I Don't Know Where This Plot Bunny Came From And It's Probably The Only Thing I'll Ever Write In This

I don't know where this plot bunny came from and it's probably the only thing I'll ever write in this particular vein of Bebop continuation fic. I just... Something about Spike says he'd enjoy a team scene 🤷‍♀️ so... Why not give the boy a chance with all his loves at once?

***

Spike entered into the apartment silently, pulling the door quietly shut behind himself before he began ghosting through the rooms in search of the occupants within.

A murmur of voices led him to his targets, though he found himself thrown off by what he discovered in the tidy little office in the corner room. He stopped in his tracks, a frown marring his brow and his mouth ever so slightly agape.

A crinkle of newspaper drew his eye briefly from the women occupied by the desk to the pale man seated in a massive leather-backed chair, one leg up to cross over the opposite knee loosely, and hands folding together the paper as he regarded Spike before tossing the news rag aside in disinterest.

"Oh don't look so betrayed," Vicious said, casting his eyes towards Faye and Julia. "You knew exactly what you were asking for and there's no room for jealousy in a polycule." Those pale eyes dipped back over to trace Spike from head to toe with appreciation gleaming in their depths before reverting to the women again. Spike found his own gaze brought back to them as he followed Vicious's attention.

Julia sat with her legs spread in a plain ladder back chair that was pushed against the wall and next to one drawer-laden leg of the desk upon which Faye was partially perched. The bounty huntress had one hand down in the sliver of a gap in Julia's leather catsuit, cupping and tweaking at the breasts contained therein.

Julia's own hands were on Faye - one on Faye's left thigh and disappearing under the edge of the booty shorts to help keep the con artist in place, the other hand using the thumb to rub against the vinyl material covering Faye's crotch. Faye spared Spike no glance at all as she kept her glorious green eyes raptly focused on Julia's svelte form and heaving bosom.

Even though it had been his idea, Spike still felt off kilter about what was happening. He'd initiated the entire crazy stunt, "killing" off all three of them and the Red Dragon Syndicate itself just to finally obtain true freedom. Yet he hadn't been able to give up his comrades on the Bebop. The affection they'd awarded him over the years, the endless hours spent adrift in space simply seeking satisfaction together… it had been impossible to cut those ties.

Seeing his worlds smashing together like this was something he'd dreamt of in a way he'd known was impossible and yet now it was playing out before his very eyes. Well, not entirely though…

Clearing his throat, gaze still bound to the panting women, Spike revealed his concern over the missing member of his heart.

"Jet," he rasped, striving to overcome the arousal that was taking him over. "Where –"

Golden laughter spilling from a familiar throat. Julia's hauntingly beautiful eyes sliding over to catch his.

"Ohh that man…" She breathed as Faye continued her ministrations. "Such dedication… what a strapping figure… and paired… with that… devotion, and… boldness, so clever and playful… and protective!" With a sudden outcry at the end, Julia stiffened before positively melting as Faye hopped down between her legs to cradle the blonde against her own midriff as she eased the other woman down from ecstasy.

"Well hell," Faye said in a gloating tone of voice, "I'm not sure if I'm responsible for that orgasm or if it was thanks to Jet… but I'll take it either way." Her grin was fierce and proud. Julia tilted her own head back to look up at Faye with a Mona Lisa smile.

"What can I say? You make a good team," Julia uttered then, prompting a bark of laughter from Faye before the purple haired bounty hunter leaned down to capture Julia's lips in a kiss.

The sound of a throat clearing made Spike - pants tight - turn towards the pale devil still sitting nearby.

Vicious gave him a slow smile. "Your other partner was concerned with the child. Apparently…Edward… is planetside and wanted to make a return to your ship. So Jet left to meet her and get her settled in. He… was not quite as comfortable as Faye in being here in our company without you."

Out of the corner of his eye Spike saw Faye shiver. Julia, eyes trained now on the gambler, drew her to sit on her lap and put her mouth to work on Faye's breasts to distract her from whatever fear remained from Faye's own previous exposure to Vicious's brutality.

"Vicious…" Spike spoke his name in an exhale of emotions that he couldn't begin to organize or file away. "It's been so long…"

"You've made me quite convinced that what we once had was gone." Vicious replied plainly, nearly pouting.

