Cowboy Bebop: Living a Dream-- Part I
Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2003 1:24 am
And so that it doesn't seem so random.... 
Living a Dream
Part I: Stay
By Sabriel Aerran
?Faye!?
I?ve been summoned.
?You shouted.? I leaned indolently against the door jamb, my arms crossed loosely over my chest.
?I told you a thousand times! Don?t use my razor to shave your legs! Do you know how hard these things are to come by?!?
I rolled my eyes and moved off, waving my hand in the air as if to disperse Jet?s mutterings into nothingness. I sauntered down the long corridor, rolling my neck on my shoulders. You?d never know it by looking at him, but Jet?s a slave driver! The man had me working nearly eight hours a day on ship repairs. I felt a heaviness in my chest and heaved a sigh. Then yawned.
Walking into the break-room I tripped over to the couch and fell down on top of it. I pressed my nose to the cushion and inhaled deeply. My nose wrinkled in reaction, but my heart warmed slightly with the familiar scent of cigarette smoke and...maleness.
Spike.
I finally got a grip on my water-works. Haven?t cried for two weeks. ?Least, not in front of Jet...
I?m so messed up.
I never cry. I never cried. All the things that happened to me...when I was used...and abused...and kidnapped...and...and...alone... I?ve stared down Death. I?ve seen him feast on the corpses of others. I?ve found a life I?d lost and then lost it again when I realized there was no life left for me to go back to.
And yet...one man.
I rubbed my nose against the rough fabric and then rolled over, swinging my hands behind my head.
?Hey, Faye!?
His majesty.
?What.? I sighed.
Something dark dangled over my face.
I frowned, sitting up as Jet dropped some clothes on top of my head. Pulling the bundle off my head and onto my lap, I separated the pieces of clothing until each took shape.
My left brow shot up as I met Jet?s intense gaze.
?Jeans??
The big man shrugged.
?Thought they might be more comfortable than what you?re wearing...?
?What I?m wearing just happens to be part of my style.? I stood, tossing the clothes onto the ground.
?Now, hold up, Faye.? Jet stood as well, the brows above his expressive eyes wrinkling together in a concerned look.
I ignored him. Jet would never win at poker.
?I said, hold up!?
I just kept walking.
All the way to the hangar.
?If you don?t like me for who I am...?
His large hand encircled my upper arm and dragged me around to face him. Memory flashed through both our gazes. Memory of when he had grabbed my shirt...the first time he had ever really touched me...when Spike...
?Let go.? I hissed through clenched teeth.
He released me and took a step back.
?Where are you going...?
I didn?t move, just watched him watch me. I could hardly breathe. Jet cared. He cared whether or not I left. Whether or not...
No.
I felt my face harden.
No.
Jet only cared whether or not he would feel lonely without someone around.
?Do yourself a favor.? I snarled as I turned toward my newly repaired space zinger. ?Get a pet or something that won?t leave the first minute opportunity knocks.?
?Will you be okay??
I froze.
Will you be okay?
My head lowered in shame and in defeat.
No.
I wanted to scream it out loud.
?I can take care of myself.? I said quietly.
?Oh yeah,? his voice dripped with sarcasm. ?We?ve all seen how you can get INTO trouble...?
My head just drooped lower.
?Man...? Jet grunted as he gave a kick at the railing. ?Why does everyone have to leave??
It was a plea if I?d ever heard one...and it was the plea I?d always wanted to hear from someone else?s lips...
?I don?t want to go.? I whispered.
?Then stay.? He offered.
I turned, head up.
His eyes were welcoming...and lonely.
I knew exactly how he felt.
?Oh, Jet.? I choked and stumbled forward to throw my arms around his neck.
His was solid and warm and...human.
The contact shocked throughout me...just as I felt it course throughout him.
An awareness of what we had both been missing. Simple human interaction.
His arms came up, the fake one pressing into my lower back, its metal chilling me; his real hand pressed at the nape of my neck, holding my head against his shoulder, the feel of his fingers against my skin warming me.
?I always wanted a family.? He said quietly, amusement tinging the edges of regret in his voice.
I laughed, a weak, muffled sound.
?We always had one, Jet.? I told him.
He loosened his hold and my feet touched the ground. I pulled back, looking up into his life-weathered face.
