Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Firefly characters. There are lines taken exclusively from the series, which I do not own (sadly).

Chapter Two

The crew mingled in with the boarders for a moment as the ship began to lift off. Roz stood off by herself and looked out one of the windows as the ship pushed off the planet and soared into the sky. She continued to watch until she could no longer see her home, could no longer feel his cold prison.

"Sad to see it go?" a voice asked from behind.

Whirling around Roz plastered herself against the wall; dread closing itself around her until she could barely breathe. She didn't know why the voice startled her so much, maybe because she had been thinking about him when it happened. Roz looked into the wide eyes of the girl she first saw helping the boarders onto the ship and instantly felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, you just startled me," Roz smiled tentatively.

"No, that's my fault," the girl gestured frantically. "I should know better than sneak up on people. Mal doesn't like it much neither."

"Mal?" Roz asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"Oh, Captain Malcolm Reynolds, most of us call him Mal," the girl smiled with a shrug. "The name's Kaylee Frye by the way."

Kaylee stuck out her hand and Roz couldn't help but be lured in by her infectious attitude. "Rozalynn Bennett."

"Nice to meet you Miss Bennett."

"Oh, just Roz is fine," she replied, recoiling at being greeted so formally. If only they knew what a pile of dung heap she had lived in. They probably can tell, look at how I'm dressed. Roz stared down at her tattered brown pants and old gray T-shirt, at least she had a lumpy green sweater that helped hide some of the holes in her shirt.

"Shiny! It's nice to meet you Roz, you can just call me Kaylee. We're pretty informal round here. Did you get a chance to meet the other crew members?"

"No, just Captain Reynolds and Jayne," Roz replied.

"Oh, you met Jayne already?" Kaylee asked turning to look around as if she feared he was lurking behind her. "You might just want to stay away from Jayne. He's not all that used to people…a bit uncivilized."

"All right," Roz said after a moment. Even though she was silently thinking that he seemed all right to her. Sometimes it was easier to show a different side to strangers, maybe he wasn't as scary as everyone would like to think, but then again she thought he seemed like a nice guy before she was sold to him.

"Let's see, there's…"

"Ahh-Hemm, if you could all gather round," Captain Reynolds gestured to the group. He climbed a set of stairs so he could be seen better and looked around to make sure everyone was paying attention.

"We'll talk later," Kaylee whispered with a smile and made her way to the bottom of the stairs to look up at the Captain.

"Meals are taken up here in the dining area. Kitchen's pretty much self-explanatory. You're welcome to eat what there is any time. What there is is pretty standard fare…protein in all the colors of the rainbow. We do have sit down meals, next one being at about 1800."

"I think Shepherd Book and Roz have offered to help me prepare something," Kaylee replied looking at her and a man who wore his gray hair back in a short ponytail and bland garbs.

Captain Reynolds eyed the older gentleman, "you're a shepherd."

He smiled, "I thought the outfit gave it away. Is it a problem?"

"Of course not. It's not a problem…" Kaylee smiled looking between the two men "cause it's not."

Captain Reynolds looked to Kaylee and Shepherd Book before responding, "No. As I said you're welcome to visit the dining area anytime. Apart from that I have to ask you to stay in the passenger dorm while we're in the air. The bridge, engine room, cargo bay…they're all off limits without an escort."

"Some of my personal effects are in the cargo bay," the well dressed man, Simon, spoke.

"I figure you all got luggage you're gonna need. Soon as we're done here we'll be happy to fetch 'em with you. Now, I have to tell you all one other thing and I apologize in advance for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, we've been ordered by the Alliance to drop some medical supplies off on Whitefall. It's the fourth moon on Athens. It's a little out of our way, but we should have you on Boros no more than a day off schedule."

At the mention of the Alliance, Roz shivered, using her hands to warm up her arms. He worked for the Alliance, she hoped that being on the ship and getting to one of the out-lying planets she would be safe from the Alliance's reach.

"What medical supplies?" Simon asked.

Captain Reynolds looked down at Simon with ill concealed distaste. "I honestly didn't ask."

"Probably plasma, insulin…whatever they ain't got enough of on the border moons." A black woman to the Captain's side stepped in to answer the question. She was a beautiful strong woman and Roz wished that she had an ounce of her presence.

"Alliance says jump…" Captain Reynolds shrugged his shoulders.

"All right," Simon nodded.

"Zoe, you want to take them to the cargo bay?"

"Yes, sir," the dark woman nodded in response.

"Anything else you need, just ask," Captain Reynolds finished. "We, uh, live to serve."

