Sayla Ragnarok. Well actually there is this chapter, and then an epilogue which will be posted soon.
Insane Immortal Dragon Goddess. Yup, seen Serenity when it was in theaters and own the DVD.
They call me KEERAN. Thank you. I have relied on a lot of rumors about AWE for this fic, and Will should kill Jones in the third film, because he promised his father he would.
Chapter 35: Going Home
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“What day did we leave on?” Mal called through the transmitter. River was in the pilot’s chair and Kaylee was in the engine room. Everyone else was strapped in. Once they were in the air, Mal would set the time on the rutting gadget that sent them back in time in the first place. “River, anyone?”
“She won’t speak to me,” River’s voice came through. “She is no longer alive.”
The only she, River could be speaking of was Serenity. “Kaylee what is the status report?”
“She isn’t working, Cap’n,” Kaylee’s voice came through. “Nothing is alive. Engine isn’t moving, and that isn’t right. She is healthy. Everything checks out.”
Mal cussed under breath before he opened the lid to the cargo. Jonas’s device was also not active. That and their ship were the two things they need the most to get back home.
“Could you check again?” Mal asked. This was not the time for Serenity to die on him.
“I can’t find anything,” Kaylee called back a few minutes later. Her normally cheerful tone was slowly eroding away. “She should be working.”
“Try to find something,” Mal half listened to the knock outside the airlock. “Even if it is minor and fix it.” He opened airlock after he lowered the gangplank.
“Seems ye are having a bit of trouble,” Jack Sparrow said as he shoved past Mal.
“There is nothing you can do to help,” Norrington had followed the pirate aboard. He cast apologetic look to Mal before he caught up with Jack.
“I should be offering some form of assistance.” Jack held up his healthy hand. “Would be downright rude of me if I refused, especially if ye are my own grandest greatest grand blood.” He smiled.
“Please forgive our intrusion,” Norrington stood with his back to the pirate, ignoring the childish faces Jack made at him. “I will have. Mr. Sparrow escorted off your ship, immediately.” He turned towards Jack and made a grab for his arm. Jack stepped back at the last second.
“Watch yourself mate. Ye seem to be slipping as it were.”
“I thank ya kindly, Commodore” Mal said. “But it aint’ necessary. He’s harmless.”
“His mere presence brings down the beauty of this fine ship,” Norrington made another grab for Jack.
“Trust me, he ain’t brining down anything that Jayne hasn’t brought down already,” Mal said. He couldn’t help smiling at the commodore speaking so well of Serenity.
If there ship can’t move then they are always welcome to join ours.” Jack gave Norrington a light pat on the back.
“Don’t even say it, Sparrow.” Norrington sidestepped away from Jack’s touch.
“She lives,” River’s voice came through.
“The engine is working,” Kaylee’s voice regained its usual amount of sunshine.
“Looks like I don’t need your fellas help after all,” Mal said before he went back to the crate.
Norrington grabbed the insane pirate by the arm and ushered him outside the ship.
Mal decided to close the platform later. He first needed to see how to work the gizmo. The screen was still as blank as before.
“Cap’n.” Kaylee’s voice wavered. “She isn’t working again.”
“Well now that is interesting,” Jack said. He had spun around and entered the cargo hold again and as before Norrington was close on his heels and grabbed Jack by the shoulder this time.
“Oh, now she is working,” Kaylee called out.
“What?” Mal stared into the crate. 1760 was glowing across the screen for a full second before it disappeared. “What in the world?”
“Cap’n?”
“I know. She ain’t working.” He stepped away and stomped his foot on the ground in frustration.
“Are you out of the fuel you use?” Norrington asked after he, and this time he alone stepped into the cargo.
“We have plenty,” Mal sighed. He glanced back into the crate. The numbers had returned. “What makes it work right?”
“You do not know?” Norrington asked.
Mal shook his head.
“I believe I might know,” Jack said. “Come here, Commodore. Step off a bit.”
“What are you implying?” Norrington arched an eyebrow.
“Just come here.” Sparrow stepped back, into the airlock, back towards the loading platform.
“He may be on to something,” Mal said. He didn’t care if the idea came from Jack Sparrow. Mal was willing to accept any idea from anyone. “As long as you’re on my ship you follow my instructions.”
Norrington nodded before he followed after Sparrow.
“How is your ship?” Sparrow asked as soon as Norrington stood by his side.
Mal took the grabbed onto the communicator. “How she runnin, Kaylee?”
“She stopped again.”
“Back on you go,” Jack pushed the Commodore towards the cargo hold.
Norrington stumbled forward and turned around to glare at the pirate captain, only for a second before he continued his way.
“Ask again,” Jack said.
