Nothing In The 'Verse.
Episode 31: Welcome to the Family.

Dani woke up slowly, blinking her eyes in the bright sunlight filtering in through the windows. She felt the warm, soft arm across her stomach, and lightly stroked it. Turning her head, she stared into Beth's brilliant green eyes, so much brighter than her own.

Beth gave her a soft, tender smile. "You know I'm okay with this, right?"

"Are you? Really?" Dani whispered.

Beth brushed Dani's hair over her ear in a gesture so familiar it brought a tear to her eye. "Of course I am, honey," she murmured. "All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy. You should wake up now, though."

"Okay," Dani whispered, brokenly.

She blinked her eyes again, adjusting to the dim lights in her bunk. Lori was snuggled into her side, arm draped over her stomach. She wiped the tear from her eye and then stroked the arm lovingly before twisting her head around to give her redheaded lover a kiss on the lips.

Lori stirred, and opened her light brown eyes. "Whazza... oh, time to get up?"

"Yeah, it is lian ren (sweetheart)," Dani smiled, kissing her again, slow and sweet.

Inbound to Aberdeen. Kalidasa.

Dani sat on the bridge, with Lori in her lap. Her lover had been especially clingy today, insisting on holding her hand or touching her in some way whenever possible.

"You feelin' nervous 'bout today?" Dani murmured against her cheek.

Lori sighed. "It's been ten years, little more, since I left. I dunno how he's gonna react. To me, to you, to... everythin'."

Dani gave her a squeeze. "I know, wo de ai (my love), I'll be right there with you, okay?"

Turning her head, Lori gave her a fierce kiss. "I know that, zhen'ai (true love)," she whispered when they separated. "And it's the only reason I'm goin' through with this."

"Well, if we're goin' through with this, I gotta land us." She gave her lover a peck on the nose before Lori got up to move over to the pilot's seat.

"Aberdeen Control, this is Firefly transport Fortune's Favour, requesting landing clearance for Montrose Township field."

"Roger that Firefly transport, I don't have you on my schedule, are you here for one of the mining companies?"

"Negative, Control," Dani replied into the comm, "personal visit only."

"Affirmative Firefly transport. Clearance granted for pad six, follow the beacon on down."

"Thanks Control. Have a good one." Dani replaced the mike back in its holder, and set her course.

She could hear Lori sigh heavily next to her, a sound full of foreboding and dread.

Montrose Township. Aberdeen

Dani and Lori walked hand-in-hand up the small dusty street towards the middle of the town, where her family pub took prominence. Lori had explained it sometimes functioned as a town hall, though there really wasn't much of a government around here. The mine owners pretty much ran everything on the planet.

They stopped in front of the large double doors made of heavy wood. A carved wooden sign, in faded green paint, proclaimed it to be 'O'Toole's'. Lori looked around the large, two-story building. "Looks like they replaced the roofin'," she murmured. "Useta be green, not brown." She shrugged, and gave Dani's hand a tug. "Well, let's get this over with."

Lori opened one of the doors and pulled Dani inside. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust, but once they did she was entranced. It was a wide open room, with thick wooden pillars spaced out evenly and round tables scattered throughout. There were large booths with red leather seats lining the right side of the room, a huge bar of polished teak wood across the left, and in the center of the back was a stage, slightly raised and about fifteen meters or so each side. There were a few doors in the back, all marked for employees only. The pub was dimly lit, but it only served to enhance the cozy, warm feel. She imagined that the fireplace in the front of the room would make it even more so on cold nights.

This early in the day the place was pretty deserted. Only one tall, rail-thin man with a mop of back hair stood behind the counter, cleaning glasses. Looking up, his eyes widened, and he grinned. "Well I'll be a wang ba (son of a bitch)!" he said excitedly.

Before Lori could answer she was tackled from the right by a mess of dark reddish brown hair. "Aunt Lori!" a voice squealed, then Lori was torn from her grasp as they both tumbled to the ground.

The two girls lay there laughing until Lori could extract herself. "Feather?" her girlfriend asked incredulously.

The grinning girl parted her hair from in front of her face, grinning and nodding. She looked like a more slender version of Lori in her barmaid's outfit, without the freckles though. Her hair was curled slightly and fell past her shoulders.

Lori sat up, still laughing. "Ta ma de (fuck me blind) you've grown!"

"I'm not ten anymore Aunt Lori! It's been ages since we got to see you!" the girl hopped to her feet and helped Lori up as the other man walked over. He extended his hand to Dani.

"Hey there, I'm Jeb O'Toole, Lori's brother." he said genially.

"Dani Grant," she replied, shaking his hand firmly. "Lori's girlfriend."

Jeb smiled widely. "Well then, welcome to the family!" And, laughing, he pulled her into a hug.

"Bi zui (shut up), you guys are together?" Feather squealed excitedly, still hugging Lori tightly. "That is so jingcai (brilliant)!"

"Did you guys just make it here?" Jeb asked after letting Dani go. He pushed Feather aside good-naturedly to give his sister a hug, while Feather took the opportunity to grab onto Dani and hug her next.

Apparently they're a family of huggers, Dani thought with amusement.

"Yeah, just got in," Lori explained as she held on to Jeb tightly. "God it's so good to see you again Jeb."

"You too meimei (little sister)." Jeb let go and held her at arms length. "Life's been decent to ya, huh? Don't suppose you've gotten to see Dad yet?"

Lori shook her head hesitantly. "Not yet, no. How's he, um, still feel about me leavin'?"

Jeb barked out a laugh. "Oh he's still got a good head of steam goin' about it. 'Spect you'll get an earful. Now, the one you gotta look out for is Bud."

Lori raised her eyebrows incredulously. "Bud Heyman? Don't tell me he's still pinin' for me?"

"Oh yeah," Feather nodded, grinning. "He's in here every night mopin' about you runnin' off. Sez you're the only girl for him, won't ever love 'nother, goes on and on for hours."

Lori rolled her eyes in irritation. "Ai ya, huai le (shit on my head)." She looked at her niece again, smiling. "I still can't believe how much you grew up. What've you been up to, since you couldn't follow on my heels all day?"

Feather stuck her tongue out at Lori, then grinned. "Oh you know, still followin' in yer footsteps. Breakin' the hearts of boys an' girls all over Aberdeen."

Lori snorted and shook her head, but Jeb was laughing loudly. "She's tellin' the truth, meimei. Now that Betty's married off, she's the resident heart-breaker."

"And how about you," Lori asked Jeb, turning to him. "You ever marry Jules?"

"That I did," Jeb grinned, "after her daddy caught us in her room one night. Got three kids now, oldest is eight."

Lori snickered, and grasped Dani's hand again. "Good for you. I gotta meet ev'ryone, I've really missed you all..." She trailed off. "You know I hadda leave, right Jeb?"

