Chapter Seven - Benbow

After breakfast, they went back to the docks. "The people here seem friendly," Serenity said. "I'm sure it won't take us long to buy a passage."

They found and approached a willing-looking shipman. When he looked up from his work, Serenity gave him a cheerful smile. "Good morning!" The man tipped back his hat and returned a friendly grin. "That it is," he said. "And it seems it is going to be better still." He wiped grease off his hands onto a rag. "What can I do for you?"

"We are looking for a captain who might be willing to let us pay for passage to one of these neighboring planets," said Silver. "Do ye offer these services?"

"Aye," the man said with a nod. "We accept fee to ferry to all these parts. In fact that is our business!"

"Oh, wonderful!" Serenity clasped her hands together in joy.

"Indeed! Now, where were you looking to go?"

"Viridis Vida."

There was a blank look on the man's face. Then he quickly turned pale. He turned his eyes to his work bench and gathered his things with shaky hands. "Can't do it," he muttered. "No... no, just can't… completely full for the next voyage, totally full… so sorry, can't do it." He got all his things in hand and hurried up the gangplank.

"Hey, wait!" Serenity called. But he was gone. She frowned. "Well that was rude!"

"Yeah, I know. I thought ye said the people here were friendly?" John teased.

"I said they seemed friendly. But apparently things aren't what they seem."

Six hours later they still did not have a ride to Viridis Vida. They continually ran into people who gave them the same or similar responses as the first man. They eventually stopped to have some lunch at a small eatery close to the docks. Though there was inside seating, they chose to sit at a small table outside. There was a small wooden fence encasing the tables in front of the restaurant. It was bordered with colorful flowers and nearby there was a man leaning on it, smoking. Besides ordering their food, neither had said a word.

These people are all spooked o'bout that planet, John thought to himself. Everyt'ing went well 'til we mentioned it. Then, every time, people would suddenly find that their boat was full or broken or some such nonsense. He took a gulp of his water. After a while no one would even talk to us. They would run and avoid us as soon as we made eye contact with them. At this rate, we'll never get to Viridis.

Serenity slammed her cup on the table, spilling most of the water that was in it. "I don't understand!" she exclaimed, oblivious to the bewildered looks on the faces of those sitting at tables near them. "We were pleasant and courteous, always made it known that we were going to pay. It's just a planet! Why won't anyone take us?"

Of course, they had no answer. Silver looked down into his water cup, swirling its contents. Serenity leaned on the table, head in her hand, and let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's haunted," the man said. They jumped. Serenity cursed loudly. In her haste to grab her boot dagger, she managed to hit her healing knuckles on the table. While she dealt with her hand, Silver eyed the man that had been smoking on the fence nearby. He had apparently been eavesdropping. He was at least fifty, tall with a slightly protruding belly. He was dressed in a long, dirty and tattered black trench coat. He had several gold and silver earrings in each ear and a tattoo on the back of his neck that said "…Quod nex vadum victum totas" on top of a thorny, black rose. He had blue eyes that shone like charms on his dirty and unshaven face.

"What's this ye're sayin'?" Silver asked.

"The people. They believe the place to be haunted." His breath reeked of old tobacco.

"And why would they believe such utter nonsense?" Serenity asked sourly, glaring at the man.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You must not be from these parts. You do know that Viridis Vida is completely uninhabited?"

Serenity's eyebrows snapped together in a frown. "Uninhabited? Completely? There's nobody living there at all?"

The man shrugged. "I'm sure several more ignorant people have ventured there and stayed. I do not know of any, myself."

"But why?"

"Ever heard of Captain Flint, sweetheart?"

Serenity scoffed at the nickname. John kicked her under the table to keep her from saying anything, which, in return, got him a glare that could tarnish silver. None-the-less, she swallowed whatever response she had and instead said, "Of course I have. I wasn't born this morning."

"Could have fooled me." He grinned. His teeth were stained brown from a lifetime of smoking and several were chipped, probably in fights. If he noticed that the large Ursid to his left had now kicked his female companion twice, he didn't give it off. "Captain Flint destroyed Viridis, killing everyone and taking everything of value-"

"I know this," Serenity interrupted. "But why has no one gone back?"

