"The shoes will be rescued," he said aloud in an angry voice and moved his right hand forward, revealing the plastic tyrannosaurus rex he was holding in it.

"I think you'll turn and betray me!" his stegosaurus replied in a slightly higher voice. "But, of course, I will lay aside my fears and trust you willingly and foolishly until then."

He made the tyrannosaurs rex laugh darkly. "Fear not, my friend, for I, too, am a connoisseur of fine shoes and will split the goods with you fifty-fifty!"

The stegosaurus reared back, appalled. "Never! I will never share my fine leather shoes with the likes of you!"

"Then, you shall die!" The T-Rex growled, lunging at stegosaurus and biting at his head, making very gruesome sounding eating noises. "Mwahahaha.”

"Oh, god, no! Take my life, you beast! You'll never find the shoes! Oh, dear god, oh! Aaaaugh!!" The stegosaurus wailed loudly as he died, the noise masking the quiet sound of approaching bare feet.

“Your dinosaurs are anachronistic,” River said quietly into the cabin.

Wash’s back went rigid and he quickly set his dinosaurs down, swiveling the pilot’s chair around to face her. His eyes were wide and he had a semi-surprised expression on his face. It was clear he couldn’t decide whether or not he wanted to be angry or embarrassed. “What?” he finally managed, opting for a third choice: confused.

River glided forward easily and gestured to the two now-prone dinosaurs. Her expression was eager yet serious. “The tyrannosaurus rex was indigenous to the Upper Maastrichtian period at the end of the Cretaceous era;” she explained, her eyes bright and excited as she stood the two plastic toys back up, “the stegosaurus is from the Jurassic period.” She looked to Wash again, studying his face intently. “Your dinosaurs are incongruent by over 100 million years.”

Wash’s shoulders relaxed, drooping slightly and he smiled at her, relieved. Wacky River was always fun, especially when she was spouting harmless gibberish. “Well, I’m glad you’re here to tell me these things,” he replied, still smiling. “All the same, I don’t think I’ll let it on to them,” he added, swiveling his chair back towards his dinosaurs. “I’m not sure their relationship is stable enough to survive such a drastic age difference.”

River laughed and stepped away from his console, leaning forward to stretch her face up towards the stars visible through the windscreen. “I like it here; it’s quiet.”

Wash leaned back in his chair, relaxing a little. River was surprisingly easy to talk to when she wasn’t pretending her brother wasn’t her brother or that she was the ship. “Yeah. I come out here when I need a little ‘me’ time.”

River drifted to the co-pilot chair and easily settled into it; the seat conforming to her body. Her eyes remained fixed on the stars as she pulled her knees to her chest under her dress and hugged them. “It must be exhilarating to fly, moving so fast through the ‘Verse it’s as though you aren’t moving at all.” Her tone was breathless.

Wash looked away from her and out to the black and he sighed. “There’s nothing quite like it,” he agreed softly.

River’s tone remained eager. “How did you learn? Did they give you bennies and fly you into the war with songs and kisses from ladies fair?”

Wash laughed softly and shook his head. “No. I went to flight school. Had to, really, to get certified. Learned a lot of useful tricks there, too.” He grinned. “Though not necessarily all from my teachers.”

River was studying him now. “You were best in your class,” she stated.

Wash looked back at his console, getting a little tense. “No, actually. I wasn’t.” The coordinates hadn’t changed but he studied them over anyway. “There was this guy, called himself Mr. Universe; he came in first, every time.”

“But you were the best,” River insisted.

Wash looked over at her, his face a little incredulous. “You know,” he said plainly, “it’s considered creepy when you do that. But you’re right. Mr. Universe cheated his way to the top and when I challenged him, he let me in on his little hacking secret.” He leaned back in his chair and shrugged. “I didn’t really contest it because he had some great contacts and basically told me if I played along he’d help me out in the future. Which, he did, after we graduated.”

