NOT WHERE YOU LIVE

“Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.” Christian Morgenstein

Jayne Cobb peeked cautiously through the dining room hatchway, then quickly ducked back out, hopin’ he hadn’t been seen. Okay - target acquired. Only thing left now was to suck it up an’… go get himself killed.

Gou huang tang . He’d changed his mind. Weren’t no way in hell this was a good idea. He weren’t goin’ in there. He spun round, intending to return to his bunk.

Little Kaylee Frye stood smack dab centre of the corridor, cutting off his retreat; a tiny scowling sentry in stained coveralls and a frilly pink shirt. She put her hands on her hips and regarded him steadily.

He tried the kicked puppy face on her; seemed to work more often than not. She just glared harder and made an impatient scoot-along motion with her hand.

Apparently this was one of them ‘not’ times.

“Aww, come on, girl. T’ain’t fair, me goin’ in all unguarded. I’ll be an open target.” His hand twitched convulsively at his side, wishing for a weapon, or maybe a pair of bullet-proof pants. He wondered for a brief crazy moment whether he could use the Shepherd’s bible as a shield. “I got parts need protectin’.”

Kaylee’s eyes flicked down below his waistband, then back up to meet his own. She looked a smidge worried now. “Oh. I hadn’t thought o’ that.”

Jayne nodded emphatically. “Uh-huh. See there, you should go first. Clear the way.”

The young mechanic chewed on her lower lip. Kind of made him want to do the same.

“Alright,” she agreed. “But you gotta be right behind me, or this ain’t gonna play any way but bad. We gotta stay united elsewise it’s gonna go south real quick.”

“What’s goin’ south?”

The voice came clear out of nowhere, causing both the mechanic and the usually-more-alert mercenary to start guiltily.

“We aren’t set to crash, are we?” Mal continued, stepping out into the corridor and peering back and forth from one to the other. He didn’t miss the rapid shot ‘look’ that flas