?What do we do now?? I questioned. I was so used to taking control of my life; to just...plunging ahead with whatever idea erupted into the hallow cave of my head.
He smiled, a half-tipped, wry thing, but a smile none-the-less.
?Well...the ship?s almost completely finished...?
?Ugh!? I groaned, letting my body sag forward in an exaggerated fashion.
Jet fixed me with a stern eye.
?Now you listen up, young lady. If we want to become the best cowboys in the universe, we have to have the damndest ship in the universe, got it!?
I opened my mouth for a nasty retort when I caught the hesitant look in his eyes.
I never had a big brother.
This could be fun.
Quickly snapping my body to attention, I gave a mocking salute.
?Aye, aye, sir!?
Then turned and march, post-haste, back to my work site.
I could feel Jet?s smile, and it made me happy.
---------------------------
Two weeks is a long time to live off of Jet?s ?salvage-fare? cooking. Actually, two minutes eating his stuff is an eternity.
Maybe that?s why Spike liked it. Slowed things down...
I straightened and rotated my head on my shoulders, working the knots from my neck.
Man, honest work was hard stuff....
?Hey, Faye!?
I turned, brows raised in question.
Jet came in looking like a little boy at Christmas.
?It?s Edd. She sent us a message!?
?Oh...that?s nice.? I said slowly, my mind turning the possibilities. Why would Edd write to us now? It hasn?t been that long since she left...
?Do you think she misses us??
I shook my head and waved a hand in the air as if to dispel the notion.
?Nah. With Ein, Edd could never get lonely. Besides,? I went on, bending back down to hang over the rail as I screwed in some loose bolts. ?Edd?s too damn hyper to be ignored for long. She probably found some other person to latch on...?
?Please come and visit. My papa and I would be glad to have you with us. Thanx again, Edward?.? Jet read out loud.
I pursed my lips where Jet couldn?t see me and then loosened my face muscles as I flew up and around to face him.
?Sounds like fun.? I lied. Earth was the last place I wanted to go...
?I?ll set course!? Jet nearly skipped from the room.
I watched him, a wry smile about my mouth at his sudden enthusiasm. Did he really miss Edd that much? And while we?re on the subject of hyper strange-oids, am I really that dull?
I sighed, dramatically dropping my head to my chest before getting back to work. I didn?t have to leave the ship...Edd and her dad could come to us...
I rolled my eyes.
Yeah, right. Knowing those two they?d just run right past on some pointless mission.
I shut off my thoughts as the loud drill shut out the silence around me.
---------------------------------
?There it is, Faye.?
I swivelled in my seat to stare out the large dome window at the blue-green sphere below us.
I heard Jet breath in deeply.
?You never quite get over it...every time I see her, Earth just gets more and more beautiful.? He exhaled.
I couldn?t have disagreed more.
He turned, his eyes dancing with joy.
?Ready, partner.?
I summoned a smile.
?Oh, yeah!?
Gave him a thumbs up. He turned back and my thumb turned over.
Pushing myself from the chair I walked toward the hangar. There she was, gleaming in the fluorescent lights, her ruby metal shining.
?She misses you, Spike.? I whispered. Then, heaved a sigh. This was pathetic, I was becoming more than obsessive.
?Come on, Faye!? My ?partner? shouted at me. I turned away from the hangar and met him on the pilot-deck.
?I wonder if Ed will remember where to meet us.?
?Or IF she?ll remember to meet us...? I didn?t utter my thoughts out loud.
The ship shuddered as it hit Earth?s atmosphere. Fire flew by, dancing off our landing
shield.
Oh, yeah, this the most fun I?d ever had in my adult life. I pressed my lips together tightly to keep my thoughts inward.
?You okay, Faye?? Jet?s face loomed before me and I blinked.
?Yeah.? I lied. ?Revved.?
Jet frowned when his baby gave a whiny cry. He shoved off, rolling his deck chair toward the console and began playing around with the controls.
We broke through the atmosphere and Jet leveled us out over the ocean.
Okay, I have to admit. The ocean is a pretty...spectacular sight. All blue and sparkly...kind?a surreal.
?There?s our landing sight!? He shouted, pointing.
Oh, goody.
We docked and Jet sealed the ship, his many thousands of locks not so hard to break through as they are just simply discouraging. Believe me, I know from experience.
We sauntered through the main streets...well, Jet paced and I slacked.
