CHAPTER 5 FRANKIE: She waited until Mal, Zoë, Jayne and Michael left to pick up the goods and then quietly slipped out, taking only what she had brought with her. She had wanted to say good-bye to Kaylee, but knew she would then have to explain. As she walked down the street she thought about whether she was better off now or before her time on Serenity.

JAYNE: All day, all he could think about was Frankie, he had surprised himself when he had called her ‘Baby’. He had never done that before, to anyone. When they got back with the cargo and headed off for Persephone he wandered around looking for her. He hadn’t thought to hard about not finding her, until dinner. There was no dinner, that’s when everyone realized no one had seen her all day. After a search of the ship they realized she truly was missing. “We gotta go back.” Jayne paced. “We can’t Jayne, cargo has to be on Persephone in two days and then we can come back and look for her.” Mal didn’t like it any more then Jayne, but they had no real choice, even Badger was worried. They decided she had gone shopping and they had left with out her. Jayne knew better, he knew she had taken the stuff she brought with her and nothing else. The shirt she had worn the night before was in a pile on the floor, as if it had been tossed in anger. He tried to think about what had happened that could have made her mad. He knew he couldn’t tell Mal with out telling him everything.

FRANKIE: She found the house at the end of the road, it had been harder then she thought to get the job she wanted, but turned out the Madam knew Marne. She started work that night and was tired enough to sleep the next day.

JAYNE: It was all he could do to wait for the ramp to be lowered. “It’s been almost a week, you really think you can find her?” Badger was right behind him on the ramp. “I’ll find her, you guys stay here, I’ll be right back.” He checked once again to be sure he had the drawing River had made. “Jayne, you find out where she is, you come back here and get us.” Mal yelled down at him, he turned and headed to the kitchen. “He’s good at what he does, Badger, he’ll find her.” Badger finally followed him. “I could contact my locals, they could help.” “If Jayne can’t find her, we will.” They sat down to wait. *** Half hour later he was back. “Mal!” He yelled as he came up the ramp. “Let’s go.” Book, Badger and Mal ran into the hold. “You found her? All ready?” Badger was impressed. “Come on, Mal let’s go.” Jayne almost didn’t come back for them and now he wanted to go. He walked back down the ramp and headed for the address he had. They had told him where Frankie was working. It was all Badger and Book could do to keep up with him. “We really need them?” He looked back at the two. “They wanted to come, she OK?” Mal asked Jayne looked at him. “She’s at a house.” He kept walking as Mal stumbled with the news. They stopped outside the house and waited for the rest. “Think we should go in quiet and ask the Madam if she knows Frankie.” Mal looked at the other two and he didn’t see Jayne shake his head and run up the stairs. “Frankie!” He yelled as soon as he got in. “Well OK, that works too.” Mal walked up next to Jayne. Jayne walked towards the back. “Frankie!” “I’ll check up stairs.” Mal went up two at a time. “She ain’t working the floor.” Jayne yelled up to him. “How you know that?” Mal came back down. “Frankie hated being a whore, she wouldn’t do it again.” “Mary Francis was a whore?” Badger looked around. Book looked at him. “That a problem for you?” “No, just surprised is all. Still want to marry her.” Jayne looked over his shoulder. “Over my dead body.” He mumbled to himself. Frankie came out of the kitchen at the commotion. “Whose calling, I told you I’m not working here as a…” She stopped when she saw them. “What are you guys doing here?” She gave Book a hug. “Well, noticed that you weren’t on the ship when we left.” Mal came up and gave her a hug. “Figured if you was leaving, you would have told someone. Didn’t want you thinkn’ we abandoned you.” He looked down at her. “How come you walked off? Kaylee was very worried.” “Can’t live off your kindness forever, needed a job. ‘Side thing just weren’t working for me.” She couldn’t help but look at Jayne and then Michael. “Gotta be more then that, Frankie. Why here, why now?” Mal saw the look she gave the men. “Seems all was OK until Badger came on board.” He grabbed Badger by the throat. “You touch her in anyway?” “Mal! Michael didn’t do anything. Put him down.” She grabbed his arm and pulled Michael free. She looked at Jayne, waiting for him to fess up. “Wasn’t Michael.” “Jayne?” With out even waiting for him to answer, Mal hit him and knocked him down. “You knew the rules Jayne. Frankie, come on we’re leaving.” He grabbed her arm and headed towards the door. “Wait, what about Jayne?” She jerked free and knelt down at his side. “What rules?” She wiped the blood off his face. “Rule about not touching the women on the ship.” Mal glared down at the pair. “What Jayne, you didn’t tell her?” “Is that why you didn’t want anyone to know?” She helped him sit up. “Yeah. Knew the Captain would get pissed.” In a very small voice, she asked. “So you weren’t ashamed to be with me?” “Huh?” He didn’t even understand the question. “I thought you didn’t want anyone to know, because you were ashamed of what I did for a living.” He gave her a ‘Don’t be stupid’ look and stood up. Mal knocked him down again. “Damn it, Mal. Stop hit’n me!” “Come on Frankie, get your stuff, we’re leaving.” Mal grabbed her arm again and moved towards the door. “Mal! You ain’t gonna just leave me here, are ya?” “Told you what would happen if you started up with anyone, you’re just lucky we ain’t on the ship.” It was Jayne’s turn to wait for Frankie to fess up. “I started it, not Jayne.” Frankie stopped quickly, making Mal stop too. “Day we ran into those Reavers. I followed Jayne down into his room….” He looked between them. “Still, Jayne knew the consequences.” “Seems I remember another crew member forgetting the rule when a beautiful young woman offered herself to him.” Book smiled at Mal until Mal accepted the comparison. “Fine!.” Mal stormed down the steps and wondered when he had lost control of his crew. “Let’s go.” Jayne stood up and followed Badger and Book out the door. Then he saw she wan’t behind him. “Frankie?” “Now you remember my name.” She turned and headed back to the kitchen. Mal stormed back into the house. “Now what?” “What you talking about, course I know your name .” “The other night, our last night. You forgot who you were with.” “Did not.” Jayne said defensively and looked at her like she was crazy. “You remember what you called me?” She walked up to him, fighting the urge to touch him. “Sure.” He looked around, not wanting to admit to the others what he had called her. “It’s what half these men will call the women they bed here tonight, not bothering to remember their names.” She took a deep breathe to settle herself. “Our first night together, at the house, you called me ‘Girl’ and that was OK ‘cause most of the men I had been with called me something like that. Honey, Sugar, Baby, anything but my name. Even the next time, in your bunk, you called me ‘Girl’, but I didn’t care, I was so scared. After that, you called me Frankie. I loved to hear you moan my name, it meant you knew me.” Mal watched Jayne’s face and realized how much hearing this bothered him. She took a step back from him. “Then that night after Kaylee’s party, after you were with that other women, you called me ‘Baby’, like you couldn’t remember who you were with.” Jayne bent down and whispered in her ear. “I never forgot who I was with, ‘Baby’ is what my Pa called my Ma, it was how he told her he loved her.” With that, he took her face in his hands and finished the kiss he started before…