Jeb smiled at her gently. "I know ya did, meimei, and I understand yer reasonin'. I think most of the family is okay with it too, except for Dad. Ericka still thinks you shoulda married Bud though, said somethin' about readin' it in the stars."

Lori roller her eyes again. "That girl is such a hippie." She smirked at Feather. "Sorry, hon, I know she's yer mom, but she is."

Feather just giggled. "Oh I know that, Aunt Lori. Shane's just as bad sometimes. He's my older brother," she explained to Dani. "Oh, he's married too! Girl named Rosie, an' he's a foreman like Zach, but in the mine that my dad owns."

Dani's head was swimming with the talk of all of Lori's relatives. It was getting hard to keep everyone's names straight. And I thought my family was big? "And how many siblings do you gots again?" she asked Lori.

Her redheaded lover gave her hand a squeeze. "Eight," she replied, smiling. "But four are off-planet, far as I know."

"Aunt Evie came back to visit!" Feather piped in excitedly. "She's a huaidan (badass) merc now!"

Lori laughed. "Wo kao (well fuck me / holy shit), this I gotta see."

Before the conversation could continue, another man entered the pub from one of the back doors. Dani was pretty sure she was looking at Lori's father, Robert O'Toole. He was as tall as rail-thin as Jeb, but with shorter hair, iron-grey, and with a matching, neatly-trimmed beard. He stopped at the door's threshold, and then walked in a few more steps before halting again, arms crossed.

Lori gave an audible gulp. "Hi Daddy," she said weakly.

"Lorraine," he answered calmly. "Back to visit?"

"Um, yeah, been awhile, so..." Lori trailed off uncertainly.

"Give us a moment, please," he said in a very controlled voice. Both Jeb and Feather shot her apologetic looks before scurrying through a door behind the bar, presumably into the kitchen.

Dani remained at her lover's side, though Lori had withdrawn her hand and was hugging her own abdomen tightly.

"Who's this?" Robert asked, tipping his head towards Dani.

Lori cleared her throat, but Dani spoke up first. "Captain Danielle Grant of the Fortune's Favour. And Lori's girlfriend."

Robert stood there for a bit, arms still crossed, and now included Dani in his glare. Dani just looked back, unperturbed. I have survived teenaged daughters, you don't phase me a bit, old man.

"Well then, I suppose you can stay," Robert said darkly.

"Too kind of you," Dani murmured. Then, louder, she asked, "C'n we sit?"

Robert nodded curtly, and they moved over one of the round tables with five chairs around it. Lori sat across from her father, and Dani sat at her side, close by. She gripped Lori's leg under the table. I'm here for you, babe. Lori placed her hand over Dani's and squeezed back.

Her father cleared his throat. And still sat there silently for a full minute. Lori squeezed Dani's hand harder.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Lori finally broke in. "I know I left you with only a letter, but I hadta get out, and I couldn't make you see reason. I hadta leave."

Robert sighed and deflated a bit. "I want to be so very mad at you, Lorraine. But you're so much like your mother." His stern face cracked a small smile. "She was a wild one too, suppose that's what attracted me. So, alright. I forgive you."

Lori gave a huge smile, but Robert forestalled her response with a raised hand. "It's not that easy though. Did Jeb tell you about Bud?"

His daughter gave a snort. "Only that the gorram fool is still pinin' after me like a lovestruck bendan (idiot). D'ya need me to talk to him?"

Robert shook his head slightly. "Like I said, it's not that-" He broke off as the front door slammed open, and a well-groomed blond man strode in. Peering around Lori, Dani could see that he was of a medium build, fairly fit and good-looking, she supposed. If you were into the pretty-boy thing, Dani snorted to herself.

The man strode up to the table and stood there, hands on hips and legs apart, looking down his nose at Lori. "So, you finally returned. About gorram time, been ten years. Hope you got that nonsense out of your system now."

"Bud," Lori said calmly. "Nice to see you again. I've moved on though, and I'm only passin' through, stopped by to see family."

Bud nodded his head firmly. "That's right, an' you're my family now."

Lori looked at her father incredulously, and Robert nodded, sighing. "What I was trying to tell you. I told him he could marry you whenever you came back."

Dani gave a snort of laughter, covering it up with her hand. Lori glared at her for a sec, but it was nothing compared to the intensity with the look she gave Bud. She stood up very slowly, adjusting her gunbelt (perhaps a little obviously, to give her next statement some credence), and gritted out, "No Bud, I am not marryin' you. I'm crew on a ship. I have a girlfriend, and I aim to marry her. Not you. Get over it."

Dani wisely kept quiet, just leaned back in her chair with a grin, arms crossed.

"You have a what?" Bud sputtered. "No matter. You're mine, you're the one who needs to 'get over it', and come back to reality. That Firefly transport you came in on? Already landlocked. You're not going anywhere."

At that, Dani put all four of her chair legs on the floor with a thump. "Excuse me please," she murmured politely. Turning her comm back on, she spoke quietly into it. "Home, this is Two, are we landlocked?"

"Affirmative Two," Keith's baritone came back. "Couldn't reach you or Five, was about to walk over there myself. Need backup?"

"Not yet," she murmured, eyeing the man standing over her. Bud was smiling triumphantly like he'd already won. "But hold that thought."

Dani stood up as well next to Lori, who looked like she was ready to punch Bud in the face. How do you deal reality to a person who cannot accept it? By forcing it in his face and makin' his pride an issue.

"Alright then, Bud," Dani drawled. Lori tensed, but Dani just put a reassuring hand on her arm. "I think we c'n work somethin' out here."

"Oh really?" Bud sneered. "What would I need to work out, dyke?"

Dani snorted. "I'm gonna let that one pass, for now, 'cause I can tell you're jus' compensatin' for your tiny lil' diao (cock)."

Lori snickered, and even Robert smiled a little. She heard laughter from behind the bar, and assumed both Jeb and Feather had poked their heads out to observe the altercation.

While Bud was flapping his mouth in outrage, Dani barreled onwards. "So here's what I propose. You think you deserve her, I say you don'. An' I challenge you to a contest to prove it."

Lori turned to her in surprise. "What?"

"What?" her father grunted, equally surprised.

Echoing shouts of "What?" were heard from behind the bar.

Dani kept her eyes on Bud, who was glowering at her furiously. Gotta goad him a lil' bit more. "Unless, of course, yer willin' to admit defeat here an' now to a dyke like me?"

Bud sputtered again, then shouted out "Fine!", his face turning purple.

"What... Dani, what in the ruttin' hell are you doin'?" Lori hissed.

Dani gave her a wink. "Fightin' for your honor and hand, gorgeous. Now then," she said turning to Robert who was looking up at her appraisingly, "Here's what I propose. Five contests, one each from me an' my family, one from the pigu (ass) over here, one from his family, if they care. And then a final one from you, Robert."

