That day, the three went into several different clothing stores and came out with at least one bag per store. They stopped in a butcher shop before they returned to the ship and picked up a few ham steaks. It was roughly 5:30 when they returned and found that Faye had refueled her ship and left again, leaving Ein in the kitchen waiting for some food.
"Ein! We have returned with the booty!!!" Ed said in a pirate's tone of voice as she held the steaks high above her head.
"Hah! Ed said booty!" Alex giggled as she carefully carried all of her bags to her room and tossed them inside. She returned and tossed the coat she was wearing across the couch.
"Wait a second…Alex, were you in Spike's room?" Jet asked. Alex shook her head.
"No, why?" Jet motioned for Alex to look over at his door that was cracked open. He went over to it and peeked inside, Alex was at his heels. He stepped inside and glanced around. Alex followed behind him, wanting to see the interior of the room. It was full of guns, gun parts, and newspapers or magazines.
"Someone was in here." he said as he glanced around at the mess.
"It was probably just Faye. Looking for some money or something." Alex said as she looked around. Jet's eyes latched onto something and he shook his head.
"It wasn't Faye." He said as he smiled.
"How do you know?"
"Faye doesn't have the key to Spike's private gun stash." He said as the door of a locker swung open when Jet pulled on it. The lock and door were still intact which meant no one broke into it. inside, there were several guns and two empty spaces. The guns were shined and beautiful, almost like they were jewelry or something. Jet's smile went wide as he swung the door open all the way. A fluttering movement caught his eye and forced him to look to the inside of the door. There was a folded piece of paper taped to the inside with 'Jet' scrawled on it in black ink. Jet ripped it off and opened it hastily to read it. He scanned the paper and then smiled.
"What?" Alex asked when she saw his smile grow wide.
"He says that Pidge has a fast car and he's not coming home until he nails a big bounty." He chuckled. "Stubborn dumb ass."
"What's a big bounty to him?" Alex asked as she tried to get a glance at the note.
"At least 10 million. He won't come back until he got one over 10." Jet said as he crumpled up the note. "Apparently he saw the picture of Pidge's car I left on the table out in the kitchen and he said something about it. he said he was coming back to get some supplies and he's sorry for making me worry, but he'll be back soon." Jet tossed the paper into the mess and walked out of the room. Alex still stood there staring at the firearms that were sitting there in the locker. She realized Jet had left so she also quickly exited. She went to her room and began going through her new purchases. Ed also went with Alex and helped her with her clothes. Jet fired up the indoor grill and cooked up the steaks he had bought while they were out. Ein sat nearby and watched him. As the steaks grew closer to being done, Jet heard the sound of Alex playing her guitar yet again. This time, it was another happy and bouncy song and Ed sang along. It was a crazy song sung about the crew of the Bebop; the cowboys of space. Ed finished the song and both she and Alex laughed.
"Guys, the steaks are almost done!" Jet called with a smile.
"Alright, we're coming." Alex called from her room. Ed came racing out like an airplane with her arms stretched out like wings. She zoomed around the living area as Alex came out of her room. She was watching Ed zip around as she leaned her shoulder on the doorway. "A little ball of energy she is, isn't she?" Alex asked with a grin. Jet nodded.
"That she is. Now after dinner, how's about some target practice?" he asked.
"Alright, sounds good." She said as she walked over to the table and sat down. Ed soon came to the table and sat ready to eat. Dinner was filled with the interesting voyages of Ed and Ein, and how Alex came to the ship. After dinner, as agreed, Alex and Jet had some target practice. They shot cans and bottles off the edge of the docks. They shot for about an hour before returning inside and locking down for the night. Ed slept on the floor in Alex's room until she could get her room back and Jet slept in his own room for a change. Things were finally starting to look good for Alex.