"Cool those pretty sails of yours for a minute and give me the chance to tell you!" he said, eying her over. She moved her leg in time to avoid a third kick from John. Though she kept her mouth shut, she continued to eye the man with dislike. When the man was sure he wasn't going to be interrupted again, he continued: "You see, before Flint came to Viridis, no one in this part of the galaxy had ever heard of him. Viridis was the first planet to ever be taken by him in this area of the galaxy. When all the neighboring planets got the news from Befeldar that they were hosting the only remaining survivors, the people spooked. They began to call the place cursed. Ships stopped sailing there. They stopped speaking its name. That's why people started to avoid you. The ones you talked to started to spread ahead where you're wanting to go, as a warning to fellow shipmen. Only the ignorant and the insane go there now."

John rubbed his chin, thoughtful. "Ye strike me as an insane person," he said casually.

"That I am."

Silver leaned forward, talking quieter. "Does that mean ye can provide us with passage to Viridis Vida?"

He shrugged. "Yes and no. I can provide you with transport to Montressor, where I will introduce you to my ranking captain. He can provide you with passage to Viridis Vida." He took out another cigarette from a pocket inside his trench coat and lit it. He put it to his lips, drew in a long breath and exhaled, slowly.

"How much?"

"Depends on the currency."

"Common."

He thought for a moment, blowing smoke rings. "I'd say thirty-five. Each."

Serenity issued a low moan, very similar to a growl. She looked at Silver. "Give us a moment and we'll discuss it," she said to the man.

He cocked his head. "Discussion? Why would you need to have a discussion?"

"Because you look like a pedophile," Serenity retorted. The man grinned. He reached over the fence to grab a breadstick then walked a short distance away, still within sight, but out of hearing range.

Serenity drummed her fingers on the table. "I don't like it. I don't like him."

John scratched idly at his beard. "Ye have to admit, he's a smart businessman. He knows we're not goin' to find another offer."

"And that's why the price is so high. I know." She sighed. "Still, I don't trust him. If we do this, I want him to know as little about us as possible. He seems like the type to jump at any chance to become more wealthy."

"Isn't that normal? To take hold of an opportunity to become wealthier?"

"Unfortunately." She shook her head. "But many times the want of money turns people into greedy, selfish beings with unhealthy obsessions. I can only imagine what might happen if he found out what we have." She rested her hand on her belt pouch, feeling the curve of the map which lay inside.

John didn't say anything. He wasn't sure that he understood how pursuing wealth was unhealthy. After all, he thought, it's normal to want money. We need it if we're to survive in this world. So wouldn't then the pursuit of money be both normal and healthy? It was certainly something to ponder later.

"Well," Serenity said, "let's finish eating before we agree. If we call him back now, he'll probably steal more of our food."

Two days later found themselves landing on a small dock somewhere on the nearby planet Montressor. The man, who eventually had introduced himself as Max, pointed towards a path that lead northwest. "That way will take you to a small inn where you can rest and eat."

"Ye're not going with us?" Silver asked.

"Alas," Max said, "my captain does not directly do business with passengers, and so I must leave you for a time."

"What a pity," Serenity muttered. John elbowed her lightly, hiding a grin.

Max continued: "I will find out how much he wants for his services and return to you here in a day or two."

John nodded. "So long." He proceeded to shove Serenity down the path before she could say any witty or sarcastic goodbye.

"I don't get to wish him an unpleasant journey?" she asked.

"I t'ink ye've harassed him enough, don't ye?"

"Not remotely."

They laughed. Things had gotten a little easier between them, Silver had noticed. It was still kind of weird for him to look at Ren every once in a while and find a girl, but he found it easier and easier to accept with each passing day. She was still the same person, with the same personality, the same line of thinking, and the same witty remarks. She was Ren through and through; he just knew she was a girl now.

They walked the path for about five minutes. Then the path cleared the woods and opened up to show a small inn set on a hill. There were woods on one side of the inn, and on the other side was the top of a cliff. Just south of the inn down another path was a large public dock and a small private one, both of which were hosting boats. As they got closer, they were able to read the sign outside the building:

The Benbow Inn

And below it, on a piece of wood that hung on a couple of hinges:

Vacancy

"I hope they're not expensive," Serenity remarked idly. "I have money on me, but not a fortune. We may not be able to afford staying here for a couple of nights and paying whatever Max's captain wants for his services."

"Well, maybe we can work something out with the inn keeper?"

"Hmm. Maybe." They continued up the path and entered the inn.