Roz had to bite back a smile at the Captain's last comment. She could tell he didn't like passengers or the interference of the Alliance. Roz worried she had picked the wrong ship, she chose Serenity because of their dislike of the Alliance. If they played ball with the Alliance, what was to stop them from letting the Alliance take her if they found out she ran away from him and was hiding aboard the ship?

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Roz followed Zoe, along with the other passengers, into the cargo hold. She looked around for the bag Jayne had stowed away for her; spotting it she groaned softly because unfortunately it was at a height that was easy for him, but hard for her to reach. Looking around she saw everyone concerned with their own problems and she didn't want to bother anyone else so she stepped onto a smaller box in an attempt to reach her own luggage.

Roz stepped up onto her tip-toes in order to barely grasp the bag; she was just about to grab a hold of it when…

"Woman, what in the great 'verse do you think you're doin'?"

Roz gasped at the harsh voice behind her; when she made an attempt to turn around swiftly she lost her balance and she felt herself toppling off the box. Instinctively she turned in mid air so that when she hit her back would be hitting the ground and not her stomach, still she feared the worst until she felt strong arms wrap around her, and tan hands nearly encasing her whole stomach. Her own hands latched on desperately to the arms that held her and she took in fast, short breaths that almost caused her to hyperventilate.

Slowly Jayne straightened her up on the box before helping her down. Brusquely Roz brushed his hands off her person and pushed her back against the boxes. She closed her eyes tightly and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Roz tried to keep the tears from leaking out but knew that one tear slipped past her barrier. She put her head down, not wanting Jayne to see her cry. He always hated it when she cried; in fact he would beat her harder whenever she would cry.

"Roz…that's yur name right?" Jayne's low voice pushed through the fog of memories.

"Ye…yes," Roz nodded shakily. "Thank you…I mean I'm sorry. That was very stupid. I shouldn't have stood on that box. It was too risky. I should know better than that. I could have hurt my baby. So stupid, stupid, stupid." Thinking back on the words she had just uttered, she seemed to be channeling him, spurting out the negative comments that she was used to hearing daily. This merely sent her into an even more depressive spiral.

"Well now…now you know better…no worries," Jayne comforted awkwardly. Roz watched tentatively as he reached out a hand very slowly and let it rest on her shoulder. At first she shunned his touch, eschewing anything masculine that could prove to be hurtful to her or her baby, but after a moment of forcing herself to abide his comfort, she began to like it even if for only a short second.

"Thank you again Mr… I'm sorry, I don't know your last name."

"Cobb," Jayne replied as he looked down into her big green eyes. "But you can call me Jayne, everyone here does."

"Well, thank you Jayne, you saved me and my baby's life." Roz smiled softly up at the tall man who looked very uncomfortable with the stigma of hero she had just placed upon him.

"Here let me get your bag," Jayne spoke. Easily, he reached up and brought her bag down.

"Thanks," she muttered shyly, opening the bag the moment it touched the ground. "I needed it so I could get the food I promised Kaylee and the Captain. I wanted to make sure I pulled my weight around here and not let anyone down." Roz pulled out a small paper bag with her meager portions of food. "I only hope that it will be enough."

Jayne used a finger to open one side of the bag and peered inside. He looked up at Roz and gave her a half smile before standing back. "That's more'n we get on good days. It'll be like havin' a feast."

"Oh," Roz said as she clutched the paper bag close to her chest. A smile played across her face, she wasn't quite used to having a man pay her compliments, even small ones such as the one he bestowed. "Good."

"Yeah, well," Jayne coughed into his hand to cover up some of the awkwardness of the moment. "Little Kaylee's over there with the Shepherd. You can go on and give her the food. If you'd like I can take your bag to your room?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that…" Roz began but after looking at Jayne's raised eyebrows she remembered they had already had this conversation. "I mean…thank you." Roz stared up at him, sincerity visible in her eyes.

Jayne grunted in response and lifted the bag onto his shoulders with no visible effort. Roz watched him walk off and wondered to herself, that maybe…just maybe, she might learn to trust again.

Roz, with her bag of food in hand, turned towards Kaylee and Shepherd Book when she was stopped by the sight of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She had long flowing dark hair, dark eyes, and a bright elegant dress that showed off every single curve. Her arrival seemed to stop everyone in their tracks as she nearly glided down the stairs.

"Ah, the ambassador returns," Captain Reynolds commented upon her arrival.

Roz stood amazed at the sight of the ambassador. She wondered how many politicians she had simply wowed only with her features instead of her political views.

"Hello Mal," she greeted with a small smile. "I see we have some new faces."

"Hey you," Kaylee greeted her at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Hey you," the ambassador returned.

