Disclaimer: All I own is Mei-Lin and the plots that revolve around her.

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Chapter Two

Serenity's newest passenger now safely tucked up in her own room near the infirmary and the cargo loaded, the crew gathered together in the kitchen, once more gathered around Simon as he pondered how best to tell what he knew. Mal couldn't help but be reminded of the first time Simon and River had boarded his ship as he stood watching the doctor, his arms crossed. Some things never changed, it seemed.

"So, Simon," Wash said as he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist. "There a reason you got us all packed in here, or are you just trying to mess with us?"

Barely glancing at the pilot, Simon chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before he spoke, his words measured and serious. "I know who our passenger is."

"We all do, now she told us her name," Kaylee said, giving Simon a funny look.

"No, I mean I know who she is, not just her name," Simon elaborated. "Hers is actually a very well-known name in the Core. Or it was up until four years ago. Mei-Lin Chao was a very popular rising star in the local opera community on Ariel, until she disappeared under mysterious circumstances. For weeks it was all that the musical community could talk about. There were rumors of a fire in her home that killed both of her parents along with her, but only two bodies were recovered. I don't know how it happened, but the woman in the guest room is Mei-Lin Chao of Ariel, and she has somehow lost her voice completely. I got a good look at her throat when she was writing her name. There are scars there from some sort of operation. Whoever cut up her throat was not trying to be subtle about it, and they left their mark on her."

"Wait…we got a singer onboard now?" Jayne asked with a confused glare. "I don't get it. How come she's out here then?"

"That's the real mystery, along with who destroyed her vocal chords-which I am sure is why the scars on her throat are there-and why," Simon said with a shrug. "I'll try to figure out what happened to her during this job, but I'm not sure that will be enough time."

"Well, that's all the time you're gonna be gettin', Doc," Mal said firmly. "I promised to get the girl off world, not to take care of her until you figured out who and what's been screwin' with her throat. Now we all got jobs to do. Wash? You got the cargo?"

"All loaded and we got coordinates locked in," Wash replied, not looking ready to move from his rather comfortable position beside his wife. "River said she'd take the first leg of the trip, since she's gettin' so good at pilotin' this bird."

"Wash needs time with wife to make sure their bundle of joy will be conceived," River explained with a slight smile, her eyes gleaming mischievously. "At this rate, newborn will be around in less than a year."

Both Zoë and Wash had the decency to blush at this as River rose gracefully to her feet, walking past the pair without so much as a glance before exiting the kitchen. Mal decided to ignore the girl's crazy comments for now and simply shook his head in bewilderment. There were times when he almost wished River wasn't thinking so clearly these days, since it meant that she was now bringing up embarrassing topics all the time. Whether it was Zoë and Wash's attempt at having a child or what Kaylee and Simon were up to, there rarely was a time when River said anything that Mal wanted to know.

Turning to look at Simon, Mal frowned thoughtfully. "You think your sister's well 'nough for you to focus on our guest?" he asked.

"River is becoming more lucid each day," Simon said slowly. "I don't think she's quite ready for me to stop taking care of her, but I think that she'll be fine while I try to figure out what happened to Mei-Lin."

"Good 'nough for me," Mal said with a nod. "Our guest's now your responsibility. Everyone else…you know what you gotta do."

As the members of the crew began going their separate ways, Mal was surprised to see a small figure appear from behind the kitchen doorway. How long Mei-Lin had been standing there, he couldn't say, but she looked rather guilty about being caught, so he could assume she'd heard them discussing her. The silent girl had managed to escape Simon somehow, but that wasn't too great an accomplishment, as the Doc didn't always pay attention to his surroundings. Meeting Mal's gaze evenly, she finally stepped out of the shadow, paper and pencil clutched in her hands.

"So you hear all that?" Mal asked with an arched eyebrow.

Mei-Lin looked so guilty that Mal suddenly felt like a parent scolding a child for stealing the last cookie from the jar. She just seemed so young and child-like, especially in the ill-fitting shirt that she had gotten from Roy, the hem of which was currently tied around her waist for a better fit. Nodding glumly, she began hastily writing before holding up the paper for Mal to see.

AM I IN TROUBLE?

Mal didn't know whether to feel sorry for the girl or to laugh at how perfectly stupid her question was. She was a passenger, not part of the crew, so of course she wasn't in trouble for wandering around. Besides, it wasn't as though she had gotten into the cargo. Shaking his head and motioning for the girl to enter the room without being afraid, Mal tried to smile reassuringly at her.

"Nah, y'ain't in trouble," he said with a chuckle. "Dunno why you'd think that. You're a passenger here, so you're free ta move 'bout as much as you please, s'long as that don't include you lookin' through the cargo."

Mei-Lin gave him a funny look at that, as if to say "of course I won't be looking through your silly cargo" before she wandered towards the kitchen. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the produce that had been purchased during the time spent planet-side and Mal had to wonder when the last time she had seen an actual apple was. Reverently reaching out to touch the rare fruits and other items of food, she quickly began scribbling, her handwriting less than pristine when she held up the paper for Mal to see.

I KNOW HOW TO COOK. I'M VERY GOOD AT IT. I COULD MAKE SOMETHING. MY WAY OF SAYING THANK YOU.

Mal blinked a little at that before he shrugged noncommittally. It didn't matter none to him what she did while she was on his boat so long as it kept her out of his hair. Plus, it would be very nice to have someone on board who could actually cook, since Book left Serenity.

"You do whatever you want," Mal said with another shrug before he made his way out of the room. "Just don't set fire to the place."

