Session 13

The events that followed after Quinn had departed from the Bebop had all become a blur now. She had been in questioning for hours, and thankfully it looked like luck was on her side. Spike, Faye, and Jet were all able to verify Quinn's alibi, whereas Mack didn't have a single one to bank on. 

The mask was taken in for evidence and sent off to a lab to run DNA and software tests. Quinn hated her technology being out of her hands again, but it gave her comfort to know that her creation was being handled by professionals. She had no doubt that the results would come back in her favour, and hopefully those results would come  back sooner rather than later.  

After what felt like decades worth of questioning, Quinn was told she was to be transferred to a holding cell to spend the night. She wasn't to be released until the test results came back even though Mack was clearly guilty. Regardless, it was the law to keep Quinn locked up until authority had more solid evidence.

Spike, Faye and Jet were free to go once they had made their statements, but since authority had yet to decide who was actually in the wrong, the Bebop crew was unable to claim their bounty. Eventually a verdict would be decided, and then they'd all get their cut of the Woolongs that were hanging over Quinn's, and Mack's head. 

Once Quinn was released from questioning, an officer escorted her back into the stations main hall. The station was empty except the receptionist at the front desk and a few other strangers scattered throughout the waiting room. 

Within the tiny group of dispersed strangers, a flash of blue caught Quinn's eyes. In the corner of the waiting room Quinn saw Spike asleep on one of the chairs. He had a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth, but it was unlit.

"Spike?" Quinn called as she stopped dead in her tracks. The guard grumbled angrily beside her as he narrowly avoided tripping over his own his feet. 

Quinn watched as Spike's eyes fluttered open upon hearing Quinn's voice. 

"Lets get a move on young lady," the guard tugged on her wrists as he tried to pull her towards the holding cells.

"Once sec please?" She begged as Spike got up from his seat. The officer sighed loudly as he loosened his grip from around her wrists. Quinn quickly thanked the guard before Spike pulled up beside her.

"You waited for me?" Quinn asked rhetorically. Spike nodded as he fished a lighter out of his coat pocket.

"Where are the others?" Quinn questioned, but Spike simply shrugged in response as he sparked his cigarette.

"They left awhile ago, but I thought I'd stay a little longer. Wanted to see how you were doing," he smiled as he exhaled a small puff of smoke before tucking his lighter back into his pocket.

"I appreciate you waiting, but I haven't really got much to tell ya," Quinn shrugged as she directed her eyes towards the sliding doors that led towards the holding cells. Behind the glass she could see how dark it was within the hallway. It was late, and she figured they kept the corridor dim for those who wanted to sleep. Whatever the reason, it gave Quinn chills. 

"They're keeping you over night, right?" Spike asked, and Quinn nodded indignantly. 

"Unfortunately," she sighed as the officer behind her began to grow impatient.

"That's enough socializing for tonight, lets get a move on," he griped as he tugged her away from Spike. Quinn pulled away in protest, but her strength was no match for his. He dragged her away like a ragdoll while Spike followed closely behind them. 

"Hey, can't I talk to her while she's in her cell?" Spike questioned. 

The guard sighed loudly before stopping and glancing towards his wrist watch. 

"Visiting isn't permitted after midnight. You've got about 15 minutes, use it wisely," he replied bitterly before directing Quinn towards her cell. She obeyed his movements quickly matching her pace with his. 

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," Quinn announced as the three of them shuffled through the sliding doors. The darkness immediately enveloped the group of them as they traipsed down the never ending corridor.  

"15 more minutes wont kill me," he have her a quick smile as they walked passed countless empty cells. Quinn wondered where they were keeping Mack, but it made sense for the two of them to be separated. 

Upon reaching Quinns cell, the guard unlocked the barred door before uncuffing Quinn and shoving her through the entrance. She grimaced as she heard the sound of the metal door screeching shut, and her stomach flipped when she heard the beep of the electronic lock clicking into place. 

She couldn't quite tell how she was feeling anymore. She wasn't afraid, anxious, or even upset. If anything, she was humiliated. She hated being caged up like some sort of animal, and it was even worse that Spike was watching her from the other side of the bars. It was terribly degrading, but Quinn had no choice but to settle down.

"Well isn't this just lovely," Quinn chuckled tensely as the guard made his way back down the dimly lit corridor. Quinn waited for him to respond as she watched  the red glow from Spike's cigarette slowly began to fade out. 

