This is the last chapter!! Sorry, I know it's short. I hoped you like this story as much as I liked writing it and getting all of your comments. I'll start on another sometime soon, when I've thought up another plot, but that might not be for a few weeks as I'm just about to go on holiday!! Not sure what direction I'll go. Thanks again.
River dug her finger tips into the side of her bed. They were undocking; ready to leave the Enterprise and the quiet world they had been thrown into. She could feel Simon's thoughts on the situation. For a small while, he had thought about staying, though River knew it was more trouble then it was worth, these people, however good their intentions, didn't understand. They lived in a world they dedicated to filling with peace, though no place, however beautiful, could ever be without conflict, and the conflict they had at that moment was more dangerous then any of the Serenity crew realised. Communication seemed to be lost on both sides.
"Hey mei mei." Simon ducked his head around the corner. "Don't worry, we'll be home soon. Back to the good old Reaver infested, alliance crawling, Mal hunting space." He sighed while River smiled at his choice of words.
"Better hold onto something, won't be an easy trip." River said absently, her eyes looking past Simon, out the door.
"What do you mean?" Simon inquired. They seemed to have picked up that when she said something, it was for the best to listen. If you missed something, it wasn't an easy ride.
"Waiting for us." Was all she said, her smile dropping as her eyes moved to the small table beside her.
"All right." Wash exclaimed. "Ready to go, engines are purring."
"That's great, just make sure you do what that robot told you to do. Don't want my atoms starched to little peaces. Like to come out the other side whole." Mal retorted, pointing to the screen Wash was surposed to be reading.
"Atoms starched to little peaces?" Wash turned to Mal alarmed. "Nobody told me that was a risk. Why didn't anyone tell me that was a risk?"
"It's best you don't know sweetie." Zoë replied in a soothing voice.
"Yeah, you think that's a risk, you get paranoid, and then, what do you know, we're back home, just not all together." Mal injected, punching in keys.
Back on the Enterprise, Data sat stiffly at his console, computing all elements into the computer. Checking to see weather Serenity had aliened their computers systems, he prepared the computer to fire several burst of repulser-beams in grid 7762 beta.
"Sir, the pulses will be ready to fire in two point twenty seven seconds." Data said, his eyes not rising from the console.
"Fire when ready." Picard ordered. "Lets hope to hell they get back in one piece."
There was a silence that seemed to encompass the ship as the seconds passed by. When the time struck, Data fired and as they watched the blue pulses enter into the blackness, they seemed to strike something tangible. The stars seemed to waver and shudder as a ripple formed before them. They watched, eyes wide as that same type wormhole emerged before them. The same wormhole that had spat their uncooperative guests upon their feet and their enemies as well.
"Sir, they are entering the gravity zone." Data informed them. "The wormhole is pulling them in."
Picard's gaze never left the view screen as Serenity was pulled into the spiralling mass of matter. Again, the space around them seemed to shudder, then they were gone.
"I believe they made it through sir." Data broke the silence.
Picard let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding. "Very well. Continue with your scans of this system. I want to know if there are any more of these special rifts that could become a problem." He ordered, sitting down in his command chair.
"What do you think their worlds like?" Riker asked absently.
"From what they described, there sound like some really beautiful places, though those seem to be in short supply. But when they do find them, it makes it all the more sweeter." Deanna answered.
"I don't know. I think they have a pretty hard life." Riker turned to her. "What about the girl?"
"It won't be easy for her. It never will. But I do get one feeling, the feeling that she's with people she's not afraid to be with. That's something she hasn't truly felt in awhile." Deanna looked back to the view screen, her thoughts back with the company that had just departed.
The swirling light was making Mal nauseas as he closed his eyes to block it out. No such luck, he could still seem to see it behind his eye lids. His eyes jolted opened as the ship came to a sudden holt and jolted forward. He heard Wash let out a breath as he checked the systems.
"Looks like we made it, and all together now." The pitch of his voice rose indicating a twinge of sarcasm and annoyance. Obviously he still wasn't happy about not being told about the risk, before they set out.
"See that wasn't so bad." Zoë rubbed his arm, trying to get him to ease of a little bit.
"Wasn't bad!? Are you kidding. I rocked." As the smile enveloped his face Zoë leaned over to give him a little peck on the check. Mal pretended not to notice anything while rolling his eyes.
At that moment one of the left panels began to beep, breaking the moment. Wash leaned over to check the systems.
"Uhh, I think we have visitors." Piloting the ship so that it rotated to the source of the trouble, their view was filled with that of an alliance cruiser, its hull gleaming a horrible white/pale blue.
"Don't he look familiar." Mal huffed. Yep, they were home.
The End