Beyond Wonderland: Chapter 11
Title: Beyond Wonderland
Author: solarbaby614
Rating: T
Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.
Words: 1613
Summary: The past has a way of returning. Rasey.
Spoilers: Series finale for Jungle Fury and (set after) Serenity for Firefly.
Note: And we finally see River and Simon’s parents!
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Chapter 11: Six Kinds of Liar
“I don’t like it,” Jayne said, leaning against the counter.
There was no startled look or jerk of surprise that he was expecting. Instead, Casey just took another bite of his apple and glanced up. And damn if that knowing look wasn’t the least bit unsettling.
“What don’t you like?” The pilot asked.
“You know,” he replied, shifting uncomfortably, “the alliance being about here on the boat. Heading to an alliance controlled planet. It just don’t sit right with me.” Casey looked like he was going to say something. “Look, I know you and he have some sort of a past and that’s all good and well, but I ain’t stupid. We’re being led by an alliance official to an alliance controlled planet. What part of that is supposed to be a good idea?”
A frown appeared on Casey’s face, before he nodded. “I agree.”
“Pulling a job is one thing-- wait, huh?”
“This is a completely bad idea and it’s probably going to go horribly wrong. But Mal seems to think it’ll work and it’s not like we can’t use the money.”
“You don’t seem all that worried.”
The pilot just shrugged, having gone back to the datapad that he was working on, allowing Jayne free reign to examine the boy at the table.
And he was just that, Jayne realized. A boy. It was his turn to frown. Looking past the continuously tired look and rumpled clothes, he realized that Casey couldn’t have been older than the doc, if even that.
But that couldn’t have been right. Both Mal and Zoe had said that Casey was a browncoat during the war. Hell, Casey couldn’t have been more than a kid during the war.
He shook his head, grabbing an apple of his own from the bowl.
Casey glanced up, catching sight of Jayne’s dubious expression. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“O--kay.”
oOoOoOoOoOo
Casey was stretched out on a group of crates when RJ found him, later that day. Eyes stared straight up at the ceiling, drowsy and heavy-lidded. The rumpled faded red shirt had slid up slightly, showing off a patch of skin.
Stepping forward, RJ found himself reaching out, wanting to brush his hand against that skin but he stopped himself, fairly sure that the touch would be unwelcomed. Instead, he moved back, planning to leave his mate alone no matter how much the wolf didn’t want to.
“RJ,” Casey’s voice cut through the almost empty bay, making it sound louder than it was and causing him to freeze at the bottom of the stair.
He turned around to find the tiger staring at him, any sign of sleepiness wiped from his face. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
A sad smile appeared on Casey’s face as he shook his head. “Liar.” And RJ got the feeling that Casey was talking about something else entirely. “Are we going to regret it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Casey sat up, resting his arms on his legs. “Going to Kali. Is it going to be something we’re going to regret?”
This was it. The moment he could come clean and just tell Casey. But he couldn’t. Simon and River were so intent on avoid their parents and as much as it hurt him to say it, he knew that if he told Casey just who was supposed to meet them on Kali he would turn the ship around instead of listening to RJ. This was for the best and everyone would see it. It would be okay.
“No.”
Casey nodded, looking slightly more relaxed, and laid back down.
RJ left him to his nap, ignoring the nervous feeling in the pit of his gut.
oOoOoOoOoOo
They landed on Kali with surprisingly little fuss.
Zoe chose to stick around the ship while Casey, Mal, and Jayne loaded themselves up on the mule, not wanting to leave the ship completely undefended should this go south. “You all be careful and don’t do anything stupid.” This last part was said looking a Jayne, who replied with an affronted, “hey!”
“Don’t worry, Zoe. I’ll make sure that everything goes shiny,” Casey said.
The expression on her face could only be described as thinly veiled disbelief.
Mal just sent her a look of reassurance that was returned with an eye roll as Jayne threw the mule into gear and they were gone.
“Don’t worry so much,” Kaylee said as she stepped up beside Zoe, staring out at the busy loading dock. “I’m sure that things will be okay.” Any effect that her words may have had were stifled by the worry that was in her eyes.
