Thanks for reviewing piper, burichifan, safarigirl83, and Joyal. lol, oh yeah and one concern that was brought up was that Spike was being to out of character, the guy had two years, a good twenty four months, roughly seven hundred and thirty days to contemplate this. But I get what you mean though, and he didn't really say he loved her or even liked her, it's just implied a tab 3 Oh yeah, and the story isn't in Spike's POV the entire way through, I just thought it was the best way to get stuff out in the open. But yay! I love reviewers! Get ready guys, this one is kinda long.

Faye

"Faye-Faye!" I felt a poke on my right cheek.

"Faye-Faye!" came another disgruntled call and this time a poke on my left cheek.

I groggily opened my eyes to see an upside down version of Edward's face. That little monkey. I reached my hands out to grab her and pull her off of me, but like a snap she had already bound out the room, Ein closely following behind her. It hadn't taken long for Ed to find her way to the Bebop. We weren't sure exactly how it happened, but one day after a particularly wearying bounty Jet and I walked in to find her and Ein running around the common room.

I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes. This room, the room that had been my room for two years, but how long could it last? The metal walls bore no pictures, the sheets were a plain off white, the floor was devoid of any dirty clothes, everything I owned was neatly packed in a suitcase in the corner of her room. The only thing that would be remotely identifiable was the smashed pieces of a beta player and the scattered remains of a beta tape.

There had once been a person who said, "No matter the past, you still have a future." Too bad he didn't believe that himself I thought clenching the sheets in my hands. Idiot, I thought, but even so, I felt hot tears pool in the corners of my eyes. Why am I bothering with this now? It's been two years, I have come to terms with the fact that dead people stay dead. I remembered how much I tried to fight this fact, I even went to the Indian Shaman who told me nothing but ambiguous statements; some crap about how "In death new life is born; Swimming Bird knows this as truth." I wasn't asking about a swimming bird, I was asking about Spike. Taking my pillow and hurtling it across the room I shakily got up and furiously swiped at my eyes. I quickly changed into my usually yellow hotpants get up.

Walking out of my room I moved down the hallway and spotted the mustard yellow couches and heard the sound of Jet frying something in a pan. We could afford beef now, at least for today, with the last bounty we took in, because Jet and I still do that. We take on bounties, usually I take them by myself because someone has to watch the ship and Ed. I've gotten used to hunting on my own, it's less complicated without a partner, but less thrilling all the same.

"Oh Faye, you're up. I've got Bell Peppers and Beef coming up." Jet said, peeking out of the kitchen. Why does he wear such ridiculous aprons? I smiled, he was such a mom sometimes. Jet and I had become partners, even closer than that maybe. We became something akin to family, including Ed and Ein. We all started out as people who had no where to turn to, then we turned into a place called home. We all looked out for one another, Jet being the father of the family…and on occasion quite the mother.

I said nothing as I laid myself down on the couch and turned on Big Shots. Turns out they really weren't cancelled after all, guess Blondie got her agent on them like she promised she would.

"Howdy Ya'll! Get ready for the biggest of biggest bounties on the history of our show!"

"That's right all you fellas and galls out there! Get ready for the biggest one of all time!"

"But who is it? Oh please tell me!" Blondie whines on the screen, I'm tempted to turn it off, but I know with the amount of my debt, I needed the 'biggest of biggest bounty.' Also, my Redtail and the Bebop needed some repairs, something that Jet never fails to mention.

The guy on TV shrugs sympathetically, "We have no idea! No picture, no real name, no identifiable features, nothing!"

"Jet, I hate this show. This shit should have really been cancelled. " I groan as I reach to get the remote and change the channel.

"We do have a nickname though, Swimming Bird everyone! A bounty worth a whopping 300,028,931 woolo-" I think my heart stopped as I shot up from the couch. 300,028,931 woolongs?!? My hand stopped mid channel change and instantly went back. That can't be possible. Ed had managed to find her way to this room, "Pretty number!" she squealed and immediately set for her Tomato.

"What?" I heard Jet shout, what was right. Not even Jet knows this, but that was the exact amount of my debt. Down to the last woolong, the exact amount. My head went spinning. There was no way something like that could be so simple. I've never let myself imagine a life without debt. With the amount I owned there was no realistic way to pay it off. My game plan for the past five years had been to avoid debt collectors and run till the day I die. It had been working out for me so far.

"You heard me right all you bounty hunters!"

"But the only information we have is that his nickname is Swimming Bird."

"That's kind of an oxymoron right Punch?"

"You bet Judy! Well that's all we got for you!"

"You go get him!"

Their theme music played signaling the end of their show. All was quiet on the Bebop, Jet came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of his specialty. His face set in cold stone, not a happy face at all. But for 300,028,931 woolongs? Why wouldn't you be anything but happy? Everything we've brought in have been small fried compared to this one bounty. I could see Jet was thinking hard about something as he sat down cross armed on the sofa.

