Pair
Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2003 12:10 pm
Author’s Note: This story takes place a few weeks after Spike was recovered from Coleen Buler’s clutches. Low on funds and out of gas, the Bebop floats in space, and its crew is unable to do much more than wait.
Rated: PG-13 (Language)
“Nothing but a bunch of nothing,” Jet said staring out into space. “Shit, from one screw-up to another. Why can’t anything go right? I swear Spike; it’s been like this ever since Faye, Ed and Ein had been with us. We have the worst damn luck.”
Spike laughed. He leaned up against a wall, facing Jet. He had a lit cigarette in between his lips. The smoke rolled up his cheek and through his hair, eventually reaching the ceiling of the cockpit.
“I’m not joking Spike. It’s like they’re curses and we’ve been damned for the rest of our lives.”
“Calm down. It’s always darkest before dawn,” Spike joked. “We wouldn’t be where we’re at if it wasn’t for them.”
“Shit, we’d be better off, and if it’s always darkest before dawn, than better be one hell of a dawn or it proves that they’re curses.”
“You’re starting to sound like someone I once knew.”
Jet snort and spun his chair to face Spike. Spike picked up his head and looked at Jet. The two stared at each other. Spike opened his mouth to say something but Jet was the first to speak.
“Enough about that. Isn’t kinda quiet? Where’s Faye, Ed, and Ein,” Jet asked.
As if those words triggered their senses, Faye, followed by Ed and Ein, entered the cockpit. A bored expression planted on their faces as they inched towards Spike Jet.
“Well speak of the devils. What do you three want,” Jet asked.
“We’re bored,” Faye said. “Let’s do something.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Poker.”
Jet and Spike exchanged looks and were a little skeptical. They gave the idea some thought. Playing cards was a very risky choice; she could stack the deck quite easily.
“We don’t have very many woolongs, so how will we be having fun playing a gambling game without a lot of money to gamble with,” Jet asked.
“I thought about that,” Faye said. “The first person to win ten games gets the majority of the next bounty we collect.”
“Then you can’t deal.”
“Fine.”
“Good,” Jet said. “I’ll play.”
“Ed wants to play too,” she said.
“We have three. How about you Spike,” Faye asked. “A fourth player would be nice.”
Spike pushed himself away from the wall and stood directly in front of Faye. The cigarette had turned mostly to ash and stopped burning. His eyes locked with Faye’s and a sense of love and connection was made.
“Count me in,” Spike said.
Faye’s heart leaped with joy as she bolted out of the cockpit saying, “Meet me in the living room, I’ll have everything ready.”
Faye sat on the couch shuffling a deck of cards. As the others entered, Faye smiled and shuffled the cards even faster. Spike sat across from Faye and Jet sat to the right of Spike and across from Ed. All, except Faye sat on the floor. As Jet sat down he extended his hand to Faye.
She frowned and murmured, “You’re no fun Jet.”
“Just give ‘em here Faye. You even agreed to it.”
She reluctantly handed Jet the cards and plopped herself into the couch. Jet reshuffled the cards a little and started to deal.
“It’s five card stud,” Jet said. “And we’re only going around once.”
“Leaving it up to chance Jet? That’s not your usual style,” Spike said smirking.
“Let’s just play the game,” Jet said as he finished dealing.
Faye looked at her cards, a five of hearts, a two and three of clubs, and a nine and jack of spades. She discarded the jack and nine and picked up her two new cards. They were a six of diamonds and an eight of clubs. A totally worthless hand.
Ed looked at her hand. She had a six, a seven, and three fours. She discarded the six and the seven. In return, she got another four and a ten. After she looked at her new hand, she began to hum cheerfully.
“When you have a good hand, you’re not suppose to let everyone know,” Faye instructed.
“Don’t listen to her, she’s lost more money than some of has ever seen,” Jet warned.
“Hey, no one asked you Jet. I happen to be an expert card player.”
“And when you don’t cheat?”
Faye’s face grew hot as she tried to make herself disappear. Jet laughed and waited for Spike to discard. He did and received two cards. Never changing the expression on his face, vacant and straightforward.
Jet gazed at his hand. There was a queen, two sevens, and two aces. He gave a disapproving look in hopes to throw off the others. He discarded the queen and picked up a two.
“Faye, start us off,” Jet commanded.
“I got nothing, Eight High,” Faye said as she laid her cards down.
“Expert card player, eh? Shit Faye, Ein could play better than that.”
