Title: Future Tense (1/?)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG-13.
Spoilers: For Buffy, up to Grave. For Firefly... well, we only got one season (damn you, Fox), so there's not much to spoil. *grumble* Still, I may refer to anything in any of the episodes ME actually got to make.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Displaced five centuries into the future, Xander Harris joins the crew of the Firefly-class starship Serenity.
Author's Note: To Buffy fans, this is very heavily Xander-centric. At the moment, it is unlikely that any other Buffy character will make frequent appearances. Also, to avoid the horror that made season six look good (and to avoid the peculiar oddity of Captain Caleb and his trusted second, Jasmine...), season seven of BtVS will be completely ignored.
* * *
"Jayne, have you seen River?"
"I thought she was with you," Jayne replied, looking up from a magazine, the contents of which Simon did not want to contemplate.
As one, they both turned to look at the open cargo ramp.
"You don't think...?" Jayne trailed off.
"I most certainly do," Simon glowered at the gunman. "Come on, we'd better go find her."
"Whaddaya mean, 'we'?" Jayne snapped. Simon whirled around, about to object, when Jayne continued, "Gorram it, Doc, this is _Proteus_. Core world. You go out there, the Alliance'll peg you 'n under a minute, 'specially with the security on all them Alliance research projects. _I'll_ go find 'er. _You_ watch the hatch."
* * *
"I still can't believe I'm doing this," groused one Captain Malcolm Reynolds as he dangled upside down from a cable in a room lined with security sensors that were more sensitive than the ones on Serenity.
//What was that, Cap'n?//
"Nothin' you need worry 'bout, Kaylee," he replied into the comm headset. "I'm in position."
//Okay, you'll have a five-minute window, starting... now.//
And he went to work.
*This had better be worth it, Kaylee,* he thought sourly.
* * *
River wandered through the city, like a little girl, admiring every new thing that caught her eye.
Still, she moved with a purpose. There was a reason she had left Serenity.
She was looking for someone.
* * *
Jayne looked around and cursed under his breath. Somehow, he had a feeling in his gut that River knew what he'd done on Ariel. It was in the way she would look at him. She was smarter than Simon, and less naive.
Still, Simon had been grateful, giving him thanks he didn't deserve, and gorram it, he was gonna _earn_ that gratitude if it killed him.
Well, maybe wouldn't go that far.
Someone brushed up against him, and he shoved the guy back and snarled, "Hey, watch where you're goin'!"
"Sorry, sorry," the scruffily-dressed, dark-haired young man ducked his head in apology and quickly scrambled away through the crowd.
"Stupid punk," Jayne muttered.
Then a thought struck him, and he checked his pocket.
"Gorram it!" he hissed. "Bastard swiped my wallet!" He whirled around and searched the crowd. Spotting the unruly mop of dark hair, he shoved his way toward the pickpocket.
He didn't dare call the cops. He spent way too much time on the wrong side of that line to call them in now.
Besides, it was just one lousy pickpocket.
* * *
*Ohcrapohcrapohcrap...* Xander mentally chanted.
That guy looked _pissed_.
He ducked down into an alley and began taking random turns, eventually leaving the crowd behind.
He skidded to a halt when he found himself facing a dead end, *Looks like I zigged when I should've zagged.*
He turned. If past experience was anything to judge by, this was going to hurt.
* * *
Jayne doubled over as the pickpocket sank a fist in his gut. His eyes teared up, and he blinked them clear only to see a knee heading straight for his face. He jerked his head back, but still took a powerful blow to the forehead. A right cross slammed into his cheek, and he stumbled away from the thief.
"Lousy punk!" he growled. *To hell with lyin' low!* he thought viciously, reaching under his coat and pulling his gun out. There was no way he was going to let this pickpocket live after the beating he'd just received.
"Don't, Jayne."
He blinked and looked over his shoulder, "River? What you doin' here? Why'd you leave the ship?"
"He's coming with us," River said simply.
