Jet saw Faye and Ed come back aboard the Bebop. Faye seemed distracted, then she glanced his way. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. This was so new to Jet that it startled him. But he liked it. She kissed him on the cheek. What should he say to her? "You're back in time for supper," Jet said. "I got some fresh produce from a local market." Angrily, Jet reprimanded himself for saying something so ordinary to the woman who was now his lover.

Faye shoved the photos at him. "I had a boyfriend. We weren't formally engaged, but we were going to marry. I just remembered him today."

"What happened to him?" Jet wondered, examining the pictures.

"He looked for me—uselessly. Married my friend. Had children and grandchildren and became an old man. Then he died."

"I didn't think you had anyone serious before," Jet admitted. "You said you were a virgin when you came out of cold sleep."

"Oh, I was. Ke and I were very chaste." She chuckled, taking the photos back in her hand, studying her image. "Hard to believe I was once that girl. Well, I just thought you should know—I told you about the others last night."

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They were sitting around the TV, eating dinner, en route to Mars.

"You said you had something good for Edward."

Faye looked up. "Huh?"

"Edward helped you find Singapore. You said you would give something good to Edward."

"That was a long time ago!"

Jet laughed. "She has a better memory than you!"

Faye got up, and looked around. "Oh, here, it's a souvenir of Vegas-on-Venus."

Edward looked it over. "Ooh, a pencil sharpener in the shape of a slot machine! This is indeed a great treasure! But where--?"

Faye tossed three glittering pencils bearing the logo "Vegas-on-Venus" at her.

"Never mind," Edward said, and instantly took to the task of sharpening. She sharpened the pencils until they were less than half their original size. She sighed, becoming Françoise. "That was pointless."

"Pointless!" Jet laughed, and Faye laughed with him. "I'd say you had three pretty sharp points there! But if you say it's pointless…!"

Françoise crossed her arms defensively. "Françoise does not make puns! Stop laughing!" They did not listen to her. Annoyed, she stalked out of the room.

"What's with her?" Faye asked Jet.

Jet shrugged. "I don't know. Apparently, she's all messed up inside."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

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Faye had just gotten up the next day when Ed notified her she had e-mail. "Hmm, Cheryl Chong..do I know this woman?" She clicked on the subject line.

"Faye—I work with the Singapore Home for the Aged. I am sorry to tell you this, but Mei Ling passed away shortly after you left. But she was at peace and she was happy. Seeing you again gave her closure to her life, and she felt she could finally move on to the next world."

Faye sighed. "I guess I couldn't ask for anything more than to see her one more time."

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The first thing Faye did when they settled in at Tharsis was to volunteer to go grocery shopping. Alone. There was something she wanted to check out. She stored the kit under the mattress in her room, away from prying eyes, so it would be there if she should find herself needing it.

It didn't seem that long—a couple of weeks, one caught bounty, one missed bounty. The time had passed, and now she must use the kit. She hid it under her red sweater and sneaked it into the lavatory.

Edward had been right. Faye was pregnant. She sat on the cold tiles of the floor, contemplating what the home testing kit had told her.

She put a hand over her womb. "Hello in there, whoever you are. Or will be." In a way, she was excited. A child meant a bond with someone, family.

But there were other things to think about. She—and maybe Jet—would have to give up their gypsy lifestyle. There was no way she was risking the baby going hungry.

She'd need a new wardrobe.

She felt guilt again, like she had the morning after. Well, she supposed, that's what one got for acting impulsively.

Jet—what would he think? What would he do? He wasn't like the other guys, she reminded herself. Jet would stay. She knew that. He was a man of honor, if nothing else.

She idly wondered how Spike would have reacted if she bore his child. He always claimed to not like children.

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Jet was sitting in front of the TV when Faye approached him. Edward was lying in front of her computer, with the dogs looking over her shoulders, as though they could figure out what was on screen. Well, maybe Ein could, Faye mused.

"Um, Jet," Faye began timidly. "About my being sick…"

"What? You need a doctor?"

Faye chuckled and moved her hand to her stomach, rubbing it emphatically.

"Oh. 'Stomach problems.'" He nodded knowingly. "You don't want to talk about it. I understand."

"No, Jet," she almost whispered.

"What then?"

She mumbled something incoherent.

"What? Speak up, woman!"