Together, I?m sure we averaged two miles in half-an-hour. Not bad, eh?
We need to get some kind of hover-scooter or something.
All this walking can?t be good for my...er, OUR ankles.
Not to mention our knees....
?There it is!? Jet pointed out an old, crumbling statue. It was HUGE. Or, at least, it had been. Now, you could barely make out the feet at the base...and the color...a strange rusty green.
I shrugged it off. The more I stared, the more distorted it seemed to be.
I shaded my eyes as I looked out over the sea.
?So when?s she ?sposed to show?? I turned to my tall friend.
He grinned back at me.
?Any minute n-?
We were both suddenly blasted off our feet.
I opened my eyes and quickly shut them as they were attacked by dust.
?All right, Faye Valentine! We know you?re there! Come on out!?
Shit.
This was not good.
Not good at all.
?Hurry up, Valentine!?
?Just a minute!? I shouted back testily.
I pushed myself up onto my knees and began to shakily crawl through the debris in search of Jet. I frowned through the dust, and paused to cough.
Gun shots echoed through the air as bullets thudded into the ground next to my left leg.
?SHIT!?
I rolled to my right and then threw myself up into a sprint, running through the settling dust toward the embankment. If I could reach the water, I could swim into one of the old buildings and hide out there until they had to come DOWN and get me. Then I could take them out, one by one...
?Faye!?
I skidded to a stop to look back at the haunched over Jet, his eyes wide as he stared at me in something close to shock.
No.
It?s not what you think, Jet.
His eyes pleaded with me.
I?m not leaving. Not this time...
More shots fired and I ducked over, covering my head with my arms as I ran.
Jet yelled out something incoherent and I pushed myself for the shore.
Another step.
Another.
My heart thudded in my ears....
I dove over the edge, praying it was as deep as it looked.
I couldn?t afford to dive shallow.
The gun trails followed me.
The shock of the ocean water nearly caused me to gasp. I began inhaling and salt water stung my nose and eyes before I grit my teeth.
Come on, Faye.
This is survival.
All I could do was swim deeper.
--------------------------------------
*********************
Quick question: Did this part move too fast? I know a lot happens, so I'm wondering for my own writing-enhancement.
Disclaimer: Cowboy Bebop is not mine.
Living a Dream
Part I: Stay
By Sabriel Aerran
?Faye!?
I?ve been summoned.
?You shouted.? I leaned indolently against the door jamb, my arms crossed loosely over my chest.
?I told you a thousand times! Don?t use my razor to shave your legs! Do you know how hard these things are to come by?!?
I rolled my eyes and moved off, waving my hand in the air as if to disperse Jet?s mutterings into nothingness. I sauntered down the long corridor, rolling my neck on my shoulders. You?d never know it by looking at him, but Jet?s a slave driver! The man had me working nearly eight hours a day on ship repairs. I felt a heaviness in my chest and heaved a sigh. Then yawned.
Walking into the break-room I tripped over to the couch and fell down on top of it. I pressed my nose to the cushion and inhaled deeply. My nose wrinkled in reaction, but my heart warmed slightly with the familiar scent of cigarette smoke and...maleness.
Spike.
I finally got a grip on my water-works. Haven?t cried for two weeks. ?Least, not in front of Jet...
I?m so messed up.
I never cry. I never cried. All the things that happened to me...when I was used...and abused...and kidnapped...and...and...alone... I?ve stared down Death. I?ve seen him feast on the corpses of others. I?ve found a life I?d lost and then lost it again when I realized there was no life left for me to go back to.
And yet...one man.
I rubbed my nose against the rough fabric and then rolled over, swinging my hands behind my head.
?Hey, Faye!?
His majesty.
?What.? I sighed.
Something dark dangled over my face.
I frowned, sitting up as Jet dropped some clothes on top of my head. Pulling the bundle off my head and onto my lap, I separated the pieces of clothing until each took shape.
My left brow shot up as I met Jet?s intense gaze.
?Jeans??
The big man shrugged.
?Thought they might be more comfortable than what you?re wearing...?
?What I?m wearing just happens to be part of my style.? I stood, tossing the clothes onto the ground.
?Now, hold up, Faye.? Jet stood as well, the brows above his expressive eyes wrinkling together in a concerned look.
I ignored him. Jet would never win at poker.
?I said, hold up!?
I just kept walking.
