Spaye

"Where are you going? Why, are you going? You told me once, to forget the past, ‘cause it doesn’t matter, but you’re the one still tied to the past, Spike!" Spaye is the het ship between Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine from the Cowboy Bebop fandom.

Canon
Faye and Spike's relationship is the most complex of the series. Most of the time they do nothing but bicker, but, in moments of danger, Faye has always shown concern for Spike. Spike has shown some empathy for Faye's situation too. Faye has also always taken care of Spike when he was injured, but she still kept a bitter attitude and viceversa. During the course of the anime, despite the nature of their relationship not changing, their bond grows undoubtedly tighter.

In Session #12: Jupiter Jazz, Faye leaves the Bebop with a dramatic note where she states she does not intend to come back. It is later revealed, throughout the episode, that she is too scared to grow fonder of her companions and prefers to leave them before they can abandon her. She also tells Gren, a jazz musician, that she does not want to feel like a burden to her friends. It is implied that her avoidant traits are her way to ask for validation from others. In Session #13: Jupiter Jazz (Part 2), at the end of the episode, Faye is shown to be pondering about Julia, after she apprehends from Jet she was a rather important woman from Spike's past.

In Session #15: My Funny Valentine, Faye is shown meeting the man who "saved her" first when she woke up from her cryogenic sleep, but finds out he was a trickster in cahoots with her creditors. While she buys time to confront him about her past, they're followed by Spike who happens to listen to all of it. When Faye loses her temper in realizing no one knows anything about her, she decides to claim the bounty on the man; Spike raises his gaze towards Red Tail (Faye's zipcraft), proud, and smiles, saying "There you go!". He is shown in the last scene of the episode waiting for Faye outside of the police station, where they exchange some playful bicker.

In Session #26: The Real Folk Blues, when Spike starts to leave from the Bebop, Faye blocks his path. Faye points a gun at Spike, accusing him of still being tied to the past. In response, Spike reveals to Faye that his eyes are different colors because one is artificial, replacing the one he lost in an accident. He says that he sees the past in one eye and the present in the other, watching life as if it were a dream. Faye protests, since Spike has never told her anything about himself before. She tells Spike that even though her memory came back, she had no place to go to and begs Spike not throw his life away. Spike replies, "I'm not going there to die. I'm going to find out if I'm really alive. I have to do it, Faye." Faye fires her gun into the wall in frustration and tears up as Spike walks away.

Quotes
"[After Faye is captured and handcuffed by Spike and Jet]

Faye: I can't be stuck in one place for long - it'll kill me. My whole family's like that. Spike: Yeah right. Faye: We’re Romanies. For eons we’ve wandered the stars looking for love. It's our way. Spike: Huh? Faye: You don't know anything, do you? Romanies are gypsies. And you know what we call someone like you? A gadjo, that means a bumpkin that doesn't know which way is up. Spike: gadjo. I like that. Faye: [howls] The wilds are calling me! You can't keep me locked up!"

- Session #3: Honky Tonk Women

"[After Spike captured Faye]

Spike: That's what you did? You took all the money you stole from us and you lost it gambling in a casino? Faye: You know what they say cowboy, easy come easy go."

- Session #4: Gateway Shuffle

"[Faye offering to help Spike chase the virus]

Faye: Hey there, having a little trouble? Spike: Huh? Faye: I can bail you out for 80%. Spike: You're insane! Faye: Okay! Bye-bye now! Spike: All right 40% that's my last offer! Faye: Okay, I get the 60!"

- Session #4: Gateway Shuffle

"Faye: How long were you in there listening, Spike? Spike: Too long, your story needs editing."

- Session #15: My Funny Valentine

"[Faye points her gun at Spike's head]

Faye: Where are you going? Why, are you going? You told me once, to forget the past, ‘cause it doesn’t matter, but you’re the one still tied to the past, Spike! Spike: Look at my eyes, Faye. One of them is a fake cause I lost it in an accident. Since then, I’ve been seeing the past in one eye, and the present in the other, so I thought I could only see patches of reality, never the whole picture. Faye: Don’t tell me things like that; you’ve never told me anything about yourself, so don’t tell me now! Spike:: I felt like I was watching a dream I’d never wake up from… Hmp. Before I knew it, the dream was all over. Faye: My memory… finally came back…but… nothing good came of it. There was no place for me to return to; this was the only place I could go. And now, you're leaving, just like that! Why do you have to go? Where are you going? What are you going to do, just throw your life away like it was nothing?! Spike:: I’m not going there to die; I’m going to find out if I’m really alive. I have to do it, Faye.

[As Spike walks away without looking back, Faye points her gun up in the air and fires five shots, then looks as if she is about to start crying.]"

- Session #26: The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)

Fanon
Spaye is one of the most popular ships in the fandom, being the ship with most fan fiction on Ao3 for the Cowboy Bebop fandom. It rivals Spike x Julia, which instead happens to have the most fan art dedicated to it. The ship sparked since affection between them is quite obvious, and many have speculated the possibility that Faye could be in love with Spike, since she's shown to be emotional only when confronting her past and during her final conversation with Spike. The ship may spark controversy because in the anime it's stated quite clearly that Julia is Spike's one true love, but its fans see the potential in a hypothetical post-canon scenario where Spike is still alive, since Spike and Faye's relationship is shown to grow over the course of the anime. Shinichiro Watanabe has said on the subject, "Sometimes I'm asked the question, 'What does Spike think of Faye?' I think that he likes her quite a bit. But he's not a straightforward person and makes sure not to show it."

Fandom
FAN FICTION

Trivia

 * Spike and Faye share a PVC scale figure set called "Cowboy Bebop - Spike & Faye Figure 1st Set".