"I…"

She didn't finish, because about this time, Jet had put two and two together. His shoulders slumped. "Oh, boy."

"Is it a boy then?" Edward asked excitedly, jumping up. "I think we should name him Frou-Frou."

"Ed, all I know is that it's a baby," Faye said loudly. "I don't know yet if it's a boy or a girl."

Jet rested his head in his hands. "It's a baby. That's what I thought you said."

"If it's a girl, then we should name her Frederick." Ed wheeled in circles around the room. "Or Albert. Very feminine and pretty. Oh, I know—Horace! Yeah, Horace. Definitely."

"Faye, you sure know how to complicate things," Jet complained.

"Me? You could have said no that night!"

"What, with the way you--?"

"Shhh!" Edward hushed. "Not in front of the kid."

"You mean--?" Faye looked at her belly.

"No, silly, me! I'm the kid!"

"Are you sure you're pregnant?" Jet asked.

"Yeah! I had a fool proof testing kit."

"Are you sure it's my kid?"

Faye slapped him.

Jet rubbed the handprint she had left on his cheek. "That means yes, I take it." He sighed. Suddenly he sat up. "Faye, sit down."

"I'm fine, really."

He stared at her.

She sighed. "Okay." She plunked herself down next to him.

"A baby means a lot of changes," Jet pointed out.

"Well, I already thought of that," Faye said.

Edward held her nose. "Edward will babysit, but will pass on the changes."

"Not those kind of changes!" Faye snapped. "And just what kind of babysitter will you be if you pass on that anyway?"

"And there's the money to consider," Jet mentioned, trying to ignore Ed's diversion.

"Like how much I earn for babysitting!" Edward exclaimed.

"You know, we really can't afford a baby. We can barely feed ourselves sometimes."

"I'm keeping the baby!" Faye insisted. "I'm not aborting it! Besides, if we can take on another dog, we can take on a baby!"

Jet held up placating hands. "Whoa! Who said anything about getting rid of the baby? I know pregnant woman are emotional, but there's no reason to be paranoid!"

"So you want the baby then?" Faye asked hopefully.

He shrugged. "Now that it's here, it might as well stay."

Edward threw up her hands. "Yay! The baby stays!" She fell onto her back, and her mind changed direction. "With the baby around, no one will pay attention to Françoise."

"Why don't you go talk to her?" Faye whispered to Jet.

"Me? You're the one who should talk to her."

Ein walked up to Françoise and licked her face. She giggled.

"I guess Ein's taken care of that problem," Faye observed.

"What about a name?" Jet wondered.

"Edward's already taken care of that!" Edward insisted. "The baby will be called Frou-Frou Black."

"Oh, I don't think so," Faye told her. "We should wait until we know what sex it is. But Jet—if it's a boy, I'm not naming him Spike. You already named the dog that."

Following that logic, Edward said, "But if it's a girl, you will name her Spike. Or Spike-Ann. Or Mary-Spike." She rambled on.

"Those are the most ridiculous names I ever heard," Faye remarked. "Why are we including her in on this discussion?"

Ed threw her hands up in the air. "Because Edward is part of the family! Yea!" She fell over backwards.

"She's like a cat," Faye observed. "We didn't adopt her—she adopted us." She turned to Jet."I'm serious now..what are we going to do? I don't want the baby to ever go hungry."

"One thing at a time," he answered. "Why don't you speak to your mother?"

"I don't have..Oh, you mean Maybelle." She paused, then looked at him. "Jet, Sally told me my surname. It's an Asian name; it's not Valentine."

"That won't matter to her. Even if your real name was Valentine, you and her family would only be extremely distantly related at most."

Faye put a hand atop of his. "I wonder is everyone in Vegas-on-Venus is as friendly as her."

They looked at each other. "Vegas," they said in unison.

"I guess it's time for me to make you an honest woman," Jet said decisively.

"Make Faye-Faye an honest woman!" Ed teased, and she and Jet burst into hysterics.

"Very funny," Faye said sorely. "I can be honest…Actually, you're right. That is pretty far-fetched." Emotionally exhausted, Faye lay down with her head in Jet's lap. "Things are moving too fast."

"Well, whose fault is that?"

Faye glared at him.

Jet sighed and glanced at the ceiling. "We'll share blame, okay?"

