Broken Heart




Faye pulled her lawn chair onto the sunny side of the deck of the Bebop, and plopped down. So Estoria wasn't the most exciting place in the world and it was rather far from the sun. She was bored - at least she could try and catch some rays and maybe a nap. Spike was continuing to be a thorn in her side, as if that was anything new, and she just needed a moment away from everyone to relax.

Cloria hummed as she mopped the deck of the Seadog. Mopping was something she had never had to do growing up, and now she rather enjoyed cooking and cleaning up after the men on the ship. She didn't think of it as a chore, more a way she could repay Jin for all the kindness he had shown her.

Faye pulled her sunglasses down and looked over the edge. What the hell was that girl doing? Mopping? Who the hell mopped their ships. Faye sighed and went back to sunbathing.

Cloria seemed to feel someone watching her and when she looked up from her task, caught the movement of Faye laying back down on the deck. "Hey!" she called out waving. It was always nice to meet another woman.

Faye sat up again. Could she not just rest for one second without an interruption. She smiled and waved, and was about to lay back down when the girl started walking her way. Giving up on her nap, she stood and walked to the edge of the ship. "Did you need something?"

Cloria was taken aback at first as Faye's rather blunt statement. "Well, I uh, I just wanted to say hi. I don't see a lot of women while traveling and I thought it would be nice to make friends."

Faye was tempted to roll her eyes. "Make friends?" Was this girl for real? "Well, alright, I'm Faye. I live here, on the bebop and I hunter bounties. I'm a bitch, everyone on my ship pretty much hates me or at least thinks I'm useless and annoying, and I like to gamble too much. Anything else you want to know?"

Cloria's eyes widened, "Well, I guess if you talk to them like that I can see why they don't like you. I'm Cloria, and well, I'm also a bounty hunter." She resisted stepping back. She had started the conversation and interrupted the other woman's sunbathing. It would be rude to leave now.

Faye stuck out a hand, "Well it's nice to meet you Cloria, but I really do need to be...." Faye's jaw dropped as Kade walked onto the deck. "So yeah, you were saying you hunted bounties?" she asked, her eyes still on the man. He was hot! Nothing wrong with enjoying a little eye-candy when forced to talk to annoying neighbors.

Kade walked over to the side of the ship, "Who is this, Cloria?" He asked.

"Faye," she said her hand still out. She moved it over to Kade. "I'm Faye."

Kade laughed a little. "Well, it's nice to meet you Faye. Cloria, I just came out to get you. I wanted to talk to you for awhile." He gave Faye a little goodbye wave and then headed back into the ship.

"WOW..." Faye said staring as he left.

"Well, I guess I should go," Cloria said, "It was nice meeting you Faye." With that she turned and walked back into the ship.

"You too," Faye mumbled as she wandered back to her lawn chair. "Yes, definately. It was nice. He was very very nice." She closed her eyes and fell asleep,




*********************


Cloria hummed as she set the table. Dinner was nearly ready, and Kade, Jin and Sam had all told her they were coming. She Set down the last place, then walked back to the stove to check the chili. They were having chili, one of Kade's favorites, that evening.

Sam wandered into the kitchen, an old analog radio in his hands spewing a quiet cacophony while he cycled through stations rapidly.

"Hey Sam," Cloria greeted him with a smile. "Guess what we're having for dinner tonight!"

"Hello Cloria" Sam said without looking up from his newest fascination. "Are we having Spagetti with Meat Sauce and French Bread?" Sam then paused to sniff the air "Ah, Chili... Kade's favorite" Sam added.

"That's right. Kade begged me to make Chili tonight. We haven't had the ingredients in forever." Cloria replied. "I think it's done. Can you carry it to the table for me?"

Meandering around the table to his faviorite chair at the head of it, Jin playfully tucked his napkin into his shirtcollar and grabbed his fork in one hand and his knife in the other. "Is dinner ready yet, Princess?" Jin called out to her in the kitchen.

"It is!" Cloria called back. "Can you get Kade?"

"Alright, forever Chili coming up!" Sam said as he set down the radio on the table and sauntered over to the stove.

"Get Kade, that lazy bum," jin mumbled to himself. Leaning back in his chair so he could see down the hallway Jin called out loud enough to be heard over the entire ship, "Kade, you lazy bastard you're holding up dinner!"

"Alright, I'm coming," Kade groaned, forcing himself off the bed. He was still tired. He had been the one to drag that stupid man half a mile down the street. He wandered out into the kitchen. "You people are... ooh, chili!"

Sam sat at his place at the table, pulled a spoon from his pocket and begans to eat slowly while he fiddled with the dial on his radio.

Kade plopped down at the table and served himself some Chili as well. He was starving, and it all looked good.

Jin laughed at Kade's reaction to the chili, the man definitly had asoft spot for the spicy stuff. "Cloria when are you going to fix my favorite meal?" Jin asked her pouting.

Cloria, on the other hand, just laughed. Her boys would always be just that. Boys. She sat down and waited for Jin to serve himself. "All you have to do is ask, Jin."

"And pay for it" Sam said, he tuned into complete static on the old radio and left it there.

"I didn't see you helping on this one," Kade joked, his mouth full of chili.

"Hey! That man put a whole in my jacket not to mention my arm!" Jin started. "I think I deserve something out of that ordeal! Sam," Jin started on a sigh as he ladled some chili into his bowl. "That isn't what I would consider dinner music."

"But it's my favorite song" Sam complained as he sprinkled a little salt into his Chili before taking another spoonful.

Jin was beat, he decided to just ignore it for as long as he could manage. No matter how useful Sam was at bounty hunting at times, he had no ear for music, which was one of Jin's biggest pet peeves.

"At least turn it down a little," Kade said, still stuffing his face.

"Fine fine..." Same said with a note of defeat in his voice and he turned down the volume to a low rumble. "Any new hunting soon?" Sam asked.

Cloria ate slowly. She laughed a bit as the guys 'fought'. This was live on the ship and she loved it. "At least we have good food tonight. And after dinner we can drink some wine and do a little dancing. OH!" She started. "I met a woman from the ship parked next door. Her name was Faye."

"Does she have blue hair?" Sam asked with genuine curiosity.

"It was a darker purple color," Kade said, remembering the woman now that Cloria mentioned it. "Alright" Sam said with a mild shrug.

"Why do you ask, Sam?" Cloria asked, "Do you know her or something?"

"No just curious," Sam said, before he began to literally lick his plate clean.

"Why did you mention her?" Jin asked absentmindedly between spoonfuls of the chili. It was damn good.

"It was just nice to meet someone else for a change. Not that I don't love you guys," Cloria replied.

"How could you ever find better company than us?" Sam asked as he wiped his mouth off with his sleeve.

"Hear that Kade," Jin said trying to provoke Cloria. "She doesn't love us anymore. She's going to leave us for the purple haired girl."

Cloria blushed, "I never said that!" she gave Jin a little push on the arm. "I wouldn't leave you guys, ever." Especially not you, Jin.

"You're all just planning to abandon me behind my back, I just know it!" Sam said with mock concern.