"I'm assuming this isn't your idea of an ideal night on Mars?" Spike teased, and Quinn laughed in response as he tossed the end of his cigarette onto the ground before squashing it out with the bottom of his shoe.

"How'd you guess?" She threw back as she took a seat along the edge of her bed- if she could even call it that. It was just a mattress with no sheets. There was no pillow, just a raised, curved edge that was supposed to serve as some kind of head support. Quinn knew she wasn't going to be sleeping in comfort tonight. 

"I've been imagining this day in my head for months and this just isn't how I expected it to turn out,"  she huffed as she leaned back onto her hands. As she tried to make herself somewhat comfortable, she shivered as a draft blew in from a vent above her head.

Spike felt the chill as well and before Quinn could even begin to complain about the coldness, she watched as he began to remove his suit jacket.

"Last thing you need is to catch a cold in here," he half smiled as he shoved the fabric through the bars. Quinn grabbed it gingerly before immediately slipping it on. 

"Thanks," she smiled as she wrapped the fabric around her. It smelt like stale cigarette smoke and some sort of familiar scented cologne. It was the same scent he had worn the other night, and as Quinn breathed it in she felt a strange sense of comfort wrap around her.

"Were you the one who kept bringing me blankets at night?" She asked, suddenly remembering how she had kept warm all her other nights on her own.

"Maybe," he shrugged playfully. It was quiet for a moment, but for once she actually liked the silence. She didn't need him to talk to feel his comfort. She simply appreciated the fact that he was watching over her. But as much as she enjoyed it, she knew they didn't have much longer to see each other.

"Can I ask you something?" Quinn piped up grabbing Spikes attention immediately. He nodded, and Quinn bit her tongue before responding.

"I know you have a scar. That really long one along your stomach," she paused.

"It looked pretty bad last time I saw it, can I ask how you got it?" Quinn inquired, and Spike as always, took his sweet time to reply. She didn't know why she needed to know about it, but it was something she had been curious about ever since she saw it. Quinn knew nothing about Spike and his past, and she was intrigued by his unexplained secrecy.

"It's nothing special," he shook the question off coldly causing Quinn to flush with embarrassment. She didn't know why he didn't want to answer her question, but she could tell her words had caused a small wedge to grow between them. Tension filled the air as Quinn let out a long, drawn out sigh before deciding to reply.

"If it's nothing special surely you can share the story with me," Quinn stated coarsely, but when Spike didn't reply, she got the hint that it was time to drop it. Awkwardness began to fill the air around them as Quinn nervously chewed the inside of her cheek. 

She didn't want to force anything out of him, but she almost felt like she deserved some sort of truth after everything the two of them had been through. She stayed quiet for another moment before rounding up the courage to continue. 

"Any reason why you're so secretive?" Quinn questioned, but judging by Spikes immediate reaction, she knew that this time she had most definitely pushed his boundaries.

"Any reason why you're so nosey?" He scoffed as he dug his hands into his pants pockets. Quinn gasped at his response.

"I- I was just asking a question, what's your issue?" Quinn replied sorely as she pulled his coat tighter around her. His response angered her, but what was she going to do about it? It's not like he owed her anything, but it didn't matter what was fact or not. Quinn felt like she deserved something from him and she sure as hell wasn't a woman who'd let a man push her around. Especially not a man she had let sleep with her. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," he replied hotly as he turned his head away from her. Quinn continued to anxiously gnaw at the inside of her mouth. 

"It-it's ok," Quinn replied wistfully, half expecting Spike to interject. She was disappointed when he didn't, so she continued her thoughts. 

But once she had began to speak, she quickly regret her decisions. 

"It's not that you snapped, I just- I don't understand how I've known you for days and I don't even know you last name. I slept with you, and I thought we were kinda building some kind of trust," Quinn stammered nervously but Spike cut her short.

"Quinn," he paused as he sighed deeply.

"Listen, it's been great knowing you and I like you, but I don't owe you an explanation for my past," he replied bitterly, and suddenly the coldness in his voice that Quinn hadn't heard in days suddenly returned.

Quinn felt herself growing frustrated. Her anxious chewing stopped and now she found herself digging her nails into the mattress beneath her.

"Listen? No, you listen, I'm not asking you for an explanation, I genuinely just want- wanted to get to know you, and for some reason you won't let me do that," Quinn shot back angrily, her voice shaking with animosity.

