On the Bebop

It's a long flight from Mars to any of Jupiter's moons but as usual, time in deep space doesn't have a fuck of a lot of meaning. Leaving Beth asleep -- she looks so damn contented, it'd be a shame to wake her up and besides, they stayed up late having fun over which he doesn't have a single regret -- Spike dresses quickly and heads for the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

Jet's in there, tempering his wok. "Hey, buddy."

"Yo." Reaching for his smokes, he offers one to Jet then takes one for himself, lights them both, sits on the edge of the counter. Jet hates it when he does that, but he does it anyway because it's an old habit and it's fun and there aren't any chairs in here anyhow. It's just a galley kitchen. Only big enough for two people if they're both standing and don't have big asses. Sending a line of smoke up into the air, Spike watches his partner. He's a little amazed that no significant amount of time has passed for Jet, even though for Spike and Beth it's been four months since they all met up on Ganymede.

Leaning back against the counter, Jet folds his arms across his chest, cigarette in one hand. "Tell me about the girl."

There's a long silence, but not an uncomfortable one. Spike reaches for the ashtray, tapping his smoke into it. He can't have known Beth for a year and a half or more out here and he can't tell Jet about the bar at the end of the universe, and he's going to have to do a little fancy deception. Or at least he's going to have to leave out a bunch of detail; he opts for that last choice because he's not a very good liar. "She's... great."

That's a start, but just a start and it won't satisfy Jet. Spike looks down at the floor, a quiet grin on his face. "She's from Earth. We met at a bar and before you ask, she was already pregnant when I met her."

That's the absolute truth. "But the guy isn't in the picture any more." Smoke, smoke ring, another smoke ring: they don't really talk like this. Ever. "She's never been to Europa, so I'm taking her. Just for fun."

With a small smile on his face, Jet almost nods. But at the mention of Europa, his expression sharpens. "What'd those Europa syndicate guys want with you anyhow, kid? I know it was you."

Spike pauses. There are a million ways Jet could have found out. He's ex-ISSP; those guys keep in touch. Voice steady, he meets Jet's eyes. "It was... just a case of mistaken identity. They got some bad information."

Jet nods thoughtfully. "Okay. Glad you weren't hurt. Glad the papers exaggerated."

There's nothing Spike can say: not a thing at all. So he simply smokes, his legs dangling back and forth like a kid in a chair that's way too tall for him. Going to Europa has nothing to do with the Black Lion Crime Syndicate; he only wants Beth to see it while they can still travel because it's pretty and because it's part of his life from a long time ago and because she deserves a vacation.

"We're not going to Europa because of that. It's just a trip. I think she'd like it: that's all." Shit, she's pregnant. You think I'd endanger her by doing something stupid? Well, fuck, of course you do. But I wouldn't. I won't. I love her.

"Yeah." Stubbing out his cigarette, Jet reaches for a pair of coffee cups. "She seems nice. It's been a long time since there was a woman on the Bebop."

"Yeah." That answers another question for Spike, one he's glad he didn't have to ask. Jet's never even heard of Faye. He waits while Jet pours the coffee, then raises his cup to his partner. "Thanks."

Jet's only answer is a nod.