Smirking, Spike sidled forward towards the other man. "I came to you every time you beckoned." He answered. "I kept my zip craft, kept my name, kept my appearance exactly the same. I never hid from you. You just… believed I'd perished? Or trusted that I escaped and never bothered to chase me down? Not very proper syndicate behavior," Spike chided. "You both seemed content to let me run away on my own. I assumed our bridges were burnt. You had plenty to keep yourself occupied…I had nothing. Until Jet took me in and forced me to care about someone else again, stitching me up every time I fell apart, holding me together when I would have gone to pieces. Until Faye showed up and reminded me of what living was for, challenging me to want to wake up every day. And still - I went to you anytime you made yourself known. What more could I do?"

"I was in a dangerous spot." Vicious said then. "I lied about your continued existence to the Van. I ensured only men I trusted - or who I intended to have killed - were aware you were out there. I tried to draw you back so we could be together again in the only way I knew to live. It was soul-deadening. Watching those fools waste away everything we'd ever gained. It made me miss you all the more. And gradually I realized you might have been right to flee. We could have ruled that world together, all three of us, but we would have been trapped by duty and power and obligations." With a careless gesture at the mediocre apartment around them, Vicious continued. "In death we have no responsibility to anyone. Freedom to remake our lives as we see fit."

"And…where do you fit, Vicious?" Spike breathed, standing now before the other man and raising his hands to trail through the pale hair.

Viper-quick, Vicious lashed out and caught Spike's wrists in both hands. His smile was lustful. "Where I've always fit…"

"Oh for heavens sake, enough with the melodramatic foreplay," Faye whined from across the room. Both men looked towards the source of interruption to see her straddling Julia, the vinyl top hanging open to expose breasts that were marked with teeth and lipstick and flushed with passion, as she gyrated against the other woman while they both stared unabashedly at the men in suits. With a wicked grin, Faye went on. "All your words aren't getting me as wet as the thought of watching you strip each other of clothes. Stop dawdling and get b-u-s-y dammit!"

"Something of a voyeur, I take it?" Vicious murmured to Spike.

"Oh she's all about the action too, but yeah… watching definitely gets her motor going…" With a sly wink at Faye and Julia - who'd always appreciated the showmanship between the syndicate men - Spike broke Vicious's hold and brought his hands to the other man's collar to tear open his shirt, sending buttons flying.

"Jet will be back soon," Faye announced then, drawing her hands into Julia's wealth of golden tresses and tugging lightly, making the other woman mewl with delight. "I'll have him spank you both for being naughty." She looked down at Julia. "For all his patience normally, Jet's feisty and demanding in the bedroom. He'll dominate those boys in the best ways…"

Spike chuckled. "Don't threaten me with a good time!"

From further back in the apartment came the sound of the front door banging open. "Honey I'm home!" Jet bellowed brightly. There were sounds of progression through the small space. "What the fuck? Why are none of you naked in the damn bedroom?!"

"Ooooh," Julia gasped. Her eyes were bright with pleasure. "We're all gonna get it now!"

❗VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ❗

Hello, my fellow fanwork creators. Sorry to interrupt, but there's an important information you all should pay attention to.

In short, everyone who is eligible to vote for the election of OTW (they run AO3 and Fanlore), should vote against the candidate Tiffany G. If you have donated over 10$ to AO3 in the past year, you are eligible to vote for yourself, and for us, for every Archive of Our Own user, especially the creators in China. This is a very serious question.

In Tiffany's statement, they want to build a more strict censorship policy in AO3. They also talked about limiting the adult content so this website would "have a better image to public". And they said China banned AO3 because of "pedophilic content" but as a Chinese myself, we all know it's just because my country prohibits any sex-related website. So basically, if this Tiffany succeed to get a seat of OTW, AO3 will face more strict censorship, limited adult content, and for we, for Chinese users, the result would be more catastrophic.

Tiffany G also mentioned that they work in a governmental organisation in China. Just consider why a pro-censorship, fandom newbie(Tiffany said it themself), and government staff wants to run for the election of an organisation that is holistically against their agenda. In my personal worst imagination, once they got the seat, they will immediately pack all the information of Chinese users in AO3 and report them to the Government. The consequence will be horrible.

Please, vote for yourself, for us, and for the future of our favourite fanwork site. If you are not an eligible voter and you wanna do something, please let more people receive this information. Thank you.

It was late. Time on the Bebop was not something regulated with any strict attention to accuracy, not when so many of their days varied to correspond with whatever planet or moon they were near. But regardless, it was late.

