Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Simple Man ❯ Simple Man ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Faia Saiyajin 
Anime/Manga: Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.12.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.3K | Visits: 292 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.12.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.3K | Visits: 292 | Status: Completed
title: Simple Man
author: Faia Saiyajin
rating:
series: Cowboy Bebop
--I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or its characters. That was Shinichiro Watanabe & co.'s job. I didn't write "Simple Man". That's copyright Ronnie VanZant and Garry Rossington, of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I highly recommend you check out their music. Especially "Lynyrd Skynyrd: Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd". Or, hell, save yourself the time, and get the Greatest Hits package. It's worth it, trust me.
---------------------
"Mama told me
When I was young
Come sit beside me
My only son
And listen closely
To what I say
And it will help you
Some sunny day"
Ticka ticka tickity tick. The sound of clacking keys cut through the silence. Jet's typing was the only evidence of life aboard the old fishing ship that was the Bebop. It was so quiet here, now that the space was home to only two people.
It had been three days since Spike had left. It was safe to assume that he was dead. Jet's fingers paused in their rhythmic typing, out of a moment of sorrow for his partner.
Days earlier, their resident hacker and oddball, Edward Hau Wang Peplu Tivrusky the 4th, had left the Bebop, Welsh Corgi Ein in tow. The lack of Edward's incessant babbling and antics were the most evident signs of change. There was no need to dodge a charging child, or step over her when she fell asleep in the walkway.
Of course, it was obvious that Spike was gone, too. No puff of cigarette smoke to precede him, when he entered a room. No lazy, gangly, laid-back Spike, sprawled on the couch. No Mummy-Spike for Faye to torture. The air on the Bebop seemed stale, not 'freshened' by Spike's 'Eau De Nicotine'. There wasn't the melodic clomp of his clown shoes. Just... silence.
Jet broke his daydream by pounding furiously on the keys. He had sent Faye out to look for a bounty. Despite their losses, they just couldn't sit here day after day. They'd starve.
The Bebop hadn't left Mars' orbit just yet. Faye still clung to some shred of hope, that one day, the green-haired fuzzball would stroll through the door, like nothing had happened. Jet let Faye dream. It was possible that Spike was still alive. He'd escaped with more than a piece of his hide shaved off before. But unlike Faye, Jet didn't have the liberty to dream.
"Take your time
Don't live too fast
Troubles will come
And they will pass
Go find a woman,
And you'll find love
And don't forget, son,
There's someone up above"
He had to face cold, hard facts. His rag-tag bunch of roomies had been scattered to the four winds. Gods only know where Ed and Ein were. Now he was stuck with arrogant Faye Valentine.
A mirthless smile crossed Jet's lips, as he watched the list of bounties scroll up the computer screen. Faye Valentine. Gambler, Bounty Hunter, and an overall sexy pain in the ass. Faye knew what she could do to men, with one sultry gaze of her green eyes. Jet suspected she used that to her advantage.
She was more trouble than she was worth, that one. He had grown fond of the day-to-day excitement that had come around, living with the others. And now there was only one.
"Damn it all." He muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his right hand. His eyes were sore, and he needed a cigarette. He stood partially, fishing a pack of smokes from his pocket. A deft flick of his wrist made a single cigarette pop up from the pack, and he pulled it free with his teeth, lighting it. He inhaled deeply, and leaned back in his chair, ejecting the smoke into a hazy cloud above him.
Letting his eyes unfocus, he stared skyward. He let his mind wander. Things had changed. Had he changed along with them?
"And be a simple
Kind of man
Be something
You love and understand
Baby be a simple
Kind of man
Won't you do this for me, son,
If you can"
A buzzer on the communicator snapped him to reality. He fumbled for the com, which lie alongside the computer. He was feeling too lazy to sit up straight. Bringing the object to his face, he flicked it on. There was Faye.
"Hey Jetttt..." she smiled sexily, her voice low and teasing. She'd found something.
"Yes Fayyye.." He retorted.
"We've hit paydirt."
"Oh?"
Something on the computer screen popped up, accompanied by a series of several beeps, and Jet lifted his head to look at it. There, flashing rapidly, was the bank account to the Bebop. Jet nearly dropped the com.