Jayne looked at the thief, "_Him_?!"
"_Me_?!" the thief replied, equally incredulous.
River nodded and walked up to the scruffy young man. Brushing his cheek, she said, "I've been looking for you. You're lost, like me."
"Lady, I..."
She cut him off, "I think we can help each other. Find ourselves. Please? Or Jayne might shoot you."
"Okay," he squeaked quickly.
"I might shoot 'im anyway," Jayne growled.
"_Jayne_..." River said warningly, "you don't want Simon to find out, do you?"
Jayne scowled but lowered his gun.
* * *
Mal climbed aboard his ship and said, "I hope those upgrades'll be worth it, Kaylee."
"Don't you worry 'bout that, Cap'n," the redhead nodded. "They will be."
"Yeah, well, I want you workin' on 'em soon as we make orbit," he replied. "Zoe, find your husband. I don't wanna spend 'nother minute on this planet."
"Yes, sir."
"Everythin' peachy here, Jayne?"
"Uh, yeah," Jayne said. "River decided to go for a walk, so I had to go hunt 'er down."
"No problems?"
"No problems."
"Good," Mal nodded. He frowned and took a closer look at the slightly refined thug. "Jayne? If there weren't no problems, what happened to you?"
"I, uh, got robbed while I was out lookin' fer River," Jayne said hesitantly. "Chased the thief down, and he... uh..."
"You got this messed up fightin' a pickpocket?" the captain's eyebrows shot up. "Damn. Find this guy; we could use a fighter like that."
"Uh, yeah!" Jayne replied quickly. Too quickly. "That's exactly what I thought, so I, uh, brought 'im here. The doc's givin' 'im a tour."
There was something Jayne wasn't telling him, but Mal let it pass. For now. He ought to meet this miracle fighter first.
* * *
Xander followed Simon Tam. He appeared to be listening, but in reality, he was trying to sort out what had happened in that alley. That gun-toting psycho was the sort of bruiser he'd always been afraid of, and he had beaten him handily.
*I've got a theory...* he sang silently, his mouth quirking into a smile at the memory. It was pretty obvious, really. He'd gotten so used to fighting -- and getting his ass kicked by -- vampires, demons, and other things that didn't have the courtesy to stay within human limits, that when he was faced with someone who _was_ human... it was no contest.
"So, you're the miracle fighter Jayne found."
Xander snapped his head up, "Uh, yeah."
Simon turned, "Alexander, this is Malcolm Reynolds. He's the captain of Serenity. Mal, this is Alexander Harris, our... new guest."
"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Xander nodded, shaking hands with the captain.
"Same here, Mister Harris."
Xander winced, "Call me Xander, please. 'Mister Harris' makes me think of my dad, and the sooner I forget about him, the better."
"I can appreciate that," Mal nodded. In his experience, people on the wrong side of the law tended to fall into three categories: Those who had fought with the Independents, those with less-than-stellar parents, and those who just happened to like being criminals. It looked like Harris fell into the second category.
"So why'd you sign up?" he asked.
Xander shrugged, "Got nowhere else to go. Besides, River kept that psycho from shooting me, and I figure I owe her for that, at least."
Mal thought about that. *Well, least ways, now I know what Jayne was hidin'.* Folding his arms, he said, "Jayne's a pretty good brawler. How'd a scrawny guy like you bust him up like that without gettin' a mark on you?"
"Luck?" Xander hazarded.
"Riiight," Mal snorted. "An' I can getcha a great deal on this piece o' old Earth that's just like it was afore the Burn. Tell me another one."
"No, seriously," Xander said, holding his hands up defensively. "That was the first fight I've been in a long time I didn't get my ass handed to me."
Mal thought about that, "You don't fight normal folk, do ya?"
"Uh, not... usually."
"Well, I don't want no more trouble on my ship, kid. These folk you do fight...?"
Xander shook his head quickly, "I don't think they'll care about me, if they even remember me."
