DISCLAIMER: Blah, blah, yakkety yak. You know what I'm supposed to say. I have to say that I will be on a VERY short hiatus from Bebop. You probably won't notice since I generally take a break after an episode, but I'm two chapters from finishing my Supernatural story, and I don't want to lose the flow there. :-D

Oh, yeah... I loved the film Snatch, so... yeah. Those who've seen the movie will understand.


"I wondered when you'd show up," Shae barked. "You're no match for me little girl."

"Is that why you need Swift Campbell here?" Her voice was deep and flat. There was no heat in her taunt, and that made Shae angry. She didn't think him worth the effort, and he knew it.

"Who's your friend there, I wonder?" he answered petulantly. "Didn't think you could take me alone?"

"He's of no concern," Tilly said calmly. Shae spat and pointed past Tilly to the shadows.

"You just make sure he stays out of my way," he sneered.

Tilly quirked an eyebrow. Before Shae could move Tilly stepped forward and her Desert Eagle blew out the back of his head. His body slowly followed the grey and red mess that used to be his brain to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Done," she said smoothly.

Tilly's head angled toward Swift who stared in shock. He had expected ruthless and efficient. Her cold-blooded manner struck fear into him. This girl made him afraid.

Spike's eyes felt ready to burst from his skull. His mind screamed incoherently and he felt numb. He watched as she slowly holstered the gun and removed her sword. Tilly peeled off her long coat and threw it to one side, letting it land near Spike's feet.

Both men stared as the full array of weaponry strapped to her small body was laid bare. Replacement clips for her Desert Eagles, yes one on each thigh, ran down her back. Beneath each arm, in the curve of her waist, was a smaller gun. A third semi-automatic was nestled in the small of her back and two daggers were strapped to her forearms, running the full length with their tips ending just before her elbows.

Swift pulled his trench off, revealing broad shoulders in a black and grey service sweater, shoulders and elbows reinforced. His sword's scabbard reflected the red light against its shining black surface, strapped to his back. Angled across his torso was a bandolier of replacement mags for his own semi-automatic pistols. He had a single dagger strapped to his thigh, giving away his strong side.

The pair squared off and Tilly hung her sword across her back, securing the strap against her chest. She pulled off her sunglasses and threw them toward her coat, letting Swift see her eyes for the first time. They were cold and dead, gray as the sky above their heads. Spike watched, amazed at the lifeless executioner Tilly had become.

As one, Tilly and Swift moved, pulling both sidearms to fire. Spike stepped back as ricochet struck the cement around him. In a matter of seconds they had emptied their guns and reloaded. Each moved form their respective cover to meet in the center.

Dodging bullets in the air and debris along the ground, Tilly deflected a too close shot with the broad side of her gun and fired two more shots while pulling Shae's corpse up as a shield. Swift dropped an empty cartridge and continued firing as he reloaded. Three rounds went into Shae before one went through to graze Tilly's side. With a yell of pain she pushed the body from her and jump-kicked it forward to crash into Swift, buying herself time to reload.

Swift shoved the fat carcass off his chest and rolled away from a straight line of fire that followed him behind a car, the last round catching his buttock. He grunted and swore loudly.

"I really am a pain in the ass," Tilly called from behind her own derelict vehicle. "Didn't Vicious tell you?" She was out of cartridges for her Eagles, and only had half a load in one pistol, the other was empty. She wasn't about to risk moving for her cases, so she holstered the empty and pulled out one of her nines.

"You should know I didn't want this," Swift returned. "If it was up to me I'd just buy you a drink." He was in bad shape. He only had one clip left, and both guns were half-empty.

From his hiding place, Spike clenched his jaw, hands fisted tightly. That bastard.

"If it were up to me, I'd let you," Tilly said gently, her real self breaking through. "In another life." The assassin returned. Swift closed his eyes for a moment, relishing her words for a brief second, then came out firing.

Tilly returned the hail of fire and moved from behind the car, walking toward her cases. With a well practiced hit, she popped the case open and dropped her empty Eagle as a slim-line machine gun of her father's design flew up. She threw the empty nine away and grabbed the flat Tommy gun, blasting away.

Swift's eyes went wide at the sight of a gun rising three feet in the air to Tilly's hands and dove for cover behind another car as she let into the one he had just been behind. It burst into a ball of fire as she continued to fire at him, bending to one knee to open the other case.

Taking a chance he fired when her head was bent. She looked up quickly and threw up one arm to block the bullet, letting it ricochet off the blade there to rip across her forearm and shoulder, whizzing past her ear. At the same time she fired again, emptying the Tommy.

Shit, he thought. I'm screwed.

He looked up to see Spike watching the fight from his alcove. Their eyes met and each man realized that they had seriously underestimated the lethality of this girl.

Silence fell and Swift slowly looked over the hood only to duck as a bullet struck right where his head was.

"Bitch," he muttered.

She had a small rocket launcher. She had a rocket launcher. She had a rocket launcher aimed at him.

As the thought sank in and registered Swift swore loudly and dove away from the car. As he hit the ground and rolled into the alcove with Spike the car behind him exploded, raining fiery chunks of metal and cloth interior across the lot.

"Friend of yours?" Swift muttered as a hello.

Spike grunted a dry laugh.

"Spike Spiegel, right?"

"Yeah, but I suggest you worry about her for now."

Both men peeked around the edge of the alcove. Through the burning wasteland of debris they saw Tilly, katana in hand, waiting. Swift met her eyes.

Yes, he answered her gaze. That's how I want it, too.

Swift holstered his empty guns and unsheathed his own sword, leaving the scabbard with Spike. He moved out to meet her, stopping when only five feet separated them.

