I wanted to do a feelgood story about Kaylee and the crew. Comments, good or bad, are always welcome. …………………………………………………………..

Kaylee sat on the edge of her bed thinking how much she was going to miss Bester when he left. She heard the door creak open and smiled as her sister walked in to the room. ‘Hey Kaylee, what you doin’? Thinking ‘bout Bester?’ Kaylee grinned, ‘Yeah, he promised to show me round the ship today, it’s soooo exciting.’ ‘Kaylee you got weird taste, what’s exciting ‘bout a ship,’ her sister sighed. ‘You wanna come to the bookstore with me? There’s a famous author gonna be there signing copies of his new book.’ ‘Sis, you’re moonbrained,’ Kaylee replied pulling on her boots. ‘Ain’t no sense in that. Why don’t ya download what you wanna read like other folk?’ ‘I like real books,’ she insisted. ‘You gonna come with me?’ What’s the book?’ Kaylee asked. ‘The new one by John Sweden, Tranquility.’ ‘Don’t sound like much,’ Kaylee said, ‘what’s it about?’ ‘It’s the story of a bunch of people and they uncover a government conspiracy.’ ‘Not my kinda thing,’ Kaylee said wrinkling her nose. ‘Anyway I promised to meet Bester.’ ‘You’ll regret it,’ her sister said. ‘See you later,’ Kaylee laughed.

……………………………………………………………………..

Next day Kaylee walked in to the cargo bay and looked round, feeling the excitement grow as she realised her life was finally starting. She hoped the Captain wouldn’t be the first person she met and her face flushed with embarrassment as she remembered the Captain’s angry voice when he’d found her and Bester together. She found her way up to the room she’d been allocated and put down her bags. ‘Important things first,’ she thought, pulling a long string of lights out of a bag and starting to fix them round the door. ‘You want some help with that?’ Zoe asked as she stepped down from the bridge. ‘Yeah – shiny, thanks,’ Kaylee smiled. Zoe kept the lights untangled while Kaylee fixed them round the door. ‘We’ve been on this rock longer than we reckoned on, so I’m goin’ in to town - pick up more supplies,’ Zoe said. ‘Guess this town’s like any other, they keep the best stuff for the townsfolk. I figured maybe you could help with that?’ ‘No problem,’ Kaylee agreed as she attached the last light. ‘I know where to go an’ who’ll give us some good deals. Let’s go.’

…………………………………………………..

Wash had spent some time in the town trying to find a romantic present for Zoe. He thought maybe then she’d stay and talk to him, instead of making some excuse about work that needed doing somewhere else. Chocolates or flowers would be traditional but chocolate wasn’t easy to find outside the central planets, and flowers – there were plenty of weeds growing but he didn’t think that would make the right impression. He couldn’t find anything. There was a strange little bookstore, but he didn’t know her taste and Zoe probably downloaded anything she wanted. He could buy her some lube oil for her gun and she’d probably appreciate it but it wasn’t very romantic. He wandered back in to the General Store and his eye was caught by a small chocolate cake covered in little pink flowers, green leaves and blue stars. Would she like that? It was a luxury and it was the only thing he’d seen that wasn’t either dull or useful. He wasn’t sure and he rubbed the back of his neck trying to think. This present-buying thing wasn’t his strong point. He guessed he could say he’d bought it for everyone if Zoe ignored him, but the Captain’d think he’d gone crazy. It cost him all the money he had left, but the assistant put it in a bag and he carried it carefully outside.

…………………………………………………….

Mal had stayed on board Serenity and was on the bridge checking the last details of their route when Bester wandered in. Mal looked up. ‘What you doin’ here?’ he frowned. Bester picked up one of Wash’s dinosaurs and looked at it while he said, ‘Mal you need me. You gonna trust this boat to that airhead?’ ‘I ain’t lookin’ to argue ‘bout this Bester,’ Mal replied as he shut down the screen. ‘An’ anyhow I thought you’d fixed up to go travel the central planets.’ ‘Might do Cap, but I got this piece of fei-oo in the sky and kept her there,’ Bester pointed out, putting the dinosaur back in its place. ‘She ain’t a piece…. and you didn’t – not for long,’ argued Mal. ‘That li’l mechanic did a better job’n you.’ ‘Just luck, she’s never even been up in a ship before. An’ you still owe me some coin for the work I did,’ Bester insisted. ‘Yeah,’ Mal said grudgingly. He’d given Zoe most of what they had for the supplies. If he paid Bester they’d have next to nothing and if the synchronizers finally went they’d be finished. There’d be no chance of making it to that job on Paquin. He opened a locker and brought out enough to pay Bester for his work. Bester nodded. ‘See you around Cap. If you change your mind………..’ Mal threw a coin in the air and caught it. ‘Guess that’s it,’ he thought looking at the coin. ‘Ain’t no more where that came from.’