Lori's father raised an eyebrow at Dani's familiarity, but stood up slowly. "All right," he said solemnly. "And the conditions?"

Dani crossed her arms, smirk still firmly in place. "You arbitrate, decide on the winner for each contest. Both parties hafta agree on the contest. Winner is free to court Lori, other leaves 'er alone. An' one way or t'other, my ship gets the landlock removed after the last contest."

"Bud?" the senior O'Toole turned to Lori's ex-boyfriend, inquiringly. "You accept?"

"I do," Bud gritted out.

"Alright then, I'll make it random. Bud, your family gets the first one, then the young lady here. Your contest will be next, then Danielle's family, and finally mine. Agreed?"

Both Dani and Bud nodded, but Lori gave a squawk. "What? No! I do not agree to this fang pi (bullshit)! I'm not some gorram prize to be fought over!"

"May we have a second?" Dani inquired politely, and Robert nodded in amusement. Dani took Lori gently by the arm and steered them over to a corner of the pub.

"What is this shen jing bing (insanity)?" Lori started, but Dani placed her hand over her mouth lovingly.

"Please, zhi'ai (most beloved), hear me out, 'kay?" Lori nodded mutely, so Dani continued. "He's never gonna give you up unless he feels like he was beaten fair an' square. I know the type. An' I know I can beat the xiaobian (piss) outta whatever contests we have. An' one more thing."

Dani put both hands around Lori's face, looking into the wide eyes of her lover with her bright green ones. "You are so very worth fighting for, wo de ai (my love)."

Lori snorted softly. "You're a lan ren (loon). An' I love you. An' I think you're just gettin' me back for Persephone."

Dani smiled. "Could be right, at that." And she gave a slow, sweet kiss to her redheaded lover. "We good?" she asked once they parted.

"It's still fang pi (bullshit), but fine, I trust you."

Grinning, Dani steered them back to the waiting men. Neither Jeb nor Feather were in sight, either hiding or spreading the news.

"Alright, fine," Lori grumped. "Don't mean I'm gonna marry you one way or t'other, but fine."

Robert clapped his hands, once. "Then we begin tonight. I'll close the pub early for a family event, we'll have dinner with all the O'Toole's. Danielle, please bring your crew along, and we'll begin the first contest immediately after. Bud, have your family's proposal ready."

With that, Bud stormed off wordlessly out the front door, Robert walked back into the kitchen, and Dani and Lori were left standing in the middle of the pub alone.

"What have you done?" Lori whispered.

"Oh y'know, just bein' the xiong jiao (handsome hero)," Dani grinned.

Lori snorted. "I hope you know what yer doin', beautiful."

They started out the door, when they heard running feet behind them. Turning, they spotted Feather racing up behind them. "Wait for me!" she gasped quietly.

When she reached them, Feather looked around furtively. "Can I come with ya, see your ship an' meet everyone on the crew?" Her eyes were sparkling with excitement. Turning to Dani, she added, "An' I wanna know more about you!"

Laughing, Dani and Lori agreed, and the three of them headed back to the ship arm-in-arm, chatting the whole way.

Fortune's Favour. Aberdeen.

Dani and Lori had walked through the ship, Feather in tow, showing her around, from the cargo bay up through the rear crew quarters and then the engine room. Lori's niece was looking around with her mouth agape, having never been inside a transport before. It was towards the end of lunch by this point, and as they entered the galley they were able to introduce Feather to all the family present. Dani noted out of the corner of her eye that Rain's eyes widened at the sight of Feather.

When Dani finished going around the room, she made sure to mention that Rain was now the main pilot for the Favour. Feather's expressive blue eyes got even wider. "Yer the pilot for this ship?" she gushed towards Rain. Skipping over, she grabbed on to her arm. "C'n ya show me the bridge, please?"

Rain blushed slightly, and stammered out a "Sure," letting Feather drag her out of the seat. They walked towards the bridge, Lori's niece still clinging to her arm. Feather's voice drifted back to them. "This's so shiny! I'll bet you have all kinds of adventures with my Aunt Lori, doncha?"

"Um, yeah..." Rain's strained voice floated back in answer.

Lori snickered. "Oh she's screwed. Once Feather latches on there's no gettin' away."

Dani leaned against the back of her chair, watching the two girls climb the stairs to the bridge. "She's not a lil' girl anymore, Lori. I'm not so sure her latchin' is all that innocent."

"Wha... really? Ya think?" Lori whispered incredulously. "Huh, I s'pose so, can't look at her like she's the same ten-year-old she was." She snickered again. "Well then, Rain's doubly screwed."

Dani gave her a look.

"Not like that!" Lori giggled, swatting her arm.

"Alright ladies," Keith rumbled from his seat. "Anyone want to tell us what the rutting hell is going on here?"

"Well," Dani started, sitting at her seat. "there's a bit of a tale to tell regardin' that..."

O'Toole's. Montrose Township. Aberdeen.

The entirety of the Favour's crew came to the pub that night for dinner, even Rain in her button hat and patched flight vest, who seemed to be dragged along by a very intense and huggy Feather. Dani made sure to lock the controls on the bridge and secure all the entrances to the ship before they left.

The pub was busting with activity by the time they got there, and with the addition of Dani's friends and family it turned into a festival of sorts. Dani kept to Lori's side as she was introduced around to her immediate and extended family.

Besides Jeb, there were four other siblings present on Aberdeen. Dani met with the oldest, Zach, who looked to be a carbon copy of Robert but without the beard, and walked with stooped shoulders. Years as a mining foreman had not been kind to him, and he was both divorced and childless.

Betty was there with her husband, Justin Rowley, and their baby. Dani also got to meet Jeb's wife Jules. They came with their shy little girl Jill, who clung to her mother, and their two small boys, Paul and Mickey, who immediately attached themselves to Maribelle and Cory's two little boys, Junior and LT. The four of them raced around the pub causing the mayhem that little boys are wont to do.

At one point, Lori was tackled from behind and lifted off her feet by a tall, statuesque blond. "Evie!" Lori squealed, returning the hug affectionately. "Ai ya, huai le (shit on my head), look at you! I hear you're a merc now?"

"That's right," the blond replied. She was wearing skin tight leathers and had an Ares Predator II, the same model as Dani's, slung at her waist. Her hair was long and luxurious, braided back loosely against her spine, and she lacked any freckles whatsoever; nonetheless she was obviously an O'Toole. Turning to Dani, Lori's sister smiled and extended her hand. "I understand you're the girlfriend? Name's Evienne. Call me Evie."

Smiling back at her, she responded with a firm shake, "Captain Danielle Grant, call me Dani. Nice sidearm, by the way."

Evie had already checked out Dani's gun, and smiled even wider at her. "Alright meimei (little sister), I approve," she snickered towards Lori. "Any girl who totes an Ares is okay in my book."