River was staring intently at him. “I don’t know how to fly. I think I knew once, but I’ve forgotten what I learned.”

Wash turned to look back at her. “Well, you’re only what, sixteen? You’ve got time. It’s really not that hard, anyway, not if you’ve got a feel for ships. The rote memorization is the hardest part.” He tilted his head and grinned. “Well, that and the bit about not joy riding with the instructor’s ship”.

“Teach me,” River quickly said and dropped her feet off the seat and straightened her spine. Her hand reached out for the co-pilot yoke but she didn’t touch it yet.

Wash laughed a little uncertainly. “I’m not a teacher,” he started but trailed off seeing her eager face. With the exception of how she had seemed before deciding that her brother was a double-crossing secret spy, he hadn’t seen River so sane for so long in quite a while. What could it hurt for her to pick up a few flight skills? Inevitably she’d probably hijack the ship someday during one of her crazy-spells and knowing how to actually fly Serenity probably couldn’t hurt in that scenario. “Well, okay, just a little,” he conceded. “Close the door. I don't need Mal finding out about.”

River quickly obeyed before sliding eagerly back into the chair and Wash had to smile at her interest. “Okay, well, right now we’re in autopilot,” he explained. “So, there isn’t much to it. Take offs and landings are the hard part.” He reached up and flipped off a switch with one hand and put his other hand on the yoke. There was a faint hum as the autopilot shut off but the ship shifted over without a tremor.

“Okay, first, take the yoke in your hand, like I’m doing,” he said as he gripped it with both hands in the flight school regulated nine-and-three position. He glanced over as he watched River do the same, an exact mimic. “Good,” he encouraged. “Now, I’m going to let go on my end and you just hold her steady.”

River nodded enthusiastically. Her grip was tight on the yoke, her eyes intent, focused on the moment, as she stared at the controls.

Wash let up on the controls and his yoke bobbed forward slightly as he did. Serenity didn’t shiver though and he looked over to River. She was holding Serenity as if she was a trained pilot. It took Wash a moment to realize she’d changed course slightly. "River, what are you doing?" He laughed nervously. “You’re a natural -- but steady. You have to hold it steady.”

“We're six degrees off course.”

Wash’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Yeah, we are. It’s a natural drag; happens whenever you pass anything too big in space. What we do, though, is just let it go until we’re a lot closer to the planet. It saves fuel if we do one corrective burn instead of six. Gives you a gentler sweep too. Graceful,” he added, with a grin.

River nodded, filing the information away in her brain and returning to holding the yoke steady.

“You’re doing well, though,” he said, encouragingly. “Really well.”

“It helps to learn young,” River whispered under her breath.

Wash chuckled softly, just catching her words, and nodded. “That it does,” he agreed. “I may not have started as early as some folk, but I still ended up the best damn pilot in the academy,” he added, almost to himself. He sat back, watching the stars, and found his mind drifting off as he remembered Mr. Universe. That was not his real name, obviously – Wash had never found out what it was – but he had discovered the man’s big secret: he had been hacking into the grades so he’d be the top of the class even though he didn’t know how to fly at all.

They had made a deal then, that in return for Wash not turning him in, Mr. Universe would owe him one. Normally, that wouldn’t count much for Wash, but he had been pragmatic enough to realize that someone with Mr. Universe’s unique hacking skills could prove useful in the future. In a job like he currently had now, getting some friendly pointers from the center of the information universe probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“You just keep flying, River,” Wash stated. “I’ll be right here, making a little call.”

The following morning, after checking their coordinates, Wash cheerfully bounded into the kitchen. The smell of breakfast assaulted him on entry and he stopped and took a deep whiff of it. It was the same processed oatmeal and oily smelling coffee that they almost always had for breakfast but he was in a particularly good mood, so he found the scent enjoyable and inviting this morning.

“Wash, you been getting into Kaylee’s hooch again?” Mal asked as he took in his overly cheerful pilot. “You’re glowin’ like she do.”