"I don't know," Jin said smiling at the reaction he had gotten. "One day you're going to get board with us and run away to find your prince charming. And Sam here is going to heartbroken."

"Completely and utterly," Sam agreed.

Kade chimed in as well, "She was a pretty attractive woman. I didn't know you swung that way Cloria, but we understand. After all, we sure know the appeal of a woman."

The normally easy-going Cloria was bright red by now. "And after I made you dinner." she huffed. She stood from the table and turned on her heel. "Well, you three can clean up."

"Cloria," Kade called out, "We were joking... weren't we?"

"Were we?" Sam asked in utter perplexity.

Jin had meant to her provoke her, not hurt her. "Shit," he said under his breath and jumped up from his chair to follow her. "Cloria!"

Sam knew that his social talents lied in making situations worse, not better. So he resigned himself to putting the dishes in the sink. Sam began to clean the dishes in the sink. While doing his chose he looked to Kade "I think we went to far on that one."

Cloria stopped, "What Jin?"

"Why are you so upset?" he asked gently. All joking aside, this was the warm Jin, the side of him that very few people ever got to see. "None of that was meant to hurt you."

Sam continued to do the dishes, somewhat alarmed by the new silence. He slightly turned up the static on his radio and felt a little better.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just got carried away or something," Cloria said, instantly feeling bad about rushing off.

Kade stood, "Hey sam, I'll help you. Maybe those two need a little alone time!"

"No," Jin said. He gently grabbed her head and forced her to look up at him. "Something we said bothered you. What was it?"

"Jin, I wouldn't leave you ok," Cloria said softly. Maybe it bothered her so much because of how she really felt about him.

"I know that, Cloria," he said smiling brightly. "It just has to get lonely sometimes being the only girl on a ship of unruly men. We're dispicable if you think about it. We're messy, we can't cook. There's no way we could take careof ourselves. I can't remember how Kade and I ever lived without you."

Cloria nodded, "I don't mind cooking or cleaning for you guys. I rather enjoy it. Just, please don't joke about me leaving you again." She leaned forward and gave Jin a hug.

Jin hooked his arms around her lower back. "Nope, I'll never let you go as long as you keep cooking meals like tonight," Jin said smiling wickedly. "We should fight more often,"

"Oh god!" Sam shouted from the kitchen as he knocked over the growing stack of dishes onto the floor. "Guys... and girl... I think we need to get a hunt... I kind of... things fall... make.."

"My bad?" Sam added hopefully.

Cloria was about to fall into Jin's smile until Sam came bursting through the doors.

Sam looked around hesitantly. "Umm... did I do something wrong?"

Kade called into the room behind Sam, "What am I missing?"

"Ah Sam!" Jin said pulling away from Cloira to inspect the damage. "My man, I think you cost more money than you bring in."

"I'm helpful," Sam said in his own meager defence.

Cloria just laughed. The moment was ruined, but the fun was back. "You three will just have to catch another bounty."

"We always have to catch another bounty!" Jin complained.

Kade walked into the room, "There's nothing wrong with that, Jin. Catchin' bounties is fun."

"Yep," Sam said with a smile "We also need to buy a broom to sweep up the broken dishes..."

Cloria shook her head, "What happened to the last broom we had?"

"Umm..." Sam said worriedly "I lost it..."

"Sam!" Jin shouted. "How do you loose a broom?"

"If I knew how I lost it, then I would be able to find it" Sam said flatly.

Kade grinned, "We're just not meant to have stuff around here."

"Not where!" Jin said exasperated. "How? How do you manage to loose or break just about everything?"

Kade patted Jin on the back,"It's ok. It's just a broom."

"Yep, it's not like the time when I removed the legs from your bed..." Sam said in happy reminisence.

Kade burst out laughing. That had sure been funny. Jin hadn't been that happy, but hey, someone had to be the butt of the joke.

Jin ignored them and turned to lean his head on the wall. "It's alright baby," he said talking to the wall. "No matter what they do I will always love you."

Cloria laughed, "I think you guys have done it this time." She walked after Jin, "Why don't we go lay down ok?"

Kade smirked, "Back to washing the few dishes we have left Sam?"

"Yes... left..." Sam said furtively and returned to the kitchen.

"Yah, yah," Jin said, but he allowed himself to be dragged off by Cloria. "Do you realise that they have taken at least five years off my life already?!"

Cloria smiled, "I think you have more important things to worry about than the last five years of your life."

"Yah," Jin said sighing. "Like the next five days. We'll have to go out bounty hunting again tomorrow."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Cloria replied, reaching up and giving Jin a small kiss on the cheek. "Now, let's go sit outside and look at the stars."




*********************


Julia stopped at the bottom of the stairs; she pulled from her long leather street jacket a tube of red lipstick. The color matched her knee length dress she was wearing and she slipped the lipstick back into her pocket after applying a layer. She approached the man at the door and hoped that he had remembered her from the day before. "I'm here to see Vicious."

The front desk man stopped her to call up to Vicious's new office. He then waved her on, when Vicious said Julia no longer required permission to enter the building.

Smiling she nodded a thanks to the man and proceeded to his office, knocking on the door lightly.

Vicious opened the door, instead of calling out to her. "Julia," he said softly, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. The past few days had seen all of his dreams released, and being with Julia made them that much better. "How are you?"

She smiled; her red lipstick shimmered in the light. "I am fine, you?" she placed her hands on his back.

"Never been better." He lead her to a sofa in the back of the large office. After she had sat down, he poured them each a glass of whiskey. "So Julia, tell me about the house you want."

After she received her glass she spoke with a teasing smile, "One that cleans itself." she giggled as she took a sip of the glass's contents.

"You can have a maid, Julia. I wouldn't want you wasting your time cleaning." Vicious took a seat next to her.

"Well then it's a deal." she laughed. "You don't have to go out of your way with me, any home would be fine." It seemed like this had all happened before, and she remembered that it basically had.

Vicious grinned, "You say that, but only the best will do. Tomorrow, go looking and when you find the right one, let me know."

Looking up from her glass she made eye contact, "Oh, but won't you come with me?" she asked.

"Do you want me to?" Vicious asked. "I could skip out on some of the business here." He could leave Lin in charge during his absence. Or Rocko. Either men were more than capable of taking care of the little things.

She nodded as she took another sip of her drink. As she pulled the glass away from her lips, she had finished her drink and she reapplied her lipstick. "I would."

Vicious smiled, "Alright then, I'll take the day off and we'll go looking." He took a sip of his own drink. Things were working out perfectly. And when Lin secured the Casino as a base of operations another part of his plan would be put into motion.

She kissed him on the cheek, leaving behind a trace of red lipstick. Standing she picked up her glass and held it with both hands. "If you're going to take the day off then we should make plans for the rest of the day too."

Vicious smiled. "Alright then, I'll play hooky, pick you up around noon. We'll have a nice lunch then go looking. Tonight, why don't you decide where you'd like your house to be."

She smiled and set her glass back down, crossing the room she sat back down on the couch facing him, "I want it in a place where no one will bother us." she smiled seductively towards him.