All the way to the hangar.
?If you don?t like me for who I am...?
His large hand encircled my upper arm and dragged me around to face him. Memory flashed through both our gazes. Memory of when he had grabbed my shirt...the first time he had ever really touched me...when Spike...
?Let go.? I hissed through clenched teeth.
He released me and took a step back.
?Where are you going...?
I didn?t move, just watched him watch me. I could hardly breathe. Jet cared. He cared whether or not I left. Whether or not...
No.
I felt my face harden.
No.
Jet only cared whether or not he would feel lonely without someone around.
?Do yourself a favor.? I snarled as I turned toward my newly repaired space zinger. ?Get a pet or something that won?t leave the first minute opportunity knocks.?
?Will you be okay??
I froze.
Will you be okay?
My head lowered in shame and in defeat.
No.
I wanted to scream it out loud.
?I can take care of myself.? I said quietly.
?Oh yeah,? his voice dripped with sarcasm. ?We?ve all seen how you can get INTO trouble...?
My head just drooped lower.
?Man...? Jet grunted as he gave a kick at the railing. ?Why does everyone have to leave??
It was a plea if I?d ever heard one...and it was the plea I?d always wanted to hear from someone else?s lips...
?I don?t want to go.? I whispered.
?Then stay.? He offered.
I turned, head up.
His eyes were welcoming...and lonely.
I knew exactly how he felt.
?Oh, Jet.? I choked and stumbled forward to throw my arms around his neck.
His was solid and warm and...human.
The contact shocked throughout me...just as I felt it course throughout him.
An awareness of what we had both been missing. Simple human interaction.
His arms came up, the fake one pressing into my lower back, its metal chilling me; his real hand pressed at the nape of my neck, holding my head against his shoulder, the feel of his fingers against my skin warming me.
?I always wanted a family.? He said quietly, amusement tinging the edges of regret in his voice.
I laughed, a weak, muffled sound.
?We always had one, Jet.? I told him.
He loosened his hold and my feet touched the ground. I pulled back, looking up into his life-weathered face.
?What do we do now?? I questioned. I was so used to taking control of my life; to just...plunging ahead with whatever idea erupted into the hallow cave of my head.
He smiled, a half-tipped, wry thing, but a smile none-the-less.
?Well...the ship?s almost completely finished...?
?Ugh!? I groaned, letting my body sag forward in an exaggerated fashion.
Jet fixed me with a stern eye.
?Now you listen up, young lady. If we want to become the best cowboys in the universe, we have to have the damndest ship in the universe, got it!?
I opened my mouth for a nasty retort when I caught the hesitant look in his eyes.
I never had a big brother.
This could be fun.
Quickly snapping my body to attention, I gave a mocking salute.
?Aye, aye, sir!?
Then turned and march, post-haste, back to my work site.
I could feel Jet?s smile, and it made me happy.
---------------------------
Two weeks is a long time to live off of Jet?s ?salvage-fare? cooking. Actually, two minutes eating his stuff is an eternity.
Maybe that?s why Spike liked it. Slowed things down...
I straightened and rotated my head on my shoulders, working the knots from my neck.
Man, honest work was hard stuff....
?Hey, Faye!?
I turned, brows raised in question.
Jet came in looking like a little boy at Christmas.
?It?s Edd. She sent us a message!?
?Oh...that?s nice.? I said slowly, my mind turning the possibilities. Why would Edd write to us now? It hasn?t been that long since she left...
?Do you think she misses us??
I shook my head and waved a hand in the air as if to dispel the notion.
?Nah. With Ein, Edd could never get lonely. Besides,? I went on, bending back down to hang over the rail as I screwed in some loose bolts. ?Edd?s too damn hyper to be ignored for long. She probably found some other person to latch on...?
?Please come and visit. My papa and I would be glad to have you with us. Thanx again, Edward?.? Jet read out loud.
I pursed my lips where Jet couldn?t see me and then loosened my face muscles as I flew up and around to face him.
?Sounds like fun.? I lied. Earth was the last place I wanted to go...
?I?ll set course!? Jet nearly skipped from the room.
I watched him, a wry smile about my mouth at his sudden enthusiasm. Did he really miss Edd that much? And while we?re on the subject of hyper strange-oids, am I really that dull?
I sighed, dramatically dropping my head to my chest before getting back to work. I didn?t have to leave the ship...Edd and her dad could come to us...
