Chapter 2 can be found here: http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=15972

- - - - -

Mal stumbled out of Jayne’s bunk, his hand clutching his stomach. He was aching, it hurt so badly. He needed a drink. A strong one.

“I told you, Mal! It ain’t mine! Musta been hidden in some of that booty we heisted last week! I swear, I ain’t into that kind of go shui!” Jayne yelled up from his bunk.

Mal did not reply, instead pulling Jayne's hatch shut loudly. He stared at the rusty rungs of the ladder for three full seconds before cracking up so hard he gasped for breath. Jayne bellowed "It ain't funny!" from below, but Mal couldn't stop. The guffaws nearly brought tears to his eyes and he had to grasp at the wall to hold himself lest he fall to the floor and roll around. That was definitely the last time he dug through Jayne's things in search of decent fits.

His heart just couldn't take anymore laughing over Jayne's stuffed pink bunny rabbit.

“Mal? Something wrong?” Inara sauntered past him, on her way to the galley.

“’Course not,” Mal said quickly, composing himself and deciding to keep Jayne's secret until the proper opportunity for blackmail made itself apparent. He caught up to her and walked by her side towards the dining area. “Just surprised our Ambassador’s decided to come back to us brigands is all.” Mal grinned. Inara rolled her eyes.

“Yes. Grant truly is a remarkable man,” Inara continued her coffee preparation as Mal leaned back on the table idly. “I’m just here to get some coffee and prepare myself for later.”

“Later? Coffee?” Mal’s got up from the table and paced slowly around her. It was odd; Inara was usually a tea and biscuit sort of woman. She rarely bothered with coffee, being more a fan of actual sleep. Even in her line of business. She was practical like that. “Huh, that's...Were you up all night and day with him or something?"

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business,” Inara said evasively as she began to boil some water.

“Ah, right, because I haven’t paid for it.”

Inara refused to argue this time. She was far too weary for a battle of wits, even if it was with someone as unarmed as Mal. She had indeed been up all night and day, but he certainly didn’t need to ask her as if he had some priority in her life. Because he didn’t. Most definitely not. And he would never, if he kept her in the dark like he had been doing for the better part of a year now. There was just no cracking through the rock-hard front the Captain always had up. Mal had to have some form of respect for her; he'd started a swordfight in her honor and other blatantly stupid things of the like, but at the same time he made it abundantly clear that he thought her choice of lifestyle was less than honorable, as if he were the only one allowed to put her down. She was never going to figure him out, no matter how long she decided to stay with Serenity. Malcolm Reynolds was one big enigma, shrouded in a puzzle, submerged in mystery. And he seemed to like it like that.

Then again, everyone had their secrets. Inara stared down at the bottom of her cup. It was clean enough so that she could almost see a distorted reflection of herself looking back up at her. She bit her lip.

“Actually, from what Grant tells me, you’re all going to be pretty well off for a while after you complete the Dark Matter job..." Inara said quietly.

Mal looked somewhat startled at Inara's sobered tone. He had only been joking. For the most part, anyway. "Yeah, he's payin' us a load. Hey, that coffee all right?"

"It's fine," Inara said hastily, stirring the mixture and hoping that the mysterious clumps would eventually dissolve. It wasn't fine, not in the least, but that was to be expected from a liquid protein and caffeine mixture. "But anyway, yes, I am happy for you."

“I’m happy for us too,” Mal grinned. Inara looked over at him as she poured her instant coffee. It tasted like mud and had a rough texture to it, but she couldn’t help but smile anyway at how pleased Mal looked.

“You’re excited.”

“Damn right, I am." Mal slapped at the table playfully. "Last time we worked for this guy – “

“You were able to get us a home,” Inara took a sip and choked it down in as elegant a manner as she could pull off.

Mal blinked at her. Inara realized what she had said and nearly coughed up the horrible coffee.

“I mean, what I meant to say was, you got your crew and…all that. You got them a home,” she corrected herself. Inara was supposed to be nothing more than a visitor. Besides Shepherd Book and River, she was the only one on the ship that wasn't technically part of the crew, and she was the only one aboard who still continued to pay her passage. The other two had managed to work their way into the family to different degrees, but Inara had tried her best to distance herself. Despite this, it was inevitable that some feelings had developed. Mal never asked her for rent, and he always accepted it quietly whenever Inara finally forced it upon him. Kaylee was as much her sister as any of the elegant, cultured Companions she had trained with, and the rest of the crew had wormed their way into her heart in similar fashion. Even Jayne and his inability to eat something with more ending up in his stomach than the front of his shirt.