Vicious couldn't resist her smile. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her close to him. "And why is that," he said softly.

Julia smiled "So I can have you all to myself." winking she squeezed his hand.

Vicious gave Julia a kiss on the lips. He reached behind and pulled her head closer, letting his fingers run softly through her hair. "I can't disagree with that," he replied, before kissing her again.

This time Julia kissed him back and passionately at that. It's true, old flames never die. As they pulled away a smile crossed her lips and she took her free hand and used her thumb to wipe some of the lipstick away from his lips. "I'm glad that you can't."

Vicious kissed her thumb softly as it touched his lips. Standing he put an arm around her shoulder. "Why don't I just play hooky now and we can go out to dinner as well?" He asked.

Smiling, Julia stood up and straightened out her dress. "Sounds perfect."




*********************


Spike climbed into the Swordfish and settled in, then offered a hand down to Meifa. "You've got everything you need for this feng-shui thing, right?" he asked.

Meifa nodded in affirmation as she was assisted into the zip craft. She gestured to the Lao-pan that she had carefully tied in a sling to her back. "Yup, this is it," she said.

Ein trotted out alongside the Swordfish as fast as his short legs could carry him. He stopped, gazing up at the two climbing into the craft, barking loudly. Without his new device, it was any human's guess what it was that he wanted.

Spike glanced down. "Get back inside, Ein," he told the corgi.

"Wait," Meifa said looking down at the curious little dog. "I think he wants to come along!"

Ein's tail began wagging like mad as he emitted a single, sharp bark. He began to hop up and down, as though wanting desperately to board the vehicle.

Spike sighed, then stood halfway out of his seat, reached down, and snagged the dog. "Fine, Ein. But don't you dare make a mess in here."

He settled back into his seat and punched a button on the console. The Swordfish's hatch closed and a moment later, the zip blasted into the air.

Meifa held the dog on her lap, it being the only place for him to go in the cramped quarters of the zip. "He can probably be useful," Meifa said thinking aloud. "Ed seems to think he's a very smart dog, and maybe if we find some object of the bounties he can sniff out the trail."

Ein settled into Meifa's lap, but not before giving her a few licks on her hand. It seemed to be his way of thanking her for helping him tag along on this bounty.

"Ein's annoying, but I guess he could be useful," Spike admitted. He piloted the Swordfish over the Estorian skyline, finally locating a landing pad a few blocks from the red light district. As he set the zip down, he noted that the pad, like the rest of the area, was in a sorry shape.

He popped the top and climbed out, then reached up to give Meifa a hand. "Pass Ein down, and then climb out," he said.

Meifa handed Ein to Spike and eagerly jumped down from the zip. It wasn't a long flight but in such tight quarters it had still managed to make her legs stiffen up. She pulled the Lao-pan from the sling, immediately the circle within the circle began to spin as it got its bearings. The amazingly light stone was carved with lines and runes that would be alien to almost any one but her and her father. "It will take awhile to be able to read it clearly but for now, we should probably head west," Meifa said pointing off in that direction.

Due to Spike's unflattering comment, Ein nipped one of the hands that were now holding onto him; not enough to hurt him, but enough to show his irritation.

"Hey!" Spike said. He hastily set Ein down on the ground. "Stupid dog." He looked around the pad. The area was deserted, it was still afternoon, but in a few hours the place would become far more unsavory...and hostile. "West, huh?" he said. "Whatever you say. Stay close. This isn't a nice neighborhood. Anyway...lead the way."

Meifa hardly looked up as she concentrated all her energy on the stone. She led them down a fairly large street lined with darkened windows and littered with trash. It wasn't the prettiest place on Mars by far, but this was where bounties could often be found. "Spike, how do you usually catch bounties?" she asked as she watched the slightest turns in the stone.

Moving so quickly that his hands were a blur, Spike drew his concealed Glock 21 and held it level, two inches from Meifa's face. "Easy," he said with a smile. He put the gun away. "Find the guy and tell him we've got him. If he puts up a fight, we take him down then take him in."

Ein sped enough to keep up with Meifa, as it was in his best interest to stay a short distance away from Spike for the moment. He seemed very interested in what the girl was doing, and watched her intently as he shuffled along.

Meifa had nearly dropped her precious Lao-pan when she'd turned to Spike and looked straight down the barrel of his gun. Nervously she managed to swallow he hear and stepped a little further away from Spike.

Spike watched the Lao-pan. "So how's that thing work, anyway?" he asked.

"I concentrate the energies of the person or object to the stone and through the laws of feng-shui it can sort through the energies and point me towards the one I'm searching for," it took all her effort to melt away all the fear from her features and voice before she spoke. She didn't know much about Spike, and his behavior put her on edge. She would be better off in the future to not let her guard down around him; even if he was one of Jet's friends.

Spike blinked. "I'll pretend I understood that," he said slowly, ignoring the look on her face. If she couldn't handle a friend holding a gun, then she'd be useless in a fight. But she did look promising. "So, where to from here?"

After he had been following Meifa so closely, Ein suddenly slowed to a stop, glancing from left to right. After a moment, he lowered his nose to the ground and sniffed several times. At this point, Meifa and Spike were well past him.

Meifa's concentration had broken on sight of the gun, but quickly she re-gathered her wits and with one quick glance at Ein went back to reading the Lao-pan. The dial had shifted slightly as they walked, and following it she slowly began to walk down an alley way which wasn't much smaller than the street they had just left. "It's not far now," Meifa said once again absorbed by her work. "His signal is getting much stronger."

Spike pivoted on one booted foot and followed the dog and the girl down the alleyway. "He lives in here?" he said. "This place is a pit."

"A lot of people on Mars are poor," Meifa said distractedly. "They can't afford any place better."

Ein moved along slowly, keeping his nose close to the pavement. He paused a second time, sniffing around particularly carefully.

Spike shrugged to Meifa. "What'd you find, Ein?" he asked.

Ein continued to shuffle around one area in the alley, although he couldn't seem to pinpoint a spot that satisfied him. He stopped, gazing up at Meifa, as though waiting for some sort of help.

The signal was coming in stronger now and the Lao-pan was moving now with every step they took. Finally, as they came to the end of the alley it pointed directly at an apartment building on the left. "I think he's in here!" Meifa called out excitedly to Spike.

"Quieter," Spike said. He drew his Glock and walked up to the apartment building entrance. The door was locked. To the side was a row of buttons and a cheap intercom. Next to the number "6A" was, on a fading plate, the name "Decker."

Spike pushed every single one of the buttons in turn. A half-dozen voices blared out of the intercom, and he grabbed the door the moment it unlocked. "C'mon," he said, gesturing inside. "And be careful."

"Well, the name plate makes it easy enough," Meifa said feeling a bit caustic after Spike's rebuke. She swiftly re-slung the Lao-pan over her shoulder and followed Spike inside making sure to hold the door open for Ein.

Ein seemed very excited, by the way that he trotted along behind the pair, his tail in a frenzy. He did not bark, though, as he normally would. It was as though he understood the importance of silence in this situation. He passed through the door.