…………………………………………………………..

Kaylee and Zoe had finished buying the supplies and Zoe was checking it all in on Serenity while Kaylee took a last look around. She’d said goodbye to everyone she knew and stood leaning against a fence, enjoying her last chance to be outside for a time. Suddenly she heard someone behind her and turned quickly. ‘Bester what you doing here?’ she asked. ‘Kaylee,’ he said, a hostile expression on his face, ‘you took my job from me.’ ‘Ain’t down to me Bester. I fixed it, you didn’t,’ she said. ‘You’re gonna go see the captain tell him you’ve changed your mind. You didn’t wanna leave your family,’ he said, standing so close to her she couldn’t escape one way or another. ‘Tsai boo shr, Bester. I got that job fair and square,’ she said with tears in her eyes. Zoe had been looking for Kaylee and could see that hwoon dahn Bester upsetting the new mechanic. Keeping her hand near her gun she headed towards them, but Wash got there first. He put what he was carrying down on the top of a post, grabbed Bester’s arm and forced him away from Kaylee. ‘Leave her alone you ching-wah tsao liou mahng,’ he shouted putting his face close to Bester’s. ‘Chur ni-duh Wash, what are you gonna do about it?’ Bester laughed. ‘This,’ Wash shouted grabbing the cake from the bag and pushing it in to Bester’s face. Zoe did a double-take then roared with laughter as a blue star began to slide down Bester’s face on to his shirt. ‘You’re kwong-juh duh Wash,’ Bester spluttered through the chocolate. ‘I’m gonna find me a real ship, not that heap of go-se you’re piloting,’ he said and he stormed off, trying to avoid the townsfolk who’d been attracted by the ruckus. Kaylee smiled at Wash , ‘You’re the pilot? Thanks, I didn’t know what to do - or say.’ Zoe joined them. ‘That was worth watching,’ she laughed, ‘we’re better off without him.’ Wash turned to Zoe with a look of real disappointment on his face. ‘Yeah, shiny, but that was a present for you, and it cost me everything I had left.’ ‘It was?’ she said with an amused smile. ‘Well it’s the funniest present I ever had,’ and she clapped him on the shoulder so hard it knocked the breath out of him, but she left her hand there while they made sure Kaylee was OK.

…………………………………………………….

Mal checked over the supplies Zoe had bought. There’d be enough for a while but if they didn’t reach Paquin on time they’d have to ration the food. The extra time they’d spent grounded had put a strain on the finances. He wasn’t in a good mood, but it got worse when he noticed all the boxes and crates piled up near the door. ‘Thought I’d hired a mechanic not a fashion model,’ he fumed kicking the nearest box. ‘Tzao-gao,’ he cussed as the heavy box stayed put, sending pain shooting up through his leg. His temper reached boiling point as he saw his first mate, his pilot and his mechanic heading towards Serenity laughing and joking, having a great time. Zoe was even leaning close to Wash sharing some hilarious comment. Had they been drinking? ‘Kaylee what in the tyen shiao duh is all this doing here?’ he shouted. ‘You’re here to do a job on this boat, not party. I ain’t takin’ all this fei-oo.’ Kaylee put her arm round him. ‘Is he always this tetchy?’ she asked. ‘All the time,’ Wash laughed. ‘My folks ain’t got much Capt’n but they ain’t gonna let me go out into the black without nothing,’ she explained, giving him her best angelic smile. ‘They gave us these crates of food. Then Uncle sent the boxes of rice and grandma gave a whole bag of coffee beans she’d put by.’ Zoe raised an eyebrow as she gave Mal an inquiring look, while he did his best not to look embarrassed and guilty about shouting at Kaylee. ‘…and sis,’ Kaylee continued, ‘she sold her most precious possession, a first edition John Sweden book, to buy me these.’ Kaylee opened one of the boxes and took out one of the synchronizers. ‘She didn’t wanna see me fall outta the sky,’ Kaylee smiled. ‘Life ain’t always mean, Capt’n. Sometimes you just gotta have faith in people.’