“It only takes me a few hands to warm up. Just watch.”
Jet said nothing and Ed put her hand on the table.
“Ed has a Four-of-a-Kind, yeah.”
Spike went next, putting his cards down one by one. They slowly revealed that Spike had a Royal Flush of diamonds.
“A Royal Flush,” Spike said. “I know, hold your applause.”
Jet threw his cards down in disgust and said, “All I got is Two Pairs.”
Ed gathered the cards. She shuffled them and dealt them very quickly.
“Ed is really good with shuffling,” she said.
“Let’s hope you don’t turn into a future Faye,” Jet joked.
“Will you stop? I haven’t cheated yet, so why are you on my case,” Faye asked.
“That’s the key word, yet. I’m just getting a head start when you do.”
Spike picked up two new cards and had finished his turn, when Jet and Faye actually stopped arguing. Jet grabbed his cards and glanced at them. He elected to not discard and let Faye go. She discarded three cards and laid them in front of herself, in a nice, neat pile. Ed discarded only one and looked at it. She hummed a sad slow tune and started to tap it, on the table, with her fingers.
Spike put his cards on the table, a Three-of-a-Kind. Jet smiled and laid down his hand, which was a Four-of-a-Kind. Faye slammed her cards down revealing a Three-of-a-Kind as well. Ed mimicked Faye but all she had was an Ace High.
Spike picked up the cards and shuffled them rapidly. He threw them out and placed the remaining ones in the center of the table. Jet looked his hand and discarded three of the five.
“And Spike, I don’t need you cheating for Faye or you won’t be dealing either,” Jet said.
“I’ll remember that,” Spike responded and gave Jet his three new cards.
Faye contemplated on what to do. She had two fours, a five, a six, and a seven. She chanced it and discarded the four. She took her card and looked at it. It was an eight; Lady Luck was on her side. Ed discarded four cards and just stared at her new ones. Spike gave himself two cards and pulled out a cigarette. Jet and Faye pulled out a cigarette as Spike lit his. He also lit the other two cigarettes as he inhaled the toxins.
Jet placed his cards down first. Once again, it was Two Pairs. Faye laughed sarcastically and laid down her Straight. Ed slumped in her chair and produced a Three-of-a-Kind. Faye grinned as Spike shook his head.
“I was hoping this hand would be a little more interesting. I guess I was wrong,” Spike said and displayed the Straight in his hand. “A six, a seven, a eight, a nine, and a ten, looks like my Straight is a little higher. Sorry Faye, maybe you should stick with Black Jack.”
Hardy, har, har. Real funny Spike. Maybe you should stop bounty hunting and become a comedian,” Faye replied.
Jet gathered the cards. Ed jumped up from the table and started to exit the room. At first, no one noticed, but Spike spotted her right before she left.
“Where ya goin’ Ed? We’ve only played three hands.”
“Ed is no good at cards. Ed is tired. Ed is going to bed. Good night.”
“Later,” Spike said and focused on the game.
The cards were dealt and Faye had already discarded. Spike glanced at his cards, four diamonds and one club. He discarded the club and did not even bother to look at his new card.
“Look Jet, Spike’s going professional on us,” Faye said.
“I’m just making things a little more exciting.”
Jet discarded two cards and picked up two new ones. He organized his cards as Faye laid her down. All she had was a Queen High. Spike placed the four cards he knew down and flipped the fifth one over. It was the two of diamonds. Jet calmly put down his hand, which only had a Pair.
“You know what? How about we play to five,” Jet suggested.
“What? No. How about ten,” Faye argued.
“Well, I don’t want my ass kicked anymore than what it’s getting or what it’s going to get. That’s why five would be better.”
“I’ll go to five,” Spike said.
“No one asked you,” Faye said.
She crossed her arms and sighed heavily. Spike picked up the cards and repeated what he had done every time he was the dealer. As he finished dealing the cards, he flicked the butt of his cigarette into a trashcan, which lied behind Faye.
“Fine. Five wins then,” Faye said.
No one replied. Smoke hung in the air as Spike went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of beer. He twisted off the cap and took a drink, a long drink.
“You guys want anything,” Spike asked.
“No,” Faye retorted discarding two cards.
“Give the wine that’s in there. Don’t need a glass, just give me the whole damn thing.”
Spike pulled out the bottle, which was half-filled. He returned to his side of the table and handed the wine to Jet. Jet popped the cork off and gulped most of it down. Spike glanced at his cards and discarded nothing.
