Okay, so here's the deal with this little bit of fiction: after I wrote "Dreaming to Live" I started thinking about Julia (I suggest you read that before you get to the end of this. You really don't have to, though, it isn't essential). The deeply mysterious, ever elusive Julia. Her story was never really told, from start to finish, and I thought that maybe, if I have even a tiny iota of talent, that I could write it for her. It seemed like a good idea at the time. This may not be what Hajime Yatate had in mind when Julia was created, but I gave it a shot. I'm always one to try anything once.

Disclaimer: All charaters, events, and places related to Cowboy Bebop, belong to their owner (Sunrise, Mr. Watanabe, etc.). All other characters, events, and places come from my twisted little mind.

Blue Eyed Lament
by Plutonian

"Tell me this is not the end, Julia…You my love my oldest friend, Julia…"

One: Dying to Live

She drove, golden locks flying out behind her as her red convertible chewed up the old, broken down asphalt. She had been driving for hours, trying to create as much distance between her and what she was running from. Or rather who. She wasn't sure if she was actually making progress, and at that moment, she wasn't sure how much she cared. There were only two people in the universe she cared about and one was dead and the other wanted her dead. She was fortunate to have experienced love twice, yet unfortunate to have lost them, as well. Now she was forced to just go, no destination in mind, hardly any money to live on, and a persistent aching in her heart. If she could solve at least one of her problems, she figured she would be able to handle the others.

She had to get off the planet if she wanted to live, she decided. Mars, no matter how many happy memories it housed, was not safe any longer. There was no one else she could trust other than herself. Her family was long gone and her friends had long since betrayed her. Or perhaps, she betrayed them. Either way, going back to them would result in a death sentence. There was only one person she could think of that could possibly help her, but it all came back to her leaving Mars; abandoning the car that had served her since she was able to drive and just go. She could do it, she knew she could, it was only a matter of if she wanted to.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye at the rapidly moving scenery, she watched memories drift in and out of her vision, causing a pang of remembrance to form in her stomach. She looked at the waves crashing against the cliffs and she was transported back to a better time. A time when she would splash, carefree, in the clear blue oceans with the one she loved, playfully taking handfuls of sea water and dousing the object of her affection. So playfully, in fact, that it bordered dangerously close to flirtation. Flirtation was deadly, though, and neither one of them would admit to doing it, at least, not at the time. They couldn't admit to it, even if they wanted to. Because whenever she swam around, carefree, there was always one watching, under the shade of an umbrella, gray eyes intent on her, a constant reminder that life was never whimsical as she wanted it to be.

An unlit cigarette dangled from her soft pink lips and several times during her flight, she contemplated stopping and enjoying it, for it was her last. Every time the thought came to her, she never stopped, however, always choosing to lengthen the gap as much as possible. She knew what would happened if she stopped for too long.

There was only one place she knew of that she would be relatively safe. One person she considered to be almost family. It was just that matter of getting off the planet again. And she hoped the person she was thinking about was still living at the same place.

She sighed. She would find out soon enough.

Lyrics from "Julia" by Fefe Dobson.