Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Not For Bounty ❯ Family ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 5
Family

The Bebop headed for Mars at Julia's request, and by the time they arrived at the port, Julia's patience with Faye had grown thinner. Faye was an indolent slob who helped herself to whatever pleased her. Faye, of course, insisted that Julia was a secretive, territorial, intolerant, neat freak who needed to loosen up. Jet trimmed his bonsai trees and largely ignored them, while Ed delighted in irking them into greater states of passion.

After their ordeal on Earth, Faye had taken her shower first and had just put her under-garments on when someone rapped sharply at the door. "Who is it?" she asked knowing fully well who it was.

"It's me," Julia answered. "May I come in, please?"

Faye opened her door to a tall, sopping blonde clutching a towel around her chest. The goose bumpy woman quickly pushed past her and entered the room.

"Hey! I didn't ask you to come in," Faye hollered.

Ignoring Faye's outburst, Julia said evenly, "My shampoo bottle seems to be a little empty, Faye."

"I forgot mine, and since you left yours; I used it. I didn't think you'd mind... after all, it *was* practically empty. Anyway, I figured you'd bring another bottle in with you..." Faye babbled. "Besides, it's not like you *have* any hair!" Faye pointed out spitefully, arms akimbo.

Julia arched an eyebrow and answered patiently, "I haven't anymore, Faye. That was supposed to last through next week. May I borrow yours, please?" Julia requested as politely as she could.

Ed walked in unannounced with Ein just as Faye threw her shampoo at Julia who caught it with her free hand. Ed danced idiotically around the two barely clad adults singing, "Faye-Faye loving Juuuulia, Julia loving Faye-Faaaaye!!"

"OUT!" Faye shrieked, lunging for the giggling teen.

Julia noticed that Ein still sat in front of them with a wide 'doggy grin' and his tongue lolling out. "What are you staring at, pervert? Beat it!" Julia pointed at the door emphatically.

Ein licked his chops and a 'phhht' sound emanated from him before he trotted off after Ed.

"Phew! I think we just got 'dissed' by a stupid dog, Jules!" Faye choked out.

"I despise *cough* smart-alecky pets!" Julia sputtered.

The two women eyed each other, then laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes after Julia's shower, the Bebop's crew assembled around Jet's coffee table. The three adults pored over the floor plans of their enemy's lair and discussed tactics to eliminate the Red Dragon without the bloodshed of innocent townspeople. Each of them agreed, it wasn't about bounty anymore... it was about ending the tyranny of one of the most powerful crime syndicates.

"So, Jet," Julia said, "if you take the third floor and Faye the second floor, I will take the main floor and basement. We can get to the air ducts unseen through here." Julia pointed at the power plant area. "Once in, you two will place a bomb on every vent grill while I...."

Julia looked up in shock as another foul odor wafted from Ein's direction. "Arghh," she gasped, "what did you feed that poor dog, Jet??"

Jet grinned sheepishly. "Um... chili. He loves my homemade chili," he said in a small voice as three pairs of beady eyes affixed on him.

"Chili! You fed Ein CHILI??" came a chorused reply in consternation.

"Eh... there's some left if anyone's hungry," Jet mentioned quickly.

"No thanks," Julia deadpanned while Faye seemed to mull it over. "Let's finish up here! Does everyone agree to meet at O'Malley's Bar after the plastique has been planted?" she inquired. At her partners' affirmation, she went on, "Good. If someone does not return before the bar closes, the survivors must leave to carry out the plan, understood? No heroics."

Jet and Faye glanced at each other, then begrudgingly agreed.

Faye spoke up then. "I know where the Red Dragon's uniform distributor is. I can get us some IDs and some G3 assault rifles, too... so we can be 'in character'," she added with some enthusiasm.

Jet spared the weapons maniac a withering look.

Julia addressed Jet. "If I obtain supplies for bombs from my contacts in the Inter Solar System Police, do you think you can make one hundred fifty of them, Jet?"

Jet sweat-dropped. "Sure, but how are we going to set them off?"

Julia replied tranquilly, "Ed is going to make a remotely activated ignition system that will detonate the bombs with a coded signal sent from Titan's Comsat. Right Ed?"