Ed had zonked out hours ago using Ein as a pillow. They were on the bridge, wedged up against the star chart console. They'd been playing a game of connect the dots with various stars to create constellation pictures when Spike had first checked on the duo. When the noises from the bridge had grown suspiciously quiet he'd taken another peek and had discovered their unconscious state.

Usually Spike would scoop up the hacker to deposit her on the couch, often prompting her to half awaken and spout some nonsense, but she and Ein seemed exceedingly comfortable in their repose. At least he knew they'd be plenty warm since the heat was malfunctioning.

For once it was due to a genuine mechanical error and not Faye siphoning coolant from the ship. Well, since she was sprawled atop Spike's torso he assumed she was innocent this time anyway. Then again making assumptions about Faye was a quick way to get oneself into trouble. Still, she seemed unlikely to bail at the moment.

Her breathing was slow and steady, comforting in its regularity. It would probably lull him to sleep soon but in the meantime he was busy trying to commit everything about this moment to memory.

The familiarity of the couch cushions against his body, a place that felt like home to him in a way nowhere ever had. Though perhaps that was mostly due to the woman sprawled upon him. Peacefully, lazily, he began to catalog all the wonderful details of Faye Right Now.

The way her tank top had ridden up so her lower back was bare. How her right hip and ass cheek felt under his left palm. The reassuring weight of her slumbering form stretched out from his chin to nearly his ankles. The tickle of her hair against his jawline and his bare chest. Even the soft snores she was emitting periodically.

Part of him wanted to wrap his other arm around her as well, to draw her tightly against his own form and bury his face in her neck. If he moved though she'd wake up and be crabby. A Faye without adequate sleep was not a pleasant Faye to deal with. But on the other hand, maybe she was still drunk enough that she'd be inclined to pursue the goal she'd had earlier.

With nothing to do on board the ship while they waited for Jet to return with parts to fix the propulsion - since that had been the only wonky system when the older man had left - they'd decided to sit around and get tipsy. Faye, eager to explore her own newfound memories, had challenged him to a game of two truths and a lie. It had started innocently enough but after half a bottle of bourbon it had devolved into a confessional which Spike had only been half expecting.

Faye wasn't exactly a master of disguising her feelings, after all. Her affection had been fairly obvious when he'd left to confront his past. He'd returned to the Bebop more than half dead and genuinely interested in finding out just how deep her emotions ran, but Faye had been fickle for weeks on end. The entire time he spent convalescing on the couch she'd spent feigning disinterest and ignoring any overture he made.

It had been confusing at first and then irritating once he realized she was determined to keep up the act for the foreseeable future. When Ed had messaged them out of the blue and said she was ready to come back Faye had been over the moon with joy and Spike found himself surprisingly hurt by how welcoming she was to the teen while she kept herself carefully restrained around Spike himself.

At long last she'd opened up to him and while he could have lorded that over her, he'd gone the more mature route and given her a steamy look before leaning over to whisper in her ear... "It's about damn time." And then he'd pulled her into his lap for a make out session that resulted in his shirt being tossed aside and things heading in a very good direction until she'd literally passed out mid kiss.

Never one to take advantage of a woman in a compromised state of mind, he'd simply reclined backwards until they wound up in the position they were currently occupying. It was enough for now. It was more than enough, really. It was beyond his wildest dreams, especially considering how hot and cold she'd been running with him lately, which had been enough to have him second guessing her reaction to his departure nearly a year ago.

But this... Whether it was the liquid courage or just her own exhaustion with keeping her heart locked away... It was enough to rekindle his interest. To give him hope in what lay ahead between them. There was no rush, no pressure, nothing but all the time in the world to figure out the next step together.

Excitement at the prospect was building inside of him, but the alcohol and Faye's weight on his chest were starting to knock him out. It was a potent combination, especially when mixed with the relief he felt at being here on the Bebop with Faye - who'd admitted her infatuation! - tucked against him like she belonged there. Feeling tranquil and secure for the first time in ages, Spike let himself drift off to sleep.

"Hey, lady across the bar says 'heads up' whatever that's about," A bored looking bartender relayed to Spike before moseying off towards an arrogant looking couple waving a woolong card in the air.