Yet she was reluctant to call Serenity a home. Companions could never have a home, and Inara often wondered if Mal could understand that. Or any of the others, for that matter.

“Right, yeah,” Mal said slowly. “Of course.”

“Grant also tells me you’ll be working with another crew,” Inara changed the subject.

“Yeah, well, their captain's just your standard little punk that don't know when to shut his yapper,” Mal said matter-of-factly.

“Hmm, seems to be a running trend among these freelance transport ships,” Inara said slyly, carefully placing her cup down. She'd had enough of the coffee, which was starting gurgle in her stomach.

“Yeah!” Mal continued, mostly ignoring Inara to continue his rant. “He’s pretty young, too, and already thinks he knows everything. Like he’s got the gorram ‘verse in the palm of his hand.”

“Interesting,” Inara exclaimed mockingly. “I imagine you'd have a lot to teach him.”

“Damn straight. That is, if he can bi zui long enough to listen,” Mal went on. “No, seriously, the kid's gonna be impossible to work with and we might have to rub that belly of good fortune on your lil' pudgy God statue if his crew's anything like he is. There's likely to be some conflicts, gonna muck up the entire job. He’s arrogant, obnoxious, has big issues with authority…”

“Really? I can’t even imagine!” Inara said, in the heaviest sarcastic tone she could muster. "That is completely shocking and something I've never had the misfortune to experience, especially in the past year or so!"

Mal narrowed his eyes. “Is it just me, or are you insinuatin' something?”

“Just that you’re an idiot.” Inara walked around and took a seat.

“But I’m an older, more experienced idiot.” Mal sat back in a dining chair across from Inara and rested his feet heavily on the table. Inara glared at him, but he decided he enjoyed that expression on her face. It suited her. “You gonna be joining us for dinner tonight?”

Inara rolled her eyes, as if the idea pained her. “Yes.”

“Well, then, you can help out Kaylee with her prettifyin'. Keep her out of that pink wedding cake dress, I don't care how precious you think she looks in it," Mal said firmly. "I ain’t lettin’ the punk out-brown nose my crew.”

“Your pettiness never ceases to amaze me, Mal,” Inara pushed his thick boots off the table, taking care not to soil her hands, and they hit the floor with a heavy thud. “But I’ll see what I can do.”

“See what you can do with Zoe, too?” Mal asked hopefully.

Inara grinned. “I think you’re on your own with her. I happen to enjoy the fact that I’ve never been shot in the chest.”

- - -

“So you’re sure he’s not Alliance,” Simon asked for the fiftieth time. Most of the crew was standing in the cargo bay with him, passing the time before dinner. He was done up like the first day he had walked on Serenity, wearing his fancy rich-people vest and slicking his shiny hair back. Every so often, the doctor would cast non-discreet glances at Kaylee, who was standing a few feet away by the stairs that led up to the catwalk and determinedly not looking at him. Inara was with her, shooting Simon the occasional encouraging look. Simon couldn't bring himself to approach her, though. Perhaps when she had had more time to cool off - in case he messed up again - or maybe when she was dressed in clothes that didn't make him so nervous and sweaty.

Kaylee had foregone her usual shapeless coveralls, making her look very different to Simon. It was rare she ever got out of them, and she even looked somewhat resentful that she was not allowed to do any engine work, to stay clean and engine grease-free. She was still overjoyed, though, to be wearing one of Inara’s beautiful silk tops. Inara had managed to snuff out the pink frilly dress, which Kaylee had intended on wearing, and substitute it for something that was less gaudy and more "sexifying", as Kaylee termed it. Simon was appreciative as well for the view.

"Not a purple-bellied bone in his body," Zoe confirmed. "Besides, the Preacher's going to take real good care of your sister. Ain't that right, Preacher?"