Days passed and gradually, Jet and Alex went out and cashed in several bounty heads. They were finally on the up side and were becoming richer by the day. Alex was slowly but surely becoming quite the sharpshooter and Jet was beginning to take lessons from Alex on how to play the harmonica. Ed often only sang along with them and had even gotten into playing with a few drums Alex had found for cheap. She didn't play them well enough for Alex to play along with her, but eventually, she'd take time to teach Ed too. Roughly two weeks after Alex had come aboard the Bebop, she felt totally at home and like the member of a family on the ship. Jet could pick up his harmonica and play without a problem and occasionally Alex and he would play together, always being interrupted by Ed and her drums. Alex still used Spike's gun and had no problems with aiming and shooting anything, even people.
"Alex!" Jet called one evening from the kitchen area. She poked her head out and looked at him.
"Ye-o?" she asked. She looked like a totally different person than from that of the girl she was two weeks earlier living on the streets. She had put more weight on and didn't look malnourished anymore. Her skin had turned from the pale skin tone it was to a healthy and deep tan that complimented her bright blue eyes and blond hair.
"Are you cooking this or am I?" he asked her as he held up a container of pork chops.
"Make the stuffing and I'll stuff 'em and grill 'em." She said as she disappeared into her room again. Jet sighed and began pulling out the ingredients he needed to make the stuffing. He measured things into bowls and was mixing them when Alex returned. She was wearing a pair of black samurai hakama pants and a white tank top. Over this, she wore a red silk kimono that went almost to her ankles. Her hair was clipped up and she was barefoot. Her toenails and fingernails were black and she was humming to herself. She jumped over the couch and walked into the kitchen.
"You know, one of these days, you're going to fall and bust your ass jumping over that couch." Jet scolded as she pulled the pork chops out of the refrigerator and put them into some brine she had made earlier.
"Yea, yea. I ain't dead yet so don't worry about it." she said as she tossed them back into the fridge. Before she shut the door, she pulled out a bottle of water and began to drink it.
"You young people now a days, I'm telling ya." He said with a sigh as he finished mixing the concoction. "What do you want me to do with this?"
"Wrap it with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge. The pork needs to sit for about an hour before I can stuff it and grill it." she said as she walked over and jumped onto the couch.
"An hour?! It's getting late and we need to eat!" Jet said.
"While you wait, here's a newsflash from TV Ed!" said the little red headed girl wearing the goggles in front of the computer.
"Whatcha got Ed?" Jet asked as he walked over.
"We're looking at a big one Cap'n Black!" She said. "20 million woolongs for an ex-con!"
"Wow, an ex-con…nothing too new, right?" Alex said as she leaned in and looked at the picture.
"Convicted of what Ed?" Jet asked.
"Zeke Diboa has been convicted of 20 counts of aggravated assault and rape. 40 total! He's been rumored to be around Tijuana a lot lately. If he's not there, he's on earth."
"A pretty 20 million on his pretty head. What a shame. At least I can understand why he's racked up so many." Alex said as she gazed into the eyes of the bounty head hey were going to go after. He was absolutely gorgeous. The long, straight blond hair and the deepest blue eyes. He looked like supermodel, which brought Blade to mind.
"Ed, get all the information on him and tell me whether I should head for T.J. or earth. " Jet said as he walked out of the living area and up to the navigations or piloting area. Alex sat and watched the screen for a moment.
"He's cute! What do you think Ed?" Alex asked.
"No one can compare to Blade!!" she said with a smile. In a few quick seconds, the picture of the new bounty head and Blade were side by side. "Who do you pick?"
"Definitely Blade. No contest." Alex smiled. Ed typed some more and came up with earth on the screen.
"Bonsai! Jet should head for earth!" she exclaimed.
"Alright, I'll go tell him." Alex said as she wandered out of the living area in search of Jet. She heard yelling and began running, hoping Jet was alright. She got to the doorway into the navigations and piloting areas were and stopped.
"God damn you Spike! Come back here before I come looking for you!" He yelled.
"Can't do that Jet, I'm after a 20 million ex-con. I'll come back when I get him." Said someone through a computer. Alex walked up to see whom it was that Jet was yelling at.