"Merry Christmas, Jet." Faye giggled.
"Why, thank you, Faye. Just what I always wanted." He chuckled. He was staring at a deposit of 20,000 Woolongs. Jet couldn't believe it. They'd actually pulled off a bounty that payed out.
"The original sum was 40 K ... but I took out my share. Severance pay, if you get me." Faye smiled, smoothing several strands of her purple hair from her ivory cheeks.
"I get you, Faye. Just don't gamble it all away."
"Me?" She batted her thick lashes, and Jet smirked.
"Yes you. We're gonna need to live off of this money for a while."
"Why?"
"Forget your lust
For the rich man's gold
All you need
Is in your soul
And you can do this,
If you try
All I want for you, my son,
Is to be satisfied"
"Because I need a vacation, that's why." He slung his left arm over the back of the chair, putting his feet up on the desk. "I'm signing off now. Take care, Faye."
"Yes, Daddy." She smirked, and winked. Then her smile faded, replaced by a haunting sorrow. "I'm keeping an eye out for Spike. I'll let you know if anything comes up." She didn't give him time to reply before she cut the signal.
Jet put down the communicator, and butted his cigarette out in the ashtray. There, lying among his cigar-stubs and brown cigs, and in between the occasional lipstick stained cigarette, Spike's own butts lie. Jet closed his eyes momentarily, refusing to go off on another depressing jaunt down memory lane.
"Ye gods, Spike. You lunkheaded fuzzball. For Faye's sake you'd better hope you're dead. 'Cause after what you put her ...us... through... we'll kill you."
"And be a simple
Kind of man
Be something
You love and understand
Baby be a simple
Kind of man
Won't you do this for me, son,
If you can"
Setting the ashtray down, Jet looked at the screen, and the list of criminals. "Pain in the ass..." he growled, and closed the screen. But before he could, that familiar chain of round, yellow faces flooded the screen, bouncing and twitching. "What the hell?!"
"This is Edward, calling the Beboppy... come iiiiinnnn Beboppy..."
Jet's mouth hung open. "Ed?"
"Papa Jetttt!!" the little girl cackled, her face appearing on screen. "Hellooooo!!"
"Why Ed! So nice to hear from you." Jet smiled. If anyone could cheer him up, Radical Edward could.
"Edward has been keeping a clooose eyyye on Papa Vroom and the Bebop!" Her face leaned in close to the screen, a wide grin on her face. Jet couldn't help but smile. Hazel eyes focused on Jet. "Where is Spike-Person?"
His mood deflated like a balloon. Ed sensed the reaction.
"Spikey-Wikey go bye-bye?"
"For good, this time, Ed."
"Edward is very sad for Papa Jet." Ed pouted a moment. "Poing!" Her smile returned. "Where Faye-Faye?"
"Out."
"Okie-dokie, pokey!"
"Ed... where are you?"
"Woof-Woof Doggy and I are here." Ein's face appeared as if on cue. He barked, and looked Jet directly in the eyes.
"I get that, Ed." Jet chuckled at Ed's innocent playing. "But where is here?"
"Earth is here. P-TOING!" Ed's short attention span was wearing out.
"Are you with your father?"
"No. Edward's father is very booooo-riiiiiing. Edward, Tomato, and Woof-Woof are looking for advenntuurrrrRRRRRe!" Ed bounced up and down several times. But something made her look off to the side, distracted. Snapping back to the screen, she saluted. "Edward must say tah-tah for now." She smiled, talking in a cute British accent.
"Alright Ed. Take care of yourself. And stay in touch, eh?" Jet leaned forward, leaning his elbows on his knees.
"Yessir, Papa Jet!" She saluted, and the screen went dark.
Jet took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. What a card, that kid. She was a ham on wry. Half smiling, he stood, and stretched. He found himself walking slowly to the helm of the Bebop, where the large front window was nearly covered by Mars' red bulk. He stood at this window, resting his hands on the surface. His breath momentarily steamed up his view, but quickly dissipated. There it was. 'Angelus Errare'. 'Where Angels Lose Their Way'. It wasn't as pretty as Ganymede, Jet smirked. The seasons on Ganymede were gorgeous, autumn especially. It wasn't as sophisticated as Mars, or had the historical meaning of Titon, but Ganymede was his home. Jupiter was a glowing orange orb, so like Earth's Sun. The other visible moons of Jupiter were stunning, in the dusky sky. Jet's shoulders hitched as he snorted. He remembered his childhood, when he was taught all the other moons of Jupiter.
