DISCLAIMER: Spike... MMmmm Spike... Sorry, what? Oh yeah. I'm not genious enough to create Bebop by myself. But the insanity I make the characters take part in, yeah that's my fault. And I want a Black Cherry Vanilla Diet Coke. Yummy.
Tilly sat on the floor of the Bebop's cockpit and stared out at the endless sea of stars. The red scarf was draped over her head, the ends pooled in her lap. Memories held her and she idly toyed with a bit of the fringe. She didn't see a way forward, only the past stretched out before her. She couldn't return to the kids, and going to her mother's was definitely out of the question. Annie would be never ending questions, and she might as well put a "Please shoot here" sign on her forehead. The only options she had were to either stay on the Bebop, or go back to Vicious.
Staying meant dealing with Faye's jealousy and Jet's well meaning (but still thoroughly aggravating) advice and comforting. Staying on the Bebop meant Spike. Eyes that she got lost in, even when he wasn't there. An intoxicating scent of whisky, tobacco and a clean-smelling aftershave. How long could she stay without going insane?
With a heavy sigh, Tilly smiled weakly. She wouldn't go back. She didn't hate Vicious, but she did fear him. And she loved him. And that made him more dangerous than hatred ever could.
The only other option (a very last resort sort of option) open to her was her father's plan, but that lead down a road that would only end in painful death- for more people than just Tilly. In her head though, she mapped out the safest route back to her home. She mentally checked off an inventory of the weapons there, including what she had on the Bebop. She knew exactly what and how many she would need to load up and go sickhouse on the Syndicate.
Tilly shivered involuntarily, knowing how ticked off Spike would become if she turned up missing and then the Syndicate house got destroyed. A wan chuckle escaped her throat at the idea of just belting Julia really hard for getting you stuck in all this. One good pimp-slap wouldn't be enough. Tilly wanted to come up from the ground and send the blonde nightmare flying.
"Nice look for you."
Refocusing her eyes, Tilly met Faye's gaze in the glass.
"It's not often I find two bounties in one place."
Sighing, Tilly turned around and leaned back against the glass to look up at Faye. "What do you want?"
Faye's eyes narrowed and she crossed the dark room, her silhouette blackened momentarily by the hallway lights behind her. Perching on a chair arm she peered down at Tilly.
"I'm just trying to figure out what is so great about you. What is it that's so amazing?"
Tilly frowned, not willing to play this game.
"Don't get me wrong," she continued and slid down into the chair, both legs hanging over the side. "You're cute enough. Sort of statuesque really. And you're smart. I respect that." Swinging one leg down for balance, Faye leaned forward suddenly. "But what is it about you that would make a man put up over 20 million on a bounty for you? What would make a man who hates women break his own rules to protect you? To keep you here, with him?" Faye smiled coldly and Tilly could almost see the sarcasm rolling off her. "Are you made of diamonds?"
With a weary smile Tilly stood and stretched and the scarf fell in a puddle on the floor, blood red in the dakness.
"Light up, Faye. It's story time."
Faye took Tilly's advice as the younger woman half turned away to stare back out at the stars.
"Once upon a time, there was a young woman. She was short, a little chubby, and she smiled constantly. She fell in love with a man. This man, however, was following a destiny that had no time for love. She understood, and did what all unrequited lovers do. She married his friend. They both knew the score. Annie wanted Mao and Dad wanted a child. When I was born, they both stopped pretending, and she split. My father, Gavin Dowe, was left with the responsibility of raising me by himself. He didn't mind, and I couldn't have been a happier kid."
Tilly fell silent for a moment when her father's smile flashed through her mind, unbidden. Pain stabbed her heart- a now all too familiar sensation- as the scent of mornings of laughter filled her senses and she closed her eyes, sliding down the glass to sit once more on the floor, the scarf beside her. She took a few deep breaths and pulled the scarf into her lap once more, not daring to look up at Faye. Faye studied her profile for a moment and felt the familiar twinge of jealousy. This girl was lovely, like a Victorian wife and mother, and Faye knew her own beauty was no match for the girl before her.
"Anyway, fast forward about sixteen years and you come to a birhtday party and the wierdest present ever." Tilly shrugged and glanced up at Faye. "This is condensing it all, and I'm sure you'd love to hear all about my adolescence, but for the purposes of the story, we'll press on.
"My father was the best the Syndicate had when I was young. As I got older, though, he decided the time to pass the torch had come, and he began to train me. Others too, but mostly me. By the time my 'Sweet Sixteen' arrived I had already learnt almost everything my dad had to teach me. Mao had become the head of his gang, and Annie was happily running information and agents. That summer I had been working some recon assignments with Julia- getting my feet wet, you know? Dad had taken on a few of the guys from Mao to train, and the recons were boring, so he felt safe letting me go. The end of that summer saw the end of my perfect little world,though."
"What happened?" Faye broke in, softly. Tilly looked over to her and smiled sadly.
"I got married." Tilly had to bite back a laugh at Faye's rapt attention. She looked back at the stars and let her mind wander for a moment.
