❝you know that old saying, spike, the one that goes ❛bad decisions make the best stories❜? I think that between the two of us, we could write a whole book. what do you think?❞

❝i think you should stop listening to jet's mumbo jumbo and help me blow something up.❞

Oh, you let your feet run wild

Time has come as we all, oh, go down

Yeah but for the fall, oh my

Do you dare to look him right in the eyes? 

◅◅ ◦ ▻▻

IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO ESCAPE YOUR LIFE AND START IT OVER, WOULD YOU TAKE IT?

ANGELINE "ANGIE" SILVA is a girl made of bruised knuckles and broken glass, jagged and sharp, a girl who never had the chance to be soft. Unlike most nineteen year olds whose lives are made of normal things like loving families and friends, her life is made of the smell of gunpowder and the crack of gunshots, the smear of blood on skin and the snap of bones, all together with the long list of names of people that are meant to be picked off one by one.

It's been that way since she was seven years old. After all, the Phoenix Syndicate prides itself on its work, and Angeline is no exception. Only nineteen years old and she already has a kill count to her name. As the granddaughter of the leader of the syndicate, she has an impressive reputation to uphold. The name of the Bloody Angel is whispered in the back alleyways of Mars, found on the lips of men in shady bars and underground organizations, stories of the girl's ruthless and frighteningly efficient skills always spoken of with fear and awe. Rising up through the ranks of the syndicate is nothing short of a challenge, but it's a challenge Angeline takes on willingly. She has fought tooth and nail to get where she is, and nothing, no mission or person, is going to stop her until she gets where she needs to be.

That is until a single question turns everything upside down for her.

IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO UNDO YOUR MISTAKES, WASH YOUR HANDS CLEAN, WOULD YOU TAKE IT?

One night in a dimly lit bar on Mars, Angeline is asked a question by a mysterious person, a young man with green hair and mismatched brown eyes. He speaks with her for a few moments before vanishing as quickly as he comes, leaving her with a question or two of her own. The girl shakes the incident off quickly, thinking that the whole encounter is just some strange occurrence. And besides, it isn't her place to question anything about the Phoenix Syndicate and her role within it. That sort of thinking gets you in trouble. That sort of thinking gets you killed, and she wants none of that. But as time goes on, that single question continues to linger in her mind, and by the time she realizes its true meaning, her whole perspective has changed. 

Through that single question, the veil of blind loyalty is lifted from her eyes. Realizing the truth of your actions is a powerful thing, and it's dangerous when your purpose is to serve and kill. So Angeline does the only thing she can: she runs from the Phoenix Syndicate, from the very people she once considered to be the closest thing she had to family. Even though she knows that running is pointless, even though she knows they'll stop at nothing to bring her back and put her on trial or to death, she flees anyway, because to her, a life that ended in a few moments of freedom is better than a life that ended after continuing to cause so much death and suffering. 

By some miracle the girl manages to escape being caught, but not without a little help from a familiar stranger, the same man who asked the question that's been haunting her mind. Seriously injured and having nowhere else to go, Angeline has no choice but to hesitantly trust him. Despite the fact that she owes him her life, she wants nothing more than to escape from him, knowing she still has a target on her back. But during the time she stays with him, she learns that she can have another chance at life, to finally be more than a weapon of war and destruction and just be allowed to live. Angeline comes to see the man as her first real friend, a friend who she is forced to leave behind when he sends her away for her protection.

And so the man known as Spike Spiegel is reduced to an old memory as Angeline Silva dies and becomes a girl by the name of Angie. Her right hand, once a weapon of death, is now made of steel rather than flesh and bone, representing in some odd way her fresh start at life.

Three years later, Angie is working a job at a small store, her blood-stained criminal past now behind her. Feeling at peace with herself, she thinks she can finally rest, but it's a short-lived idea that ends when she is suddenly attacked. Consequently (and perhaps ironically), she is reunited with an old friend on the same day.

And that's when things take a rapid turn for the worse.

With the return of Spike soon comes the return of the Phoenix Syndicate in the form of Angie's old partner. Their confrontation ends with the young woman being badly injured and Spike once again coming to her rescue. But now it's clear that nowhere is safe for her. She has to leave before the Syndicate finds her again, unless she wants her new life to be destroyed by her past.

With this in mind, she is welcomed (albeit reluctantly) aboard the Bebop, a bounty hunting ship with a crew of two (make that three since she's there, but it's still more or less two). Soon Angie is thrust back into a life of chaos and adventure, with the added bonus of trying to deal with Spike and all the emotional baggage that comes with being around him. Hunting bounties, getting paid...It's all part of the job, a familiar rhythm of work she didn't know she had come to miss. And while the young woman won't admit it, it's nice being on a team again, even if it's a strange but tolerable partnership.

As things become more interesting as the crew is joined by an surprisingly intelligent dog, a fellow bounty hunter in the form of an annoying woman, and a genius child hacker, Angie discovers that she has come to enjoy her new life, however crazy it might be. She slowly starts to see the crew of the Bebop as friends, or dare she even say it, the closest thing to a real family. And surprisingly, despite all the trouble that goes on around her, she doesn't want it to end.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.

For the gain of good things comes the knowledge that they aren't meant to last, and that is a truth Angie is trying to ignore. For every good time she shares with this strange crew, every adventure and close call, every small moment she spends rebuilding her relationship with Spike, there is always something to remind her that life isn't fair or easy or that her past will always be hanging over her shoulder. The only way for her to escape it is to confront it, and sooner or later, she will have to do so if she wants to keep this new happy future ㅡ and her new family ㅡ intact.

IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO FORGET YOUR PAST AND CHANGE YOUR FUTURE, WOULD YOU TAKE IT?

SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY.

𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐅𝐈𝐓𝐒!

𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐀

𝟐𝟐 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐋𝐃

𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒙 𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈

(𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧)

❝i'm honestly surprised you aren't dead from the amount of cheap food you eat. what's that, the second cup of ramen you've had today?❞

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐋

𝟐𝟕 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐋𝐃

𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒑

❝never underestimate a man's will to survive, angie.❞

― 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒘!

𝐉𝐄𝐓 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 ― 𝟑𝟔 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐋𝐃, 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒑

𝐅𝐀𝐘𝐄 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄 ― 𝟐𝟑 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐋𝐃, 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕

𝐄𝐃𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐀𝐔 𝐏𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐋𝐔 𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐊𝐘 𝐈𝐕 ― 𝟏𝟑 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐋𝐃, 𝒉𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒖𝒔

𝐄𝐈𝐍 ― 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒅𝒐𝒈

― 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌!

❝𝟑, 𝟐, 𝟏, 𝐥𝐞𝐭❜𝐬 𝐣𝐚𝐦!❞

一 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄

𝐢. way down we go ⬫ kaleo

𝐢𝐢. big guns ⬫ ruelle

𝐢𝐢𝐢. brother ⬫ sam tinnesz

𝐢𝐯. team ⬫ lorde

𝐯. tank! ⬫ the seatbelts

一 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐖𝐎

𝐯𝐢. the war ⬫ syml

𝐯𝐢𝐢. blink ⬫ ben onono

𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢. my blood ⬫ twenty-one pilots

𝐢𝐱. gotta knock a little harder ⬫ the seatbelts

𝐱. when the truth hunts you down ⬫ sam tinnesz

一 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

𝐱𝐢. memory ⬫ the seatbelts

𝐱𝐢𝐢. natasha's lullaby ⬫ lorne balfe

𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢. blue ridge mountains ⬫ fleet foxes

𝐱𝐢𝐯. without you ⬫ ursine vulpine, annaca

𝐱𝐯. a quiet life ⬫ teho teardo, blixa bargeld

一 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

𝐱𝐯𝐢. the real folk blues ⬫ the seatbelts, mai yamane

𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢. glitter and gold ⬫ barns courtney

𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢. talking in your sleep⬫ the civil wars

𝐱𝐢𝐱. everything i wanted ⬫ billie eilish

𝐱𝐱. blue ⬫ the seatbelts, mai yamane

一 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄

𝐱𝐱𝐢. runaway ⬫ aurora

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢. rain ⬫ the seatbelts, steve conte

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢. a sister says goodbye ⬫ lorne balfe

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐯. blood on my name ⬫ the brothers bright

𝐱𝐱𝐯. no time to die ⬫ billie eilish

一 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐗

𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢. natasha's fragments ⬫ lorne balfe

𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢. no reply ⬫ the seatbelts

𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢. to build a home ⬫ the cinematic orchestra

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐱. i've got this friend ⬫ the civil wars

𝐱𝐱𝐱. shoot to kill ⬫ tommee profitt, quivr

一 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢. going down fighting ⬫ phlotilla

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢. blood ties ⬫ lorne balfe

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢. enemy ⬫ beacon light, sam tinnesz, tommee profitt

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐯. louisiana hero ⬫ henry jackman

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯. last love ⬫ lorne balfe

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢. call me call me ⬫ the seatbelts, steve conte

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢. bad dream ⬫ ruelle

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢. crossfire ⬫ stephen

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐱. renegades ⬫ x ambassadors

𝐱𝐥. a rush of blood to the head ⬫ coldplay

𝐱𝐥𝐢. darkside ⬫ sam tinnesz

𝐱𝐥𝐢𝐢. hey brother ⬫ avicii

AUTHOR'S NOTE!

*raises hand* ok, to start off, i heard about this show when i first started getting into anime. i heard it was good and one of the best animes out there, but i didn't become interested in it until i heard about the live action show, and oh boy...by the end of the first episode, i was absolutely hooked. i can definitely see why people hold this show in such high regard. the characters, the setting, the music...everything just meshed together so well to create such an interesting show, i didn't want it to be over by the time i reached the end. in a short span of time, I had gotten so attached to these characters and their stories, and when the final episode ended, i was left with this bittersweet sadness. so naturally, i had to write a fic that included my best boy spike.

some ao3 inspired tags (because they're fun): the bebop crew and original female character, spike spiegel and original female character, team as family/found family, spike spiegel is a good friend/spike spiegel is a good older brother, protective spike spiegel, spike and oc do stupid sibling stuff together, spike spiegel has feelings/spike spiegel has a heart, everyone's a little depressed inside (except for ed and ein), spike spiegel finds this traumatized nineteen year old girl, goes "is anyone gonna take this kid?" and doesn't wait for an answer, spike and oc share one braincell, good old trauma bonding and the like. 

enjoy the fic! 😁

disclaimer: this book will contains things such as descriptions of violence and murder, smoking, drinking, angst, implied language, depression, emotional and mental abuse, sadness, death, trauma, ptsd, and the like. content warnings will be placed at the head of each chapter if necessary.