Week Four

I was in the engine room, tinkering idly with a replacement torque manifold that I'd need to be installing as soon as we landed on Ezra, when Mal's voice came on the intercom. "Kaylee, you've got a wave coming in."

I blinked with surprise, since I knew that we weren't supposed to be using the Cortex much, but didn't ask. "Okay, Captain, I'll take it in here."

But he didn't route the wave back to the terminal above my hammock yet. "Kaylee, do you happen to know HOW you have a wave coming in, when we're using a fake Cortex ID that nobody but Wash and I are supposed to know?"

"Not even Zoe?" I asked.

"Not really the point."

"Okay, then no... I have no idea how I have a wave coming in under those circumstances," I admitted. Was it Melany again? No, she couldn't have managed something like this, I was sure. Or even Barret, though maybe somebody Barret could have hired to...

"Well, I'll send it down in a second. Talk to him QUICK, and get off as soon as he's satisfied. Every time we try to adjust our connection path, he's back in our virtual face in fifteen seconds or a minute, and he keeps saying that he won't let up until we let him talk to you."

I stifled a giggle of amusement at how much that attitude seemed to annoy my Captain. "Right, whoever it is, I'll give them the quick brushoff."

He relented for a moment. "Not the brushoff, quite. I think that he's just a bit worried. Reassurance is called for here, or we might get even more trouble later on." And before I could ask about that, the cortex screen brightened, doing that moving circular arc deal for a few seconds before a video image showed up.

"Davison!" I exclaimed, surprised and a bit pleased. He was my second brother up in order of age, not exactly my favorite, but we usually got on well, and if there was anyone in the family with the Cortex-fu and other various electronic skills to track us down when Wash was trying to keep Serenity mostly hidden, then it'd have to be Davison. "Good to see you, but I can't talk for long... we're approaching a landing, and I've got a lot of work to do."

Davison paused, and then nodded. "Alright. I... I'm sorry if I was being a pest with your boss, but I... nobody's heard from you in a while, even Mother, and - and I was getting worried. You're all right?"

"Yes, I'm doing great," I insisted. "Happy as a hare munching on spinach, or something like that."

"What's it like, working on a little ship like that?" he asked.

That threw me for a moment. Could I possibly explain the Firefly experience to him in just a few sentences - the loneliness of trips through empty space, the terror of trying to patch Mal and Zoe up from gunshots, the bizarreness of scheming against a man as rich and powerful as Barret Thomas? "It's hard work, but great... the rest of the crew are shiny people, especially Captain Reynolds. It's just that right now..."

"Okay, I get you," Davison muttered, and I wondered if he'd been able to tell that I wasn't giving up the whole truth. "I'll tell Mom and Dad and everyone that you're all fine."

"Yeah, do that." And I remembered something. "Especially Sherice. How's things between the two of you?"

"Oh, didn't Mama mention it last time you waved her?" Davison grinned. "We've set a date - late in the holiday season this year."

"Oh, wow, no, this is the first I've heard," I said.

"Do you think that you'll be able to get back here for the ceremony?"

I hesitated. Mal had mentioned that though he didn't mind my taking a bit of time if our schedule happened to go back by Three Hills, he didn't want the itinerary to be dictated by anything but work, including passenger requests. As crew, I didn't have the right to suggest where we went and where, and I understood that. Even Mal didn't set the course for personal reasons, only for what we needed to keep flying. "I'm not sure. I'll try, and I'll definitely wave you back once I know for sure."

"Alright, I'd better go and sign off now. Keep well, Kaylee."

"You too." And then the Cortex screen went back to standby. I sighed and picked the manifold back up, trying to remember what I needed to do next with it.

------------

"Okay, the big man is Adelai Niska," Mal told us that night at dinner, or maybe told me, because I thought that Wash and Zoe already knew this stuff. "Got his fingers into a lot of stuff, very rich, got family around most of the Rim. Lives up in a Skyplex above Ezra, but we're not going to meet him directly, and for the time being I think I'm glad of that. I've heard... well, he's someone that we don't want to offend."

"And offending clients is something of a habit with you, one could say sir," Zoe said, somehow letting only a slight hint of laughter color her outwardly respoectful tone of voice as she said that.

