SPOILER WARNING for you non-Browncoats, so enter at your own risk! This is a fan fiction set in the Firefly/Serenity universe created by Joss Whedon. It takes place after the events in the television series and the companion motion picture that followed, so you kin be sure it's chock full of spoilery goodness.

Wash finds an unexpected ally . . . but don't take my word for it, go on in and start readin'!

FIREFLY: CONNECTING FLIGHT
by Randalynn

Chapter 3 – Boarding Pass

Wash pulled back from their hug just enough to look into River's eyes. "Will I regret asking you how you knew?"

"After what you've been through, I doubt you'd be surprised," she replied with a smile. "You know I see things others don't. Mal calls me a 'reader,' and he's partly right. For all of the 'Linda Wehr' stuff flowing through your head, I can see you're still you where it counts."

"I think Zoe would disagree." Wash threw her a grin as River broke the hug and wandered back to the secondary flight station, her movements almost like a dance. "Some of the best parts of me never made it through baggage claim when I checked in on this crazy flight."

"I meant your soul, Sah Gwa." She curled her whole body up in the chair like a cat and peered at Wash with eyes that knew too much – and weren't afraid to let you see it. "I think Zoe would agree that's the most important part of you."

"If she knew it was in here, maybe." Wash sighed. "But if she gives me another look like she just scraped me off her shoe, I'll start crying all over again." She lowered herself cautiously into her own chair, feeling how her hips met the seat and balanced uneasily. "Maybe it's the stress, but I haven't cried this much since . . . well, since never."

"You have a lot to deal with right now," River said, as still as a statue. "This can't be easy for you. Part of the problem is that you're dealing with a whole new set of hormones, in a body you're not used to. The other part is, you've always been a strong personality. After everything that's happened to you, you're still you inside."

"And this is a bad thing?" Unconsciously, Wash bit her bottom lip, and River hid the smile that threatened to creep out. 'Gods, she looks so cute when she does that. Poor Wash.'

"Yes, it is," she said softly. "You can't afford to cling too tightly to what you were, Wash. You have to change, to do the job they sent you here to do."

Wash went pale. "How did you know I was sent?"

River gave her the "how can you doubt me" look – something Wash had seen a thousand times before. "I can hear you thinking, remember? You've been cursing someone named Chiang in the back of your head ever since you came on board, and I've caught pieces of your previous conversations with him. I know you're here to save everyone – and that you came back just for that. Pretty brave, fly boy."

She unfolded herself from the chair and stepped up on the console, walking among the controls with a dancer's precision. "But with the brave choice comes a price. You need to learn to be Linda as well as Wash in order to do what you were sent to do. That's not going to happen unless you let go of some of what you were and accept what you've become."

"Are you kidding? This body reminds me every time I take a step." Wash looked down at herself, but couldn't see past her chest. She shuddered. "Believe me, I know what I am now."

"Not nearly as much as you should, 'girlfriend.'" River cocked her head, then held up a hand and performed a perfect back flip that left her standing in front of the second console. Wash looked confused, and the younger girl smiled.

"Company coming, 'Linda,'" she whispered, putting a finger to her lips. "I think it's time to prove what a great pilot you are all over again. We'll talk more later."

An instant later, Wash heard Kaylee's voice coming down the corridor. "I went from one end of this ship to the other, and I find you both in the Captain's cabin, not twenty feet from the cockpit. What were you all doin' in there, anyway?"

Kaylee went through the cockpit door, followed by Mal and Jayne together. Wash felt her anger began to rise again, and stood up as they walked in. Jayne shot a look at Mal, and Mal nodded.

'What the hell was that about?' Wash wondered inside, and when Jayne turned to look at her, she almost gasped.

He looked . . . sorry.

"I . . . I juss wanted to tell ya I'm sorry for the way I acted in the cargo bay," Jayne stammered. He looked everywhere in the cockpit but at her, and Wash realized that, since he was taller than she was, Jayne was doing everything he could NOT to look down at her cleavage. "I didn't treat you right before, and I'm sorry. I ain't gonna do it again." His eyes flickered over to Mal, and Wash saw the captain nod, just a fraction of an inch. Jayne fidgeted a second, then stuck out his hand.

"Let's start over," he said, staring straight into her eyes. "Welcome aboard."

Over Jayne's shoulder, Kaylee looked like she'd been hit by lightning. Wash looked down at Jayne's hand, not sure what to do. But the mercenary seemed sincere, and she'd been brought up to be polite, so she reached out and took his hand, then gave it a firm shake.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "Apology accepted."

Jayne broke into a big grin, and pumped her hand enthusiastically.

"Thank you!" he said, and didn't stop until Mal laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, just a little. Then Jayne let go of the pilot and took a step back.