“Aww, Cap’n, that’s sweet,” Kaylee called from where she was scooping some oatmeal up into a bowl for herself. She grinned brightly at Wash.

“I’ve just had a really good night, that’s all,” Wash stated as he looked over the crew assembled in the kitchen.

From where she sat at the far end of the table Zoe was able to give him a flat glare. “Weren’t me you had that good time with, husband,” she duly noted.

“That’s true, sweetheart,” he crooned rather suggestively. “In fact, I was having a grand old time with another man last night,” he followed with a lecherous nod and then waggled his eyebrows. His tone was a little coarse, clearly brought on by their fight the previous night.

Jayne walked into the kitchen in time to catch the end of Wash’s sentence. He paused in the doorway between the galley and the crew quarters and his face took on a disturbed expression. “Kaylee gave y’them boy numbers then?”

“There he goes, getting all jealous and crass-like, and in front of my wife this time,” Wash grinned.

Mal’s eyebrows rose in consternation as he stared at the two men, before he closed his eyes and shook his head. “Well, now that that image is permanently burned into my brain, I think I’ll go eat my gun.”

“Might be messy, sir,” Zoe casually intoned but kept her eyes on Wash.

“I’ll lay out a tarp,” Mal stated before leaning back in his chair, eyes on his pilot. “So what’s this all about, Wash?”

Wash grinned, but didn’t say anything until everyone was seated at the table. Clearing his throat theatrically, he waited until he had their attention. Even River looked up from where she’d settled on a chair in the lounge in the back of the galley, where she was ignoring the food in favor of a catch of yarn and two shiny silver needles. She appeared to be knitting some sort of very ugly…thing.

“I got a job lined up for us.”

Mal and Zoe exchanged glances. “You lined us up a job?” Mal asked, his tone just bordering on incredulous.

Wash nodded eagerly. “Yes, with an old buddy of mine named Mr. Universe. He traffics in information of the highest quality. He’s got some important cargo he needs right away. He says if we can do it for him, we’ll get an upfront advance, plus a bonus on the back end. I’m thinking four figures, Mal.”

Mal’s expression stayed impassive. “Mr. Universe?” he questioned. He kept his eyes on Wash. “Ain’t that the guy who was top of your class in flight school?”

An expression of disbelief rippled across Wash’s face. “How did you—” he started and then trailed off. His eyes shifted from Mal and focused on Zoe. His cheerful demeanor had vanished. “You told him that?” After a beat of non-reaction from Zoe that Wash took for acknowledgement, he cried, dismayed, “You never tell me what the captain tells you!”

Mal quickly countered. “Unless it’s an order.”

“Unless it’s an order!” Wash shouted.

“Hey!” Jayne yelled, silencing them both. “I’m partial to the four figures bit,” he added in a quieter voice.

“Jayne’s got a point, Cap’n,” Kaylee commented softly. She had patiently sat through the whole proceeding and was only now voicing her opinion during the lull.

“Day you say that, Kaylee, ain’t a day I’m eager to see,” Mal replied. “Be that as it may though, four figures ain’t somethin’ to scoff about. Presumin’, of course, that these four figures we’re talkin’ ‘bout are credits and not plastic dinosaurs.”

“I’m talking credits, Mal,” Wash stated in his serious voice.

“I’m in,” Jayne eagerly announced. “What we gonna be doin’?”

“Depends on whether Mal’s interested or not. I told Mr. Universe he needed to talk with the Captain first.”

After a few seconds of contemplation, Mal nodded reluctantly. “Sounds like it could be worth lookin’ into. Certainly couldn’t hurt to have a few more contacts out in the ‘verse.”

“Information is a rare commodity out of the world,” Book agreed as he easily glided into the room from the direction of the stairwell that descended into the passenger quarters. He nodded beatifically to those already assembled in the galley. “There’s a new job, then? I find that when the crew is working steadily, they’re less cranky.”