"Umm, I have more of a talent for that than I'd like, yes," Mal admitted uncomfortably. "We'll be landing outside of Cara Dawn, a small city, and the landing visas have been arranged. Niska's people helped with that, and the stated reason for our visit is that we'll be taking on passengers."

"Do we have passengers lined up, sir?" Zoe asked.

"I've got a lead," Mal said. "Nothing certain, but I think it should work out. A group of seven, or so it was said, which would... strain our accomodations somewhat."

"Yeah," Wash agreed. "Even with doubling up in the passenger quarters, we couldn't fit more than six back there I think, which leaves one left over."

"Could get put up in the spare bunk, or one of the shuttles," Mal said evenly. "Heck, we could have someone crash in the common area or set up a tent in the cargo deck. These people won't be expecting premium staterooms, but they need to get to Dyton colony quickly, and we're their best bet."

"Maybe we should have Wash and Zoe go chase down this lead of yours, sir," Zoe suggested. "They're both somewhat on the... inviting and personable side."

"What, are you saying that I'm not inviting and personable?" Mal joked. "Aww, it's a good enough idea anyway. You and I need to be the ones to go and meet Niska's representative."

"And hand over the Dubnium?" I said.

"Yep," Zoe agreed. "And show him the loot we got from Patience. Niska expressed an interest in purchasing the lot, but his offer isn't firm until this guy appraises them directly."

"So, you're up with shilling for us?" Mal asked, turning to me. "Don't think these people would give you no trouble, just get them to agree to no less than five thousand."

I blinked slightly. "Each?"

Wash had to laugh at that. "No, total."

"Oh, okay. And what's a shill?"

Mal chuckled himself. "Only one so innocent... a barker, a canvasser. Like the ones back at... oh, you weren't at the circus in full swing back on Paquin, but..."

"A hawker," I said, seeing it. "Well, I never done a sales pitch before, but I can sure give it a try."

"I think that when it comes to selling people on Serenity, you'll be a natural, Kaylee," Wash said with a smile. "What's our contact info, Mal?" Mal started scribbling something out on a little piece of paper for us.

"Okay," I said, after a moment. "And you guys take care with this contact, right. Nobody get shot?"

"If anybody does, it won't be us," Mal said meaningfully. I rolled my eyes just a little."

-----------

"Yes, of course fifty-nine hundred will be suitable," the older man said, almost surprising me enough that I had to blink. (Well, maybe I *did* blink, but not obviously.) "But we'll need to leave as soon as possible. I and mine can be ready to depart by 0900 in the morning."

I shot Wash a slight look - Mal hadn't briefed me on this kind of negotiation. "We have other business that might keep us here in Cara Dawn for... for as much as three days."

"Nonsense. We'd have to go within fourty-eight hours at the very latest."

"How about a guaranteed departure at or before 1500 on the 18th?" Wash fired back.

"That's nearly two and a half..."

"Fifty-six hundred," Wash interrupted.

He got a somewhat dirty look for that. "Fifty-five hundred," was the counteroffer.

"Deal."

Now the negotiator for the other side seemed like he wished he hadn't settled so much, but after a look at the rest of the group, he had no way to reconsider. "Deal. You can message us if there's any advancing of the departure time."

"Excuse me, miss." This was one of the group who'd be going, a lanky teenage boy who was cute but probably too young for me to be gettin' any thoughts about. "How much luggage can we pack?"

I hesitated and looked at Wash, not sure if I could trust my instincts here. "Serenity has plenty of space for carrying, son," he said with a bit of a smile. "Just about anything you can get to the spaceport in that truck we saw outside and carry up the ramp, we'll find a place for." After a moment, he thought of one qualification. "But the captain wouldn't take a liking to live pets, I think."

"No, he needn't be concerned about such things," Mother Winfield said seriously. "We didn't have any pets except for the bulldog, and... and he's been given to another good home." She sighed. "But - I want to speak with the captain before we make our payment, it just seems sensible."

"Yeah," someone else chimed in, I wasn't quite sure who.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Wash said, smiling genially. "He's just busy, so wanted to send us on ahead to make sure that we had an agreement in principle."