"Well, good," Mal said. "Look, I gotta scoot now. Make yourself at home. Simon, find 'im a bunk." He turned and walked away.
Simon scowled, "I'm a doctor, not a busboy."
* * *
Kaylee scrubbed grease from her hands and sighed. The upgrades were taking awhile, but they were worth it. She could tell; Serenity appreciated them. Pulling her hair free and shaking it loose, she headed over to _her_ spot. No one knew Serenity like she did, and her spot was one place she could always find some alone time when she needed it.
She froze.
Someone was there, sitting in _her_ spot in the darkness, lit only by the stars outside the viewport.
It was that new guy. Xander.
"Hey," she said with a friendly smile.
He jerked his head around and blurted out, "Willow?"
She saw a hopeful look in his eyes... that died as recognition replaced it. He smiled, "Uh, Kaylee, right?"
"Yeah," she said, sitting down beside him. "Kaywinnit Lee Frye, at your service."
"Pleased to meet you," he said. After a moment, he asked, "Is this, like, your private spot? If it is, I can leave...?"
"No, no!" she said quickly. "Well, actually, it sorta is... but if Serenity let you find it, she must have a reason."
He looked at her thoughtfully, "You really love this ship, don't you?"
"She's my baby," Kaylee shrugged, beaming with pride. They sat in silence for a long moment, and she asked, "So... who's Willow?"
He flinched, "I..."
"You don't have to say if you don't want..."
"No, no," he closed his eyes. He had to tell someone, and he felt in his gut that he could tell Kaylee. "Willow's an old friend of mine. We knew each other for most of our lives, and somewhere along the line, we fell in love with each other." He chuckled, "Problem was, our timing sucked. For... lots of reasons, we never really got a chance to see if things would work out between us, and now..." he sighed, his eyes wet with tears, "...now, we'll never find out."
"Oh," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said with a sad smile. "I only have myself to blame for not seeing her for so long."
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Welcome, Xander Harris, to the 26th century!
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG-13.
Spoilers: For Buffy, up to Grave. For Firefly... well, we only got one season (damn you, Fox), so there's not much to spoil. *grumble* Still, I may refer to anything in any of the episodes ME actually got to make.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Displaced five centuries into the future, Xander Harris joins the crew of the Firefly-class starship Serenity.
Author's Note: To Buffy fans, this is very heavily Xander-centric. At the moment, it is unlikely that any other Buffy character will make frequent appearances. Also, to avoid the horror that made season six look good (and to avoid the peculiar oddity of Captain Caleb and his trusted second, Jasmine...), season seven of BtVS will be completely ignored.
* * *
"Jayne, have you seen River?"
"I thought she was with you," Jayne replied, looking up from a magazine, the contents of which Simon did not want to contemplate.
As one, they both turned to look at the open cargo ramp.
"You don't think...?" Jayne trailed off.
"I most certainly do," Simon glowered at the gunman. "Come on, we'd better go find her."
"Whaddaya mean, 'we'?" Jayne snapped. Simon whirled around, about to object, when Jayne continued, "Gorram it, Doc, this is _Proteus_. Core world. You go out there, the Alliance'll peg you 'n under a minute, 'specially with the security on all them Alliance research projects. _I'll_ go find 'er. _You_ watch the hatch."
* * *
"I still can't believe I'm doing this," groused one Captain Malcolm Reynolds as he dangled upside down from a cable in a room lined with security sensors that were more sensitive than the ones on Serenity.
//What was that, Cap'n?//
"Nothin' you need worry 'bout, Kaylee," he replied into the comm headset. "I'm in position."
//Okay, you'll have a five-minute window, starting... now.//
And he went to work.
*This had better be worth it, Kaylee,* he thought sourly.
* * *
River wandered through the city, like a little girl, admiring every new thing that caught her eye.
Still, she moved with a purpose. There was a reason she had left Serenity.
She was looking for someone.
