Legacy

-=-Part III-=-

 

Jet discreetly looked over to the emerald-eyed girl, watching as she bit her lip.  He knew that they really needed to talk and he would give them that chance and despite her calm appearance, she was still a bit rattled by being accosted.  He took a breath to calm the anger that bubbled within him at the news that she had been manhandled, but pushed it down as he stood.

 

"Well Spike, its good to have you back.  I got some things to do and Ed, I could use your help with something in the environmental system."  The youngest crewmember nodded with a grin, before leaving the room, chatting with Ein happily with Jet slowly following.  "I'm thinkin' bell peppers and beef for dinner tonight…" He said over his shoulder.

 

Spike snorted with a smirk.  "Just don't forget to put the beef in it this time!"

 

The pair heard the large man chuckle, leaving them alone.  Spike stood and held his hand out to Faye, easily pulling her to her feet when she placed her small hand within his.  Their bags were claimed once again as he told her to lead the way. When the door to her quarters opened, he immediately noticed that nearly everything was placed in crates.

 

"Are you leaving the ship?" He asked, placing the bags near some of the crates as she sat on the bed.

 

"No," She kicked her shoes off making herself comfortable by putting her pillows behind her back. "You know there's a lot of space on the Bebop that we don't use.  There's quarters down the hall that is next to a storeroom.  Jet is going to look at a few areas to see which is best to be converted into a space that will be big enough for me and the baby."  Faye gave the mattress beside her a pat and watched as took a seat beside her.

 

"How far along are you? It shouldn't be long until you pop, right?"  He said and yelped when she punched him in the arm.

 

"I'm at eight months, you jerk!" She slapped his arm again and was rewarded with his boyish smirk, the very same that she had missed for eight months. 

 

Faye watched as he took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze as they sat in silence.  She could tell that he was digesting the news, his face was calm and unreadable.  It made her a bit nervous, but she remained quiet, simply enjoying how he gently caressed her hand.

 

"So, is this going to be my son or my daughter?" 

 

Faye blinked.  His words were so causal yet his smirk grew into something akin to a proud grin.  It was…fatherly, for lack of a better word.  A wave of relief flowed through her.  He wasn't angry, he wasn't asking her who the child belonged to, he actually accepted it as his own.  She felt a trail of wetness roll down her cheeks, only to have it wiped away by the dark haired man.  "How can you be so accepting of all of this?"

 

Spike tilted his head, gazing curiously at Faye, his hand caressing her cheek.  "Hey, even I can do the math.  It was around that time that we were together for that one night, so he or she is mine…unless there was another…" He said doubtfully, and his suspicions were confirmed when she shook her head vehemently.

 

"Just you.  There's been no one since that night."   She supposed that she should be upset at the insinuation but she wasn't, in fact, she was expecting a lot worse from him.  She expected anger, denial and maybe even confusion, but she accepted his calmness about the situation readily.  "You're not mad about this?"

 

A strong arm draped across her shoulders as he moved in closer, enjoying the contact with her once more.  Since he had been released from the hospital, he thought about this ship…about Jet and Ed, but he found that the person that he missed the most was none other than the woman beside him. 

 

He missed arguing with her and irritating the hell out of her in general.  Thinking about it never failed to stir his amusement during times when his frustrations with his situation was at its peak.  But those thoughts of her were also ones that brought pain to his chest.  He knew that she had feared his death even before he left to face off with Vicious, and yet he went anyway.

 

He didn't want to think about that right now, however.  That was something that he would apologize to her for later, but for now, he needed to answer the question that was hanging in the air.  "Nah, I'm not mad.  I never really thought about having a kid before, but now that I know I'm gonna be a dad, I'm kinda looking forward to it.  I know I said I don't like kids…or animals…" He chuckled and shook his head. "But I guess it's different when it's your own kid.  There's always a risk of pregnancy with sex, and we both know that.  That night…there's no way in hell I'd go back and change it.  But, you still haven't answered my question."

 

She looked confused for a moment, thinking back over what they had talked about so far before she realized what he was talking about.  "Oh, you want to know the sex of the baby?"

 

"Yep.  Gotta know if I'm going to be hunting in my swordfish if the boys come too close or not."   He said, causing Faye to laugh.

 

"Well, I can't tell you that because I don't even know.  When it was time to find out, I told the doctor that I didn't want to know. I wanted it to be a surprise so I've been buying things that can be used for a boy or girl." She said honestly and smiled. "Ed is hoping it'll be a girl while Jet is convinced it'll be a boy."

