Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Stew ❯ Caught Red Handed ( Chapter 6 )

"I'm on the same ship as Nimh."

Jordan easily, warmly, even, extended his hand with the naivety of a child to the cold legend before him.

Spike looked at his hand and examined his handsome face.

Somehow, he knew this man would give him trouble in the future.

Finally, after a long, uncomfortable silence, Spike took his hand gruffly and shook it hard.

"Spike Spiegel."

He then turned around to continue his conversation with Nimh.

Jordan raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Faye shrugged at him and took his arm.

"Here, let me show you around the ship."

He smiled at her and proceeded to let her lead him around the Bebop.

The first place Faye took him to was the "garage" that sheltered the Hammerhead, Swordfish II, and Redtail. Faye had just finished polishing her ship a few days ago, bored and eager to get her mind off her empty stomach. She was thankful now that she had.

It shone like a CEO's shoe, making it seem a little glamorous. However, it's many scars and dents added an air of toughness, inspiring awe and admiration from Jordan.

What in the world does she DO? These are laser marks....

The Red Dragons always flew in small groups and didn't know what it was like to pilot their own ships in battle. Usually each man had a specific job, like driving, controlling the guns, etc.

And here stood this gorgeous, charming, sexy woman who independently piloted this awesome ship.

And it made her all the more attractive.

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"Here, let me show you around the ship," Spike imitated under his breath in a high voice, very irritated.

Why is this bothering me so much?

He knew the answer. But he couldn't bring himself to admit it.

Faye, who was so loud, so obnoxious, so rude, how could SHE be so....

His heart kicked in.

{Wonderful? Caring? Self-sacrificing?}

Flashes of her taking care of him when he was falling in and out of consciousness came flooding back to him and he moaned.

What the hell is happening to me? What the hell happened to HER?

That was the question on his mind. What had happened to the cold-hearted, selfish, ruthless gambler who had first stepped foot on this ship?

Sure, she was beautiful and had a great body....if Spike hadn't noticed that, he wouldn't have been a red-blooded male. But there were plenty of beautiful women in the galaxy....in this day and age, even big, burly men could be made into drop-dead gorgeous women.

But her wit was something rare indeed. Their fights always added interest to his day, although sometimes they got to the point of full-out yelling and harsh insults. He had to admit that Julia was JUST gorgeous and mysterious, kind and....well, accommodating. She molded herself to the men she fell for. She didn't really have much of a personality....but back then he had been so starved for something of a higher level, something other than blood and gore and hatred, that when he got to the breaking point, he had simply reached out and grabbed it.

It was something called love.

A sad, guilty little smile crossed Spike's face. It hadn't hurt that Julia used to be a model.

The smile twisted into an evil grin.

OR that I really needed to be laid.....

"Hey, Nimh. I'm going to take a break, I'm hungry and well....I just need to think. By the way, when do you plan on giving us our comrades back?"

"Huh? Oh! You can have them, I mean, you're SPIKE SPIEGEL. The only man who's ever left the syndicate alive, or so it's told."

The other Red Dragon members nodded and murmured comments of agreement.

Spike had to resist the urge to grin.

Still haven't lost their innocence completely. Must not have seen much of our business yet...

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"Wow....so this is your ship?" Jordan asked, his eyes sparkling as he caressed the Redtail with a perfectly manicured hand.

"Um-hmm," Faye replied nonchalantly, taking pleasure in his reaction. She leaned against a curve of the ship, thrusting her chest out proudly and putting her hands behind her head.

"So what's your business with Spike? Are you a bounty hunter too?"

"Yeah, when I'm not gambling. It's a nice thrill going after criminals for big bounties," she completely lied.

Jordan, who wasn't an idiot by a long shot and had studied psychology when he was younger, knew she was trying to impress him. A woman of her beauty who wasn't a stuck-up snob was hard to come by. At least in the syndicate, anyway. They were almost all taken or had boyfriends and were filthy rich. If you tried hitting on them you'd instantly have hit men after you.

He was definitely good-looking and charming, and if it weren't for his stubborn nature, he'd probably have a top-notch job, a wonderful wife, and kids right now.....instead of trying to avenge his brother's senseless death. He didn't realize that he'd almost certainly meet the same fate.

On their missions to other planets, he'd get plenty of invitations to many a woman's suite or private cabin, but he wasn't looking for someone easy, willing to jump into bed with the first handsome man who'd accept her offer....he was looking for someone with more self-respect. Someone who knew how to play, how to spark his interest.