"Mars! Bebop goes to Mars!" Ed shouted into the quiet room. My eyebrow rose, we haven't been to Mars ever since…I knew Jet had the same line of thought for we refused to look at each other.

"Mars Ed?" I asked, Jet staunchly refused to meet my gaze.

"Swimming Bird comes from Mars." Ed said happily swaying from side to side. After the initial shock of the sum, I really heard the name. Swimming Bird; that's the name the Indian Shaman gave me, I shrugged, it really meant nothing besides that I needed to hunt down that Shaman again. Granted it wasn't the information I wanted when I first went to him, it was something that meant more now. I felt this inexplicable urge, no a need, to hunt this one down. I felt a pull towards it, it was something you felt when you know you're suppose to be doing something, it eats away at the back of your mind.

"Jet, I went to a Shaman…two years ago and he told me he knew Swimming Bird. I'll go search there first." Jet still hadn't looked at me or said a word. He sat opposite of me solid as a rock. I could see something brewing behind his eyes. His mouth was set in something of a grimace.

"Jet-" I started.

"Faye. We shouldn't go for this one." He sighed and uncrossed his arms to pick up his plate. He silently started eating while Ed crept up to the table and stole her plate away and ran away with it balanced upon her heard, Ein barking happily after her. The room was quiet.

"Jet, were you listening to the bounty on this guy!" I was starting to get annoyed. It felt strange, I was never angry at Jet. He was the only person I could rely on, the only person I could depend on. Arguing with him was something that only happened when he was still around. Ever since then, we most arguing we've ever done was about what we were going to eat for dinner. Bounties were always my territory.

"Faye, I said no." He said resolutely and put his plate back down. By this point I could tell he was holding out on me. There was something he knew about this one, something that he wasn't willing to share. Although we've grown close to the point of family, it was the past that we never talked about. We never talked about what happened before two years ago, it was just the things from the present and on that we knew about each other, but we thought it was enough.

"But Je-"

"Can't you just let it go!" He sounded angry this time, his voice was laced with a sort of regret as well. What was this? The tension in the room reminded me of when I accused Jet of letting him walk to his death. It was a moment we never spoke of again.

"Why are you being so damn stubborn! I don't need you telling me what to do! I can pick up and leave anytime I want you hear that?! You're not the one who risks their life for these fucking bounties anyway!" I shut my mouth, a little shocked at myself. This was Old-Faye. This was Jet I was talking to. We were both standing up at this point, glaring each other in the eye. Slowly we settled down unto the sofas again, never breaking eye contact.

"Faye, listen to me," he sighed, taking out a cigarette, he offered the pack to me, I took one and offered my lighter, it was our unspoken apology, "Mars will cause nothing but problems and complications; things that we don't need. You've come such a long way from everything about that place. Don't go drudging up a past that doesn't want to be found."

I understood all of what he said, I knew the significance of his words. After his death, I scoured the planet for a hint, just a clue, of what happened to him after. He left nothing in his wake but an abandoned and wrecked building. There was no police report, there were no hospital records, there was nothing that had anything to do with him. The only information I was able to pry was from that old coot Shaman who gave me info on something I didn't even ask for, I took a drag out of my cigarette. I remembered now, I was a wreck…

"Jet, you know I have a debt, I'm not talking about duty or honor or any shit like that, I mean money." I said, laying back on the couch crossing my legs and leaned my head back against the top of the couch. Jet looked surprised, we never talked about it, I never offered anything about myself ever, but over the years he's come to know when I'm serious.

"How much?"

"Around 300,030,000 woolongs." I didn't want to tell the exact number, he'd know as well as I do that it was exceptionally fishy that a bounty with that exact number would appear. Besides, it was all coincidence anyway, I was never one for believing in fate. I've been gambling and cheating all my waking years, I knew how the world really worked. Jet let out a low whistle and closed his eyes. Yeah, when I first woke up to my debt I was in shock too.

"Jet, this 'swimming bird' nonsense, I feel like it's something I have to do," Besides being debt-free, a concept I still haven't fully wrapped around my head, it felt like this was what I've been waiting for these two years. Something in my gut was telling me this one was just for me, "Call it woman's intuition." I lazily smiled at Jet. He grunted and spit the unfinished cigarette on his now empty plate, I guess Poker Alice couldn't win at everything.

"Do what you want." He said gruffly, pushing himself off the couch and heading towards the navigation room. I could tell he was still unhappy but I couldn't tell if I really cared all too much, but I knew he was already setting course for Mars as I sat here.