Spike moved silently down the corridor. The odd-numbered doors were on his left and even-numbered doors on his right. He paused outside apartment 6A, Glock poised.

Now –

Spike lowered his Glock, shot off the lock, and slammed the door open. He raised the gun and pointed it at the closest, and only, human being. This, as his mind caught up with his body, turned out to be a young boy sitting on a couch. The boy couldn't have been older than 8 years old.

"That's the bounty?" Meifa asked Spike in the quietly.

Ein blinked at the boy for a moment, but wasn't put off by him. He lowered his nose to the grungy carpet of the apartment and resumed his stiffing. As if we were being pulled along by his pointed muzzle, he made his way over to a closed door, where he stopped.

"What is it Ein?' Meifa asked, the dog's strange actions had made her curious.

Spike stared at the boy. He hadn't anticipated there being any children around ... "Is Kent Decker here?" he asked the scared kid. "Ein, what is it?"

A second later, Ein gave a final snort at the foot of the doorway. A small growl bubbled up in his throat as he stared at the door with a firm determination.

"Do you think Ein can smell the bounty?" Meifa whispered to Spike needlessly. If the bounty was on the other side of the door he would already know they were there.

"Probably," Spike said back. He glanced at the kid, uncertain. He was expecting a fight and didn't think it was something that the child ought to see.

Meifa understood his look, and closed the door as best she could with the shattered lock. It wouldn't do much to hide the noise, but at least the kid would be safe as long as he stayed inside.

Spike took a deep breath. "Here goes," he muttered, Glock raised, and shoved open the door.

A sound that could only be a gun being cocked could be heard in the darkened room. Heavy breathing soon followed, and a gruff voice spoke, "I was wonderin' how long it would take for one of you bastards to track me down..."

Meifa's first reaction at the sound of the cocked pistol was to duck to the side of the door. She wasn't really armed and couldn't do much in a fight against a gun. She was going to have to leave this part up to Spike.

"Well, I'm here," Spike replied coolly, staying behind the doorframe. He was in a bad situation - if he stepped forward, then Decker could see him, but he couldn't see the bounty. "So why don't you come along now. No need for any problems."

Kental Decker chuckled dryly, "You think I would go through all this just to get dragged in by the likes of you? I don't think so, pal! Now which one of us is gonna shoot first?"

Spike gently reached backward with his free hand to touch the wall separating him from Decker. Walls in places like these were either made from concrete or paper-thin synthetics. In this case, it was the synthetic; meaning that Decker could shoot him through the wall if he could place his voice. "Is that your son out there, Decker?" Spike asked, slowly moving forward and to the side, away from the doorway.

There was a long pause. The silence indicated that Decker was unaware that his boy was still in the apartment. This could be a problem. He would have to shoot the guy before anything happened to his son. "All right, mister, you win.... I'll come nice an' quiet....," he muttered, all the while moving closer and closer to the wall separating him from his enemy. He did so as quietly as he could, but the creaks of the old floor boards were against him.

"Drop the gun, Decker," Spike said nervously, listening to the creaks. He sidestepped, putting a vid screen between himself and the wall. "Drop your gun now, or something bad might happen to your kid."

Meifa couldn't believe what she was hearing. Would Spike really harm the child just to get a bounty?

Decker was almost certain that this was a bluff.... but not certain enough. What if he was ready to hurt his boy? With a grunt, he began to shoot at the wall, doubting he would hit the guy, but hoping it would be enough to distract him so that his kid could get out of the apartment.

When the first gunshot sounded, Spike dropped to the floor and fired two shots through the wall. A sudden stinging along his left shoulder alerted him that a bullet had grazed his skin. He rolled sideways to the doorway, and then continued the roll to come to his feet and lump through the doorway. Guessing where Decker would be in the dark room, Spike lashed out with a high kick.

Meifa watched in horror as the bullets went whizzing past Spike, barely missing him. Looking across the hall she could see that the bullets had not only made it through the first wall, but a few had made it through the second as well she prayed that the little boy had managed to find shelter.

This guy had quite the aim. The kick struck Decker in his right shoulder. Although it failed to knock the gun out of his hand, it did manage to throw the bounty's aim off for an instant, thereby sparing the cowboy a worse injury.

Strike! The invisible opponent became a tangible one. Shooting down where he thought Decker's leg would be, Spike reached out in the darkness with his left hand to grab the bounty's short hair. He brought up his leg as he brought his hand down, to smash Decker's face into his knee. Spike pressed his gun against Decker's temple. "I said, drop the gun, Decker," he said venomously.

A pained yelp proved that at least one of Spike's shots had been a successful one, as a bullet pierced his left shin. Before he could return fire, his hair was pulled and he got a face-full of the bounty hunter's knee. Even before Spike had uttered his threat, the sawed-off shotgun had fallen from Decker's hand, and he emitted a loud groan of defeat.

Hoping the worst of the violence was over, Meifa dashed across to the other room to find the boy hiding unharmed behind the sofa he had earlier been sitting on. With a sigh of relief, Meifa went back across the hall to see if Spike needed her assistance. "Is it over?" Meifa asked excitedly she could still feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "Did we catch him?"

Decker laid in a heap on the ground, clutching his wounded leg and muttering something about his son, although it was hardly audible.

Spike took the shotgun and bent down. "What is it?" he asked Decker. Damn, his shoulder stung. He'd get it bandaged when they returned to the Bebop. If he'd been a second slower, the bullet would have taken him straight in the arm.

The fallen man mumbled, obviously straining, "M-my boy.... is he.... all right?"

"Your son is fine, I just checked," Meifa said smiling at the man. Even if he was a dangerous criminal she had to put his mind at ease.

Spike hauled Decker to his feet. "I'd worry more about going to jail right now," he told the bounty. "You got someone else who can look after the kid?"

Decker grunted loudly as he was pulled up, trying to avoid using his left leg at the same time. "My girl.... Alice... she'll take care of him... she's real good with kids..."

Spike nodded. "Then I don't have to worry about him. C'mon." Still holding Decker's arm and shoulders, he started for the door.

"I'll grab Ein," Meifa said taking one quick look around the very disheveled apartment complex. She wondered if Spike always left this big a mess wherever he went. "We'll meet you back at the Swordfish after you've cashed in his bounty."

"Alright," Spike said noncommittally. "Be careful out there."

Meifa nodded in the affirmative and picked Ein up from where he had his during the shooting. It had been a productive outing, between her feng-shui, Ein's nose, and Spike's fighting abilities they'd managed to bring in a huge bounty, everyone on the Bebop would be happy. Reaching the zip craft she placed Ein inside and waited for Spike.

Half an hour later, Spike strolled back to the Swordfish, a massive smile spread across his face. In his pocket were 59 crisp quarter-woolong notes and he held a newly-bought small case of ammunition. "So, what'd you think of your first bounty?" he asked Meifa.

"It was exciting," Meifa said with a new sparkle to her eye. "I think I'm really going to enjoy life on the Bebop!"




*********************


Lin sat in the lounge of the Red Dragon ship, having a few drinks before he arrived at the casino. He'd already mapped out the blueprint of how his visit with Gordon was going to go, it had been a lot of fun drawing up a hands-on approach to things. It had been a few years since he had been involved in the Red Dragon's strong-arm protection racket, but this sort of thing was like riding a bike for him.

