"Look at that beauty" Kaylee breathed. She'd not seen an Impala-class cruiser in a looong time. This one looked like it had just rolled off the assembly line. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dean swell with pride. It had taken her a few days, but the sight of the large crimson gash that bisected the right side of his face no longer shocked her. There were other scars too-on the bridge of his nose, across his eyebrows, through his ears, over his lips- but that was the most eye-catching one.

"Let me show you the engine," the pilot rolled up his sleeves. His right arm was marked with a sort of burn that stood out among the tangle of overlapping scars. A right angle and two lines. Almost like a symbol, but Kaylee didn't recognize it. It didn't seem to be the sort of wound that happened accidentally or in a fight. None of Dean's scars did, actually. Sam had never said anything about them, and Dean all but pretended they didn't exist. Mal told the old crew when they took the Winchesters aboard that they weren't to ask because it was none of their business. They made Dean look scary, but he was just a soft teddy bear inside. Anyone who'd ever seen him with Sam could see that.

Kaylee forgot about Dean's past when he opened the door to the engine room. It was tiny: Impalas weren't that large. In their day, they were the top of the line for personal short-range space travel. Families had used them to cruise between the Core planets for vacations. Impalas were designed to look good and go fast and have comfortable seating, but not much else. Most burned out after a decade or so because their owners didn't know how to take care of them.

Dean knew how to take care of his Baby.

It was clear that he'd rebuilt or modified most of the engine. It still ran fast, but it could also run long. There were twice as many redundant systems as what came standard. Despite all the modifications, the engine still purred like a contented panther underneath her hand.

"Wo bu shin wo dah yan jing," Kaylee shook her head in appreciative wonder. Dean puffed up a bit with pride. "How did you get around the Marigold Paradox?" she muttered under her breath as she stuck her head under the main axle.

"You're looking in the wrong spot, sweetheart," Dean laughed. "I'll show you."

He was a good mechanic, she had to give him that. Dean was largely self-taught and instinctual, like Kaylee. He liked setting things up a little differently than her, but that was ok. Every mechanic had their own little quirks. That, and an Impala was an entirely different beast than a Firefly.

They talked shop and told stories about various engine problems. She would have thought that he would be super-serious, but he was anything but. Kaylee was surprised to find that Dean had a wicked sense of humor that perfectly complimented her own. Soon they were swapping dirty jokes and dirtier stories and laughing their fool heads off. She saw the pilot give her a questioning once-over with his eyes, but she shook her head.

"Not my type, sorry," she shrugged. "Although I'm sure you'd be an excellent ride." Dean's smirk faltered slightly, but he quickly rallied.

"I don't do well with relationships in general," the pilot shrugged back. "But if you'd like some tips on how to blow that pretty-boy-doctor's mind…"

Kaylee smiled. She could sense that this was the start of an excellent friendship.