Chapter 2

Inara Reynolds was growing so fast. By the time she was two Auntie Zoë was pregnant, but in one of their famous plans gone wrong, she lost the baby. Everyone was mourning the unborn child's death, but none more that Wash and Zoë. After a few months, joy and laughter replaced the sullen spirits. Inara Serra's shuttle remained unused and unrented for five years but when they couldn't find a job for four months, everyone knew that they had to rent the shuttle.

After docking on a small planet called Delrio, Wash and Zoë left to spend some time alone, Simon and River went exploring the new planet, and Jayne went rushing towards the whorehouses, all leaving Mal, Kaylee, and Inara to introduce a new member. After a few hours, Inara found some children around her age to play with, and through the squeals of the little ones playfully chasing each other, a young teenager about 18 years old walked towards the couple in front of the Firefly.

"Hi, there, are you here to apply for the rent of the shuttle?" inquired a shining Kaylee.

"No, ma'm, I'm actually looking for you husband, Malcolm Reynolds." Spoke the stranger.

Malcolm looked at the teenager with the most absolutely confused face, "Captain Malcolm Reynolds, here, what do you want?"

"I have a letter and a package addressed to you, my boss asked me to deliver It." said the stranger as she searched through a brown mail carrier that was strapped on her shoulder. She found the letter and grabbed a medium sized brown package, handed it to him, and started to walk away but was momentarily stopped by the running masses of children crossing her path.

Malcolm looked down at the letter still unopened, he recognized the handwriting. Entrusting his wife with the letter, he opened to package to reveal a golden wind chime with blue diamond elephants all around the barrel. He stroked the wind chimes, making them softly tinkle in beautiful tone, and handed it to his wife while taking the letter and opening it.

"Ohh, it's so shiny, ain't it Mal?" cooed Kaylee while stroking the wind chimes and marveling at it.

"Yes, Wǒ de ài, it's very shiny," he said stealing a quick glance at her as she marveled over the wind chimes. When he opened the letter, he read the simple lines which enclosed it, here's the new Fēnglíng to replace the one I broke all those years ago, I hope you like it, Always your mei-mei, Maddison. When he finished reading it, he looked around the crowd for the stranger. She brought him the one thing he had searched for since the end of the War, his sister, or at least a way to find her. He saw her with another teenager who draped a worn browncoat over her shoulders. Without thinking, he ran avoiding the people that tried to block him from his only line to Maddison. Kaylee stared at her husband in shock, wondering what had made Mal act this way. She picked up the fallen letter and read it over, when she read the name Maddison, she remembered his story of his little sister and how she disappeared without a trace. She watched him steadily reaching the girl and silently cheered him on.

"Hey… you… stop!" shouted Mal in between the huffing and puffing. The girl stopped and turned, a look of bewilderment plain on her face, when her partner noticed she stopped he turned back and put a protective arm on her shoulders.

Mal took a moment to catch his breath before saying, "Where'd you get that package?"

"I told you."

"I want to know who your boss is."

"I don't rat out my employer, 'sides I don't know you."

Mal looked at the luggage in both their hands, "Where you heading off to?"

"Don't see how it's any of your business."

"Me an' my crew are looking for some folks to rent our shuttle to, seeing as to how you both are packed I'm wondering if you'd like to fly with us."

"What are your conditions?" asked the boy, speaking up for the first time.

"The usual, rent has to be paid at the end of the month, 8500 pieces of platinum, seeing as to how we're almost at the end of this month, charge is 1000, an' I don't like trouble, not for my crew an' not for me."

The girl's eyes were dazzling blue with splashes of red, but now the red was brighter and bigger than usual. She looked at her partner and he had a hint of panic in his eyes.

"We'll accept, on one condition, anyone wishing to enter our shuttle will have to wait to be allowed in." spoke the boy.

"Deal, but I'll need to know your names an' the payment in my hand."

"I'm Velia," said the girl, "and this is my husband Ethan Hallows." She said as she placed the platinum in a small pouch and tossed to him.

He caught it, put the pouch in his pocket and motioned towards Serenity. They followed him through the crowd and into the cargo bay of the Firefly class ship. He led them to the shuttle and when they settled their bags inside, he gave them a tour of the ship. Mal led them to his wife, the mechanic, who was back with the engine as he predicted. Inara was kneeling down by her mother's side, and when Mal popped his head through the door, she raced to hug him.

"Kaylee, come meet the new passengers," Mal told his wife. She got up from the bottom of the engine, wiped her hands on the front of her coveralls, and walked toward the group. "This is Ethan and Velia Hallows."

"Hiya, I'm Kaylee Reynolds, I'm the ship's mechanic." She introduced as she shook hands with them, greasing theirs as well, "This is our daughter Inara," she motioned at the four year old with dark brown hair, blue eyes and an unsure smile, "Ohh, I'm sorry" she said when she looked at their grease stricken hands.

"Don't worry about it," Velia said, "Captain, if you'll please excuse me, I'm feeling a bit light-headed, and I'm going to go lie down for a while."

"Go ahead." The Captain said, though she was already halfway through the hallway and on her way to the shuttle closely followed by her husband. "Have you ever seen a young couple 'fore?" he asked his wife when they already left.

"Nope, but I think it's cute how they are so in love." Responded his wife, already her way to the engine followed by Inara.

In their shuttle, Velia was curled up in a corner of the farthest wall. She clenched her teeth to the point where she thought they would shatter, and her eyes were shut so tight that she could feel them threatening to rip. Ethan was organizing their room, and every once in a while would glance at her with a hopeless look on his face. There was nothing he could do to ease the pain she felt, and he knew she would have to control it, little by little.