"Spike, come back here! We'll get him together and keep the bounty for ourselves! Faye's gone so we don't have to worry about her running off with the money. Alex doesn't use the money at all!"
"Alex? Who's Alex, Jet?" this Spike person asked somewhat suspiciously. Alex began walking up to where Jet was sitting.
"She's my new partner. After you died, I came upon her one night on some docks on earth. She needed a place to stay so I took her on and she's helped me get several bounties in the past two weeks she's been here." Jet said still angry.
"Great, I'm gone for a month and you find another partner? What's that all about?" Spike asked. Alex couldn't help but walk over and try and peek at the screen to see this Spike person. She snuck up behind Jet's chair and peeked over his shoulder.
"Hey, if you would've came back, I wouldn't have worried about finding another partner!" he yelled. Alex looked into the screen and saw almost the same person as seen in the picture Pidge gave her a few weeks earlier.
"Is that her?" the man asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Jet asked as he looked over his shoulder and saw her. "Yea! She's an amazing cook, a great shot, and actually does work around the ship. She's better than having you freeloaders around to just eat and run." He scolded.
"Hi there, Alex is it? I'm Spike, Jet's old partner." Spike said with a wink. Seeing him and him actually speaking her name surprised Alex
"Uh, hi. You met a friend of mine a few weeks ago. That's how I sorta know your face." She said with a weak smile.
"Oh really? Who?" He asked.
"Pidge Bordeaux. You two met at the Equatorial Circuit a few weeks ago." She said.
"O yea, the guy with the black and yellow Stinger that blew almost 20 trans' since January. Yea, I asked him about making my ship faster." He said smiling and scratching his head. "Which reminds me, Jet, the Swordfish II is still there, is it not?"
"Yea, it's here." he said.
"Okay, that's all I needed to know. Bye for now." He said getting ready to hang up.
"Spike!" Jet yelled.
"Bye Alex, see you soon!" she said as he blew a kiss and hung up. Alex began to blush.
"So that was Spike?" she asked Jet. He nodded.
"Yep, that was the crazy son of a bitch alright." He said as he pulled a box of cigarettes from his pocket and a lighter. "That was Spike."
"Ein! We have returned with the booty!!!" Ed said in a pirate's tone of voice as she held the steaks high above her head.
"Hah! Ed said booty!" Alex giggled as she carefully carried all of her bags to her room and tossed them inside. She returned and tossed the coat she was wearing across the couch.
"Wait a second…Alex, were you in Spike's room?" Jet asked. Alex shook her head.
"No, why?" Jet motioned for Alex to look over at his door that was cracked open. He went over to it and peeked inside, Alex was at his heels. He stepped inside and glanced around. Alex followed behind him, wanting to see the interior of the room. It was full of guns, gun parts, and newspapers or magazines.
"Someone was in here." he said as he glanced around at the mess.
"It was probably just Faye. Looking for some money or something." Alex said as she looked around. Jet's eyes latched onto something and he shook his head.
"It wasn't Faye." He said as he smiled.
"How do you know?"
"Faye doesn't have the key to Spike's private gun stash." He said as the door of a locker swung open when Jet pulled on it. The lock and door were still intact which meant no one broke into it. inside, there were several guns and two empty spaces. The guns were shined and beautiful, almost like they were jewelry or something. Jet's smile went wide as he swung the door open all the way. A fluttering movement caught his eye and forced him to look to the inside of the door. There was a folded piece of paper taped to the inside with 'Jet' scrawled on it in black ink. Jet ripped it off and opened it hastily to read it. He scanned the paper and then smiled.
"What?" Alex asked when she saw his smile grow wide.
"He says that Pidge has a fast car and he's not coming home until he nails a big bounty." He chuckled. "Stubborn dumb ass."
"What's a big bounty to him?" Alex asked as she tried to get a glance at the note.
