Shadowing Ivy
By A Shot of Amber
* ~ * Session 11: Snow Fall Recluse Part 2 * ~ *
"Alex! I...I..." Ivy gasped seeing the tall dark haired man in front of her.
"Never expected to see me again?" Alex asked smiling down at her.
"Well no, they said you died." Ivy replied regaining back her calm.
"I'm to young to die just yet." Alex fingered the scar underneath his right eye and grinned. "They cut me up a bit but they didn't kill me. Now as for you," Alex grew serious. "I heard that you ran away and that they were after you because of it."
Ivy looked away from his serious eyes and turned slightly so she was facing the brick wall next to them.
"I ran away because I wanted to be free. I was a caged bird while I was there but now I'm free of my cage."
"And on the run from the leaders who will kill you when they find you."
"No they won't kill me, they'll just lock me back into the cage and throw away the key this time." Ivy replied in a dry sarcastic voice that failed to bring a smile to Alex's lips.
"You should have told me you wanted to escape, I would have taken you with me when I ran."
Ivy's eyes widened at his statement, but she was calm has she replied.
"I had to run one my own. I'm tired of being someone's womyn."
"You sure seem to be Spike's womyn," Alex replied.
"No, I'm not sleeping with him if that's what you wonder." Ivy peeked out into the ally then stepped out into the bare snow. "I'm just using him to find it, to find what I'm looking for."
"And what is it that you are searching for?" Alex stepped out into the alley way also.
A small smile lit Ivy's face has she looked up into the gray clouds of the sky.
"You already know what I'm searching for."
* * * * * * *
"You find anything about this guy yet Ed?" Jet asked turning to the small girl swaying on the floor.
"Ed is very busy right now. Please call back later!" Ed replied typing something on the keyboard.
Jet just sighed and ran one hand over his bald head, he knew Ed was trying and that did not frustrate him has much as the fact that he could not find anything himself. This guy, who ever he was, was something else, a total recluse that kept himself hidden from the world. Growling with frustration Jet reached for the communicator laying next to him. It had to be either Spike or Ivy and he did not want to talk to either one of them unless they had something on the guy.
* * * * * * *
Spike did not even hear the crunch of the snow underneath is feet. He heard nothing has he walked through the snowstorm except the constant ringing of his thoughts. Ever since they had left the bar, he had thought about what Alex had said about no one ever returning from seeing this guy. Other bounty hunters going in search for the same prize and no one ever winning it, instead they only could disappear and die. This was definitely Spike's kind of mission, he could feel the adrenaline in his blood running through his veins, but then the thoughts of his victory were brought down by the thought of Ivy coming with him.
She was a little girl or at least Spike felt like she was one. With her innocent look and naïve ways, she would only get in his way. It would be best if he just took her back to the Bebop, find out what Jet had found and then return to capture this guy and rescue Faye.
"Ivy I think it would be best if you went back to the ship right now. I'll take you back to the Bebop and you can stay there. It'll be too dangerous for a little girl like you to be caught up in something like this." Spike didn't look behind him has he spoke, he didn't want to be face to face with the onslaught of words he knew was coming.
Yet there was none, instead just silence broken by the crunch of footsteps in the snow. A single pair of footsteps and those were his...
Spike whirled around to see that he was indeed alone in the ally. A single track of footprints dotted the snow all the way into the darkness before him. Cursing under his breath Spike pulled out his communicator and hit the button connecting him with Jet.
"What?" Jet barked into the communicator, his angry face appearing on the screen.
"Jet, Ivy's missing." Spike replied looking around him for any signs of her.
"What do you mean missing?"
"I mean that I just looked behind me and she's not here!" Spike yelled.
"Well then go look for her! What am I supposed to do? Tell you exactly where she is?" Jet yelled back startling Ed back into reality.
"I don't know where to look! I told that girl that this was a lawless region and look what happens, she gets kidnapped and probably will be raped and killed and her body will be disposed in an alley somewhere..."
"Whoa Spike calm down!" Jet yelled into the phone.
"Calm down! What the hell Jet?" Spike yelled back.
"I said calm down, your going crazy over nothing. Just re-trace your steps and see if you can find her." Jet replied while Ed looked over his shoulder at Spike picture on the screen.
"Yea whatever," Spike muttered clicking off the connection but he did turn and begun to retrace his steps in hopes of finding Ivy.
* * * * * * *
"So how come you are out here?" Ivy leaned back against the wall and looked over at Alex.
His face glowed in the firelight. Casting shadows over the brown hair and the scars. Scars she didn't remember from before.
"I came to Calistio because I figured no one would find me here. I thought I would be alone and in peace. Like a whole new person." Alex continued to look into the dancing flames while Ivy looked at him then shifted her gaze to their surroundings.
