One More Time (Page 8)

Jet stared at the computer screen, rereading the message for the tenth time. It just didn't add up. He read it out loud, as if that would help his brain to figure it out.

"Please return to Earth. Due to recent events in your company, Ed now feels the need for human companionship, and due to the difficulties experienced in re-encountering Ed's father, this has been lacking. You can find Ed by locking in on Ed's computer signal. Frequency is attached."

It just didn't…make…sense. Ed didn't talk like that. It had Ed's habit of referring to herself in the third person, but this wasn't her way of talking. These weren't Ed's words. The only thing was, the message had been specially encrypted and bounced effortlessly through so many computer systems that it had to have been the work of a super-hacker, and Ed was the only person he knew who fit that description. Oh, well. It probably wouldn't hurt if they swung by Earth after this, just to check things out.

He heard Faye's voice coming from the "hospital," loud and definitely upset about something. A quick jolt of anxiety shooting through him, he got up, hurrying to the door of the cockpit. As he reached it, he finally was able to make out her words. He paused in the doorway for a second, his eyes opening wide, before he broke into a run down the hall.

* * *

"You jerk! You evil, insensitive, cruel little—"

"Now, calm down, Faye. I'm still too weak to fight back, you know."

"You know what—I don't care! I don't care how hurt you are, it doesn't give you any right to do something so heartless!"

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on in here?" Jet almost slid into the room, a slightly bewildered look on his face.

"Hey, Jet." Spike raised one hand a couple of inches off the table, a weak approximation of a wave. "How's it going?"

"Sp-Spike! You're awake! That's—that's great! How you feeling, bud?"

He managed a small smile. "How do you think I feel, Jet? Just peachy."

Jet turned to Faye. "So what was all that commotion about?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just that when that idiot woke up, the first thing he did was pull the computer sensors off his chest. 'Bout gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry, Faye." He coughed lightly. "I didn't realize it would scare you so much."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you didn't. I know you, Spike, and I think you did it on purpose."

A definite smirk this time. "Yeah, and you never do things for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of someone."

"Well, that's different. My things usually never involve life or death trauma."

"Whatever you say, Faye." A pause. "I guess we're almost like, I don't know, like two peas in a pod."

Faye whipped her head around towards him, an openly suspicious look on her face. "Why did you just say that?

He rolled his head slowly towards here, a cocky smile on his face, a hint of his old twinkle in his eye. "I don't know. I must have heard it somewhere."

Faye's eyes widened, going from shock to embarrassment to anger in the space of two seconds. "Why, you…"

Jet quickly stepped between them, his arms held out. "Look, guys, I don't know what's going on here, but I got something I want your opinion on. I think Ed may be trying to contact us. I got this strange message, and I'm not sure if it's really from her or not, but…"

"Let's go get her."

"Are you sure, Spike? I thought you always said you hated kids—and pets, too, and you know Ein'll be with her."

"What can I say? I guess staring death in the eye—"

"Again."

"Yes, Faye, again, thank you. As I was saying, I guess staring death in the eye has made me a bit more—"

"Cocky? Arrogant? Sarcastic?"

"I was going to say 'tolerant,' but those all work, too."

"All right, you two. What do you think about this, Faye?"

"Yeah, let's go get her. It's too normal around here without her and the mutt."

"I guess it's unanimous, then. Do you think you two can play nice while I go chart a course for Earth?"

"Yes, dad."

"It'll be tough, but I guess I can put up with her for a minute or two."

"All right, then." Jet turned and walked away, but stopped just as he reached the door, his hand resting on the top of the archway. He looked back at Spike over his shoulder, a broad smile on his face. "All kidding aside…it's really good to see you alive again, Spike."

A smile in return, without even a hint of sarcasm. "Yeah, it's really good to see you, too."

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