Sinope, Pasiphae, Metis, Amalthea, Ananke, Lysithea, Himalia, Europa, Ganymede (of course), Thebe, Lede, Io, Callisto, Adrastea, Carme, and Elara. God be damned. He could remember them all. Some were colonized, some weren't. But eventually, every planet that could be occupied by humans would be.
Gate fees would be astronomical.
"It always comes down to money, doesn't it?"
He could almost see Spike over his shoulder, in the reflection of the window, that half smile on his face, eyes heavy, looking like he was stoned.
But Spike wasn't, and he'd lift the cigarette to his lips, taking a long drag.
--"Whaddya say, Jet?"-- He'd ask in that mellowed-out drawl of his.
Jet shook his head again, speaking to Mars. "I'd say you're an ass. That's what I'd say. A complete and total shithead. And that you were my best friend." Jet's forehead thunked against the cold window, his eyes squeezed shut. "Spike." He growled. "I told you not to go, damnit. But no, you have to do whatever the hell you please." His metal hand slammed against the window, as he vented his frustration. "I need to get out of here."
He couldn't take this anymore. Nearly running, he went to the galley, picked up a few helpings of space rations, tucking them under his arm. He also snatched a spare pack of cigarettes he'd been keeping in the refrigerator. "This is for the best.." he nearly chanted as he went along, to the lounge, to pick up the com unit. His fingers hesitated. "No. I need to be alone for a while."
This was uncharacteristic of him, and he knew it. He was Jet, the Dependable. Jet, the Mother Hen. Jet, the Fixer of Ships. Well, now, he'd be Jet the Missing.
He hunched over the computer, his fingers typing at a mile a minute. Seconds later, the printer whirred into action.
When it was complete, Jet reread it, to finalize his decision.
"Faye,
Went on a vacation. Be back in a few weeks. Don't worry. I'll return. I just need to think things over for a while. Hold down the fort for me until I get back. Oh, and DON'T USE UP ALL THE MONEY. Take care of yourself, Faye.
respectfully,"
He hastily scribbled his signature on the bottom of the letter, and set it beside the computer. He turned on his heel, and almost ran to the hangar. He set the timer on the hangar's magnetic deck control, and climbed into the Hammerhead. Fingers flew over the controls, firing the engines.
Jet's heart was racing, and he didn't know why. "Shit... feels like I'm havin' a heart attack." He winced, clutching his chest. He wasn't having a heart attack. It was nerves. He was scared that if he left, Faye would do something. Like leave him. And he'd have to start all over again.
He was too old for that.
The timer buzzed, the hatch opened, and the magnets lost their grip. The Hammerhead launched into space. Mars filled his view. But the place where angels lost their way faded, as he gunned the MONOsystem, headed for Ganymede.
"Boy,
Don't you worry
You'll find yourself
Follow your heart
And nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby
If you try
All I want for you, my son
Is to be satisfied"
Jet managed a smile, as he lit a cigar. He leaned back in his chair, stroking his coarse beard. He needed this. Just some time alone. To find a meaning to his life. The Solar System would continue on, time progressing. It wouldn't care what he did. Planets would rotate, stars and people would expire, only to have a new life take their place. He was no angel, but it seemed he'd lost his way. He'd have to find it.
The nature of the universe stopped for no one. Not even for Jet Black.
Inside the empty, silent Bebop, a communicator rang, a sense of urgency in its ring. When no one responded, the computer's messaging system sprung to life, as Faye's face appeared on the screen. She was frantic, crying, but smiling.
"Jet?! Where are you?! I FOUND HIM!!"