And eventually Dani got to meet Ericka, who was right around her own age. Feather's mother was certainly an outlier from the rest of the family. She looked enough like the rest of the women in body shape, and had the same map of freckles that Lori did, but her hair was a darker auburn and worn long and loose. She had the same easy-going manner as Jeb, but what set her apart was the very spiritual vibe she gave off, remarking how Dani had a 'good aura'. Not sure what that is, but hey I'll take any allies in Lori's family that I c'n get.

The Grant and O'Toole clans intermingled across the pub for dinner, which was served up by whatever family members were available. Julie, Kelly, and Rain helped out as well, though Dani suspected Feather had roped her eldest daughter into serving the food and drinks. Dani grinned widely at the crowd, and leaned over to Lori. "I really like yer family," she shouted over the din.

Lori grinned back. "I'm glad! Seems they like you too, fer the most part! At least Bud's not here to spoil things yet!"

Eventually the meal wound down, and the socializing continued for a bit more before Bud made his entrance. Surprisingly, he was alone, but carried a letter from his parents. He stood nearby, smiling superiorly, as Robert read it, nodding.

Lori's father walked up to the stage and raised his hands for quiet. Once achieved, he spoke in a loud voice. "Hopefully you all have found out already what we're here for, so I won't go into that. What I will tell you all, is that the first contest between Dani and Bud has been determined. We're having a drinking contest!"

His announcement was met with some cheers that were drowned out by the groans from the crew from the Favour. "Hey!" Dani protested loudly.

"Sweetie," Lori whispered urgently, "we all know ya can't hold yer liquor!"

"Well, yeah," Dani replied, still affronted, "but that don't mean they hafta give up on me right off the bat!"

Lori just sighed and rolled her eyes, as her father and some other family members cleared a space around one table with two chairs facing each other. They set out a row of a dozen shot glasses, filling each with whiskey.

"Wow, they're pretty optimistic there, jie-jie (older sister)," Keith rumbled at Dani's side.

"Oh ni ta ma de (fuck you)," Dani grunted in reply. She squared her shoulders and took her seat.

"All right," she said calmly. "Let's do this."

Fortune's Favour. Aberdeen.

Dani opened her eyes blearily. She was being prodded by some sort of branding iron that sent shocks of pain through her system, and a little dwarf had gotten into her head with a bass drum. He was beating it merrily whilst dancing around on her brain.

"Whaaathamrph," she said intelligently.

"An' good mornin' to you too, sunshine," Lori seemed to shout at her.

"Shhhhhh," Dani whispered. "No shoutin'. Quiet. Need quiet." And she pulled the pillow over her head, hoping to smother the gorram dwarf.

Lori giggled, the sound like breaking glass to Dani's ears. Mercifully, though, she brought her voice down to a level for mere mortals. Or maybe those with extreme hangovers. "We need to get movin', beautiful. Next contest is this mornin'. I think they did this on purpose, to give you a hangover so's you won't think clearly on choosin' yer battle."

Dani groaned. "How'd I do?" she whimpered miserably.

"Oh, honey," Lori sighed like a gale force wind. "You got to four shots, which really surprised ev'ryone. But then ya faceplanted. Bud walked off on 'is own. And ya missed the fun."

"Gorramit, always miss the fun," she whispered back. "Wha' happened?"

"Well," Lori giggled again, her voice vibrating against her eardrums like a jackhammer, "Bud had decided that I shouldn' be goin' home with ya, and you were passed out and couldn' argue. Rest of the crew were about to take him out, but then lil' Sara was there in front of 'im, that gorram smirk of yer family's on 'er face. An' she had a shiv in his crotch."

Dani snorted, which was a terrible idea. Suddenly the dwarf was joined by another.

"She told 'im, lemme see if I c'n get this right, 'Lori is my friend, my teammate, and my Kaasan's girlfriend. You ever touch her again an' I'll cut off yer ji ba (dick).'"

Dani snorted again. The dwarves multiplied twofold.

Then Maribelle climbed down the ladder, wearing what must have been steel-shot boots. "Ssshhhhhhh," Dani protested weakly.

Her sister-in-law just held up a syringe, only filled a quarter of the way with an odd greenish liquid.

"It's a detoxifier," Maribelle explained gently with the voice of a banshee, "it'll set you straight, but you'll puke for five minutes after."

Dani sighed, struggling to sit up and dislodge the irritating dwarves. "Fine, prep the toilet unit and hit me."

Dani finally emerged from her bunk wearing clean clothes, supported by both Lori and Maribelle. Could have sworn I saw my toenails come up, and five minutes sure seemed like an hour. Keith was standing by her seat, holding aspirin and water, which she accepted gratefully.

Sitting down, Dani held her head up with both hands as Julie brought over a cup of tea. "It's Chamomile," she explained, smiling. "Help you settle some."

And then, most surprising of all, Kelly placed a plate of honest-to-Buddha eggs in front of her. "Got some from local market this morning," she explained cheerily, "and the rest of the crew already ate. Saved some for you."

"Dao xie (thank you), ev'ryone" Dani smiled around the table. She was already feeling more human again, the tea helped and getting the delicious eggs into her stomach was of tremendous benefit.

"Lian ren (sweetheart)," Lori murmured worriedly, "are you gonna be up to the next challenge?"

"I gets to choose this one, 'member? Don't s'pose he knows howta fly?"

"No, there ain't really even any shuttles on-planet," Lori replied. "Most of what we gots are groundcars."

"Ugh, no I hate drivin' groundcars. Anythin' else?"

"Well, he would've learned to drive the ore hovertruck flatbeds, his daddy's big on learnin' the whole trade 'fore takin' over."

"Perfect," Dani grinned. "Gimme a map of the area."

O'Toole's. Montrose Township. Aberdeen.

Within a couple of hours everyone was assembled inside the pub again. Dani endured some ribbing with good humor, though Feather expressed real concern for her. "You gotta win, Dani," she said, brow furrowed. "Yer so much better for her than Bud!"

Rain laughed next to her. "You don' know my Kaasan," she grinned. "She'll kick his pigu (ass) in the end." Dani noted with some amusement to herself that the two had become relatively inseparable since they met.

"Noticed yer off the ship again," she murmured to her daughter out of everyone else's earshot.

"Bi zui (shut up)," Rain hissed. "Don' jinx me!"

Smiling widely, Dani strode up to the stage where Robert and a very smug-looking Bud were waiting. Don't get cocky little man, she thought with humor.

The crowd hushed as she came to stand on the other side of Lori's father. She raised her voice to be heard. "So it's my turn to pick out a challenge. Normally I'd suggest a flyin' contest, but that'd be unfair as pretty-boy here can't fly." She grinned at the snickers that spread around her audience. "So I thought I'd give him a fair chance." She turned to Bud, who was starting to look a little nervous at her confidence, not at all the hung-over wreck he was expecting. "I hear ya know howta drive an ore hovertruck?"