“How is it, that you’re not even paying that much attention to the game but you’re doing so damn well,” Jet asked.
“Lady Luck,” Spike answered.
Jet laid his hand down, which had a Three-of-a-Kind. Faye placed her down and she had a Pair. Spike placed his cards down to reveal a full house.
“That’s four Spike. How the hell do you do it,” Jet asked.
“Lady Luck,” Spike repeated.
“You’re cheating aren’t you,” Faye asked rhetorically. “I know you are. I say we double or nothing. Whoever wins this hand gets the majority of the next bounty. Deal?”
“Deal,” Jet and Spike said.
Jet snatched the cards and shuffled them one last time. He flung the cards and was ready for the final hand. Faye periodically mixed her cards, looking for an appropriate hand. She ultimately discarded three cards and picked up a new three. Spike discarded three cards as well and slowly brought the new ones to the rest of his hand. Jet discarded four and picked up four from the pile as Faye laid her cards down.
“I have nothing but a Jack High,” Faye said.
“Well, I have a Pair of Sevens,” Spike said.
“And I have a Queen High,” Jet said and laughed. “All those hands we had earlier didn’t mean a damn thing. A Pair of Sevens just won most of the next bounty we collect. Isn’t that some shit?”
Sad and defeated, Faye left the room saying, “I’m going to bed. Remind me never to suggest playing cards again, ever again.”
Spike and Jet waited until they knew Faye had gone to bed before giving a somewhat loud cheer. They collected the cards and laughed. They stopped and turned on the TV.
“Only wish Ed would have went along. It would have made things go a lot quicker,” Jet stated.
Spike finished his beer and flung the empty bottle into the trash. He pulled out two cigarettes and gave one to Jet. He lit both of them as they sat on the couch watching the news.
“We got her good Jet. We need to do that more often.”
“We’re going to have to find a really big bounty for this to be any good.”
“True,” Spike said and let his cigarette burn away. “Well, I’m going to bed. Good night Jet.”
Jet snickered. After all this time, he finally had a way to pay back Faye for all of the woolongs she had taken. He turned off the lights and the TV and went to bed himself.
As he was slowly drifting to sleep, he murmured, “Nothing but a Pair of Sevens. Nothing but a Pair.”
Do You Have a Comrade?
Rated: PG-13 (Language)
“Nothing but a bunch of nothing,” Jet said staring out into space. “Shit, from one screw-up to another. Why can’t anything go right? I swear Spike; it’s been like this ever since Faye, Ed and Ein had been with us. We have the worst damn luck.”
Spike laughed. He leaned up against a wall, facing Jet. He had a lit cigarette in between his lips. The smoke rolled up his cheek and through his hair, eventually reaching the ceiling of the cockpit.
“I’m not joking Spike. It’s like they’re curses and we’ve been damned for the rest of our lives.”
“Calm down. It’s always darkest before dawn,” Spike joked. “We wouldn’t be where we’re at if it wasn’t for them.”
“Shit, we’d be better off, and if it’s always darkest before dawn, than better be one hell of a dawn or it proves that they’re curses.”
“You’re starting to sound like someone I once knew.”
Jet snort and spun his chair to face Spike. Spike picked up his head and looked at Jet. The two stared at each other. Spike opened his mouth to say something but Jet was the first to speak.
“Enough about that. Isn’t kinda quiet? Where’s Faye, Ed, and Ein,” Jet asked.
As if those words triggered their senses, Faye, followed by Ed and Ein, entered the cockpit. A bored expression planted on their faces as they inched towards Spike Jet.
“Well speak of the devils. What do you three want,” Jet asked.
“We’re bored,” Faye said. “Let’s do something.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Poker.”
Jet and Spike exchanged looks and were a little skeptical. They gave the idea some thought. Playing cards was a very risky choice; she could stack the deck quite easily.
“We don’t have very many woolongs, so how will we be having fun playing a gambling game without a lot of money to gamble with,” Jet asked.
“I thought about that,” Faye said. “The first person to win ten games gets the majority of the next bounty we collect.”
“Then you can’t deal.”
“Fine.”
“Good,” Jet said. “I’ll play.”
“Ed wants to play too,” she said.
“We have three. How about you Spike,” Faye asked. “A fourth player would be nice.”
Spike pushed himself away from the wall and stood directly in front of Faye. The cigarette had turned mostly to ash and stopped burning. His eyes locked with Faye’s and a sense of love and connection was made.