"Sir, we're here and the men are in position," the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. Now it was time for the fun part. Lin slammed back the last of his gin and tonic as he stood up and smoothed the creases out of his suit. He strode out through the airlock and across the landing deck to the casino entrance. The doorman gave him a quick glance up and down before asking, "Got any weapons tonight?"

"Only if you count these," Lin chuckled as he balled up his fists and playfully took a couple of swings towards the doorman. The guards started to reach into their jacket pockets for their guns, but the doorman waved them off. "Leave the funny man alone," he said over his shoulder before turning to address Lin again, "You just be careful in there. I've got my eye on you, but it would be a damn shame if something were to, you know, happen to you in there, Mr. Funny Man." Lin chuckled at this as well, "If you only knew..." he thought to himself as he pushed past the security goons and into the casino.

Lin walked up to the courtesy desk and offered up his I.D. card to get some chips. The girl behind the counter welcomed him to the casino and swiped his card through the computer. Immediately the file popped up with a red flag right next to Lin's name. Procedure dictated that she not be alarmed and treat him as a normal guest. Gordon and the security team were already being alerted by the computer system, and her causing a scene here wouldn't do anything to help the situation. "How many chips would you like, sir," the girl asked as she poorly tried to maintain her composure.

The ringing phone snapped Gordon's attention from the two women he had been "entertaining" in his office. "This had better be good," he muttered as he rose from his couch and pulled his pants back around his waist. He punched the speakerphone button and spat an indignant, "What?!"

"We have a situation at the desk, sir," explained Bennedict, the head of security for the casino. Gordon turned to the wall of monitors in his office and checked to see what had interrupted him. He saw Lin conversing with the obviously nervous young woman at the counter, and his heart began to race. "All units to their stations, NOW," he screamed into the phone as he grabbed his gun and flew out the door.

Lin heard the commotion beginning behind him as the casino security began to fill the lobby. Standing at the front was the doorman he had "made firends" with earlier, his gun drawn and aimed directly at Lin. "I thought I told you to stay out of trouble in here," he said with a smug grin on his face. Lin shook his head, this was going to be all too easy. He pushed a button on his watch and said, "Now," before jumping over the desk, grabbing his I.D., and covering his ears as the Red Dragon soldiers blasted their way through the Casino doors. With all the security guards in one room, it was easy for them to cut through the entire force with only a few civillian casualties. Lin jumped back over the desk and took a pistol from one of his men, awaiting Gordon's arrival to the scene so he could discuss their new business arrangement.

Gordon made it downstairs just in time to see his forces mowed down in front of him. He tried to turn to run back to his office when a bullet perforated the wall beside him. "Stay and talk wtih us for a minute, won't you Gordon?" Gordon turned to see Lin pointing a pistol at him and walking closer. "It seems to me, and this is just an outsider's opinion, that you may be in the market for some new security. I've heard the Red Dragon Syndicate has a special going on right now, for only 80% of what your casino earns we'll make sure this sort of thing never happens again," Lin cocked his gun before placing it against Gordon's temple, "and as an added bonus we'll go ahead and let you live, too."

Gordon was terrified, and the way his body was quivering made it obvious to everyone. "W-w-whatever you want, just take the whole thing, I don't want any part of it," Gordon pleaded, hoping he could just hand over the casino and escape with his life. He had enough money stored away in other places to live comfortably, and didn't want to have to deal with the Red Dragon anymore than he had to. "See, that just won't work," Lin hissed menacingly, "For one, what do I know about running a casino? And for two, we can't just let everyone know about this now can we? No, I think you're going to stay here and keep up the appearance of running the show, you're just going to give us the money and any information we need. Isn't that right, Gordon?"

Gordon knew he had no chance but to comply. "Sure, of course, whatever you say," he stammered, "Care to discuss the arrangements in my office?" He wasn't an unintelligent man, and he realized that he would still be able to live in luxury on 20% of the casino's take-in money. He'd also be under the protection of the Red Dragon, which meant he would be safe from any other scams or cheats. The only thing that made him feel like anything else than a partner in the deal was the cold metal of the gun pressed against his temple.

"Not right now, I'll get back with you later. In the meantime, my men here will assume active duty immediately. You might want to call your maintenance people though, a lobby full of dead bodies isn't going to make us any money." Lin turned to leave with a smile like a cheshire cat's on his face. He popped open his cell phone and called Vicious as he walked back to the ship, "Lin here. Casino's handled."




*********************


Faye plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. She was bored to tears, and regretted not going out on that last bounty snag. She had plenty of money left over from the last one she nabbed alone, but she wanted to save it to help Paris out. Really, the girl needed her own way of getting income. They needed to start training her soon. Faye flipped through the channels of the TV, but nothing much caught her eye. "Could this ship be anymore boring?"

Ein, who had been sitting on the couch, stirred as Faye sat beside him. He lifted his head, blinking dazily at her before emitting a long yawn. He raised a hind leg, scratching behind his left ear, before lowering his head once more.

Faye glanced over at Ein. She wasn't super pleased with the dog as of late, considering the not so nice comments Ein had about her in his new journal. She turned back to the TV. She couldn't let a dog bother her.

Jet entered the lounge after waking up from a short nap. "If you have nothing to do you cna help me clean up this dump," he said.

Faye stretched, "I can think of a few things I'd rather be doing." She stood up and looked around. The place was pretty messy. "I suppose having two extra people on board contributes to the mess?"

Something that sounded like a snort came from the small dog at the utterance of these words. It was difficult to tell whether it was intentional, or if Ein was just making noise in his sleep.

"Just a little bit" Jet said sarcastically as he swept up on of the many messes around the lounge.

Faye glanced around, then proceeded to pick up trash and toss it into the trash can. "You know, it would be a little cleaner if Spike would pick up after himself." There were plastic noodle cups strewn everywhere.

"Asking Spike to clean up after himself is like asking you to stop gambling with other people's money" Jet said flatly.

Faye rolled her eyes, "My god that seems to be a popular topic of conversation as of late. Haven't you people found something else about me to complain about yet?"

After a moment, Ein's eyes were open again, and the little Corgi hopped off of the couch and began to assist the two; picking up pieces of trash in his mouth and trotting over to Jet.

Faye's jaw dropped. "The dog is helping?" She was a tad bit shocked. First a journal, and now this?

"Oh I'm sure you'll do something terrible soon" Jet said with a joking pat on Faye's shoulder. He took the small peice of trash from Ein and patted him on the head.

"Oh, I know. That's my forte," Faye said sarcastically. "Besides, life would not be fun if I couldn't live it pissing off Spike." She picked up a rag and began to wipe off the table.

Ein yipped contentedly, wagging his stump of a tail, before continuing in his quest for garbage.

Ed did a cartwheel down the stairs, this time she didn't fall. "Edward is here!" she shouted as she skipped to her computer, ignoring what everyone else was doing

Faye looked up. "Ed, we're cleaning. You could help."