* * *
Jayne looked around and cursed under his breath. Somehow, he had a feeling in his gut that River knew what he'd done on Ariel. It was in the way she would look at him. She was smarter than Simon, and less naive.
Still, Simon had been grateful, giving him thanks he didn't deserve, and gorram it, he was gonna _earn_ that gratitude if it killed him.
Well, maybe wouldn't go that far.
Someone brushed up against him, and he shoved the guy back and snarled, "Hey, watch where you're goin'!"
"Sorry, sorry," the scruffily-dressed, dark-haired young man ducked his head in apology and quickly scrambled away through the crowd.
"Stupid punk," Jayne muttered.
Then a thought struck him, and he checked his pocket.
"Gorram it!" he hissed. "Bastard swiped my wallet!" He whirled around and searched the crowd. Spotting the unruly mop of dark hair, he shoved his way toward the pickpocket.
He didn't dare call the cops. He spent way too much time on the wrong side of that line to call them in now.
Besides, it was just one lousy pickpocket.
* * *
*Ohcrapohcrapohcrap...* Xander mentally chanted.
That guy looked _pissed_.
He ducked down into an alley and began taking random turns, eventually leaving the crowd behind.
He skidded to a halt when he found himself facing a dead end, *Looks like I zigged when I should've zagged.*
He turned. If past experience was anything to judge by, this was going to hurt.
* * *
Jayne doubled over as the pickpocket sank a fist in his gut. His eyes teared up, and he blinked them clear only to see a knee heading straight for his face. He jerked his head back, but still took a powerful blow to the forehead. A right cross slammed into his cheek, and he stumbled away from the thief.
"Lousy punk!" he growled. *To hell with lyin' low!* he thought viciously, reaching under his coat and pulling his gun out. There was no way he was going to let this pickpocket live after the beating he'd just received.
"Don't, Jayne."
He blinked and looked over his shoulder, "River? What you doin' here? Why'd you leave the ship?"
"He's coming with us," River said simply.
Jayne looked at the thief, "_Him_?!"
"_Me_?!" the thief replied, equally incredulous.
River nodded and walked up to the scruffy young man. Brushing his cheek, she said, "I've been looking for you. You're lost, like me."
"Lady, I..."
She cut him off, "I think we can help each other. Find ourselves. Please? Or Jayne might shoot you."
"Okay," he squeaked quickly.
"I might shoot 'im anyway," Jayne growled.
"_Jayne_..." River said warningly, "you don't want Simon to find out, do you?"
Jayne scowled but lowered his gun.
* * *
Mal climbed aboard his ship and said, "I hope those upgrades'll be worth it, Kaylee."
"Don't you worry 'bout that, Cap'n," the redhead nodded. "They will be."
"Yeah, well, I want you workin' on 'em soon as we make orbit," he replied. "Zoe, find your husband. I don't wanna spend 'nother minute on this planet."
"Yes, sir."
"Everythin' peachy here, Jayne?"
"Uh, yeah," Jayne said. "River decided to go for a walk, so I had to go hunt 'er down."
"No problems?"
"No problems."
"Good," Mal nodded. He frowned and took a closer look at the slightly refined thug. "Jayne? If there weren't no problems, what happened to you?"
"I, uh, got robbed while I was out lookin' fer River," Jayne said hesitantly. "Chased the thief down, and he... uh..."
"You got this messed up fightin' a pickpocket?" the captain's eyebrows shot up. "Damn. Find this guy; we could use a fighter like that."
"Uh, yeah!" Jayne replied quickly. Too quickly. "That's exactly what I thought, so I, uh, brought 'im here. The doc's givin' 'im a tour."
There was something Jayne wasn't telling him, but Mal let it pass. For now. He ought to meet this miracle fighter first.
* * *
Xander followed Simon Tam. He appeared to be listening, but in reality, he was trying to sort out what had happened in that alley. That gun-toting psycho was the sort of bruiser he'd always been afraid of, and he had beaten him handily.
