I strongly recommend you read parts 1 and 2 first.

A Blast From The Past Part 1

A Blast From The Past Part 2 __________________________________________________

Jorja startled awake, flicking through her last minutes aboard the Alliance ship. Frank was gone and an old friend rescued her from the ‘hands of blue’. She lifted her head slowly and examined the room. She was laying on a medical stretcher, a large bright light dangling above her head. To her left, there was a trolley filled with medical instruments, soiled bandages and bottles of medicine. Looking to her right she saw another bed, with a body laying there covered in a blanket.

She perched awkwardly on the side of her stretcher. Her head began to spin, as she levered herself to stand. Her legs wobbled as her feet touched the cold lino floor. Eventually, she stood upright and was able to take a few uneasy steps to the other bed. Bracing herself, she stared into the eyes of the patient. It was Mal.

She studied the room again, she recognized she was aboard Serenity. “So where is everyone?” She thought to herself. Just then she crashed to the floor, knocking over a tray of instruments that were hanging over the edge of the trolley. The clatter caused Simon, Jayne, Kaylee and Zoe to investigate.

Jorja struggled to raise herself off the floor as Kaylee and Zoe checked on Mal. Simon reached down and helped Jorja to her feet while Jayne stood smirking in the doorway.

"What are you looking at?" Jorja questioned Jayne, who was leaning against the door frame.

“You, your royal nekkidness.” Jayne chuckled, grabbing a blanket from the shelf next to the door and tossing it Jorja.

Jorja’s face became blushed as she quickly wrapped the blanket around herself, glaring at the sniggering Jayne.

Mal woke murmering. “Jayne shut it. Go clean your gun or something.” Jorja eyed the smirking Jayne as he refused to budge from the doorway.

Mal battled to get up from the bed. Disoriented, he asked, “What ya do, Doc? Drug me?”

“You were in a pretty bad shape,” Simon explained, helping Jorja to her feet. “Both of you.”

Jorja stared at Mal, his eyes studied her every move as Simon helped her to stand. Rotating his gaze, he looked around the room at his crew; Kaylee and Zoe were by his side fussing over little details, Simon was standing beside Jorja taking her vitals and Jayne was standing with his arms crossed smirking.

“Where's River?” Mal inquired.

“Lil Albatross is flying, where’d ya expect ‘er ta be?” Jayne replies, his eyes still focused on the emabarrased Jorja.

“Right 'cause she is. Haven’t you all got something to do?” Mal barked. Silence filled the room as all eyes fell upon him. “Jayne, clean your weapons or play in your bunk. Kaylee fix that gorram clunking sound in the engine room. Zoe and Simon go check on the Albatross and make sure she ain’t break'n anything.”

Jorja looked at the crew in amazement as they left grumbling. “Being back to his old self,” She heard one of them mutter under their breath. Reverting her attention to the somewhat agitated Mal, as he slowly made his way over to her, she tried desperately to read his expression; it was his usual poker face.

“Next stop, you're off, got it?!” Mal glared, hobbling towards the door.

"You want me off the ship, I understand Mal, but please understand I didn't have a choice in shooting you." She pleaded, staring at Mal as he turned away from her.

He turned to her and commented with a firm line appearing across his lips, “Last I heard, friends don’t shoot friends, so, trust me when I say I won't let it happen again,” he turned back, took a few awkward steps then halted, adding, "It doesn't even matter if you shooting me saved my life, I just don't trust you anymore." She tried to answer, as he turned to leave, but felt awkward, and unable to speak.

Scanning the room she wondered where her clothes were, finding them under the bed. She dressed carefully, making sure that the peeping Jayne, was not around.

With every movement, a twinge of pain, reminded her of her dreadful past. The most vivid memory was the day she was stolen from Shadow, her home planet. Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to forget the horrid day of her capture. The harder she tried, the clearer the day became.

******

She remembered wasting time, waiting for Mal to make his move as they sat on the front porch of her family’s homestead. They were about 8 years old and playing a game similar to chess from the Earth-that-was when they looked up, hearing the engines of three Alliance shuttles echoeing through the sky. They sat staring at them in amazement as the shuttles landed on the hilltop in front of them.

It was mighty unusual for Alliance to land on the planet, Shadow. Despite being young, the pair knew by the stories Jorja’s pa had told them, that the Alliance were bad news. His stories had always caught their attention, but when they asked what happened to Mal’s father and sister, he changed the subject.

