Whoo-hoo, it's HERE! The first chapter of Interaction. Let's all thank Zack Whedon as well as everyone involved in the new comic "Serenity: Leaves on the Wind" for providing me with inspiration.

I still don't own either Firefly or Castle

Oh, and this is set about a month after the movie "Serenity" and a few weeks after the (highly modified) events of the Castle episode 4X01,"Rise". You'll see what I mean in a bit.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," River intoned as she maneuvered Serenity gently into the optimal position for deceleration. "It was Time for the Stars."

"What was that, Darlin'?" Mal queried as he crossed the threshold onto the bridge of his beloved ship. He always felt it was his obligation, as Captain, to stand up there whenever she broke atmo, in or out. Didn't matter that River's presence made his a tad superfluous. It was just one of those Captainy things, and Mal was nothing if not Captainy.

Even now.

Then again, he thought as his side twinged a bit, perhaps it was just as Captainy to sit down as it was to stand, especially considering that this particular Captain had had half a foot of steel shoved through his midsection a little over a month ago.

Yep, he decided with a grunt as his slacks hit the chair, sitting was acceptable. For now.

"Things are about to get interesting," River replied.

"Aren't they always?" Mal said, not really expecting an answer. Still, he had learned the hard way that to ignore River's often cryptic warnings was just asking for trouble, so he felt justified in pressing a bit. "Now, is that just a general warning or is there somethin' in particular I should be lookin' out for?" he asked.

She shrugged in that graceful ballerina-turned-deadly weapon way she had and said, "Captain is not himself today. There are echoes in the black. Two by two, eyes of blue..." her voice trailed off.

Ah, Hell, this again? Now he was thoroughly confused and more than a bit worried. "I thought we took care of those hudan a while ago now. Don't tell me there are more of 'em?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Eyes, Captain, not hands. Much more friendly, but potentially more dangerous." She smiled suddenly, and her face lit up brighter than Serenity's backside. "But not to us," she concluded.

Her words did not reassure him in the slightest.

Ignoring Mal's unease, River took hold of the stick with both hands, pulling it towards her. "Ready for de-orbit burn," she said.

He felt rather than heard Serenity's sideboard engines fire, the thrust slowing them enough to begin entering the atmosphere, but, hopefully, not so much as to burn them to a crisp with the friction.

He sighed, mentally preparing himself. He wasn't sure which he was not looking forward to more, interacting with Badger or delivering Inara to face her mysterious "Companion Hearing", whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. The last thing he needed was another complication.

He felt a headache coming on. As he watched the sun rise over the curve of Persephone, it occurred to him that he had absolutely no desire to find out what kinds of things River Tam considered "interesting".

The little minx even had the gall to grin at him.

"Happy Unification Day, Captain," she all but sang, a world of mischief dancing in her eyes.

Some folk just have no luck at all.

Kate Beckett yawned as the arc of Persephone drifted into the view screen. One of the (many) things she hated about space travel was the time difference. If she were on Londinium she would be sound asleep, lulled by the constant hum of the restlessness and technology that clung to New New York. They usually didn't come out this far but the Wing family had been one of the few "Patriots" the rebellious border world had possessed. They had been rewarded handsomely for it, in both land and influence, and thus, the identification of the murderer of the current heir was a matter of utmost importance.

Or so she had been told.

At least the orbits had lined up. If the two worlds had been in opposite positions it would have taken five times as long to get here.

"Prepare for re-entry sequence, T minus five minutes and counting," G.A.T.E.S. said, the female voice from the computer still unfamiliar to Kate. She missed R.O.I. She hadn't thought it were possible to mourn a ship, but there it was. She missed Montgomery fiercely. Victoria was newer, more high tech, but she just didn't feel the same.

Her hand found its way to the scar on her chest, the only physical evidence that remained of the horrific crash. She sighed, at least Castle had been unhurt. She was certain she would not have survived without him. Now, if only she could find the men who had done it...

But not today.

Today, she had a job to do.

Her sigh turned into another yawn and so she missed the slight hissing noise that heralded his approach.

"Looks like you could really use this," he said. She turned, and took him in, this sweet, slightly immature, incomparable man presenting his customary offering with his customary smile.

As always, his voice calmed her, focused her, grounded her.

Loved her.

But not today.

She took a sip and grimaced at the taste. Castle sighed contritely.

"Sorry about the Coffee," he said, "I can't seem to get the hang of the new machinery. It's almost as if it dislikes me for some reason."

"Well, if you would stay in your assigned quarters and out of the restricted areas, for example, my bridge, I might come to tolerate you." G.A.T.E.S. snapped, sounding almost human in her annoyance.

"If I do that, I won't be able to show you how helpful I can be," he argued.

"You are a failed Companion turned Author of Historical Fiction, how helpful can you be?" the A.I. scoffed.

"Not failed, retired," he corrected. "And I'll have you know that I have single handedly rejuvenated the classic novel as an art form," he smirked. "The king of Londinium himself is a fan."

Beckett broke in, desperate to stop the bickering. "How long until re-entry?"

"T-minus 47 seconds and counting," G.A.T.E.S. answered.

The only indication of movement came from the view screen. The bright flash of the star was hidden as Persephone grew larger.

Kate Beckett steeled herself to tackle another murder.

Time to get to work.

So yay! I guess. I know has been messed up today but I hope this will post.

To clarify, Beckett's current ship is the Victoria, controlled by the artificial intelligence program G.A.T.E.S. Her previous ship, the Montgomery, was destroyed in a crash, the cause of which I have not revealed. That ship's AI was known as R.O.I. I hope that clears it up.

Please Review if you like it. Crossovers don't get much press.

Thanks for reading!