I know, I need to stop writing new stories until I finish the ones I have already. But this one will be short and sweet. Think of it as an episode of Firefly.

You Will Have a Pleasant Experience – Meet Miss October

Mr. Choy's Fine Asian Cuisine wasn't the finest in the universe but it delivered well on the bottom tag line of 'All you can eat'. And with appetites as big as the crew of the Serenity, Mr. Choy's was an excellent choice for a night out.

The job had gone exceedingly smooth, considering their luck, and was a decent pay off for a seemingly legal job. Pick the stuff up, bring the stuff in, and don't ask questions. It was a play by play that Malcolm Reynolds had performed quite often and kept in his own mental playbook for future references. He had even grown a generous bone in his body and proudly exclaimed that dinner would be on his check tonight. And so, in a unanimous decision, the crew opted for Mr. Choy's.

The interior was wickedly cliché with its bright ornaments and glossy gold dragons draped along the ceiling. Deep maple tables were laid out for the large group, followed by a nervous crowd of ladies who adorned the rich burgundy floor with pastel pillows for the crew's comfort. Politely thanking the women, the crew sat down and began to order the first round of beer and the occasional glass of wine for Inara. After three plates filled to capacity with deep fried dumpling and spicy chicken atop fried rice, the crew was given their fortune cookies.

This had always been a special treat for Mal's crew for the funny lines mixed with the refreshingly hazy aftermath of alcohol always kept the crew laughing during their public reading of the fortunes. Kaylee was the first to read out loud. The flirtatious mechanic cleared her throat and broke open the brittle cookie as every set of eyes landed on her.

"The one you love is closer than you think." She smiled as she tucked the little piece of paper into the pocket of her overalls.

"Yeah, he's right across the table." Inara nudged Jayne as Simon and Kaylee exchanged shy glances in opposite directions. "What?" It was impossible to tip toe around the couple's affections just as it was impossible to ignore a good rip into the same feelings.

"Why don't we read your fortune Jayne?" The muscle for hire rolled his eyes and crushed the cookie in his large hand until the slip of paper fell through his fingers.

"The greatest danger could be your…stupidity." The table burst into a fit of laughter as karma kicked the man's ass. Wash was up next as he bit off the corner of the brown cookie and chewed viciously as the rest of the crew looked on.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. That is SO deep! Honey, this is going in our book!" The warrior woman he would lovingly call wife on good days and Zoe on kind of good days rolled her eyes and broke open her own crunchy baked good. "What does yours say?" Zoe's husband's excitement was contagious and she could feel her smile grow as his curiosity peaked.

"Let there be magic in your smile and firmness in your handshake." Her husband grinned cheekily.

"I can definitely vouch for that one!" The group then turned to the doctor of the crew and allowed him to slowly open his fortune. They could only hope it was as good as Jayne's.

"One who admires you greatly is hidden before your eyes." He looked up at the shy mechanical genius and wolf whistles echoed throughout the restaurant. He silently begged his sister to take the present spotlight off of him, to which she happily obliged.

"The time is right to make new friends." They stared at the odd girl for a moment before River blurted out "I'm not all that good making old friends let alone new ones." They smiled kindly at her before moving on to Inara. She had almost refused to take part in the silly gestures, claiming that you control your own destiny as well as your fortunes, but why spoil the fun? She calmly cracked open her cookie and took a long sip from her wine glass.

"There is no limit to love's forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure." She smiled sweetly and tucked it away in her coin purse. There was no need to make a big spectacle out of it. The courtesan then motioned for the good Shepherd to read his own fortune aloud.

"Grand adventures await those who are willing to turn the corner." He chuckled as the crew nodded their heads in agreement. They had all seen their fair share of adventures through the years whether it be a new location, a new relationship, or a new path yet taken. He then patted the captain's shoulder and asked for his recitation of his fortune.

