Yay! My second Wild ARMS fic…well story anyways. If you read my poem 'Drifting Emotion' and liked it then please enjoy this. That poem is something like a prologue to a long awaited story. I know what you're thinking 'Another Jet x Virginia fic! Ugh!' I'll try to make it as original as I can! Who doesn't like the innocent ranch girl and stubborn android love story! –lol- Please enjoy and let me know what you think: D MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! Takes place during the game.

0—0—0

Linger

By BlueSun91

0—0—0

Chapter 1

Just Another Day

Virginia Maxwell, an ordinary ranch girl from Boot Hill, had taken a life changing adventure to become a drifter. And she got a lot more than she bargained for, but hasn't complained once. Why would she when she had three faithful companions to keep her spirits high? Well, two anyways. Jet was an…exception.

Jet Enduro, a haughty, self-centered android, was no doubt what we would call the eighth world wonder. He insisted that he was still a part of there group pity, but who knows?

It was another burning summer afternoon in Humphrey's Peak, but what day wasn't scorching in a wasteland like Filgaia? Clive's vaguely air conditioned house was enough to keep them from dying of a heat stroke. Although people of Filgaia had steadily become acclimated to the heat every since the planets decay and the wasteland appeared, the searing heat was unbearable at times.

Gallows was collapsed on the couch, mumbling something to himself. Clive had left earlier that day to find evidence on Beatrice, leaving the others to relax. Jet was leaning against the wall by the door, arms crossed and eyes closed, but still managing this usual conceited expression on his handsome face. And Virginia was sitting in an arm chair, with a small book in her hands while Kaitlin sat in her lap listening to her read.

The group had been mission free for sometime now; no sign of Maya and Beatrice had disappeared. As serene as things were lately, they couldn't be more bored.

"This is so boring!" Gallows chided, sitting up and sighing tediously. "Isn't there some monster attacking a village somewhere?!"

"Gallows, that's mean" Virginia protested, closing the book and glaring at him. "You mean you want someone to get hurt, just to keep you from getting bored?!"

"Alright alright, relax, I was jokin'" Gallows replied, standing and stalking towards the window. "Then what do we do then?"

From where he was propped against the wall, Jet heaved an annoyed sigh.

"What's your problem?" Gallows chided, glaring at the android.

"What are you talking about?" Jet replied with a furrowed brow. "I didn't say anything"

"That's just it! You never say anything! You always have to be the tough guy!" Gallows growled reproachfully, pointing an accusing finger in Jet's face. "Well, here's a reality check, tough guy, no ones impressed!"

Virginia rolled her eyes and closed her book. "Oh, here we go again"

Kaitlin giggled as the two started to exchange raged verbal blows. The girl glanced at Virginia with an amused grin. "Do they fight like that a lot?"

"Yeah" Virginia replied, noticing that the two were getting out of hand. "Uh, Kaitlin, why don't you go in the kitchen with your mom?"

"Okay!" Kaitlin cooed, jumping from the chair and sauntering into the kitchen, still laughing.

"You are such a pain in the ass, you damn kid!" Gallows remarked with anger, holding his fist in the air.

"Look whose talking, big mouth!" Jet chided a little less strident than Gallows, but just as equally livid. "Do you ever shut up?!"

Virginia had gotten used to this constant arguing and shouting for awhile, perhaps because she even participated in plenty arguments, mostly with Jet. The only one who seemed to keep composure and resist killing his companions was Clive. But the have a group of four people and only one being a female, it would only expected that frustration with each other. Especially when each person had very different personalities and a different outlook on things, so fighting was typical.

"Guys, stop fighting" Virginia insisted, standing. "Do you even know why you started fighting?"

Gallows lowered his hand and stared at their leader. Jet did the same until he realized he was gaping at her smiling face and looked way, concealing a slight blush. That had been happening a lot lately and every time he scolded himself. But in reality, he wasn't angry with himself about blushing; he scolded himself because he didn't know why he blushed whenever she smiled. Needless to say, he wasn't content about it.

"Just stop shouting or go outside" Virginia suggested or rather ordered. She was close to bursting out in laughter that the two had bickered without a reason. "There are other people in here, you know?"

After a second and without a retort they finally said in unison. "Whatever"

Gallows stalked back to the couch after getting up pointlessly to argue with Jet. And the android himself returned to his usual stance by propping himself against the wall. Virginia was about to sit down again when Clive entered through the door.