There was an awkward silence.

"So," Mal said, his lip twitching as if trying to hold back a grin. "Kaylee tells me you're ready to show us what you can do."

"Yes, sir, Captain sir!" Wash didn't bother to hold back her smile. She dropped into the pilot's chair as if it had been made for her, and started flicking switches. "Are we going somewhere special, or is it once around the park and home in time for supper?"

Mal couldn't hold back his own smile in the face of the girl's enthusiasm, and he shook his head. "We've got a pickup on Yoshimasa's Skyplex. One of the crew you haven't met yet." He bent his head and scratched his ear, slightly embarrassed. "Well, not crew exactly. But family, anyway."

"She's a registered Companion," Kaylee piped up, "lives and works in one of Serenity's shuttles. I had to overhaul both of 'em – so many parts needed replacin', they'd fall right outta the sky if you looked at 'em funny – so we dropped her there to meet a client."

"Any problems with havin' a Companion aboard, Linda?" Mal looked down at the pilot, still deep in pre-launch prep.

"No, Captain," she replied, giving him a quick smile before going back to the checklist. "A Companion is just another professional, and if you say she's family, then I'm sure she's good people. Like everybody else I've met here so far." Jayne smiled, just a little.

"What are you doing in that chair?" Zoe's voice cut across the cockpit like a razor ripping through a bolt of silk, and Wash sighed.

"Well, almost everybody," she said under her breath, but Mal was close enough to hear.

"She's about to fly us over to pick up Inara at the Skyplex." Mal said, turning his head and giving Zoe a look she thought he only reserved for Jayne. "Is there a problem, Zoe?"

Zoe pulled up short. The captain's voice was colder than she'd ever heard it, and it took her only a fraction of a second to figure out the why. With a shock, she realized that Kaylee was right. She was disappointing the Captain. And she didn't like the way it made her feel at all.

Everything she had been doing was making his job harder instead of easier, and that's not what a first mate is supposed to do. Let alone a friend.

'And Wash, too,' she thought with an inner sigh. 'Wherever he is, he must be disappointed in me. He wouldn't even treat Jayne the way I've been treating her.' She took a deep breath. 'I've been a real jien ren, and that's a fact. Maybe it's time I stopped.'

"No, sir," she said aloud, deliberately making her voice warm and friendly. "No problem at all. I'm looking forward to seeing Linda fly."

The pilot turned, surprised to the point of speechlessness. Zoe looked back at the girl, sitting there in her husband's chair. That Linda should be so shocked at such a small kindness on Zoe's part made the woman feel even more ashamed of the way she had behaved.

Wash knew something in Mal's voice had made Zoe re-think what she had been doing to the new girl, and she silently thanked the captain. Then she looked into her ex-wife's eyes, and her own eyes filled with gratitude.

"Thank you," she said simply. "I only hope I can live up to the pilot who came before me. Kaylee told me how much he meant to you all, and how good he was. I know it's hard to see me in his chair. But I want you all to know . . . I can fly this ship for you, and be a part of this crew if the Captain says. But I know I can never replace him. And that's the way it should be."

Zoe could see the truth in the young girl's eyes across the compartment, and her heart softened. She looked back at the young pilot and gave her a small smile. Wash remembered that smile from their time together, just yesterday and yet so long ago – the smile that said "I've been an idiot, but I see that now, and we'll just move on from here, 'kay?"

"Sorry," Zoe said softly, and her eyes shifted from Linda to Mal. "I'm sorry."

Mal gave her a smile, and she felt that knot in her chest ease up, just a little.

"What's past is past," he said, "and no harm done."

He turned to the pilot. "Call for clearance and let's see what you've got, Linda. We're burnin' daylight and the black is calling."

"Yes, sir, Captain, sir," Wash replied, heating up the comm and reaching for the mike. "We'll be offworld so fast, it'll take a minute before the dirt even knows we're gone."

###

Linda handled the ship like the professional she was, dealing with spaceport control and leaving atmo with an ease that impressed everyone, even Zoe. The orbital shift and reorientation for the Skyplex was as smooth as anything they'd ever seen Wash do, and when they received clearance and slid into their docking port, it was pretty clear Serenity would have a new pilot before they headed off into the black again.

Soon everyone had left the cockpit, heading for the cargo bay door. Mal turned and gave the pilot a smile.

"Welcome to the crew," he said. "That was mighty fine flyin' just now."

"Thank you, Captain." Wash fairly glowed inside. 'I got the job!'

The captain grinned. "Don't thank me yet. Now comes the hardest part of the job – stayin' behind. Most everyone has somethin' they need to get done here on the station, but somebody's got to stay with the ship when she's not movin', and that usually means you. Sometimes, we might need to make a quick exit from an . . . uncomfortable situation, and so it's always a good idea to have you here. Any problem with that?"

