A Friend in Need Part 2
Everyone has talent; what is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark pace where it leads.
Erica Jong
Mal had Zoë show Ms. Summer and Xander the quiet to the guest rooms which would be their through out the trip, however long that would be considering Ms. Summer didn't tell Mal how long this job would take. Of course with what she was paying she didn't have to tell them anything. She could have rented Serenity for a year that how much money she had given him. Not that Mal would rent Serenity out to anyone; there was no chance of that happening, ever. Jayne had gone off to find something to eat leaving only Mal and Kaylee in the cargo bay. Turning slowly Mal face his young mechanic with a disapproving look.
"Kaylee I believe we had this talk before." Mal stated. "When we're meeting with a new business associate your suppose to stay out of sight until I can find out if it safe or not."
"Sorry Capt. But it really didn't look like either of them could hurt a fly." Kaylee replied putting on her best puppy dog look. It work, it always work. Mal just couldn't stay mad at Kaylee, not for long anyways.
"Okay Kaylee but next time listen to me, I'm just doing if for your safely. Mal pointed out and Kaylee lit up with a smile, happy to be forgiven. Kaylee then open her mouth to say something to Mal when she hear foot step from up above and turn to look at who had come to join them. And sure enough up on the walk way that was just above Kaylee, Inara stood.
"Inara!" Kaylee said happily for she didn't realize her friend had rejoined them yet. When they found out that they would be heading to Ray-10 Inara had informed Mal that she had an appointment with someone on Ray-9 and would met back up with the ship before they left. Kaylee was always sad when Inara left for each time Kaylee knew there was a changes that someone would convince her to stay on one of the many planets they visited and if at one time Inara chose to stay Kaylee really couldn't blame her cause all the places she went were so nice but every time she came back Kaylee was so happy that she decided to stay with them if only for another day, of course Kaylee would never tell Inara this for she believe Inara had the right to chose what she wanted to do in her life. "Did you see the new people?" Kaylee happiest was contagious in a way that everyone else round her could help but smile along with her.
"Yes Kaylee they seemed quit interesting." Inara answer smiling the whole time. Interesting was the right word to use, while the two she sawed didn't look like harden killer, in fact they looked barely older then Kaylee but something didn't feel right about them. She had only see them for a second when Zoë was leading them out of the cargo bay but in the moment the blond one look up and caught her right in the eyes and Inara saw something in those eyes. She can't say exactly what see saw but it chill her down to her bones. Something told Inara that, that girl had see more in her lifetime then Inara ever could. Inara could see that Mal felt it to by the way his body was straight and alter and how protective he became of Kaylee. She also knew that Kaylee always saw the good in everybody so it was up to her and Mal to protect the young girl. Inara looked at Mal and saw that he was thinking the same thing. Kaylee was dear to all of them; she was like a little sister to Inara. Out of all the crew Kaylee was the first to befriend her. When Inara had first joined on Serenity she wasn't very trusting of people and the crew in turn kept their distance not knowing how to deal or even talk with someone like her. That was everyone excepted for Kaylee. On Inara second day she came up to her and apologized for not introducing herself on the first day but it seemed that Mal had her totally rewired the engine. Then the young girl introduced herself and fallow by asking a million questions. Inara like her right away. When the rest of the crew saw how close t he two of them had gotten they lighten up a bit too.
"Kaylee my shuttle was a little rough on my last landing I was hoping you'd look at it for me?" Inara asked and the girl nodded and shot up to fix Inara shuttle. The only thing Kaylee loved more then meeting new people was fixing things. Once Kaylee had left the cargo bay Inara went down to where Mal stood.
"She likes them already." Inara stated when she was next to Mal.
"That girl likes everyone, just the way she works. It explains why a girl like her is on a ship like this. I don't trust them. Their hiding something. I don't know what but its going to be big." Mal said as a grim look crossed his face and he look at the door to Inara shuttle which Kaylee had disappeared through only moments ago.
"How do you know its going to be big?" Inara asked
"Cause it's always is." And with that he walked away leaving Inara to stand alone in the cargo bay. An unspoken agreement hung between her and Mal. And that was 'protect Kaylee above all else." Of course something happen which you simply can't stop.
"Well here we are. Your guys room. Zoë said as she point to on of the guest room which had two bed in it. Buffy walk into it and looked around the small space before turning back to Zoë.
"Thank you Zoë. These are great." Buffy replied and Xander just nodded. Zoë took that as her cue to leave the two alone, which she was more then fine with. The two of them gave her the creeps. She wasn't sure what it was about the two that she didn't like, but the way that the boy never spoke and how the girl's eyes told Zoë that there was more there then she was seeing she just didn't like it. She didn't agree with Mal on taken this job but he was the captain so it was his call.