"Sound's like you're still looking for some sort of explanation," he shot back. Quinn huffed impatiently. He was right, but he was also wrong. So what if she wanted an explanation? What was his problem? Any normal person would've been happy to deliver, but for some reason Spike was different and it was driving Quinn insane. 

"What's you problem Spike? I let you into my life, I told you about Mack, I let you fuck me and you don't even have the decency to share a shred of yourself to me?" Quinn growled. She wasn't fully angry yet, but Spike was sure getting her there. She was holding herself back as much as she could, but if Spike continued to push she knew she'd snap.

"Maybe you just have a problem with oversharing to strangers," he replied smugly essentially pushing Quinn closer to her edge.

"Oversharing? God, do you even know how to get to know someone? Seriously, what's your deal? Get off your high horse for once second and act like a normal human being," Quinn heaved heatedly.

Spike didn't reply this time. Quinn watched as he crossed one ankle over the other before folding his arms across his chest. She paused for a moment as she let her anger dissolve. She was in no mood to yell, but she knew she was getting closer and closer to the point of screaming. 

"I don't know who hurt you, Spike, but I promise you they're not worth this baggage you're burdening yourself with," Quinn added softly. She knew Spike had something he wasn't telling her, and it was clear she was never going to find out what it was.

"Easy for you to say," he scoffed, sending his voice echoing throughout the silent corridor.

"I don't know who she was, or what she did to you, but-" Quinn began as she recalled their argument from the other night, but Spike cut her off again.

"If you're going to tell me you're different then I don't wanna hear it," he grumbled, and Quinn rolled her eyes.

"No," Quinn responded softly.

"You told me where she is now, and all I can say is you need to find comfort here, in the present. I don't know how long she's been gone Spike, and I don't even know who she is, but I can confidently say that the past is behind you. There is absolutely no reason to be living there anymore," Quinn argued, but in all truthfulness she didn't even know what she was arguing about. All she knew about him was the fact that he had loved and lost.

Speaking from experience, Quinn knew how Spike was feeling. The only feeling she wasn't familiar with was the process of mourning over the death of a loved one. Even though she couldn't feel it exactly, she knew what it was like for a love to theoretically die. Mack may still be alive, but her spirit wasn't.

"I didn't come here for a therapy session," he suddenly retort, and Quinn felt a piece of her begin to melt. She wished she didn't care so much about him. Maybe she was just desperate, or maybe she was just an idiot. Regardless, she hated that she was enamored by his mysteriousness. 

"You're right," Quinn warbled as she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. Her anger had completely dissipated, but now she was filled with unimaginable sorrow. She just wanted him to trust her, especially after she had willingly given her body to him. 

Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe all of this was a mistake. 

Suddenly, the door at the end of the corridor shot open and the guards voice boomed down the empty hallway.

"Times up kid," he shouted, and Spike gave him a Quick nod. The light from the  end of the hallway illuminated his face as Quinn stood up from her bed shrugging his jacket off her shoulders.

This was it. Did she really think she'd see him again? She didn't know, especially after the conversation they just had. She had accidentally caused a divide between them and knowing Spike, she knew he wasn't going to be waiting for her any longer. She had a feeling he had wasted his time waiting before, and she knew he wasn't going to repeat the same mistakes. 

"See you space cowboy," Quinn smiled sadly before shoving the jacket through the bars.

Spike looked at her for a moment before digging through the coat pockets. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter before forcing the jacket back between the bars. He looked into Quinn's eyes sadly before stepping away from the cell.

His face was still lit up by the hallway lights, and as Quinn looked into his eyes for the last time, she noticed that one of them was slightly discolored from the other. They were dark, but one seemed to be darker, and almost redder than the other. She wondered why that was, but she didn't have time to ask before he began to make his way back down the corridor. Even if she did have the time, she knew he wouldn't have told her anyways. 

She felt her tears began to overflow from her eyes as she listened to the sound of his heavy footsteps echo throughout the hallway. Between her soft crying and the sound of him walking away, she heard him spark up a cigarette. 

She knew that was the last time she'd ever hear that sound from him. 

Quinn watched the light fade from behind the doors, and once the corridor was back in  darkness, she pulled herself away from the bars before throwing his coat back over her shoulders.

That night she slept with her face buried within the collar of his jacket, breathing in the scent of his cologne. She hated that she missed him, but she hated herself even more for even beginning to catch feelings for him. Surely it was a temporary feeling, but even though she knew it wouldn't last forever, she wished she never had to feel it at all.