The room they found themselves in was obviously the lobby, though there were also several tables scattered throughout the room. A handful of people were seated at these tables, eating. As Serenity and John took in their surroundings, a door on the opposite side of the room swung open. The girl was in her mid-teens, with brown hair and light skin. She had a small, upturned nose set between brown eyes that betrayed the girl to be bored. Resting on her hand and one of her shoulders was a large tray laden with food. She wore a lavender skirt and a long sleeve white shirt that sported a number of stains, most of which were hidden under a pink full body apron. She took a few steps before she noticed there were new guests standing at the doorway. Turning around, she propped the kitchen door open with her foot. "DAD!" she yelled. "We got more!" Then, without waiting for a response, she proceeded to an occupied table and began to dish out the meals. As she left the table to begin clearing and cleaning another, the kitchen door opened again.

The large man had obviously been cooking. He wore a white apron that had a good helping more of stains than the girl's and wore a large, white hat on his head to keep his hair from falling into his cooking. He spotted Silver and Serenity and walked over to them, wiping his hands off on his apron. "Welcome to the Benbow," he said cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"

Serenity spoke: "We need a place to stay for a night, possibly two."

"Then you've certainly come to the right place. We charge twenty a night, per room; that includes meals."

Serenity sighed and looked at John. "I was afraid of that. One night for the two of us is forty. That's almost half of what I have left. If it takes Max more than one day to get here, I doubt we'll have enough money to pay for the trip."

John frowned thoughtfully and looked at the man, who was patiently waiting. "Is there any way we might be able to make a deal with ye? Serenity and I are low on funds and we have a very important trip we need to make that we've yet to pay for. Perhaps there might be some help ye need around the inn that we can help ye with in exchange for a lower price?"

The man scratched his beard. "Come to think of it, we are a little short handed with my wife gone to her mother's for the week. And there is a leak in the roof that needs fixing. I suppose I can use your help. And in exchange I'll half the price."

Serenity nodded her approval. "And I suppose we can stay in the same room, instead of splitting up. That will save us more money as well." She smiled at the man. "We'll take one room for the night, preferably one with a large bed." She opened her belt purse and pulled out ten dollars, which she handed to the man. He took it and the money disappeared in an apron pocket.

"Good!" he said with a smile. "I'll have my daughter show you to a room. If you're hungry, go ahead and come back down for some food. After that we'll get started on your work." He walked over to the young waitress and spoke with her. Then he went back into the kitchen.

The girl quickly finished cleaning a table. She walked over to them with a smile. "Hello!" She acted a lot more cheerful than she had looked earlier. "I'll show you to your room." They followed her up a set of stairs and to the right, into a long hallway of rooms. She stopped them in front of a door with a number "7" plaque nailed on it. Digging into her apron, she produced a large ring full of keys and opened the door.

John looked around. There was a large bed in one corner, close to a window. There was also a large chest sitting at the foot of the bed. Off to the other side was a wash room, complete with a head, wash basin, clean metal tub, soap and towels.

The girl pointed these things out to them. "It's a good thing you both travel light. Usually this room only hosts one. I don't think that clothing chest would hold two travel packs." If John had been paying attention he'd have noticed that, though the girl seemed to mostly be facing Serenity while talking, her eyes constantly flicked over to him. He looked over in time to see Serenity slightly raise an eyebrow. But before he could ask: "So are you guys from around here?" The girl looked at John when she asked it.

"No," Serenity said, eyes on the girl. "We're from the other side of the galaxy, on the planet of Trey."

"Oh," the girl said quietly. Then she brightened again. "I've heard of Trey. It's a merchant planet, isn't it? I would love to go there and see all the things they have!" She flourished her skirts and stood up straight, protruding her small chest. "I could find myself a beautiful dress made to fit me. Or priceless jewelry or pins for my hair." She scooped a handful of her hair and dumped it onto her head in an attempt to make it look done up. She almost managed to cover the short sidelong glance she gave Silver. Before Silver had even fully process the girl's body language, Serenity bent down to the girl's height, looking her in the eyes. "What is your name, girl?"

The girl looked slightly confused by Serenity's manner. "Sarah," she said. "Sarah Pratchett."

"'Sarah'. Hmm, it's a very pretty name." She cocked her head in curiousity. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Fourteen, I see." Serenity gave a small nod. "And, tell me Sarah: When did Montressor run out of boys your own age for you to shoot inviting glances at?"

Sarah blinked, caught off guard. "Well… I-er…" She looked anywhere but at Serenity.