"I'll leave you be." Zoë said and walk away before either one could say anything. As soon as she had disappear down the corridor Xander step out of the room into the walk way. He looked both way and stood there for a minute before coming back into the room and closing the boor behind him.
"All is clear." Xander stated, talking for the first time since coming on to the ship. Buffy and him had agree ahead of time that he wouldn't do much talking while on the ship. It gave him a chance to judge people without them knowing that they are being judge. While their forces were on Buffy he could watch them and see how they reacted to thing. Those Xander wasn't sure it work with the captain, he seem to be forced on both of them the whole time. Xander locked to door just to be sure and turn to Buffy who had sat down on one of the beds. She looked tired like living through another day would be almost too much for her. Xander didn't like it. Buffy had always been the strong one it was just the way thing were for, well for Xander it was like it had be that way forever.
"We did it Xander, were closing in." Buffy said as a small smile crossed her face. It was the type of smile people use when they weren't use to smiling and it was true in Buffy case, Xander couldn't remember the last time she had smiled. It seemed to him that as of late or maybe for a very long time thing just hadn't been going their way. The fact of the matter was them even been on Serenity was a step fewer then they had ever been.
We may actually do it this time." Xander realize but then he thought of the crew. "Are you sure there 'good'?" He quoted the good to make she Buffy knew what he meant. He wasn't speaking about whether they could do a good job or not it was about whether they were good people.
"It doesn't matter whether the whole is good or not, I don't care if some of them are the first evils to ever be created, only the one matter now." Buffy replied, a long time ago she learned that she had to take care of what was hers and forget everyone else. Giles taught her that, he taught her that with his death. Thinking about Giles always made Buffy sad and tired. It made her realize just how long it had been, but maybe this time it could end. "It's been far too long, and I'm much to tired." She looked up at Xander who now stood in forth of her, what she was looking of in him it was hare to say, guides maybe, answer to question she would never even ask him, light to carry her the last mile. It was hard to judge from her empty eyes. The eyes that once were so bright they could light the way in the dark. But like a lot of other thing for Buffy that had died a long time ago.
"Buffy its okay cause were almost done." Xander said trying to cheer her up he just didn't knew how.
Just outside the room were Buffy and Xander talked River stood and listen. She didn't listen to the words they spoke out loud to each. No those words lies and twisted half truth and no truth, the heart hidden deep with in meaning no one would ever get. No River listened to the truth, the words the no one else could hear but her. The words lied with in they minds but they held with in them the truth of the heart. But River found something that confused her, and since not many things confused her she became curious about it. See most voices were clear to River some were louder then other (Jayne's was the loudness River had ever hear and half the time she didn't like what she heard) but all came in clear. The two that stood in that room where whispers. It was almost like they weren't there, that they were mere shadows of themselves. It didn't make sense so she leaned in closer to listen and learn.
'They were all counting on me."
'What if we fail?'
'I let them all down.'
'Then we can't bring her back.'
'I'm just so tired.'
'I'm sorry Willow.'
River back away from the door and the whisper in her mind all but disappear she could no longer hear them clear the thoughts became so as if they weren't their at all. As if the people in that room were there or maybe it was just they were suppose to be there River didn't knew which. But she did have more questions to add to her growing pile about the new people. Like who was Willow and how had they let her down. River slowly slipped away from the door quietly as she had come almost like she was never there at all. River had a mystery to solve.
Later that night: Midnight Earth time
Half of Kaylee suck out from under the engine. She was working late once again finish up on of the many things they ever seem to get done during the day. Wash once asked Kaylee as a joke if she ever slept and when Kaylee had answered truthfully about one to two hours a night Mal had made sure she went to bed at 9 a' clock for a whole month. Kaylee had gotten so far behind in her work that she ended up not sleeping for three weeks after that and also during the month she spent most of the time just laying in her bed looking up at her ceiling. So it came to that Mal didn't ask if she slept and she didn't tell. It wasn't working on Serenity that made Kaylee get so little sleep. It had started long before she had ever lay eyes on the ship. It had start when she was five or a lest that when she thinks they started really Kaylee never remember having a good night sleep it was like the nightmare had been with her since she was born she just thought that she had to have a good night sleep once in her life even if she was just a baby when it happen. Just thinking about the nightmare brought back the old fear Kaylee felt. So she spent her nights working until she got to tired to even dream and she would crash.
"You're up kind of later aren't you?" A voice Kaylee didn't recognize said. Quickly Kaylee pulled herself out from under they engine to see who had spoken to her thinking that maybe someone sneak on board again. But when she had gotten out it was one of the new comers, Xander she believed his name was.
