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<Part 1>
 

    //Floating. No pain, no ground, little air going strait into me. Crystal walls all around me. . . an alien crissallis. . . no, a stasis pod. Different than any I've ever seen. . . what the . . .//

    Spike felt the fluid around him start draining and found himself sprawled helplessly out on the grated bottom of the clear tube. He slide the breathing tube from his mouth and gaged, vomiting out plem and stomach fluid. The bounty hunter lay gasping on that grating for a few minutes before the   clear tube was raised off of him and a bundle of red hair and energy launched it's self at him.

    "SPIKE OK!!"

    He groaned and blinked up at the man's face which was just beginning to obey him and focus into a recognizable coutanence. "Ed?"

    "Yes! Ed save Spike! Spike ok now yes?!"

    A throughty chuckle came from the corner of the lab, "Ed, cut it out, he's in shock."

    The red head stood up and smiled at Spike, "Couldn't help it."

    "Ed?" Spike couldn't believe the grinning man who now stood completely normal and still above him was the Ed he knew.

    "Couldn't stay a kid forever." He shrugged.

    "Don't let him fool you." The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows, "He's still a computer geek, he's still hyper active most of the time, he still pops up when you least want him to, and he still makes very little sense."

    "Faye."

    The young woman smiled and shook her head. "Nope. You've been in that fish tank 18 years. I'm Faye and Jett's daughter, Jayce." She grinned, "Very nice to meet you."

    Spike was confused a moment then realised she was leering at his and blushed, "Um. . . Ed? Clothes?"

    Ed grinned and tossed his old suit to him.

    Spike stared at the clothes in his hands. "Ed?"

    "Spike yes?"

    "Why are my clothes grey, green, and light blue instead of blue, yellow and white?"

    Jayce grinned, "Ed washed 'em for you."

    "Washed them."

    "Yep."

    He looked from one grinning, well meaning face to the other and yelled, "JETT!!"

    The large man came walking peacefully down the stairs like Spike hadn' tbeen virtually dead for years. The way the big guy acted, he' djust been taking a long nap! "Din. . ."

    Before he finished he was run over by two young adults in a very big rush. ". . . ner."

    "That happen often?"

    "Every day." He shrugged, "I see Ed did laundry again."

    "Shows huh?"

    "Just a little."

    Spike stood up and laced his shoes, "So You married Faye?"

    Jett just shrugged the question off. "Someone had to keep her out of trouble."

    "And Jayce is your daughter."

    "Yeah yeah I know, I'm getting old."

    "Let's see eighteen years older would make you. . ."

    "Don't push it."

    Spike grinned, "So where's the little missus?"

    "Call me that again and you'll be back in the Bob pod."

    "Faye."

    "Spike."

    "What the Hell is the Bob pod?"

    "The rejuvinator." Jett smirked. "Ed named it."

    Spike couldn't help but laugh at that. "So we're all one big happy family huh?"

    "Yep."

    "Good thing I've been out off it, I hate kids."

    "Uh. . . about that kids and dogs thing. . ."

    Spike's eyes widened as he entered the living quarters of the ship and was faced with Ein. And two generations of her children. "Dogs."

    "Yeah."

    "Lots of dogs."

    "U huh!" Ed grinned.

    Spike picked up his plate and walked out of the room.

    Jayce just smiled and tried to steal Ed's food, "Well that went well."

    "Hey! Get your own!"

    "Yeah sure! FOODFIGHT!!!"

    "Jayce! Ed!" *Plop*

    Faye tried not to laugh as she retreived the bowl of beans and noodles from Jett's head.

    Ed slipped away from the family and onto the deck. Spike was doing his katas there like he had never left. Ed silently joined in behind him.

    It was ten minuets later that Spike's yelp told Ed the bounty hunter had noticed him. "Hi-llo!"

    "Ed?! When did you. . ."

    "You think I just watched cause you're sexy shirtless?"

    Spike's usually calm eyes grew round and he almost swallowed his cigarette. "W. . . what?!"

    "Well you are. . . but Ed learned. Watching is good for learning."

    "I still can't believe 'You' are our Ed."

    "Believeing is in the eyes of the watcher. . . the watcher watches an doubter doubts doubtingly and believes nothing and everything and. . ."

    Spike shook his head, "Alright, you're our Ed."

    "Yep!"

    "Anou. . . when did you come back?"

    "Ed see Spike on network, Spike hurt. Ed like Spike, so saved you!"

    "Do you have to talk like that?"

    He shrugged and grinned, "Keeps people off guard."

    "Yeah." Spike took a long drag, "It works."

    "I'm not a kid anymore."

    "Nope."

    "That mean you like me now?"

    The bounty Hunter turned and watched the boy for a moment, a question clear on his face, "I always liked you."

    "Really?! Why you didn't come after Ed then?"

    "You left. Didn't think you wanted to come back." Spike flicked the cigarette away and shruged, "Sides you found your dad, why'd you need us?"

    "Ed turned Dad in."

    "Come again."

    "Sorry force of habit. I turned my Dad in and collected the bounty. I was going to give it to you so you'd like me."

    "Then I almost died."

    "Don't do that again ok?" Ed looked like he was going to cry. It was a shock to see. "She wasn't worth it."

    "Don't tell me she wasn't worth it. Don't talk about something you have no knowledge about."

    "She didn't go with you. Anyone who gave you up like that wouldn't be worth it."

    "It's not like she had a choice."

    "There's always a choice."

    Ed actually looked angry now! Spike had never seen so many expressions on the boy's face! "Maybe, maybe not. Let's drop it ok?"

    "You aren't going to try to get killed again are you?"

    "Nah." He stared out the window thoughtfully, "Not this week."

    Ed smiled and turned to the door, "Good."

    "Hey Ed."

    "Yeah?"

    "What'd you do with the bounty from your old man?"

    "Puppy chow!"

    "I had to ask."
 

~tbc~