"At least 10 million. He won't come back until he got one over 10." Jet said as he crumpled up the note. "Apparently he saw the picture of Pidge's car I left on the table out in the kitchen and he said something about it. he said he was coming back to get some supplies and he's sorry for making me worry, but he'll be back soon." Jet tossed the paper into the mess and walked out of the room. Alex still stood there staring at the firearms that were sitting there in the locker. She realized Jet had left so she also quickly exited. She went to her room and began going through her new purchases. Ed also went with Alex and helped her with her clothes. Jet fired up the indoor grill and cooked up the steaks he had bought while they were out. Ein sat nearby and watched him. As the steaks grew closer to being done, Jet heard the sound of Alex playing her guitar yet again. This time, it was another happy and bouncy song and Ed sang along. It was a crazy song sung about the crew of the Bebop; the cowboys of space. Ed finished the song and both she and Alex laughed.
"Guys, the steaks are almost done!" Jet called with a smile.
"Alright, we're coming." Alex called from her room. Ed came racing out like an airplane with her arms stretched out like wings. She zoomed around the living area as Alex came out of her room. She was watching Ed zip around as she leaned her shoulder on the doorway. "A little ball of energy she is, isn't she?" Alex asked with a grin. Jet nodded.
"That she is. Now after dinner, how's about some target practice?" he asked.
"Alright, sounds good." She said as she walked over to the table and sat down. Ed soon came to the table and sat ready to eat. Dinner was filled with the interesting voyages of Ed and Ein, and how Alex came to the ship. After dinner, as agreed, Alex and Jet had some target practice. They shot cans and bottles off the edge of the docks. They shot for about an hour before returning inside and locking down for the night. Ed slept on the floor in Alex's room until she could get her room back and Jet slept in his own room for a change. Things were finally starting to look good for Alex.
Days passed and gradually, Jet and Alex went out and cashed in several bounty heads. They were finally on the up side and were becoming richer by the day. Alex was slowly but surely becoming quite the sharpshooter and Jet was beginning to take lessons from Alex on how to play the harmonica. Ed often only sang along with them and had even gotten into playing with a few drums Alex had found for cheap. She didn't play them well enough for Alex to play along with her, but eventually, she'd take time to teach Ed too. Roughly two weeks after Alex had come aboard the Bebop, she felt totally at home and like the member of a family on the ship. Jet could pick up his harmonica and play without a problem and occasionally Alex and he would play together, always being interrupted by Ed and her drums. Alex still used Spike's gun and had no problems with aiming and shooting anything, even people.
"Alex!" Jet called one evening from the kitchen area. She poked her head out and looked at him.
"Ye-o?" she asked. She looked like a totally different person than from that of the girl she was two weeks earlier living on the streets. She had put more weight on and didn't look malnourished anymore. Her skin had turned from the pale skin tone it was to a healthy and deep tan that complimented her bright blue eyes and blond hair.
"Are you cooking this or am I?" he asked her as he held up a container of pork chops.
"Make the stuffing and I'll stuff 'em and grill 'em." She said as she disappeared into her room again. Jet sighed and began pulling out the ingredients he needed to make the stuffing. He measured things into bowls and was mixing them when Alex returned. She was wearing a pair of black samurai hakama pants and a white tank top. Over this, she wore a red silk kimono that went almost to her ankles. Her hair was clipped up and she was barefoot. Her toenails and fingernails were black and she was humming to herself. She jumped over the couch and walked into the kitchen.
"You know, one of these days, you're going to fall and bust your ass jumping over that couch." Jet scolded as she pulled the pork chops out of the refrigerator and put them into some brine she had made earlier.
"Yea, yea. I ain't dead yet so don't worry about it." she said as she tossed them back into the fridge. Before she shut the door, she pulled out a bottle of water and began to drink it.
"You young people now a days, I'm telling ya." He said with a sigh as he finished mixing the concoction. "What do you want me to do with this?"
"Wrap it with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge. The pork needs to sit for about an hour before I can stuff it and grill it." she said as she walked over and jumped onto the couch.
"An hour?! It's getting late and we need to eat!" Jet said.