"Ambassador, this is Shepherd Book," Captain Reynolds introduced the newcomer.

Roz stepped forward, hopping to be introduced to the ambassador; never had she been so close to such a high ranking official.

"I'd have to say this is the first time we've had a preacher on board," the ambassador replied as she walked closer.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to see a state official either," the Shepherd returned. "Ambassador," Shepherd Book took her hand in his and inclined his head.

Captain Reynolds snickered in reply, and the look of humiliation graced the beautiful woman's face. Roz turned to look around at the crew in confusion and they seemed un-amused by the captain's joke.

Shepherd Book looked between Captain Reynolds and the ambassador, "I'm missing something funny."

"Not so funny," Kaylee muttered, giving the captain a mutinous glare.

"Ambassador is Mal's way of saying…" The woman tried to explain but was rudely cut off.

"She's a whore Shepherd," Captain Reynolds cut in with a cheeky grin.

Roz visibly recoiled at such a harsh term. She looked the other woman up and down and remembered hearing things about companions. They were basically glorified prostitutes but received considerably more money and were thought of as respectable. Roz couldn't imagine willingly allowing a man to use her body for money, it was bad enough others deemed her a whore because she was sold into sexual slavery for him. It mad Roz sick thinking about this beautiful woman using sex so callously. But although she didn't care for the woman's profession, Roz wanted to keep an open mind, especially after the way the captain was treating her. No one needed to be humiliated in that fashion.

"The term is 'Companion'."

"I always get those mixed up. So how's business?" Captain Reynolds asked the ambassador/companion.

"None of yours," the companion responded with a grin of her own.

"She is pretty much our ambassador. There's plenty of planets wouldn't let you dock without a decent Companion on board. This…this isn't a problem for you, is it, Shepherd?" Captain Reynolds asked as if he actually cared. With the way things were turning out, it would seem he was doing all he could to get the Shepherd off his boat.

"Well I…well I certainly…" Shepherd Book stuttered.

"It's all right," the companion saved the Shepherd from saying something that would embarrass him. "I mostly keep to myself." She gave the Shepherd a small smile in respect. "When I'm not whoring," she added for the captain's benefit. She turned and walked away in the direction she had come from, seemingly unaffected but Roz did not miss the sadness in the woman's eyes.

"What? Don't you want to meet the rest of the bunch?" Captain Reynolds asked innocently.

The companion paused and turned her head slightly. "Why don't you make sure they want to meet me first?"

Kaylee and the companion began to walk up the stairs together. Roz looked around, unsure what to do. She needed to get the food to Kaylee before she lost her. Warring with herself as to whether or not to follow, she decided it best to use what left of her courage she had and walk up the stairs after her. However, as Roz was not used to stairs, it took a lot out of her just climbing the first few steps.

"Excuse me, Kaylee," Roz called out. Trying not to sound so out of breath, she continued to climb up the stairs.

The two women turned and watched as Roz came up the stairs, carefully watching every step so as not to trip.

"Kaylee, I brought the food I told you about," Roz lifted the paper bag gently as she leaned against the railing. "I can start cooking whenever you would like." Roz turned her gaze to the companion and gave her a soft smile before returning to Kaylee's direction.

"Thank you Roz," Kaylee smiled as she took the paper bag from her.

Roz looked up once again at the companion. She felt deeply ashamed by her appearance now standing next to the beautiful woman. Biting her lower lip softly, she brushed her hand on her pants before offering it to the other woman.

"I'd like to meet you, if you don't mind," Roz said softly, having even a hard time meeting the woman's gaze.

A moment passed before she felt a soft hand encompass her small one. "My name is Inara. It's nice to meet you Roz."

Roz peered up at Inara to see tears in her eyes. She didn't realize that a simple gesture on her part could mean so much to the other woman. Inara mouthed the words "thank you," and Roz nodded sharply in reply.

"Come, let us show you the ship," Inara gestured upwards and let a soft hand rest on her back. Roz flinched automatically but Inara didn't move her hand but left it there. After a moment, it felt more natural as she was led around the Serenity. Could I possibly be making friends?

Okay, so here's the second chapter. I wanted to show that although Roz had the courage to leave him she has still not left behind her fear. It's going to take a long time for her to heal and that will be the main theme of the story.

We saw a kinder side of Jayne, but don't worry I'm not going to turn him into a complete teddy bear. We'll see the soft side of Jayne, but upcoming we'll see the rebellious angry Jayne as well. We can't get rid of the Jayne we all know and love!

Hope you like it and thank you for those who reviewed. If you stop by please review because it makes me so giddy and I jump around and do a review dance every time!