DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Bebop. I need chocolate. That is all.

A/N: Sorry about the excess of dialogue, but anyone who knows the Bebop 'verse knows the actions. I don't have to block the scene. Feel your way through it. Msg me with anything, but don't hate the playa.


Tilly's eyes opened wider. Slowly she turned her body to look at Spike. His eyes were glued to the screen as his jaw hung open in shock.

"Anastasia," he whispered.

Annie's face grew hard and her eyes narrowed. "I told you never to call me that!" she hissed. "What do you think you're doing coming back here? And what is Tilly doing with you?"

Spike turned his head, meeting Tilly's gaze. Unconsciously he began to search for Annie in her features. This pushed a button somewhere inside Tilly, and her own temper showed itself.

"Spike? Spike Spiegel?" She stood and quickly backed away from Spike. On the landing above the couch Jet and Faye watched silently, having run in when Ed screamed earlier. Ed scooted back, away from the table, also quiet. "You're that Spike?"

Spike narrowed his eyes and leaned back, watching Tilly carefully. "What's it to you?"

"Tilly!" Annie shouts. "Just tell me what's going on!"

Slowly Tilly pulled her eyes from Spike's glare and returned her attention to the screen where Annie was waiting, looking panicked.

"Simple, Mom. Your Mr. Spiegel and his friends are bounty hunters. They caught me."

"Spike," Annie looks thoroughly horrified. "Don't turn her in. Especially not you. You'll never see the money, and she'll just-"

"Mother!"

Silence fell over the room as Annie buried her face in her hands. Even Ed didn't dare move. After a moment Tilly spoke through clenched teeth, her eyes on the ground.

"Mom, go to my house. Get the kids, after you get back home, make the call." She looked up to Annie, stopping her from speaking with a gesture. "Tell him a cowboy got me, and I'll be brought in at dawn. Have someone waiting on the stairs with the money. Cash, no tricks, to be opened in my presence." Against her will, Tilly's eyes moved across the room to lock onto Spike who stared back coldly. "Call back when you get his answer."

"I already have the kids. They called me-"

"Good then," she turned back to the screen. "Make the call then."

Tilly closed the connection before Annie could protest and physically turned to look up at Jet and Faye before dropping her gaze to Spike. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Jet, can you take me down to the surface? You can pick up the cash and be back in an hour."

"Tilly." Spike whispered her name so softly she almost didn't hear him. The anger beneath his calm voice was unmistakable, though. "What's going on?"

They stared at each other for a few moments, locked in a silent battle of wills, before she break eye contact and turned up to Jet.

"Got anything to eat?"

"Tilly!" Spike grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him.

"Don't you touch me, Spiegel!" She slapped his hand away, her temper now full blown. "I don't owe you a goddamn thing, least of all an explanation! I'm just a bounty to you! 12 million woolong to line your pockets and fill your belly!"

She had steadily been backing away from him, but now Spike, moving faster than she would have thought possible, was suddenly towering before her. He slid his fingers roughly into her hair, flicking away the realization that it felt like silk, and grabbed a fistful of hair, forcing her head back. Forcing her to meet his eye, unable to back up or look away.

"Yes," he spoke quietly, his voice cold as steel. "You started as a bounty, but you're Annie's." He gave her head a rough shake, almost involuntarily. "You know I won't turn you in. I want answers, Tilly. I want to know what the hell is going on, and I want to know your full name."

Tilly's eyes shut against the pain, unwanted tears flowing down her cheeks. She couldn't wrap your head around this last part. The request was so random, it made no sense. Forcing her eyes open, Tilly realized that one of Spike's eyes was slightly darker brown than the other.

"My name?"

Spike simply stared into her eyes. He loosened his grip on her hair, but didn't release her. She became vaguely aware of the fact that his other hand was wrapped around her wrist again, locking her in place before him. She began to drown in the depths of his eyes.

"Anatalia Yenrai Vicious."

