{I did not steal the party idea from you, belona. i simply researched the best options for the plot, and that was it. stop complaining!

p.s. all feedback is extra shiny with nobs on. he he}

Chapter 8

The journey to the Heart of Gold will take them a couple of days, arriving a day before the scheduled time for the shindig. If only Wash can get Kaylee to respond on the com.

“KAYLEE!” he shouts for about the fifth time through the ship com. “Will you answer!”

Frustrated, he gets up and storms all the way through the ship to the engine room. The door is shut.

“Kaylee! We need that gorram engine up and running now or the captain will have both our asses!” He punches in the lock override code, slides open the door and steps in. “Kaylee… Oh ai ya hwai lei!”

Kaylee screams and Jayne yells.

Juliet grabs wash from behind, hauling him out.

“My eyes! My eyes!” He covers them with a hand, yelling through the open door, “Somewhere more private next time would be good!”

Kaylee hurries out, looking very tousled and hastily dressed. “Wash! Wash I’m so sorry, I disabled the coms, I didn’t mean…”

He just shakes his head. “Do you know what the captain will do if he finds out about this?”

Jayne appears behind Kaylee, pulling his shirt down. “He already knows, and he’s accepted it.”

“Well, I don’t know if he’s done that,” Juliet says, “but he isn’t stopping it, and that’s something.”

“Oh now hey, that ain’t fair. Me ‘n’ Zoë got a hell of a lot more trouble’n that. How come you guys get to pair up without bein’ yelled at?”

“’Cause they’re special.” Juliet pulls on his arm, drawing him away. “Lets leave them to it, shall we?”

“Still need that engine up’n runnin’!” Wash yells back, slightly irritably.

~*~*~

Once in the air, Mal and Juliet stand in the cargo bay, trying to work out where to store the new speeder.

“I think you were on to something back there, hanging it from the roof.”

“Ya think?” Mal wanders around it, looking up. “S’pose so. Ain’t no other way I can see we’ll fit it in. Gorram thing’s pretty big