In the middle of the night Faye Valentine awoke with a start. She shot up in bed, her dark hair brushing across her cheeks and she found herself staring blankly at the flickering television screen, the static a low buzzing in the darkened room. It had reached the end of the tape again and had come to a stop. The Bebop was cold and she wondered momentarily if the heat had gone out again. It wouldn’t have been the first time. Hunching a bit, she propped her forehead on her palm and merely breathed for a moment, her shoulders heaving.
Bad dream…
It was so quiet, after midnight and nothing seemed to move. She lifted her head once more, reaching for the remote control to turn off the tv and the vcr. She felt a bit shaky as she looked around her black room and with a sigh she pushed aside the covers and lowered her legs to the floor. Icy shivers flew up her legs, so cold it almost seemed to burn, and she slowly accustomed herself to the freezing metal before rising from the bed. She needed to walk, to clear her head. And she paused halfway to the door to pick up her pack of cigarettes on the night table.
Outside the hallways were even colder than her room had been. The Bebop whirred as she walked, the familiar hum of engines and even the heat running through the system. But it was no longer comforting, not anymore. She bowed her head as she walked, wishing she had something on other than shorts and a small t-shirt.
The Bebop was a large ship, easy to lose one’s way in. But she knew it like the back of her hand now. She had been here for just about over a year and even still she was surprised Jet Black hadn’t kicked her out on her ass. It was because she was a familiar face. He had grown accustomed to seeing her everyday and now maybe it was all he had to go on. When Edward had returned she too had been welcomed with open arms. But it wasn’t the same. Hadn’t been the same since…
It was what she blamed her lack of sleep on. She let Jet believe it was because she always went to bed nursing a cup of hot coffee and a cigarette but she knew better. She was sure he did as well. She couldn’t sleep because he haunted her. He always haunted her. Which was such a pile of shit because he didn’t deserve any consideration, especially not hers. He had still gone even after she had threatened him with a bullet in the back. He had still gone.
She entered what would have been the “living room” of the Bebop and the room consisted of one ugly yellow couch, a metal table and a chair on the opposite side. Her eyes flew to the couch, her hand almost crushing the box of cigarettes as she saw a long, lean frame stretched out on the piece of furniture. She stared silently for a long moment, feeling the cold deep inside and she whispered, “I see you still. Even though you aren’t here anymore, I still see you.”
And as she spoke the figure faded away into shadows and nothingness, like a ghost. Exactly like a ghost.
There was a small movement between the chair and the table and she caught sight of a long, thin leg twitching. With a small frown she came in a bit and saw Ed sleeping on the floor, her trusty Tomato at her head, Ein curled up into a little ball beside her. Faye came closer still, noticing the bunched up blanket at Ed’s feet and with a sigh she stooped and picked up the blanket, shaking it open. She didn’t know how Ed could sleep on the floor like that. It was freezing cold, damn it. Fluttering the blanket once more she flung it open over the sleeping figures and let it drop silently on them, covering them head to toe and she shrugged carelessly as the blanket caught on the table as well.
“Whatever.”
Turning back she climbed up the small set of metal stairs toward the back of the room and stepped through into more dark hallways. She needed a place to smoke, hopefully not one where she could easily be found. And she walked, her shoulders hunching once more as she trudged, as she listened to the Bebop work. Most likely Jet was asleep as well. That or working on a bonsai tree somewhere. But it was well after midnight; she doubted anyone was up except herself.
She came out into the bebop’s hangar and gazed at her Redtail, slowing a bit. The spot next to it was empty. Had been empty for a while. And if she closed her eyes she could just see the Swordfish II there, its owner sitting upon a wing, long legs dangling, and smoking a cigarette in silence. What had he thought during those silent moments, when he had withdrawn to be alone in the darkness?
What are you thinking now?
She fished into her box of cigarettes and pulled one out, also pulling out a small book of matches. She kept trying to remind herself to buy a lighter. The day he had left, he had left his cigarettes and his lighter behind. She had smoked the remainder of his entire pack in one day, half angry and half worried, weeping like a little girl. And when he hadn’t come back the next day, or the day after that, or the following week, she had taken the lighter as her own. The lighter fluid had long since finished what with the way she had started smoking. Now she only had the lighter itself. It stayed in her room, tucked under her pillow.
Coming into the hangar, finally lighting her cigarette, she flicked the useless match aside and took a pull, breathing it into herself. Silence and cigarettes. If she had a drink she’d be in heaven.