"No, sir," Wash said, shutting down a few nonessential systems and sitting back in her chair. "I'll keep Serenity company while you're gone."

"Good girl. Won't be long." With a smile, the captain turned and left Wash alone, wondering why she suddenly felt like a border collie.

"In some ways, the Captain sees the world in simpler terms," River said from behind her, causing her heart to skip a beat. "Women are girls or ladies just as easily as they are women or women folk, although he'll make an effort to accommodate you if it bothers you too much." Wash turned and Rived smiled. "Of course, for you, every term for what you are now bothers you. A lot. You've been doing your best not to show it, but I can see it in your head."

"Don’t you have something to do on the Skyplex?" Wash asked, not anxious to continue the earlier discussion.

"Nothing as important as I need to do here," River replied, reaching out to touch the pilot's arm. "We need to talk."

Wash pushed herself to her feet. "We probably do, but I'm not sure I can deal with it right now."

She walked into the corridor. The room closest to the cockpit was hers now. She stopped and looked at the faded sign on her door – Kaylee's name in a girlish hand, with flowers and such. It made her smile, just for a minute.

"Kaylee could probably make a sign for you." River had come up behind her, speaking softly. "If you're uncomfortable with adding all the feminine frills and such. She'd do it just to make you feel welcome, 'Linda.' You know that."

Wash pushed the door in and climbed the built-in ladder down into her room. It still smelled just like Kaylee – all soap and engine grease, with a touch of strawberry. There were a few things Kaylee had left here, probably until the room was needed by a new crewmember. Over on the far wall, Wash could see that dress she wore to the shindig – the one all covered in ruffles of one sort or another. She remembered how happy Kaylee had been to get that dress, and to be escorted by Mal in his fine suit. The thought made her smile.

Wash turned and suddenly found herself face to face . . . with herself. She stared into a full-length mirror on the wall near the ladder. The glimpse of her new body in the mirrors over the bar at the Crash and Burn had been brief – partly because she was walking towards the exit, and partly because she didn't want to look too closely at what she had become.

This girl . . . this woman was beautiful. It took Wash by surprise – the mane of red curling hair, the bright green eyes, the full red lips. Her eyes followed the lines of her new form, and she turned sideways, fascinated as Linda's reflection followed her every move.

'That's me,' she thought, watching her reflection spin around slowly. 'Or rather, that's not me. I look at her and I want to buy her a drink. But where the hell am I in that mirror?' She stared, looking deep into those unfamiliar eyes, and shook her head. 'Gone, now. Almost gone.'

"You're not gone," River said, sliding down the ladder into Wash's room. "I told you, you're still you where it counts."

"But I'm not me," Wash snapped, sadness and frustration turning to anger. She turned toward River and pointed at the mirror. "I'm her! And I don't know how to be her! I've never been a 'her' before, River, and I never wanted to be one. But here I am, a real live 'her' – and a sexy 'her', too! So how am I supposed to 'accept' this? How am I supposed to 'accept' being something I'm not?"

River sighed. "This is what I wanted to talk with you about. You do pretty well in front of the captain and the crew, but I can feel it eating at you all the time, under the surface. You're trying to deny what already is."

"Deep inside, you feel like being a woman is wrong," she said sadly. "Or a punishment. And you're trying to fight it every step of the way. Or ignore it, which is worse – because in the end, you can't."

Wash shook her head. "I'm not saying that being a woman is bad. I love women. The 'Verse has always been a more interesting place because it's got women in it. It's just – it's just not me! I just can't get my head around it. I mean, I'm not a woman . . . but I am. I'm in here, inside this body. It's like wearing someone else's pressure suit. I can feel it, all around me, every move, every breath – but it's not me. And I can't take it off, not ever." She looked at River in frustration. "It's not me!"

The younger girl eyed her critically, running through Wash's thoughts and trying to figure out where to do next. She nodded and stood up.

"Come here." Confused, Wash stood up slowly and took a step towards River. "Okay. You trust me, don't you?" The new girl nodded, and River smiled. "Good. Now, listen. I'm going to ask you to do something, and I want you to do it immediately, without thinking about it, okay?"

Wash nodded again, and River stared into her eyes and said, "Take off your jacket and open the top of your flight suit."

The pilot shrugged off the jacket and threw it on a chair, then pulled the zipper on her flight suit down to her waist. The gap revealed pale white skin and a pale green bra. Wash did her best not to look. River nodded. 'About how I imagined she'd react,' she thought, keeping her face expressionless.

"Take your arms out of the sleeves." Wash complied, revealing slender arms with a touch of well-formed muscle. The flight suit bunched around her waist, and River saw her nipples rise through the fabric of the bra from the cool air.

