Disclaimer: "Not I" said the fly when he was asked if he had anything to do with Firefly. The same goes for me. =o)

Authors Notes: Okay, let the action begin. Hope you enjoy the latest chapter in the series!

Right and Wrong By KaySky

Part Six

“It’s been a long time, Kaylee.” The man looked a few years older than Kaylee. He had dark brown hair, green eyes, and the thickest arms imaginable. He worked out. “I must admit, I always imagined tying you up.” He finished tying her arms to the engine. It didn’t occur to him the engine wasn’t the best thing to tie her to. It was hot and would probably burn through the rope. He wasn’t the smartest of folk. “Maybe we can have a little fun before I find Anya.” He lowered the bandanna and kissed her hard on the lips. Kaylee opened her mouth just enough to let his tongue come in so she could bite it.

In a split second he pulled away, putting the bandana back in her mouth and smacked her across the face. “I always knew you liked it rough, but I like to be the one calling the shots.” He spit the blood out of his mouth and started tying up her legs.

Kaylee didn’t cry. She was in shock. Having Early surprise her in the engine room and scaring the daylights out of her was one thing, but she never expected him. She never thought he could be mean. He was a good guy. Apparently ‘was’ is the operative word.

“I know she’s here. She didn’t think I’d come for her.” He paced back and forth while he told Kaylee his story. “Do you know what I gave up for her?” He shook his head. “I gave up everything. My life, my job, my money…everything.” The more he spoke about her the angrier he got. “I gave up everything only to come home one day and find my best friend dead. She claims he raped her. He wouldn’t need to rape her. She was offering it up left and right to any takers.”

He sat down next to Kaylee and brushed his hand across her face. “You’re a good friend, Kaylee. I hate to have to do this to you, but you shouldn’t have come for her. Now you got involved in our business and unfortunately there aren’t a lot of ways out of this. I am partial to the cute ones though. Maybe we can work something out.”

With every stroke of his hand across her cheek Kaylee let out a whimper. “I don’t want to hurt you. I always liked you the best. Did you know that? I was sweet on you. I always hoped you’d give me a sign that you were sweet on me. I’d take you down to the creek at sunset. Make it real special. We would’ve had a wonderful time. I heard good things about your work. Maybe I’ll get to critique you myself.” Grinning, he ran his fingers through her hair. “You’re going to help me, aren’t you baobei?”

* * * *

River was spending the night in Inara’s shuttle. Inara had no idea what time it was when she woke up to River's crying. She was rocking back and forth repeating, “The Three Musketeers are together again.”

Inara tried to comfort her, but she couldn’t. River was too upset. “I’m going to go get, Simon.” She kissed the top of her head and pulled on her robe. “Stay here.”

* * * *

Zoe and Wash were snuggling in their beds when they heard the knock at the door. “Come in.” Wash muttered.

“Zoe, Wash, I think something is wrong.” Inara was frazzled.

“What’s wrong?” Zoe asked through a yawn.

“River woke up in a fit. She spoke about the Three Musketeers being together again.”

“Inara, you realize the child says a lot of things. Doesn’t mean they mean anything.” Wash was groggy. He was not a morning person, or a middle of the night person for that matter.

Inara ignored him and turned her attention to Zoe. “Zoe, Kaylee already said her daddy called her, Anya, and this Vincent boy The Three Musketeers.” She sat down on their bed. “Maybe whatever Anya did was bad enough that he would come looking for her.”

“Vincent? Isn't he suppose to be dead?” Wash tried wiping the tiredness out of his eyes.

“Yes.”

“I don’t trust the girl… I’ll go wake up the captain. Inara, go back to your shuttle and keep an eye on River. Wash, wake up Jayne.” Zoe picked up her gun from the nightstand and left their room.

* * * *

It was one of those nights Mal was finally able to get some sleep. It least it was one of those nights before Zoe barged in.

“Sir, put your pants on. We have a situation.”

“What the gorram…”

“Sir, I think Vincent is in the ship.”

“Anya’s husband? Isn’t he supposed to be dead?”

“That’s what she said, sir, but I don’t have a lot of assurance in anything she said.” She handed Mal his pants. “River is acting up. I’m going to wake Simon and have him check on her. Maybe you should check on Kaylee?”

“Hey, I’m the one that gives orders around here.” He took his pants and pulled them on in one fast motion.

“Sorry, sir.”

“Go get Simon. I’ll get Kaylee. Let’s meet in the cargo bay in fifteen.”

Zoe climbed up the latter and headed down the hall to Simon's room.

“Why the hell can’t anything happen during the day when I’m awake.” Mal got his gun and went to Kaylee’s bunk.

* * * *

“Jayne,” Wash tried shaking Jayne, but nothing seemed to wake him up. He noticed the glass of water on the night stand. He dipped his finger in it. “Ice cold.” With a boyish smile he poured it on Jayne’s face.

“Gorram…Wash, what the hell do you think…”

Jayne had little spaceships on his boxers. “Cute. I’ll have to get me a pair.”

A part of Jayne thought Wash wasn’t just mocking him, he was actually serious. “Boy, you better have a reason other than looking at my boxers for waking me up this damn early in the morning.”

“River thinks Vincent is on the ship.”

Jayne scratched his head. He needed time to process the information. “Vincent…” Slowly, but surely the information he was looking for surfaced. “…that guy Anya married? The one she killed?”

“That’d be the one. Zoe went to wake up Mal. You should find him and see what the plan is.”