Faye sat up. "Okay, but you know, you can't just tell a woman to marry you. You have to ask her."

"Aw, Faye, I don't have any jewelry!"

Faye slid off the ring he had paid for in Vegas-on-Venus. "Here. Use this. You bought it."

Jet looked at the ring and opened his mouth as if to say something.

"On your knees!" Ed shouted. "You're supposed to beg!"

"Edward, Jet shouldn't get on his knees. He just recently got over a leg injury."

"Thank you," Jet said.

Faye looked at him expectantly.

Ed looked at him expectantly. Hell, even the dogs were looking at him, big grins on their faces.

"I, er.." Jet blushed.

"This from the man who lost an arm and tackles the most ferocious criminals in the galaxy," Faye remarked aside to Edward.

Ed slapped her thighs. "Ha ha! Jet is chicken!"

"I am not!" Jet insisted. "I was the one who brought up the subject of marriage in the first place!"

Faye remained firm, her arms folded. "Ask me. Ask me and I'll say something in return."

"Faye.."

"Uh huh?"

"Marry me.."

"Marry me…" Faye prodded.

Jet gritted his teeth. "Please?"

Faye threw her arms around his neck. "Okay!"

Jet was surprised it was this easy. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because, Jet, I need someone and you're the only one who has gone the distance for me. All the others—from Whitney to Spike, failed me. Now put that ring back on my finger, damn it!"

He slid the ring on, and they kissed.

"Um, so…" Ed began.

They continued to kiss.

"Edward is still in the room, you know," Ed tried. "Um, well…Edward is going to Ed's cabin. C'mon, doggies." SJ and Ein got to their feet. "Is it hot in here, or is it just Edward?"

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"I need to know one thing before I agree to marry you," Jet began, his arm around Faye in bed.

Faye turned to look at him. "I thought we agreed on marriage."

"There's this little hang-up I have…"

She sat up. "Oh, I knew it! You're afraid of commitment. Men are—"

"Not me—you! I need to know you're not gonna run away again. Like you always do."

Faye sighed, but she knew it was a valid concern. She had been so capricious. And her deeper understanding of the man who had become her lover gave her the knowledge that beneath his snapping at her lay fear. Fear that she was going to leave him, just like Alisa before her.

"What if I just want to take a spin? Not really leave?"

"If you're going out, write a message; call me. It only takes a minute. Then I won't worry about you."

"If I did run away, would you come after me?" she tested.

It was his turn to sigh. "I did on Callisto," he muttered. He wanted to say no, she realized, but he didn't have the heart for it. "But if you really do want to leave me for good, tell me to my face. Don't leave me a note. And tell me why."

She tried another issue. "What if my creditors come after me? What if I need to disappear?"

"Then we disappear together."

Faye smiled impishly. "Sounds like fun."

"But I want you to agree to never run away again."

"I'll try," she said.

He stared at her.

"I'll do my best," she promised, smiling in a placating manner.

He looked at her doubtfully.

She grabbed his metal arm. "I know I've been fickle in the past, but..I'm changing. The younger me wasn't like that so much. I know I can never unlearn all my bad habits, but I want to be like her again. Someone good."

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In her cabin, Faye called Maybelle on the video phone. "You were right about me and Jet," she said simply.

"Really?"

"We're lovers now."

"Oh, congratulations."

Faye sighed. "Thanks, but you're not gonna approve of the next part. I'm pregnant."

Maybelle blinked.

"We want to come back to Vegas and get hitched," Faye continued.

"Well, that's good," Maybelle said.

"Are you mad at me?" Faye asked Maybelle. "I know jumping the gun is against your religion."

"It is," Maybelle began. "But to be someone's mother is to love them unconditionally. It's true, I didn't expect for you to get together so fast, and this isn't what I had in mind." She chuckled. "But it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Faye wondered. "But I thought it was a cardinal sin in your religion."

"It is, but..none of us is perfect, you know. I have no right to turn a cold shoulder on you now. Do you know I started out in this town as a showgirl?"

"Really?" Faye cocked her head. "That's not so bad."

"It was in a revue at the Côte d'Azur, called 'Reckless Girls'." We had glamorous costumes, but they didn't cover our nipples."

Faye looked incredulous. "You were a topless dancer?"

"Yes. You know that statue outside the Côte d'Azur?"