"Hum… hi" Kaylee said not sure really what to say. Xander hadn't spoken a word to her since coming on to the ship; well he hadn't spoken a word to anyone so really it was just weird that he was up at midnight speaking to her. She knew Mal would not approve of this at all.
"You know your bleeding." Xander point out as he walked up next to her. True enough she was, a thin vile of red started to cover Kaylee's right arm. It went from the elbow to the wrist.
"Oh dam, must have nick it on something on the way out." Kaylee stated holding up her arm for closer inspection. For the world Kaylee couldn't think of what she cut herself on. She didn't even fell it on the way out; then again she was in a bit of a hurry.
"I'd say it's a bit more then a nick. You better have your doc look at that." As soon as the words had left Xander mouth Kaylee began to worry. She knew what was going to happen when they woke up Simon, Simon would wake up Mal and so the whole crew would be woken up and they all have something to say to her. Like how she should be more careful, how she shouldn't work so late by herself, how she shouldn't be talking alone with a newbie before Mal could tell if they were safe or not. Over all this was not turning into one of Kaylee's best night. Well she was deep in thought Xander had come over and wrap her arm in his over shirt. When Kaylee look down she could see that the blood was already starting to soak through the shirt. The red almost looked black in on the shirt when it mixed with the blue that was the original color of Xander shirt.
"Maybe getting Simon up wouldn't be such a bad idea." Kaylee said as the world start to spin around her, her head felt like there was nothing inside and darkness started to cover her eyes. The last thing she saw before it all went dark was Xander's arm coming up to catch her.
"Well doc what do you think." Kaylee heard Mal voice through the darkness that surrounded her. It took her a moment or two to realize that her eyes were still shut, so slowly she opened them. The first this she notice was the lights, they were so bright that she couldn't keep her eyes open at first. Over a minutes time though she manage to get her eyes use to the lights. But the room was still burly. Color mixed together; there was no real shape or form. After a moment the shaped started to form and Kaylee found she was in the med lab laying on one of the bed looking around she saw Simon and Mal off to the side talking and Inara standing at the door, she looked very worry. Kaylee right arm felt numb and she look down to make sure it was still there. She saw her entire arm was bandage up in a clear white bandage.
"She should be okay she just black out because of the lost of blood." Simon stated and Kaylee look over to were he and the Captain where talking. "What really worries me though is the cut itself. If she had cut it on one of her engine parts it would had be well rough in a way she he cut is clear like she was cut by a knife."
"You think that boy did it to her?" Mal asked in a way that everyone in the room new if the answer was yes he do some damage to the boy.
"I'm not sure, I mean why would he cut her then get us to help her, and on the other hand I don't know who else could have done it." Simon replied giving no one any answer. Kaylee frowned how could Xander had cut her when he was on the other side of the room from her the whole time, it didn't make any sense to Kaylee.
"Capt'" Kaylee whispered her voice not going any higher she needed to talk to him and figure this thing out.
"Hey meimei, how are you feeling?" Mal asked as he and Simon walked over toward her.
"Okay I guess. Capt' I don't think Xander could have cut me…" Kaylee started but was cut off by Simon.
"I don't think now a good time to talk about this Kaylee needs a good night sleep and I think the rest of us could use the same." He stated clear leaving no room for arguments. Inara who hadn't said a word the whole time walk up next to Kaylee then.
"I'll help Kaylee back to her room." She offered helping the girl off the bed but the moment Kaylee's feet touch the floor her knees buckle and she felt like she was going down. Inara caught her just in time. "Easy there I got you." Inara assured the young girl helping her out of the med lad.
"Thank." Kaylee replied sleepy she felt like she had just rewired the engine (a thing that took a lot of energy and time), three times. As they walked out of the med lab Kaylee saw Xander standing there holding his now very blood covered shirt. His eyes look right into her like he was trying to see into her soul, she looked away allowing Inara to lead her to her room.
"Did you get it?" Buffy asked Xander when he entered into the room. Xander just handed her the shirt and sat down on his bed this night had been a very long night.
"Gees Xand I said get a drop of blood not a gallon. Is the girl okay?" Buffy asked hoping so if the girl was the one they needed her alive at less for the time being.
"She fine a good night sleep and she'll be back fixing engine in no time." Xander replied looking up at Buffy who now stood in the center of the small room holding the bloody shirt. "So is she the one?" He asked hopefully, he was tired of the search he just wanted it to end. Buffy frowned as she look closer at Xander shirt.
"Give me a sec will you. I'm not as good at this as Giles was." Buffy explain as she throw some powered on to Xander shirt which started to glow a bright white "She's the one." A note of sadness was in Buffy voice as she stated that.
"To bad, I like her." Xander replied now lying down to got to sleep.
"Yeah." Buffy said as she sat down on her bed. "Me too."
That all for now more only if you like it review and tell me.