"Great, you're back!" Gallows bellowed sitting up again. "What'd you find?"

"Not much" Clive replied sitting on the couch next to Gallows. "No one has seen hide nor head of Beatrice, which isn't surprising"

Virginia heaved an exasperated sigh. "Well, we'll keep trying. Maybe Humphrey's Peak isn't the best place to get information. What else did you find?"

"Well, I heard of a quite valuable diamond from one of the townspeople. It's located in gemstone cave, just north-west from here" Clive explained, adjusting his glasses"

Virginia nodded in approval. "Well, it would give us something to do"

"And diamonds are worth a hefty sum" Jet added with a smirk. Normally whenever he spoke it was about gella if anything.

"But that's strange, don't you think?" Virginia remarked, tilting her head. "We've been to Gemstone cave before and never found anything like that, who else found it and why don't they have it?"

"That's the thing. The person I got this information from was on a expedition to Gemstone cave. He was with a partner, but unfortunately his partner was lost within the caves and hasn't been found since. He was injured and is unable to go in himself to find his lost colleague"

"So he wants us to find this guy" Gallows concluded, nodding.

"And in exchange, we get the diamond" Clive said, smiling. "As long as we're doing nothing, why not take this job?"

"Sounds good to me" Gallows laughed, leaning back against the sofa.

"Alright, let's do it!" Virginia chimed, clapping her hands together. She looked over at Jet with a cynical expression. "I'm guessing that you don't mind coming, huh?"

Considering this as mockery, Jet gave her a chided glare.

Her critical expression softened as she giggled at his contempt. "I'm just kidding, Jet, don't get so mad"

As he did usually, Jet was left without a reply and settled with his usual response. "Whatever"

Just then, Cathrine and Kaitlin appeared from the kitchen. Cathrine was very calm and conservative like her husband; it was a wonder where Kaitlin got her energetic personality from.

"Glad to see everyone here" Cathrine said in her soft voice. "I hope everyone is hungry. Dinner is almost done"

"Thanks ma'am!" Gallows laughed graciously.

"Then it's decided" Clive concluded, standing. "We'll leave for Gemstone caves in the morning. So eat and rest up"

0—0—0

Lying in her bed that night, Virginia found herself unable to sleep. The thought of a person being stranded and alone deep in the dark confines Gemstone caves haunted her. The must be frightened, if their even alive. One thing made her wonder; Clive mentioned that the explorer that got out was injured, which meant something happened to him. Hopefully, it wasn't serious.

What must it be like to be alone? The question came to her a lot when she was alone to think. And there was one person, or thing, that came to mind.

Jet

Of course he wasn't alone all his life. He had the scientist that created him and even her father. But he didn't have the luxury having the memories of his past to enjoy. He only had the present, which didn't seem to be going to well, considering he had a glare that could freeze the surface of the sun, but had a face that would make a super model cry.

Virginia squeezed her pillow to her chest and sighed, giving up on trying to sleep. Releasing the pillow from her tight grip, she pushed the blankets off of her as she pulled herself out of the bed. She walked toward the window and peered out at the night sky. Since her room faced away from the town and the bright lights, it was easy to see the tiniest stair in the great expansion above.

Placing her elbows on the window sill, Virginia let her mind drift away again as she did whenever she couldn't sleep.

She wanted to help him get his memories back, but that would require hunting down her father, Werner Maxwell, who proved to be a very difficult person to track. But Jet seemed to not really want to know what this past was like, although he also seemed to be the type who spoke the opposite of what he wanted. Virginia didn't care what he wanted, no one should live without memories; it was like living without an arm or a leg.

Jet was something totally unfathomable; How says he hate her, but has saved her in battle plenty of times, how he almost never speak, but always has something to say, and how he says he would leave and never does. And she didn't want him to leave, but how long would he linger…?

0—0—0

Okay, plz tell me what you think! I'm srry, the chapters aren't usually that short. I hope you enjoyed anyways! Plz Read and Review: D This chappie was a little tedious, but the first chapter always a pain cuz you have to explain the setting and all that! –lol-

I gave Virginia her own room instead of her sharing it like in the game, cuz I always thought it was incredibly wrong for a woman to share a room with three men. That's a little out of whack. –lol- BYE! R&R