"Now," she said, never breaking eye contact. "Take your breasts in both hands and hold them."

Shocked, Wash reached up and laid both hands on top of her chest. She barely touched herself, and her hands shook. River shook her head.

"Hold them, 'Linda,'" she growled. "Touch them the way Wash would have touched them, if he didn't belong to Zoe." When the new girl hesitated, River barked at her like a drill instructor. "DO IT!"

Startled out of her own inaction, Wash cupped both breasts through her bra and gave them a squeeze. The realness of them . . . the feeling in her hands and the feeling on her chest simultaneously freaked her out more than she expected it to. With a muffled "eeep!" she let them go and threw her hands in the air, falling back onto her new bunk.

River giggled, and then became solemn when Wash flashed her a confused and slightly irritated look.

"Now that is just the sort of thing I'm talking about," she said. "You touched yourself the way a man would touch a woman, but you felt it . . . as a woman . . . at the same time. You felt something you never felt before, and it scared you." She smiled. "Then when you realized those were your breasts you were squeezing, you let them go like they were electrified . . . or worse."

"Hey!" Wash raised her eyebrows. "These aren't the first breasts I've touched, you know." It surprised her that her tone had become so defensive. She took a deep breath and calmed down. "It's just . . . I've never had a pair attached to my chest before."

"And there it is again," River said, and reached up to touch her own chest. "That distance. The denial. They're not 'attached,' jei mei. They're part of you – a natural extension of your body. But you don't see it that way, and that's the heart of your problem." Her eyes narrowed, and her lip twitched. "You need to get with the program, girl. They're your breasts now. That's your body."

Wash sat there on the edge of the bunk, her flight suit around her waist, chest heaving. She stared at River, and the younger girl sighed.

"The fact is, you're not stuck in there," she continued, her voice gentle. "Or trapped in there, or forced to wear that skin. You chose to come back and save everyone. You knew what it would mean to come back, and I know it's hard, but you chose to be here, in that body. And now you need to get used to it – not just so you can do what you came to do, but so you can live and be happy."

River sat down next to the girl and put an arm around her shoulders. "Being a woman can be all manner of fun, Wash. It's got its downside, I know. But so does being a man. Once you get past this part, I know you can be happy. And I'll help you every step of the way, I promise."

There was a long silence as Wash considered River's words. Then she spoke.

"Couldn't you just leave me alone? Just let me get used to it at my own speed?" The plaintive tone in Wash's voice made it clear she knew that River was right, but still had one last push in her before surrendering to the inevitable. "I promise I'll try, really."

River shook her head. "The longer you ignore what you are now, the harder it will be for you to move forward later."

Wash sat on the edge of the bunk, staring straight ahead. She honestly didn't know what to do next. The younger girl gave her a small squeeze and the pilot looked over.

"Would you like me to help you? Tell you how to accept this? Maybe even embrace it?" After a moment, Wash nodded, and River smiled.

"Good." She thought for a moment. "Ever go swimming in a cold lake?"

The pilot shook her head, and River smiled. "There are two ways to get used to the water. You wade in slowly, taking your time. Or you jump right in, all at once. But you're trying to have it both ways. You're still trying to wade in slowly, but you don't realize you're already in it up to your neck. You are Linda, Wash. The rest of you just hasn't caught up yet."

"What you have to do," she said simply, "may be the hardest thing you've ever done – besides saying yes to Chiang and coming back to save us. It means jumping in and facing the truth head on, and that's . . . that's always hard. But when it's over, you'll know who you really are, and you'll start down the road to being the person you need to be. I'm pretty sure it'll be okay. The Wash I knew back when . . . the one I can still see in there . . . I know he could handle it. I think you can, too. Are you listening?"

Wash nodded again, and River took a deep breath.

"This is the first chance you've had to be alone since you woke up as Linda. I want you to stay here in your room and take off every stitch of clothes, right down to bare skin." The pilot's eyes widened, and she shook her head. River continued on, her arm still around Wash's shoulders. "I want you to make yourself completely naked, so there's nothing left for you to hide behind. Then I want you to look at yourself in that mirror there – and see the truth."

River turned to face the pilot, and Wash met her eyes with a fear River felt as well as saw. "And when you've seen the truth, I want you to reach out . . . and touch it."

Wash gave her an odd look, and River grinned and gave her a push. "No, jei mei. That's not what I mean at all. I see there's still more than enough man in there to push this experience into the gutter." She sighed. "I know you're not ready for what you thought I was suggesting, but I want you to do whatever it takes to make what you are real to you."