They sat in a small alley between two buildings. Old sagging cardboard boxes surrounded them luminated from the glow of the fire. Over head a patch of dark gray sky gleamed and dropped a few stray snowflakes onto the ground. Her gaze then fell on Alex sitting across the fire from her.
His hands lay still in his lap. The coat covering his shoulders was old and worn but it looked warm. His eyes stared into the fire, a placid thoughtful look his face. The face that Ivy remembered so well...
"Alex what are your dreams?"
"My dream is to be someone and to make it big. I want to become so rich and so famous that everyone will know my name."
Ivy blinked away her old memories and focused back on the figure of Alex sitting in the firelight. From their crude surroundings and where they sat, she knew he had not made it big yet. He couldn't have made it big if this was where he lived.
She shifted slightly and scooted over next to him. Alex looked up in surprise to see Ivy move up next to him and curl herself against his side.
"I was cold sitting over there." Ivy replied to his silent question.
Alex smiled and wrapped his arm around her. She curled in closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder basking in the heat from the fire. There they sat in peaceful solitude. Ivy was the first to fall asleep curled up in his arms. Alex sat there a little while more with the sleeping girl in his arms before he too fell asleep himself.
* * * * * * *
Spike stood outside the empty building looking up into the glowing neon sign. His growl of frustration echoed in the still night has he kicked a bit of snow up against the door and turned away.
She wasn't there, she wasn't anywhere. He had gone backwards following his footsteps but it soon proved futile has the snow seem to fall faster until it covered up any tracks in the snow. Hoping she had gone there, he went back to the bar they had visited earlier that night only to find it empty.
Now with a growl of frustration echoing through the air he turned and begun to trudge through the snow to his ship. He would go back to the Bebop and make his next move there.
Ivy could come and go has she pleased. He had better things to do like catching the bounty and rescuing Faye. Since she did have the money, she stole from them.
See you later space cowboy...
Jet: Well wasn't that short.
Spike: Yea but it's supposed to get better in the next episode.
Faye: I hope so. I haven't had a damn speaking part in this whole episode! I'm not mute you know!
Spike: Sometimes I wish you were.
Faye: What?!
Spike: Nothing Faye anyway the next episode is "Snow Fall Recluse Part 3"
I'm sorry it's so short, but the next chapter should be longer. Please remember to read and review or send all comments, questions, suggestion, and flames to Saphrians_Water_Reflection@hotmail.com.
* ~ * Session 11: Snow Fall Recluse Part 2 * ~ *
"Alex! I...I..." Ivy gasped seeing the tall dark haired man in front of her.
"Never expected to see me again?" Alex asked smiling down at her.
"Well no, they said you died." Ivy replied regaining back her calm.
"I'm to young to die just yet." Alex fingered the scar underneath his right eye and grinned. "They cut me up a bit but they didn't kill me. Now as for you," Alex grew serious. "I heard that you ran away and that they were after you because of it."
Ivy looked away from his serious eyes and turned slightly so she was facing the brick wall next to them.
"I ran away because I wanted to be free. I was a caged bird while I was there but now I'm free of my cage."
"And on the run from the leaders who will kill you when they find you."
"No they won't kill me, they'll just lock me back into the cage and throw away the key this time." Ivy replied in a dry sarcastic voice that failed to bring a smile to Alex's lips.
"You should have told me you wanted to escape, I would have taken you with me when I ran."
Ivy's eyes widened at his statement, but she was calm has she replied.
"I had to run one my own. I'm tired of being someone's womyn."
"You sure seem to be Spike's womyn," Alex replied.
"No, I'm not sleeping with him if that's what you wonder." Ivy peeked out into the ally then stepped out into the bare snow. "I'm just using him to find it, to find what I'm looking for."
"And what is it that you are searching for?" Alex stepped out into the alley way also.
A small smile lit Ivy's face has she looked up into the gray clouds of the sky.
"You already know what I'm searching for."
* * * * * * *
"You find anything about this guy yet Ed?" Jet asked turning to the small girl swaying on the floor.
"Ed is very busy right now. Please call back later!" Ed replied typing something on the keyboard.
Jet just sighed and ran one hand over his bald head, he knew Ed was trying and that did not frustrate him has much as the fact that he could not find anything himself. This guy, who ever he was, was something else, a total recluse that kept himself hidden from the world. Growling with frustration Jet reached for the communicator laying next to him. It had to be either Spike or Ivy and he did not want to talk to either one of them unless they had something on the guy.
* * * * * * *
Spike did not even hear the crunch of the snow underneath is feet. He heard nothing has he walked through the snowstorm except the constant ringing of his thoughts. Ever since they had left the bar, he had thought about what Alex had said about no one ever returning from seeing this guy. Other bounty hunters going in search for the same prize and no one ever winning it, instead they only could disappear and die. This was definitely Spike's kind of mission, he could feel the adrenaline in his blood running through his veins, but then the thoughts of his victory were brought down by the thought of Ivy coming with him.