"Ed, any chance of you helping us clean up instead of making things worse?" Jet asked wtih minor exhasperation.

"Edward could help," she said as she tilted her head upside-down, "if you would ASK Edward and not be mean to her."

Faye sighed, "Ed, would you please help Jet and I clean up the living room? Even Ein is pitching in," Faye nodded her head in the dogs direction.

Ein continued to relay bits of trash to Jet. He paused, looking towards Ed and emitting a short series of barks and yips.

Ed jumped up and saluted Jet. "Edward, reporting for duty!"

Jet sighed, a migraine was already brewing like a storm inside his head, he turned to his new helper and said "Edward, clean up behind the couch... please"

Edward followed through with her salute and slid behind the couch on all fours. She popped up from behind after a second and looked towards Faye, "Edward needs a bag."

Faye looked around and found a grocery bag. "Use this," she said, passing the bag to Ed. She then went back to cleaning off the table. "I suppose I could dust too. This place is pretty dusty."

After passing one last piece of garbage to Jet, Ein decided to join forces with Edward instead, and trotted over to her to help.

Faye stood, and stretched again. She left the room for a moment, then reentered carrying a bottle of dusting stuff. "I'm surprised we even have stuff like this around." Glancing at Jet she smiled, "I'm sure it wasn't Spike who bought this."

Jet sighed before he replied "I don't think he would even know what it was"

Faye sprayed the dusting mist onto the wooden furniture and using her rag, continued cleaning. "In all the time you've lived with him Jet, has he ever cleaned?"

"He cleans out our refridgerator," Jet said in consolation. "Of course that's only if he likes to eat what's left inside, but he carries his weight so it's ok"

Faye put her hands on her hips, "Sure he pulls his weight. But it's not like the rest of us haven't been contributing too."

Ein whimpered as he crouched beside the couch. Apparently, he had discovered some less-than-savory items underneath it.

"I give Spike lee-way because we've been collecting bounties together on this ship for longer than I've known any of you." Jet said sharply, before bending down and beging to clean under the depths of the couch.

Faye rolled her eyes, "So basically, he gets a break, and the rest of us get to clean up his messes." She finished dusting. She didn't really mind cleaning, but she couldn't resist the opportunity to knock at Spike, especially since Spike did the same to her all the time.

"I'm pretty sure this pile of dog race slips stuffed under the couch is your credit though." Jet said, pulling out the large wad of old and new slips.

Ein growled as he fished out a set of very old, very used chopsticks from under the couch.

"I have no idea how those got there," Faye said in an obviously fake tone. "I don't think any of those won anyway." She was notorious for losing at the dog tracks.

"That's probably why you stuffed them under the couch" Jet said as he dropped them into his bag.

"I probably figured Spike would fish them out of the trash and throw them back at me had I just tossed them," Faye replied, as she picked up some electronic equipment and put the pieces away.

"Wow... it's been a while since I could see the floor" Jet said with a bit of triumph in his voice, he put his hands on his hips and looked around, the lounge was starting to look less like a hole.

"Not only that," Faye replied, "But it looks like a clean floor. I think we should be proud of ourselves!"

"Yep, and I think that means I'm going to take a well deserved rest," Jet said as me placed his bag in the trash before heading back to his bunk to take another nap.

"I think I'll take a walk then," Faye said to no one in particular, although Ed and Ein were still in the room. With that, she walked out the door.




*********************


Faye wandered towards Estoria's main shopping area. She was bored, and cleaning the ship had left her with the urge to spend. While she was out, she figured she might as well look at zip craft prices. She hadn't bought her own, so she really had no idea what they cost.

She wandered into the lot and began to look at the different crafts, groaning when she saw they were 20 million woolongs. It would take her forever to save up that much money - unless she gave up gambling for awhile.

"That's bullshit and you know it," a female voice rose up from the other side of a black craft. Mei was 'negotiating' with one of the salesmen. "I can't even list the things wrong with it on both hands and you want to charge that much for a damned used piece of crap?"

"Miss, this beauty is a top of the line--"

"As I said. That is bullshit," Mei said calmly, folding her arms across her chest. She began to list the things visibly wrong with the zip craft without even fully inspecing it. While having only ever owned one craft before--for a very brief period of time--Mei had read up as much as possibly. Syndicate money or not, she wasn't going to let this sleezeball get away with trying to ream her in the price. "So let's try again. Your best offer would be...?" Already, another customer on the lot had decided to scuttle off. He'd been able to overhear everything very easily and didn't really want to get involved.

Faye peered around the zip craft she was looking at to see an asian woman arguing with the sales person. Faye was overly impressed at the woman's ability to negotiate. It was a trait she found impressive in people. She wandered towards the two, listening in as they spoke.

With a slight smile, she added, "You didn't even mention that horrible paint streak on the side. Looks like a fix up job to me. This baby is definately used."

Mei smirked and thumbed in Faye's direction. "See? Now, I'm giving you the chance to unload her on me. What I'm NOT going to do is pay more than she's worth. It's a matter of you wanting to make the sale or not," she said, faintly amused at the situation. Not only was she getting a break on a zip craft, she'd just had one of the mark's crewmates walk up on her.

After agreeing on a price, the dealer gave in finally and trudged off to go set up the paperwork. She looked at Faye and then looked at the craft thoughtfully. "She's gonna need some work, but I think I got the better end of the bargain. To be quite honest, I'm glad. I'm already blowing my savings on this. My last one was, eh, "lost" in an unfortunate accident," Mei said with a bit of a wince, a hand reaching out to run across the body of the craft.

"I think with a little work, she'd be a good craft. I've got one myself, that I, uh, got a long time ago," Faye lied a little. She wasn't going to admit that she stole the thing. Faye walked around the craft, checking out the different sides of it. "Definately a good machine. I agree. You got a good deal."

"I'm just looking myself. I don't have nearly enough money to purchase anything." Faye sighed softly. Maybe she could talk down the price, but even so, it was more than she could afford at the moment.

"What sort of craft are you looking for? And why? Your current one not reliable?" Mei asked out of feigned curiousity. "Because I'd be willing to help you look and negotiate if you're really looking for a new one." Ugh. Now it was time to pretend to be interested and helpful.

Faye walked along the row of crafts as she talked, "I'm not really sure yet. The craft is for a friend of mine - she just came to live with us on the bebop and she wants to help out, you know, earn her keep. It would be easier if she had a craft. I could probably get her something used and cheep to start out with, especially because she might crash the thing until she learns how to drive it." Faye stopped, "You'd help me out, even though you just met me?"

Mei shrugged. "Sure, why not? Us women-folk have to stick together, right? Too many sleezeball men who think they can take advantage of us," she said, nodding her head in the direction of the dealer who was returning with the paperwork for Mei to sign. She signed all the necessary paperwork, handed over her credit card and authorized the transaction. "Oh, and by the way, I need you to deliver that to this address," she said as an afterthought, scrawling down an address.

"Lady, why the hell should I do that for you?" the dealer asked, incredulous. Mei turned to him and looked innocent.