"You need to get it into your head that the girl in the mirror is really, truly, physically you. You need to feel that this body belongs to you. So touch yourself. Feel what it means to be you, now. Pull your hair, pinch a tit . . . or two." She smiled. "Wiggle your hips. Dance a jig. Do whatever you need to do to convince yourself that this woman –" River put her hand gently on Wash's chest. "THIS woman – is who you truly are now. Dohn-mah?" Wash hesitated, and River looked into her eyes. "I know you can do this, Wash. You do, too."

The new girl nodded, and River smiled.

"I'll mind the ship. You . . . get acquainted. And when you've accepted the truth . . . I'll know. And I'll come back." River stood up, then bent over and kissed her on the forehead. "It'll be okay, jei mei. You'll see."

She turned, walked over to the ladder and climbed up. She didn't look back.

###

"Don't much care for Skyplexes myself," Mal said, viewing the masses of tourists with well-earned suspicion. "Bein' in any sorta station puts too many locked doors between me and my boat, and nothin' but space to breathe outside if there's a pressin' need to avoid Alliance attention. The crowds are a mite unsettlin', too. Too much like cattle for me not to worry 'bout a stampede."

"True enough, Sir." Zoe kept her eyes scanning the teeming crowds near the docking port, looking for Inara. "Still, so many people milling about just means we can use them for cover if we have to. It's not all bad, bein' here for a spell. Kaylee and Simon are getting the fuel and supplies we need before we head out again, and Jayne . . . " She looked over at the mercenary, checking out the front window of the weapons merchant across from the port. "Just why is he here again, Captain?"

"Partly because I wanted Linda to get used to being left behind alone." Mal took a few steps to the wall and put his back against it. "If it's gonna be a problem, I want to know now, before we go back to Santo and pick up her things. Dipping in and out of atmo costs us coin, and if she can't handle standard ship procedure, best know it now so we can send her back by shuttle."

Zoe gave him a measured look. "So you took Jayne along and left River . . . to keep Linda company. While she learns how to wait. All alone."

"All right." The captain sighed. "Truth be told, I took Jayne so he wouldn't say or do anything he'd regret as far as Linda is concerned. And River just wanted to stay behind. I ain't complainin' none 'bout that. Even though the Alliance doesn't have an Operative chasin' her anymore, she still manages to find her share of trouble from time to time."

Zoe opened her mouth to protest, and Mal raised a hand. "Not sayin' it's her fault, and I'm the first to admit she's been more than useful any number of times we needed an army to back us up. Odds seem to tip mightily in our favor when she gets into a fight on our side. But we've got a pick-up on Boros that we're already almost late for, and dealing with the local authorities because we got into a tussle here is only gonna slow us down."

"I'm thinkin' River's learned some restraint lately," Zoe said with a smile. "We ain't been in a knock-down on her account in more than a month. So I can't help thinkin' this is mostly about Jayne . . . and Linda."

Mal's eyes narrowed. "And I'm thinkin' you're getting' way too sharp for me to ever hide somethin' from. You'd better look to that, Zoe. Sometimes folk like to keep their secrets."

"Yes, Sir," she said with a smile. "I will keep that in mind."

The captain shook his head. "That bein' said, I guess I should tell you what's goin' on. I reckon you'll figure it out soon enough."

"Yes, Sir," Zoe said, her smile becoming a grin. "I probably will."

###

Jayne stared through the window at a wide range of implements of destruction, his eyes pouring over the displays with a small smile on his face.

'Girls like presents,' he thought, 'even I know that. And if she's gonna be part of this crew, Linda's gonna need a weapon someday.' He snorted out loud. 'Anyone who's ever been parta one of Mal's plans knows that. Hell, Wash picked up a gun at Niska's, rescuing Mal. Book and Kaylee, too – hell, she even managed to use it, back when we took on the Reavers.'

The mercenary moved along the window toward the door, looking closely at everything as he passed. 'I ain't any good at figgering out girly stuff, like clothes or jewels or such. But if there's one thing I know, it's guns. Well, that and knives. 'Splosives, too.'

Jayne's eye fell on a Callahan Minaret 71-R, and he stopped. His smile turned into a grin.

'Now that there's the right gun for a lady,' he thought. 'Small automatic with a big punch. Sixteen-shot clip, explosive bullets standard, with three extra clips and a custom shoulder holster. That and a few boxes of ammo oughta make her see I care more about her than I do 'bout getting' sexed.'

'Back in his cabin, Mal said it's too soon for a present.' He nodded to himself. 'Hell, it makes sense. After all, I only just got her not to hate me. But we'll be out in the black for a while soon, and I sure can't buy her somethin' out there, now can I?'

He checked his cred balance in his head and smiled. 'So later on, when she needs something' that goes boom and does some serious harm, good ol' Jayne will be there with just the right somethin', wrapped in pink paper with a nice red bow. And if she don't know how to use it, I kin teach her.'