"Yeah, the captain's a swell guy," I chimed in, feeling that I needed to contribute something other than standing here and supposedly looking pretty. "You'll love him, he'll love you - it'll all be great."

So things were settled for the time being - Father Winfield insisted on giving Wash a small deposit to 'guarantee their berths' no matter what his better half had said about meeting the Captain, and I answered a few questions about what travelling on a Firefly was like. Our 'up to seven' passengers had turned out to be a family unit; father, mother, aunt, (being the mother's younger sister,) a daughter and two sons, and the daughter's husband. All of them had an accent that I hadn't been able to place, but Wash told me later it was 'British' and might mean that they'd come from Dyton Colony or Londinium or a few other places where lots of the people talked that way.

"So what's next?" I asked as we left the Winfield's. "Mal and Zoe said that they likely wouldn't be done with Niska's guy for a few hours."

"Now, we go part hunting," Wash said. "You've come up with a list of components and tools that Serenity needed to get fixed up proper."

"Oooh, right!" I said, remembering. "How much money do we have to shop with?"

"Ehh, not enough to get us much at the better places," Wash admitted. "I don't think that we should be using the Winfield's deposit on that, just in case. But we can try a few scrounging spots or discount markets, and see if we can pick up at least a few decent items."

"Scrounging spots?"

"Ehh... you'll see," Wash told me.

-------------

'Scrounging spots' were junkyards, in case you haven't guessed.

Actually, it wasn't as bad as I'd expected, wandering through them and sorting through the wrecks. People tossed out all kinds of stuff that could be fixed so easily, really, and two of the three yards we visited were reasonably clean and well organized. We found two things out of every three on my list, though I wasn't sure about the compression coil catalyzer. Well, we'd see if it holds up okay.

When we'd only just started on the third, (and easily the messiest) junk lot, Wash got a call on his portable communicator egg, which turned out to be from Zoe. After stepping away to hold the talk with her, (like there might have been something that I shouldn't hear?) he came back and said that they were finally finished with the meeting, and Zoe had suggested meeting for a bite at a cheap restaurant near where we were.

"Okay," I muttered, and rubbed at grime that seemed much nastier than decent engine grease. "Can we go somewhere to get a bit cleaned up first?"

Wash chuckled. "Well, I *guess* so."

He took longer at the community Privacy than I did, and looked very spiffy as we came up to the restaurant - certainly he was the only person there who was so dressed up. Mal and Zoe had already ordered a big salami and pepper pie by the time we got there, and we told them about the Winfields, the negotiation about departure time, and the gear for Serenity that we'd managed to scavenge.

"Hmm... okay, well, I guess it's good that you managed to get us this much time," Mal said softly.

"Why, is something wrong?" I asked. "Will we need to stay here long?"

"They paid off quick enough on the Dubnium, but the guy lowballed us on the jewelry and then asked for a chance to do further assays on it," Zoe said. "It'd be good to get the money now, and this is the best place to make the sale in some ways, but... if he's clued in that the Winfields are pushing to leave soon, then Niska will probably try dragging things out as a negotiating tactic."

"Well, we'll just have to play hardball back," Mal countered. "He wants them just as much as we want the money, after all."

"Yeah I guess." Zoe sighed. "Well, we can finish getting what the engine will need, and maybe catch up on some news. Niska had a job for us to start over when we get to Dyton colony too, and it'll take us over to Persephone, which will be fun."

"Yeah," Wash agreed. "I'd like to tag along, if you've got anyone particular you want to make contact with here, Zoe. See that side of the... business."

Zoe smiled just a little. "I think that that could be arranged, yes."

"And I guess that means I take over with the junkyards and flea markets, Kaylee," Mal said, rubbing his hands slightly as the food was placed in front of us. "Not as much of an old hand as Wash is, but I helped Bester put Serenity to rights after it was first bought... or as near to rights as she got with him, and I think I know how to pitch in."

I tried not to groan. Mal might have some experience with this, and he loved Serenity as much as any of us did, but I had already seen what Bester had warned me about, that Mal Reynolds also had a tightwad streak in him, and wouldn't be easy on the purse strings when it came to getting what I said that we'd need.

