Chapter 3: Cue the Captain

"Kaylee," Mal said as he entered Serenity.

"Oh Captain, this is Oz." Kaylee smiled and pulled Oz closer to Mal, "Oz this is Captain Malcolm Reynolds."

Oz nodded his head while Mal looked the green haired boy over, "This all we got?"

"Captain!" Kaylee hissed, "Be nice."

Mal rolled his eyes, "Welcome aboard." Then he locked eyes with Oz, "Don't go on the bridge, don't make your problems our problems, and most importantly don't go shooting any of my crew."

Oz shrugged, "That's reasonable."

"All right then, I guess that's all need be said." Mal started to walk away but he turned back, "You paid already? For the whole way?"

"Yea." Oz said

"You some rich kid, running away from daddy?" Mal asked.

"No." This time Oz looked Mal in the eyes and Mal nodded.

"Zoe and Wash should be right behind me and Inara was on her way back, so we should be leaving soon. Come on I'll show you your room." Mal said. Oz grabbed his bag and guitar case from the floor and followed Mal and Kaylee. The captain stopped in front of an empty room at the very beginning of the hall. "You'll be bunking here, like I said don't go on the bridge but you can go anywhere else. We all eat dinner at the same time any other time you can fend for your self. I'll send someone when it's time for dinner tonight to show you the mess."

Oz entered his room and put his stuff on the bed, "Thanks."

Mal walked away from Oz with Kaylee still following, "I think the boy's all right, he's too young to be Alliance or mercenary. River and Simon should be fine, no one looking for them would spend that much money."

"I'm surprised we actually got any passengers. I guess he really wants to go to White Marsh." Kaylee shrugged.

"Well granted that boy's a little strange." Mal said as they were walking to the bridge.

Kaylee shrugged, "I think he's nice."

"Don't speak much though, he only said, what, ten words to me." Mal said.

"Five, he only said five." Kaylee corrected.

"You were counting?" Mal raised an eyebrow and stopped when they were in between the bridge and engine room. Kaylee smiled and shrugged. "And what is with the green hair?" Mal muttered before going into the bridge.

"I think it's shiny." Kaylee said before skipping to the engine room.