Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. It's just fun to write about them. =o)

Past, Present, & Future By KaySky Part Two

The Frye Clan was in the midst of planning an engagement party for Simon and Kaylee. There were people to invite, food to be made, and tables to be set. Everyone was doing what they could to pitch in.

Simon, Kaylee, Mac, Andrew, and Danielle were in charge of setting up the tables.

“So how did Emma get out of helpin’?” Kaylee asked her brother-in-law, Andrew.

“She had some stuff to do in town. So I took the kids and told her I’d cover until she finished.” Andrew and Emma had met in the second grade. They hated each other. Ten years later they couldn’t get enough of each other. A year after that they were married.

“So you didn’t tell her?” Kaylee grinned. “What the occasion is?”

“Kaylee, I learned a long time ago to stay out of the Frye girl’s business.” Sports were Andrew’s addiction. He played everything from football to hockey. He loved the feeling of pure adrenaline flowing through his body when brawls arose. Yet, one sign of the Frye girl’s fighting and he went running in the other direction.

“I always wanted a sister. A sister would have to be more interesting than a brother.” Danielle said. Kaylee was so excited when Simon told her Danielle was here. She had to invite her over.

“Brothers are better.” Kaylee squeezed Mac’s arm and gave him a smile. “Sisters are too complicated.”

“And that has nothing to do with you?” Andrew questioned. He and Mac were both laughing.

“Me?” Kaylee asked all innocently. “She starts it.” She rolled her eyes.

“Simon, be thankful you and Kaylee live on Serenity.” Andrew knew from experience that getting in between the two younger Frye girls was not pleasant. “Kaylee and Laney can be rather difficult.”

“It’s hard to picture Kaylee being difficult.” Simon looked at Kaylee. She was so easy going. She always wanted to please everybody.

“Kaylee has no reason to be difficult in the black. She’s not competing with anyone there.” Andrew said.

“Laney and I don’t compete with each other.” All eyes were on Kaylee. They eyes of her family members didn’t seem convinced.

“When they were babies we thought Laney was jealous she wasn’t the baby. Later we thought Kaylee was tryin’ to keep up with her big sister. Finally we realized those two’s goal in life was to outdo the other.” Mac said.

“Mac, don’t ya think Laney and I have grown outta that?”

“No, I think you got a job on a ship and distance delayed the competitions.” He said. “Why do you think she reacted the way she did to you gettin’ married?”

“Who cares if I get married before her? It ain’t like she’d be the only single one. There ain’t a girl in the ‘verse that can tame you.” She grinned at her older brother.

“On the subject of boys alone you had your first kiss before she got hers. You had your first date before she had hers and, I really hate the fact that I know this, but you were havin’ sex first.” Over the years Mac had developed a ‘big brother stare’. It was very similar to Cole Frye’s ‘father stare’. It more or less implied listen to me I am old and wise. “She’s your older sister and she hasn’t done anything first.”

“Well if she’s wasn’t such a prude…”

“It just ain’t boys, Kaylee. It ain’t easy being stuck between you and Emma. Emma is the complete version of mom and you, well your…”

“The complete version of you?” Kaylee said.

“More or less, now how would you like to be stuck between me and Emma?” He placed his hand on Kaylee’s shoulder. “You’d never get a chance to shine, would ya?”

Kaylee stepped back, letting his arm fall down. She crossed her arms over her chest with a pouty look on her face. She knew he had a point.

Sam Frye came walking over to the group. “Ma’s got lunch goin’. Laney’s brining some boy. She said get cleaned up and look pretty.”

“I think ma was referin’ to you on that last part.” Mac said as he and Kaylee laughed at their brother. “You seen a mirror lately, Sam?”

Sam had been busy cleaning out the stables. He was always the klutzy one in the family, but how he managed to get straw in his hair and dirt all over his face was a mystery. Not to mention his tee-shirt was on inside out and his entire backside was covered in hay. “What?” He said oblivious to his appearance.

“Sammy, what exactly were you doin’ in the barn?” Kaylee was laughing so hard she could barely speak. “Cause, you don’t get that much hay on you unless…”

“Good to know we’re doin’ work while you an’ Molly take a roll in the hay.” Growing up Mac was always looking out for Sam. He is the youngest of the brothers and seemed to always be getting in trouble.

He didn’t think to brush off the hay. His face turned red. “Ah…great day for a party, ain’t it?” He gave them all a cheesy smile, turned around, and headed for the showers.

* * * *

It was such a beautiful afternoon they were all eating outside. They pushed several tables together, making room for everyone.

Laney came walking over to the tables with a boy right beside her. There was a certain familiarity about this boy.

“You’ve got to be kiddin’ me.” Mal said.

“Hey, Mal!” The boy yelled. “And Zoe, Wash…Kaylee!” He sat down in an empty chair that sat across from Kaylee and next to Wash. “What are you guys doin’ here?”

“Think the better question is what are you doing here, Bester?” Mal asked.

“You know each other?” Laney asked surprised.

“Yeah, Laney-Lane, me and Kaylee had a thing. How do you know Kaylee?”

“She’s my sister.” Laney was irritated. Kaylee had to get her paws on everything that was hers.

“No way!” He laughed. “You are really sisters?”

“Ain’t somethin’ we’d be makin’ up, Bester.” Kaylee said. Of all the people on this planet, why did her sister have to date him?