She was a little girl or at least Spike felt like she was one. With her innocent look and naïve ways, she would only get in his way. It would be best if he just took her back to the Bebop, find out what Jet had found and then return to capture this guy and rescue Faye.
"Ivy I think it would be best if you went back to the ship right now. I'll take you back to the Bebop and you can stay there. It'll be too dangerous for a little girl like you to be caught up in something like this." Spike didn't look behind him has he spoke, he didn't want to be face to face with the onslaught of words he knew was coming.
Yet there was none, instead just silence broken by the crunch of footsteps in the snow. A single pair of footsteps and those were his...
Spike whirled around to see that he was indeed alone in the ally. A single track of footprints dotted the snow all the way into the darkness before him. Cursing under his breath Spike pulled out his communicator and hit the button connecting him with Jet.
"What?" Jet barked into the communicator, his angry face appearing on the screen.
"Jet, Ivy's missing." Spike replied looking around him for any signs of her.
"What do you mean missing?"
"I mean that I just looked behind me and she's not here!" Spike yelled.
"Well then go look for her! What am I supposed to do? Tell you exactly where she is?" Jet yelled back startling Ed back into reality.
"I don't know where to look! I told that girl that this was a lawless region and look what happens, she gets kidnapped and probably will be raped and killed and her body will be disposed in an alley somewhere..."
"Whoa Spike calm down!" Jet yelled into the phone.
"Calm down! What the hell Jet?" Spike yelled back.
"I said calm down, your going crazy over nothing. Just re-trace your steps and see if you can find her." Jet replied while Ed looked over his shoulder at Spike picture on the screen.
"Yea whatever," Spike muttered clicking off the connection but he did turn and begun to retrace his steps in hopes of finding Ivy.
* * * * * * *
"So how come you are out here?" Ivy leaned back against the wall and looked over at Alex.
His face glowed in the firelight. Casting shadows over the brown hair and the scars. Scars she didn't remember from before.
"I came to Calistio because I figured no one would find me here. I thought I would be alone and in peace. Like a whole new person." Alex continued to look into the dancing flames while Ivy looked at him then shifted her gaze to their surroundings.
They sat in a small alley between two buildings. Old sagging cardboard boxes surrounded them luminated from the glow of the fire. Over head a patch of dark gray sky gleamed and dropped a few stray snowflakes onto the ground. Her gaze then fell on Alex sitting across the fire from her.
His hands lay still in his lap. The coat covering his shoulders was old and worn but it looked warm. His eyes stared into the fire, a placid thoughtful look his face. The face that Ivy remembered so well...
"Alex what are your dreams?"
"My dream is to be someone and to make it big. I want to become so rich and so famous that everyone will know my name."
Ivy blinked away her old memories and focused back on the figure of Alex sitting in the firelight. From their crude surroundings and where they sat, she knew he had not made it big yet. He couldn't have made it big if this was where he lived.
She shifted slightly and scooted over next to him. Alex looked up in surprise to see Ivy move up next to him and curl herself against his side.
"I was cold sitting over there." Ivy replied to his silent question.
Alex smiled and wrapped his arm around her. She curled in closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder basking in the heat from the fire. There they sat in peaceful solitude. Ivy was the first to fall asleep curled up in his arms. Alex sat there a little while more with the sleeping girl in his arms before he too fell asleep himself.
* * * * * * *
Spike stood outside the empty building looking up into the glowing neon sign. His growl of frustration echoed in the still night has he kicked a bit of snow up against the door and turned away.
She wasn't there, she wasn't anywhere. He had gone backwards following his footsteps but it soon proved futile has the snow seem to fall faster until it covered up any tracks in the snow. Hoping she had gone there, he went back to the bar they had visited earlier that night only to find it empty.
Now with a growl of frustration echoing through the air he turned and begun to trudge through the snow to his ship. He would go back to the Bebop and make his next move there.
Ivy could come and go has she pleased. He had better things to do like catching the bounty and rescuing Faye. Since she did have the money, she stole from them.
See you later space cowboy...
Jet: Well wasn't that short.
Spike: Yea but it's supposed to get better in the next episode.
Faye: I hope so. I haven't had a damn speaking part in this whole episode! I'm not mute you know!
Spike: Sometimes I wish you were.
Faye: What?!
Spike: Nothing Faye anyway the next episode is "Snow Fall Recluse Part 3"
I'm sorry it's so short, but the next chapter should be longer. Please remember to read and review or send all comments, questions, suggestion, and flames to Saphrians_Water_Reflection@hotmail.com.