SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPdate...oops kept the caps on. sorry. i've had this chapter for a while and I've just been playing around with it. its the end of this story but, I'll make a sequel...once i start writing it. please review! it makes the writing juices really flow. i don't think this is my best chapter but, i needed to put it up.
enjoy!...hopefully
Dinah really didn't want to electrocuted to death on a firefly with the motliest crew this side of the 'verse. This boat was a death trap but, that wasn't meant to be literal! And the net on the radar glowed brighter, making Dinah' stomach twist. She didn't want to die. She had a whole mess of problems she hadn't fixed yet. And not mention, Dinah hadn't seen her mum or her brother in a long gorram time. She hadn't seen Artemis, the jungle moon she had grown up on. And the scrolls! They shouldn't perish, not here, not now. And latkes! Gorram, she really wanted fried potato goodness right now! And River didn't deserve to die. Or Kaylee. or Shepherd Book and..and...and...Jayne was too gorram stupid to die!
"I don't get it," the mercenary stated, dumbly (see!) staring at the radar.
"It means we're float towards our luh-suh deaths!" Dinah snapped, gazing absently out into space, knowing someone out there, namely Mal's wife, had signed their death warrant.
"It's a Carrion House. Scrap shop, takes ships, pulls them apart or fixes them up," the Shepherd said knowledgeably.
"Doesn't that sound frightening?" Wash added sracstically.
"The picture we're looking at is a net. A ship gets caught in that like a fly in a web. Can't move; you're trapped. Usually they get repaired but, that only happens if its evacuated. Sometimes the less savory portion of the 'verse will use it as a scrap shop," Mal said arms crossed tightly across his chest.
"What happened if it ain't evacuated?" kaylee asked.
"The ship becomes one big o' electric conduit burns up everything inside. Ship's intact and there ain't people."
"some new models disable the airlocks. They cut off the O2 or they'll just gas ya. They don't want survivors," Shepherd said.
"Someday, you're gonna tell us how ya know so much about crime," Jayne replied.
"Kaylee?" Mal asked, looking for a status report. She was still working with the wires.
"I'm trying Cap't but, its just not.."
"Well, keep at it. We ain't falling into that net. We can't," Mal told her. He looked around the cockpit eying each person on board his beloved firefly. "We need a plan B."
"I like that idea," Dinah muttered.
"Jayne, get Vera."
Dinah watched the captain dish out orders, feeling unbearably useless. What in the gorram hell was she supposed to do? Sit and wait for the problem to be solve? Apparently so. Letting the professionals do their job, she climbed out of the small room, her heavy bots clattering on the grate. She walked down to the kitchen, feeling a little depressed. Dinah used to be a professional.
FIREFLY***FIREFLY***FIRELFY***FIRELFY***FIREFLY***FIREFLY***FIRELFY***
"May I ask what you are doing?" a voice asked startling Dinah.
"Da shing la se la ch'won tian! What are you doin' sneakin' up on people like that, especially when they're floatin' to the electric net of death!" Dinah asked brushing some blonde hair out of her face.
"I apologize. I was curious," Sheperd said calmly, hands held behind his back, the very image of peace. Unlike Dinah.
"Don't worry. I'm just- I'm kind of on edge, you know?" Dinah said, giving Sheperd a slight crazed smile. "I'm just getting' rid of the fried turnips. Its an abomination. It soils the whole bunch. I figure I might as well get rid of it. And how come you are so calm?" she chattered as she scraped the leftover turnips into the garbage compressor.
"I believe that the captain has this in hand."
"You have faith in him, preacher?" The shepherd chuckled.
"Yes, I suppose I do. What about you?"
"um, I'm fine. A little anxious. I just- I got something I need to do. And I don't fancy dying before its done," Dinah said pulling out some potatoes and a knife. "Cooking is kind of relaxing for me so, I hope it'll take the edge off my nerves."
"I do enjoy cooking. At the Abbey, we cared for a garden and we always had fresh herbs."
"Is it hard being away? Do ya miss it at all?" Dinah asked slicing up the potatoes into minute slivers. She put the potato slivers in a bowl and mixed them with eggs and salt.
"In some ways, yes. I do regret the peace and the quiet but, it was time to move on-"
"And start preaching to pirates and thieves and fugitives?"