Bud squinted suspiciously at Dani, but nodded.

"Right then. Two trucks, we both inspect an' agree on. Found a nice canyon nearby, it's marked as the old Silver Spring bed. We race to the end of it. Four clicks total."

"That's it?" Bud asked, starting to grin again.

"Yep." And that's all I need to bury you, piyan (asshole).

Silver Spring Canyon. Aberdeen.

They had picked out two ore hauler hovertrucks from Bud's fleet, and agreed on both of them. Both vehicles still bore scratched traces of their original dull grey coats of paint, and the ore beds were littered with dust and pebbles. They were both closed-cab models. Dani and Bud had flipped a platinum coin on who got to pick which one they were to drive. Bud won.

Now they were lined up behind one marker, a tall post with a bright red flag flying from it, and at the top of the slope down into the canyon. Four kilometers ahead was another post with a matching flag. The course was a meandering valley of varying widths and surfaces, all rock and hard dirt with some spots of softer dust.

They both wore commercial comm units tuned to the same frequency, and the audience was set up on top of the cliff, with another audio unit that would broadcast their progress. Dani was settled in, engine humming. "Comm check, you receivin'?"

"I read you," Keith answered from up on the cliff. "Also coming through the general audio."

"Pretty-boy?" she smirked.

Bud snorted in irritation. "Ready when you are, you old biao zi (bitch)."

"Alright then, go," she said mildly, but there was nothing restrained in the way Dani kicked her ore hauler forward, roaring down the shallow slope as though she were flying in her Firefly.

Bud squawked, but was only a split second behind her. Well before they reached the bottom of the slope, they had drawn almost even again. Bud hauled over on his controls with an audible growl, and side-slipped to the right into her.

Dani felt rather than heard the impact, but it didn't change her course in the slightest. Dani grinned to herself. Only the greenest of pilots would have failed to anticipate that little maneuver, and she easily compensated for it. She gunned the engines on her hauler, leaning into the leftward slide. The nose of her hovertruck was still a few meters out in front of his, and she was able to push him over towards the wall. She kept shoving until his hauler's left side began to scrape against the cliff face. The sudden friction slowed the other hovertruck to a crawl, and her hovertruck shot ahead.

"Keep tryin', pretty-boy," she smirked into her comm. "I'm old, I might be tirin' already."

His Mandarin curses lit up the comm unit.

They continued on for a bit, Bud's bow now right on Dani's stern. He'd try to sideslip to pass her, but she'd break in the direction each time to block his move. The richness and color of his nonstop Mandarin cursing were testimony to her success.

The impasse obviously couldn't last. He slid to the right again, and she followed suit, only to discover a nest of boulders directly ahead. Their proximity kicked the bow of her hovertruck up into the air long enough to slow her momentum, and Bud slid around to the left, passing her up before she could reestablish contact with the canyon floor.

"Not bad, pretty-boy," Dani laughed. "Proved you c'n drive mebbe a lil' bit. Think you c'n keep the lead?"

"Gun hoe-tze bee dio-se (have a shit-throwing contest with a monkey)," Bud growled back.

Ahead the canyon turned to the right. Near the inner right wall was a tumbled pile of stone. Between it and the wall itself the floor of the canyon curved slightly upward. Left of the pile was broad, open ground.

Bud headed, predictably enough, for the broadest open area. Dani slid over to the right, angling between the stone pile and the wall. There was just enough room for her to squeeze the ore hauler between them, and as she did so her hover drive kicked loose stones from the pile, raining them down on Bud's hauler and across his windshield. He slid leftward reflexively, shying away from the debris, and she managed to gain on him going around the curve. Bud barked another string of curses, while Dani just grinned, completely in her element.

The end of the canyon run was within sight. They could see in the distance the large red flag flapping in the wind. The canyon bottom was flat and smooth to the left of the straightaway, but grew stony and broken along the right where Bud was forcing Dani to travel. She kept drifting to the right, ignoring his efforts to side-slip into her. She was just behind him, but saw Bud turn to look over, likely wondering why she was not even fighting for the speediest approach to the finish line.

He gained some more distance on her as they approached the rockiest portion of the old stream bed. But as they approached the point where the tumbled boulder were worst, she swiftly slid to the left so that the nose of her hovertruck crossed over the highest of them. The move kicked her up several meters.

And she came right down on top of Bud's ore hauler.

The weight on her vehicle forced his down, compressing the hover jets and slowing his hauler. Her own hover jets kicked her forward off of his vehicle, and she gritted her teeth as she held her course by virtue of brute strength alone. As her ore hauler came fully down off of his and onto the canyon floor she managed to straighten out, and maybe a second later she passed the flag. Bud's hauler was tucked in right behind her.

"You- you-" Bud sputtered over the comm.

"Yep," Dani smirked over the comm as she slowed her hauler to a halt. "That's right pretty-boy, I won."

"You cheated!" he yelled indignantly.

Dani laughed. "I don't recall settin' up any rules. Robert, c'n I get an arbitration here?"

Lori's father came over the comm. If she didn't know better, she might have detected a faint trace of amusement on his voice. "Dani is correct, no rules were set up other than the selection of the vehicles and the distance. She wins this contest."

Dani grinned exuberantly. "Call me old, willya," she snarked under her breath.

O'Toole's. Montrose Township. Aberdeen.

That afternoon a cheery Dani was sitting at a table at the family pub again, her feet propped up and hands laced behind her head. Keith assured her he'd put something together that would ensure her success, but they were waiting on Bud's announcement first.

The man in question strode into the pub (to a few raspberries that she suspected her daughters might have been responsible for) and up to the stage. Without preamble, he spoke. "I have a rifle range set up out on the edge of town. I heard that Lori's something of a marksman now, so her mate should be her equal." Then he hopped back off and exiting the building. The rest of the crowd, surprised at his brusqueness, headed after him slowly.

"Did he just call me his 'mate'?" Lori asked incredulously.

"Did he say 'rifle range'?" Dani asked, a sinking feeling in her gut.

Lori turned to her in surprise. "It can't be that bad wo de ai (my love), I'm sure he's only been shootin' for fun..." She trailed off at the dejected look on Dani's face.

Dani just shook her head. "If'n there's anythin' I'm worse at than holdin' my liquor, it's shootin' a rifle. There's a reason none of y'all have seen me do it." She got up from her chair and joined the rest of the crowd, arm around Lori. "Might as well get it over with, it'll put the hun dan (bastard) up one but we still gots two left."

"Is she really that bad?" she could hear Feather whisper behind her.

"I dunno, honestly, nobody's ever seen her pick up a rifle," Rain answered doubtfully.

Montrose Township Green. Aberdeen.