 

"I bet he's been acting like a proud grandpa."

 

That gained laughter from Faye as her head came to rest on his shoulder.  "Don't let him hear you say that.  He insists that he's not old enough to be a grandpa but he's a proud uncle.  He's been a really big support though…"

 

A wave of guilt washed through him as he tightened his hold on the plum haired woman.  If he had been able to return sooner, he could have saved her a lot of stress.  He could have been there to help her as her belly became swollen with his child.  A deep sigh escaped his lips as he kissed her temple.  "I'm sorry, Faye.  I couldn't be here to help you out with this, but I'm not gonna abandon you or our kid. I promise you that I'll help you with anything you want or need me to help with."

 

"Thank you…" She tilted her head slightly, her eyes meeting his as she gave him a small smile before a wince broke out across her features, instantly worrying the man who held her.

 

"What's wrong?  You're not…you know, having contractions already? Its too early, isn’t it?" He asked, the urgency clear in his voice as she felt his body tense.

 

 A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head.  "Nah, I'm fine.  The little demon is awake and kickboxing with my insides."  Faye reached to free hand, scooting closer to him then placing his hand on her stomach.  After mere seconds, she watched as Spikes' eyes widened almost comically as he felt the slight jab against his palm.

 

His body relaxed once more, his eyes moving to her stomach as he gently rubbed the swell of her belly, tracking the kicks, punches and elbows.  '…Wow.'  He thought, finding no other words at the moment to describe what he was feeling.  In a way, it was a bit frightening to know that in a just about a month, he was going to be a father.

 

A yawn escaped her lips, drawing his attention from his thoughts to look down at the small woman in his arms.  "You're tired so you should rest, especially after what happened."

 

"Will you stay?  Please?"

 

There was no hesitation as he nodded, kicking off his shoes and standing for a moment to remove his jacket and unbutton the top three buttons on the dark shirt he wore.  He helped her to stand then laid on the bed, readjusting the pillows before holding a hand out to her.  She took his hand and sat before adjusting herself against his solid form, her head against his chest.  It had been a long time since she felt this comfortable, and after draping her arm across his chest, she drifted to sleep almost immediately.

 

Crimson tinted eyes looked down to the dark head resting on his chest, his hand rubbing her back tenderly as she slept. He knew that he didn't love the woman he now held, but he did care for her deeply.  Having her in his thoughts for the months that he had been absent from their lives had given him time to reflect on their past relationship.

 

Faye was strong, independent and defiant where Julia had been quiet, easily swayed and compliant most of the time.  She didn't let anyone sway her thoughts and beliefs and she didn't go down without a fight.  It made arguments and riling her up all the more fun. 

 

She was obviously beautiful with her intense emerald eyes, her mischievous and at the same time, seductive smile.  The memory of feeling of her ample, full breasts, small waist and creamy smooth skin was also a frequent visitor both during his sleeping, as well as his waking hours.  And after a while, he had to admitted…

 

He had missed Faye.

 

Even now as he looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms, she was still beautiful, if not more so.  It seemed almost primal to him, how taking in her image now, heavy with his child, increased his attraction to her.  Hair that flowed past her shoulders seemed to shine brightly with health.  Her body's curves were definitely more pronounced and not hindered in the slightest by the swell of her stomach; in fact, it made her even more alluring.

 

His hand came down and brushed against her stomach, moving in soothing circles.  Spike's mismatched eyes closed as he pushed down a wave of desire that ignited within him.  Deep down, he wanted things to work and not only for the sake of their baby.  He knew that sooner rather than later, that deep care he had for her would turn to something <i>much</i> more. 

 

With a sigh, Spike allowed himself to be lulled to sleep by the even sounds of her breathing, content holding the mother of his child in his arms.

 

=-=-=-=

 

After waking up for a dinner of bell peppers with actual beef, they had returned to her room and simply spent time together.  Faye told him about the ups and the downs of being pregnant as well the appointments that he missed.  He was even shown the videos and images of their unborn child given to her by the doctors.  With his untrained eye, he couldn't find any hints as to what the sex of the little form within her was.  Faye explained that their 'little demon' had their legs closed so he wouldn't be able to see anything in the video.

o-o-Author's Notes-o-o



Sorry about the abruptness at the end, but I had to stop for now. I didn't get a chance to say this with the last chapter, but thank you to all who have reviewed. Risqueperformance, Brainfear, Sparkle85 and dacryzblaze1; thanks for your kind words and advice. I still plan on going back through the fic again and correcting stuff, but I really have to get time to do so. You all kick so much ass!