“Where you going, pilot?”

“I figured if someone is on this ship I should probably get to the cockpit so they can’t try and change Serenity’s course.”

Wash had a point. “Here, take this.” Jayne handed him a gun. “You do know how to work one, donta ya?”

Wash took the gun from Jayne and headed towards the cockpit.

“Damn, dead guys making me do work in the middle of the night…” Jayne didn’t even bother putting on pants. He grabbed his gun and headed to the cargo bay.

* * * *

“Simon,” The second Zoe opened his bedroom door he was on his feet. Immediately he reached for his medkit.

“What’s wrong…What do you need? Is it River?”

“Slow down, doc. I think it’d be a good idea if you went to Inara’s shuttle.”

“Why?”

“The third Musketeer may have landed.”

“What?”

“You can ask your sister when you get there. Just move.” He through on a shirt, double checked he had his med kit and headed out the door. He paused in the doorway.

“Where’s Kaylee?”

“Don’t worry about her. Captain went to get her. He’s probably sending her to Inara’s shuttle as we speak.”

Simon nodded and went on his way. Mal would take care of her. He always did.

* * * *

Kaylee wasn’t in her bunk. Mal didn’t get too worried. She spent many nights working on Serenity. She has even been known to fall asleep in the engine room on several occasions. He was sure tonight was just one of those nights.

He felt a little worried when he got to the engine room and she was nowhere to be found. His pulsed started beating faster. His palms started to sweat. Maybe she was in the kitchen having a late night snack.

The kitchen…someone was in the kitchen. It must be her. “Kaylee?”

“No, Mal. It’s just me.” Book smiled as Mal walked into the kitchen.

“Shepard we have a bit of a situation here. River thinks someone is on the ship and Kaylee has gone missing.”

“Missing? I’ll help you look for her.”

“It’s not safe Shepard. Go to Inara’s shuttle. Keep an eye on the girls. I’m going to meet Jayne and Zoe in the cargo bay. We’ll work out a plan and I’ll let you know. Until then, stay in Inara’s shuttle.”

Book wasn’t going to argue with the captain. Just as he turned to leave the kitchen he asked, “What about Anya?”

Mal forgot all about her. He knew this was her fault. It had to be her fault. It wasn’t a coincidence. He needed to find her. He needed to find Kaylee. “I’ll take care of her. Now don’t make me tell you again to get to Inara’s shuttle.”

* * * *

The intruder had rounded himself, Kaylee, and Anya into the spare shuttle. “This is where things get interesting.” He pulled the bandana out of Kaylee’s mouth. “If you scream, sweetie, I’ll have no choice but to slice your throat.”

Kaylee didn’t say a word. She didn’t move a muscle. She was frozen.

“Anya, you owe me money. A lot of money. I owe Niska money. A lot of money. He isn’t the kind of man I want to be going around and pissin’ off. He was nice enough to accept a trade only you had to steal the merchandise.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

He smacked her across the face. “Don’t play dumb. You have something I want. You can give it back and Kaylee lives or you can keep your mouth shut and I’ll go on a killing spree starting with Kaylee.”

Kaylee didn’t move. She kept thinking she was going to wake up soon. This was all a dream. It was just a nightmare. She wanted to pinch herself, wake herself up, but she couldn’t move. She was frozen.

“I don’t have that gorram artifact anymore.” Anya wiped the blood away from her lip. “I left the damn thing back at Annabellas.”

He smacked her again. “I don’t like lies. Now you are going to pay.” He pulled out his knife and held the blade against Kaylee’s stomach. “Now, how deep I go and how far across I slide this knife depend on you.”

“I’m telling you the truth! I don’t have that gorram statue! Let Kaylee be!” She was worried. She lied. She lied to Vincent. She lied to Kaylee. She may have told lies, but she never wanted anyone to die because of them.

“Wrong answer.” He slid the blade across Kaylee’s stomach. Not deep enough to do any serious damage, but deep enough to make tears of pain roll down her cheeks. The blood flowed down her stomach, seeping into her pajama pants.

“Stop it, Vincent. There ain’t no reason to drag her into our business.”

“I’m sorry, baby, but when you boarded this ship you brought her into our business. Anything that happens to her is a result of your poor behavior and lack of obedience. If you don’t have the artifact, you owe me a hell of a lot of money. So how do you plan on paying me?”

“I can sell Annabellas.”

He raised the blade a quarter of an inch higher and slid it across her stomach once again. She whimpered, but she didn’t dare move. “That dump ain’t worth a dime. Now before you go speakin’ again I suggest you think about what you say. How many more times am I gonna have to slice her before I get some real answers?”

“I can get the money another way.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“There are fugitives on this ship. They’re worth a lot.”

He didn’t believe her. She was full of lies. He sliced Kaylee once again below her belly-button.

“Stop it! I’m tellin’ the gorram truth! He’s the ship’s medic and he has a little sister. I haven’t seen her, but I know she’s here. I heard screams and people whispering about some girl, River.”

Kaylee was petrified. More than anything she didn’t want any harm to come to the Tams. She wished she could warn them. She was helpless.

Vincent paused. He processed everything Anya was telling him. Maybe she wasn’t lying this time. He was willing to find out. “Fine, if there really are fugitives lead me to them.” He pulled Anya up off her feet.

“What about Kaylee?”

“She’s coming with us. We don’t find ‘em, she dies. We do find them, maybe you’ll live.”

To be continued…