Mal put his hands out flat on the table. “Mornin’, Shepherd. You make out well with them church going folk back on Pastiche?”

“I think I gave them a few sermons to remember.”

“Good to know they’ll be able t’confess their sins after partaking of them new whores,” he noted plainly and then got to his feet, returning to business. “Wash, let’s go talk to this Mr. Universe. I ain’t making no guarantees. Zoe, you want in on this?”

“As always, sir,” she agreed.

Wash looked at his bowl of uneaten oatmeal forlornly and then, deciding it really wasn’t such a tragic loss, abandoned it to follow Zoe and the Captain.

“Now, isn’t it something, having the mighty Malcolm Reynolds calling on me?” Mr. Universe grinned through the monitor at the three members of Serenity’s crew gathered in the cockpit. “Been seeing your name cropping up over and over again on the Cortex,” he stated and waved a hand, gesturing to something out of his view. “You’re getting very, very popular, Mal. Quite the reputation.”

Mal shifted a little, uncomfortable with the whole conversation so far and decided to ignore the preamble. “My pilot says you got a job for us?”

Mr. Universe bit his lower lip and grinned impishly. “Heard right, Mal. Who’s the lady?” he added, shifting his eyes to Zoe.

“Pilot’s wife,” she answered coolly.

“Ooh, Zoe,” Mr. Universe whistled. “Washburn mentioned you but didn’t say how very pretty, pretty you were.” He sized her up and nodded, approvingly. “I think you’ll do.” He turned back to Mal, his gaze more serious. “Got some upgrades on Athens that need to be here with me. Very sensitive equipment and very,” he wrinkled his nose in delight as he said it, “illegal. Not exactly Alliance approved.”

Mal crossed his arms. “Don’t much care what it is I’m haulin’ just so long as it pays well.”

“Understood, Mal,” he said in a sly voice. “I like your attitude. There’s lots of folk out there who’d kill for this haul; I pay very well. Bit partial to your pilot though—I know he’s good at keeping secrets and I owe him one for something from back when. Know Washburn’s a good enough pilot not to crash my delicate electronics, too. Isn’t that right?” he questioned, eyes twinkling at Wash through the monitor. “I’m transmitting some information now.”

Mal stepped over to the dash console and brought up the new transferred files, nodding once. “Looks doable. We can get your stuff to you within the week.”

Mr. Universe grinned. “So, we’re in business?”

“Looks that way,” Mal agreed, sealing the deal.

Wash slipped easily into the pilot seat. “I’ll lay in a course, then?”

“Do it,” Mal nodded to Mr. Universe and turned the communications channel off. “Good work, Wash. I’ll go inform the crew we got ourselves a job. Let me know when we’re getting close to Athens.”

Mal’s footsteps echoed softly as he padded down the stairwell, leaving Wash alone on the bridge with Zoe. It only took a moment before her fingers were creeping through his hair. “You did good, husband,” she softly murmured, her voice bordering on apologetic.

Wash titled his head back a bit and half closed his eyes as he looked up at her. “You sayin’ that ‘cause you mean it, or ‘cause you know Mal’s okay with it all now?”

Zoe leaned over the back of the chair and let her arms hang loosely around Wash’s neck. She pressed her lips softly to his brow. “Thinkin’ maybe I need to be apologizing for last night,” she quietly mused.

Wash’s lips curved into a smile at her voice purring in his ear. “I like apologies. Does this mean I get my shoes back?” he hopefully asked.

Zoe shook her head. “Don’t press your luck. ‘Sides, you know I ain’t got ‘em t’give back to you anyway. Packed ‘em in with the rest, before we unloaded on Pastiche.” Her hands came off his chest as she circled the chair around until he was facing her. She pulled at the front of his flight suit, dragging him to his feet. “But maybe after a little bit of make-up sex I’ll forgive you for stealin’ from the cargo.”

