Disclaimer: See part 1 (yep still not money)

Serenity’s Heart Part 3

Courage is not the towering oak that sees the storms came and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow. - Alice Mackenzie Swaim

On board Serenity Mal was feeling a wide variety of emotions. The strongest of them was anger and confession. When he, Zoë, and Jayne had finally made it back to the ship with the bag of money for doing nothing he had found out Kaylee was nowhere to be found. According to Wash, the young mechanic was there one minute and not the next. Mal didn’t like not knowing what was going especially when it had to deal with his crew or his ship. Next to him Inara stood a worry look settle on her face, she had been in her shuttle the whole time they were gone. Kaylee was supposed to come see her when the young girl had finish what she needed to do on the engine. When she didn’t show Inara had gone looking for her. She was the first to realize that Kaylee was missing.

“Wash I’m going to asks you this one more time and this time I better not hear I don’t know out of you. Where is Kaylee?” Mal asked his voice dripping with anger. His eyes narrowed onto the small man who now shrunk under his intense gaze.

“Mal I don’t know what to say. Last I saw her, Kaylee told me she was going to work on the engine.” Wash answered him quickly knowing it wasn’t the answer Mal was looking for, but it was the only one he had.

“Sir, Kaylee wouldn’t leave the ship without telling someone first.” Zoë stated drawing Mal attention from her husband.

“If that true, then where the hell is she?” Mal asked his first officer practically shouting. She knew though, that he wasn’t mad at her, but at himself for not being there for whatever had happened to Kaylee. Zoë had been through the war with him. She had been with him longer then anyone else he knew. He looked to her when he didn’t have the answers. This time though, he knew she didn’t have the answers either.

“Maybe this would help.” Shepard Book said as he entered into the mass hall where everyone was gathered. Well accepted for River, whom Simon said was sleeping off one of her fits. Book was holding up a needle. Mal reach out and grab it out of his hand. He turn the needle around in his hands and on it, he found a symbol that he had never seen before.

“Where did you find this?” The captain asked with a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.

“On the floor of the engine room.” Book answered conferring Mal’s fears. Mal handed the needle off to Simon who was had been standing on the other side of him.

“Check it out maybe there something still in it or something else that can tell what the hell is going on round here.” Simon nodded and quickly left the room happy to be able to do something, anything to help Kaylee. Also he didn’t ready want to be around Mal when he was in this kind of mood, when Mal was mad people tended to get shot and Simon really didn’t what to be that person today.

“Also.” Book spoke again once Simon had exited the room. “I found this in the engine room too.” He was holding up a nicely craved wooden box. There was something on the top of the box craved right into the wood, written in both English and Chinese. Mal took the box and read it out loud.

“In case of death or disappear.” For the plain reason that the box was found in the engine room Mal knew Kaylee had put it there for no one else store stuff in that room, it was Kaylee’s room, her sanctuary. He did find it a bit weird that she had a box for such a time as this. Slowly he opened the lid not sure what he would find inside. Resting inside the purple velvet lined case was a black box shaped device with a small blood red button. Careful Mal lifted it out of the box and placed the device on the table before pressing the button, after all he had no idea what it would do. He press the red button down and everyone gather around as the device started to emit a whirling sound. Mal jump back when a small holographic image of Kaylee appeared on the mess hall table. Everyone else took a step closer to see what it was, Wash even went so far as to put his fingerer through it, but quickly pull it out when the image began to talk.

“If you are listening to this message then I have gone missing, or more likely I am dead.” The image of Kaylee sighed deeply before continuing on. “I regret nothing of my time aboard Serenity. My home world were I was rise always lived with in me, but Serenity was my heart and soul. Its crew was my family. Now Capt’ I know you want to blame someone, to make someone pay, but I don’t want any blood spilled in my name I just asks that when you choose a new mechanic that you let Wash pick the person. Or else you’ll end up with someone like Bester and well I just can stand to think of Serenity going through that again. I care so much for everyone, I have so much I want to tell you all, so many think I left unsaid through out time, but unfortunately I couldn’t fine a very big memory card when I was building this thing so I have to make this brief. Capt’ I got to ask you, if you can, for two favors. The first being I would like my body, if there is one, to be return to my parents. They need to know what happen to me, no matter what it was. They have a right to know the truth, the whole truth. Even though I will be buried on my home world know that my soul will never leave this ship. Not even death could take me from Serenity. The second thing I must ask of you is very important to me. You must tell Tiffany Willows want has happen to me. She lives in a space station that she own. I have programmed the location of it into Serenity’s system under the file handing Kaylee 1, password Rosebud. Wash should be able to find it with no problems. I know this is a weird request, but I made a promise to her a while back and I always keep my promises. Wash and Zoë I hope that you start your family, continue on the circle of life. I away thought you too would have made a beautiful baby, and I’m sad that I didn’t get a chase to me this new person who I know will be as brave and smart as its mother, and as funny as its father.” Zoë and Wash hung each other as Kaylee words sunk in.” Inara, you were like the older sister I never had. I looked up to you so much, and you taught me a lot about life and love. I wish for you the things I never had in this lifetime, I wish you to find your soul mate, to live in love and happiness until your very last breath.” Inara wiped away the tears as they flow down her face. She knew she should be taking Kaylee wishes and not be sad, but she was. Even though Kaylee was only missing and not dead (for Inara was sure the young girl was okay) Inara felt sad for a time in the verse when Kaylee would die. When the verse would be rod of such a loving and caring person. “Jayne I’m not sure what to say to you. I know some where inside you care for us or else you wouldn’t do the thing you do, so I guess all I need to say to you is be the same and keep the Capt’ from doing anything stupid.” Jayne just grunted at Kaylee’s words as if to say ‘what did she know’, but Mal could see the glistening of tears forming in his eyes. “Capt’ you hold the crew together, so you got to stay strong. Its’ like you always say Capt’ you can leave the ship, but you can’t leave Sere…” The rest of want Kaylee was going to say was cut off. The device was out of memory; it reset itself back to the beginning. Mal hit the button again before the image of Kaylee started talking again and the small image of Kaylee disappeared. Everyone just stared at the spot on the table where the hologram of Kaylee had stood just moment before. It was a couple of minutes before anyone could say anything. Once the moment of shock was absorbed, Mal was the first to recover.

“Wash I want that program Kaylee was talking about up and we on course there five minutes ago.” Mal order, his voice left not room for argument. Wash run out of the room to do as Mal said.

“Sir.” Zoë said as she watched her husband disappeared up the steps. “Shouldn’t we find out what happen to Kaylee first?’

“I already know what happen to her. It like you said Zoë, she would never leave without telling someone first, we’ve been set up. I wouldn’t be surprise if we went back to that warehouse and opened up though drum of toxics waste, that there wouldn’t be anything in them. The whole thing was just a plot to get Kaylee.” Mal said as he slammed his hands down in mad frustration. “Whoever the boss was wanted Kaylee and we hand deliver her to him.” Zoë didn’t even think to question how Mal knew this, she knew him long enough to know that 97% of the time his gut was right so she went straight to the next question. “If that so sir, then why are we going after them?”

“Cause you saw that ship leave as we came back to Serenity. That was them leaving with Kaylee. And that wasn’t no bucket of bolts they were flying either. It was a Range 10. Even with Serenity running heartburn the whole time we couldn’t catch them. No this Tiffany person is our best shot to find out why anyone would want to kidnap Kaylee.” Mal answered her and walked out of the mass hall to see if Wash had found anything yet. ***

Sorry it took so long and sorry it so short, but if you little it reply and I will write more.