"And be a simple
Kind of man
Be something
You love and understand
Baby be a simple
Kind of man
Won't you do this for me, son
If you can"
END
----
I hope that wasn't too dumb. Got the idea after thinking of what it'd be like for Jet and Faye to continue on without Spike, with a twist. And pardon the teeny Chrono Cross reference - "Angelus Errare". Ah, Mars. Full of broken hopes, promises, and dreams. If I were an Angel, I'd loose my way there.
author: Faia Saiyajin
rating:
series: Cowboy Bebop
--I don't own Cowboy Bebop, or its characters. That was Shinichiro Watanabe & co.'s job. I didn't write "Simple Man". That's copyright Ronnie VanZant and Garry Rossington, of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I highly recommend you check out their music. Especially "Lynyrd Skynyrd: Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd". Or, hell, save yourself the time, and get the Greatest Hits package. It's worth it, trust me.
---------------------
"Mama told me
When I was young
Come sit beside me
My only son
And listen closely
To what I say
And it will help you
Some sunny day"
Ticka ticka tickity tick. The sound of clacking keys cut through the silence. Jet's typing was the only evidence of life aboard the old fishing ship that was the Bebop. It was so quiet here, now that the space was home to only two people.
It had been three days since Spike had left. It was safe to assume that he was dead. Jet's fingers paused in their rhythmic typing, out of a moment of sorrow for his partner.
Days earlier, their resident hacker and oddball, Edward Hau Wang Peplu Tivrusky the 4th, had left the Bebop, Welsh Corgi Ein in tow. The lack of Edward's incessant babbling and antics were the most evident signs of change. There was no need to dodge a charging child, or step over her when she fell asleep in the walkway.
Of course, it was obvious that Spike was gone, too. No puff of cigarette smoke to precede him, when he entered a room. No lazy, gangly, laid-back Spike, sprawled on the couch. No Mummy-Spike for Faye to torture. The air on the Bebop seemed stale, not 'freshened' by Spike's 'Eau De Nicotine'. There wasn't the melodic clomp of his clown shoes. Just... silence.
Jet broke his daydream by pounding furiously on the keys. He had sent Faye out to look for a bounty. Despite their losses, they just couldn't sit here day after day. They'd starve.
The Bebop hadn't left Mars' orbit just yet. Faye still clung to some shred of hope, that one day, the green-haired fuzzball would stroll through the door, like nothing had happened. Jet let Faye dream. It was possible that Spike was still alive. He'd escaped with more than a piece of his hide shaved off before. But unlike Faye, Jet didn't have the liberty to dream.
"Take your time
Don't live too fast
Troubles will come
And they will pass
Go find a woman,
And you'll find love
And don't forget, son,
There's someone up above"
He had to face cold, hard facts. His rag-tag bunch of roomies had been scattered to the four winds. Gods only know where Ed and Ein were. Now he was stuck with arrogant Faye Valentine.
A mirthless smile crossed Jet's lips, as he watched the list of bounties scroll up the computer screen. Faye Valentine. Gambler, Bounty Hunter, and an overall sexy pain in the ass. Faye knew what she could do to men, with one sultry gaze of her green eyes. Jet suspected she used that to her advantage.
She was more trouble than she was worth, that one. He had grown fond of the day-to-day excitement that had come around, living with the others. And now there was only one.
"Damn it all." He muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his right hand. His eyes were sore, and he needed a cigarette. He stood partially, fishing a pack of smokes from his pocket. A deft flick of his wrist made a single cigarette pop up from the pack, and he pulled it free with his teeth, lighting it. He inhaled deeply, and leaned back in his chair, ejecting the smoke into a hazy cloud above him.
Letting his eyes unfocus, he stared skyward. He let his mind wander. Things had changed. Had he changed along with them?
"And be a simple
Kind of man
Be something
You love and understand
Baby be a simple
Kind of man
Won't you do this for me, son,
If you can"
A buzzer on the communicator snapped him to reality. He fumbled for the com, which lie alongside the computer. He was feeling too lazy to sit up straight. Bringing the object to his face, he flicked it on. There was Faye.
"Hey Jetttt..." she smiled sexily, her voice low and teasing. She'd found something.
"Yes Fayyye.." He retorted.
"We've hit paydirt."
"Oh?"
Something on the computer screen popped up, accompanied by a series of several beeps, and Jet lifted his head to look at it. There, flashing rapidly, was the bank account to the Bebop. Jet nearly dropped the com.
"Merry Christmas, Jet." Faye giggled.