Serenity gave a thoughtful "Hmm", then stood up straight and walked over to the bed, dumping her things. John looked back and forth between Serenity and Sarah, not sure about what just happened. When he looked at the girl, he saw Sarah quickly avert her gaze to the floor. Her face turned crimson. She muttered something about calling her for hot bath water and fled the room.

John shook his head and discarded his things onto the bed. "Did ye have to break the poor lass? She's only fourteen."

"Yes, and she'd flirt with an invertebrate, to be certain."

Silver touched his hand to his heart, feigning a player's sadness. "Alas, what an insult! For ye to imply that she had no interest in me, but flirts with any living t'ing that crawls through the galaxy!"

Serenity rolled her eyes and threw a pair of socks at him. "Oh, get over yourself," she said with a grin. "Besides, the last thing that girl needs to be doing is flirting with a pirate."

"She doesn't know I'm a pirate."

"Thank heavens. If she did, she'd probably tell her father and then we'd be kicked out of this lovely inn and I'd have to sleep out in the open instead of on this comfy looking bed."

Silver laughed. He threw the pair of socks back at her. "Besides," he said, "I thought ye said I wasn't a pirate?"

"You're not," Serenity said. "Not really, anyway. It's your job, but it's not you. Does that make any sense?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, it's what you do for a living, for a job, but it's not who you are in your heart." She looked him in the eyes. "I've said it before and I'll continue to do so: You're a caring person, John. That's what sets you apart. You consider more than just your own wants: you consider other's needs. Like how you thought of Kerrick when I told you he couldn't come with us. You wouldn't agree until you knew for sure that he was going to be safe."

John blushed slightly and averted his eyes. He hadn't been expecting a serious response to a sarcastic question. When she didn't move, he looked at her again.

And there it was. That weird look. He had seen it once before, when he still knew her as Ren, the night she told of what had happened in her past to her family. What was that look? He couldn't place it. Had he ever noticed before how blue her eyes were? She blinked and looked away, putting her things in the chest. Slowly, Silver did the same. He had some new things to think about.

Later that evening, John sighed and plopped into a chair next to a table. There hadn't been enough time that day to fix the roof, but there was plenty of time to trim the wood planks in a back shed. Tomorrow he would use those planks to fix the roof. He heard a moan from Serenity, who had been on the other side of the table, laying her head down.

"So how was ye're evenin'?" Silver asked casually. Serenity had been irked that, because she was a girl, she had to stay inside and wash dishes, instead of "doing real work" like Silver.

"You can't tell," she said, still resting her face on the table, "but I am glaring murderously at you."

"Aww, poor girl." He patted her on the head. She made a weak attempt to bat his hand away. Then, with a sigh, she lifted her head and twisted to and fro in her chair, cracking her back and neck. "I think that was the most boring evening of my life," she said. "The only thing I did was wash dishes. Except for one exciting moment where I had to come back in here to help Sarah clear some tables of plates and cups… which I, in turn, brought to the back room to clean."

"Wow, ye're lucky," he said sarcastically. "I had to go outdoors in the warm sun where I got to measure and cut wood and-"

"Shut up."

He grinned. "We're doing it for cheaper room payments, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." She rubbed her face. Then, she got up. "Well, it's been two days since I've taken a bath. I'm going to go change that."

"Alright, I'll be down here until ye let me know ye're done."

He watched her go up the stairs until she vanished behind a corner.

"So, are you two, like, dating or something?"

He looked at Sarah, who was busy mopping the floor nearby.

"Who, Serenity and me?" She nodded. Silver laughed. "No. She's my best friend. I could never date her."

"I don't see how you could be friends with her," Sarah commented. "She seems so rude and bitchy." She spoke that last word with a change in her tone, as if cursing made her look cooler.

"She can be," he said, "but it's usually for a good reason." He looked at the girl. "Ye do realize I'm six years older than ye?"

"And?"

"And ye're still flirting with me. Do ye flirt with every male that comes to stay here?"

She smiled at him. "Only the cute ones."

He shook his head. "Ye better be careful, little girl. Keep up this kind o' game and ye might find yerself being left by a husband ye never took the time to really know."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. It's just flirting." She continued mopping the floor.

Silver decided not to mention his conversation with Sarah to Serenity as they were crawling into bed that evening. He didn't want to know what Serenity would say to the girl if she found out Sarah had called her bitchy. And talking about the latter part of our conversation would only get Serenity started on my apparent talent of caring for people, he thought. She would say that my warning to the girl about her behavior making it likely to win her an unfaithful husband is yet another example of how I'm not a pirate.