Shepherd Book nodded. He had chosen to stay behind and keep watch over Serenity while the others manned whatever ship Grant had gotten for their job. It was also a general consensus that perhaps River should stay behind as well, since the girl did have a knack for complicating things slightly. Simon was nervous about leaving his sister, even with the good Shepherd, since River still was not one-hundred percent stable at times. However, Mal had insisted heavily that Simon join them. One reason was that he was part of the crew, and thus would receive his share of the bounty. The more probable reason was that he was a doctor, and that was sure to impress Grant.

"River will be safe with me, Simon, don't you worry. As long as she doesn't rip the Book of Genesis out of my bible again, we should be just shiny."

River sat on top of a heavy-duty crate, her knees pulled up to her chin and her large eyes gazing at nothing in particular.

"Seven days is an insufficient amount of time to create an entire planet," River stated dreamily.

Simon shook his head. "Be that as it may, River - "

"Your fly is open."

Kaylee snorted behind Inara's back as Simon fumbled with the zipper in his pants. Even Inara had to swallow back a snicker.

"Really, Simon, she'll be fine. I'll be here too, anyway. I love spending time with her. We have fun, don't we, River?" Inara looked at the girl, who was now smiling.

"Inara. She has lots of pretty things to show me, and many stories to tell," River said monotonously. "And also, she doesn't use her needles on me." She frowned pointedly at Simon, who had finally fixed his pants. Inara's eyes widened.

Simon looked confused. "River, you know you need that medicine. But Inara, why do you have nee - ?"

Suddenly there was a rumble as a hatch was forced open and then loud stomping noises as something heavy stormed out onto the catwalk. A man that looked suspiciously like Jayne, except with something conspicuously absent from his usual scruffy and ogre-like appearance, thudded down the catwalk and stood at the foot of the stairs. He was practically seething with rage.

They all stared, all thought of needles forgotten.

“I…I think there’s somethin' weird on your face, Jayne,” Kaylee said slowly, her expression twisted in confusion.

"That's not Jayne!" Wash insisted, peering up at the large man.

“No…that’s not it,” Zoe squinted. "Nothing weird on his face."

"Further proof that it isn't Jayne."

“I think…I think the problem is...it's clean," Simon observed.

"I rest my case," Wash declared, still staring.

"All of you's back off, gorram it," Jayne barked, rubbing at his bare chin. "'Fore I introduce my foot to your...up your asses."

"Oh, never mind, that's definitely him."

Sure enough, Jayne’s face was clean, clear, and his grungy goatee had been reduced to little more than a darkish tint and a tiny piece of tissue paper stuck where the razor had bit skin. His shirt, only lightly stained with God-knew-what, was tucked into his pants and he wore a jacket that was completely devoid of bullet-holes. It was a difficult thing for the crew to swallow, until he growled and everyone backed away.

"I think he looks real shuai," Kaylee said, grinning from ear to ear. "Looks a lil' like my daddy back in the old days 'fore the war, all clean-shaven and handsome."

Jayne scowled. "I ain't none of that! And I definitely don't look like no one's ruttin' pa."

"Looks kinda like the type that eats their own young," Wash whispered to Zoe.

"You wanna take this outside, lil' man?" Jayne snarled. "If I wanted to look like a gorram pa, then I coulda!"

Shepherd Book stepped in between them, ever the peacemaker. "Boys I think its best we keep disputes inside. And preferably nonviolent. Do you want your big payday or not?"

The sound of cheerful whistling suddenly echoed into the cargo bay, interrupting the argument, and Mal appeared at the top of the stairs. “I have a shiny, shiny crew,” Mal said, tossing what looked like a used razor into an empty strongbox down below. Jayne grumbled an annoyed string of curse words and felt at his naked chin again. Mal clapped the man on his back, taking no heed despite the fact that smoke was practically billowing from Jayne's nostrils. “Jayne, with the money we’re 'bout to make, you could buy fifty new beards and have enough left over for a mullet, if your little heart so desires.”

“Looking good, Mal,” Wash commented on Mal’s choice of non-renegade attire. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we actually were the crew of a freelance transport vessel seeking legitimate business enterprises.”

He was right. For once, they didn’t look like a misfit gang of space pirates. Mal knew that Barracuda Grant was the classy sort, at least presentation-wise, and leaving a good impression was important if they ever wanted another job from him. Having Inara with them, a Registered Companion, made the picture even better. He already knew Grant had taken a liking towards her, though he didn’t want to dwell on that fact for too long.