The shuttles intrigued their childish curiousity as they turned to each other mentally saying, “Let’s go see.” After all they were kids.

The games’ pieces scattered over the porch as they raced off to investigate the fascinating arrival of the shuttles. They hurdled the fences of the cattle property and dodged boulders as they ascended the hillside. Metres from the top they slowed to a walk, visibly puffed from the steep ascent. When they reached they saw two guards. Mal quickly and silently pulled Jorja behind a nearby boulder, holding his finger to his lips in a "shh" motion. They peered around the boulder watching the guards every move.

The guards leaned up against the cargo bay doors as they engaged in a conversation. One of them pulled out a picture and showed it to the other guard. He watched the picture unfold then bent over in laughter. The laughter was a large roar that caught the attention of two Officers and a large trail of prisoners who neared the ship. The first guard snatched the picture and stuffed it in his pocket before they both saluted the approaching Officers.

Mal and Jorja’s attention turned to the chained prisoners. They were children, they obediently followed but most were sobbing. Jorja and Mal lunged forward towards the chain of prisoners, only to be pulled back by a firm grasp. They let out suprised yelps, attracting the attention of the Alliance officers, who in return drew their guns, scanning the boulders for movement.

“Shhh....” the attacker whispered as he crouched beside the pair, sneeking peeks from behind the boulder at the approaching Officers. It was Jorja’s pa, John. He was a well built man with a stare that could break solid rocks with a single glance.

John turned to Mal and Jorja, whispering, “When I nod, get out of here, run home and hide in the barn.” The pair nodded as he reverted his attention back to the approaching Officers. They were closing in on the trio’s location.

Mal, in a brave attempt to distract the Officers attention, threw a rock towards a boulder to the right of Officers. The Officers turned towards the boulder and aimed their guns.

John turned to Mal, a smile appeared on his face, a slight hint of fear beneath the curving of his lips, as he nodded to the pair. Mal grabbed Jorja’s hand, tugging Jorja to her feet. Following his lead they made their way back down the hillside.

They had made it half way down when a echo of a gunshot shuddered through Jorja’s ears. She pulled her hand away from Mal’s grasp and turned, scanning the hillside for her father, only to see him tumbling down the hillside colliding with boulders on his descent, until finally landing several feet from the bottom. She let out a low scream as the event unfolded before her stunned eyes.

Continuing down the hillside, Mal reached John's body. He looked up the hillside at the gaping mouthed Jorja, yelling at her. “LOOK OUT!” His shouts dampened by the roar of Alliance ships overhead.

One of the Alliance soldiers had made a stealthily path down the hillside, reaching out, he grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back. She squealled as the Officer picked her up in his arms, kicking at the air, struggling to break free.

Mal left John’s side and had started throwing rocks at the Officer. His attempts failed as the Officer was met with two comrads. One started shooting at Mal and the other struggled to get Jorja up the hillside. Mal dove for cover behind a small boulder. Jorja struggled all the way to the top of the hillside, as another officer made his way down to confront the hidden Mal.

Another officer approached Jorja, still squirming against her captors. She screamed when she saw he was holding a syringe, her screams echoing down the valley until they dimmed in to incomprehensible noise.

********

Jorja’s shoulders lowered and tears welled in her eyes as she fastened the last button of her pants. She swallowed the hard lump that had settled in her throat and turned to the doorway.

“Ya thinkin’ bout me nekkid now ain’t ya?” Jayne smirked, propping himself against the door frame, a large grin upon his face as he added, “See I know those tears are for my handsome body ya dreamin 'bout.”

Straightening her back, Jorja wiped her eyes, brushing away the last memory. Lifting her head, she replied, “Jayne have you ever got your head out of your pants?”

“Sometimes,” he replied with a chuckle, forming an upright stance blocking the doorway. Remembering his orders, he added with a wink, “Would ya like to see?”

Jorja shook her head in disappointment as she wandered slowly over to Jayne, leaning into his body, absorbing the warmth as his chest fluttered with excitement. “Hmmm....” Jorja almost silently hummed. Her fingers walked slowly up his chest, tickling as they reached his neck, she slid her hands around his shoulder and leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips. As she inched closer to the succulent trembling lips, she lifted her knee and with a swift thrust, Jayne was rolling around the floor.

“Thanks for savin’ me,” She laughed as she bent down to her crippled friend and whispered, “Maybe some other time, though.” She stepped over the now whimpering Jayne and made her way down the gangway to find the rest of the crew.