“Count me in,” Spike said.
Faye’s heart leaped with joy as she bolted out of the cockpit saying, “Meet me in the living room, I’ll have everything ready.”
Faye sat on the couch shuffling a deck of cards. As the others entered, Faye smiled and shuffled the cards even faster. Spike sat across from Faye and Jet sat to the right of Spike and across from Ed. All, except Faye sat on the floor. As Jet sat down he extended his hand to Faye.
She frowned and murmured, “You’re no fun Jet.”
“Just give ‘em here Faye. You even agreed to it.”
She reluctantly handed Jet the cards and plopped herself into the couch. Jet reshuffled the cards a little and started to deal.
“It’s five card stud,” Jet said. “And we’re only going around once.”
“Leaving it up to chance Jet? That’s not your usual style,” Spike said smirking.
“Let’s just play the game,” Jet said as he finished dealing.
Faye looked at her cards, a five of hearts, a two and three of clubs, and a nine and jack of spades. She discarded the jack and nine and picked up her two new cards. They were a six of diamonds and an eight of clubs. A totally worthless hand.
Ed looked at her hand. She had a six, a seven, and three fours. She discarded the six and the seven. In return, she got another four and a ten. After she looked at her new hand, she began to hum cheerfully.
“When you have a good hand, you’re not suppose to let everyone know,” Faye instructed.
“Don’t listen to her, she’s lost more money than some of has ever seen,” Jet warned.
“Hey, no one asked you Jet. I happen to be an expert card player.”
“And when you don’t cheat?”
Faye’s face grew hot as she tried to make herself disappear. Jet laughed and waited for Spike to discard. He did and received two cards. Never changing the expression on his face, vacant and straightforward.
Jet gazed at his hand. There was a queen, two sevens, and two aces. He gave a disapproving look in hopes to throw off the others. He discarded the queen and picked up a two.
“Faye, start us off,” Jet commanded.
“I got nothing, Eight High,” Faye said as she laid her cards down.
“Expert card player, eh? Shit Faye, Ein could play better than that.”
“It only takes me a few hands to warm up. Just watch.”
Jet said nothing and Ed put her hand on the table.
“Ed has a Four-of-a-Kind, yeah.”
Spike went next, putting his cards down one by one. They slowly revealed that Spike had a Royal Flush of diamonds.
“A Royal Flush,” Spike said. “I know, hold your applause.”
Jet threw his cards down in disgust and said, “All I got is Two Pairs.”
Ed gathered the cards. She shuffled them and dealt them very quickly.
“Ed is really good with shuffling,” she said.
“Let’s hope you don’t turn into a future Faye,” Jet joked.
“Will you stop? I haven’t cheated yet, so why are you on my case,” Faye asked.
“That’s the key word, yet. I’m just getting a head start when you do.”
Spike picked up two new cards and had finished his turn, when Jet and Faye actually stopped arguing. Jet grabbed his cards and glanced at them. He elected to not discard and let Faye go. She discarded three cards and laid them in front of herself, in a nice, neat pile. Ed discarded only one and looked at it. She hummed a sad slow tune and started to tap it, on the table, with her fingers.
Spike put his cards on the table, a Three-of-a-Kind. Jet smiled and laid down his hand, which was a Four-of-a-Kind. Faye slammed her cards down revealing a Three-of-a-Kind as well. Ed mimicked Faye but all she had was an Ace High.
Spike picked up the cards and shuffled them rapidly. He threw them out and placed the remaining ones in the center of the table. Jet looked his hand and discarded three of the five.
“And Spike, I don’t need you cheating for Faye or you won’t be dealing either,” Jet said.
“I’ll remember that,” Spike responded and gave Jet his three new cards.
Faye contemplated on what to do. She had two fours, a five, a six, and a seven. She chanced it and discarded the four. She took her card and looked at it. It was an eight; Lady Luck was on her side. Ed discarded four cards and just stared at her new ones. Spike gave himself two cards and pulled out a cigarette. Jet and Faye pulled out a cigarette as Spike lit his. He also lit the other two cigarettes as he inhaled the toxins.
Jet placed his cards down first. Once again, it was Two Pairs. Faye laughed sarcastically and laid down her Straight. Ed slumped in her chair and produced a Three-of-a-Kind. Faye grinned as Spike shook his head.