Curious, Spike looked up from his beer and across the open area that was the bartender's domain over to the knockout sitting primly and smirking at him. Faye had pulled out all the stops tonight. She was in a sequin dress cut nearly to the navel and with a side slit to just about the top of her right thigh. It was a shade of green to match her eyes but when the sequins caught the muted light of the bar they shimmered to a blue shade that reminded him of the ocean. Fuck, she was a tall drink of water that's for sure.

Holding his gaze, she reached for the garnish in her martini and slowly slide the olive off the toothpick. Keeping her eyes on him, she held the olive between two fingers of her left hand and waggled her right hand at him before curling back her pointer finger and then flicking it forward to launch the olive across the intervening space towards him.

Bemused, Spike jerked slightly to the side to catch it in his mouth and, swallowing it, flashed her a grin while raising his hands in a 'what the fuck' gesture.

Faye took a leisurely sip of her drink before leaning forward against the bartop to stage whisper to him. "Olive you," She purred, making the word olive sound like 'I love' and then she blew him a kiss for emphasis.

Chuckling, Spike lifted his beer and tilted it towards her in a show of appreciation. "You're such a goof," He called back. "Get over here and let me see if I can eat this," A pause as he brought the olive back into play, "out of your belly button which I can see from here," He let his gaze drift down her svelte figure.

Her eyes lit up in amusement and arousal. Delicately gripping the stem of her martini glass she sashayed her way over to him with exaggerated hip movement that made his heart beat faster. That slit was teasing him with the easy access it could provide to the sensual heart of this wild woman. She set down her glass when she reached him and dipped a finger in it before using that wet digit to trail down the valley between her breasts and down down down to circle her own bellybutton.

His breath caught in his throat. What a saucy little minx!

"I thought you wanted to pick up a stranger tonight," He said, still feeling a bit hurt at her earlier announcement before they'd parted ways on the ship only to end up at the same bar hours later.

Faye leaned in close, taking her hands and running them up his lapel until she could rest them on his shoulders. She went on the tippy toe of her ridiculously tall heels, pressing her ample bosom against his chest, and spoke so close to his ear that he could feel her lips caress the shell with every word she spoke.

"I sure did, cowboy. And you're the strangest man I know,"

He dropped the olive on the floor carelessly as his hands found their way to her hips. "You made me think you were bored of me already," He accused, squeezing her hips.

"Mm really? I don't know how you got that impression... But by all means, let me show you exactly how exciting I find our life together," One of her hands had somehow weaseled its way to the zipper of his pants and was toying with it. "I bet with this dress on... If I stand riiiight here... No one would be the wiser..."

A hasty glance around the bar seemed to verify her words. The bartender was still busy with the arrogant couple and the rest of the barflies seemed immersed in their own drinks and woes or celebrations as the case may be. Faye didn't bother waiting for a response from him. She discreetly took matters into her own hands and it was all Spike could do to try and pretend nothing at all was amiss as she worked her magic and eased him inside.

Faye was something else, that's for sure, but he was damn grateful that she was his.

"I can't believe you sleep in here, Faye. Climbing down into this storage space has gotta be a pain when you're drunk. Hell, it was awkward as shit trying to get that beta box in here. Ed damn near dropped the thing on my head." Spike complained as he disregarded the half ladder and simply hopped down from the overhead access hatch to the storage compartment Faye had claimed as her room.

Lounging on the thin mattress pad she’d managed to wrangle into the cramped space, she glared at him but shrugged as if to indicate her lack of care about the entire matter. "Well it's not like you guys gave me a tour and showed me a proper room to use," She complained with a wave of her hand. A frown formed on her forehead as she glanced at the television monitor and beta player at the foot of her bed. "You helped Ed put that in here? I just thought she'd done it herself one night out of the goodness of her heart."

“If she’d thought of it herself yeah she probably would have, she’s that type of kind for sure.” Spike glanced around the room but found nothing compelling enough to change the subject with. "Well, it was your shit anyway. I figured you should have it." He shrugged uncomfortably, feeling awkward for his spur of the moment impulse so many weeks ago. "Not like Jet would have tossed it after all the work we went through for the thing but... Well... Anyway Ed says you watch it all the time so, for the best, yeah?"

Faye blinked rapidly, looking away for a moment before swallowing and meeting his eyes again. "Thanks, Spike. I…uh, it does mean a lot. Especially now that I remember. I… I just wish it wasn’t so short, I guess. Or that my past self had thought to include a photo album. But,” She sighed and waved both hands in the air as if to dismiss her own emotions and regrets, “it’s not like there’s any answers there anyway. I have pictures in my head now of my family and memories of things we did together and that’s all most people have anyway. Besides, what’s done and gone is done and gone. The future is what’s important, right?”

