A/N: OMG! I love you guys! Thanks to everyone who reviewed; you guys really made my day. Thanks especially to Tenqu Queen. I knew I had something wrong, thanks for pointing out my mistake, lol. *huggles reviewers* I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

***

I was smiling when we ran out of the bar, but I stopped abruptly once I looked at what Ed stood next to. "It's... how did you...?"

"Listen, Faye, it's a really long story. I'll tell you about it later, but for now, climb in beside me." I did as she requested, deciding on picking up the Redtail after visiting. I studied the small space, vaguely noticing the picture of the cute teenage boy taped on the metal side of the cockpit. It was weird being in the Swordfish II, when only seeing Spike in it the entire time I had lived there, never venturing close enough to possibly damage Spike's "baby."

"Why is it that I can't deal with change?" I wondered aloud, Ed looking at me and blinking. "I mean, it's okay when it happens gradually or when you're there to see if yourself, but if something changes behind your back, it's unbelievably hard to accept." I sighed and studied the picture closer. "Does Edward have a special someone?"

She smiled and gave a short laugh. I think she was relieved that I had gotten of such a serious subject. "It's one of my friends from the internet," she said innocently, but I noticed the small smile creeping onto her face. At that exact moment, I was thinking to myself that some change is surprising, but for the better.

***

"Ed, I'm not sure whether I'm really welcome here...." I trailed off, Ed reassuring me that I was wrong and running ahead of me. My mind couldn't help but drift off and think of the day I left.

"Where are you going, Faye?"

"What's it to you?" I answered rudely, shoving my few clothing items and some other stuff into a bag.

"Faye, I know you feel responsible, but—"

"It's not my fault?" I stopped stuffing the bag full to stop and stare straight into Jet's eyes. "Did you ever stop to consider that I didn't think that in the first place and the condescending reassurance that it isn't my fault is what's making me doubt my own judgment?" He didn't bother answering. I looked away and zipped the bag shut, walking past him without brushing his shoulder. He didn't look back at me, I could tell that much, and as I climbed into the still broken Redbird, I felt a pang of guilt stab at me. Being the obnoxious self-serving shrew that I am and was, however, I just ran away, thinking of myself before the only real father I had.

"Faye? Faye?" I blinked and shook my head, listening to the ocean surrounding the harbor the Bebop was docked at. The first sight of the hunk of metal sent images of Spike, Vicious, and Julia through my mind. I pinched my arm fiercely, running to catch up with Ed.

"It's really nice here!" I commented, the city far enough away so there was actually a little beach for little kids to run around on. The waves crashed against the shore and soothed my nerves.

"Yeah, well Jet's been getting all mid-life crisis lately, so he wanted a little change of scenery," Ed commented, rolling her eyes and jumping from the wooden platform onto the ship's deck. I followed her, wiping sweaty palms on my shorts and taking deep and slow breaths.

The hangar was open and inside I could see Jet working on the Hammerhead's engine. He looked up when Ed yelled her greeting, and called out, "Why the hell didn't you fly the ship in?"

"We wanted to walk, Jet."

"We?" He climbed off the ship and jumped down next to Ed. I started to hide behind her, but I mentally slapped my face and forced myself to lift my head up to meet Jet's eyes. He looked startled for a moment, but then his eyes acquired the fatherly look I remembered and I smiled. "Hi, Faye."

"Hey, Jet."

***

I sat awkwardly on the yellow couch with a plate of bell peppers and beef steaming in front of me. Ed had just finished and was reclining beside me as Jet, sitting across from us, told me all about how he started his current work as a private investigator. I listened intently, but my eyes wandered, noticing the little differences of the place I was once able to call home. Ed's computer lay on the metal table next to the mostly empty plates, beside it a tattered old backpack. Jet stopped talking abruptly, and I looked at him wondering the reason for his sudden silence.

"Ed, will you go do the dishes?" Jet asked, and I breather a sigh of relief when she left the room. There were some things I needed to talk to Jet about alone, but I didn't want to be mean to Ed and make her leave. "So what's been on your mind, Faye?"

Calmly and slowly, I asked, "Jet, where did you get the Swordfish?" He rubbed his head with his metal arm, and the anticipation fluttering in my stomach started building. "Just tell me."

Jet started talking without looking up. "After you left, Ed came back. She came back with the Swordfish." When I didn't show my surprise, he continued. "Anyway, she told me that basically, the Syndicate came after her too. Apparently they had been watching us for some time. She said that she had placed tracking devices on all the ships, including yours, Faye, and that Spike's was closest to her, so she just headed in that direction."

"What did she see when she got to the headquarters?" I interrupted.

"She said that she saw Vicious's body being thrown into the back of a black sedan. She didn't see Spike." I looked down, trying to conceal the tears forming in my eyes. I couldn't cry—I wouldn't cry—over any man.

"Go on," I managed to choke out after Jet stopped.

"I guess they were gonna bring the ship sometime later, but Ed slipped past the guards and hot-wired it. Her and Ein headed over here as fast as they could. I think that the reason she wasn't followed was that the Syndicate was falling apart. The leaders were gone, betrayal and lies were spreading throughout the ranks, and eventually they disbanded. The first year, I was worried, but no one with the Red Dragons has tried to screw around with us since then." We were both silent for a minute, listening to the running water and clinks of the dishes in the next room.

"You don't know what happened to Spike?" I asked desperately, clinging to hope that they might know something—anything—that would tell me whether he was dead or alive.

"No," Jet said softly. Just then, Ed walked back in and I stood up.

"Thanks for the dinner. I've really missed you guys. It's been awesome seeing you." Ein had followed Ed out from the kitchen where he had been sleeping, and as i was about to say that I needed to leave, he jumped on me and started wagging his tail happily, barking like mad.

"Another weird change," I muttered to myself, picking him up and scratching his head. Before I could finish saying goodbye, Ed started jumping up and down.

"Faye-faye, stay with us for a while!" I smiled. Some habits can't be broken. "We can have a partay, and I can introduce you to some internet buddies of mine and we can hang out!!!!" There was no way to refuse Ed's offer. I put Ein down and looked over at Jet, who looked like he didn't have a problem with it.

"Okay," I answered. At that precise moment, I felt the nervousness in my stomach again. Getting close to someone again... I had already lost these people once before. I didn't know whether I could lose them again. As I followed Ed into one of the many rooms in the Bebop, I wondered whether it was such a harmless decision on my part.

Yet that chill going down my spine suggested something worse was to happen. Something was not right, and was too scared to find out what.

***

A/N: WHEEE! Okay, that really sucked. Anywho, I hope you guys like it. For once, I actually made a plot and shit like that. Weird! A PLOT CHART! Hee hee. So yeah, review and tell me what you think of it!

This chapter wasn't the most interesting, but I had to explain some shit. So yeah. Review! I love you guys!

*huggles*

Qui