Take that, Kent Jamison.

“Mal, I think it’s time we headed over,” Inara said, already making her way down the ramp and off the ship. “Mr. Grant seems like the type to appreciate punctuality.”

“Mr. Grant? Given your business with the old man, I’d think you’d be on a first name basis by now.” Mal said before he could even consider stopping himself. His bothersome, offensive one-liners just seemed to pop out of nowhere sometimes.

Inara ignored him and left. Kaylee shot Mal a discouraging look before going after her, and the rest followed suit except for River and the Shepherd. River was gazing intensely up at Mal.

He looked back at her, irritated. “Can I help you with something?”

River didn’t respond, aside from turning a corner of her mouth up in an expression that Mal could only describe as "Duh."

“Er…” Simon returned and took River lightly by the shoulders. “She thinks you’re a boob. Sir.”

Shepherd Book stifled a chuckle and guided River back up the stairs to the dining area.

- - -

"Here they are now," Grant welcomed the crew of Serenity into his extravagant dining room.

It wasn't overly large, though quite a bit roomier than Serenity's. There was a long rectangular table with eight chairs on each side and one at the head were Grant was sitting. Actual ceramic plates rested on the table, next to no doubt authentic pieces of silverware and polished glass goblets that glinted in the light of the chandelier. Littered along the middle were plates and plates of the best-looking food any of them had ever seen. Mal heard Kaylee's stomach rumble loudly and he almost felt Jayne's drool splash against the floor. Hoping that they were at least being classy with their horrific lack of manners, Mal just grinned.

To Mal's dismay, it appeared Kent's crew had arrived even earlier than they had. That was one strike against them. The young captain was sitting at Grant's right, and had five other people with him this time, all of whom were eyeing the food hungrily but patiently.

"Quite a bunch, aren't they, Kent?" Grant stood up respectfully.

Kent cocked his head. Mal noted that he was still wearing his damn brown coat.

"They look great," Kent said, a strained hint to his voice. He was intimidated, which Mal appreciated. Maybe the kid would actually humble down a little.

"Seems you've got a nice bunch yourself," Mal said politely. There was no point in causing tension over dinner. Especially since Grant was there.

"Ah, Miss Serra!" Grant walked over and took Inara's hand gently. She smiled amicably and Grant kissed her hand before turning to the rest of them. "Please excuse me, I'd like to speak with Miss Serra for just a moment. Let your crew take their seats, Mal, and tuck in whenever you'd like. No need to wait for me, I'll only just be a second. I apologize for my rudeness."

So much for no tension over dinner. Everyone grabbed a seat on the left side of the table across from Kent's crew, with the odd kid Tony holding out seats for Zoe and Kaylee. Inara looked over at Mal for a fleeting second before allowing herself to be escorted out of the dining area to deal with "business". Mal looked up just as her form disappeared. He bit back a frown and then plastered a smile on his face.

"Nice to see you again," Mal said, in a carefully jovial tone, and put out his hand over the table as his crew wasted no time in devouring a large turkey. "And who are these fine folk you've got with you?"

Kent cautiously took Mal's hand as if he thought it was infested with something and shook it. "This here's my crew. You've met Tony, of course."

Tony said nothing, not even looking up as he focused on staring at his silver fork.

"Then we've got Borneo, my mechanic, and Grey, who's the best pilot on this side of our galaxy."

Borneo was a large, behemoth of a man, looking nearly twice the size of Jayne. His biceps, underneath a shirt that was almost bursting at the seams, were thicker than Mal's thighs, and a series of dark tribal tattoos could be made out distinctly from underneath his shirt. His thick, tangled black hair was tied back carelessly with what looked like bakery string and he had a beard that Mal was sure he could lose an entire hovercraft in. He had a prominent nose ring hanging from the cartilage in between the nostrils, and two large tattoos on either cheek in some alphabet that Mal couldn't recognize. The oddest part about him, though, was his earlobes. They had been stretched by some force so long that they practically draped over the base of his neck. Mal wondered vaguely how ridiculous he would look on a windy day, with those earlobes flapping about. Borneo didn't say anything in greeting, just nodded gruffly. Mal figured he and Jayne should get along, communicating in their language of brutish grunts and possibly limited intelligence. Though he thought it best they didn't, since Borneo seemed the type that did more talking with his fists. Jayne was a damn good fighter, but Borneo was just...big.

