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Buddy laughed recklessly, her hair streaming out behind her as she dodged around obstacles on the hoverbike. Vespa was clinging to her waist with one arm, leaning back and hurling obscenities as well as blaster fire at their pursuers. Slowly they pulled away, and Vespa turned back around, holding onto Buddy's waist with both hands.
Buddy skidded to a stop at the entrance to their hideout, laughing and lifting Vespa down from the bike, kissing her soundly. Vespa grinned back up at her, both of them still giddy from the excitement of the heist.
“The entire schematics to the First Bank of New Tanis! You’d think they would have put a better security system around it.” Buddy said, pulling the information drive out of her pocket and holding it up triumphantly.
“As if they could make a security system that could keep you out, Bud,” Vespa said, her crooked grin beaming up at Buddy.
“Thank you darling,” Buddy said softly, “Come on, I think we deserve a break before we go over the plans.”
“I won’t argue with that.”
~~
Buddy will think about that exchange a lot in the coming years. It wasn’t their last successful heist, but it was near the end. The ghost of Vespa’s smile haunted her, waking and asleep. If it hadn’t been for the stun blast that dropped her to the floor, Buddy knew she would have followed Vespa over the edge. Some nights she thinks she should do it anyway. Eight years, eight long years later, she gets out.
Jet finds her, Jet always finds her, and she goes to the one place Vespa would be. Every day, she goes up there and waits. Waits for Vespa to come. Jet watches, concerned, but she brushes him aside and stays. Stays until she feels her skin warping and dying, her bones shifting and decaying. She stays, always waiting for the day that Vespa comes back.
~~
“Buddy.”
“Go away, Jet,” she says, her voice tired and nearly just a croak.
“Buddy, you can’t do this any longer. The radiation is killing you. If you spend any more time out here without treatment, you will die.”
“Then let me die! Let me finally die, and maybe then I’ll see her. I thought, I hoped…” Buddy’s voice cracked and she felt tears running from the one eye she had left. “Jet, I don’t think she’s ever coming back.”
“Buddy...please, come with me. Things will look better in the morning.”
“No. I’m not leaving, one more night, please-”
Jet lifted her easily in his arms and carried her down from the top of the lighthouse in spite of her protests. Buddy gave up struggling and sobbed weakly into Jet’s shoulder, wishing once again that she had gone over the edge after Vespa all those years ago. It couldn’t have hurt worse than this.