“Define thing?” Simon asked, turning to Kaylee.

* * * *

“Kaylee Frye, yes?” The man said.

Emma was scared out of her mind. She went shopping so she could look for an engagement gift for her sister. Nowhere in her mind did she think she’d get kidnapped.

She remained blindfolded, but the man removed the gag from her mouth so she could speak. “Kaylee Frye?” He asked again.

“No…” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she muttered the simple word.

“No? What do you mean by no?” The man became angry. “You are not Kaylee Frye?”

“Never heard of her.” She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what to say. She had never been in this type of situation before. She was scared. She wanted Andrew. He could protect her. All she knew was this man had meant to kidnap Kaylee. She couldn’t give any information about her sister.

“For never hearing of her, you look a lot like her.” He had the picture in his hand. His eyes glanced at Emma and back to the picture. There was a strong resemblance. If this girl in front of him wasn’t Kaylee, maybe she was related.

“I’ve got that kind of face.” She cried. “What do you want with me?”

“I want Kaylee Frye. She has a debt. I am here to collect.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. Please let me go.”

“Let you go?” He laughed. “I cannot do that. See, if I let you go, you would tell Kaylee, no?”

“I don’t know anyone by that name!”

“Okay, you are not Kaylee Frye, so who are you?”

“Not Kaylee Frye.” She mumbled.

“You are upsetting me. I do not like to get upset.” He paced back and forth across the room. “Maybe you lead me to Kaylee Frye?”

“I can’t lead you to someone I don’t know.”

“Okay, I let you go.” He stopped, rethinking his thoughts. “Yes, I let you go.”

“Huh?” Emma knew there had to be something more to it. He wasn’t just going to let her go.

“What you say, you say you are not Kaylee Frye. Is this true, yes?”

“I’m not Kaylee, but…”

He took Emma by the arms. He was going to take her back to where he had taken her. He would let her go knowing that she had to go home at some point. He had a feeling that home might lead him to Kaylee. * * * *

Lunch was very awkward. The only one who seemed to be enjoying himself was Bester. “So how she flyin’?” He asked.

“Well now that you ain’t the mechanic she actually stays in the air.” Mal said.

“So you are the mechanic Kaylee replaced?” Mac was starting to piece together the story.

“I wouldn’t say I was replaced…”

“I like the term fired.” Wash said.

“Well, I think he’s a wonderful mechanic.” Laney defended him.

“That comin’ from a girl who knows nuthin’ ‘bout fixin’ things.” Sam, klutzy or not, was just as protective brother as Mac was. He was sure there was a good reason not to like Bester. It just hadn’t come to him yet.

“This comin’ from a boy who got his head stuck in the banister.”

“I was nine!” He said defensively. “‘Least I ain’t never courted any of Mac or Ryan’s leftovers.”

“Children!” Cole Frye raised his voice. “We do not argue at the table.” His eyes directed themselves at Sam. “Apologize to your sister.” He shifted his glance to Laney. “Apologize to your brother.”

“Sorry.” They both said in unison. Neither one meant it.

“You aren’t children anymore. You’ve grown up enough to know better than behavin’ like them.” His gaze shifted to all his children. “We have rules in this house. Not living here anymore isn’t an excuse for breaking them.”

* * * *

Emma needed to find Andrew. He’d know what to do. She knew he wasn’t at their house. He would be at her parent’s place.

By the time Emma made it to the house lunch had died down. Her parents were inside with Shepard Book, who offered to help clean up. When she got closer to the yard, Mac was the first person she saw. She went running up into her big brothers arms and shed her tears.

“Emma, what’s wrong?” Mac hugged his sister in shock. He’d never seen her like this before.

It was hard saying the words, but she managed to get out what she could. “He thought I was Kaylee…got mad that I wasn’t. He’s gonna find her. I know it.”

Others began to notice Emma and Mac.

Andrew included. “Honey, what’s wrong?” Emma shifted from Mac’s arms to her husbands.

“Mac,” Kaylee said. She couldn’t remember ever seeing such a look on her brother’s face. “What happened?”

“Not entirely sure. Emma thinks someone’s after you.” He said softly. “Kaylee, you ain’t leavin’ my side ‘till we work through this, you understand, sis?” His voice shifted to a serious tone.

“Mac…” Kaylee began to say.

“I don’t wanna hear it, sis” Mac starred down at her and looked back up at the rest of his brothers and sisters. “Emma you ain’t goin’ nowhere unless Andrew or me is with you. Laney, you stay with me or Ryan at all times, understood? Sam you and Molly keep an eye on all the kids.”

“He doesn’t want anyone, but Kaylee.” Emma pulled away from Andrew’s embrace. “Kaylee’s got a debt to pay, he said.”

“Debt?” Tears were forming in Kaylee’s eyes. Simon came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, trying to offer her a little comfort. “I ain’t got any debts.”

“Its okay, meimei.” Mal said. “We’ll find out who’s behind this. Ain’t nothin’ to get all upset about.”

“Enemies of the past died. Their debts did not.” River whispered. “He collects on the living.”

The only one to hear River’s whisper was Danielle. Danielle was shaken up just like the rest. She searched for answers to River’s riddle.

River turned and faced Danielle. “My brother tells me to stay out, but it’s hard to.”

To be continued...