"Everyone asks me that. Despite what they do and what they label themselves as, they're good people."
"The times we live in, you can't be sure whose good and who ain't. The lines are blurry. Say, you got a wok? Or a frying pan?"
"Oh, yes. This ship isn't totally without. We do have a few necessities," Shepherd said, entering the kitchen and miraculously pulled a pan from a cupboard.
"There you are."
"Xei-xei." Dinah took the pan and put it on the stove. She looked at the old machine, trying to discern the old fashioned system. Pressing a few old buttons, Dinah was pretty sure the thing was heating up. She put a dollop of oil onto the pan and placed it on the stovetop.
"Have you done a lot of cooking?" The Shepherd asked as Dinah waited for the oil to sizzle.
"Since I was 6. my family- well you know Artemis?"
"Isn't that a resort planet?"
"yup, rich core people come there and they have themselves a little jungle vacation. That was what it was terraformed for. Anyway, if you live on Artemis, you're either really really rich or really really poor."
"Is that where your accent from?" he asked.
"Yeah. Working for the elite we kind of picked up their posh ways of talkin'. Course it ain't a refined as theirs. People always tell me I don't say my h's and well, you hear the way I talk. Course you all sound like freaks to me. Anyway, the people who live there tend to be the maids or the cooks or the domestic servers. I kind grew up around cooking. Its just how it is on Artemis."
"I've heard of that. So you were a slave?" Shepherd hesitantly asked, trying to understand her situation. Dinah shook her head in amusement.
"Nah. We weren't slaves. Everyone thinks that; I don't know why. It was just- it was what we were brought up to do. I mean, you could get off the planet anytime you'd like. We got freedom and rights and all that but, most people never leave." The pan was beginning to pop and spit. She put the potato mixture in little clumps and waited for it to fry.
"Except you."
"Except me. Yep."
"Are you running from something, Dinah?" the shepherd asked suddenly, looking at her wisely. She stared back. The latkes were almost done now; she could smell them browning. She smiled, pulling some latkes off the pan and piling them onto a plate.
"I ain't got nothing to run from."
"Something burning," Jayne called, his loud boots announcing his presence.
"Something's cooking, Jayne," Zoe corrected.
"Then, we've been doing it wrong all these years. Smells pretty Gorram good!" Jayne announced, hungrily staring at the plate in Dinah's hands. The smell of cook potatoes filled the room. Dinah looked from Jayne to Zoe to Shepherd. Jayne looked as if he was going to tackle her for the food. Shepherd gave her a sympathetic look, as if to say she might a well. She sighed.
"Knock yourself out." the plate clattered to the table and it was quickly snatched away by the hungry mercenary.
"I take it we aren't drifting toward the net, then?" the Shepherd asked as Dinah made some more latkes.
"Nope. I took care of it. Me and Vera shot it down and this here boat went right through it." Dinah let out the breath she seemed to be holding forever. They weren't endanger. Not anymore. "Hey! Can the savior get some more?"
"She's got a name, Jayne," Zoe said.
"I know! what she called again?"
"Its Dinah and if you want to eat my food, you should you learn it. And will it hurt ya to share with the others? You eat more than my brother," Dinah retorted slapping another platter of latkes down along with two plates for Zoe and Shepherd. "How they suit ya?"
"I like them," Zoe simply said as they ate the food.
"Very good, Dinah."
"Hey! Since when was there warm fried goodness and why wasn't I invited?" Wash asked stepping into the room taking a seat next to his wife.
"I think you've had enough good food today," Zoe said to her husband.
"Does that mean I don't get any?" Wash asked, discouraged.
"Hmmmm. Maybe." Zoe teased sliding her plate over. The pilot smiled and his wife smiled back. He ate the latkes.
"sweet wou de ma! That's good, Whatever it is! What am I eating again?"
"uhh..."
"Latkes."
"who?" Jayne asked, looking up from the his now clean plate. He looked at Dinah and gave her a pathetic pitiful grin. She glared at him as she put another on his plate.
"Latkes. Potato pancakes. It a Jewish thing," Dinah said as her food began to disappear. Maybe she should cook some more.
"Wash! I thought you were flying us outta here!" the captain said looking into the kitchen to find most of her crew eating. He looked much less tense, but slightly pissed off.
