This chapter includes some specific dates for events like Jet and Spike meeting each other and they fit the canon story as far I'm able to tell, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find very accurate dates in my research on the Bebop timeline. I've tried my best to mash things together reasonably so that everybody's ages/stories line up, but I offer my apologies if they don't jive with the actual Bebop timeline :D

Also, a shoutout to Shadowcrest Nightingale and Star Charter for their encouraging reviews. If you haven't read their Bebop fanfics, you should take a hop, skip, and a jump over to their pages and check them out!

Session Seven

"So, what's our first step?" Leon asked, leaning over the back of the couch to watch the computer screen over Jet's shoulder. The Bebop was en route to Venus.

"Well, first thing we gotta do is locate Villanova and find out what sort of protection she's got. We know she's on Venus , now we just need to figure out how we're going to take her down."

"At least we don't have to worry about accidentally destroying her or something," Faye said as she walked up the stairs from the Bebop's lower decks.

"Accidentally destroying her?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Accidents were Spike's specialty," Faye said. "Unless you do those too?"

"Not on purpose," Leon smirked.

Faye rolled her eyes. "Of course not. How much bounty do we get if we bring her in in pieces, Jet?"

"None," Jet said. "So no fooling around. She's a military bounty and they want to question her so this needs to be done carefully."

"Right, I can do that," Leon said.

Jet gave him a hard look.

"Look, it's not like causing accidents is genetic. Besides, we don't even know for sure that I'm related to Spi-"

"Leo! Faye Faye! Jet! Look at this!" Ed came skidding into the living room with Ein close at her heels, barking happily.

She was holding a small plastic tray in one hand and a toothbrush in the other. Leon recognized the tray as the one he'd given Ed a drop of blood in. He felt his stomach flip-flop.

"What is it, Ed?" Faye asked.

"I've been doing research!" she declared.

"On the Dragon's Eye?" Jet asked, turning around to face Ed.

"With a toothbrush?" Faye asked.

"No, not the Dragon's Eye. On Leo!"

Jet and Faye both looked at Leon. He gave them an I-have-no-idea-what-she-means gesture. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"And?" Jet said softly.

"This is Spike person's toothbrush," Ed declared proudly, holding up the toothbrush like it was a flag.

The rest of the room looked confused.

Ed sighed and rolled her eyes like they all should know what she meant. "And this," she held out the plastic tray, "is some of Leo's blood."

"And?" Jet prompted again.

"And they match!" Ed announced, holding the toothbrush and the tray next to each other.

Leon gripped the back of the couch, feeling like his knees might go out.

"I told you it was in the blooood," Ed chirped. She put her hands on her hips. "You didn't find the wrong person after all, Faye Faye."

Leon sat down on the back of the couch.

"You ok, kid?" Jet asked.

"Yeah," Leon nodded. "Yeah, fine."

"That's not possible!" Faye exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked.

"I mean...it's just not...Spike never said anything. He never told m-us," Faye said. When she looked over at him, there was something intense in her gaze that made Leon squirm.

"Look, Faye," he held up his hands. "We still don't know for sure about this. I mean, this is just a highly likely thing, right? Ed?"

Ed shook her head, oblivious to the sudden emotion in the room. "Nope, this is science, Leo. Besides, Tomato doesn't lie. You are the son of Spike person."

"Ok, but you can't tell me you got valid DNA off a fifteen-year-old toothbrush," Faye accused.

"Nope!" Ed said. "Ed already had Spike person's DNA in the computer. The toothbrush was just for effect."

"Damn, Spike and Julia," Jet muttered. "Who would have known?"

"Why would he hide something like this from everybody?" Faye demanded. "It doesn't make sense."

"Unless," Leon said, licking his lips. "Unless he wasn't hiding it."

"What?" Faye asked.

"I...I don't think Spike knew about me."

Jet looked up at Leon.

"Jet, when did you meet Spike?"

"It was April or May of 2067, why?"

"Because," Leon said. "I wasn't born until August 2067. Spike never told you guys about me because he never knew I existed."

"And I'm supposed to believe Julia never told him?" Faye asked.

"Yes," Leon said, hand to his forehead. "Jet, you told me that Spike left the Syndicate but Julia stayed, right?"

Jet nodded.

"And they didn't have any contact after that, right?"

"Not for several years."

"Yeah, and by that time, Julia didn't have me. Julia left me in an orphanage and told them it was because it was too dangerous to raise me. She didn't want to raise me in a Syndicate. Spike got out of the Syndicate. Who knows what Julia thought-maybe she thought telling Spike would drag him back to the Syndicate, maybe she was mad that he left-but she didn't say anything about me. Spike never knew me."

"That means she took your secret to the grave," Jet said. "And even if she did tell Spike at their last meeting, he...didn't make it..." Jet trailed off.

"Yeah," Leon breathed. "I get the feeling she wanted me to stay in obscurity."

"Except you ended up as a Cowboy," Faye said. "Just like your father. Imagine that."

"Well, I didn't know he was a Cowboy." Leon shrugged. "I just thought it would be an exciting life."

"It's not glamorous," Jet said. "But it pays the bills."

"You know, most of the time." Faye rolled her eyes.

Ed scooped Ein off the floor, trading the dish and toothbrush for the dog. "You knew all along, Ein, didn't you?"

He barked and licked her face.

"It's kind of hard not to notice the resemblance," Jet said.

"And you act just like him too," Faye sighed dramatically.

"Sorry?" Leon spread his hands and shrugged. He looked over at Ed who was still snuggling Ein. "Thanks, Ed," he said softly.

"Oh, don't mention it," Ed grinned. "This is Ed's job. Ed likes doing this kind of stuff." She winked as she pulled her goggles over her eyes and left the room.

Leon slung his legs over the back of the couch and slid down until he was sitting beside Jet, heels on the edge of the couch, knees updrawn. He still felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"It's almost like we've got the old crew back, isn't it Faye?" Jet asked.

"Yeah," Faye smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Almost."