“Faye, what are you going to do with yourself?” she questioned rhetorically as she leaned against her Redtail. It was her baby, she reflected, as she ran her hand across its sleek yet battered surfaces. The Redtail obeyed every command she gave, no matter where she was. It had gotten her out of trouble more times than she cared to count.
And sometimes it got her into trouble as well but then again she was Trouble-Prone. Almost like Accident-Prone but on a bounty-worthy level.
Faye Valentine. Bounty Hunter. Bounty.
It had been a few weeks since they had handed in a successful bounty. And it was difficult because she did most of the work. Jet didn’t leave the Bebop often and Radical Edward was their Bounty Seeker. She was all that was left and she could usually get the job done just with the way she looked. One pair of short hip huggers and just enough cleavage and she could already start counting the woolongs. Hell, she was a good bounty hunter.
He had been a great one.
Then again she had half wondered if he had even been human, the way he had taken punishment. He would come home riddled with bullets, dripping blood on the cold floors, blood she had wiped up and even then he had insulted her left and right. And always with that quizzical little smile of his. She had hated it. She had loved it. And now she had to force herself to remember it.
With a sigh she lifted herself up onto her Redtail, clutching her cigarette between clenched lips. The cockpit seal opened as she unlatched it and she reached in, flicking a few small buttons.
Instantly, loud music poured out, roaring in the hangar bay, and she cursed as she quickly lowered the volume. “Shit…” The last thing she wanted was Jet to come in and order her off to bed. She had been caught a number of times by him and every time he caught her he had sounded more and more like a father than a friend. The way things were going he would eventually tell her to get some respectable clothes.
Ha, yeah right…
She went through several stations, hanging half out of the cockpit, before pausing on a station that trickled out some jazz. She liked jazz. And lounge. Swing. Rock and roll. Alternative rock. Couldn’t really stomach heavy metal. She lay down across one of the Redtail’s legs, exhaling some smoke and merely looking up at the ceiling.
A loud bark resounded throughout the hangar, effectively bringing her back up to her rear. “Gah-“
Below waited the data dog, cheerfully looking up with a panting pink tongue.
“Ein! You stupid-“ she growled passed her cigarette and hopped off the Redtail leg as the dog barked once more. “Shut up already-“
With a happy little bark, tongue drying in the air, the dog took off around the room, punctuating each merry hop with a loud bark.
“Damn, damn, damn!” Faye followed, cursing under her breath. She lunged after the data dog, trying to ignore the cold floor the beast so happily scampered across. His nails clicked as he trotted, barking, and she dove to block him as he made a sharp right. Throwing herself, she landed flat on her stomach, sliding across the smooth floor even, as Ein mischievously hopped out of her twitching hands, tongue and tail wagging.
“Ein!” she whined through her cigarette. Rising once more, teeth chattering, she went after him as he slid across the slippery floors. She was almost positive he smiled behind his lolling tongue, his puppy eyes wide and gleaming. Sliding across the floor as well she managed to correct her direction, getting in the dog’s way and Ein came to a dead stop with a surprised whimper.
Face darkening with cruel intentions, Faye slowly reached out with clawed fingers. “Now, Ein, since we’ve finally managed to stop for a small moment, let me tell you what I’ve wanted to do to you since I first met you…” she whispered with maniacal glee. And she flung herself once more, coming down on the dog and trapping him under her weight.
A high-pitched squeal rang throughout the hangar just as the light came on. Lifting her head Faye glanced toward the doorway to see Ed standing there beside a not very happy looking Jet.
The hacker shrieked in horror, pointing a finger at the crushed data dog before fainting dead away.
Beside her unconscious but twitching form, Jet crossed his arms over his wide chest, growling. “Faye…” he said in a warning tone.
“You’re hungrier than I am, I know you are!” Faye said instantly and she lifted Ein up by a hind leg, shaking him as if to emphasize her point. “He can last us for weeks! Weeks!”
“Faye…” Jet said once more in that same wary tone. “Put the dog down.”
“I don’t want to!” she cried through her cigarette, shaking the dog once more and causing him to issue forth a whimper. “I want something for dinner other than bell peppers and beef! I want actual beef, damn it! And I don’t care where I get the beef from so long as there’s beef!”
Hanging upside down, Ein cheerfully panted, quirking his head.