"Because with the shoddy workmanship on the craft at the moment, I could easily lose control on the way out of the lot and accidently take out a couple others while I'm at it," she said without faltering or even batting an eye.

The dealer stared at her and then grumbled, giving in. Mei flashed a smile at him and slipped her credit card into her back pocket. Then she looked at Faye. "I'm in a good mood. Want to go get a drink? I'm utterly bored."

Faye watched the interaction. This woman was her kind of woman. "I'd love to," Faye replied. "I love the way you don't take crap from him. Men can be the worst pigs, including the ones I live with who love to find every possible way of making sure I know exactly what they think of me."

Faye spotted a bar down the way, and nodded her head, "I've had a few drinks there before. It's a fairly quiet bar and we can probably get a table in the back without too much trouble."

//Perfect// Mei thought to herself. She flashed a smile and started off in that direction. "By the way, my name is Mei. Mei Makani," she said, looking at the other woman while tucking a strand of hair back behind her ear.

"So tell me about the pigs back home," she said, trying to make conversation.

"Spike and Jet? Spike's the worst. If he can take a crack at me he does. I think it's his hobby to find every possible way of getting under my skin." Faye pushed the door open to the bar and headed for a table. "Of course, I make sure to return the favor." She grinned. "But he deserves it."

"Oh of course," Mei quickly agreed. She slid into the chair and looked around the bar. No one she couldn't handle if things went South. "So I didn't catch your name.."

"I'm Faye Valentine," Faye replied, ordering a couple of beers as the waiter walked by. She rested against the booth, but she was alert as well. A bounty hunter never went anywhere without survaying the situation.

Mei smiled faintly, noting the stance--even while she was sitting--of the woman sitting across from her. Perfectly at ease, Mei rested her arms back behind her neck and looked at Faye. "So why do you stay with pigs?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in question. "Surely a beautiful woman like yourself can find other places to stake her claim?"

Amused, she withdrew her arms and rested them on the table as she leaned forward, giving Faye a teasing grin. "Or do you secretly like the attention?"

Faye blushed, "Maybe. Honestly, I don't know why I stay with them, but something keeps me there. I think, as much as everyone complains about each other, we really do make a good team." She hadn't ever considered leaving, and now that it had been brought up, she wondered why that was. She wasn't attracted to Spike, or was she? Faye shuddered, now was not the time to think about that. "So tell me, Mei, what brings you to this part of town?"

"Picking up woolongs here and there until I could get a zip craft to replace the old one. Can't really hunt without one. Unless I was with a crew in which case I'd be dependant upon them and have to share the profits," Mei said, wrinkling her nose. "Which really wouldn't be so bad if they actually deserved it. I ran with a crew once. Lazy sons of bitches. Dropped them like a bad habit," she grumbled, mentally storing her on-the-spot story for future references.

It never paid off to get tangled up in your own lies.

Faye raised an eyebrow, "So you're a bounty hunter?" she asked, making a mental note to pay attention to what this girl said and what she said around her. Faye didn't want to drop any hints about their next bounties until she could trust the woman.

"Yeah," she said, looking up as the waiter dropped off their beers. "I'm not really that good considering most bounty hunters watch that Big Shot show and wind up getting there before I do," Mei said with a shrug. "So I try to stay local. Drop down in one place and set up shop. If something comes up, I'll try it. I'm sort of a... Jill of all Trades, if you will," Mei said honestly--probably one of the few honest statements anyone would ever hear from her lips. "What about you?"

Faye took a sip of beer, "Bounty hunter myself, through and through. I find it ironic that I keep running into others, but then again there are a ton of them out there." She looked off towards the other end of the bar. "I just met another group of bounty hunters yesterday. They live on the SeaDog. The girl is annoying as hell, but the guys are pretty hot."

Mei chuckled and was about to comment when a beeping sound interrupted her train of thought. She pulled out a small timer from her pocket and stood. "Crap. Sorry, I forgot I had a meeting in about a half hour," Mei said, dropping some bills on the table. "Nice meeting you Faye," she said with a smile. "Hope to run into you again."

With that, she put her hands into her pockets and headed out the door, disappearing from sight. Yes. Things to do. What horrid timing.

Faye watched Mei leave. What a strange woman, she thought to herself. She finished up her beer, paid the tab with Mei's money, and headed back to the bebop.




*********************


Jin sat on the deck of the ship idly strumming a small tune from an old acoustic guitar. Everyonce and a while he'd hum or sing a little with the music, but mostly he looked out over the city of twinkling lights, the stars up above in the night sky, and at Cloria who sat not to far away from him.

Cloria stared up at the stars. The view from Mars was beautiful, and she always enjoyed sitting outside. She hummed along with Jin's tune as well, her sweet high voice complementing his lower tones.

Jin's fingers moved experty drawing out an even richer sound to accent Cloria's sweet voice. And as the last of the chords floated out on the night air his mind wondered back to other days when he had done this same thing with another girl.

Cloria smiled, "I love it when you sing, Jin." Her eyes continued to stare up at the stars. "We should do this more often."

Cloria's voice snapped him back to reality and with a playful smile jin set the guitar aside. "Yah, but never invite Kade," Jin said rogueishly. "I'm pretty sure his voice could rival that of any alley cat."

Cloria laughed and turned to look at Jin. "He means well though, and I know he has fun singing, even if he's terrible at it," she said, although she did agree that singing was more pleasant when Kade wasn't around.

"Now, don't run off again," Jin started after a moments pause in conversation. "But why do you stay here on this SeaDog. You must want something more out of life than cooking and cleaning up after a bunch of bounty hunters?"

Cloria looked down at her hands. "I like being with you guys. I think of you three as my friends. Besides, where else would I go?" Certianly not back to my family..

Jin laid back his legs stretched out in front of him and his hand behind his head. There weren't many stars to see this close to the city, but there were enough for Jin. "Yah, I guess so," Jin said. "But what about the future? I don't know if I can continue to be a bounty hunter my whole life. I never wanted to become one in the first place, it just...kind of happened. Don't you want to settle down with some nice gentleman, someone whose dealings are straight, live in a big house and have a bunch of little brats running around?"

Cloria smiled at the thought of children. "Yes, Jin. I'd like to have children one day and live in a house. But now isn't really the right time for that. I'm happy here with you and the boys." She looked up at him, "What did you really want to be?"

Jin let a slow lazy smile take over his face as his mind drifted back to the owrld of memories. "I was going to be a rock star," he said meaning every word of it. "I would have made it big too, instead of living in this old rust bucket my face would be all over bilboards and the tv and such."

Cloria nodded, "You sing beautifully, Jin. Why didn't you go after your dream anyway?"

The smile melted off of his face as he remembered the one fateful night that had destroyed everything he had worked for in his life in a matter of moments. "I was betrayed," Jin said simply.

Cloria own smile faded. Jin had not told her about this before and it was obviously a soft spot for him. She didn't want to press, but she was also curious about his past. "Did you want to talk about it?" Cloria asked, making no demands to know if he didn't want to tell her.

"No," Jin said sitting up again and running his fingers through his hair. "Actually I just wish I could forget that entire part of my life. It's over now. But we don't always get what we want do we, Princess?"