Jayne stopped and thought a second. 'Maybe Callahan makes a matchin' throwin' knife? Girls like stuff that matches. I think 'Nara called it "accessorizin'."'

He slipped into the weapons store with a chuckle. Things finally seemed to be going his way.

###

River felt Wash crying before she heard it, and after a last instrument check, she rose and headed for Kaylee's old room. By the time she made it down the ladder, the tears had stopped, but a thin edge of sadness still reached across to River from Wash.

The pilot herself sat there on the edge of the bunk, naked except for a pair of dark green bikini panties. She held the matching bra in her hand and stared at it, as if the undergarment held some dark and terrible secret that only she could see.

Wash looked up at River, a small smile on her tear-streaked face.

"Guess I know who I am now," she said, her voice trembling just a little. "Still feels strange, and that's a fact. But it's the only body I've got, and saying it isn't so won't change what's true." She took a deep breath, then grinned. "Okay. I can be a man about it, and admit when I've been wrong. I'm a woman, and it's not the end of the world."

"No," River replied with a smile of her own. "It's not. Just a new beginning for you, Hoe-bann. First steps to a new life."

Wash shook her head. "Call me Linda, River. Hoban doesn't live here anymore."

"Maybe not," the younger girl said, sitting down on the bunk beside her and folding her legs under her. "But Wash is still in there. And still family."

"Wash may be in here, but it's Linda's outside getting goose bumps. It's pretty gorram cold down here. Feels like Kaylee turned the heat down low when she moved in with Simon." The pilot turned to River and held out the bra. "Can you tell me how to put this on? I've had lots of experience getting them off, but I can't figure out exactly how to do it in reverse."

As River took the bra from her, Wash kept talking to hide her embarrassment. "It's funny. Linda should know how to do this, but I think maybe we left this particular skill back on Santo."

River reached into Wash's head, hunting for where the elusive memory was hiding. When she found it, she touched some of the memories around it and smiled.

"Mom took you to Dunlap's Frillies when you were thirteen," she whispered. "Got your first training bra, Missy Holloway made fun of you in the locker room at soccer practice . . ." River closed her eyes, breathed deep. "Mmmmmm . . . Prom night . . . Bobby Hamilton handing that lace-trimmed strapless number back to you after that shiny time in the back of his skimmer . . ."

"HEY! Give me that!" Wash's face blushed bright red as Linda's memories rushed through her. She snatched the bra back from River and slipped into it like she'd been doing it all her life. The younger girl watched as Wash had her flight suit halfway on before she realized what had happened. The pilot stopped, the cold forgotten.

"How did you do that?"

River took a deep breath. "I found where the memory was hiding in your head, and accessed some of the memories around it. Since memory is essentially holographic, I figured the other memories would trigger an autonomic response – the sense and muscle memory a girl gets after putting on a bra a few thousand times." She shrugged. "It worked."

"Oh yeah, it worked all right." Wash grumbled as she pulled her flight suit up the rest of the way and slid her arms into the sleeves. "Too well, it turns out. I also got to remember a lot more of what Linda did on her prom night than I really wanted to – at least until I get more used to being a she."

River ducked her head to hide a grin. "Sorry, jei mei."

Wash sat back down on the bunk to put her socks and boots back on. "No you're not . . . mei mei. I know you better than that. You had to push a little, because you like to play. But that's okay. You got me where I need to be to heal, and I love you for it." She turned to face River. "Just . . . don't try to push me down that particular road too fast, donh-mah? Right now, I still remember being Zoe's man. Being anybody's woman – that's going to take time."

The pilot stopped, and her eyes went distant. "Still, Linda did have a better time on her prom night than I did on mine." A smile touched her lips, just for a second, and was gone.

She stood up and turned towards River, hands on her hips. "So how do I look?"

River gave her the once-over, and a wide grin. "Sister, you make that flight suit look good!" Wash grinned back, but then River reached down and gave the zipper tab a flip. "You might want to zip that up a little bit more, though, in case any of the boys come back early."

###

"What d'ya mean you don't do gift wrappin'?"

Jayne snarled at the weapons merchant, a dapper gray-haired gentleman in a dark grey New Londinum suit.

"Apologies . . . sir," the man behind the counter replied. "But weapons are not usually considered . . . gift items. As such, we are not prepared to gift wrap the Callahan Minaret and accessories for your . . . lady friend."

"Huh. For what I paid, you should deliver 'em in a gorilla suit, along with a singin' gift card and a buncha balloons." The mercenary scowled at the stack on the counter – the polished oak box with the Callahan inside, a second matching box for the extra clips, a smaller box for the matchin' throwin' knife, the boxes of ammo, and the shoulder holster. "I ain't givin' this all to her right away, and I want it to be special when I do. I need it wrapped, dohn-mah?"