Wash tried to resist for several long seconds before his face gave in and he relented. Zoe was pretty impossible to resist when she was being coy. “Sex, huh? Well, I suppose,” he teased as was pulled to his feet and let her lead him out of the cockpit. “If I must.”

The pick up was unusually easy. Athens was a fairly well respected border world that had only minimal Alliance presence. As a result they were able to land without any problems. Their contact was a stocky short man named Hector. Mal had dealt with him before.

The cargo itself was packed carefully in wooden crates and, with the help of Hector’s men, didn’t take long to load.

“It isn’t safe, you know,” River stated aloud from where she was walking along on the catwalk.

Mal looked over his shoulder at her before returning his flat expression back to the people working in his cargo hold. “What ain’t?” he questioned.

“Indigestion,” she replied. Her eyes darted a little and then she stared down at her bare feet; she’d lost her knitting somewhere along the way. “It’ll upset her stomach.” She shook her head, causing her hair to ripple as she did.

“You check the expiration dates on those protein packs, now, you hear?” Mal warned as he turned again to face her. “They’ll upset your stomach easily enough if you go’n’eat a bad one.”

“Not me,” River protested. “He’s inside – underneath -- tearing her apart.” Her eyes widened and a hand went up into her hair. “You brought them on, made her swallow them, but Laocoon forgot to warn you . . . beware the Cyclops.”

Mal stared at her for several seconds. “I thought you was on the mend.”

“One day you listen and you trust,” she said in a loud, accusing voice. “And the next it’s changed, different. It isn’t logical!”

Zoe had stopped where she was working down below. “Problem, sir?” she called up, looking between Mal and River.

“No,” Mal answered back and then turned to the girl. “What are you yammerin’ about?”

“He’s hurting her,” she whispered.

Mal leaned forward and then gestured to the men below. “You talkin’ ‘bout Hector’n’his men?” He glanced over at he noticed Zoe coming up the stairwell. “They’re on our side, girl. Dealt with them plenty of times before.”

“Lambs to the slaughter,” River muttered. “You lead, they always follow.”

Zoe pressed her lips together, concerned at River’s words. “Sir, Hector says they’re about done loading. You want I should hold them for something?” She looked back to River pointedly.

“No, shiny,” Mal answered, his gaze shifting back to River. “Your brother got you on another new drug regimen? ‘Cause whereas you was acting fine yesterday, you sure do seem a mite off today.”

“You need to listen!” River retorted. “Because you can’t always trust and distrust and keep switching back! You’re not the conductor!”

Zoe’s brow furrowed. “Maybe she’s on to something, sir?” she questioned reluctantly. “Girl does have a way of knowing things.”

“Well, I can’t read minds, so if she can’t explain in terms I can understand there ain’t a gorram thing I can do about it, can I? This look like her premonitioning or just her acting all sorts of crazified again?” he questioned. “We ain’t got time for games, Zoe. This here merchandise needs to be delivered in a timely manner.”

“Understood, sir,” Zoe agreed. “Just makin’ a suggestion.”

Mal rubbed a finger again his cheek. “You checked all the cargo and the worker’s files?” he questioned briefly.

“Did, sir. It all checked out clear.”

“Then we ain’t havin’ this conversation.” He turned back to River. “Now, I ain’t doin’ this t’be mean, girl, but go be crazy elsewhere.”

“Run and play,” River gritted out, her face furious. “You won't listen.”

“Doc!” Mal’s incensed voice rang out into the cargo hold, carrying easily upstairs. He didn’t have time to deal with River going crazy right now. Within a few seconds scurrying feet were echoing down towards.

“Captain? River? What’s wrong?” Simon asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Mal rubbed his face, keeping his eyes on the merchandise. “She’s acting mostly-crazy again,” he simply stated without looking over. “You messin’ with her drugs some more?”