The crowd from the pub, along with some other curious folk from the township, were gathered behind the two contestants. They each had identical bolt-action rifles, unscoped. They were behind a rough line drawn in the grass, and maybe 100 meters away there were two targets. Dani sighed to herself. Might as well be a kilometer.

Bud was holding his rifle in the crook of his arm. He waited till he had Lori's attention before he gave her a confident leer. "Five shots," he said tersely, and gestured for Dani to go first.

Dani sighted down the rifle, held her breath, and squeezed the trigger.

First shot went wide to the right, hitting a tree.

She grunted, working the bolt, and repeated the process.

Next shot actually hit Bud's target in the corner. The other three went so far off nobody could tell what she had hit. 'Least there ain't any buildings nearby.

By this point Bud had his overconfident swagger back, and laughed at Dani's performance. Then he turned, rifle at the ready. He shot slowly but surely, working the bolt each time. Only one was in the center of the target, but all five hit.

Some polite applause followed his feat, and he bowed grandly. But before he could start on the gloating, Keith stepped up and made an announcement.

"The Grant family is prepared to issue their challenge," he said in a loud baritone that got everyone's attention. He strode up to the line, peering downrange. With a grunt, he turned back to the crowd. 'Same distance. Sidearms of their choice."

"What?" Bud scoffed. "That's impossible."

Dani shrugged nonchalantly. "Well pretty-boy, if'n you wanna forfeit..."

Bud growled a curse under his breath, and placed his rifle down on the ground. Dani laid hers beside it, and gestured him forward. "My challenge, so you first. Use my target, it's clean-like."

He sidled over in front of Dani, and she stepped back to give him room. Drawing his functional but common Moses Brother's revolver, he sighted down towards the target.

To his credit, he did hit the target once, clipping the bullseye. He crowed at his accomplishment, and stepped back with a triumphant smile.

Dani just returned his smile calmly, simply saying "My turn," and stepped up to the line.

She held her breath, releasing it slowly as she drew her Ares and held it steady in two hands.

All five shots were clustered right around the one Bud made.

Her feat was followed by much more thunderous applause and cheers. Bud, scowling, picked up his rifles and stalked off, while other family members of both sides crowded around to offer congratulations.

Maybe a half hour later, Dani and Lori were walking slowly back to the pub where they were all meeting for dinner. "It's all still so ruttin' ridiculous," Lori complained.

"I know, love. But you gotta trust me, this's the only way he'll see himself as havin' lost you. Legitimately." Dani stopped, and cradled Lori's face in her hands before they entered the building. "You're my jue dai jia ren (prettiest girl ever) and my love. I will not lose."

Lori huffed, but smiled up at her. Those brown eyes just melt me into goo every time. "Alright, beautiful. I do trust you." She leaned in and gave Dani a slow kiss, then turned to walk into the pub.

"Um, Captain? May I have a word?"

Dani looked over to see one of Lori's older sisters, Ericka, looking on from a short distance away. Lori gave her hand a squeeze as she entered the building, and Dani nodded, walking over to Ericka.

It was almost eerie having Ericka staring so intently into Dani's eyes. It was like an older version of Lori, with darker (and much longer) hair, but those light brown eyes were surrounded by the same freckles as her lover. Lori's sister stood there for almost a full minute, looking at her searchingly, but Dani waited patiently.

"You really love each other, don't you?" Ericka finally asked, softly.

Dani smiled, and she knew she looked slightly moonstruck. "Yeah, we do. She definitely captured my heart."

Ericka made a humming sound and cocked her head to the side. "Alright then. Tell me, what captured you the most?"

Dani looked towards the building that Lori had entered as if she could feel where she was through the walls. "Those eyes of hers, make me melt ev'ry time," she answered, repeating the thoughts she just had earlier.

Ericka frowned skeptically. "That's what you look for in a girl, the eyes?"

Dani nodded, still looking at the building and smiling. "All starts with the eyes. She's gotta have the kinda eyes that see right past the bullshit and to the good of someone. Down to earth. Not 'fraid to get her hands dirty." She turned her attention back to Ericka then. "That's my Lori."

Ericka smiled widely. "Oh yeah, yer in love."

Nodding to herself as if something had been decided, Ericka started walking around the pub, indicating Dani should accompany her. They slowly meandered along in companionable silence.

"Yer around my age, right? Early forties?"

Dani nodded. "Yep, almost forty-three myself."

"Age difference don't bother y'all none?"

Dani snorted in response. "Not to Lori."

"No, it wouldn't," Ericka mused. "Would it help to know that the last contest is a physical fight 'tween the two of you?"

"Might," Dani replied, unperturbed by the conversation's change in direction. "He any good?"

"Decent 'nough at boxing, from what I hear," Ericka replied conversationally.

"Hmm," Dani said thoughtfully. "I think if yer father wanted to make the end really spectacular, give ev'ryone a good show, it should be no-holds-barred. No weapons, but the only other rule is you can't go off the stage."

"Until the other party submits?" Ericka quirked an eyebrow.

"Or is unconscious," Dani smirked back.

"Fair enough," Ericka conceded, smiling slightly. "I might have a word with my father, see what he thinks." By this point they were almost all the way around the building and back to the entrance. The sounds of merriment drifted out of the closed doors, indications that the dinner festivities were well underway.

Ericka stopped again, looking at the doors. "I like your family a lot. You can tell much 'bout a person by whom they surround themselves with, who they call family."

Dani smiled at her side, also looking at the entrance to the pub. "I could say the same. The O'Toole's are quite the clan, and I've enjoyed bein' here and meetin' ev'ryone."

Giving a sniff, Ericka smiled. "Dinner smells good. Oh, by the by," she added as she mounted the steps. "Noticed my Feather hangin' around your oldest. Rain, I think? Not a problem, I hope?"

Dani smiled at her. "None at all, or if it were Rain would tell me."

"Good enough," Ericka smiled again. "Thanks for the company on my walk, Dani."

"Anytime, Ericka," Dani smiled back as they entered the pub to the loud and boisterous sounds of family.

O'Toole's. Montrose Township. Aberdeen.

Over dinner, Dani noted that Ericka had situated herself next to her father at his table, and was making light conversation. Dani just grinned, and squeezed Lori's leg affectionately. She glanced up at a light tap on her shoulder. "Here ya go, Kaasan," Sara said, her eyes glittering excitedly.

Dani had asked Sara to run back to the ship and grab a few things for her. She took the proffered bag with a hug and a kiss on top of Sara's head, heading back towards the bathrooms. She passed Bud sitting alone in a booth, glowering at everyone but especially Dani.

For her part, she just gave him a cheery wave as she passed.

Ten minutes later she was back at her table, stuffing the bag under her chair, just in time for Robert to stand up and make his way to the stage.

