The Calm

Disclaimer: If I owned Bebop... would I seriously be writing fanfiction?

The Calm
Chapter One: Recognition

Spike furrowed his brows together as he looked over the newest bounty head. The woman looked vaguely familiar. The problem was, the woman that he was reminded of had been dead for a little over two years.

“Hey, Spike, you find anything?” Faye’s voice rang out through the living quarters of the old ship.

“Yeah!” he grunted in response.

“Well?”

“Well what?” he asked back.

“God damn it Spike! Is it worth it or not?” Faye shouted as she stormed inside and took a seat next to the gangly, mossy haired man.

Spike raised an eyebrow at his emerald eyed wife. “Good thing Jet took Jack to go see Ed. Don’t want him learning from your dirty mouth,” he teased.

Faye glared at Spike and punched him in the arm. “Bastard, you had no problems with my mouth last night.”

“Well, things look different in the light of day,” he grumbled as he turned back to the screen.

Faye’s eyes narrowed, her mouth opening in shock at his mumbled words. She then took in a deep breath and cracked her knuckles into a fist. “Just tell me about the bounty,” she seethed.

‘Score one for me!’ Spike celebrated mentally. “Here she is. Her name is Amaya… no last name. She’s wanted for the assassination of some hot shot in the Black Wolves syndicate. They’re vpisspissed and are offering… 30 million woolongs!”

“Man, she looks like-“

“I know,” Spike interrupted. “But it isn’t possible.”

Faye sighed and crossed her arms over her jean clad chest, her black panted legs crossing at the ankles. Her emerald eyes locked on the familiar grey of the picture of Amaya. The woman looked exactly alike her old friend and comerade. From the long black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, to the mellow expression on her face. The only differences was that her left eye was scarred, her shoulder was covered in scratches and a bullet wound scar sat below her collarbone. She then leaned closer when she noticed something on Amaya’s body… it was a tattoo… a tattoo of the kanji word for rain peeked over her shoulder, and the silver wing of a dragon barely registered on the photo.

“HOLY CRAP!” Faye shouted.

~*~*~*~

“Papa! Look at this!” Aurora cried as she slid down the slide of the playground. “I did it! All by myself!”

Vicious smiled affectionately to the little girl and clapped. “Very good, dear.”

“She’s starting to remind me of Rain,” Sith said from her seat beside him. “So… impulsive and independent.”

Vicious glanced over to his crimson haired companion and nodded before turning back to the girl. “She is that.”

“She talks like her sometimes too,” Sith commented.

“I suppose,” Vicious said as he watched Aurora play on the slide again.

Aurora looked over to her audience. She knew that Sith wasn’t her real mommy, Sith had told her. But she still thought of the red haired woman as her mommy. She noticed the sad look in her momma’s eyes and quickly, slid down the metal surface and ran to her.

“Momma? Why are you sad?” she asked as she hugged Sith’s knees.

SIth’s dark eyes widened as she gazed into the pale grey-blue of Aurora’s eyes. She could see the grey in her eyes, it appearing as she grew older, making Sith wonder if they would become completely grey as she aged. She had gotten used to Aurora calling her mom, she liked it, actually. What had shocked her was the fact that she just knew what Sith felt. ‘So much like her mother.’

“It’s nothing, sweetheart,” she answered.

“Papa! Mommy’s fibbing!” Aurora complained.

Vicious chuckled. “I know, honey. Sith is just… thinking of your mother.”

Aurora sighed and looked back over to Sith. She then climbed up the crimson haired woman’s knees and cuddled into her arms. “Was she pretty?” she asked.

Vicious watched as Sith held onto the small child and gazed down at her affectionately. “Yes, she was very pretty. You look a lot like her,” Vicious answered.

Aurora smiled and snuggled deeper into Sith’s arms. “Was she nice?”

Sith nodded, her eyes shining slightly with tears. “She was one of the only people that cared for me, and one of the only that I cared for.”

Vicious watched as Aurora’s smile widened and she drifted off to sleep in Sith’s arms. It was then that he felt it, someone was watching them. He stiffened and looked to Sith. She too could feel it, and had tightened her arms around the small girl.

“It think it’s time we head home,” Vicious said as he stood.

Sith nodded as she gathered the girl completely into her arms and stood with him. The travel home had been tense, every shadow seemed to watch them. As they made their way to the apartment, they noticed the door open, and blood on the handle.

Slowly, Vicious pulled out a handgun from his coat and crept inside, Sith waiting in the hall, protecting Aurora. Vicious could see the figure in the corner of the living room, leaning aginst the wall heavily. He stayed silent as he leveled his gun with the figure. “Don’t move!” he ordered.

The figure shifted off the wall, leaving a dark stain on the white wall. Vicious watched as they walked into the pale light of the window, revealing pale skin and raven black hair. A pair of grey eyes, half lidded with pain and blood loss stared into his, an arm around a thin waist as the other, more scarred hung awkwardly at her side.

“Hello Vicious,” she greeted. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Vicious’ face blanched. “I am seeing a ghost.”

The woman smiled and laughed a familiar laugh. “Do ghosts bleed?”

It was then that Sith and the sleeping Aurora entered the room. Sith’s eyes widening as she stared at the intruder. “My god!” Sith gasped.

“Nice to see you too,” the woman quipped before looking softly at the sleeping child. “She’s gotten so big,” she whispered before her eyes rolled back and her body fell bonelessly to the floor.

“Rain!” Vicious called as her vision blackened.

~*~*~*~

Levii: Here\'s the sequal! Review!