Angelle's mine...all the rest belongs to Joss.

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Stars...balls of hot gases that burn at extremely high temperatures and emit heat and light, not far from some people I know. My daddy, who our people refer to as the Swamp King on occasion, will tell you that if I ever turn up missing, you will find me on the highest point I can get, looking up at those said stars. Though I might not be a big space traveler, the stars have always held my heart.

It was night again, but this time as I wandered around the ship, life seemed to have gone to sleep. I could feel the purr of the engine under my feet, a grumble every once in awhile suggesting there might be a bubble in one of the lines. Might not know a whole lot about the engines of a transport ship, but certain aspects were not any different than Old Bet at home.

I ran my fingers along the bulkheads feeling her cold inner shell as she hummed at my touch, Serenity nothing more than what we humans were, muscle and shell with the most important part being our heart. This ship had a big one. A few mutters here and there as I passed by the crew quarters, mostly coming from Kaylee's room. I could only imagine what might be conversing down there. Thankfully, I didn't think about it long.

My feet stopped me in front of Mal's room, fingers brushing against the handle as I willed myself not to knock. As much as the woman in me wanted to know, my heart wasn't ready. Alone was so much easier and so much safer. Instead, I kissed my fingers gently and placed them on the handle before making my way to one of the best places on Serenity to see stars, the Bridge.

The hum of the autopilot greeted me at the foot of the stairs and I knew the cock pit would be empty. It would give me a place to think and right now, that's what I needed. Just had to make sure I didn't fall asleep. Be quite a shock to anyone coming up tomorrow.

Stars filled the windows like a sea of fireflies all congregated around a single point, the male