"The coordinates are in, Mal, and we're locked on her, well, the shuttle's location. We'll be there in maybec30 minutes. Saffron did cut the main auxiliary drive line. We can't go that fast."
"What's this then?"
"Its Latkes, Mal. A Jewish thing. Don't ya know anything?" Jayne said, sounding exasperated.
FIREFLY***FIRELFY***FIRELFY*** FIREFLY***FIREFLY***FIRELFY***FIRELFY***
there was something truly satisfying about cooking and having people eat it. Dinah had always loved cooking and it had been too long since she had been in a kitchen. And the she liked the kitchen on Serenity; sure the cooking top was old and practically everything else was outdated but, Dinah could still whip up a good meal. It was a sweet set up with the yellow walls and the little vines decorating them.
And the dinner table. When you sat at it, it didn't feel like you were a social outcasts on the edge of the 'verse. They were a family. Eating, laughing, telling stories, being nice. And Dinah liked that. She wanted that. She looked at the now empty table. Everything was pretty quiet. The engine was humming softly and Dinah was pretty sure that random loud startling noise was Jayne snoring. She looked at the three small leftover latkes, lonely and sad, too small for anyone not even Jayne to eat. Dinah ate one and it was only then that she realized she hadn't had any dinner. It was wonderful, just like her mama used to make. Still warm, crunchy on the outside, soft and starchy on the inside; the food you lived for. She remembered making these for Hanukah and well, on any special occasion. She remembered her daughter, smiling, as she chewed the latkes. She loved them so much. And Dinah loved her.
"Shouldn't you be in bed ?"
"Wou de ma! Don't you make some kind of noise? What do you mean I should be in bed?" Dinah asked, finding the captain standing in the door jam looking tired, if not a little smug at making her jump.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you none. Just finished some business on the moon."
"With Saffron?"
"Yeah. If that's her real name. Which I doubt it is. I hear, you made some food, earlier and I was wonder-"
Dinah looked at the sad little latkes. She couldn't turn him down.
"Ain't got much left but, here you go. If you want one," Dinah said offering the captain the last.
"Xei-xei," the captain said taking a seat. He quickly devoured them. "I ain't ever had anything like this. Its good."
"You should have had them when they were hot," Dinah said, suppressing a yawn. It was late. It was kind of a hectic day, what with the crazed wife and all.
"You know, we don't usually get a lot of cooked food up here; mostly stick to protein bars and nutrients supplications. Occasionally Book'll cook something good. Or Kaylee. Thought, she's better with engines then a stove top. It was mighty nice of you to cook for the crew."
"Don't worry about it. I enjoy cookin'. It was nice to do something relaxing. Besides, I was feeling kind of useless on the boat. I needed to do something."
"Dinah, was it?"
"Shi."
"Do you travel with thieves and run-aways and the like often?" the captain asked, looking at Dinah as she stood against the counter.
"yes, capta- can I call you Mal?"
"Yeah. Though I don't mind captain."
"Why exactly are you asking me all this?"
"Cause you made pretty Gorram good food. Just wondering really."
"Yeah. I'm okay with your crew. I met some pretty nasty people in my life and none of them are on your ship."
"You met Jayne yet?" Mal asked teasingly. Dinah grinned.
"I have. Scarfed down most of the latkes actually. He's kind of crude and mean and rude but- Nevermind. I don't what I'm talking about," Dinah tried to say. In the 'verse, you don't judge people quickly; its a naive and foolish to trust people too quickly. But, Dinah was tired of being wary and careful.
"I just kind of trust you're crew. And your boat. Don't know why. I just do."
"You wanna job?"
"Huh?"
"A job. We ain't exactly in the safest line of work but, you'd just be a cook. The pay ain't much either but, we do a bit of travelin' if you like that. And you are one terrible thief," Mal said.
"Hey! That was a one time thing! I don't usually do that kind of thing. You serious bout the job?"
"Shi. Now I ain't in the habit of just giving jobs to just about anyone but, I've been meaning to hire a cook since, well, ever since I first stepped onto this boat. I'd think you'd fit on Serenity. Do you want to be her cook?" Mal asked. She looked at the man who had just handed everything she wanted to her. She took a deep breath. Should she stay on this ship? Join the crew? Become attached again?
"Sure. I'll be Serenity's cook."
so whatcha think? okay? good? bad? shiny? this is the end of this story but if you want a sequel review!