CHAPTER 4

Jayne sat at the foot of his bed, his head pounded but he felt more relaxed than he’s ever felt in along time. He looked back at the naked woman in his bed and felt his mood begin to change. Willow’s body looked magnificent in the soft glow of the light in the small bunk. He hated himself for leaving his true love on Shadow to fend for herself with a kid he never had a chance to get to know. Willow had every right to hate him. But how she managed to get from Shadow to his home is something he will have to ask another time. He believed that once he had enough money they’d get away and start their lives together. But in the twelve years he’s been away he slowly forgot why he left her, until Willow’s love reminded him. “Honey? What’s the matter?” willow pushed the blankets aside and hugged her muscular man from behind, kissing his neck to comfort him. “It’s nothing, go back to bed.” Jayne glanced over his shoulder at the green eyes that stared intently back at him. Willow always could tell when he was lying. she had that gift that so many people had miss interpreted as being inquisitive. “Liar! What’s on you’re mind? I ain’t leaving you alone until you tell me.” Jayne took a deep breath and hugged Willow tighter. “Remember, back on Shadow when I left you at that whore house so your father wouldn’t find you?” Jayne pushed the beauty’s arm away with much love so he could look her in the eyes. Willow nodded and covered herself with a small blanket. “I hadn’t planned on leaving you there, it was just a safe house until I returned for you when it was safe.” Willow knew where this was going and put her finger on Jayne’s lips. “Shhhh, I know. I saw the warrant for your arrest.” She kissed him passionately. “I waited for a few months for the smoke to clear, and everyone forgot what you had done. By that time, I already knew I was pregnant and I felt that the whorehouse wasn’t a good place to have the baby. I used all my money to buy a small flat in the hills.” Willow looked down at her hands and tears started to drip down he face. “My father found me, then saw Judith in her crib.” Jayne took the crying woman in his arms, tears forming in his own eyes. Willow continued on. “He had his goramm lackeys burn the house down, I couldn’t stop them.” Willow looked into Jayne’s intense blue eyes for a moment. “They were going to kill me. They claimed I was a witch, but my father said that I was to walk the rest of my life with the burden of never seeing Judith ever again as my punishment. I’m never to set foot back on Shadow or else I will be burned alive.” At that moment she realized that her dad was bluffing, He was going to sell Judith in to slavery.

Once Willow told Jayne what she had figured out, Jayne knew what he had to do. He told Willow to stay in his bunk while he went to go talk to the captain. Jayne grabbed a pair of shorts and walked up the small ladder and opened the shaft. Jayne turned around and jumped. Mal’s half-naked body appeared through the darkness. “Goramm it Mal, what the hell you doing scaring me like that.” Jayne felt his heart speeding and felt like his captain was lucky he wasn’t caring his knife. “I was out on an evening stroll and I heard voices in your bunk, are you aware that we have less than eight hours to go before we knock on the Alliance’s door.” Mal looked into Jayne’s eyes and knew a problem with the plan has developed. “We need to change our course, I have to go to Shadow and find that rat bastard.” Jayne pushed Mal aside and headed for the bridge. Mal chased after him. “Shadow? That’s more than a week away, and besides, didn’t Willow say that the Alliance have Judith in their lab.” Jayne walked in to the bridge where he insisted on pressing buttons. Mal swore in Chinese and pushed Jayne away from the console “Don’t touch anything, let me do this.” He sat in the pilot seat while Jayne hung over his shoulder, breathing heavily with anger. Mal motioned him to move for he was breathing morning breath in his ear. “You know the toothbrush is still a handy invention. Back on earth that was, someone would be shot for having bad breath such as yours.” Mal joked as he set a course for his home planet.

