For Disclaimer see part 1 (p.s. still don’t have any money)

Serenity’s Heart Part 2

We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies. ~ Shirley Abbott

On board Serenity

The tears flowed freely from Kaylee’s eyes down her cheeks. She was laying in her hammock in the engine room and had been every since she ran from the mass hall. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing any more then she could stop breathing. She knew it was coming from the time she entered the mess hall, she had see it in Mal’s eyes. She knew he was going to asks her, but she hadn’t been prepared for it. Wasn’t prepared for everyone looking at her waiting for her to answer. She had to run it was the only solution she saw at the time.

“So little Kaylee that was quite and exited you made there.” Mal’s voices brought Kaylee out of her musing. He surprise her so much that Kaylee forgot she was sitting in a hammock and shot straight up causing the hammock to tilted and throw her to the floor with a thud.

“Ow!” Kaylee said as Mal helped her up off the floor. She knew she was going to have to have a big bruise the next day.

“You okay there Kaylee?” Mal asked and when she nodded her head he stepped back letting her have some breathing room. “ So now that were alone you want to tell me what up with you?”

Mal was smart enough to realize when he was wrong. For it seemed to happen enough to her, and Mal knew now that he had made a wrong move in confronting the girl with everyone around. That didn’t mean the problem wasn’t there and that it didn’t needed to be dealt with. Mal had to get her to talk some way. Kaylee stood their, her head lowered as if there was something really interesting on the floor. Mal stood in the door way of the engine room so that Kaylee had no where to run. He waited patiently for the girl to answer him. Patients was something Mal had learned in the war. A person could go crazy on those long cold night with no word from HQ. You had to learn patients or surrender to insanity and Mal didn’t believe in surrendering to anything. So if Kaylee wanted to stand there all night staring at the floor, well Mal was ready to stand with her. Though he hoped she didn’t a good night sleep before a job is always a good thing.

“I’m a coward, captain.” Kaylee’s voice sounded strange to Mal like someone else was speaking through her.

“What are you talking about girl, there’s no cowards on my crew.” Mal told her.

“I couldn’t fight to save you Capt’. I just give up when they started shooting at me. I just got to scared to fire back, I couldn’t…. I cou…. I couldn’t take a life.” Kaylee whispered so low that Mal could barely hear her. He was about to tell her he was glad she didn’t kill anyone for him, but he didn’t have the chances cause she kept talking. “ I told him. I knew he was evil, but I was scared. That’s not an excuse, just a fact. He came from no where, threaten to rape me and I just told him where River was. She was my friend and I got scared and just give her away.” The tears stared flowing freely again, or then just never stopped Kaylee wasn’t sure which. Mal had to emitted, if only to himself, he wasn’t sure what he was excepting Kaylee to say, but that wasn’t it.

“Kaylee.” Mal said, but that was all he got out. He didn’t have the right words n him. Mal had never been a man of words, he was a man of action. But for some reason that one word was all Kaylee needed, for in that next minute Mal found his arm occupied hugging the small mechanic. She sought out his strength and protection. Like a little sister who went to her big bother after a bad nightmare. Mal was sure how long he stood there hugging, but it broke when Wash’s voice came over the intercom.

“Mal we’re approaching Rayas.” A confused looked past on Mal’s face as he let go of Kaylee and went over to the intercom.

“May I remind you Wash you said we weren’t going to make it to Rayas until tomorrow.” Mal said into the intercom.

“Yeah, well I’m great and managed to save a couple of hours off our fly time. You can shower me with undying gratitude later.” Wash’s voice crackled back through the intercom. Mal just shook his head at the inner laughter that he would never show on the outside.

“Okay little one, we got us a job to do, I need to know are you with me?” Mal asked. Kaylee wiped her hand over her eyes to get ride of the unshed tears. Truthfully Kaylee had no idea what just happen. She spilled her guts and she felted better. Not a lot, the guilt still ate at her, but after telling Mal and knowing now he didn’t see her any differently. When he hugged her and let her cry she felted the light again. It was a fleeting feeling gone as fast as it had come, but it was there. Kaylee realize this meant it wasn’t gone that she had a chances to get it back. That brought a smile to her face. The first true smile to come to her in the last three week. She smiled up at Mal who smiled back, realizing right away he was seeing the true Kaylee and not a mask.

“I’ll take that as a yes. You going to survive little one, we’re all here to help you.” Mal said and left Kaylee for the first time in three not worried about losing her.

***

Planet side: Rayas

Seth, the small brown hair man, stood near the landing platform and watch the firefly class ship Serenity prepare to land. He nervously jingle the coin in his pocket. He knew he had the simple job. Merely kept Mal and the other busy. Zack had the hard job of grapping the girl and getting off before anyone became the wiser. The thought didn’t settle him though. Word had gotten around that if you cross Malcolm Reynolds or his crew you wouldn’t live to regret it mainly because you wouldn’t live. Serenity touch down and Seth took a big breath while reminding himself that it was just a job like any other. The cargo bay’s doors open and Malcolm Reynolds stood there. Zoë, his first officer, stood to his right and Jayne, a ruthless mercenary, stood to his left. A complete crew background check had been done before they had every contacted them. Seth knew almost everything there was to know about the crew. If it was on the cortext, they knew it.

“Captain Reynolds, it is an honor to finally met you in person, my employer has heard many good things about you and your crew.” Seth said as he shook Reynolds hand hoping he could see through the thin mask he worn of a friendly business guy. If Captain Reynolds suspected anything he wasn’t letting on.