Two Days Later

Jet

I saw her get ready to go out to this godforsaken city on this miserable planet. Her Redtail was already on deck and I glared at her as she opened the cockpit. I knew she felt my glare, but all she did was smile and throw me a peace sign. Something about this bounty I could just tell was going to end badly. That and I knew who Swimming Bird was. I could only hope she never finds him; that she never has to know. God knows that girl has endured all that she can take, but at the same time I knew she is tough. She didn't need me watching her back all the time. She is a big girl.

Swimming Bird, that's a name that I didn't want to or plan on hearing anytime soon. Ugh, I needed a smoke. I knew who it really was, just as I was Running Rock, he was Swimming Bird. Two conflicting ideas that embodied the person who was named so, crazy old coot. I hadn't believed the old guy then, and I sure as hell don't believe him now. He told me not to fear death, but death was everywhere and I found that with my new family crew, I had a lot to lose.

For all she knew Swimming Bird was some crazed convict escapee, it would have been better if it was just that. I knew that this was his way of connecting to her. This was his way of bringing her to him. I also knew that it would explode in his face like most things tended to. Idiot. I had let her go to him. For so long I had shielded her from this, kept her as far away from this planet we could go. Somehow, things had a funny way of working out. There was nothing I could do after she decides to do something, that was something of Faye that would never change. All I could do was watch over the Bebop, giving them a place to return to.

"Jet-Person! Ed and Ein is hungry!" I sighed, feeling the little girl and dog latch onto either one of my legs. I waved them off and they went off zooming into the kitchen where they know I will soon be to get them some food.

Looking one last time up to the sky I saw a bright yellow star shine brightly through the twilight sky. I briefly wondered what that old coot would say about that, probably something cryptic and disappointing. Did that guy ever have good news? I threw my cigarette overboard and turned back to the Bebop, making my way inside.

Faye

Everything was bathed in an ethereal golden red glow, from the buildings to the trees to the stationary people themselves. The neon light signs were starting to one by one light up creating a light show in the sky. Children could be seen running home for dinner, old men were packing up their cards and chess pieces, times for games would have to wait for tomorrow. Day was ending and the night life was beginning, this change was marked with the first promiscuous ladies on the arms of dangerous looking suits strolled the streets looking for the nearest bar.

I flew over the city soundlessly, I continued going out to the very outskirts of the city, then even further to the desert lands. I landed my zipcraft a little ways down from a large tent with a fire blazing in front of it. This was where I started my search last time as well. Walking towards the tent I ignored the little boy and wolf sitting around the fire, gazing up at me with wide eyes. Upon entering the tent rich scents disorientated my sense of smell and the heavy smoke glazed my sight. The old mad sitting towards the back of the tent did not give acknowledgment that I had entered.

"The one you seek is not here child." His old rumbling voice cut through the fog. How did he always know what people wanted.

"I hardly think I'm still a child." I sadly smiled, I must really be around eighty years old already.

"Swimming Bird will come to you, you only need decide whether to follow." He turned away and went further into the tent.

"Wait! That's it? That's all you're going to give me?"

"I've done all for the Timeless Fairy in my power." With that he became unresponsive, turning away from me and playing with his sand. My hands clenched into fists, this was the only lead I had. Walking out of the tent, I decided to rethink Jet's words. Maybe this one was just a waste of time. The little boy and wolf watched me with wide eyes as I climbed into my Redtail. Back to the Bebop it seemed. It had already gotten dark and there was nothing more that could be done. I flew over the city till I reached our harbor. I saw the Bebop, but I thought better of it. Flying past the Bebop I spotted a neon sign advertising a bar. I landed my craft and walked up to it.

A creaky wooden sign hung low over the door, it read The Crow. What a dreary name for a bar. The building was old, imperfect cracks were found all over the plastered outer walls. The door creaked upon my entrance, signaling my entrance. There were only a few people in the bar, a dirty sloucher in the furthest bar stool seat, a couple suits sitting in a corner booth, and a few scattered loners sitting here and there. The place seemed colorless, just shades of black everywhere you turned.

"Anything I can get you?" The bartender leaned flirtatiously over the bar. I felt his eye roam over my body once or twice, if I played my cards right I wouldn't have to pay for my drinks.

"Vodka Tonic." He set off to do his job, showing off by flipping and juggling bottles, swiftly catching them in both hands. I pulled my face into a stunned mask, flashing my pearly whites at him. He winked my way and sent the drink down the bar saying, "On the house." Oh what magical words. After a short conversation, ending with him slipping me a napkin with his number, Josh, that was his name I found out, walked away to tend to the other customers. He probably thought he was being so suave, I thought I was bit cute.

