Author Note: Thank you for the good reviews. I only hope my writing now is up to the standards I set for myself back then. Chapters 1-5 were written prior to Angel's 5th season episode, A Whole in the World. I stopped to see how the season would end before continuing as to keep it as close to the real thing as possible. Then after the reviews I received upon posting the first chapter, I decided to continue writing instead of waiting for Serenity, the Firefly movie to come out. April 22, 2005 for those wondering. Also, big thanks for ignoring the facts that Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly looks exactly like Caleb the Preacher from Buffy and Zo' Warren from Firefly looks a lot like Jasmine from Angel. Also, a thank you for those that ignored Zo''s name being spelled ÔZoÔ in previous chapters. There was a problem in uploading
Kaylee skipped into the kitchen the next morning, bright and early. Sometimes, this was the only reason she ever slept, breakfast. What to eat, protein or protein. Or, hey! Protein. She got food and sat down. Food was food, and food was good.
"Hey!" She greeted the first person she saw this morning. Buffy had entered the kitchens looking a bit slagged.
Buffy cracked a smile, it was hard not to when Kaylee was so full of energy. It also hurt. Kaylee had an all too familiar energy. "Hey." She replied. "Breakfast of champions." She said, pointing to Kaylee's bowl.
"Almost like the real thing." Kaylee replied bubbly. "There's some over there, in the cupboard. Feel free." Then added, "You never did get the grand tour just yet, did ya." It wasn't a question, more of an observation.
"Not yet." She sighed as she poured the box's contents into a bowl. "I'm hoping I'll wake up before it gets to that." She sat down across from Kaylee and amended her statement after a look at Kaylee, "I mean, it's just, this isn't how things are supposed to be. It's all different."
Kaylee knew what Buffy meant, but this was Kaylee's home, and the least Buffy could do was be grateful. "I, uh, heard River talkin'," Kaylee began, trying to ask something that sounded unnatural. "And, I was wonderin', what's a 'slayer'?" She blushed, "I mean, if it's all right for me to be asking."
Buffy looked kind of startled. "It's fine." Buffy took a bite, and chewed. "A slayer is, well, I'm a slayer." She didn't know how to explain it really, not when she couldn't explain what was going on. It made everything seem complicated. "I have super powers and I save the world, one apocalypse after the other. When I die, another one's called." She looked to Kaylee, wondering if that explained it.
It didn't, Kaylee looked at her bewildered, but smiling again. "What kinda super powers?" She asked, interested although not understanding.
"Um," Buffy was beginning to feel more comfortable as she talked to the new girl. Kaylee was easy to get along with. "Super strength mostly." She smiled back at Kaylee.
"So why is it you're called a slayer?"
"A slayer slays evil things. I've fought demons aplenty, but the real job title is Vampire Slayer."
Kaylee had been filled in on the conversations between Buffy and Spike and the crew. She knew that the other newcomer claimed to be a vampire. But what a vampire was exactly, she had no idea. "What's your friend's name again?"
"Spike?" Buffy asked.
"Spike." Kaylee confirmed, steadying herself for another question. "He's a vampire, ain't he?" This, was confusing.
"Oh, that." Buffy knew where this was going. Or she thought she did. "Yeah, he is. But...He's...He's a special case. Spike's different, good. Not evil."
Kaylee shrugged. "I don't think I'm ever gonna get what you're saying, but if you say he's not evil, and you're not evil, then I get that." Kaylee wanted to ask what a vampire was, exactly, but didn't really think it mattered. Buffy was insane, but told good stories.
"And how are the lovely ladies?" Wash asked stepping into the kitchen. A smile was spread across his face. "Don't tell my wife I said that."
Buffy smiled, watching him get some breakfast for himself and sit down. "Oh." Kaylee said suddenly, "We never did get to know each other. My name's Kaylee, and this here's our pilot, Wash."
"Yes, Wash is me." He agreed. "And of course, you would be Be-Buffy." He stuttered on her name, trying to remember it exactly, "We know what you told the captain. Not often you get strangers on, not like your story."
"Right, everybody knows Buffy. If only Buffy knew about you." The slayer said, her eyes drifting down to look at her food. Suddenly she wasn't as hungry.
There was a few moments silence. What would Buffy want to know? They didn't have any interesting things, they were just average people. Kaylee wondered how Buffy could be so interested in them, when she was the one leading an extraordinary life. Full of stories about power and demons. Pitting good against evil. "I'm a mechanic." She said dully. "I fix up Serenity when she tells me things ain't right."
"Serenity?" Buffy asked, "Is that the space ship?"
"Yuppers. She's a real beauty. I can give you a tour after you're done." Kaylee said, amazed at the fact that Buffy seemed interested.
"I'd like that." Buffy answered finishing up her meal.
"I thought I'd say something." Wash put in as the two girls looked at him expectantly. "No...That was what I said." Kaylee and Buffy kept their eyes on his, Buffy's eyebrows raised. "It's just, you two with the girl talk, I thought I'd say something, and I did, so now I'm done."
"You never really did know what to say." Zo' said stepping up behind Wash. Her mouth was split into a small smirk.
"My wife!" Wash said, pointing her out to Buffy.
"My husband." Zo' spoke. To an outsider it seemed as if she had no interest in the matter, but her facial expressions showed she had great pride in the statement.
Buffy smiled nervously. "Nice meeting or seeing you, based on the case." She gave a small wave as she spoke, rising, "And I'm going to take Kaylee up on that offer for ship tourage."
"Uh, Kaylee." Zo' said as Buffy and Kaylee began walking away. "Do you remember what the Captain said, last night in the bridge?"
Kaylee recalled, there were a lot of things the captain said. Her face fell, asking Zo' what she was talking about through glance. Zo''s eyes pointed toward Buffy and Kaylee understood. "Yeah." Kaylee answered aloud, "I think I'll be fine though."
Buffy knew what was going on. She was the odd one out, and therefore dangerous. It was not to blame, "Maybe I'll j-"
Kaylee grabbed Buffy's hand and cut her off, "No, come on. I wanna show you the engine room." With that, Kaylee and Buffy were off.
"They get along well." Zo' said sitting down, next to Wash.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." He smiled, looking at his wife, chewing. "They only got on like school girls."
Zo' smiled fully. "So it seems."
"Hey!" Wash said speaking quickly and excited. "Do you think we could have kids like them? Two little girls that'll talk and have fun, and shut me out because I'm male and never let them do anything fun? Or better yet, you don't let them do anything fun and I'll tell them they can! That way they'll like me better."
"We'll see." Zo' laughed, shaking her head.
This was a banter that had become standard to their lifestyle. Zo' was always the quiet type that rarely said anything out of conversation, and usually kept to a bare minimum, while Wash would talk to kill silence. They enjoyed their moment alone briefly before Spike entered.
Nobody had time to speak, although Spike seemed he was willing, before Mal came over the intercom. "I need the crew up on the bridge." His voice sounded grave, and a little worried.
Wash and Zo' sensed this, as they rose and left leaving Spike alone without a word. This didn't bother him however; he began to raid the cupboards.
The crew was assembled on the bridge in mere moments. It was apparent immediately what was going on. Captain Reynolds had taken over while Wash was eating, flying the ship on auto pilot. Now, there was a face on screen, wearing a uniform that had not been a stranger to the crew.