For disclaimer see part 1 (p.s. still broke) Serenity's Heart Part 5 If we open a quarrel between the past and the Present we shall find that we have lost the future ~ Winston Churchill Onboard Tiffany’s Space Station It was finally time for Tiffany to tell the story that she had told herself she would never tell. After her shocking outburst in the hall of her own station, that left the whole of the Serenity’s crew speechless, Tiffany decide to just tell them everything. After all there was no point in hiding anymore, he had won. She depressingly thought of all the planning, all the time that was now wasted because he now had Kaylee. Tiffany was mad, at the Serenity’s crew for letting Kaylee be taken, at herself for not foreseeing this, and at the verse for not giving them a break, not once. She lead the crew to her mess hall since it was the only place on the entire station that had enough seats, to sit everyone. Everything there was cover by a thick layer of dust showing how much she actually used the room. After everyone had taken a sit Tiffany stood calmly in forth of them. “So I’m guessing you’ll all will want to knew the whole story now.” Tiffany said and everyone just started back at her expectantly. “Right.” She said with a heavily sigh. “Okay the story I’m about to tell you is a long one. All I asked is that you wait until I finish to say anything.” She said and everyone nodded but not one said anything. “When I was young, like 15, I live on the same planted that Kaylee did. I was actually there the day she was born. Her parents, her mom and dad, they were so proud. In their eyes she was the most perfect little girl ever. She was their first child and they spoiled her rotten. See her parent were not from the outer planets. They were from a nice inner planet. Kaylee’s father the son of a very wealth man who made ships for a living. Apparently their family had been in the ship making business since before the fall of earth. It was even rumored that something like her great, great, great, great, great, grand father had built the most advanced ship of old earth and that it still existed today somewhere. Now that is just a legend, but what is true is that her grandfather was a man who was obsessed with it. So obsessed that he drove his own son away looking for it. I was just a kid at the time, but I made my spending money babysitting all the locate kids while their parent were at work. Kaylee’s parents ran the one business that employed most of the people in the small town we were raised in. It was a small ship yard. It build parts of ships for her grandfather bigger ship yard. Anyways I used to babysit Kaylee. She was never any trouble at all, a very happy little girl and she got on well with the other kids. I only meet the old man once. He was visiting the ship yard and seeing his new granddaughter. It wasn’t any secret that he didn’t like his son’s wife, but he loved his granddaughter. The one time he was there I was coming over to pick up Kaylee to play with the other kids. Kaylee was only like 2 at the time and I caught a bit of the argument that they were having. It seemed like Kaylee’s grandfather had found a ship that he think was the one from the legend, but there was some sort of problem. The grandfather believe that Kaylee was the key to fixing that problem. Kaylee’s father didn’t want his daughter to be dragged into his father weird obsession like he was when he was little. I didn’t catch the rest of the argument because Kaylee’s mom had me take her to play then. I heard later though that Kaylee’s father had kick her grandfather out and told him never to return. He didn’t visit that small town again from what I heard. Then about 3 years later, when Kaylee was five. I had taken her and a group of kids from the town out on a hike that day.” Tiffany stop for a second as she remember in her mind how bright the day had started out. She could still remember how the kids were laughing and playing around as they went through the woods. Everyone around the mess hall remained quite waiting for her to continue, knowing that what she said next was not going to be pleasant. Finally she got the will to continue. “About midday I decide to start heading back to the town. We were a little ways out on top of a big hill that through the tree line you could see the town. I thought that the parent would soon be wondering were their kids were. That when Tommy saw it. Tommy was another kid I watch he was just 7 at the time, but he had this sense to him, he knew something was coming before the rest of us. A ship, a reaver ship flew in low. From our location we could see it all. They landed right in our home town. I knew what was about to happen. As quick as I could I round up all the kids and we hid in a cave on that hill. I made sure none of them could see or hear what was happening below. Now I can’t remember how long we hid there. I had 10 kids with me, scared out of their minds and I was the one that had to keep them safe. At 18 that was a heavily load. I do remember that the sun set at one point. I left the kids to look down at the town. The image in my mind will hunt me for the rest of my life. The reaver were gone but I saw the town in the light of the setting sun. Everyone…everyone that it knew they were…..they were. Well you knew, no one lived after a reaver get to them. I put Lily, another kid from the town who was 13 at the time, in charge of all the kids I went back down into the town. I told her, that if I did not return in a day time to take the kids and run. Run and to not look back once. I knew we would need supplies I hope the reavers would have left something. I… images that I saw when I got down there hunt my nightmares till this day. I manage to find some supplies searching the houses. When I made it to Kaylee’s house it was a last I had to do. I saw right away her mother dead body, next to it was Kaylee’s father’s body. I thought he was dead too, there was so much blood I didn’t see how he couldn’t be. That why when he grabbed by leg I scream like I had never screamed before in my life. He was a live, but it wouldn’t be for long and he knew it. Also he knew I had the kids. He told me the number to his safe so that I would have money to help all the kids I had to take care of. He told me one thing to, he told me… no that wrong he asked me to keep Kaylee out of the reach of his father. He said that if he ever got his hands on her it would mean her end. He also warned me that his father was dangerous and would stop at nothing to get want he wanted. I made a promised to a dieing man that I would protect his daughter and I did up until right now. Thanks to all of you I have broken my promise.” “Hey now wait..” Mal started but Inara stopped him. “What did you do with all the kids, how did you all survive?” Inara asked over Mal’s completing. “It wasn’t easy.” Tiffany answered. “The nearest town to us was a go 3 day hover car ride and I was walking it with 10 little kids the youngest being Kaylee at 5 and the oldest being Lily at 13, but somehow we all made. It was hard but I found homes, families willing to take in all most all of the kids. I did lost one. Not on the walk but shortly after we go to the new town. William, he was 6 at the time and everything was just to much for him. He die in his sleep before I even knew anything was wrong, but everyone else I made sure had a home. Kaylee I made sure she had a home with people who would be moving around a lot, harder for her grandfather to track. I left the town soon after, found myself some work made money so one day I could buy this. I kept in touch with all the children. A lot of them have married and had some kids of there own. Some have left the planet for a better life. One more die in the war. Kaylee was really good at keeping in touch with me. I made sure she knew the about her grandfather. I think that way she left that message on your ship to find me, but like I said before its all over now.” **** Onboard the Iliad The old man sat in the caption room on his ship watching the stars fly passed his window. He had left Kaylee to her sleep only an hour ago, but he could find such sleep himself. He was much to excised about what was to come. He hadn’t been this excised since he was a young boy and his father would tell him story of the great ship. Soon he would have it and everything would be put right again. He would show his son and he would agree that it had all been for the greater good. Yes the old man was sure that once the ship was running again his son would see the errors of his way and would forgive the old man at last. ****

So wow I haven’t work on this one in a long time, but hey I’m back now and I’m going to try and keep this one going. I really like this story and I think it has a lot to be done with it. I hope you all are enjoying it and please review and tell me what you think.