"Ed make it workyyy!! Simple com-code!" Ed huffed as she chased Ein around the room and squealed, "Ein stiiiinky....!"

"Ok then. Remember Ed, we will be using a Red Dragon patrol ship. Our code will be 'dark chocolate cordials' used in conversation for entry into Bebop's hangar. When we arrive at Mars, we send the signal," Julia concluded.

Everybody stared at her.

"Whaat! They're my favorites!" she defended indignantly.

"Ed liking it, too! Ed sharing with Julia!" Ed cooed gleefully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the Bebop crew turned in for the night, Faye lay in her bed and pondered the events of the day... and Julia. The woman *was* an enigma she decided. She was a brilliant, fearless tactician. She possessed an inhuman ability to fight in hand-to-hand combat and was also a crack shot with twin Colt revolvers. Faye wondered why Julia had wanted *her* as a pilot when she could fly herself. She shuddered as one word seemed to stick in her mind. Inhuman.

Unable to sleep, she got up and found herself outside the ESB's bedroom door. Her sensitive ears picked up the sounds of low, inarticulate moaning and thrashing about. Faye knew she shouldn't open Julia's door, but she was curious. What if Julia was moulting and mutating into something, she reasoned. Faye peeked in.

The blonde lay in a sweat and her head jerked from side to side as she rambled senselessly; she looked delirious. Maybe she ought to fetch Jet, their resident 'doctor'. No... Julia was practically naked. It was up to her to bravely discern the woman's wellbeing.

Faye swallowed nervously, then stepped inside the room. It only took a few moments of listening for her to realize that Julia had been tortured both mentally and physically by the Neo Red Dragon. She crept closer to the bed, the scar from her fatal bullet wound now readily visible. It dawned on Faye, then, that the projectile was probably meant for Spike and Julia had stepped in front of the shot to save him.

Somewhat subdued, she placed a knee on the bed to balance herself, then extended a tentative hand to feel Julia's sweat beaded forehead. When Faye's palm made contact, Julia's arms unconsciously wrapped around her torso while murmuring, "I love you, Spike...."

Faye flushed a crimson red as Julia pulled her closer and began to place gentle kisses upon her lips. Faye tried to extract herself, but the persistent agent held her tighter and whispered, "Don't go yet, Spike, we have a little time...."

In shock, her tremulous lips parted in a small gasp and the blonde's tongue slipped past them. Having never been kissed by a woman before, it was at once the sweetest, most innocent, kiss Faye had ever received. Faye wondered briefly if she should bite the invading organ, but it was so... so... Faye's will power left her; she was trapped. Closing her eyes, she thread her fingers through the soft carpet of short blonde hair and decided to imagine Julia was Spike.

Something was wrong with this dream. Julia's eyes popped open. Faye. She was kissing Faye... and Faye wasn't resisting. Julia closed her eyes again and began to enjoy herself. She didn't know what she had done to deserve the dark purple-haired woman's sudden... affection, but if she had earned it somehow, life was good!

As Julia's kiss became more impassioned and a knee was rubbed against her center, Faye broke away forcefully, breathing hard. "Julia, wake up!" she hissed loudly. "You're having nightmares!"

Julia grasped the hand that was poised to strike her. "I am awake and, no, I am not. Would you mind telling me why I was awakened from an erotic dream with Spike to find *you* in my arms?!" she voiced indignantly, then added reproachfully, "I could have just as easily killed you, Faye."

Faye clenched her teeth and spat, "You. Are. Insufferable! I heard what sounded like delirium and thought you might have gotten sick from being hurt during your battles today... or something," she glared at the unflappable blonde. "Then you started kissing Spike... me!"

Julia's eyes gleamed dangerously. "And I enjoyed it, too!" She caught Faye's fist once again. "I also noticed you didn't exactly pull away!"

"I pretended you were Spike!" Faye defended herself hotly.

Julia refrained from the mirth she felt and replied seriously, "Faye, it's all right to... need someone that way, but I know you didn't come to my room for... favors," Julia cleared her throat, "I'd be touched if you were actually concerned over my welfare; but I opt for the 'or something' you mentioned." She gazed into Faye's defiant green eyes. "You really came in here to find out if I fought to remain in human form, didn't you," she accused softly.