As he left, Mal looked over his shoulder and felt more than a little amused to see the look of indignation that crossed Mei-Lin's face at the suggestion that she would set fire to anything. Shaking his head at that, the captain slowly made his way to his bunk. It had been a long day and there was a very long voyage to Regina ahead of them. He needed his rest before he even thought of doing anything else.

Mei-Lin looked around the kitchen with a mixture of dismay and satisfaction. Obviously whoever had been in charge of this area of the ship before was no great organizer, as various cooking implements were spread all over. Before she cooked anything, Mei-Lin would have to straighten this place up and make it somewhat presentable. Rolling up the sleeves of her shirt, the mute began moving pots and pans and other such utensils about, dusting and wiping up grime as she went. Order was good, she repeated mentally as she worked. This ship was not orderly, but it was stable. Stability and order were close enough together that Mei-Lin could be satisfied with the former.

It had been a long time since she had been in a stable environment, she thought. She had little memory of what had happened to make her a slave, but seeing that older man on Shadow…she had thought that he was very familiar. If only she could remember where she had seen him before. Tapping her feet rhythmically against the ground as she worked, Mei-Lin found her mind being drawn to Before.

That was all she knew it as: Before. What exactly Before meant, she didn't know and a part of her said very firmly that she did not want to know. She still had nightmares that made no sense to her; nightmares about men with knives and surgical tools, standing over her in lab coats with evil smiles on their faces. And sometimes, when she was in a very deep sleep, she would see two pairs of hands covered with blue gloves. She rarely remembered the events of the dreams, merely the people who she had seen, so Mei-Lin had no way of knowing what they meant.

Before meant a time when she had no nightmares; a time when she had lived peacefully with her Mama and Baba, not bothered with anything more than practicing for her next opera performance. Before was when she was a social icon, known for her lovely manners and her cultured intellect. Before was when she could sing.

Reaching up to finger the scars on her throat, Mei-Lin frowned deeply. The skin was smooth where the scars were, even though they looked ragged and rough. The scars were a mark that she would never be rid of. Some part of her mind screamed that They would find her if she ever left her throat bare, even though Mei-Lin had no memory of who They were.

Finally, she found that the kitchen was completely clean, leaving her with the opportunity to do the one thing that was left to her after her voice had been taken. With hands that had been made to play instruments rather than to work, Mei-Lin began cutting and measuring ingredients, soon filling the kitchen and the halls surrounding it with the tantalizing smell of real food. She was so involved in the cooking that Mei-Lin didn't notice the approach of the pilot until he was right across the counter from her. Starting violently and almost dropping the pan that she held, Mei-Lin blushed furiously and ducked her head shyly.

She had seen the pilot when she first boarded the ship and again when she listened to what the crew were saying about her, but she had not really paid attention to him. He was a rather eccentric looking man, she now noted, with his flamboyant shirt and mussed hair that looked as though he had just slipped out of bed. But there was kindness in his eyes as he smiled at her, and Mei-Lin felt herself drawn to him.

"That smells awful good," the man said with a lopsided grin. "Been a while since we had a decent cook on the ship."

Mei-Lin smiled shyly back at the pilot and began writing on the piece of paper that was fast becoming covered with her large handwriting.

GLAD YOU LIKE THE SMELL. I HAVEN'T DONE COOKING IN A LONG TIME.

"Well, if what I'm smellin' is anything to go by," the pilot laughed, "then you sure ain't fallen out of practice."

Her timid smile was growing a little wider, which made Wash feel better about even talking to the girl. She had looked like a frightened rabbit when she had first stepped onto the ship, and Wash hated seeing girls scared of anything. Just now when he had seen her cooking away, it seemed as though she was in a completely different world, her mind far away from the ship and its tiny kitchen, and somewhere much more pleasant.

"You go ahead and finish whatever you're doin'," Wash said with a grin. "Don't mind me."

The girl blushed softly and turned her attention back to the cooking utensils. The water that she was cooking the noodles in had started to boil, so it needed to be watched carefully. With that being the case, she could easily forget that she was being watched by someone. This was almost like it had been Before. Back when the simple pleasures in life were what she lived for.

It did not take long for her to find that all the cooking needed was done and Mei-Lin glanced over her shoulder at the pilot with a shy smile before she wrote out that dinner was ready and he could get the rest of the crew if he liked. Wash stood up quickly, ever ready to please, and nodded at her with a wink.

"Don't you worry," he said. "If I know these guys, you'll win 'em over with this meal, no problem."

Ducking her head at this, Mei-Lin chewed on her lip as the pilot walked out of the kitchen. She honestly had no idea why she was doing all of this…did she want them to think better of her than they seemed to because she was mute? Or did she want to stay here? That seemed likely. Not since Before had Mei-Lin had such a good feeling about a place as she did onboard this ship. Pushing that thought aside, she hastily began dishing up the food, putting the plates and silverware at the table. By the time the rest of the crew appeared, she was standing at the head of the table, waiting for all of them.

Mal didn't know what to make of this girl. One minute she was looking ready to faint at the mere sight of him and then the next…she was cooking them all the best meal that any of them had eaten in a long time. What was she trying to do, anyway? Still…the food smelled damned tasty and none of the crew were eager to have Simon cook for them again. It had been bad enough the last time. Only Kaylee pretended that it had been any good, and even her reassurances were rather weak.

Sitting down and smiling thankfully up at Mei-Lin as she moved to the other end of the table, Mal took a long breath and his stomach gave a very pointed growl. Forget what the girl was trying to get at. He was hungry. Food first, thought later. Besides…she would probably tell them everything eventually.