Shout outs:
Tyger-chan
birdychick
Senshichan14
Brigidforest
Randall Flagg2 ( I'll think about the suggestion…)
SDKitsune (MWAH! You put me in your favs? ARIGATO! ^______^ )
Ancient Zoidian
Jahayme
Good Gravy! ~8~ Reviews for ONE session? Now you people have no more excuses for not reviewing. Tell people about this fic! Tie down family members, friends, and yes- even household pets (but not goldfish for obvious reasons- they deserve to live as much as the next guy) in front of the computer screen and MAKE them read this!!! ^______________________________^ MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
^________________________________~() Ehehehe…can you tell I've eaten a cookie overloaded with chocolate chips? ^_~ The sugar has gone to my brain.
*Phe skips off with the whole box of cookies, bashing people flat who get in her way *
La la la la la….
CHERRY TOMATO
Session Six
(Or The Incredibly LONG Session)
"JET? JET? SPEAK TO ME!!" Cadogen Doran had dragged Jet out into the diner aisle and used his rolled up jacket as a pillow for Jet's bruised, bald head. Snap hurried to the scene of hysteria with a pitcher of cold water. Cadogen looked up at her from the floor pleadingly.
"I don't have to give him… CPR, do I? I mean I like Jet- but there's a certain 'line'-" Snap shot him a look that kept his trap shut.
"Don't worry. I've done this plenty of times when Joe passes out on the floor from too much liquor. Hold his shoulders down, will you, Cad? This is going to be somewhat of a shock…" With an amused smile, Snap emptied the entire contents of the pitcher on Jet's head. The once unconscious lump of sinew sat bolt upright, completely disregarding Cadogen's hold on him and sending him flying across the room.
"Sorry maam…won't happen again." The young traffic cop winced as he wiped scrambled eggs and maple syrup off his face, grimacing as it splattered on the floor. "Enjoy your meal!"
Jet was in a daze.
"Ed? Did I just see Ed?" To himself he muttered, "Maybe I'm hallucinating again…damn mushrooms…" Edward, at this point- was standing quietly to one side, watching Jet-person with wide, amber eyes, and her toes wriggling every so often. Since she did not have a tail as cats do, and since their hindquarters wriggle and twitch before they make a fantastic spring into the air, this was her equivalent. And spring she did. Right upon Jet's chest.
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Ed copied her father figure, then licked his cheek experimentally. Jet held her at an arm's length.
"What are you doing?!"
"Seeing if you still taste the same, Jet-person!" Ed grinned and then looked thoughtfully at him, "Yep, still taste of old coffee, cigarette smoke and stir fry sauce! Mmmm." Ed broke through Jet's grip and hugged him tight around his ample middle. Jet made no attempt to stop her. For five minutes, they sat like that on the diner floor, each reassured by the warmth and solidity of one another's presence. Jet smelt her hair. Odd. It was actually clean and flower smelling. Cadogen sniggered. Embarrassed, Jet coughed, and stood up, swinging Ed up high so she could sit perched on top of his shoulders.
"Snap-Snap! This is Jet-person!"
Snap Dragon raised an eyebrow,
"Oh…are you her father?"
"Umm…not exactly..no.."
"Well, what then?"
Ed pulled Jet's beard. This once, he let it slide.
"Caretaker?"
Snap gazed at him skeptically, then seemed contented.
"Well, Jet- I assume you do have a last name?"
"Uhhh…" Cadogen stepped in heroically.
"Black. Jet Black. Scourge of our inter- planetary law breakers."
"You're a….cowboy?"
Jet seemed uncomfortable at the sudden change of tone in her voice.
"Is that a problem?"
"No, it's just…well, to be honest, I thought cowboys were supposed to be younger…" Jet looked horrified.
"AND," Cadogen suddenly piped up, "Not only that, but they're supposed to be extremely buff, good looking-" His hazel eyes were wicked, "What happened to you, then Jet? Too much time spent behind the wheel of the ship than in the field? Too much-"
"THANK-YOU, Officer Doran. That will be quite enough." Jet glared venomously at Cad, who pretended not to notice, suddenly absorbed in a crack in the ceiling plaster.
Snap ushered them all back to the booth, and brushed the creases out of her dress.
"Well, Jet. Seeing as you're already here, why don't you stick around for a little bit longer? I'm sure you and Edward have a lot of explaining to do to each other. There are a few things I'd like to know as well…"
"Uhh…sure. I'd be happy to." Jet tried to put Ed down on the seat next to him, but she wasn't having any of it. She howled and wailed and clung with her all her might to Jet's head like a spider monkey. In the end, he gave up in exhaustion and rolled his eyes at Cad.
Lazily, the other officer stretched out his legs and grinned roguishly,
"Snap, darling?"
"What?"
"Would it be too much to ask for another pot of coffee…err…free? I've kinda…run out of money."
Snap sighed as if this happened all too often.
"Were you any other man right now, Cadogen Doran, and you would be out on your ear like this." She snapped her fingers together.
"Ahh, but I'm not just 'any other man', now am I, sweetheart?"
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"Stupid male…must have been dropped at birth. Either that or he was raised in a whore house…" Faye Valentine was taking some nice, quiet, time out inside her small, immobile space ship. It was the only place she could think of that Spike did not have keys to. Even if he did find her, he couldn't get in. She hoped.
