Ed." Faye shook off Ed's grasp and tucked her black wife beater in her jeans and zipped up her red jacket. Looking at the mocking look Spike was giving her she scowled. "I'm just making myself presentable." She looked him up and down. "You better do something about that shirt. It's all wrinkled," she looked down, "and your pants are faded.
She looked over at Ed. "Don't you have any shoes?
"Ed doesn't wear shoes."
Looking at the guests leaving and entering the hotel Spike realized Faye was right. Most of them were snobs and the management wouldn't allow them to stay there if they didn't at least have shoes on.
Faye leaned down, taking off her black boots. "Put these on." She told Ed.
"What are you going to wear?
Faye opened her black bag and took out a brush, a tiny steam iron and a pair of black heels.
"Can you pull a rabbit out of there too?" Spike asked with a smirk.
Faye smirked back, rolling her eyes. She dropped the shoes on the floor and slid her feet in; now at eye level with Spike she turned on her little steam iron and began ironing out his shirt. First smoothing out the fabric with a flat palm and then going over it with the steamer. Strangely enough Spike remained quiet and cooperative, something Faye found strange but wasn't dumb enough to point out. When he looked half way presentable she nodded and turned to Ed, combing some of her hair into place.
"Okay lets go."
"I sleep with Faye!" Ed called out, looking at Spike.
"You'd be the first one willing.
• • •
(Author's Notes)
For those people who wrote me asking if this was Spike/Faye fic the answer to that is I don't know. I am consciously not starting it out that way because I don't think there was any love of that kind in either Spike or Faye when the series ended. That isn't to say it couldn't develop though. =)