Grey was a small woman, with appropriately graying hair that was held back in a tight barrette. In all physical aspects, she seemed to be the exact opposite of Borneo, and the fact that she sat next to him made the contrast even more apparent. Mal wasn't sure if Grey was really her name, or if it was a nickname because of her hair color. Despite being older, the pilot didn't seem particularly weak. A bit like Shepherd Book, without the Preacher clothes, the bible, and religious proverbs that constantly got on everyone's nerves. She had sparkly blue eyes that made her look a little younger, and they smiled at Mal and his crew as she was introduced. At least she seemed friendly.

"All due respect, Captain Jamison, but unless Grey can thread a needle with a Firefly, my husband's got you beat," Zoe said jokingly, giving Wash a kiss on the cheek. Kent looked surprised at the kiss, probably similar to how surprised Mal was when he found out that they had gotten engaged. Without the yelling and gun threats.

"Well, we'll see who's got the better pilot when the time comes," Kent challenged. Another challenge that Mal refused to back down from. Or at least, he refused to let Wash back down from. "Anyway, this is Lee, and our medic, Elise."

Lee was short, but stocky and solid-looking. He looked to be several years older than his captain, maybe around Mal's age. Mal was almost positive he was the major fighter of the motley group, judging by the seemingly permanent sneer on his face and the fact that he had two grenades on his belt at the dinner table. Even Jayne had been talked into leaving the grenades behind for dinner. Lee looked strong enough in a fight, and Mal made a mental note to watch out for him. The man didn't seem quite as friendly as Grey. Kaylee reached for a peach on the platter at the center of the table, but Lee's hand darted out and speared the peach before anyone could even blink. Kaylee gasped as the fork nearly removed her fingers and she pulled her hand away, watching in shock as Lee took her peach and munched on it, without even giving her a second glance.

"Hey - !" Simon started.

"Settle down, doc," Mal cut in. No point in getting the scrawny little doctor in a fight with the peach ninja. Kent didn't even seem to notice.

Next to Lee sat a pretty young lady, with long blonde hair, deep green eyes, and a shy, humble smile. Mal had to admit, she was quite attractive. And a doctor, too, apparently. Clearly Mal had been in the bathroom or something when fate was handing out the young, hot, non-fugitive doctors.

“Nice to meet you guys,” Wash said.

“Yeah, real nice,” Mal agreed. “You’ve already met my first mate Zoe. Wash here’s my pilot. Simon's the doc, the big gorilla-type thing next to him is Jayne and lil’ Kaylee’s our mechanic."

"Well met," Kent's eyes scrutinized each of Mal's crew members, just as he had done to his. As his eye traveled over each one, almost comically skipping over Jayne and his threatening sneer, Mal noticed a slight pause when he reached Kaylee. Mal clenched his fists under the table and Simon squirmed in his seat.

Just then, the door swooshed back into the wall and Grant stepped back into the dining area with Inara. Grant was grinning broadly about something, but Inara didn't look quite as please. Mal sent her a questioning look, but she subtly shook her head and took the last seat on the left next to Kaylee. Kaylee also looked inquiringly at her, but she was denied an answer as well.

"So, what are we talking about?" Grant asked cheerfully, taking a seat at the head of the table. "Mal sharing stories of his daring heists yet?"

"No, sir, just some friendly introductions," Kent said.

"Well, what are you waiting for? I told you to tuck in!" Grant grabbed himself a slab of steak. "This food is exquisite, imported directly from the Core."

"Core food?" Jayne practically slobbered on his steak. "If this ain't incentive to hit it rich, then I don't know what is."

The older woman, Grey, frowned at Jayne's lack of manners. "Young man, don't you think you ought to slow it down? And maybe use a fork?"

Jayne looked up from his feeding frenzy. "Who're you, my mother?"