"My family, and honored guests," he started in a loud voice, then continued normally as conversation died off. "It's time for this evening's activity. The contestants sit at two apiece, so this is the tie-breaker, and one of my own devising. I have decided that they will have a contest of physical combat. No weapons, no leaving the stage, no other rules. Fight is over when one combatant concedes, or is unable to continue."

A loud cheer went up, especially from her crew. She made her way to the back of the pub, having fortunately only eaten very lightly, and stood to one side of the stage. Bud walked up to the other end, sneering. "This will be over quick," he said loudly.

"No, I don' think so," Dani replied conversationally. I'm gonna draw this out awhile, pretty-boy.

Bud proceeded to strip off his shirt, shoes and socks, leaving only his black trousers in place. A few catcalls and whistles sounded from the crowd as his rather impressive physique. May be a pretty-boy, but he obviously works out. He then stood with his hands on his hips, facing Dani again. "Ready, you old biao zi (bitch)?" he asked, smiling cockily.

"Deng yi miao (hold on a sec)," Dani replied, and took a roll of cloth tape out of her pocket. "Could you hold this please?" she asked Ericka, who was standing nearby. After she accepted it, Dani shed her clothes to reveal the black pair of workout compression shorts and sports bra that she had switched into while in the bathroom. Accepting the tape back from Ericka, she proceeded to wrap her hands, making sure to turn around so that Bud and the rest of the audience got a good look at her scars. A hush fell across the crowd, and even Bud didn't have a comment to make. She then crouched and wrapped her feet.

Dropping the roll of tape on the pile of clothes off-stage, she turned back to Bud. "Alright, pretty-boy, now I'm ready," and then she got into her kickboxing ready position.

She noticed Lori standing there, eyes glistening, obviously knowing how much it cost her to put her scars on display like this. Dani gave her a wink. Scars don't mean a thing long as I got you by my side.

Bud was looking at her warily. Why yes, piyan (asshole), you've made a very big mistake. And then he closed in and attempted to hit her.

He made a valiant effort, but it was obvious from the start that Dani barely had to even try to keep him at bay. He was unused to having to watch out for kicks or knees, likely only taking boxing lessons and using a bag to work out. He had no real combat experience.

And after five minutes, it was readily apparent to all that Dani was just playing with him.

She would alternate, after deflecting some attacks from him, to either send a knee into his abdomen, a foot to his knee, or a condescending pat on the cheek. And just like her fight with Keith those many months ago, it served to only enrage him further, until he was standing there panting, both sides a mass of bruises, knees swollen, and red cheeks.

"Finished?" Dani asked mildly, hardly even breathing heavy.

"Ni... ta... ma... de... (fuck you)," he huffed.

Shrugging, Dani took a step forward and spun in a blinding blur. Her foot soared around at an incredible height, connecting with Bud's forehead. He collapsed in a heap, out cold.

Dani was swamped by the crowd of family, hers and Lori's, and the celebration began anew.

A couple of hours later saw Dani dressed again, sitting in a booth and leaning in close to Lori. They had their arms wrapped around each other happily. Bud, once again conscious and also dressed, staggered up to the table.

"I can't believe you would pick this... this chou biaozi (stinking whore) over me," he raged.

"Nao huo cuo huai dan (annoying little bastard) just won' give up, will he?" Dani murmured.

"Allow me, wo de ai (my love)," Lori smirked, and slid out of the booth til she was standing across from Bud, her hands on hips, eyes blazing.

"You lost, Bud," she started very loudly, enough that the rest of the room fell silent. "Accept it like a man, and move on. Yer gonna live up to the terms, I never wanna see you again, an' the ship's landlock gets removed. An' you wanna know the real reason I'm with this wonderful person behind me? She loves me for who I am, not for who she wants to make me. As for you," she smirked widely. "You, Bud, were so unsatisfying that you turned me into a lesbian. Now nigeiwogun (get out of my sight)."

Bud snarled inarticulately as the room exploded in laughter, and stormed out of the pub.

Robert walked up to his daughter, sighing and shaking his head. He did look a little amused, however, as he gave Lori the first hug from him in ten years. Lori closed her eyes, tears leaking out as she smiled happily.

Dani sniffled as well, tears of her own forming out of happiness for her zhi'ai (most beloved).

Robert held his daughter at arms length and looked her over. "You've changed nu'er (daughter), but for the better I think. I just wish..." He trailed off.

Lori smiled and cupped his cheek in her right hand. "What, Daddy?"

"I just wish you'd get yourself married instead of running around, living outside of wedlock!" he exclaimed, slightly red in the face.

Lori rolled her eyes, exasperated. "What, that's all you require to get you offa my back, a ring?"

"It's a start!" Robert replied indignantly.

Lori looked back to Dani, still sitting on the booth. "Hey Dani, wanna get hitched?"

Dani grinned back her. "Now, Red?"

"Sure!"

"Seriously?"

Lori smirked at her while her father looked between the two of them, mouth agape. "Yep!"

"Sounds good!" Dani chirped, then interjected musingly, "'Course I think I'm the only one here qualified to marry us right now, bein' a ship's captain and all."

Lori looked around at the rest of the family, who had gathered around to observe the interaction. "Any objections?" Her question was answered by a round of cheering.

Montrose Township Chapel. Aberdeen.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, a perfect day for a wedding.

Neither Lori nor Dani decided they needed a traditional wedding. They both walked up the aisle together, arms linked and holding their bouquet of flowers.

Dani was wearing her flowing turquoise dress from the Persephone shindig. Might as well get good use outta it. She'd also painted her finger and toenails turquoise to match, and her sandals she'd purchased a while back showed them off. Jess had styled her hair, piling it up on top of her head. Her bouquet was made up of red carnations, same as Lori's.

For her part, Lori was also dressed in her same outfit from the shindig, a dark emerald sheath that wrapped her close and showed a lot of freckled leg, much to Dani's delight. In fact, she had to keep reminding herself to pay attention to the walking and not Lori's legs, or she'd end up face-planting on the carpet. Lori also was wearing a pair of high heels that almost put her right at Dani's height. Her nails were done in a bright red that matched their carnations, and unlike Dani was wearing jewelry, a simple red ruby pendant and matching dangly earrings, both a gift from her sister Betty.

They walked down the aisle of the packed chapel, both families intermingled on either side, to the sounds of simple piano music of an ancient Earth-That-Was tune. The words were lost, but the tradition was maintained.

Behind them came four women from the Favour's crew. Maribelle and Kelly, both wearing simple but elegant dresses, walked behind Dani in support. Behind Lori came Sara, wearing a yellow sundress and beaming so brightly she could have lit the town up by herself, and Jess, wearing a plain black sheath in the same basic style as Lori's but much simpler. All four women were holding bright yellow carnation bouquets.