"While you wait, here's a newsflash from TV Ed!" said the little red headed girl wearing the goggles in front of the computer.
"Whatcha got Ed?" Jet asked as he walked over.
"We're looking at a big one Cap'n Black!" She said. "20 million woolongs for an ex-con!"
"Wow, an ex-con…nothing too new, right?" Alex said as she leaned in and looked at the picture.
"Convicted of what Ed?" Jet asked.
"Zeke Diboa has been convicted of 20 counts of aggravated assault and rape. 40 total! He's been rumored to be around Tijuana a lot lately. If he's not there, he's on earth."
"A pretty 20 million on his pretty head. What a shame. At least I can understand why he's racked up so many." Alex said as she gazed into the eyes of the bounty head hey were going to go after. He was absolutely gorgeous. The long, straight blond hair and the deepest blue eyes. He looked like supermodel, which brought Blade to mind.
"Ed, get all the information on him and tell me whether I should head for T.J. or earth. " Jet said as he walked out of the living area and up to the navigations or piloting area. Alex sat and watched the screen for a moment.
"He's cute! What do you think Ed?" Alex asked.
"No one can compare to Blade!!" she said with a smile. In a few quick seconds, the picture of the new bounty head and Blade were side by side. "Who do you pick?"
"Definitely Blade. No contest." Alex smiled. Ed typed some more and came up with earth on the screen.
"Bonsai! Jet should head for earth!" she exclaimed.
"Alright, I'll go tell him." Alex said as she wandered out of the living area in search of Jet. She heard yelling and began running, hoping Jet was alright. She got to the doorway into the navigations and piloting areas were and stopped.
"God damn you Spike! Come back here before I come looking for you!" He yelled.
"Can't do that Jet, I'm after a 20 million ex-con. I'll come back when I get him." Said someone through a computer. Alex walked up to see whom it was that Jet was yelling at.
"Spike, come back here! We'll get him together and keep the bounty for ourselves! Faye's gone so we don't have to worry about her running off with the money. Alex doesn't use the money at all!"
"Alex? Who's Alex, Jet?" this Spike person asked somewhat suspiciously. Alex began walking up to where Jet was sitting.
"She's my new partner. After you died, I came upon her one night on some docks on earth. She needed a place to stay so I took her on and she's helped me get several bounties in the past two weeks she's been here." Jet said still angry.
"Great, I'm gone for a month and you find another partner? What's that all about?" Spike asked. Alex couldn't help but walk over and try and peek at the screen to see this Spike person. She snuck up behind Jet's chair and peeked over his shoulder.
"Hey, if you would've came back, I wouldn't have worried about finding another partner!" he yelled. Alex looked into the screen and saw almost the same person as seen in the picture Pidge gave her a few weeks earlier.
"Is that her?" the man asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Jet asked as he looked over his shoulder and saw her. "Yea! She's an amazing cook, a great shot, and actually does work around the ship. She's better than having you freeloaders around to just eat and run." He scolded.
"Hi there, Alex is it? I'm Spike, Jet's old partner." Spike said with a wink. Seeing him and him actually speaking her name surprised Alex
"Uh, hi. You met a friend of mine a few weeks ago. That's how I sorta know your face." She said with a weak smile.
"Oh really? Who?" He asked.
"Pidge Bordeaux. You two met at the Equatorial Circuit a few weeks ago." She said.
"O yea, the guy with the black and yellow Stinger that blew almost 20 trans' since January. Yea, I asked him about making my ship faster." He said smiling and scratching his head. "Which reminds me, Jet, the Swordfish II is still there, is it not?"
"Yea, it's here." he said.
"Okay, that's all I needed to know. Bye for now." He said getting ready to hang up.
"Spike!" Jet yelled.
"Bye Alex, see you soon!" she said as he blew a kiss and hung up. Alex began to blush.
"So that was Spike?" she asked Jet. He nodded.
"Yep, that was the crazy son of a bitch alright." He said as he pulled a box of cigarettes from his pocket and a lighter. "That was Spike."