Grey glared at him in a way that reminded Mal eerily of Patience, back on Whitefall. The old lady was small, but she could still pack a punch that left you on the ground bleeding to death. Jayne blinked and let the chunk of meat drop from his teeth and hit his plate. He grudgingly picked up his fork and tore at it ravenously, just to make sure it was clear he was trying to be contrary.

"What's this?" Kaylee poked at the thoroughly stuffed and dressed turkey. "Some kinda monster chicken?"

"It's a turkey," the blonde medic, Elise, told her. She got up slightly to reach over and help Kaylee slice off a piece of the breast for herself. "Used to be all over the States on Earth-That-Was, but since then its pretty much only found on the Core. And then, only at special genetic engineering factories. They're completely extinct on any other planet now."

"Wow." Kaylee graciously accepted the juicy turkey piece. "This looks so good!"

"Yeah, it's a shame they're so rare and expensive now," Elise sighed. "On Earth-That-Was, Americans had these every Thanksgiving."

Kaylee looked baffled. "But we hate Thanksgiving. Don't we?"

Jayne paused, a bit of spinach hanging between his two front teeth. "Damn right we do. Unless back then their gorram demor-crasty didn't force the 'Gratitude for Miscellaneous Service' tax on fringe planets every November."

Elise shook her head. "They didn't. Thanksgiving was simply a day for giving thanks in the form of well wishes and being with family," She cut off a piece for herself and laughed softly as Kaylee began to devour hers. "Turkeys were tradition, and quite common among everyone. You could even put them in sandwiches, if you wanted."

Wash whistled. "That's some kuang zhe de stuff, right there."

"Elise, you do seem to know quite a lot about Earth-That-Was," Grant said, obviously impressed.

"I minored in history," Elise said simply. She looked away from everyone else and continued to eat. Jayne was leering at her, like he had with Saffron and countless other girls, and Mal knew that never led to anything particularly good. He kicked Zoe lightly in the shin and looked pointedly at Wash. Zoe got the message and kicked her husband, who in turn kicked Simon.

"Ow, what'd you do that for?" He rubbed at his leg, all conversation he had planned with Elise dropping from his mind.

"Pass it on," Wash mumbled out of the corner of his mouth. Simon looked over at Jayne, who was still looking inappropriately at the young woman across from him. He got the picture and kicked Jayne in the shin. Hard.

"Ow! Gorram it, doc," Jayne jumped up. "I oughta - "

"Is something the matter...Jayne, was it?" Grant asked.

Mal shot Jayne a violent look that made him sit down, grumbling.

"Naw," Jayne ripped into a new steak.

"Oh, okay then. Elise, how old did you say you were?" Grant perked up again.

"I turned twenty-two last month," Elise said, pausing politely and putting her fork down.

Grant raised his eyebrows. “Bit young to be a doctor already, aren't you? I was under the impression you lot had to go through loads of education for that.”

“Elise here graduated early from high school and university,” Kent said proudly. “She didn’t quite get the chance to finish medical school, but – “

“Oh?” Mal said, sitting up straighter. At least his medic did. He would make sure to bring that to Grant's attention as soon as he could. Inara noticed the wheels turning in Mal's head all the way from the other end of the table and rolled her eyes.

“I left school because I thought my services were needed more out here in the Outer Rim,” Elise said. “Really, the final year is preparing for board exams and the like. Helping people seemed more worth my time than wasting a year on an exam for a flimsy piece of paper.”

Kaylee was mildly impressed, until she looked over at Simon. She scowled at the way Simon seemed to be caught on every word she said. Figured he’d take an interest in another Inner Core stiff with a shipload of schooling and the ability to sew people up. Why would he pay any mind to a backcountry mechanic in coveralls?

“A med school diploma ain’t gonna do much to warm up a starving family out on the Rim,” Kent declared. “Elise told me that first time I met her. Let her on my crew not three seconds after she said that."

“We’ve got a medic too,” Mal interrupted quickly. Zoe kicked him underneath the table for his lack of tact. “Certified genius, our doc. Actually did manage to get his papers up at med school.”

“Ah, doctor,” Grant grinned knowingly. “I’ve heard all about you and your sister.”

Simon took a moment to turn slightly greenish in color.

“Don’t worry. It was one of the noblest things I’ve ever hard a man do. You have my utmost respect, young man.”