The merchant thought for a moment and then smiled. "The lingerie store across the way does gift wrapping, I'm sure. Perhaps they would accommodate you for a small fee?"

"Lon-jer-ray?" Jayne peered across the spoke to the opposite side. "Oh, you mean the store with all the girly underwear in the window?"

"Just so, sir."

The mercenary chewed on that for a while. He didn't want her to even think he was gettin' her "unmentionables" for a present. That'd be a damned fool thing to do, and that's no lie. If the wrappin' even hinted at somethin' like that, he knew she'd think he was tryin' to treat her like a whore again, to get her into his bunk. She'd be terrible angry, and he'd be right back where he started. Jayne shook his head.

'This courtin' stuff's gonna give me a headache I'll never git rid of,' he thought sourly. 'My one good idea shot all to hell because I can't get it wrapped.' He sighed, and turned to the merchant.

"Give a call over to the lon-jer-ray store and see if they've got plain boxes and plain wrappin' paper – nothing with the store name on it," he said gruffly. "But still nice!"

The gentleman nodded and reached for the interstore comm.

'I juss hope I get this done afore 'Nara gets here,' Jayne grumbled to himself. 'If'n make Mal wait, he's gonna wanta know why.' He watched Mal and Zoe lookin' for the companion in the crowd. 'What's takin' her so long anyway?'

###

"I'm curious," Simon said, watching Kaylee prowl through the marketplace.

"What about, ing jyun?" She smiled and picked up an apple from a crate of apples. The mechanic seemed to weigh it in her hand, then lifted it and took a deep breath before reluctantly setting it back down again.

"How does restocking the ship's food supply fall into your job description exactly?"

"Well, food is just another kind of fuel, I reckon," Kaylee replied, moving down the line to add some of the less exotic (and less expensive) vegetables and grains to the order pad. "And there ain't anyone on board who seems to like food as much as I do. Nobody's ever complained about the things I buy to keep the kitchen stocked, so the job's still mine." She grinned. "'Besides, I like shoppin' – almost as much as eatin'."

"Well, I like the new pilot." Simon put his arm around the mechanic as they headed towards the clerk. She snuggled up into him and put her head on his chest. "She seems nice, and she does know how to fly. Do you think she knows how to cook? Be nice to take Jayne off the cooking rotation. I'm almost tempted to do it anyway, to protect the health of the crew."

Kaylee shrugged. "If she doesn't, I can teach her. If she wants to."

"Did your mother teach you?"

"I made a right nuisance of myself until she did. I like to eat, and knowin' how to cook is the fastest way to get yourself a meal. When you think about it, puttin' a meal together ain't much different from puttin' an engine together. It's all about the parts, and what you do with 'em."

Simon stopped and kissed her forehead. "That sounds suspiciously like something else you like to do, chin ai der – putting parts together. I wonder if all the things you like are related that way." His hand reached around and gave her hip a squeeze.

The mechanic slapped his chest. "Simon!" she hissed, blushing wildly. "We're in public!"

"Really?" The doctor looked down at her, surprised. "Do you like that, too? I mean, putting parts together – in public?" He lowered his voice. "I saw a huge bin of spinach back there that looked pretty darned . . . comfortable."

As Kaylee's eyes widened, Simon lowered his mouth to hers. Staring into her eyes, he whispered, "Maybe we could make . . . a salad."

The mechanic squealed and wriggled in his arms. "You . . . you tease!"

He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. "Guilty as charged, ma'am. We'll see how good a tease I am when we get back to the ship."

Kaylee stood on her toes and kissed her man full on the lips. "I've created a monster," she whispered with a smile. "It took me forever to get your engine started, and now I can't turn you off." She kissed him again. "Not that I really want to."

"That bin of spinach is still there." Simon stole another kiss. "If you can't wait, I mean."

"I think I can hold on 'til we get back to the ship." Kaylee pushed herself out of his arms. "I . . . put parts together . . . in a spinach patch once, back home. Got powerful itchy . . . eventually."

She walked over to the clerk and handed him the order pad. "Order delivery to port 13B, Serenity. Departure oh three hundred station time. Bill ship's account, authorization Kaywinnet Leigh Frye, ship's mechanic."

The clerk nodded, already bent over his terminal to enter the order and begin processing. Kaylee turned around to get another look at Simon, and found herself staring into the chest of a large, wide man. She tilted her head back, and he grinned down at her, exposing a fair number of missing teeth.

"Looks like the food will be getting' back to your ship afore you do, missy," the man mountain rumbled, grabbing her arm. "But don't fret none. Least we got yer boyfriend here to keep yer company."