She thumbed her blade past its catch and swung it up before her eyes. Slowly she pulled the blade from its protective sheath and pulled her arms wide at her sides. She liked to use her sheath as a second weapon, saving the blade as a last resort.

She blinked slowly, signaling him to move first, and Swift accepted the invitation with lightening speed. She moved quickly, blocking his attacks with alacrity. They were both tired and hurting, but Swift pushed through his pain. Tilly ignored hers, focusing on Swift's moves and anticipating his attacks.

He was losing, Spike realized. He had heard vague rumors of the man who had taken over for Lin, and he had been highly spoken of. Yet he was losing to a girl who moaned daily about being rusty when they would spar. Her scream brought him back from his reverie.

Tilly stared at the slash across her hip where Swift had sliced her with his dagger. She looked at the stub of wood in her left hand and the to the dagger in his, its tip painted scarlet.

She narrowed her eyes and slowly unbuckled the holster for her clips and nines. It clattered to the ground and she pulled the nine from her back, tossing it to one side as well. Then she unbuckled the dagger from her right arm and threw it away, leaving an inaccessible dagger on her left arm and her katana.

Swift hadn't thought it possible, but she grew colder. He felt the chill run up his spine at the sight of her icy gaze. She pulled her sword before her to the ready position and Swift dropped his dagger, using both hands to angle his blade.

Tilly sprang with no warning and he barely had time to block her. She struck like a flash, her blade seeming to be everywhere at once. He felt the edge bite his arms and backed away quickly. He fought to control the swing of her blade, but she found the hole.

All movement ceased as her blade buried itself in his heart. His katana clattered against the pavement, the sound ringing in an echo across the lot over the dull roar of the two automotive bonfires that still burned.

Through the waves of smoke and heat Spike watched Tilly ease Swift to the ground.

She was back, Swift realized as Tilly cradled him in her lap. Her sorrow was there for him to see.

"I didn't want this," she whispered. Swift smiled.

Through the pain he reached up to bury his fingers in her hair and pulled her down to him. The last thing he felt was her lips against his, responding to his demand, and her hot tears on his cheeks. Then blackness took him.

She knew he was gone as she raised her head. His hand fell through her curls and Tilly caught it, lowering it gently to his chest. She raised her gaze from Swift's face and looked through her own ring of hell to meet Spike's eyes. His expression was blank, neither blaming her nor offering any comfort.

She looked back down to Swift and carefully eased him from her lap onto the ground. When she stood, Spike was before her, Swift's sheath in hand. Tilly took it and placed her own blade snugly inside the ebony wood. Silently she gathered her discarded weapons and her coat. She retrieved the scarf and tied it to Swift's blade, then left.

Spike had dropped Tilly at the Redtail and then waited to follow her back to the Bebop. They had been silent, neither knowing what to say. Nothing beyond basic flight coordinates was communicated.

As they approached the familiar hulk of the Bebop, Spike called in for the bay doors to open. Tilly and Spike landed their respective ships and powered down.

Jet and Faye walked up to meet the ships as Ed an Ein peeked around the doorway. Tilly climbed down and tossed Faye a datapad, ignoring the caustic remarks the older woman threw her.

"What's this?" Faye asked, perplexed.

"The contact info for the money. Will you go get it?"

Faye realized this was Tilly's apology for taking her ship. Without a word Faye moved to refuel the Redtail for her trip to Callisto. Spike silently left the hangar and Tilly followed him with her eyes. She sighed heavily and moved toward the door, cases in hand.

"Need any patching up?" Jet ventured. Tilly threw him a wry smile, but her eyes held thanks and appreciation. Jet smiled warmly and reached for her cases. "Lead the way."

Later that night a very tired Tilly stood in the cockpit in a tank top and a pilfered pair of Spike's boxers. They were the only clothes she had that wouldn't aggravate her multiple bandaged wounds.

"Seems like you keep taking my clothes."

Tilly spun to face Spike. She held her breath as she met his gaze. His skin glistened in the dim light and his damp hair hung down in his face, clinging to his cheeks and neck. Tilly felt her heart leap involuntarily at the sight and she slowly inhaled.

"They look good on you."

He wasn't entirely sure what he was saying. He didn't know how to tell her that he didn't think she was a monster. Everything he could think of sounded… inadequate. She looked so fragile before him. Her hair was in two braids that hung long down her torso and her signature curls had worked themselves free to frame her face. She looked the complete opposite from her appearance that afternoon. She now seemed delicate and soft, and part of him longed to hold her, tried to pull his body to her.

"You scared the hell out of me today."

Pain flashed through her eyes and she turned away. Spike swore under his breath and crossed the small space to stand behind her.

"That's not what I meant. I meant I was scared for you. Never do that again."

And in a move totally unlike himself, Spike reached one hand across her stomach to rest on the uninjured hip, and crossed the other one over her shoulders, pulling Tilly's small body into his chest. He dropped his face into the crook of her neck and inhaled her as she relaxed into him.

They both knew that tomorrow they would go back to sparring constantly. But for this moment, Tilly needed to be reminded that she was human, and Spike had to hold her and comfort her. He had to protect her, even from herself.

Tilly turned and nuzzled her face against Spike's chest as the tears began to fall. His grip on her tightened as she cried, her body shaking.

From the doorway Jet silently watched the pair with a frown. They were closer than he had ever seen them, but the ghost of Julia seemed to hover over them. Quietly he turned and walked away, leaving Spike holding Tilly in the darkness. Beyond them stars shone coldly in the black of space and a single comet shot through the sky.

See you later Space Cowboy…