"Don't snore," Serenity said, pulling the blankets over her head.

"Don't steal all the sheets," Silver retorted. He grabbed the end of the blankets and rolled over, pulling them completely off Serenity.

"Damnit, John!" She kicked him, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it. As they fixed the blankets, he could see by the light reflecting off of Cresentia Spaceport that Serenity was smiling. Eventually they settled down to go to sleep. Silver was thinking about Max and his captain, wondering what they were going to demand in exchange for a ride to Viridis Vida. From there his thoughts flowed to what they were hoping to find there, Flint's map that they had, to the crew they had left behind.

He constantly wondered how Kerrick was doing. It must have been hard for him, learning that his two friends had left without him. Not for the first time, Silver wondered if Kerrick was angry. He wondered if Kerrick would forgive him, if he would understand why Silver and Ren had left him alone with the angry Flint. And Mav'c. Now that Kerrick was alone, he didn't have anyone to keep his back around Mav'c. Who knows if Mav'c had even killed Kerrick by now? It wouldn't have been the first time he tried. He had several times tried to use the "loose life line" technique to dispose of all three of them. How did Kerrick feel, alone on that boat with someone who had been their enemy from day one? He lay a while, reminiscing about his first couple of weeks, when he met Kerrick, Mav'c, Serenity.

Suddenly, forgetting that Serenity was sleeping next to him, he burst out laughing.

"What now?" Serenity moaned. He kept laughing. She poked him. "Hey. What's so funny?"

"Ye," he said between fits of laughter. "Ye… Ye're a girl." He was laughing so hard that he found himself wiping tears from his eyes.

Serenity sat up and looked him over, troubled. "Yes. Should I be worried about you, Silver? You've known for days now that I'm a girl. Why are you laughing about it?"

"Because," he said, gasping for air. "Mav'c doesn't know!" He started laughing again.

She frowned for a second, confused. Then, when she realized what he was getting at, she grinned.

"Oh, if only he knew," Silver commented. "Not only did ye beat him quickly, showing ye were much, much better than him, but ye're a girl! It's the perfect prank." He laughed long and hard. Eventually, he was able to calm himself.

"Well, maybe one day I'll tell him," Serenity said. "Until then, can I go to sleep?"

"Yeah, sorry," he said with a chuckle. "Goodnight."

John awoke the next morning with a yawn. Not wanting to get up yet, he closed his eyes and rolled over, making himself comfortable again. He was about to fall asleep, when he felt a very light breathing on his nose. He opened his eyes again and nearly jumped.

He had forgotten Serenity had slept next to him. Her nose was inches from his. He sighed, about to roll over again, but stopped. He looked at her again. She looked peaceful and content with her face half buried in her pillow and the blankets pulled up past her neck. Her lips were parted slightly. They were pink and soft-looking. Partially covered by her long bangs, her eyes twitched under their lids, like she was dreaming. She really was beautiful. Radiant, even in her sleep. He couldn't take his eyes from her. Almost as if to break the silence, a long lock of her tousled hair gently fell across her face. Silver had the sudden urge to move it. Gently, almost as if in a trance, he lifted his hand and moved it towards her face.

But before he could do anything, her eyebrows twitched. He blinked and quickly put his hand down, closing his eyes while she stirred and woke. Though he fought hard to keep his breath steady and his face relaxed, his heart was racing. What was that about? He asked himself. Just what did I think I was going to do? He scolded himself for his unusual behavior.

Serenity laid still for a minute or so. John dared not open his eyes. He heard a soft, almost inaudible sigh. Then, she rolled over and threw the covers off of her, stretching. He laid there while she got dressed and brushed her teeth. He was trying to think of a clever way to "wake up" when she sat down hard on the bed, making it bounce. "Rise and shine, hun!" she spoke clear and crisp. He stirred and rose, thankful for his dark tan that had hopefully hidden his small blush when she had sarcastically called him "hun".

"You've got to make sure you get that roof done today," she said, tightening up her boots and tying them. "If Max comes back today we have to make sure we've paid off our half of the boarding agreement we made with Mr. Pratchett." She left the room, grabbing an apron that had been thrown on the chest. After a few minutes, he stood and got ready for the day, trying his hardest not to think about what had just happened.