They stopped in front of the steps leading to the altar, the other four women fanning out to each side, and the music stopped. The local pastor, a sweet but doddering old man, limped up in front of the altar and started to address the assembled group.

"Did he really just say 'mawage'?" Dani whispered out the side of her mouth.

Lori snickered softly, trying to keep her face straight. "Stop that. He's sweet."

"Oh, no doubt," Dani smirked. "Just kinda... How can you understand a word he's saying? A 'dweam wifin a dweam'?"

Lori had to hold her bouquet up to her face. "Bi zui (shut up)!" she giggled. The other women were valiantly trying to contain their snickers as well.

As the very sweet, but doddering, old clergyman went on about "tweasure your wuv," Dani whispered again. "Hey, where'd you get a ring?"

"Got it on Persephone," Lori grinned, whispering as well.

"Huh, me too," Dani murmured. "Hey, I think we're comin' to our part."

"We would, if you would stop yammerin'," Lori snickered quietly.

Finally the pastor asked them to face each other and say their vows. Lori had insisted that Dani go first, as she was her captain.

"I, Danielle Grant, take you Lorraine O'Toole, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, to love and to cherish; from this day forward, and nothing in the 'Verse shall come between us."

Lori smiled brilliantly up at her. "And I, Lorraine O'Toole, take you Danielle Grant, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, to love and to cherish; from this day forward, and nothing in the 'Verse shall come between us."

They opened their hands to reveal their rings for each other. Dani had found a simple but elegant ring in gold, since she knew Lori preferred that kind of jewelry, in a corded infinity loop pattern.

Lori's ring for Dani was in white gold, and the exact same pattern.

"Ai ya, huai le (shit on my head), you two are beyond adorable," Sara giggled.

The entire room snickered in shocked humor at the profanity uttered in the chapel, but the pastor just looked on dreamily. Dani doubted he even remembered where he was, much less heard anything Sara said.

They slipped each other's rings on the fingers of their love, and shared a slow, sweet kiss. The entire chapel erupted in a thunderous applause.

Fortunately the pastor did not have a heart attack. He was, however, woken up as he had started to doze off on his feet.

O'Toole's. Montrose Township. Aberdeen.

The combined Grant-O'Toole clan were having the party of a sort rarely seen in Montrose Township. The entire populace had been invited, and the drinks and merriment flowed freely.

Dani, holding Lori's arm, turned to her wife after seeing Rain holding up Dani's handheld. "Are you ready for our song?" she asked, a glint in her eye.

"What song?" Lori asked curiously.

Dani snickered, pulling on her arm towards the low stage. "Tradition, babe, we gotta dance."

"I toldya before, I don't dance!"

"And like I toldya before, love, just move yer feet!" Dani gave a signal to Rain who had proceeded to hook up her handheld to the audio in the pub. As a fast beat pelted out of the speakers, Lori raised her eyebrows in amusement. Dani gave her a mischievous grin and started singing merrily as she spun Lori across the floor.

Oh don't you dare look back,
Just keep your eyes on me
I said you're holding back,
She said shut up and dance with me.
This woman is my destiny,
She said woohoo shut up and dance with me.

"You are such a lan ren (loon)!" Lori laughed with her head flung back, and the rest of the family joined in on the stage, dancing with abandon.

Fortune's Favour. Aberdeen.

The next morning, Dani woke up with her arms wrapped around a redheaded angel, who was stirring as well.

"'Lo, wife," Dani mumbled sleepily.

"Well hello there, wife," Lori murmured back, smiling.

Dani chuckled. "I like the sound of that."

Lori sighed back in contentment. "Me too."

Groaning, Dani rolled over on her back. "Gotta get up though, we lift today, should say bye to folk."

"And make sure your pilot hasn't run off with my niece?" Lori snickered, rolling over on top of Dani, trapping her in place, smug smile on her face.

"That too," Dani grinned.

Lori rested her chin on her hands, which were folded on top of Dani's chest. "Didn't know she went for girls," she mused. "I 'member you talkin' about that one boy in the slam..."

Dani shrugged slightly. "Don't think it's a matter of boy or girl, more like who she likes, y'know?"

She grabbed Lori and rolled them over again, her on top. Lori gave a shriek of laughter which Dani but off with a warm kiss.

"Now, get up, lazy," she murmured against her lips.

"Spoilsport," Lori sighed.

They both got out of bed and started dressing for the day.

Lori looked up at Dani after she pulled her short grey dress over her head. "Would you really mind that much?"

"What, Rain and Feather?" Dani's voice was muffled behind her tee shirt, but she continued once it was pulled over her head. "Not at all, really. I just want her to be happy, always have."

"I don't see Feather being the 'explore the Black' type, though," Lori mused, slipping a pair of sandals on.

Dani snickered, pulling on her combat boots. "Stranger things have happened, love."

Once outside the ship, both clans were gathered around to give their goodbyes, some hearty, some tearful. Lori promised to stop by again, and Dani said she'd likely have a mutiny on her hands if they didn't next time they passed through Kalidasa.

Dani did note to herself that Rain was standing in the cargo bay when she walked up, though she decided not to make any comments. Not my business, she'll come to me about things if she wants to. She had a feeling, though, that the Fortune's Cortex line might be tied up a bit in the future.

And so, well after their allotted time slot, the Favour and her crew finally lifted off into the Black.

Outbound from Aberdeen. Kalidasa system.

Lori was sitting at the galley table, reading a gun mag that Mike had left out, while Dani was on the bridge talking with Keith about something. Dani's three girls walked in and sat down across from her.

"Can we talk?" Rain asked.

Lori sat down the mag, curious. "Sure, what's up?"

Sara looked to her sisters before asking, "What do we call you?"

Lori blinked uncertainly. "Sorry, what?"

"We've had our Mom, and she won't ever get replaced," explained Cali. "We got our Kaasan. So what do we call you now?"

"Girls, I don't want to replace anybody," Lori answered with a smile. "Just call me Lori, same as always."

Rain smiled back. "Yeah, works for me." Her other sisters nodded, smiling in agreement.

"We still friends?" Lori asked with a grin.

"Sure thing, Lori," Cali piped back, rising from her seat with the others.

As they turned to leave, Sara paused and looked back over her shoulder. "You still better not break her heart," she warned mildly.

Lori shook her head, a serious look on her face. "Nothing in the 'Verse could make me do that, sweetie."

Sara nodded, and joined her sisters down in the lounge for whatever vid they had decided on.

NOTES: Props for the idea behind the canyon race to the Star Wars X-Wing Wraith Squadron book by Aaron Allston. Oh, and the bit about the eyes was from Fast & Furious. Had to work it in somewhere.

And yay, a wedding episode! Which, of course, wouldn't be complete without a Princess Bride reference. Because, geekiness.

Reception song credit to Walk the Moon, Shut Up And Dance. I dare you to listen to it without bouncing around.