Cloria supressed a small grin. She liked it when Jin called her Princess. He had a distinct way of making her feel special. "Remember, your past is what's made you who you are today. And I like the Jin that I know."

On impulse Jin grabbed her arm and pulled her over for a little embrace. "You always now just what to say to a man, Clory," Jin said playfully rustling her hair.

Cloria wrapped her arms around Jin's neck. Being this close to him was intoxicating, and it took all of her willpower not to kiss him. "That's why I'm your princess," she said softly, staring up at him.

Jin gave her a lopsided smile. For some reason she seemed really happy at the moment and Jin didnt' want to see the light in her eyes go out just yet. "Yup, you're Princess Clory of the rustbucket."

Cloria burst out laughing, "Well, I certainly feel special now!" she said. Jin's smile was contageous and she was grinning from ear to ear as well. "My very own rusty kingdom. But who will be my Prince?" Had she just said that? Her cheeks flushed a bit.

Jin was taken aback by her words and for a moment he let the shock show on his face but quickly recovered by quirky one eyebrow at her. "Well, hmm," Jin started out trying to hide a playful smile behind a stoic face. "Should we have some sort of contest, advertise across all the lands for a dashingly handsome prince to come riding up in a white zipto take you away for a hapily ever after life? I don't suppose Kade is your type is he?"

Cloria forced herself not to stop smiling. He really wasn't interested, was he. Either that, or he was very oblivious. "Kade's not really my type, although I'm sure he'd jump at the position."

Jin let out a deep laugh at her comment on Kade. "The poor boy, his ears must be burning right now," he said gving Cloria a tight squeeze. "So who would be your prince charming? A rich man, or a handsome man? Sam? Maybe that bounty hunter on the next ship over?"

/You/ Cloria thought to herself. You would make the perfect Prince. But I can't say that outloud, because if you had wanted to be my prince, you would have offered. "I guess I'll just have to wait for the right man to come around," Cloria said aloud. Her smile had faded some, and her voice carried a sad tone she couldn't seem to keep out.

jin had noticed the slight change in her mood, and gently lifted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "Hey, your a very beautiful girl," Jin said smiling softly. "You'll find your prince. Any man who could turn a girl like you down would either have to be an idiot or a fool."

Cloria smiled a sad smile. Are you a fool Jin? She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself, when all she wanted to do was cry. He told her that she was beautiful, and yet, it didn't seem like he wanted her at all. The signals were so mixed, and Cloria didn't have the guts to tell him how she really felt.

"Clory?" Jin asked softly when she just sat their. He knew he was an insensitive clout sometimes, but he couldn't for the life of him think what he could have said to bring her near to tears. "What's wrong? What did I say?"

Cloria opened her eyes. "It's nothing that you said," she replied. It's what you didn't say, Jin, she thought to herself.

Jin was unconvinced. He laid back again and pulled Cloria with him so that she was nestled in the crook of his shoulder as he stared up at the sky. "Now look up there," he said pointing up to the sky with his free hand. "No one can cry when they're looking up at the stars. On a night like this a no one can lie either...So tell me what's making you so sad, princess."

Cloria sighed, "Do you really want to know Jin? I'd tell you, but I'm so afraid of finding out that everything I dream of will never happen, that I'm just too reluctant to tell you."

"Ah princess," Jin said giving her a reasuring squeeze. "I'm always here for you. You know you can tell me anything. This rustybucket kingdom will be miserable if its princess is glum."

"Then why not be the Prince, Jin? Your princess would smile forever for you." Cloria took a deep breath. She had said it, although not in the most obvious of ways.

Jin was silent for a moment as he let her words play through his mind. He pulled himself up onto his elbow so he could look down into her eyes. He knew he had to be gentle in what he was going to say, he liked her to much to hurt her. "Cloria," he started taking a deep breath. With his free hand he took her hand and brought it up to clasp the padlock around his neck. "Did you ever wonder why I always wear this?"

The deep breath scared her, and she fought to control her emotions. "I did, Jin, but you're so private. I never considered asking you, and I didn't think you'd tell me anyway."

Jin smiled weakly at her, he'd never noticed how well she understood him and his ways. "Six years ago a girl put this lock around my neck," he said remembering how happy he had been that day. How they had had so many happy times back then when they had first run away together from the SeaDog. "She took the key, and she took my heart, and three years ago she took off. I lost all three of them Clory, and I can never get them back. This padlock reminds me that I can never fall in love again. I don't think I can ever be a prince Clory, not for you, not for anyone. I'm sorry."

Cloria frowned. "I didn't know, Jin. I'm sorry." Inside her heart ripped out. She sat up, and turned her back to him, afraid that if she continued to face him the tears would become uncontrollable. She needed to get away. "It's ok. I mean, you can't change your feelings." She should have never said anything.

Jin knew he couldn't let her just run off. he mentally kicked himself over and over again. He should have realized it a long time before, he should have told her before. But should have's did nothing for Cloria now. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. "I know it may not mean much to you to hear this," Jin said softly into her ear. "You're the first female friend I have ever had. You are still my precious princess, Cloria. I just couldn't love you the way you deserve to be loved by your prince charming."

Cloria's heart was beating fast. It was torture, when he held her this way, when he spoke those words that were so sweet they made her want him even more. And yet, he didn't want her at all. It was pure torture, and now she was trapped on his lap. "I guess I'll always be your princess," she said softly, the words coming out strained as though she had a hard time saying them.

Jin rubbed her back softly trying to soothe her. "I wish i'd met you first," he said smiling gently but still his eyes were far away seeing not her but another girl with raven locks and lavender eyes.

Cloria was silent. There was nothing she could say that would make her feel any better about the situation. She looked back up at the stars - the magic they had held only a few minutes ago was gone.

"Are you going to be okay now Clory?" Jin asked. he didn't know what to say to the girl. He'd obviously just hurt her, and he could feel all his old wounds flooding back to him as well. He couldn't imagine her feeling any better than when he'd first learned that Rua had betrayed him. "If you want to cry than cry, hit me if you think it would make you feel better."

"No Jin," Cloria said softly, "I think I'd just like to go to bed. I'm feeling very tired suddenly." She unclamped his arms from around her waist. "If you don't mind." Cloria didn't think she'd sleep anytime soon, but she had to get away. He should understand that much.

"Clory?" Jin called after her instantly springing to his feet. He could feel his own heart aching for her. He knew things wouldn't be the same between them after tonight. "Please, there has to be someway I can make this up to you." Jin didn't know what he was saying anymore he just didn't want to see that look onher face.

"Just let me get some rest, ok." Cloria replied, keeping her back turned. She just couldn't look at him. She didn't want to cry in front of him and the last she wanted was to appear weak to him. She wasn't going to be weak. Tomorrow she'd get up and pretend this never happened, but tonight she just needed to be alone.

Jin nodded and silently watched her go the second she was gone he punched the hull of the ship with a tightly clenched fist. he sat out in the cold for a bit longer trying to block out everything else but the stinging pain of his bleeding knuckles. "What the fuck have I done know?"