Spike's eyes opened wide in surprise and Tilly could hear Jet and Faye gasp in shock behind her. She cut her eyes to the side, trying to look at them, but her gaze refused to leave Spike's eyes for long. Suddenly she felt drained of all energy; the fight and strength left her tired body. Sighing deeply, she knew she was no longer a bounty. Somehow she had no doubt that Spike meant what he said. He wouldn't turn her in, and he wasn't going to let her leave without answers. She stepped back, tentatively, to see if he would let her. When Spike made no motion to stop her, Tilly sank backward onto the couch, too tired to stand.

"I was born Anatalia Yenrai Karev. I was called Yenrai after my godfather. When I was seventeen, I was married in proxy."

"Proxy?" Faye asked, leaning forward onto the rail.

"It's where we sign the papers, but don't actually get together to do it. It was arranged. I didn't even meet my husband on my wedding day. It was the agreement. A young man in my godfather's... company wanted to move ahead. Mao felt that he and I would be a good match. My father objected, but Mao brought Annie around to his side, and so my father relented. He insisted, though, that I be allowed to wait until I was old enough before I... go to my husband." Tilly inhaled deeply, working through the momentary nausea. "I had hoped Vicious would want nothing to do with me until he had no other choice, but Mao felt that if we spent the occasional day together it would be easier for me when I finally took up my wifely duties." Tilly grimaced at the thought, and Spike, unnoticed by her, clenched his fists, his hatred for Vicious rearing a new head.

Spike slowly lowered himself onto the table, facing away from everyone. Jet, Ed and Faye stared at Tilly, waiting for her to continue.

"Things were fine for a few years. I lived my life, he had some woman he was seeing," Spike stiffened at this, but Tilly chose to ignore it. "Vicious and I would spend a day together every couple weeks or so. It was fine. After about three years, though, right after I turned 20, Vicious showed up at my father's house. It was the middle of the night and... He was..." Tilly trailed off as the memory of his appearance that night pushed its way past the careful walls she had set up in her mind. His eyes had almost glowed with rage and his hair was plastered to his head and face from the rain. He had stood there, the occasional flash of lightening the only light in the room as the wind blew in from behind him, through the open kitchen door.

"He was not himself. So angry... distant. He just went on and on about betrayal and the fickle nature of woman. He accused me, me!, of having a lover. He had his woman and I was the one having an affair." Tilly had stood and begun angrily pacing the room, her indignation rolling off her in waves. "Nothing I could say would calm him down." Her voice broke and she halted. She began trembling as the anger built to higher levels.

"Did he rape you?" Spike asked in a quiet voice, keeping his gaze on his hands. Tilly stared at his back, wishing she knew what he was thinking.

"No." She lifted her chin, squaring her shoulders. Her voice held no pride or boast as she continued. "He wouldn't be alive now if he had."

"Your father?"

"Or me. I learned from the best." Sighing, Tilly resumed her seat on the couch. "No, he didn't rape me. He couldn't afford to be proved wrong. He just beat the hell out of me. I let him." She shook her head, disgusted at herself. Above her, Faye snorted in derision. Tilly leaned her head back and glared at her before returning her eyes to Spike's form.

"I would have lost anyway. It was easier to just tuck my chin and take it. I disappeared that night. Only my father knew where I was, but I kept in touch with Annie. After a few weeks Annie had news for me. She told me all about you, Spike."

Spike turned at this to face Tilly, his eyes a turbulent sea of pain, guilt, regret and anger.

"Yes," she continued, venom in her voice now. "She told me everything. She told me all about Vicious and Julia, though I already knew that part. And you, the unknown factor." Tilly shook her head, her mood swinging again from anger to despair. "I just stayed hidden. After a few months Annie told me Vicious was looking everywhere for me, which made working a challenge. A few months after that I was given the twins to care for, and I stayed out of the game as much as I could. I've managed to stay below the Syndicate radar for over three years now."

"Until that bounty," Jet murmured, almost to himself.