Four days. Just four days after Mal kicked bester off Serenity and hired Kaylee they were in the air... Serenity was actually in the air. Kara was in her element' for now. She knew deep down they needed another pilot, she and Mal were partners, and they worked together. Which meant that there was no one around to have Serenity ready if things didn't go so well.
It wasn't as though they intended to get into scrapes and tight spots, but they were known to happen... and things like that had a habit of following her around. For the moment, however she was content to be flying again.
Kara'd lifted Serenity off the ground gentle as a bird ... one that didn't make those vigorous flapping motions and flap into things on takeoff, too. He'd got them a decent contract, shipping agri supplies out to New Horizons. Of course, that's what the paperwork called the planet, now trying to be all respectable like now it was supposed to be on the alliance flick, but the man hiring him had been happily calling the place "Crotch." No pretensions ... much more his sort of place. Of course, there was under alliance control and under alliance control; the agri supplies would be useful, but the black market template constructor stashed inside one of their bulkheads, that'd get them a pretty penny more.
Still, they were up. Flying. Flying free, in fact; he'd spent a fair amount of time up on the bridge, staring out the window. He'd seen more worlds than he'd liked during the war, all of them in a bad way, but he'd never had the chance to just sit and watch. Of course, Kara was off busy a lot of the time too; Kaylee knew more about engines and technical stuff than Mal cared to think about, and Kara was helping her out. He'd been banished from the engine room after trying to help .... how did he know that bit didn't like being prodded with a screwdriver?
Still, she was up on the bridge now, as they were getting near some gravitational eddy they'd need to move the ship round, and he had a fancy to watch her work. So, he'd done a little work in the kitchen, then set off for the bridge, clutching two steaming mugs, a third waiting in the galley for Kaylee whenever she was ready. Of course, he'd had to trade in a few belongings to get it... but he had a feeling that as his crew was two thirds female, having enough of the best powdered hot drinking chocolate he could find aboard to last three months would help keep things running happy.
The hatch to the bridge was open, so he stepped carefully over the raised step. "Hey there, darlin'. Thought you could do with this, seein' as you're going to be doin' the hard work for a while..."
She looked over and couldn't hide the broad smile that spread across her face. With all the work they'd been doing on Serenity, they'd hardly had but a minute to spend in one another's company. And what little time they did manage usually found one of them sound asleep before they could even talk. She took the offered mug, her smile growing wider. "Gods this is just what I need..." She took a sip, groaning a little.
She had to keep her attention on the controls, despite her making it look effortless. "We've got a large gravity well a few hundred clicks ahead... not an uncommon anomaly... but they can be tricky." She gave him a reassuring smile. "They can also be very handy... how'd you like to get to Crotch a day early and on half the fuel?" her smile widened into a feral grin, eyes sparkling.
Dear lords, but whenever she groaned... He sat down quickly in the co-pilot seat, trying to avoid spilling hot chocolate down himself in the process. "I thought you could do with a drop. Got to look after my gi... " He tried to cover, frantically. "Crew, after all..."
"So those old nav charts we paid out for are already makin' themselves useful? Or..." He gave her a quirky half-grin. "Or is that the intrepid Starbuck talking of usin' her secret pilot knowledge to bounce us well ahead and confound everyone with her derring-do?" He didn't have much idea what derring-do was, but it was in one of those old talking films and sounded like something she'd do.
So, a day early and half the fuel... that'd be a nice bit of extra cash to throw in the pot, and it'd get them a good reputation. He sipped from his mug, and grinned. "Saving us time and money... not bad. Not to bad at all, darlin'."
"Well... then I suggest you finish up that mug and strap in. I'll show you a little trick." She drank a good portion of her own mug before reaching for the comm. "Buckle yourself in somewhere Kaylee... it might get a touch bumpy in the next few minutes." She finished her mug and set it down on the floor.
He polished off his chocolate in fairly short order, watching her work as much as he did the view out of the window. He wedged his empty mug against a convenient control, and asked "So will this little trick be as impressive as the last?"
He strapped himself in, and couldn't help saying "So when you say bumpy ... you mean..."
"I think you'll be fairly impressed..." She gave him a saucy wink. "And by bumpy I mean hang on tight. Going to use a little trick I learned at the academy, with small craft its used as an emergency measure, can shake them right apart. Big ships like battlestars, doesn't work, their mass is just too great, but Serenity, she's just the right size." She commented as she maneuvered Serenity so that they were heading straight into the gravity well, picking up speed.
He chuckled at her wink... and then realized what she was saying. "Ta ma de..." He shifted his feet under the console and braced against the support struts as the gravity well started to seize hold of the ship.
"Kara, this is our nice new ship here... you break it and kill me, I'm going to be a mite upset..." Well, this was going to be interesting ... and just how sure was she of the ships mass. He drew a breath in, and waited for the ride to get bumpy. Well ... bumpier.
