Long Road Home – Chapter Six

All disclaimers are still valid, including the ‘please don’t sue’ one :)

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The next morning found Jayne, River and Kaylee gathering the supplies and parts they needed for the journey home. Kaylee was looking for some hard to find items, as well, knowing it was cheaper to get them on Persephone and haul them back, since they were going anyway, than have to order them once back on Argo.

It simplified matters for her greatly that Mal had insisted on getting another Firefly, as she could buy for either ship. They also bought food to stock the pantry, including a few items of real food to celebrate their flight home.

The ship, meanwhile, had been moved to the docks, where it was being fueled and taking on water. The dock manager had assured them that the ship should be ready in no more than two days, sooner if nothing serious was wrong, and agreed to have his men look over the list of ‘problems’ that River and Kaylee had found.

Once the ship had it’s maintenance check, and was declared space worthy by the Dock Master, they could take to the black, and head home.

Though things were going fine, Jayne couldn’t shake the memory of River telling him there was a crossroads somewhere ahead. One she couldn’t see. It wasn’t anything he could put his hands on, exactly, but it was there, none-the-less.

Leaving the two women to window gaze, he promised to meet them at the restaurant across from the hotel for lunch, and meandered down the street to a familiar storefront. As he entered, the large man behind the counter smiled.

“Well, Jayne!” Bennet Dell smiled. “Long time no see! How’s things.”

“Not bad, Ben,” Jayne nodded. “Yourself?”

“Oh couldn’t be better, state o’ things,” Dell assured him.

“State o’ things?” Jayne asked carefully. “Been away a spell. What kinda things?”

“Well, we done had some slaver trouble,” Dell frowned. “Not here on planet as I know about, but in the black hereabouts. And o’ course pirates is always a problem. Really though, it’s