Mal grinned to himself, satisfied, as Kent looked at his crew questioningly. They all looked back at him blankly. Apparently they didn’t get the Alliance waves about fugitives. “And he’s only twenty-two.”

Simon raised an eyebrow. He was twenty-four, turning twenty-five in just a few weeks. Jayne looked confused, but was interrupted before he could say anything.

“Tony here, he’s my first mate I guess you could say,” Kent smacked the young boy in the back and he jolted forward in surprise. “Boy ain’t hardly seventeen and you should see how handles himself out here. You’d think he was damn near forty.”

“Yeah, well my mechanic ain’t seen eighteen yet and she’s already a genius engineer. You know any other young’uns who can handle a Firefly class engine?”

Jayne choked on his food, alarmed. He stared at Kaylee as if she had grown another head.

At Mal's remark, Grant looked genuinely surprised. “Young lady, you mean to tell me you work the engine of that big, old ship all by yourself?”

Kaylee nodded proudly. “All by myself. ‘Cept I think Cap’s mistaken, 'cause I definitely seen eighteen two whole years ago. Waved as it passed by, too. I was real happy to finally count with the grown-up folk."

Jayne slapped at the table. "I knew you was older than eighteen! Jayne Cobb's many things, but he ain't a fantasizer of no paedophilism!"

Everyone stared at Jayne for about a full minute before deciding not to ask, and then turned to Mal. He laughed nervously and coughed into his glass goblet so that it fogged up unattractively.

“Poor girl, been up in that hot engine room all day. Must be real confused.”

“Nevertheless,” Grant said, amused. “You are dreadfully young to be working an engine like that. It’s remarkable. You don’t see many people who can handle a Firefly class engine, since it’s got one of the most complicated mechanisms out there. Nowadays, the mechanics are all spoiled rotten. The engines do practically all the work themselves. Nobody truly appreciates the art of a fine engine anymore. You must truly be special.”

There was a slight pause before Kent spoke up again.

"Borneo once built an entire land crawler by himself."

Mal narrowed his eyes and Inara crossed her fingers, willing with all her might that the Mal would just shut up and let it slide. Unfortunately, Companion training did not include psychic abilities and Mal plowed on.

"Wash can pull Crazy Ivans blindfolded."

"Lee can knock out six men unarmed."

"Zoe can knock out seven, and make them cry."

"Grey flew a fighter ship during the war!"

"Simon once reattached a girl's whole leg!"

"Elise once reattached a guy's head!"

"What - you can't even do that!"

"Mal! Kent! Enough!" Grant barked. The two captains quieted their boast contest and had enough sense to not say anymore, instead resorting to angry glares in each others direction. "The both of you are respectable captains but it appears I overestimated your maturity. If you two are not able to keep civilized, then perhaps another of the hundreds of transport ships in my atmo right now would be interested in my job."

That got their attention. Mal and Kent both jolted up straight in their seats.

"Sorry," Mal said quickly, before Kent even had the chance to open his mouth. "I let the excitement get ahead of me. It won't happen again."

"I'm sorrier," Kent said. Mal resisted the urge to retort, thinking that Kent Jamison had better not wear his brown coat during the job. It riled Mal up too easily, and there was no guarantee that the boy wouldn’t find himself tied up and gagged with it if he started getting too annoying.

"Yes, well, if we can continue our dinner in peace..." Grant ordered more than said.

They did, for the remainder of the time, have a relatively peaceful dinner. Jayne, Lee, and Borneo chose to stay silent, as did the two hot-headed captains, but everyone else seemed to get along just fine. Grant looked genuinely pleased that the rest of the crews seemed to get along. Especially Simon and Elise, who had many stories to share about their medical academy days. Kaylee did her best not to look glum over it, and decided to busy herself in conversation with Inara and Grey. All seemed well, and Grant knew he had chosen the right crews. An Alliance ship was not an easy ship to fly, especially one used to transport Dark Matter. Only specially trained elite could usually handle it.

It was a shame.

Grant sighed suddenly, and Zoe looked up.

"Sir? Something wrong?"

“Not a thing, Zoe," Grant smiled brightly. "Well, if we're finished, I do believe you've all got a job to do."

- - - - - END CHAPTER 3 - - - - -

Chapter 4 can be found here: http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=16129

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