"Why, thank you, Faye. Just what I always wanted." He chuckled. He was staring at a deposit of 20,000 Woolongs. Jet couldn't believe it. They'd actually pulled off a bounty that payed out.
"The original sum was 40 K ... but I took out my share. Severance pay, if you get me." Faye smiled, smoothing several strands of her purple hair from her ivory cheeks.
"I get you, Faye. Just don't gamble it all away."
"Me?" She batted her thick lashes, and Jet smirked.
"Yes you. We're gonna need to live off of this money for a while."
"Why?"
"Forget your lust
For the rich man's gold
All you need
Is in your soul
And you can do this,
If you try
All I want for you, my son,
Is to be satisfied"
"Because I need a vacation, that's why." He slung his left arm over the back of the chair, putting his feet up on the desk. "I'm signing off now. Take care, Faye."
"Yes, Daddy." She smirked, and winked. Then her smile faded, replaced by a haunting sorrow. "I'm keeping an eye out for Spike. I'll let you know if anything comes up." She didn't give him time to reply before she cut the signal.
Jet put down the communicator, and butted his cigarette out in the ashtray. There, lying among his cigar-stubs and brown cigs, and in between the occasional lipstick stained cigarette, Spike's own butts lie. Jet closed his eyes momentarily, refusing to go off on another depressing jaunt down memory lane.
"Ye gods, Spike. You lunkheaded fuzzball. For Faye's sake you'd better hope you're dead. 'Cause after what you put her ...us... through... we'll kill you."
"And be a simple
Kind of man
Be something
You love and understand
Baby be a simple
Kind of man
Won't you do this for me, son,
If you can"
Setting the ashtray down, Jet looked at the screen, and the list of criminals. "Pain in the ass..." he growled, and closed the screen. But before he could, that familiar chain of round, yellow faces flooded the screen, bouncing and twitching. "What the hell?!"
"This is Edward, calling the Beboppy... come iiiiinnnn Beboppy..."
Jet's mouth hung open. "Ed?"
"Papa Jetttt!!" the little girl cackled, her face appearing on screen. "Hellooooo!!"
"Why Ed! So nice to hear from you." Jet smiled. If anyone could cheer him up, Radical Edward could.
"Edward has been keeping a clooose eyyye on Papa Vroom and the Bebop!" Her face leaned in close to the screen, a wide grin on her face. Jet couldn't help but smile. Hazel eyes focused on Jet. "Where is Spike-Person?"
His mood deflated like a balloon. Ed sensed the reaction.
"Spikey-Wikey go bye-bye?"
"For good, this time, Ed."
"Edward is very sad for Papa Jet." Ed pouted a moment. "Poing!" Her smile returned. "Where Faye-Faye?"
"Out."
"Okie-dokie, pokey!"
"Ed... where are you?"
"Woof-Woof Doggy and I are here." Ein's face appeared as if on cue. He barked, and looked Jet directly in the eyes.
"I get that, Ed." Jet chuckled at Ed's innocent playing. "But where is here?"
"Earth is here. P-TOING!" Ed's short attention span was wearing out.
"Are you with your father?"
"No. Edward's father is very booooo-riiiiiing. Edward, Tomato, and Woof-Woof are looking for advenntuurrrrRRRRRe!" Ed bounced up and down several times. But something made her look off to the side, distracted. Snapping back to the screen, she saluted. "Edward must say tah-tah for now." She smiled, talking in a cute British accent.
"Alright Ed. Take care of yourself. And stay in touch, eh?" Jet leaned forward, leaning his elbows on his knees.
"Yessir, Papa Jet!" She saluted, and the screen went dark.
Jet took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. What a card, that kid. She was a ham on wry. Half smiling, he stood, and stretched. He found himself walking slowly to the helm of the Bebop, where the large front window was nearly covered by Mars' red bulk. He stood at this window, resting his hands on the surface. His breath momentarily steamed up his view, but quickly dissipated. There it was. 'Angelus Errare'. 'Where Angels Lose Their Way'. It wasn't as pretty as Ganymede, Jet smirked. The seasons on Ganymede were gorgeous, autumn especially. It wasn't as sophisticated as Mars, or had the historical meaning of Titon, but Ganymede was his home. Jupiter was a glowing orange orb, so like Earth's Sun. The other visible moons of Jupiter were stunning, in the dusky sky. Jet's shoulders hitched as he snorted. He remembered his childhood, when he was taught all the other moons of Jupiter.