Silver was halfway through fixing the roof when he heard a yell from the ground. He looked around and eventually spotted Max, who waved to him. Standing with him was a gentleman who looked to be in his early sixties. His face was just starting to sag from old age. His thin, white-streaked blonde hair hung about ear length and was covered by a black, wide brimmed hat. He made no indication that he saw Silver, only stood there with his hands in his jacket pockets. Silver waved back to Max. He was about to let him know that he would come down as soon as he finished on the roof, when he heard the back door open. Serenity emerged with a tub of dirty wash water, dumping it in the grass.

"Ren!" he called. She looked up at him. "Max is here. And I t'ink the captain is with him."

She nodded. "Alright," she called. "How close are you to being done with the roof?"

"Only about half way."

"Okay, well you go ahead and finish. I'll greet them and discuss the payment and things and I'll update you when you're done."

"Sounds good," he yelled. "Try not to be too pert, yeah?"

She smiled. "Oh, John," she said mischievously. "When am I ever pert?"

"Every time ye open yer mouth, lady."

She grinned and walked back inside. Silver turned to let Max know she was waiting inside, but didn't see him. He must have already gone in, he thought. He hurried to finish the roof.

When he finished, he climbed down the ladder and walked in through the back door. From there he walked into the lobby, greeting Max and the man at the table where they sat with Serenity. Max smiled. Silver and Max had gotten along fairly well on the trip to Montressor. He indicated the older gentleman sitting next to him. "John, this is my captain, Captain Reaver."

"Good afternoon," Silver said with a smile.

Captain Reaver nodded. Now that Silver saw him close up, he could see the wrinkles in the man's face were caused by a lifetime of frowning. Even now he looked sour, sitting silently, with a beer in his hand, constantly glaring at anything he could see. Silver looked at Serenity, who was looking at her own hands, clasped on top of the table. A second glance saw that the skin on her forehead was glistening. Probably sweat from the house chores, he guessed.

"Well," Silver said. "I'm going to go take a bath. I'll-"

"Good! I'll go with you." Serenity nearly leapt out of her chair.

John stopped and looked at her, wondering if she realized what she had just said. Max's eyes were wide with confused amusement. Reaver was still scowling, though he was looking at Serenity.

"Uh, what?" John asked.

"I'll go with you," she said. "You know, to fill you in on what's happening."

He was about to say she could wait until after his bath, when she turned him around and shoved him towards the stairs. He would have protested, but in her rush to get upstairs to the room her hand had half pushed on his back, half on his butt. He momentarily forgot what was happening and let her push him up the stairs.

Finally they reached the room. Serenity pushed him inside and shut the door, locking it.

"What's all this about?" he asked her. "What's got ye on the edge?"

She paced, wringing her hands. "We have to take it," she said, more to herself than to John. "He's the only one around who will ferry us to Viridis and back." Her hands shook. "I have to be calm. I can't give anything away. I can't let him know…"

Silver took her by the shoulders and forced her to sit on the bed. He kneeled to get to her face level. "Serenity, calm down." She still shook. He tried to calm her, using his fingers to move her bangs out of her face, feeling her forehead for fever, refusing to admit to himself that he was also doing it as an excuse to touch her. When he was sure she wasn't getting sick he took his hand from her forehead. "Serenity, look at me. What's wrong?"

She grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. He ignored his heart as it skipped a beat. She looked at him, eyes wide in fear, her hands clammy with sweat.

"Captain Reaver," she said, her voice quiet and quivering. "It's Bennett."

(Author's note: Well, well. We have the beginnings of a romance, a young, flaunting Sarah and the return of yet another nightmare from Serenity's past. Talking about them in that backwards order, remember that Bennett was the man who helped Serenity learn a lot of neat thieving and group fighting tips, as well as tried to sell her to pay off a debt. As for Sarah.. Yes that is supposed to be James' mother. I mean, think of all that took place there. I know it wasn't a lot of words. She was acting like a slutty guy magnet and Silver completely called that her behavior was going to wind her in a marriage where her husband was going to leave her. I, personally, believe that a lot of relationships go bad because they don't have the right focus. They're too concerned in physical attraction over, say, friendship and morals. So, I believe that Sarah got herself in that situation because of how she was as a teen… Yes, I really am that cynical. And the romance… well, you'll see more of it later, I promise you. But obviously, Silver doesn't really know what's happening to him and what he's feeling. Or if he does, he's not admitting it. Oh, and if you're wondering, the tattoo on Bennett's neck is latin. It says "…and Death shall conquer all." Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :smile: Chapter eight coming when I can manage it!)