But that was a worry for another time, probably another day. We finished off an excellent if not fancy dinner, and then there was a sort of a free concert in the town square that we stayed to listen to. Even danced with a fellow who reminded me a bit of the not-too-young Winfield son, though it wasn't him of course. When we finally got home to the ship, I was feeling very positive about staying on Ezra for a few days, and then leaving with the Winfields.

------------

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Inara Serra at the street Bazaar again. Especially because Mal had taken off to deal with a call from the Niska people. "You... hello," I managed to choke out. "It's not a co-incidence that we're both on this world, is it?"

"No," Inara admitted.

"Is Richoc here too?" I asked. "I... I like you, but my loyalty is to my crew. And - and we've already sold off the - what you were looking for back on Paquin."

"Relax, Miss Frye," Inara said calmly, picking up a rotor seal and peering at it a bit quizzically. "Richoc is on his way back to Ariel, a bit disappointed, but what happened back on Paquin is business as usual in the field that he's in. And as for myself... my contract with him is ended now. What we were looking for there is ancient history, as far as I'm concerned."

"So you were hired out to help him steal it," I whispered, feeling like I had to know. "Instead of... what Companions are usually contracted for."

She smiled just a little. "Yes, that's right. I have some... special skills, that come with higher fees to those who wish to avail of them, as well as the more usual amenities. I... I would consider it a great personal favor if you gave me your word not to tell anybody else that you figured out I do that sort of contract. It could cause no end of problems for me, even possibly endanger my life."

"Well..." I hesitated. "I'll agree to that, but only if you answer some of my questions. If the answers to those are secrets, then I'll keep those too."

"Very well, ask what you will."

Of course, my mind blanked out. "Umm... exactly why DID you come to Ezra if you weren't following... us, or trying to beat us to the buyer?"

"Umm... I'm not sure if I can explain it," Inara admitted uncomfortably. "Chiroc *did* say that the man who wanted to buy the Dubnium was here, or in the Skyplex up there, and that if he managed to poach it, he'd be coming here to sell it. I... I guess it just seemed like an interesting place to come next, and a promising venue for some inquiries that... that if you don't mind, I'll reserve on personal privilege for the time being." She looked at me. "And, well... for some strange reason, I did want to see you again. Our meeting HERE in this place is not co-incidental. I went through the spaceport registry for Serenity's serial number, followed you and your captain when you left this morning, and moved in to talk to you as soon as he seemed to be out of the way for long enough."

"I... I'm not quite sure what to say to that," I mumbled, and then, something occured to me in an odd flash. "Do - would you want to travel aboard a ship like Serenity for a while? Like, subrenting one of our shuttles, so that you could take little side trips and see clients, but dockin' on board for the longer trips between worlds?"

"I... I guess that could have advantages for the sort of business I have out here, yes," Inara admitted, surprised by the idea. "Why me, though? You hardly know me, and our meeting back on Paquin was hardly conducive to an atmosphere of trust." She sighed. "I really shouldn't have left that data pen for you to swipe, but I didn't realize that you knew what it was for."

"Of such mistakes are heists won and lost," I snickered. "But the reason why, is... they've been having problems landing places, or we have, I should say. Because we fit the profile of troublemakers and smugglers. But with a companion on board, even if she has her own shuttle..."

"You can take advantage of Guild regulations to go just about anywhere," Inara breathed, seeing it. "Alright. Will you ask Mal about it?"

"And have to explain where I know you from, and why I trust you?" I snickered slightly. "No, it'd probably be better if you made an appointment or came up to him yourself, without bringing me into it. Is that alright?"

"Yes, quite acceptable. Thank you for the lead. And... assuming that my negotiatons with mister Reynolds end successfully... come by the shuttle door any time that I'm not actually at work with a client. We have much more to talk about." Inara winked and headed off, then.

"Umm, bye," I muttered, caught by surprise at how quickly she had ended the conversation and left the scene. Then again, now that we had come to an understanding, that would hopefully lead to meeting again less suspiciously, maybe she didn't want to risk Mal coming back and spotting her, which could mess up her chances later. I went back to hunting for a decent thermostatic regulator, and sure enough, a few minutes later, Mal showed up and asked me how it was going. Just then I pulled a thermostatic out from under a pile of rusted struts.

