Angelle is mine, the rest is Joss's. =========================================

Serenity....the finest lady to ever be beholding the name and a damn fine ship if I do say so myself and well, I do. Now, I am sure most would look at the old Firefly class vessel and respond with a 'what's so good about it?' After all, there are laser scars on the sides and a few asteroid pots on her roof, plus you can see she's barely holding together half the time, but again you weren't born brown and don't realize that a ship without character, well, is no ship at all.

My father has owned a few vessels in his time, Betsy Lou being the most recent, though I don't think you can really compare a space vessel to our old Mud Mule. She was a good old girl, but space travel was hardly in her bio. She mostly pulled others out when they over shot our very small landing pad, which happened more times than not. Serenity, though, was definitely classier by far than the other Firefly transports I had been in. For one, it didn't smell like old feet and with that, I could tell this ship had women aboard and not just the Sarge's shadow. Her engine also sounded clean, not run down and praying to be put down if you get my drift.

"Welcome to Serenity." A red head with more charm than a king cobra sauntered up to me and stuck out her hand, her smile enough to make anyone sick with happiness.

"Thanks." I let her shake my hand, my eyes surveying my surrounding as I heard Mal coming up the plank behind me.

"Kaylee, stop scarin' our passenger." He barked and the young girl looked at him, a bit hurt. I felt sorry for her for an instant before she smiled again,

"Oh, he don't mean that. I'm Kaylee, but I guess you already know that. I'm the one keeping Serenity together."

"Most call me Angelle."

"Now that's a pretty name, Angelle." She let it roll off her tongue like a sweet taste of the finest wine. Made me a bit uncomfortable at first, but then after living in a place where sane people are rare, I let her contagious cheerfulness bring a smile to my lips. "How you like her?"

At first, I wasn't sure what her she was referring, but then I figured it was either the boat or her imaginary friend. I was betting on the ship. "She is beautiful. As pretty as the valley she named after, at least after the land was able to recover some."

"You familiar with the valley?"

"I'm practically attached at the hip to it. My dad was your captain's old war buddy."

"Well, then why didn't you say so? You're family." She laughed and grabbed me about the neck in a tight hug. Now, I have been greeted in a lot of manners by a lot of different people, but ithis had been the first greeting that left me completely speechless, and for a girl who lived around about thirty burling war veterans all thinking you their kin, well, trust me, that's saying a lot.

"I'm flattered, I think." She finally let go after Mal cleared his throat and I was on to the next of his crew, a strapping man, who had a death grip on a very large and I must admit gorgeous gun."Wow, she's beautiful."

"Are you talkin' 'bout Vera?" he grumbled, raising the beaut as to give me a proper gander.

"That's a Callahan full-bore auto lock with customized trigger double cartridge thorough gauge. Damn, those are hard to come by any more." "You've seen one of these?"

"Hell, man, I've fired one of those. My father's best bud has one. We use it to keep the gators from our swamp cows back home. Only problem is if you miss the gator and hit a cow, well, there ain't much left, but hamburger."

"Mal, can we keep her?" The mercenary looked sheepishly at Mal, or at least as much as a tough, battle scarred man can look and stuck out a paw my way, tossing Vera to his other hand. "Jayne."

"Angelle, nice to meet you and your Vera."

"Well, looks like your Jayne's new best friend." Mal's shadow spoke to the right of me, her body standing alert and almost as if a bit wary of me. I could tell it was her job to do so and to feel offend would be like getting mad at a dog for protecting its owner's property, not that she was anything close to a dog, but well, you get the idea.

"Dad always said way to a man's heart might be his stomach, but the way to earning his trust is to complement his hardware."

"Your old man's crazy."

"Damn right he is, but in a fire fight, I've learned either you're crazy or you're dead."

"You're Sam's alright. Call me Zoe."

"Angelle, as if you haven't figured that out. Believe me when I say, it is a pleasure to finally meet the Shadow my father always spoke of."

"Remember sometimes fiction can be a lot pretty than reality."