“What’s going on?”
The two turned to see the Chancellor standing there in the middle of the cargo bay, looking completely at home. And damned if that didn’t piss Zoe off just a little bit. Thinking that an outsider could just come in here and start so much trouble made her blood boil. She wasn’t stupid. Zoe saw the way the Chancellor-- RJ, her brain supplied-- had looked at Casey and the nightmares had been all but nonexistent to a point until he had shown up. He was the reason for their pilot’s sleepless nights.
“Oh. Hi, Chancellor!” Kaylee was blushing as the Chancellor grinned her way.
“RJ, please.”
Her blush deepened. “RJ,” she corrected.
“So,” he continued. “What’s going on?” He blinked and glanced around, taking in the lack of crew. “Where’s Casey?”
“He left with Jayne and the captain. They had a couple of errands to run. We don’t spend that much time hanging around the core and I guess they’re taking advantage of it.”
Zoe didn’t miss the relieved look that crossed the Chancellor’s face. Her expression tightened.
“So why didn’t you go with them? Kali is a popular vacationing spot. I’ve been told the shopping is second to none.”
Kaylee’s eyes sparkled at the prospect before they dimmed, remembering that this wasn’t a vacation but a job. She shook her head. “I have some work to do around here. Some of this stuff is hard to up there so I like to get this done when we’re on solid ground.” She didn’t have to look at Zoe to know that the woman was giving RJ a dirty look and she sent her a curious one in reply. Zoe just jerked her head back toward the stairs. Kaylee gave a sigh. “Which I should probably be doing now.”
RJ watched her scurry away with a frown before turning back to Zoe. “Was it something I said?”
For a moment Zoe wanted to say something-- to accuse and demand but she caught sight of two figures approaching the ship before she had a chance. That was probably a good thing too. Mal wouldn’t have been too pleased to find out she had lost her temper with one of the best paying passengers that they’ve had. “I think your visitors are here.”
“Hello, RJ.”
Zoe moved back as the two approached the Chancellor and the female flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She couldn’t make what he said next but then the shorter man had given him a quick hug as well, happy chatter filling up the cargo bay as the three tried to talk at the same time.
All this commotion had apparently caught the doc’s attention because she saw him appear from the infirmary and River wasn’t far behind. Then he froze and paled and this time Zoe didn’t stop from going for her gun.
The woman and the man had stopped as well. Then the woman stepped forward, stopping only when Simon jerked back, looking like he wanted to grab River and flee. “Simon. River.”
For a moment Zoe thought that Simon was going to disappear back into the infirmary. But he didn’t. He stood his ground, head held high and looked them straight in the eye as he said, “Hello, Mother. Father.”
And River peaked out from behind her brother and waved. “Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.”
oOoOoOoOoOo
Mal took in the scene as they returned to the ship and immediately went for his gun. There was a general air of panic and shock and the fact that Zoe had her gun out already certainly didn’t help.
There was a thump and a curse from behind him as Casey and Jayne had come up behind him, hauling in the crate. The two he didn’t recognize shot Jayne a look of general disgust.
“Come on, Jayne, move! This crate is starting to slip.” The voice from the other side of the wooden box was muffled and Jayne gave the two finely dressed individuals a dark look before moving again. “Thank you!”
River shifted gracefully to her brother’s side while her parent’s attention was elsewhere, wrapping her hand around his arm and giving it a squeeze. He looked down at her, his thinly veiled anger morphing into gentle curiosity. She leaned up and whispered, “Kitty cat can run fast but no matter what, he can’t out run his past.” When he was about to say something in reply she poked him in the side and motion toward Casey.
“Careful, careful,” Casey muttered.
“I got it,” Jayne replied, irritated, as they slowly lowered the crate to the floor.
Casey gave a jerk as she caught sight of the two standing with RJ from the corner of his eye and he let go of the crate. Jayne let out a yelp and a curse as it landed on his foot but Casey paid no mind. “What the--?”
The pair’s expression mirrored Casey’s shocked own as they stared back.
“Casey,” the woman’s voice whispered softly.
“Lily? Theo?”