Jet sighed, bowing his head and looking toward the floor. “Are you going to bring up the beef thing every time we-“ and he came to a stop, staring. Faye arched an eyebrow as he suddenly stooped and picked something up off the floor. “Is this…” he asked, his question breaking off halfway.
Faye cast a quick glance at the cigarette she had been chomping on, noticing the ash that hung off the edge.
“A match?” Jet asked and he suddenly bellowed, “I just cleaned this place up today! All day, sweeping and mopping! Don’t you have a lighter you can use?” he demanded furiously.
Faye hesitated, instantly thinking of the one under her pillow. “No, I don’t,” she said, suddenly very quiet. And she slowly lowered the dog to the cold floor, allowing him to scamper off toward Ed.
Jet stared at her, breaking off in mid-tirade.
Wordlessly but with a soft sigh, Faye rose to her feet and hopped back up to the Redtail, reaching in to turn off the music coming from the ship faintly. She didn’t want to meet his eyes then, didn’t want to hear it again. Always the same thing. Spike was gone and it was over. No more dwelling, no more wishing. She locked up the Redtail once more, consoling herself quietly, and she slid back down to the floor, landing with a soft sound.
Jet had come up a few steps, looking uncomfortable, a hand on the back of his neck and his eyes averted. “You know, Faye-“ he began to say.
“Save it, Jet,” she cut him off quietly. “I think I have it memorized. ‘Spike isn’t around anymore, you really shouldn’t think about it so much. He went off and did what he had to do and sure, I’m angry too, but it was his choice and it was something he had to do.’ Isn’t that how it goes?” and she looked at him pointedly.
Jet nodded, his lips twisting in an expression of, ‘Hey, not bad.’
Faye sighed, arms crossing over her chest as she did so. And she shook her head, searching for the right words. “I am angry, Jet. I’m angry for a lot of things but most of them concerning him. And it’s stupid to even say what I’m angry at because…no, it’s not stupid,” she corrected herself. “It’s fucking embarrassing. I’m going to come off sounding like a whiny little girl and that’s not me. I don’t need to be sounding like that-“
“I’m angry that I can’t pick up after him anymore,” Jet cut in and she stared at him, green eyes wide. He shrugged and a slow smile crept over his face as he returned the gaze. “I’m angry that he isn’t here to complain about my cooking. I’m angry that he isn’t here to hog the couch, or use up all the hot water. Things that I would have hated had he still been here and here I am missing them. If yours are more embarrassing than mine, then no, maybe you shouldn’t be telling me.”
Faye maintained her directed gaze at him, her lips parted slightly. And she smiled then, feeling tears inside. How stupid to miss things that infuriated a person. And yet, that only proved how much they had cared in the end. She bowed her head, hiding away the tears that rose in her eyes and she turned away from him, hands clasping behind her back.
“I miss the name-calling,” she whispered quietly and she looked toward the empty spot reserved for the Swordfish II, seeing it there still through blurred vision. “I miss his stupid orange-striped boxers. I miss his stupid green hair. Whose hair is green, anyway? I miss the smell of his cigarettes. I miss the way he could sit in silence for so long that you forgot he was even there and then how he could suddenly turn to you, insult you, and then go back to the tv as if it hadn’t even happened…”
Behind her Jet was silent for a long moment as she broke off. And then, uncertainly, he said, “Wow, that…really was a lot more embarrassing than mine…”
Faye whirled with a low growl.
His eyes closed as he smiled, hands help up as a sign of peace. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding…” he said.
Faye maintained her glare for an additional ten seconds before, “Humph,” and she stalked over to Ed’s figure on the floor. Pausing beside the hacker and her trusty companion, Faye glared at the data dog as he sent her an adorable look. “I don’t fall for shit like that, Ein,” she grumbled and she nudged Ed’s form with a foot.
The hacker smiled in her semi-unconscious state and she reached out with long gangly limbs, purring. “Ein, Tomato is free! Look at him go with Broccoli! Go, Tomato, go!”
Faye arched an eyebrow as Jet came up beside her to stare down at the girl.
“I don’t get her either half the time,” Jet swore innocently. And with that he bent and lifted Ed onto his shoulder as she giggled some more and ended with a snort. Ein looked up expectantly as well and it was Faye who scooped him up, glaring maliciously at the data dog as he whimpered.
“Where were we, Ein?” she asked sweetly.
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