I rolled my eyes.
Yeah, right. Knowing those two they?d just run right past on some pointless mission.
I shut off my thoughts as the loud drill shut out the silence around me.
---------------------------------
?There it is, Faye.?
I swivelled in my seat to stare out the large dome window at the blue-green sphere below us.
I heard Jet breath in deeply.
?You never quite get over it...every time I see her, Earth just gets more and more beautiful.? He exhaled.
I couldn?t have disagreed more.
He turned, his eyes dancing with joy.
?Ready, partner.?
I summoned a smile.
?Oh, yeah!?
Gave him a thumbs up. He turned back and my thumb turned over.
Pushing myself from the chair I walked toward the hangar. There she was, gleaming in the fluorescent lights, her ruby metal shining.
?She misses you, Spike.? I whispered. Then, heaved a sigh. This was pathetic, I was becoming more than obsessive.
?Come on, Faye!? My ?partner? shouted at me. I turned away from the hangar and met him on the pilot-deck.
?I wonder if Ed will remember where to meet us.?
?Or IF she?ll remember to meet us...? I didn?t utter my thoughts out loud.
The ship shuddered as it hit Earth?s atmosphere. Fire flew by, dancing off our landing
shield.
Oh, yeah, this the most fun I?d ever had in my adult life. I pressed my lips together tightly to keep my thoughts inward.
?You okay, Faye?? Jet?s face loomed before me and I blinked.
?Yeah.? I lied. ?Revved.?
Jet frowned when his baby gave a whiny cry. He shoved off, rolling his deck chair toward the console and began playing around with the controls.
We broke through the atmosphere and Jet leveled us out over the ocean.
Okay, I have to admit. The ocean is a pretty...spectacular sight. All blue and sparkly...kind?a surreal.
?There?s our landing sight!? He shouted, pointing.
Oh, goody.
We docked and Jet sealed the ship, his many thousands of locks not so hard to break through as they are just simply discouraging. Believe me, I know from experience.
We sauntered through the main streets...well, Jet paced and I slacked.
Together, I?m sure we averaged two miles in half-an-hour. Not bad, eh?
We need to get some kind of hover-scooter or something.
All this walking can?t be good for my...er, OUR ankles.
Not to mention our knees....
?There it is!? Jet pointed out an old, crumbling statue. It was HUGE. Or, at least, it had been. Now, you could barely make out the feet at the base...and the color...a strange rusty green.
I shrugged it off. The more I stared, the more distorted it seemed to be.
I shaded my eyes as I looked out over the sea.
?So when?s she ?sposed to show?? I turned to my tall friend.
He grinned back at me.
?Any minute n-?
We were both suddenly blasted off our feet.
I opened my eyes and quickly shut them as they were attacked by dust.
?All right, Faye Valentine! We know you?re there! Come on out!?
Shit.
This was not good.
Not good at all.
?Hurry up, Valentine!?
?Just a minute!? I shouted back testily.
I pushed myself up onto my knees and began to shakily crawl through the debris in search of Jet. I frowned through the dust, and paused to cough.
Gun shots echoed through the air as bullets thudded into the ground next to my left leg.
?SHIT!?
I rolled to my right and then threw myself up into a sprint, running through the settling dust toward the embankment. If I could reach the water, I could swim into one of the old buildings and hide out there until they had to come DOWN and get me. Then I could take them out, one by one...
?Faye!?
I skidded to a stop to look back at the haunched over Jet, his eyes wide as he stared at me in something close to shock.
No.
It?s not what you think, Jet.
His eyes pleaded with me.
I?m not leaving. Not this time...
More shots fired and I ducked over, covering my head with my arms as I ran.
Jet yelled out something incoherent and I pushed myself for the shore.
Another step.
Another.
My heart thudded in my ears....
I dove over the edge, praying it was as deep as it looked.
I couldn?t afford to dive shallow.
The gun trails followed me.
The shock of the ocean water nearly caused me to gasp. I began inhaling and salt water stung my nose and eyes before I grit my teeth.
Come on, Faye.
This is survival.
All I could do was swim deeper.
--------------------------------------
*********************
Quick question: Did this part move too fast? I know a lot happens, so I'm wondering for my own writing-enhancement.
Disclaimer: Cowboy Bebop is not mine.