She sat up on her bed then, giving him a wicked grin. It took all his self control to stay standing in the small space that constituted a floor, hands firmly lodged in his pockets to keep from winding them into her hair and bringing her face to his for a kiss. She’d been incredibly fickle since his latest brush with death. If a person didn’t know her better, it would seem as if she was toying with him… goading him on, teasing him along… but Spike knew her better than probably anyone else. She was still nervous, hesitant, afraid. She didn’t want to give him her heart only to have him crumple it up and toss it aside. She needed to know he could put up with her antics, that he would chase her if she bolted - something he hadn’t done when she’d confiscated his jacket months before. She wanted to be a hassle just to see if he would give up.

Really she ought to know him better by now. He was a very dedicated man when he had his heart set on something - or someone. But because he loved her, he was willing to jump through whatever hoops she needed him to. He’d be respectful and gentle and let her set the pace of their relationship.

She was difficult but he appreciated difficult things. Gave life more zest and flavor.

Lately he’d even felt confident enough to flirt with her again. Casual, easygoing, nothing that required a follow up… unless she wanted to take it further. Just, whatever comfortable reminder he could give her that he saw her as an attractive and worthwhile pursuit of his time. That he was still drawn to her physically even as she put him through an emotional wringer.

“The future is all we’ve got to look forward to,” Spike replied, giving her a warm smile. “Well, that and the present…” With a flourish, he took his hands out of his pockets to reveal… closed fists.

Faye frowned prettily again. “What’s this?”

He let his smile turn positively goofy, knowing that she preferred that side of him to the coolly nonchalant version he often wore as a public persona. “Presents, Faye.”

Seeing her expression brighten made something bloom in his chest.

"But it isn't my birthday…"

"No, but apparently it is Valentine's Day, which… I'll admit I don't exactly understand, but I figured something with your name ought to be a celebration of you."

Reaching out tentatively she tapped his right fist first and he turned his hand over and opened it up to reveal a casino chip.

"Thought you might enjoy a night out with a chance to win big," He explained with a wink.

Lifting an eyebrow in amusement, she tapped his left hand next.

Still smiling at her, he opened that hand to show her a thin strap of black fabric - a cloth headband folded neatly and adorned with a simple yellow and purple orchid cast in resin. He'd seen it and envisioned it standing out against the violet hue of her hair and had to make that into a reality. As a bonus, the orchid charm could be removed from the headband and used as a pendant on a necklace, or fashioned into a pin, or any number of jewelry functions.

"Dunno what flowers you might actually like but… this is a rare one. Something from your home back on Earth. Elegant and lovely. An orchid means... Thoughtfulness, beauty, charm, and love. Which, my dear, are all characteristics of you. And I figured it's pale enough to be bold against your hair so it'll be as vibrant as you are."

He'd discovered the flower had some other meanings as well, but in the interest of not overwhelming her he'd decided to leave that portion of the explanation for another day. Virility, fertility, and sexuality were heady concepts and not what she was prepared to consider just yet.

But seeing her eyes light up, glimmering wetly with unshed tears, and the tremulous smile that stretched across her face even as a blush dawned rosily on her cheeks... That all assured him that he'd chosen just the right gifts to present her with today.

"Oh, Spike…" Faye stood from the bed, taking the items from his hands. With efficient ease she tugged her usual headband from her hair and had situated the new one in no time. As he'd suspected, it looked amazing within her silky tresses. But she gave him hardly any time to savor the effect.

Grinning at him mischievously, she tucked the casino chip into her top, meeting his eyes the whole time. Then, hesitantly, she put her hands on his chest. It was a maneuver he knew she enjoyed because it gave her proof of his life as his heartbeat reached her palms and fingertips. She paused for a moment, letting the emotions between them build and steady, and then leaned in to press a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.

* this is an excerpt from chapter 9 (just posted!) of Right On Down the Line on AO3

* * *

"Everything all good?" Jet asked as Spike made his way to a seat on the bridge, slumping down into it like a man exhausted. Of course, the lanky bounty hunter had been gone til all hours wrangling a tricky - or, well, elusive at any rate - bounty for a nice chunk of dough.