------------

"Zoe, Wash, Kaylee - this is Companion Inara Serra," Mal said a bit stiffly, and Inara leaned forward to shake our hands each in turn, not glancing at me once until she'd finished greeting Wash. Definitely she would be able to keep up this act better than I would. Hopefully soon enough the fact that we'd met before was something that I wouldn't be likely to give away accidentally. "She's expressed an interest in renting out shuttle one, and I think that we've pretty much come to terms. There will be some adjustments that we'll all need to make with Inara coming aboard, but she has a lot to offer and I hope that you'll all do your best to comply with her requests. Miz Serra?"

"Um, thank you, Captain," she said. "First off, there's the question of making and keeping my appointments. Mal has assured me that he'll keep this consideration in mind while making and revising the ship's itinerary as a point of policy, but... Wash, you're the pilot, yes?" Wash nodded.

"Sorry, it must have slipped my mind to do the introductions the other way," Mal said, shaking his head. "Inara - Zoe Alleyne, my first mate. Hoban Washburne, a fine pilot, and Kaywinnit Lee Frye, our mechanic and chief engineer."

I could see Wash bristling at the way Mal had given his full name - this was the first time I'd actually found it out. I shrugged the whole thing off myself, knowing that Mal was trying to be very formal in front of Inara. "Very good," Inara said, inclining her head and making a formal courtesy. "Mister Washburne..."

"Please, just Wash," Wash insisted. "Everybody should call me just that."

"Wash," Inara repeated, as if trying to school herself to use just that one syllable. "I suspect that we'll need to work closely in terms of flight times and so on."

"Yes, certainly," Wash said. "You're familiar with the controls of the Diamondstar shuttles?"

"I'm an accomplished pilot," she said matter of factly. "Not in league with you, I suppose, though I haven't heard of you before Captain Reynolds started raving..."

"Where did you study?"

"The Guild temple of the Great City of Sihnon ran its own courses in such things," Inara explained. "The senior instructor was named Charles Relis - perhaps you know the name?"

"Yes, actually, he's legendary," Wash admitted. "Didn't realize he did teaching for... private groups." Inara shrugged slightly. "Well, if he passed you with a favorable grade, then I don't think I need to worry about you handling one of these shuttles."

"Very good," Inara said. "And... not that I intend to be standoffish, but I would request that nobody should enter my shuttle without permission. I do require privacy at certain times, for meditation and simply as a question of peace of mind."

"Certainly," Zoe said. "I won't disturb you. We can work out a system that you can use to let us know if you don't want to be disturbed for routine matters, such as being called to the dinner table or whatever."

"It would be appreciated," Inara said formally, and turned to me, as if expecting me to actually say something to her.

"Welcome aboard Serenity," I said, reaching out my hand to hers again. "It'll be good to have someone else along for the trip."

"Oh, that reminds me," Wash said. "Is this arrangement just for a particular trip, or a certain time frame, or..."

"No, I'll be travelling with you until further notice," Inara said. "The arrangement will be on a trial basis to start with I suppose, but I see no reason to put arbitrary limits on our understanding."

"Alright," Zoe said. "How about dinner, to celebrate our new understanding? We've got nothing special waiting in the kitchen, but..."

"Yes, I'd be delighted," Inara said. "When's our departure time? I do have certain affairs to conclude here on Ezra, and believe I will also have to do some shopping to outfit the shuttle appropriately for my needs."

"Fifteen-hundred hours local, day after tomorrow," Mal muttered. I wondered if the jewelry negotiations were going badly, as we filed up the stairs.

-------------

This time, I got to the bar second, and I recognized the person who I was meeting. I'd known who it would be from the start, as well. "Nice to see you again, John."

"Jonny, please," he said, flashing me a sweet grin with just one of his front teeth crooked. "And thanks for coming."