Simon took River’s hand. “No,” he answered, as he studied her face intently. “Mei-mei, what’s wrong?”

She twisted until she pulled from his grip. “Ebb and tide,” she whispered. “He’s coming and going and he doesn’t even notice. It’s not right.”

Mal pointed at her. “See? That’s the whole mostly-crazy bit.”

“Right,” Simon agreed. He looked out over the cargo and then returned his gaze to Mal. “I think the strangers are frightening her.” He tugged her hand and pulled her closer. “C’mon, let’s leave the captain alone to do his work. Those men aren’t going to bother you.” His eyes returned to Mal’s. “Are they?”

“They’re good men, Simon. I trust ‘em aboard Serenity and you should, too.”

Simon nodded at that, but River looked at Mal sadly as she was led towards the passenger quarters. Mal ignored her as the last of the cargo was loaded and Jayne closed the cargo bay doors. Once they were sealed, he grabbed the intercom. “Wash, take us out of the world.”

There was a moment of silence before Wash replied. “I’m on it.” Around them Serenity shivered as she began to power up. “Everything went smoothly?”

Mal let his lips curve into a smile too and nodded to himself. He could stroke Wash’s ego on the occasion, if the need arose. “Yes, indeed it did, Wash. Nice when that happens.”

“I’m on the side of agreement, there, sir. And, we should be at our rendezvous point a couple of days.”

“Shiny. Let me know when we’re close.” Mal shut the communication off, hung the intercom up and then turned to head up the stairs, humming lightly to himself.

“Back so soon?” Wash asked without looking up from his flight pattern. He was sitting comfortably in his chair, one hand on the yoke, the other hovering over some switches on the right hand side.

River padded into the room softly and nodded even though from his vantage point Wash couldn’t see it. Her fingers were fidgeting slightly. “Need to make the stars drop away,” she said softly.

“Well, close the door if you’re staying and sit down then,” Wash said. His tone was a little resigned but he wasn’t upset. As River slid the door shut behind her, he added, “Bit late for you to still be up though, isn’t it?”

River stepped away from the door and crossed to the co-pilot’s chair. “Hours on the clock are just numbers. Sun isn't down or up out here,” she answered.

“Well, that is a true statement,” Wash agreed and shifted so both his hands were on the yoke. “But we do go by a standard time in here.” He glanced to her. “I guess lateness of the house is required though, isn’t it? Mal would have a fit if he knew I was letting you fly the ship, even if just for a few moments. Hence, best to do it when he’s snoring.” He reached over after a second and switched the autopilot controls off.

River studied him for a moment and then raised her hands to the co-pilot yoke. “You take risks sometimes, but you would feel silly if anyone knew.” She reached out and caressed Serenity’s yoke, before gripping it firmly. “His trust is tidal. Only goes so far and then it turns, recedes, fades away and leaves the shore shivering.” River’s touch was gentler on the yoke now, her eyes no longer so consumed by the instruments. Now, her gaze lifted up to the stars at times, and her expression was far more peaceful.

Wash released the ship to her and leaned back into his chair, curious. “Who only trusts you tidally?”

River tilted her head self-deprecatingly. “Mal.”

“Well, you have been known to almost get us all killed on the occasion. But there was that thing with him wanting to kill your brother. He trusted you then,” he pointed out.

“You trust me in here, not him.”

Wash took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I know what it’s like to need to fly as well as what it’s like to be denied it,” he quietly stated. “If someone tried to take Serenity from me, or told me I couldn’t fly anymore, I think I’d wither up and blow away.” He drifted into silence for a moment as he stared at the star field. “Anyway, we’re in space. Not much for you to crash us into, way out here.”

River kept her tone flat. “She can crash in space.”

Wash stared at her for several long seconds before he put his hands back on his yoke for reasons of self-preservation. “See, that’s the sort of creepy comment that makes me second-guess my own sanity.”

River just smiled.

Continue to part two