But Jet had also heard the thread of anxiety in Spike's voice when the other man had been on a comm call in the corner of the room, clearly trying to get as far from hearing range of the living room as possible. It made Jet decidedly uneasy to hear Spike sound nervous or troubled.

Spike dropped his face into his hands for a moment, sighed heavily, and then rubbed his eyes before regarding Jet where he sat at the navigation station of the ship.

"Currently? Yeah, I think so. In general? Fuck if I know." The younger man dropped his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "Faye threw up in her sleep last night. She was sprawled on her back at the time."

Jet winced. He'd seen some pretty ugly outcomes to that situation during his time on the force. Usually related to drugs or alcohol though.

"I thought her morning sickness was going away," He said when it seemed like Spike wasn't going to go on.

The other man sighed again, sounding even more distressed than before. "No, I mean, yeah that does seem to be getting better, but this was... Because she had a dream, about me dying on her after the Tower."

"Oh." Jet's own mind conjured the imagery before he could stop himself and his blood ran cold at the thought - not just of Spike dying, but dying in front of Faye. It was never easy having someone pass on in front of you, particularly not when there were strong feelings involved. "Shit. That's... Heavy."

Spike shrugged. "I think it's because I wasn't here last night. I... Uh... I'm gonna try to make it back sooner next time. There's always more scumbags after all. If I gotta give up on one I'll get the next."

Rubbing the back of his head, Jet nodded absently. "Sure, Spike. And you know I can always take over on a lead if you need. I wasn't doing shit here but trimming my bonsai."

Here Spike seemed hesitant. "Yeah but..."

"What could I have done for Faye? Ed was here too, you know, and Ein as well for that matter. It's not like we'd be leaving her all alone and you'd have been back sooner if we switched off. We're a team, Spike. We work together, that's the whole point."

Spike smiled at him ruefully. "All right, Black Dog, I'll take your advice to heart. Next time shit runs late I'm hauling your ass outta bed to finish the job."

Jet nodded firmly but kept silent, sensing that there was more Spike wanted to say. Naturally the other man fretted wordlessly until Jet rolled his eyes skyward and spoke up again. "Was there something else? I assume you were on the line with DB."

Wincing, Spike nodded. He sighed again before speaking. "She thinks it might be a good idea to... Well... Bring Faye back to Tharsis. Fuck, maybe Alba City too. It's her opinion that if we pile a bunch of good memories onto those places...well, it'll mask the bad shit. Or something like that."

"Hmm," Jet leaned forward, using his good hand to rub thoughtfully at his chin. "Not a bad plan, really. Those places probably loom larger than life in her subconscious because of the terrors associated with them. Add more to 'em, especially if it's good shit, and then it all breaks down into just another place in the Galaxy that's a mix of highs and lows." He nodded again as he considered it further. "Ganymede gives me some troubled dreams. More since... But, before, it was sad dreams more often. The kind made of regrets and misunderstandings. There was... A lot of happiness once upon a time that got all tangled up in tears. But, it was a mix of good and bad that dreams brought me. Hell, after that stint with Rhint I don't even remember having any dreams of Ganymede, not til... Anyway, I think DB's idea has merit."

Spike sat up straighter, looking over to Jet with a mix of relief and apprehension in his mismatched eyes. "You don't mind us making a useless side trip? I know you've probably got some deliveries lined up or a few bounties nearby you were hoping to bag."

Jet laughed shortly. "Haven't you figured out the beauty of the delivery shit yet, Spike-o? There's folks everywhere who need something taken away or brought to them. Hell, Mars is probably better for jobs than most other planets. And as for bounties - who was it that just said there's always more out there? Besides, I don't think this will be useless. It could do a lot of good." He watched as the relief and apprehension both grew and made a guess at what was behind the fear. "You don't wanna tell Faye what the doctor ordered do you?"

With a guilty grin, Spike looked away, ruffling his own hair with a hand.

"Shit, Jet - she's gonna bitch and moan the whole trip. I'd rather just get there and surprise her with a night on the town or something."

Shaking his head at his partner, Jet slapped his thighs and stood up.

"Well, don't worry, kid. I bet I can keep her busy for most of the day. Lemme go see if I can convince her to help me in the kitchen. I know she's been worrying about her lack of skill there so she'll probably appreciate a challenge. You set us a course and then, well, we'll just cross the bridges we gotta cross when we get to 'em."