"True and my father can exaggerate with the best of them, but anyone who served on the front lines of the war deserves every exaggeration they can get." I knew Zoe was uncomfortable being looked at as a hero and in a way, I didn't blame her. Most of them were looked at as pests and traitors, unless they found Independent friendly air to rest in. Guess that's why my father founded the Bayou. Alliance didn't like swamps and their large ships couldn't land too well in the muck we called home. Though it was fun when they tried and we had the large cannons mounted on Betsy Lou. I realized something real fast. Gators don't care much if you're purple, they just like the fact that you crunch.

"Mal, did you get my supplies?" Out from the infirmary door emerged a young man, who in a few ways, didn't match the rest of the crew. He looked down right proper, almost prissy, (Yes, I did say that filthy word, but it wasn't directed at me so we're OK.) "Oh, I didn't realize we had company."

Kaylee ran over to take his hand leading him toward me and giving me that implied reasoning they were something of an item. He smiled, though a little more nervous than the others and took my hand. It was a light shake, not firm like Jayne's had been and almost immediately he let go, stepping back a bit. "Simon, ship's doctor."

"Angelle, ship's passenger." I grinned, trying hard to look all manner of harmless. Thankfully, the three guns I carried on me were concealed as well as the bowie knife. "Nice to meet you."

He nodded and then looked over my shoulder as I followed his eyes. Behind me and now coming around was a young, maybe all of twenty probably less, girl, who, if I was right, was smelling the air around me. Again, I have met some crazy and all but normal people in my lifetime and in a way, this was nothing new. In fact, the day you have some women walk up to you and tell you that in your first life, you were corn bread....again I say corn bread, well, you have seen and heard just about everything. Still, you are not always ready for it.

"You smell like methane."

"River!" Simon scolded, but I raised my hand.

"I'm from the bayou. Believe me, I've heard worse."

"And you have animal teeth around your neck." I chuckled at that and let my hand travel to the necklace with its half a dozen gator teeth adorning it.

"Gator teeth. They are something of a novelty where I come from." Guess it was a good thing I wasn't wearing my rat tail earrings. You laugh at that, but wait until you see them. I reached to undo the chain and handed them over. The girl took them from my hand gingerly and then, like a scared deer, took off running.

"River!" Both Kaylee and Simon called, but the girl was long gone. "I'm so sorry."

"Please. A good night hunting back home and I'll have that completely replaced. She's nice."

"I've tried to teach her better, but well..."

"She's a bit touched in the head." Jayne replied, receiving a look from Simon and Kaylee that if a bullet was behind would have ended the merc in his tracks.

"Aren't we all?" I smiled and then placed a hand on Simon's shoulder. "Seriously, it's no big.”

“You sound like you've dealt with ones like River before.” It was a voice even an angel would be jealous of or one that would earn a standing ovation in a night club. “Only on a rare occasion, like every day.” I turned and there was the most beautiful women I had ever seen and I've seen a lot. Her hair was the color of onyx and she was dressed to the hilt with a dress definitely not bought from some store window. “You're a Companion.”

“Mal must of said something.” It might have just been me, but she seemed a bit offended.

“Could tell by the make of your clothes. Most others don't make that kind of money and those that do, well, their jobs require something a bit more practical.” Mainly, slacks that are free flowing and something that doesn't glitter under the lights. That mistake can give away one's position. I would be better off painting a bullseye on my forehead. By the way, if my father tells you that story, he's completely full of it, I swear.

“My name is Inara. I rent out the one shuttle.”

“Interesting. Bet you open doors for this ship.”

“That she does.” Mal added and I could feel a bit of sexual tension that even I couldn't ignore. Maybe this was my cue to be jealous, but again, the whole girl thing escaped me.

“Angelle and if I offended you...”

“Not at all. I hope you enjoy your stay on Serenity.”

“Thank you. So where's the pilot?” It was important to know the one driving. After all, I wanted to make sure I met everyone, instead of getting surprised later on.

“It's usually either me or River. Our pilot died awhile back. Reavers...” Mal tossed a look toward Zoe, one I couldn't quite read.

“Sorry for that.” Instead of prying any more into the subject, I changed it. “I really do appreciate you all lettin' me ride with you.”

“You said Whitefall? Right?” Mal asked again.

“I did.” I turned to him.

“Well, I'll let Kaylee show you your room and Jayne, let's get the supplies loaded. 'Nara, you done here?”

“I am.” She answered back. “Good. Well, let's get this boat loaded and in the air.”