Sinope, Pasiphae, Metis, Amalthea, Ananke, Lysithea, Himalia, Europa, Ganymede (of course), Thebe, Lede, Io, Callisto, Adrastea, Carme, and Elara. God be damned. He could remember them all. Some were colonized, some weren't. But eventually, every planet that could be occupied by humans would be.
Gate fees would be astronomical.
"It always comes down to money, doesn't it?"
He could almost see Spike over his shoulder, in the reflection of the window, that half smile on his face, eyes heavy, looking like he was stoned.
But Spike wasn't, and he'd lift the cigarette to his lips, taking a long drag.
--"Whaddya say, Jet?"-- He'd ask in that mellowed-out drawl of his.
Jet shook his head again, speaking to Mars. "I'd say you're an ass. That's what I'd say. A complete and total shithead. And that you were my best friend." Jet's forehead thunked against the cold window, his eyes squeezed shut. "Spike." He growled. "I told you not to go, damnit. But no, you have to do whatever the hell you please." His metal hand slammed against the window, as he vented his frustration. "I need to get out of here."
He couldn't take this anymore. Nearly running, he went to the galley, picked up a few helpings of space rations, tucking them under his arm. He also snatched a spare pack of cigarettes he'd been keeping in the refrigerator. "This is for the best.." he nearly chanted as he went along, to the lounge, to pick up the com unit. His fingers hesitated. "No. I need to be alone for a while."
This was uncharacteristic of him, and he knew it. He was Jet, the Dependable. Jet, the Mother Hen. Jet, the Fixer of Ships. Well, now, he'd be Jet the Missing.
He hunched over the computer, his fingers typing at a mile a minute. Seconds later, the printer whirred into action.
When it was complete, Jet reread it, to finalize his decision.
"Faye,
Went on a vacation. Be back in a few weeks. Don't worry. I'll return. I just need to think things over for a while. Hold down the fort for me until I get back. Oh, and DON'T USE UP ALL THE MONEY. Take care of yourself, Faye.
respectfully,"
He hastily scribbled his signature on the bottom of the letter, and set it beside the computer. He turned on his heel, and almost ran to the hangar. He set the timer on the hangar's magnetic deck control, and climbed into the Hammerhead. Fingers flew over the controls, firing the engines.
Jet's heart was racing, and he didn't know why. "Shit... feels like I'm havin' a heart attack." He winced, clutching his chest. He wasn't having a heart attack. It was nerves. He was scared that if he left, Faye would do something. Like leave him. And he'd have to start all over again.
He was too old for that.
The timer buzzed, the hatch opened, and the magnets lost their grip. The Hammerhead launched into space. Mars filled his view. But the place where angels lost their way faded, as he gunned the MONOsystem, headed for Ganymede.
"Boy,
Don't you worry
You'll find yourself
Follow your heart
And nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby
If you try
All I want for you, my son
Is to be satisfied"
Jet managed a smile, as he lit a cigar. He leaned back in his chair, stroking his coarse beard. He needed this. Just some time alone. To find a meaning to his life. The Solar System would continue on, time progressing. It wouldn't care what he did. Planets would rotate, stars and people would expire, only to have a new life take their place. He was no angel, but it seemed he'd lost his way. He'd have to find it.
The nature of the universe stopped for no one. Not even for Jet Black.
Inside the empty, silent Bebop, a communicator rang, a sense of urgency in its ring. When no one responded, the computer's messaging system sprung to life, as Faye's face appeared on the screen. She was frantic, crying, but smiling.
"Jet?! Where are you?! I FOUND HIM!!"
"And be a simple
Kind of man
Be something
You love and understand
Baby be a simple
Kind of man
Won't you do this for me, son
If you can"
END
----
I hope that wasn't too dumb. Got the idea after thinking of what it'd be like for Jet and Faye to continue on without Spike, with a twist. And pardon the teeny Chrono Cross reference - "Angelus Errare". Ah, Mars. Full of broken hopes, promises, and dreams. If I were an Angel, I'd loose my way there.