I threw back my head and downed the rest of my head, slamming it down on the counter when I finished. Immediately Josh came back with round two. Then with round three, all on the house, it was after the third that I cut myself off. I knew when I couldn't remember the bartender's name that it was time to leave. I staggered off the stool with some difficulty. I wasn't drunk, just slightly tipsy, after years of drinking straight Vodka, what I drank tonight was nothing, amateur at best. I walked out onto the street, making my way towards the parking lot when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

It was a figure, no, it was man. A man in a long, high collared trench coat, he was walking away, something about the way he walked. The motion was rhythmic and gave off such an undisturbed, serene vibe, like someone who had not a care in the world. It felt so familiar. The only part I could see of their head was a mass of fluffy hair, my heart seemed to stop. My vision blurred some more and my steps became uneven as I slowly trailed him, I couldn't tell if it was because I was tipsy or because of the shock.

The man walked under a lamp post and I saw the green glint of his hair. My eyes blurred with tears, it couldn't be him. He turned suddenly into an alley a little ways down from the bar and out of my sight. I ran to catch up, my foot catching on one of the jagged pavement stones. I fell hard and scrapped my right knee and both hands in attempt to catch myself. I groaned in pain, but I had no time to examine them. The man was getting away. Picking myself up I ran around the same corner.

He wasn't there, but then I saw another movement at the corner of another alleyway branching off of this one. Running towards it I saw it was a dead end. He was standing there, facing me, smirking. There he was, standing in all his glory, bathed in the moonlight, his tall frame leaning against the alley wall. So like him, a half bent cigarette was lit between his lips, but it was what he said that made me lost it.

"Long time no see."

Anger and adrenaline pumped through my veins as I whipped my Glock out. He wasn't real. He was a ghost, a phantom, a memory. Nothing tangible, nothing that could even in the slightest be real. I refused to believe that. I fired three shots, none of which hit, he moved faster than I remembered. Or maybe, since he wasn't real, they blew right through him. The gun was shot from my hands and I turned to see where it came from. The ghost and I were the only ones in the alley, then I noticed a glint of light coming from the rooftop of one of the buildings, a sniper? I had no time to think about it as I dove for my gun, narrowly missing it I decided to change tactics.

I ran straight for him, he wasn't expecting it, the gleam in his eyes told me so. I ducked low and sought to deliver a left swipe at his stomach, he was too quick for it, moving slightly more to the left he avoided it completely and my fist connected with air, throwing me off balance. He wasn't real if I couldn't touch him. If I couldn't land a hit then he was nothing more than a drunken illusion. And so far, he was proving me right.

I swung my leg around the back preparing for a roundhouse kick to his back. He swiftly moved out of my range and with the back of his hand swat my leg away. I regained my balance and immediately shifted into a right hook and put all my force into it. The ghost smiled and deftly moved just milliseconds before my fist would have connected with his face. I couldn't touch him, then again, why bother fighting with a ghost anyway? His movements were like water, they flowed in on smooth motion, able to change swiftly and move into a different rhythm. I felt we were dancing, weaving in and out of each others arms, close enough to feel each other's body heat, but not touching. I hated it; it was so him.

I stopped to catch my breath fast, my eyes traveled to my Glock which was abandoned on the ally floor a little ways down. He must've saw what I was about to do because at the exact moment both our feet flew across the floor in attempt to reach the gun. Though he was faster, I was closer; grabbing my Glock, I stood erect and targeted him dead between the eyes. He stopped moving and grinned lazily at me. My arm began to shake, out of rage or overwhelming sadness, I couldn't tell at that moment. I couldn't land a hit on him at all. This only proved he wasn't real, that he was nothing more than an apparition. My eyes were blurred with tears.

"Stop it!" I screamed, I felt my heart being ripped at the seams, it pounded against my rib cage in a face paced. I let the tears fall.

"Stop looking like him!" My gun was shaking, throwing off my aim. My sight was blurred by the tears.

"You're not Spike!" With that I shot two warning shots dangerously close to his face, I saw the breeze of the bullet ruffle his olive shaded hair. He didn't even flinch, had my arm been steady it could have really met him between his eyes. He took a step towards me, I fired two more shots, one grazing his jacket.

"Stay away from me!" I screamed into the night, he halted. Something in his eyes told me he had become unsure. Something that wasn't him. Then, it was like he decided something, he deliberately took one step closer, I stood my ground. He took another step and another. My outstretched gun was an inch away from his forehead, he halted his progress and just stared into my eyes.

"You're not real. You're not Spike!" I shouted again, pulling back the trigger on my Glock. A hollow click reverberated from the gun, I was out. I didn't bring down the gun, I still had it trained to his forehead. He watched me empty the cartridge while it was still dead straight at his forehead and reloaded. I wasn't letting go. I wasn't going to lose to a ghost.

Okay, I guess I could have made that into two chapters, but you know when you start writing and it all just comes right out? Well that happened and I found that I just couldn't tear apart my work to make it into two chapters. Well tell me what you think guys, I appreciate the reviews =)