"I don't think so Shepherd…I make my own fortunes. I don't need some little cheaply made cookie to tell me otherwise." Kaylee snorted as she munched down on the brittle cookie.

"Oh, come on Cap'n. It's only fair." In the years since he had met Kaylee, he had yet to say no to her unless it had been for her own good. The captain of the Serenity leaned back on his pillow and broke the fortune cookie in two, letting the small piece of paper glide onto his lap. Clearing his voice, he spoke up to read the small passage:

"You will have a pleasant experience. Well…that's pretty reassuring." Placing the paper on the table he turned his head to the far right wall that housed a tacky jade colored dragon as a commotion arose on the other side. Before the rest of the crew could turn to investigate as well, the wall was broken into pieces as a very large man was hurled through the air. A shadowy silhouette filled the space where the tattered wall laid in pieces. A finicky giggled burst from the figure but was knocked out by another large man. Before anyone could react, a body was thrown against the hard table, knocking over heavy glasses and spilling what was left of the wine. Tucked underneath a rich bowler hat was an intricate braid with strands of tiny beads weaved through the chocolate colored strands of hair. As the rest of the crew stood to defend themselves if need be, Malcolm remained seated and studied the person at hand.

Underneath the long braid and the hat sat a face with impeccable features that, although smudgy, were breathtakingly beautiful. A tiny nose sat upon a perfectly arched pair of rosy lips which were set off by the innocent blush creeping over her cheeks. A small beauty mark shimmied itself within the confines of an impish dimple. The rest of her was just as wonderful. The clothes she had chosen hugged her curves – from the tailored vest fitted snugly over a crisp white shirt to the suede pants that almost looked as soft as that braid, the attire left plenty to the imagination.

The woman smirked up at Malcolm and crossed her legs as Jayne jumped to the defense and clipped the man with a right hook. The strange female hardly seemed to notice as she fixed her baby blue eyes onto the man gazing at her. Her rear was still planted against the wood, but she propped herself up on her elbows. The whole scene was quite lady like – despite the fact that she had been tossed over onto a sturdy table.

"Well I'll be a horse's ass! If it ain't Malcolm Reynolds, himself!" He blanched as the melodic voice reached his ears. He was barely paying attention to the chaos unfolding behind him as the woman tipped her hat. The sugary twang of a long ago accent dripped from her lips like fresh honey and the memories just poured from her being. He felt himself linger in the moment before smiling back at her.

"Getting into trouble again, October?" She flipped her braid behind her and winked one of the endlessly blue eyes.

"Hell, I stay in trouble…" He nodded and helped her from her new seat, his hands fitting easily over her own. The fight had broken down, with the favored win going to Jayne and his brute tactics. It wasn't until the atmosphere had settled around them that the crew noticed the woman smiling up at their captain. Mal knew the interrogation was coming up so he hastily pulled out his wallet and confirmed that a large tip would be left and all questions would be answered on the Serenity. Before leaving, he crunched up the paper fortune and tossed it into his beer mug.

"Pleasant my ass…"

When the captain reached the lower quarters of his ship, he came upon quite the scene. October and River were pacing around each other, staring the other one down like a wolf hunting its prey. Malcolm quickly pulled the woman by her elbow so that she was standing beside him.

"You can't psyche her out." The woman named October snorted at this statement and tried to move back in for the kill, only to be pulled back once more. "October…you can't psyche out a psychic." Her big blue eyes widened, as did her cheeky smirk.

"Cap'n? Are you going to introduce the new guest?" Malcolm's jaw fell a bit as he laughed nervously.

"Her? Oh…this is just October. She's my…uh…my my my…" October's head rolled with the word as he stuttered up a lie.

"I'm his sister!" Malcolm sighed heavily as he ignored the horrible web that had just been woven. "October Reynolds!" With that, she held out her hand and made the proper acquaintances with the crew of the Serenity. At one time, the woman standing beside him had been the most charming female in the world. He could only pray that those charms hadn't disappeared when he had chosen to leave her.