Disclaimer- Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy has the pleasure of owning Firefly, but I invented the rest. Sorry about the wait. Stacks of homework and a packed schedule have a way of preventing a person from writing. I also would like to apologize for any confusion that may be caused, but I'm sad to say that I don't really know where I am going with this story. Dedicated to IdiotChild- the inspiration behing Cas.

All By Myself **************************************************************** Chapter 2 The crew of The Messenger were gathered in the Infirmary. Greggors was sitting by the bed, dealing himself a game of Solitaire on the tray, seemingly oblivious to everything else around him. The war had changed Greggors, who had taken part in the battle at Lougier. It was considered one of the bloodiest battles, second only after Serenity Valley. One thing he never told anyone, including Cas, was which side he was on. Anyway, he was known by the crew to be slightly erratic- sometimes he would be off his own world, and sometimes he would be wild as a space monkey. Today was a quiet day for him. Rhee and Marco were sitting on the bench, listening to Cam read from his handheld. Cam’s little blonde head was bent in concentration as his round rosy mouth struggled to sound out the words on the screen. Both Rhee and Marco smiled at each other as they listened to their sweet little boy attempt to read ‘The Ugly Duckling’. Emma lay in the middle of the room, conscious but still in pain. She winced, but tried to hide it as she laughed with Cas and Kaylee over some lame joke. They were still laughing when the proximity alert went off. “That’ll be the planet” Rhee said, as she got off the bench and hurried out of the Infirmary. Cas followed and Greggors, snapping out his trance-like state, also exited the room. “Kaylee” the voice came from Cam, who looked up at her with the big blue eyes he inherited from his mother. “Can I go into town with you to get the parts for the ship?” Cam had shown a particular interest in mechanics, and Kaylee was more than happy to help along his curiosity. “Sure” she said brightly “If it’s okay with your Ma and Pa.” Cam turned to face Marco, who nodded his head with a wry smile on his face. “Thanks Pa!!! It’s gunna be so shiny!!” Cam headed off straightaway to go prepare for his trip into town.

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“And we’re sure she’s not the fugitive?” Emma said, her voice betraying a hint of pain. They had landed on Greenleaf, and Emma had been patched up by a friend of the ship who had extensive medical training. “There was a picture. Definitely doesn’t match. Besides, there were confirmed reports of the death of her, her brother and the entire crew on board a ship by the name of Serenity. There was however, a missing crew member. A young female mechanic who matches the description of our own Ms Tam.” Everyone took a moment to contemplate what Cas had just told them. Kaylee Tam, mechanic extraordinaire and understudy doctor, had apparently taken the last name of a federal fugitive, and was a potentially dangerous murderer. Of course, nobody wanted to voice the thought of Kaylee being a cold blooded killer, but it was there, in the back of all their minds. “So what do we do now?” asked Rhee. Cas thought for a moment. “Well there are a few options. We could leave it, see if she comes round on her own but that don’t seem likely. We could face up to her straight up, make her talk about whatever it is she ain’t telling us. Or we abandon her, dump her with the law. Any opinions on what we should do?” The crew wasn’t new to being asked for their input. Cas wasn’t like most captains, who preferred to run their boats like a dictatorship, no one else allowed to have their say. However, this was new terrain. What they decided could very well affect the rest of their lives. “Did it say anything in the report about how they were killed?” Emma said. “Only that they were brutally murdered, presumably by the missing ninth crew member.” Emma couldn’t make sense of it. Kaylee was a little quiet sure, but she didn’t seem the murderous type. In fact, she had been extremely kind to Emma, even giving her advice on her personal life. “But how do we know that she’s dangerous? I mean, if she was the killer- which I don’t think she is- why hasn’t she murdered us in our sleep by now? I mean, she’s had plenty of opportunity.” True, thought Greggors. But then again, maybe she was biding her time, laying low until she thinks she has the Alliance off her back. But when she thinks she’s safe, and she can get back to her sinful ways, we’ll be ready for her. Second rule of combat (after No. 1- Never give away your position) was to always expect a sneak attack. That’s right. She wouldn’t catch us off guard, no way. “Never again. Not me.” He muttered beneath his breath. Marco heard the nutter say something, but he ignored it, as he often did. His take on the situation was pure and simple- tie her up and make her talk. Marco didn’t like being made a fool of, and Kaylee had tricked into believing that she was all sweet and innocent. What a joke. “I vote for the second option. Only in a somewhat less obliging manner than you have in mind.” “Marco!” Rhee exclaimed quietly to her husband. Sure, she was upset at being deceived, but Kaylee seemed like a nice enough girl, and they could be making a huge mistake by accusing her. But in her mind she knew that she was simply entertaining false hope. There was no way Kaylee was completely innocent. “Maybe we should try to confront her, but I believe a non aggressive approach would probably be best in this situation” Cas thought for a second. They mostly seemed in agreement- They would confront Kaylee when she returned from town, and make her tell the truth. Cas had just wished that Kaylee had trusted them. Innocent or not, she was angry at Kaylee for that alone. “Okay, when she gets back from town-" Cas began before she was interrupted by a scream in the cargo bay, followed by Cam’s voice calling for help. Ma! Pa! They’ve taken her! They’ve taken Kaylee!” **************************************************************** Please review, let me know how I can improve XOXOX-FREDIKAYLLOW-XOXOX