"I'm not at all sure that I should really be here," I muttered just loud enough for him to hear, as I took my seat. It wasn't usually like me to play it so coy with a fella... but then, all of my pervious experience had been back around home - or at least touring around my home planet with Barret and Melany. Both situations where I had to admit that I felt more at ease than I did right now, sitting in an unfamiliar bar on a moon that I'd only been on for two days or so, with a charming young man who was going to be one of our passengers for the trip to Dyton Colony.

"Why not?" Jonny said, leaning over the table slightly and cocking his head.

"I... I don't know anything about you, except that your family needs to get over to Dyton pretty quickly," I said. "I... I know what I can see, and I liked that from the first -- was a time when I was back home when I wouldn't have needed much more to convince me. But I've seen a lot of the 'Verse since then, and..."

"And it's just different, meeting somebody new when you're away from home, from safe territory," Jonny filled in. "At least, I think so."

"Oh, have you been away from home too?" I blurted out, then caught myself. "Or is Ezra not 'home' for you either??"

He laughed. "I... I guess it is now, for a few days more. But not for a long time - I grew up on Dyton, and we moved here because Father got a better job offer. Auntie Stella, too. That was a while ago - I was only Derek's age, and Cathy was a bossy nineteen year old..." He shook his head in the memories. "And I have been off-planet since then, for the record - to Paquin for the streetplay Festival with a group of friends for the shop."

I thought of asking if he'd met a girl on Paquin, but decided I didn't really want to know. "What shop? This someplace you work?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, it's not much. I'm still in school for half days three times a week, and there isn't much work here for a kid who hasn't afforded hydroponics training and doesn't have the animal knack to turn cowboy. Repair work, mostly old groundcars."

My eyes musta gone wide. "You're a mechanic too?"

"Um - yeah, I guess I am, after my fashion." His smile seemed to sparkle. "Once we're boarded, maybe you can show me Serenity's engine room?"

I nearly choked in laughter, thinking of how I'd made a similar proposition to Bester and gotten me into this whole deal in the first place - without the 'after boarding' part, since I hadn't expected to be on Serenity when she left Three Hills. But while I'd been - well, I know that I'd REALLY wanted to see the engines, it hadn't been just a way to flatter Bester or a pretext to spend time with him, something that we could share together. (Of course, I hadn't really *needed* anything like that with him.) For Jonny, I wasn't sure about any of that, but decided after a moment that I didn't really mind.

"I think that that can be arranged," I told him. The waitress came over at this point, and mindful of the tear that I'd gone on with Melany that first night on Paquin, I got a fake limeade, which at least had the virtue of being soft on the noggin, and paid for it myself. "So, aside from sitting here and talking, did you have anything in mind for the evening?"

Jonny half-smiled, and I realized that in between the signals I'd been sending relating to the drink, (which I hadn't meant to make a big deal of, but whatever,) and putting him on the spot, some of his composure and confidence had left him. "This is a nice place to hang out for a little while," he shot back. "I could buy you dinner, as a thank you for your kindness and etcetera. After that... a walking tour of Cara Dawn? With a not-quite-native guide? That is, if you don't have a problem following me around outside. It's a really friendly city, and you shouldn't have anything to worry about - trust me."

I sighed, just slightly. Though I had a few doubts about Jonny, I really was starting to trust him, but somewhere deep down that scared me. *Strange city, unfamiliar guy, remember what you got yourself into last time?* The Bester thing had ended well, but still, I hadn't realized what a dull tool he was until...

But I liked Jonny's face and his friendly attitude, so I silenced that voice and asked, "So, what's good on the menu?"

-------------

"So, where do we go?" Jonny whispered into my ear, pressing his chest just a little against mine as I leaned back into the building wall, and let his finger trace along the side of my face. "Most of the clan will be back at the homestead - Mama and Aunt Stella at least. What about..."

"The ship?" I muttered, stammering a bit as the hot blood juices flowed through every little bit of my self. "I... I think that Wash or Mal will be on watch, at least." Chuckled just slightly. "And considering that you're lined up to be a passenger, they may ask you for extra fare if I bring you there before your family's supposed to board up."

"Really?" he asked, paling slightly.