“Welcome home Captain Renalds.” Kaylee walked down the ramp and hugged Mal as he starred out at the small village that had once been home. “Next, can we go see my home planet?” Mal looked down at the cute mechanic and kissed her on the forehead. “As long as you promise to never have kids on this boat.” Kaylee smiled and blushed a bit, that thought was far from her mind. Inara and Willow came out of the small shuttle, Willow didn’t even look like herself. In fact when the males of the crew saw her in the beautiful green and gold gown she wore their jaws all dropped. “Well, I can tell by the looks on all your faces that I’ve done a good job at disguising this beautiful woman into a companion.” Inara joked as she led Willow down the stairs to the loading dock. “I just hope that this’ll work, my father is a very intuitive man.” Willow looked down at the low-cut dress and insisted on fixing the cleavage that she hadn’t been aware she had. Mal cleared his throat. “Well my question is. Where are you planning on hiding that pistol of yours?” Willow smiled and proceeded to lift up the side of her dress, there in a small lace garter belt on her thigh, was her old fashioned six-shooter. “I also have back up, but I ain’t bringing it out just yet.” Willow dropped her dress and headed for the arms of Jayne. “It took me four hours to get her looking as good as she is, and I’m not about to do it over if you two can’t seem to keep your hands off eachother.” Inara walked passed the couple as she headed her way to the many shops in the small village. “Yeah but I bet I could have it off in four seconds.” Jayne joked back. As the crew looked in each shop looking for their reliable contact Mal stopped in front of the local bar. The crew looked at eachother and followed the captain in. The bald, fat man stood at a dark table in the back of the bar holding a pint of beer in one hand and waving with the other. Mal walked slowly looking over his shoulder in anticipation for a fight. “Welcome old friend, what brings you back here after all these years? I’m surprised you hadn’t died in the war.” “Tony Willcox, this is my crew, Jayne, Beatrice, Wash, and of course you know Zoë.” The man looked back at the faces of the four followers. “Zoë, what a surprise to see you here, your still lagging around with this twit?” Zoë smiled and hugged her former army buddy. Everybody grabbed a seat at the small table after shaking hands with Tony. “So, you told us a few days ago that you know the where about’s of a man named Frasier Skylor.” The man choked down the rest of his beer and slammed the cup down on the round table. “Depends, are you going to give me some alone time with the misses?” Willow looked at the fat guy in much distaste and rolled her eyes. “Beatrice isn’t a whore, she is a respectable companion and a member of my crew. So I suggest you show some restraint.” Mal snapped back and slammed down a brown sack filled with coins. “My mistake. Nowadays I have a hard time telling witch is which. The man took the bag of money and counted it in front of everyone. “And as for the info the man was seeing over at the slave compound looking over his investments.” Mal got up quickly and turned on his heals, Jayne got up and gave the man a stern look, he swore at him in Chinese then took Willow’s arm. They walked away from the table and left the man sit with the money. “Mal what kind of a contact was that?” Jayne yelled as he and Willow ran to catch up with the distraught captain. “Relax Jayne, what he doesn’t realize is that I paid him with his own money.” Mal showed them the bag of coins that he had in his pocket the whole time. The crew laughed as they walked back to Serenity.

Dr. Tamm walked around the slave compound looking at the many people purchasing and trading the beaten and bruised slaves. It made him sick that this kind of thing is legal. He wished that he didn’t have to witness the brutality, but he was the only one who looked the part of a slave buyer. “Can I help you young man?” Simon turned to the middle aged man in a maroon coat and a matching cowboy hat. “I’m looking to buy, ah….” Simon felt like he wouldn’t be able to pull it off. He felt just like he felt back on Canton. “OH I’m sorry where are my manners. I’m his Wife, and this young man just has a thing for particular slaves.” Inara walked up to Simon and grabbed his arm. “Hi honey! Am I late?” Inara kissed Simon on the cheek, and smiled at the old man. Simon looked at Inara stunned but not panicky “Yes, ah, I’m looking for a man named Fraiser Skylor. I heard he’s the man I’m to talk to for a particular slave.” Simon knew what he was doing now, and quickly got into character. “That’d be me.” The old gestured to shake the young couple’s hands. “Come with me I have a few new slaves that haven’t been broken in yet.” Inara smiled at Smiled at Simon and they walked arm in arm behind the sales man. They walked into a dungeon like cave where Simon heard children crying, women and men cursing at Fraiser as they walk by each cell. Inara felt her anger getting the best of her but if she unleashed it, she would blow their cover. “Do you happen to have a young child like slave born from a witch?” Simon saved Inara from having said something she might regret. “Do you want a midget slave, or an actual child slave. Cuz we got a lot of both.” The low light gleamed off the old mans head as he took off the hat to wipe the sweat off his face and forehead. “I would like a child slave, one about 12 years old? I heard you breed slaves and you sell them off at the age of 12.” The Man new what Simon was talking about, so he led them through the dark tunnel, lights only illuminating the cells enough to see how many there were in one cage. There was a door at the end of the cave and they entered through to a huge palace, that over looked the slave trading market. “Judith, come get these nice folks some wine.” Simon looked at Inara and she nodded. Simon hoped his Comm was on and coming up clear up so that the crew could hear the conversation back on the ship. Judith came out from the back room. Simon and Inara could see both Jayne and her mother in the eyes of the child, strawberry red hair, blue eyes and the same fair complexion as Willow. She wore a light blue slave’s dress. Judith came to greet the slave buyers like she has been shown for many years. She bowed her head and offered them a seat in the lounge. They followed Judith and sat down in stylish chairs. Mr. Skylor Sat across from Simon and Inara with a small computer on his lap. “Well what do you think of Judith, she’s the best I got. I’m thinking of selling her, for the rite price of course.” Fraiser leaned closer and handed Simon the compact computer. On the screen were Chinese letters and the price of 10,000 credits beside the picture of Judith. Inara looked over at Simon. Disbelief filled both their eyes.