"The one with all the tight-assed women?"

"Well, the third one down is me."

"Really?"

"'Course, that was way back in the day. No one would want to make a statue of my butt nowadays—not even Don."

"What was Don? A drug dealer?"

"No, Don was a construction worker. He helped put up the Roman Empire resort. But he was a regular at our shows. I'd like to say I gave up topless dancing and all that rot because I found Christ. But actually, I didn't keep my showgirl figure." She leaned in closer to the screen in a confidential manner. "Too many trips to those all-you-can-eat buffets."

"Yeah, I could get carried away with those myself."

"So you see, dear, none of us is perfect. Probably more people than not in our congregation have pasts they're not proud of. I'm just glad you and Jet are trying to rectify the situation."

"You know, actually I'm glad I'm having Jet's baby and not Spike's. Spike would've been a deadbeat dad anyway; he didn't even like kids. But Jet's gonna make a good father. You think we stand a chance? I mean, this marriage lasting?"

"Are you nervous?"

"Kinda numb, actually."

"Are you sure you want to get married right now?" Maybelle tried to ascertain.

"Yeah, what the heck, if it doesn't work out, we can easily divorce in New Reno down the street from here."

"Now that's not the attitude to take!" Maybelle scolded, feigning shock.

"We'll give it a go, that's all I can say. Besides, he's very well built, if you know what I mean. I don't think I'm getting such a bad deal here."

"Your priorities are so—" Maybelle began, than waved her words aside. "Aahh! But can I ask you just one last thing?"

"Shoot."

"Do you love him?"

Faye smiled slightly. "Yeah, I think I do."

"Oh, I knew you did the first time I saw you two in the jewelry shop."

Faye smirked. "Then why'd you ask me if you already knew?"

"Just making sure, dear. Just making sure. And to answer your earlier question, I think you have a chance. Couples who are friends first always have a chance."

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Not many days later…

A small crowd had gathered by the merlion fountain in front of the Singapore—Maybelle, Don, Edward/Françoise, and also Faye and Jet, in their formal clothes.

Maybelle was looking at a booklet. "There's a two for one special at the Gateway Chapel."

"Two for one?" Don demanded. "How can you have a two for one special on a wedding?"

"Maybe you and I could renew our vows."

"But we renewed them two years ago!"

"Well, who put a limit on the number of times you could renew your vows?"

Jet cut in. "We don't need anything fancy. Look, all I'm asking is that there be no Elvis and no Klingons."

"Ooh!" cried Edward. "An alien wedding!" She made as if to run off, but Jet put a restraining hand on her shoulders.

"Where are you going?"

"To the casino."

"What did I tell you?"

"But Edward has a system to win big money, pay for wedding!"

"Edward, you're too young to be in a casino. They won't allow it."

"Ha! Edward knows no age! Edward is timeless and eternal!"

"And also full of delusions of grandeur!" Faye snapped testily.

"Faye-Faye is cranky! Methinks she has cold feet."

"Oh, I do not! I'm just a little nervous, that's all."

"Cold feet! Cold feet!" Edward dived down to Faye's shoes and began blowing hot air on them, and rubbing them with her hands. "Edward will warm your feet for you."

Faye decided to ignore Edward as best as she could, and she turned to Jet, going from cranky to sheepish. "You're not mad about this? Me being pregnant and having to get married?"

Jet shrugged. "What good would that do? It's half my fault anyhow."

"A man willing to sacrifice his pride and take the blame!" Don exclaimed, then chuckled. "You'll get along just fine."

Faye glided her fingers through the water in the fountain. "I know! Let's bring a preacher out here and have the wedding right by the fountain."

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In the end, they had it there, and Edward got soaked playing in the "waterfall". Then Ed and the dogs were shipped off to the Valentines' house for the night, and Maybelle heard a decidedly different view about adventures on the Bebop, and counseled and consoled the young girl when she went into her sad Françoise role. Meanwhile, Jet and Faye had lots of fun exploring each other in their hotel room that came complete with spa and a waterfall shower.

Things were going well, Faye thought. In all the hectic happenings lately, she had had less time to weep over Spike. She had found a good man, right under her nose, and she had found two families—a parental one with Maybelle and Don, and a nuclear one with Jet and the baby—and even with Edward as a sort of unofficial adoptee.

Fate wasn't always cruel.