Faye colored slightly, her silence an admonition of concession.

"Well, just for the record, Faye," Julia went on, "I wonder everyday if I'm truly human! I don't know if, one day, I'll wake up and be a... monster." Julia turned her face towards the bulkhead and spoke again without inflection or emotion, "I killed Jorge today because I wanted to see what would happen to him. I wanted to know if I would die as a human, or as something else...."

Faye sat still for a moment, then responded tonelessly herself, "I never realized how deep your private hell was, Julia." Then slowly rising from the bed she confessed, "I shouldn't have come."

Julia was bone-weary. Jet and she must have mowed down close to twenty men between the Bebop and Earth's underground tunnels. "It's all right, Faye, no harm was done," she responded tiredly.

As Faye turned to leave, Julia lay still for a moment then propped herself up onto one elbow. "You are welcomed to stay the night, if you like..." she invited softly. "You know, you don't have to run whenever you feel yourself getting close to someone, Faye. Do you remember when I gave you the ride in my car on Earth and asked if you wanted to be my partner? Well, I meant it. And I mean it now."

Faye's temper flared, but only for an instant. Julia *knew* her. She had seen through all of her bravado and had put up with a lot of unwarranted verbal abuse. Despite it all she had accepted her the way she was and offered an unconditional friendship... once again. Faye hesitated and gazed into the agent's worn-out, haunted, blue eyes for a moment. Something stirred deep within her being. No more running....

They were so different. She took calculated risks only for the benefit of number one... she had to, right? After all, nobody else was going to care about her welfare! Julia, on the other hand, worked under the auspices that she could make a difference in the Universe and put herself in danger when it seemed the right thing to do. Unlike herself, Julia gave a damn. Perhaps that vulnerability was what made the blonde's life so exciting, so attractively... human. Would it be so bad to let someone like Julia befriend her?

She looked at the beckoning bed, then at Julia's warm, companionable smile. Faye slowly grinned mischievously. "For the record, Jules, I'll stay. But only because someone needs to keep an eye on you and make sure you stay human!"

"Get in and go to sleep!" Julia ordered.

Faye lay down and heaved a huge sigh as her shoulder-length hair fanned out around the spare pillow. She closed her eyes and felt soft lips upon them as Morpheus claimed her.

As Julia watched Faye sleep, a profound sense of belonging settled into her soul it was... different. She settled in close to Faye and was almost asleep when she heard a scratch at the door. She groaned, "Come in, Ed!"

Ed stuck her head in guiltily.

"Let me guess, you don't want to be alone tonight!" Julia smiled faintly.

Ed nodded and curled up on the other side of Faye. "Ed missing Papa... but Ed think home can be here. Home with Julia, Faye-Faye... and Jet-Type person," the incorrigible genius murmured drowsily.

Julia sighed. Ed was both intuitive *and* perceptive. She was also right... about a lot of things.

Ein jumped onto the bed and wedged himself in between the two adults, causing the quilt to slide into the center of the bed. Julia felt an instant draft on her backside. When the exposed woman tried to adjust the blanket, Ein growled threateningly. Julia pointed at the door. "Out, you lech!" she commanded.

The Corgi whined and wriggled forward on his belly to lick Julia's face, then he curled into a tight ball on top of *her* pillow.

Julia gave up. "All right, you can stay... but if you fluff once, you're space fodder!"

Ein opened a single baleful eye in acknowledgement, and upon seeing the blonde glaring meaningfully at him, promptly closed it.

Julia then fell asleep with a satisfied smile on her face. Dreamless, at last.

Jet went to check on Ed before turning in for the night and noticed that Julia's door was ajar. He meant to close it right away, but the sight of the overcrowded bed made him linger, instead, and elicited an idiotic grin. "Yep, just one big happy family." He fleetingly wished he could fit, too!


To be continued....

End Part 1

Mar. 18, 2002



Many thanks to -

cheebs! for her constant patience while *trying* to teach me better grammar :

http://bite.to/bloodandfire

http://www.fanficrevolution .org/
The Fanfic Revolution

and to Emporess for her character analysis :

http://www.emporess-sama.net/
Welcome to Candyland!

Part 2 will be about Bebop's mission. Is Spike reeeally dead?

Byakko Rei