*I've got a theory...* he sang silently, his mouth quirking into a smile at the memory. It was pretty obvious, really. He'd gotten so used to fighting -- and getting his ass kicked by -- vampires, demons, and other things that didn't have the courtesy to stay within human limits, that when he was faced with someone who _was_ human... it was no contest.
"So, you're the miracle fighter Jayne found."
Xander snapped his head up, "Uh, yeah."
Simon turned, "Alexander, this is Malcolm Reynolds. He's the captain of Serenity. Mal, this is Alexander Harris, our... new guest."
"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Xander nodded, shaking hands with the captain.
"Same here, Mister Harris."
Xander winced, "Call me Xander, please. 'Mister Harris' makes me think of my dad, and the sooner I forget about him, the better."
"I can appreciate that," Mal nodded. In his experience, people on the wrong side of the law tended to fall into three categories: Those who had fought with the Independents, those with less-than-stellar parents, and those who just happened to like being criminals. It looked like Harris fell into the second category.
"So why'd you sign up?" he asked.
Xander shrugged, "Got nowhere else to go. Besides, River kept that psycho from shooting me, and I figure I owe her for that, at least."
Mal thought about that. *Well, least ways, now I know what Jayne was hidin'.* Folding his arms, he said, "Jayne's a pretty good brawler. How'd a scrawny guy like you bust him up like that without gettin' a mark on you?"
"Luck?" Xander hazarded.
"Riiight," Mal snorted. "An' I can getcha a great deal on this piece o' old Earth that's just like it was afore the Burn. Tell me another one."
"No, seriously," Xander said, holding his hands up defensively. "That was the first fight I've been in a long time I didn't get my ass handed to me."
Mal thought about that, "You don't fight normal folk, do ya?"
"Uh, not... usually."
"Well, I don't want no more trouble on my ship, kid. These folk you do fight...?"
Xander shook his head quickly, "I don't think they'll care about me, if they even remember me."
"Well, good," Mal said. "Look, I gotta scoot now. Make yourself at home. Simon, find 'im a bunk." He turned and walked away.
Simon scowled, "I'm a doctor, not a busboy."
* * *
Kaylee scrubbed grease from her hands and sighed. The upgrades were taking awhile, but they were worth it. She could tell; Serenity appreciated them. Pulling her hair free and shaking it loose, she headed over to _her_ spot. No one knew Serenity like she did, and her spot was one place she could always find some alone time when she needed it.
She froze.
Someone was there, sitting in _her_ spot in the darkness, lit only by the stars outside the viewport.
It was that new guy. Xander.
"Hey," she said with a friendly smile.
He jerked his head around and blurted out, "Willow?"
She saw a hopeful look in his eyes... that died as recognition replaced it. He smiled, "Uh, Kaylee, right?"
"Yeah," she said, sitting down beside him. "Kaywinnit Lee Frye, at your service."
"Pleased to meet you," he said. After a moment, he asked, "Is this, like, your private spot? If it is, I can leave...?"
"No, no!" she said quickly. "Well, actually, it sorta is... but if Serenity let you find it, she must have a reason."
He looked at her thoughtfully, "You really love this ship, don't you?"
"She's my baby," Kaylee shrugged, beaming with pride. They sat in silence for a long moment, and she asked, "So... who's Willow?"
He flinched, "I..."
"You don't have to say if you don't want..."
"No, no," he closed his eyes. He had to tell someone, and he felt in his gut that he could tell Kaylee. "Willow's an old friend of mine. We knew each other for most of our lives, and somewhere along the line, we fell in love with each other." He chuckled, "Problem was, our timing sucked. For... lots of reasons, we never really got a chance to see if things would work out between us, and now..." he sighed, his eyes wet with tears, "...now, we'll never find out."
"Oh," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said with a sad smile. "I only have myself to blame for not seeing her for so long."
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Welcome, Xander Harris, to the 26th century!