“I was hoping this hand would be a little more interesting. I guess I was wrong,” Spike said and displayed the Straight in his hand. “A six, a seven, a eight, a nine, and a ten, looks like my Straight is a little higher. Sorry Faye, maybe you should stick with Black Jack.”
Hardy, har, har. Real funny Spike. Maybe you should stop bounty hunting and become a comedian,” Faye replied.
Jet gathered the cards. Ed jumped up from the table and started to exit the room. At first, no one noticed, but Spike spotted her right before she left.
“Where ya goin’ Ed? We’ve only played three hands.”
“Ed is no good at cards. Ed is tired. Ed is going to bed. Good night.”
“Later,” Spike said and focused on the game.
The cards were dealt and Faye had already discarded. Spike glanced at his cards, four diamonds and one club. He discarded the club and did not even bother to look at his new card.
“Look Jet, Spike’s going professional on us,” Faye said.
“I’m just making things a little more exciting.”
Jet discarded two cards and picked up two new ones. He organized his cards as Faye laid her down. All she had was a Queen High. Spike placed the four cards he knew down and flipped the fifth one over. It was the two of diamonds. Jet calmly put down his hand, which only had a Pair.
“You know what? How about we play to five,” Jet suggested.
“What? No. How about ten,” Faye argued.
“Well, I don’t want my ass kicked anymore than what it’s getting or what it’s going to get. That’s why five would be better.”
“I’ll go to five,” Spike said.
“No one asked you,” Faye said.
She crossed her arms and sighed heavily. Spike picked up the cards and repeated what he had done every time he was the dealer. As he finished dealing the cards, he flicked the butt of his cigarette into a trashcan, which lied behind Faye.
“Fine. Five wins then,” Faye said.
No one replied. Smoke hung in the air as Spike went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of beer. He twisted off the cap and took a drink, a long drink.
“You guys want anything,” Spike asked.
“No,” Faye retorted discarding two cards.
“Give the wine that’s in there. Don’t need a glass, just give me the whole damn thing.”
Spike pulled out the bottle, which was half-filled. He returned to his side of the table and handed the wine to Jet. Jet popped the cork off and gulped most of it down. Spike glanced at his cards and discarded nothing.
“How is it, that you’re not even paying that much attention to the game but you’re doing so damn well,” Jet asked.
“Lady Luck,” Spike answered.
Jet laid his hand down, which had a Three-of-a-Kind. Faye placed her down and she had a Pair. Spike placed his cards down to reveal a full house.
“That’s four Spike. How the hell do you do it,” Jet asked.
“Lady Luck,” Spike repeated.
“You’re cheating aren’t you,” Faye asked rhetorically. “I know you are. I say we double or nothing. Whoever wins this hand gets the majority of the next bounty. Deal?”
“Deal,” Jet and Spike said.
Jet snatched the cards and shuffled them one last time. He flung the cards and was ready for the final hand. Faye periodically mixed her cards, looking for an appropriate hand. She ultimately discarded three cards and picked up a new three. Spike discarded three cards as well and slowly brought the new ones to the rest of his hand. Jet discarded four and picked up four from the pile as Faye laid her cards down.
“I have nothing but a Jack High,” Faye said.
“Well, I have a Pair of Sevens,” Spike said.
“And I have a Queen High,” Jet said and laughed. “All those hands we had earlier didn’t mean a damn thing. A Pair of Sevens just won most of the next bounty we collect. Isn’t that some shit?”
Sad and defeated, Faye left the room saying, “I’m going to bed. Remind me never to suggest playing cards again, ever again.”
Spike and Jet waited until they knew Faye had gone to bed before giving a somewhat loud cheer. They collected the cards and laughed. They stopped and turned on the TV.
“Only wish Ed would have went along. It would have made things go a lot quicker,” Jet stated.
Spike finished his beer and flung the empty bottle into the trash. He pulled out two cigarettes and gave one to Jet. He lit both of them as they sat on the couch watching the news.
“We got her good Jet. We need to do that more often.”
“We’re going to have to find a really big bounty for this to be any good.”
“True,” Spike said and let his cigarette burn away. “Well, I’m going to bed. Good night Jet.”
Jet snickered. After all this time, he finally had a way to pay back Faye for all of the woolongs she had taken. He turned off the lights and the TV and went to bed himself.
As he was slowly drifting to sleep, he murmured, “Nothing but a Pair of Sevens. Nothing but a Pair.”
Do You Have a Comrade?
Good story!
