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Kaylee knew that she shouldn't be going through Jayne's things but the captain was right there beside her doing the same so she didn't feel quite as bad about it. Then again, how was she supposed to help if she didn't even know what they were looking for? She was hesitant to ask since Mal seemed awfully anxious but she had to know, "Captain, what exactly are we looking for?"

"A key Kaylee"

"Yes…but what for?"

"A key to Serenity!" He curtly responded.

Kaylee couldn't hide her confusion as she brushed off his rudeness, "I've been working on this ship for a long time Captain and I never before noticed that there was a key involved."

"And there isn't…much. Listen, as a safety measure when I first bought her they said that the ship would randomly call for a key once a year or she would send out a stolen merchandise signal." His voice was barely discernable as he had completely immersed under the bed.

"Sounds like a pretty important key."

"Yes you can understand my hurry."

"Now why did you give it to Jayne?" She asked as she looked through his cabinet.

"We were given three and I always felt that if things went down he would at least still be standing and able to get Serenity where she needs to go."

"Uh huh…now where's your key Captain?"

"Oh gorram it Kaylee if I knew that do you think I would be down here? Now here I am trying to find Jaynes that he has probably stuffed who knows where and forgotten about and he'll never know the difference. Its bad enough that Zoe's out of com range but if you would rather search her room…"

"No, I see why just fine now captain" Kaylee interrupted. As she shook her head at the absurdity of her captain she pulled up the mattress to see if anything was stuffed underneath. In the process a piece of paper fluttered out and hit the floor. She would later swear that curiosity alone made her reach down and study what might have been a simple bit of trash. It wasn't. It was a photograph, and to top it all off not a nudie shot like the rest of the photos that littered his walls. Why would this picture be hidden under his bed? Her mind leaped with possibilities as she examined the photo. There was a pretty woman holding a little baby cradled in her arms. Her smile was radiant as she looked into the camera, the wind blowing her curls around her face but that didn't stop her from looking amazingly happy.

"What's that?" She jumped as the captain interrupted her thoughts as he looked over her shoulder.

"I don't rightly know captain, it was under the mattress." Kaylee turned the photo towards Mal so he could get a better look.

"It looks like a mystery that I don't want to figure out regarding our Jayne," Mal said and Kaylee was amazed that he could leave it at that, wasn't he the least bit curious? "Here, I found the key lets straighten up and leave before Jayne gets back" he continued.

Kaylee took one last glance at the picture and let her imagination wander. It looked pretty worn and wasn't new enough to be from a capture so she knew there must be a history there, but what? She sighed knowing that she would never be able to find a reason to ask Jayne about a picture she should have never even known existedn. Slipping it back under the mattress she tried to pretend she hadn't seen it.

3 months later

Malcolm wasn't exactly looking for a job, but he wasn't about to pass one up either. Had he known the trouble that this particular job was going to bring him and his crew he might have looked the other way—but then again probably not, after all not many people would have believed him.

In all honesty she looked like trouble. Light curly hair surrounded a face that showed too many worries for someone her age. She was a pretty thing, despite the large hood and long figure-hiding robe. She glanced over her shoulder far too much for his instinct not to ring alarms but her eyes were so filled with fear he couldn't turn away.

She hurried towards Serenity right when he was leaving to get supplies and grabbed onto his arm.

"Are you Captain Malcolm Reynolds?" she asked. Her desperation leaked into the question making him glad he could answer in the affirmative.

"That's me, can I help you miss?" he had to reach out and hold onto her shoulders when she swayed with relief.

"I was told you would do any job no matter the complications and without asking too many questions" she spoke slowly and didn't waver even though his grip tightened.

"If you think I'm a cheap hire for you to skip the feds think again, I…"

She silenced him when she shoved the money at him, he could tell from the weight of the bag that it was a near fortune. What could she possibly need that was worth so much?

"Captain I would be disappointed if you came cheap. It's a retrieval job, something the feds have no interest in one way or another but something that means the world to me, as you can tell. I won't lie and say I'm not in trouble but it's just a few thugs who think they're tougher than they are. Sorry to say I need help getting past them and getting my treasure back. Will you help?"

Cassidy had been told about the crew of Serenity and its captain. Mostly they were discussed either as a legend or a disgrace, either way when a question came up about the best crew to get out of a tight spot Serenity was named. And if there was ever a tight spot Cassidy was living it. For the past week she went to every firefly she saw searching…always searching and always coming up empty handed. She was at the end of the line and, well, now that she finally found Malcolm, she wasn't going to let him leave even if she had to pull the gun she had hidden in her robe. He was going to help her whether he wanted to or not.

Good thing for them both Mal wasn't going to pass on a job that was paying what he was holding. He stretched out his empty hand towards Cassidy and said, "welcome aboard, but you still have some explaining to do." She walked right past him while he grumbled, "you're welcome."

Errands forgotten for the moment Mal followed Cassidy into his ship to explain the situation to his crew. With her back to him she found her first hint of a smile in months, just a bare lifting of the corners but still a smile as she called back to him, "My names Cassidy, Mr. Reynolds and you will get my thanks when your job is done make no mistake."

Jayne was hauling empty crates onto the mule when he heard footsteps walking onto the bridge. He turned his head while reaching for the gun at his side as a precaution. It wasn't necessary since he saw that it was just the captain and then he second guessed that relief when he saw the stranger cloaked in shadow at his side. Cassidy was looking to the left of the bay when she heard him, "Captain, we taking on passengers that I don't know 'bout?" Her reaction was instantaneous. The voice she would know anywhere. No, no it couldn't be but as her wide eyes focused she knew the truth, there standing not twenty feet from her was the one person she prayed daily not to run into.

Jayne's reaction was just as stunned. His jaw dropped an inch down and his whole body tensed as a shock went through him. He leaped over the crates to come charging over to them as Cassidy spun to face Mal, "tell me he's not part of your crew!" Just as she finished her sentence Jayne grabbed her shoulder in his fierce grip and jerked her around to face him again. A million emotions flashed across his face but the one that won over was the anger that mirrored her own.

"Hey now, no need to get rough," Mal wasn't sure what sort of trouble he just brought onto his ship but Jayne hadn't reached for his gun so his alarm dimmed to interest, "you know her?"

"Of course I gorram know her" Jayne snapped.

Mal didn't like being kept in the dark, "I'm missing something and someone had sure as hell better explain what it is before I throw you both off my ship."

Cassidy turned to him and said, "I have made a terrible mistake captain, I should leave and find another crew."

"Like hell," Jayne interrupted. He still hadn't recovered enough from the initial shock to start demanding answers but he was facing a woman he hadn't seen in over a year and he wasn't about to let her just walk out without answering a few questions.

Mal continued for him, "question number one: how the hell do you know her Jayne, who is she?"

Jayne exhaled loudly as if he had been holding his breath in his stupor, he finally turned away from Cassidy to look at Mal who was satisfied that he might now finally get some answers.

"She's my wife."