And here she was. The first one to actually appear completely attractive in a while. Now that he had found her, his mission was clear in his mind: find out more about her, then decide for sure if he wanted her. If he did, he WAS going to make her his wife. He wanted out of this life as soon as possible - he was already 31, too old to be out adventuring like this if he didn't need to. He wanted something to comfort him other than merely his family. Someone to share a bed with who would more than happily make sacrifices for him. Hopefully, Faye was the one.

"Jordan?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry, I must've zoned out."

"No problem. Here, let me show you around the rest of the ship."

She took him around the storage closet and took him in the direction of her room, smiling evilly at the thought of what she could do if she wanted to. No Jet, no Ed, no stupid dog....just Spike up at the front, still talking to those syndicate members.

Nothing holding her back.

Still, something tugged at her supposedly non-existent heart, begging her not to get carried away - reminding her that she had fallen for someone else. But....didn't she have the right to "explore her other options?" It's not like Spike would ever let go of his precious Julia anyway....at least with Jordan, she had a chance at real happiness.

Something she'd longed for for such a long time.

"Watch your step," she warned as they entered the rotating room where Ed always monkeyed around when she wasn't hacking.

Jordan uneasily stepped down into the room and laughed nervously, blushing when he tripped over himself. Faye couldn't help but giggle, and when she did, he joined in with her, laughing at his own lack of grace.

Oh God, how embarrassing.

Faye watched as his cheeks turned even redder.

How adorable! Spike and Jet never blush....it's like they don't get embarrassed. Funny how endearing it is to see a grown man humiliated....

"Aww, don't be embarraseed. You're so cute when you blush!" she said as she jokingly poked him in the ribs.

What the hell am I doing? I've never let a man reduce me to a giggly, flirty little school girl!

Jordan laughed and jumped away, then dodged for her, grabbing her about her thin waist and unmercilessly applying pressure to her sides with his fingertips as he ran them up and down her ribs. She squirmed, hitting him playfully and yelling at him between uncontrollable fits of laughter.

Desperate to win and prove her strength (she would never, EVER, make herself appear weak to a man to gain his approval - she'd rather make sure he knew she could take care of herself, even if it meant losing him), she reached up and around him, clenching his midsection with her arms, and flipped him over onto his back. Instantly, she pounced onto him, tickling him hard in as many locations as she could think of.

He grabbed her shoulders and smiled a genuine, full-out smile.

Oh God, he's handsome.

She stopped tickling him and realized she was dangerously close to him. Her legs were bent and underneath her, her knees pressed against his side. Her breasts hung directly above his stomach, as she was leaned over and poised where she had been when she had attacked him.

His eyes bored into hers like sapphire drills.

He was gently pulling her towards him, so gradually that she barely felt it.

Okay, Faye....are you going to let him do this? Are you taking this one step further than it should be? Are you sure it's not too soon? Are you even ready for any kind of affection?

She froze when she heard the door to the room open and closed her eyes in instant regret.

Spike...

She turned around slowly to see the man she had once thought she loved with his hands shoved in his pockets and his head just a degree lower than it usually was.

Could it be....? Nah....no way....

As he stepped in, she saw a fleeting look not-quite escape from his eyes. It sort of wriggled and fought its way behind those beautiful irisis, disappearing, yet leaving them slightly darker than they usually were.

"Faye," he started with a hoarse voice, then quickly cleared his throat.

"Ugh, pardon me," he said passively to Jordan. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything....but Faye, can I talk to you....privately?"

He made it seem like the matter to be discussed was simply about physical things - repairs on the ship, perhaps the negotiations between he and the men on the other two ships, or something of the like.

But something in the pit of Faye's stomach twisted nervously as she got up and helped Jordan to his feet.

"Just a moment," she said quietly, and walked out behind Spike.

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A/N: Okay, not TOO eventful of a chapter....what do you guys think? Did I lead Faye and Jordan together too quickly? I was going for that teenage-ish spur-of-the-moment thing along with natural attraction and the more adult kind of I've-been-wandering-around-too-long-being-lonely thing. I hope it works for my readers...o_O Again, I apologize for the lessening of quality in this chapter, I felt compelled to write more since I received 12 reviews in less than two days. ^_______^ Love you guys, please review with suggestions/disappointments, etc. I promise the next chapter will be MUCH MUCH better.