See first chapter for disclaimers.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Storyseeker for beta-reading this. As usual, if you have any comments or preferences, please don't be shy. RandR.

PREVIOUSLY: Infinity Train

Flirting

Faith was not going all out. Xander had seen her go all out, and this wasn't it. He looked at the holographic projection beside him, only to have her shrug and give a slightly put-upon sigh. A sound at the door attracted their attention.

Xander turned just in time to see a large man in a silver and black uniform charge into the ship's cargo hold, along with a blonde woman and a purple-skinned alien girl. All three were armed, but all three stopped at the sight that greeted them, looking around in some confusion. Confusion that the demon hunter could well understand.

Xander watched them warily, and risked a glance at the holographic woman. She nodded reassuringly and flickered out, only to reappear next to the large man. After a moment, the man and his companions approached, still looking warry and keeping one eye on the ongoing fight. He introduced himself, his first officer and his medical officer.

"I'm Xander. That's Faith." He nodded to his partner who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. He winced at some of the blows the two were exchanging, glad that he wasn't in the middle of that. "Despite appearances, we don't mean any harm. We didn't actually plan to come here. Our travels are kind of random."

"They appeared out of a dimensional rift that I am still analyzing data from. I questioned them using autonomic response analysis, and they are being truthful. They bear no ill will toward the ship or crew."

"We tend to jump around a lot." Xander offered. "Just trying to get home, but we run into trouble wherever we go."

"That sounds oddly familiar." The blonde woman offered with a smirk. The captain chose to ignore the comment. He watched the young woman and his chief of security exchanging blows, but judging by their tactics and looks on their faces, they weren't angry or trying to hurt each other.

"Some places we wind up are really dangerous, like the time we came across a town being overrun by… Actually, I still don't know what they were, aside from vicious. Others are just annoying, like the last stop. We'd rescued a bunch of kidnapped kids and took them to the authorities for help getting them home. The authorities, naturally, arrested us for kidnapping."

The captain winced. "I've had things like that happen to me," he admitted.

"I have a question." The purple girl broke into the conversation. "If you're not hostile, why are they fighting?"

"Oh." Xander glanced back at Faith and the large dark-skinned man with the bone spikes on his forearms. "At this point, they're not fighting. They're flirting."

The large man received a kick to the gut that staggered him back against a nearby bulkhead.

"How you doin' Tyr?" The captain asked casually.

Tyr grinned. "I think I'm in love." He dove back into the fight.