With Faye, there was her secret supply of sixteen year old, single malt whiskey- which she kept in a plastic squeeze top bottle. Apart from that, in a battered blue tin, there was a vast array of imported sugar cookies, even though Christmas was still some months away. Faye's logic was that after being frozen for fifty years or so, until medical technology advanced enough to thaw her out and cure her of her injuries, she was entitled to catch up on all the benefits of Christmas celebrations she missed out on. For example: booze and sugar. Finally when the whiskey caused her to relax a little, she switched on the radio and leaned back in her chair. Spike Spiegel didn't deserve the thoughts of a fatal beauty such as herself.
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"Incriminating evidence. Must find incriminating evidence." Spike knew exactly where Faye was. All thanks to the help of a microscopic tracking device that he had attached to the sole of her boot. Heh heh heh. What…the? He paused in the middle of rummaging through her personal things to hold up some weird alien piece of clothing. Maybe it was from back in the 'old days'. Spike put the small, black thing in his pocket and went back to work. He'd go and ask Faye about it after she had sobered up from her drinky drinky session. Nothing else particularly interesting was found. A couple of old lottery tickets, some skimpy clothes scattered around the place, and her antique liquor cabinet, which was regretfully locked and double bolted. Damn alcoholic. Too mean to share.
"Hel-lo? What's this?" Spike picked up a small bottle with white pills inside it beside the bed.
"Mmm…Tic Tacs!" Without hesitation, he spilled out a large amount onto his palm and threw them into his mouth.
"Ahhh…minty fresh." Whistling, he clumsily arranged things the way they were and tiptoed out.
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Faye was thirsty. She cursed herself again and again for not remembering that drinking dehydrates you. With a little pang of sadness, she put the plastic whisky bottle back in the overhead compartment where sunglasses were meant to be kept. The blue biscuit tin went under the driver's seat, behind the steering wheel lock. Thieving fingers had not found it….yet. With a labored groan, she opened the door and dropped to the floor. Making sure that everything was locked, and in order, she staggered out of the hanger and into the Bebop's living quarters. Taking a water capsule from the cold locker, she broke it into a mug and added some ice. Nothing better for sobering up than like half freezing your gullet.
"Faaaye?" The male voice was sly, and too self-assured. Faye spun around to face Spike, "What's this?"
She nearly choked on her water. In fact, she did, and it took her several minutes to stop spluttering and coughing.
"Well? I'm waiting for an answer." Faye turned beet red.
"You mean…you don't know?" She whispered.
"If I knew, then I wouldn't be asking, now would I?" Spike was irritable and slightly disturbed. Things weren't going the way as planned, and he definitely did not like being kept in the dark.
"Of course but…" Faye recovered from her initial embarrassment and sniggered, "I can't believe you don't know."
"We've been through this already!" Spike snapped.
"Okay. Don't panic. I think I still have that really old DVD I had to show to Ed a while back…" Faye made her way out into the living room, and Spike followed her.
"What? You two got to watch DVDS? How come I wasn't included?"
"Because," Faye found the disc, took it out of its case, and inserted it into the player, "It was a girls only kind of thing. But if you don't know…and I mean, know anything, than I think you had better watch this. For your own good." Spike plopped down on the couch,
"Okay, but I don't see how watching a movie is going to help me to understand what this is…" He held up the black cloth object.
Faye pounced, "Give that to me!"
Spike fended her off. "Nuh uh."
The first, snowy frame on the TV screen interrupted them: ' WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME? - YOU AND YOUR BODY.'
Spike watched wide eyed, transfixed- for a whole 90 minutes. Faye's eyes were glued to his face- smugly waiting to see what his reaction would be.
"So…"
"So?"
"This thing is a bra, huh?"
"Yes. My bra, and I would like it back." Faye was hoping that he'd fling it away in disgust.
"And it's uhh…"
"Yes, Spike- I do use it. It has touched my skin."
"Hmm…" Spike looked at the black thing thoughtfully, and then stood up, "In that case…" he inched towards the door, "I think I'll…KEEP IT! BWAHAHAHA!" With a giant leap, he sprang away. Faye was up and after him in a flash.
"DAMN YOU, SPIEGEL!" She rubbed her forehead. She was too hung over for this.
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God made peasants to be expendable. Easily replaced by another, more obedient and loyal. Vicious felt justified by those statements as he ordered the execution of three Syndicate members by battering with canes, and then when they had no more fight left in them, firing squad in the stone paved courtyard below his sleeping quarters on Mars. If members of the Syndicate were allowed to think it was all right to be led astray, they were sadly mistaken. It was best to crush any independent thinking while it was still young, and prevent an uprising in the ranks. If his hordes turned on him, none of Vicious' cunning, ruthlessness or deal making skills would save him. Fear was what he used to his advantage. And he intended to keep all the best cards in his deck.
Crossing the bedroom to the window, his bare feet sank into the expensive pelt of a real polar bear, even though the last one had died in captivity some forty years ago. The bear from the North was supposed to be a smart creature…obviously not that smart if it ended up as a rug. Throwing open the windows, he heard the last shots from the execution below, as they faded away into the night. He did not need to look below- he already knew what he would find there. The first night visitor of many- a coal-black crow swooped into the room and gracefully perched on Vicious' cast iron bed frame. It cawed softly and rumpled its dull feathers. Vicious liked crows. They followed his line of thinking and had the same cold, merciless eyes. This particular crow had electric blue irises, strange in such a common bird.
Withdrawing from the window frame, Vicious stroked its soft head feathers. The crow responded by leaning into his touch. Vicious smiled thinly. Crows were the only things living that seemed to enjoy his company.