“We’re glad your boss is interested in hiring us. Now if we could just knew what you wanted us to carry we made be able to make a deal.” Mal told Seth, and the small man nodded eagerly.

“Of course, of course. If you come with me to warehouse three I will show you.” Seth replied following the scripted the old man gave him. He just hoped Reynolds didn’t start asking question the old man hadn’t thought of cause Seth wouldn’t know how to answer. Fortunately that seemed to suit Reynolds because he nodded in agreement and seth lead the three of them across the yard to the warehouse at the other end. As they walked Seth noticed Zack move from leading on one of the building and move to the ship, he just hoped the Captain didn’t see him too.

***

Zack watched as Seth led the three most deadest people on Serenity away from the ship. He laughed to himself at Mal stupidity. Unlike Seth, Zack had meet Malcolm Reynolds once before and found that he didn’t really care for the man. Reynolds tended to be overconfident in thing, but that didn’t mean Zack underestimate man. In his line of work one underestimation got you killed or worse. Mal had underestimated the situation he was in now and all he was losing was a crewmate, in that sense Malcolm Reynolds was a lucky man, and there was only a few of those in the verse.

Getting on to the ship was easy. They had left the cargo bay doors opened. Probably in anticipation of loading up the cargo quickly and then just leaving. They were unwittingly making his job easier. He entered into the cargo bay and right away blended into the shadow so that the ones who were left on the ship wouldn’t see him. He wasn’t expecting any trouble for them, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be careful. As he step out of the cargo bay and started to walk through the ship in search of his pray. Zack heard voices coming from the med lab.

“ The shadow comes to steal the sunlight.” A girl voice said in a factual tone.

“River, no one going to steal the sunlight. It not even possible to steal sunlight.” A young mans voice echoed after it calmly.

“They came to take the sunlight and seal it away in a box, so only they can see it.” The girl voice stand as Zack looked around a corner an into the med lab. A young man with neat cut brown hair stood holding a girl (River, Zack remember the boy calling her). The girl looked like she was trying to break the boy hold and would have if the boy hadn’t doped her with something that minute. Zack slipped back into the shadow. They no info on the boy or the girl River. They weren’t support to be there, they were an unexpected variable, and Zack didn’t like variable of any kind. He made his way away from the med lab, because the boy and girl was an unknown the best plan was to stay away from them if possible.

***

Warehouse 3

“I’m sorry there just something I wouldn’t carry on my ship.” Mal told the nervous man. The short, shaken man who meant Mal and his crew when they landed was a very jumpy sort of guy. Now Mal knew why that was. They stood in a warehouse full of toxics drums. The illegal dumping of toxics waste was one of the many factor that killed the earth that was. That way now of days the Alliance really creaked down on it. If the Alliance even suspected there was illegal toxics waste here they all be shot were they stood. Because of that and the fact that the stuff itself was really dangerous Mal had to refuse the job. Which was really to bad as seeing they were offering a lot of money Mal and his crew really needed.

“Are you sure Captain Reynolds. My boss is prepare to pay you half right now.” The worm of a man stated. Mal merely shook his head in statement that he would not change his mind and Seth sighed.

“It is understandable Captain. Not many would put their life endanger on so many leave, for just a bit of money. My boss has ensured me that in the event that you turn down I am to give you half the amount of money we offered you anyways. As compensation for coming so far out of your way.” As Seth finished he pulled out a pouch fill with money. In truth the money wasn’t for the trouble of Mal’s crew, but for the crew member they were as of right now taking. The boss believe that nothing could be gain without first giving something and that is way they were paying Malcolm and his crew. Seth saw the Mal was about to refuse his offer.

“Please captain, my boss, he is a very proud man. You would not want to insulted him by refusing him.” That seemed to convince him and Mal took the bag of money. Seth realize that this meant that his job was almost done and this made him calm down a bit. In a minute Mal and his crew would be back on their ship, Seth just hope that Zack had finished his part.

***

On board Serenity

Zack neared the engine room where he was cretin the girl would be. The hum of an healthy engine echo down the hallway. Zack had saw the small man they called Wash playing with toys, there would be no trouble from him. In the engine room the target was standing with her back to him working on something, though he had no idea what, but that didn’t matter. With out making a sound he creep closer to the girl until he was an arm length away then with the speed of any jungle cat he put out a needle and stuck it into the girl’s neck. The only sound the girl made was an whisper “oh” before she fell right into his arms. She was out cold and would be for a couple of hours. Zack lifted the girl onto his shoulders like she weighted nothing more then a feather. He knew he had to exist quickly so not to run into Mal and the other. With on quick look around the small engine room Zack slipped back into the shadow carrying the girl, leaving the ship as if he was never there.

As he carry the girl onto the ship were the boss was waiting Zack saw Mal and the other enter back on to serenity. It didn’t matter though by the time they realize what had happen the boss, him and Seth would be long gone. Zack smiled at that thought as he walk into the med lab of the Iliad (the ship own by boss) where he knew the boss would be. Sure enough as soon as he enter he saw the old man standing there waiting from him.

“How is she? You didn’t hurt her, did you?” The old man asked as Zack putted the girl down so the old man could see that physically she was okay. He looked her over then turn his attention to Zack.

“Seth got on board a minute ago I want us out of here before Mal realizes what we have done.” He said and Zack nodded leaving the old man in the med lab with the girl by himself. Once he was alone the old man turned back to the girl.

“My sweet little Kaylee, once again we are together.”

*** Sorry it took so long, please tell me if you like it.