"Um, probably no, but... I'm not sure I want any of them to find out that I'm fooling around with a fare in quite this way." Sighed. "And we ain't neither of us got enough bread for a hostel or nothing, I s'pose - at least I'm pretty sure I don't, unless they're on a level with the drinks around here." That got me to thinking. "Surely there's some other way to get a bit of privacy around here, if not perfect comfort. Back home, some kids had groundcars that they could ride in - though that depended on how much cash was on hand, of course, or sometimes I'd sneak boys into my Dad's shop when I knew he'd closed and wouldn't be back to take care of anything..." Of course, there was that one time I'd predicted wrong, but...

Jonny considered this eagerly. "No car of my own. As you saw, the shop here's still open for business, and - well, I think that the place Dad works is locked up now, but I never snuck a copy of the keys or nothin'." I made a little 'aww' sound and kissed him on the cheek, to see if that would have a positive effect on his train of thought.

"Well, there's - umm, there's the old Tucker house," he said, and gave me too wide a grin. "But they say that it's haunted."

"Nuh-uh, no way," I immediately said. "No matter how much I want to be along with you, I am *not* going into the haunted house. I'm just the kind of pretty girl with a dirty mind who never gets out of those videos without gettin' her guts ripped out."

"Oh, come on." The scorn in his voice was actually harsh enough to make me jump. "You don't REALLY believe in boogeymen and haunted houses, do you? You're a trained technologist working on a spaceship, for crying out loud."

"Just because I do all that, work with machines, doesn't mean I believe that what science can prove is the all-in-all. There are more things in the universe than we can dream of..." But rhyming off that did remind me that in general, when people traded stories about fantastic stuff like that, eighty nine times outta ninety they were full of fei-oo. "It's not a Reaver thing, is it?" Mal had mentioned Reavers once, and even though some people said they didn't exist I believed Mal when he said that he'd seen some, even if he didn't explain about the circumstances.

"Think it through," Jonny said. "If there was a Reaver living at a house in town, skulking in the basement or whatever... you think that anybody would still be here if they couldn't pound him flat? One thing that the stories all say about Reavers - they ain't good at laying low for a long time. Have to kill, to feed and for the pleasure of it."

"So do you believe in Reavers?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'm capable of looking at the idea logically. But getting back to the Tucker place... there was an almighty scrap there during the war, or just before. Two Alliance police drafted up a posse of local deputies and tried to take Cole Tucker in alive. Nearly a dozen colorful local characters got ended up there, including Cole and most of his family. After the war, one of the next owners died in an unusual fall from the roof, while he was up fixing some of the bullet holes. That's where the notion of ghosts or a curse comes from, nothing much to it. And why nobody else lives there. But I've been up to Tucker's plenty, and know lots of other kids who have. It's one of those coming of age deals. Nobody's ever got more than one sprained ankle from it." His green eyes fixed on mine. "Are you really that scared to go through it, Miss Frye?"

"Hmm." I sighed. "No, come on, lead the way before I duck out." The idea of it being something that only kids were frightened of was what changed my mind I guess, something that the young people around here went through as a part of growing up.

There wasn't that much scary about the house aside from the story - it was a bit run-down as you'd expect if it had been left alone for years, but aside from that it reminded me of a few places out in the country back home. Rather than take in the scenery and give myself time to get skeered again, I turned on Jonny the moment we got inside, kissed him hot and felt him get even hotter. There was a couch in the second room we got to, and somehow the two of us managed to land on it next to each other and start helping one another's clothes off.

I was just about down to my scanties that Jonny mighta come up with that stuff about this abandoned house being 'haunted' just to get me to play it this way - to scare me into turning to him for comfort, or something. Wasn't an idea I really liked or admired him for, but also, I was way too lost in hormones to back out now. The stage was set, and the show had to carry on now.

Let's see... just how do I want to write about this? Jonny was definitely good in bed - nothing that impressive physically, handsome and quite big enough, but... there was something about the way he touched me that made me feel safe to push myself further. Even though the couch wasn't really built for the sort of activity we put it through, the atmosphere and buildup pushed us to a quite satisfying session, over and over again. Finally nearly exhausted, we dressed and walked back into town, where he kissed me at the edge of the landing field. I couldn't wait for liftoff to come.

TO BE CONTINUED...