She looked over to see Simon, his arm firmly in the grip of another man as large as the first.

"Well," she said with a weak smile, "isn't that nice of you?"

###

River and Wash were back in the cockpit. The pilot had just waved Santo Control and ordered Linda's personal items and luggage shipped up on the next shuttle, so they would be here before Serenity's posted departure time.

"No sense dipping back into the gravity well just to pick up my bags. Every pilot knows you have to watch how many times you touch dirt. One time too many and you might wind up losing the sky." Wash reached over her head and stretched her entire body – hard enough to make her back crack.

"Getting comfy in there, 'Linda'?" River smiled, and Wash blushed just a little and nodded.

"As a matter of fact, yes. It feels more like home every second. I feel . . . good. Lighter and stronger than I used to, even when Wash was a whole lot younger." She leaned forward over the instrument panel and felt her chest shift slightly with the movement. "It's kinda scary, really. I wouldn't think I'd be getting used to it so quickly."

"Well, it is your body, after all," River replied, "as much as you didn't want to admit it before. You were fighting it so hard, you didn't feel the positive aspects of being years younger and more physically fit."

"Oh, but I'm sure those benefits will be offset sometime in the next few weeks." Wash closed her eyes and sighed. "I am soooo not looking forward to becoming the Bride of Frankenstein one week out of every month for the next thirty years."

"It affects different women different ways, jei mei," River said. "For you, it could be a minor inconvenience – or it could wind up being a major pain. We won't know until it happens." She grinned. "Besides, there are ways to avoid it completely, you know. Kaylee hasn't had one in months. She's been wearing a patch to put it off for a while – didn't want to stop playing with Simon if she could help it."

Wash blushed, and turned her attention back to the console. A light started flashing red, followed by an insistent beeping. Wash leaned forward and stared at the offending light.

"Huh," she said, more than a little curious. "We've got a loss of pressure on the secondary access airlock hatch. We're docked via the cargo bay, and the main alarm would have sounded if the airlock had been activated. I wonder what . . ." Wash looked up to find River's eyes focused elsewhere, her mouth hanging open, and a chill ran down her spine.

"Intruders," she breathed, tilting her head as if listening. "They want to take the ship!"

###

"You're teachin Jayne how to court a girl?" Zoe cocked her head and gave the captain a dubious look.

"I am," Mal replied, finding her expression a little disturbing. "Is there a problem?"

"No, Sir," Zoe said quickly, "none at all. Just wonderin' if it's wise for you to be teachin' Jayne somethin' like that when your past experience shows a certain . . . lack of success in that area."

"Hey, now! That ain't fair!" Mal pushed himself off of the wall. "Maybe I ain't the smoothest man in the 'Verse when it comes to talking up a woman, but I'm way ahead of Jayne in the courtin' and wooin' department, and that's a fact."

"I can't argue with you there, Sir. But I think it's fair to say that a block of wood would have a better chance of getting a woman into a committed relationship than Jayne does."

"Which is exactly why I'm tryin' to help." He sighed, and turned to scan the crowd again. "Where is she? She sent a wave sayin' come get me, and here we are . . . and here she ain't." Mal kept searching, but alarm bells began to ring inside his head. "This don't feel right. Somethin's wrong."

"An astute observation, Captain Reynolds." The voice from behind him made him spin, reaching for his gun but finding only air. He remembered that was still on his boat due to station regulations, and cursed himself for not carrying a back-up. 'Every time I follow the rules, it never goes smooth,' he thought savagely. 'When will I learn just how troublesome the 'Verse can be?'

Adelai Niska stood a few feet away, impeccably dressed in a suit that must have cost more creds than a complete drydock refit of a Firefly-class transport. He seemed none the worse for wear, although Mal could swear there were more lines on his face than there were when last they met.

'Something is indeed wrong . . . for you," he said happily, his thumbs hooked in his vest pockets. "For me, however, the outlook is bright." Two men materialized from the crowds behind him, with Inara neatly held between them. She seemed more angry than frightened, but Mal could see the look behind her eyes that screamed for control. "As you see, I already have your Companion, and in a matter of moments, I will have secured your crew . . . and your ship."

Mal immediately thought of his people, scattered across the station. 'Easy pickings,' he thought bitterly, 'if they ain't expecting a fight.'

"When last we met, your crew did the impossible. They invaded my place of business and took you back from me." He leaned forward and smiled. "But there will be no daring rescue for you this time, Captain. No one to 'save the day.' And this time, when you are completely without friends . . . when hope itself is nothing but a memory. . . well, then, you and I are going to have a long talk . . . about the works of Shan Yu."

###

© 2008 as a work in progress. The Verse belongs to Joss Whedon, I'm just borrowin' it some. Posted by the author.