She kept focused as they neared the edge, reversing the thrusters just enough to hold position, letting Serenity swing around the center of the well, shaking, but holding up well. After the ship began to swing around faster, she adjsuted the thrusters, spinning round and punching out, the small ship rocketing back out into space, cruising at nearly three times the speed they had been going previously, with thrusters cut. She looked over ad Mal and gave him a wink. "There ya go..." She couldn't help an amused chuckle at the expression on his face.
He was awful glad that he didn't suffer from motion sickness, the way the ship had bounced and juddered around on the way into the well... and back out again. Even so, he couldn't help feeling that his eyes were about to fall out of the front of his head.
"That's some real fancy flying' .... Are you going to be doing that a lot?" Her grin was infectious, and he couldn't help grinning back. "After all, you already make my life excitin' even when you aren't playin' with the vast and immutable forces of nature..."
"Only if you want me to... and we're not carrying something thats likely to make a mess..." She laughed, setting the ship on autopilot as it rode out the momentum of the slingshot. "Likely won't need to draw on the engines for a good half a day.
"That's good ... it'll give Kaylee more timr to shake 'em down, make sure she knows what makes this old girl tick." He dropped on hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "You're one hell of a pilot, Kara. There anythin' you aren't good at?"
"Lots of things... but... nothing that matters really..." She gave him a smile, a hint of sadness in her eyes for a brief moment. "What say we enjoy the rest of the day... cook up something to eat and just be lazy a couple hours..."
He saw a flicker in her eyes, a quick look that reminded him of things he'd rather forget. "That sounds mighty fine to me, Kara." He wasn't quite sure what to do ... but if you can't do somethin' right, to something right now. Or somesuch. He tugged her up out of the chair easily, one arm going around her waist. "A little celebration sounds like just the thing."
She laughed as he tugged her up and swept her into an almost embrace. She took the liberty of pushing her limit and leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek as they walked to the galley. "So... you gonna teach me how to cook?"
"Well now, that depends..." He shot her a quick grin, unable to help himself after that electric touch to his cheek. "What're you gonna teach me?" He bent and kissed her lightly on the forehead, steering them around the junction of the corridor towards the Galley
The easy banter and gentle affection was warm and comforting, familiar.. yet not. Thing had rarely ever come this easy... "What do you want me to teach you." She couldn't hide the almost seductive purr in her voice.
Lord, but he loved that voice, that throaty almost-purr. "What I'd like..." He had top stop himself short. Friends, remember? "Why don't you let me think on that one a while?"
"Alright... but don't make me wait too long..."
He stopped, one hand on the hatch trigger to the galley, his other arm snugged around that perfect waist. He kept her moving a little ahead of him, but didn't trigger the hatch straight away, instead just looking at her.
She turned to look at him, inquisitive eyes trying to read his expression. Lords but he was handsome... not to mention fun loving, kind hearted... and damned sexy... she had to fight the thoughts of the few times they had been together back when they first met up... before they had bought serenity... they had both pulled back then... but the feel of his hands on her still haunted her and made her ache and gods she had to stop thinking about it or he would know exactly what she was thinking...
"I don't like you lookin' sad, darlin'..." He was practically whispering, Kara tucked against him as the galley hatch turned the end of the corridor into a quiet alcove. She was so damned beautiful. "Angel like you shouldn't never have to look sad..." He couldn't help himself. She could push away if she wanted. He leaned his head forward to rest against hers, forehead to forehead; then, he dropped his head a little further and kissed her softly, keeping his touch gentle.
Her hands came up against his shoulders, hesitating a moment before slipping around his neck. She kissed him back, slow and gentle, her heart racing but her actions were tender.
He felt her hands slip around his neck, the touch achingly familiar from before, when they'd been together back on that dismal little world. He let go ofthe hatch control and let his hand instead float across to her, a finger stroking first through the hair of her temple and then down along the line of her ear, the kiss achingly sweet.
She let out a soft, contented sigh, letting herself sink into the kiss, savoring, each light brush of his lips over hers leaving her wanting more, the gentle caress of his hands making her want to scream at him to take her... If she could only admit to herself that she actually felt something more then friendship for him she just might have...
His hand ghosted down, stroking the side of her neck softly before moving down along the line of her back, touch just heavy enough to be felt through her clothes, his breath coming in short, soft noises as he let the kiss linger.
She tried to fight the emotion surging within her... tried to fight the fears of past relationships gone wrong... of losing someone she let get too close... She had fallen for her best friend and it ended up devastating their relationship... not because they gave in to that new level... but because they both fought it, tooth and nail, trying to hand on to something good, just in case better didn't work out... she couldn't go through that again... she couldn't take losing another friend. She pulled away slowly, her forehead pressed to his as she fought to get her breathing under control. "Mal... There... there's something I need to tell you..."
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