"This scarf was a gift from Mao, my godfather." Tilly spoke in hushed tones, but in the silence of the cockpit Faye had no trouble hearing her words. "He thought it suited me. The day he gave me this, he informed my father that he had chosen a husband for me and that the wedding would take place when I turned eighteen- and he may have mentioned an expectation of kids before I was twenty, but frankly I stopped listening after husband."
Faye exhaled slowly. "Wow. And your folks were okay with this?"
Tilly smirked as she remembered that day. "No. My father was quite opposed to it. He and Mao nearly came to blows, but once I accepted, there was nothing dad could do."
"Why'd you agree?"
Tilly looked up at Faye and inhaled to answer, but stopped for a moment, formulating her thoughts.
"My father was a killer - the best on Mars, the best in the Syndicate." Tilly's voice was clear now, pride shining through. "He had groomed me to be just as good, better. But even the two of us together could never have won. Not then. He'd have worried too much about me, and Annie would have joined with Mao. By saying yes, I kept us from starting a war. I also gave my father a chance to think and set some terms."
"Terms?" Faye lit a new cigarette from the cherry and stubbed out the butt. "I thought you said you got married at seventeen?"
"I did. That was the bargain. A contract marriage at seventeen, followed by a courtship unitl I was twenty-one. Annie talked my dad into it."
Faye chuckled. "Sounds like you were set up."
"And how," Tilly replied smiling. "But I was okay with it. I trusted my godfather to know me well enough to choose a man I could respect. The plan gave me a few years to work and save up some contingency money for myself, and it gave this guy some time to get further ahead in the Syndicate, under Mao's tutelage. Besides, I think Mao wanted me to work for him, but knew I would never sign on for more than freelance. This got me into the 'family business' so to speak."
"How so?" Faye queried.Tilly looked over to her, suspicious for a moment, but Faye's questions seemed to have become genuine interest.
"Well, here's how I figure he and Annie had it worked out. I am the only one fully trained in all the skills my father posessed, the only one who knows everything he knew. He was more than just an assassin. He made Spike and Vicious look like small potatoes." Tilly stopped and smiled to herself.
"Maybe I'm glorifying him a bit, but I doubt by much. Mao knew I wouldn't go Syndicate, but he didn't want me going outside for business either. So, he looks around, finds some young buck rising through the ranks, figures we could be a good match and sells the idea to Annie. She sees the logic, and sees that Mao wants it to happen, and probably figures it's the only time she'll ever do much for me, and bam! I'm engaged. Marrying me into the Syndicate keeps me in line and gives them extra firrepower if they need it."
Tilly stopped talking for a moment, inhaling the secondhand smoke. For just a second Tilly wished she smoked so her hands would have something to do besides play with fringe.
"The only thing I hadn't counted on was Vicious."
"The man lives up to his name," Faye responded, ashing her cigarette. "You think they knew?"
"About Vicious?" Faye nodded. "Yeah, probably. Mao was most likely hoping I could tame Vicious a bit. Conjugal bliss, and all that. I don't think he counted on Vicious and Julia, though. And nobody saw Julia and Spike happening. Liked to knock me out of my chair when she told me."
Faye's eyes went wide, but Tillt waved her off, refusing to go there right now.
"In any event, the next year I turned seventeen, and I got married. Dad nearly called he whole thing off when Vicious walked into the room. We had no clue who it was, you see. But when I saw Vicious, I knew what Mao wanted, and I signed the papers." Faye began to speak, but again, Tilly waved her away. "I know… I said I wasn't there, but that was how it felt more than a fact. I knew he and Julia were together, so I figured he'd ignore me until we couldn't put it off any longer, and by the time it became an issue, I figured he and Julia would have plans- a way to break it to Mao."
"Then all hell broke loose," Faye whispered.
"No," Tilly answered. "It opened wide and swallowed us whole."
Silence took the room again and the sounds of Faye enjoying her smoking punctuated the roar of quiet. At last Faye crushed out her cigarette and stood, stretching.
"Time for bed," she yawned. "Come on, Tilly. Tomorrow we'll make a game plan."
Tilly stood and stretched. She picked up the scarf and followed Faye to the door, narly runnign into the tall woman when Faye stopped and turned to face Tilly.
"Jet says I'm trying to compete with you for Spike." She leaned back against the doorjamb and lit up yet again. "Jet also said there's no contest because you already won. That Spike fell for you a long time ago."
Tilly leaned against the other side of the doorway, not entirely certain what Fay was getting at.
"If you're asking me what I feel for Spike, I can only say I don't know. If you're asking what he feels, I'll let him answer for himself."
Tilly smiled and nodded toward the far corner, black except for the faint glow of a cigarette. Faye's eyes opened wide as she saw the floating cherry, and she turned beet red in anger.
"Goodnight, Spike," Tilly said and turned to leave, Faye sputtering in fury. Behind her Tilly heard a response that matched her own inner turmoil.
"Goodnight, Tilly. Goodnight, Faye."
Okay y'all! A change of pace coming up in the next few chapters by way of a short story idea I got as I came to know Tilly and her place in this crew a little better. Purely for laughs, and it doesn't really move the plot along at all, but it should be fun (as soon as I finish rewriting it). See y'all soon!