That couldn’t be it. Mal closed his eyes. “How is she now, Kaylee?”
“Everything is spinnin.”
Mal felt his heart sink. The only way Serenity would work was when Norrington was aboard. It wasn’t just the ship, but also Jonas’s device. There were only two options. Either take up residence in the 18th century or ask the commodore to give up everyone and everything he knew. It was a harsh question to ask of the man and as Mal stared into Norrington’s curious green eyes he felt overcome with guilt. How could he do such a thing?
At least it was better than just vanishing without a trace. Then the realization struck.
“We did it,” Tia Dalma’s words returned to his mind. Just remember you can’t change the past, but must contribute to history. “We made you disappear.”
-
“I told him,” Malcolm said to the rest of his crew as they sat at the dining area. “I gave him some time to think about it.”
“I still don’t get it,” Jayne stared at the blade in his hand. He rubbed his callused fingers over the handle. Mal wondered if the mercenary had held each of his weapons in that way once he returned to his ship. “Why does he have to come with us?”
“Did you not here a word?” Inara gave him a look. “We won’t be able to return home otherwise.”
“I know that.” He pointed the tip of his knife at her. “I still don’t see why he has to stay with us. Couldn’t we just drop him off at some border planet?”
“We just can’t leave him with nothing and nobody,” Kaylee said. “He doesn’t know anything about our world.”
“I’m sure there is a planet similar to this time.”
“Dropping him off like that would be similar to dropping Simon off on Higgins Moon and expecting him to live with the Mudders,” Zoe said before she took a sip from her glass. “No offense doctor.”
“None taken,” Simon said.
“It’s not going to be easy for any of us,” Mal studied the expressions of his crew. Everyone except Jayne and River appeared to have been reflecting the same as him, feeling a bit rotten for having to remove the commodore from his time. River was blank. On one hand her new friend was coming with her and on the other she knew how much it’s going to hurt him.
Inara broke the silence with a sigh. “On one side it would be nice to have another gentleman aboard this sip, besides Simon. I know Norrington won’t go barging into my shuttle uninvited.”
“He loves Serenity.” Kaylee chimed in. “When I was helping hand out glasses of water to the injured folk that Gibbs kept on saying how uneasy he was being in the belly of a beast, and James said she wasn’t a beast. He said she was beautiful.”
“Inara likes him,” Mal sat up in his chair. “Kaylee likes him, well Kaylee likes just bout anyone. He’s River’s friend. Doc, Zoe?”
“He is a good friend to River,” Simon smiled at his younger sister. “He is polite and respectful.”
“And a good fighter,” Zoe added. “Good with both a gun and a sword. He has an excellent aim with one of those pistols. Who knows what he can do with something with more than one shot.”
“I can’t believe we are making him crew,” Jayne slapped his knife down in front of him.
“He made me crew,” Mal said. “But the decision isn’t all up to us. It’s also in his hands.”
-
James Norrington stared out at the sea and remembered the first time he had seen the endless waves. He was a child of about four or five and the first time he saw the ocean he fell in love with it, ever since that day he had often begged his parents to take him away from the shop and visit the nearest beaches. One day they took him to the ports and he fell in love with the ships. He had no idea at the time that he would be forced into piracy and later forced into the Navy where he would be at sea for a long time, his true calling.
“I may never see this again,” he sighed. Norrington almost couldn’t believe the space ship would not work without him. He had noted that it was odd everything was fine when he was aboard and stopped moving as soon as he stepped out of the airlock.
“You haven’t told anyone yet,” Jack Sparrow appeared at his side. That man was like an annoying fly that would never leave. “They have no idea you about to leave us forever and go of into the future.”
“Sparrow, please.” Norrington closed his eyes. “I’m having a moment. You cannot possibly fathom what I am going through, emotionally.”
“And spiritually I believe,” Sparrow wiggled his fingers. “I know what is going on in that fancy thinking head of yours. You are about to give up on your life, even though this isn’t the first time that has happened to ye.”
“And I have you to thank for that.” Norrington glared at him.
“Uh-uh” Sparrow wagged a finger at him. “You be lying to yourself. Who gave me a head start, who helped me escape and who was the fool who insisted on sailing through a hurricane in his pursuit of myself?” He tilted his head to the side.
“You are not completely devoid of the blame,” He hated to admit when Sparrow was right. “All three of us are to blame for what happened to me.”
“And once again you are about to join a crew of pirates.”
“They are not pirates,” Norrington turned around to face Serenity. Malcolm Reynolds stood outside of his ship, waiting for Norrington’s decision. There was some strange piece of technology in his hands. “Captain Reynolds is not forcing me to do this and I wouldn’t call him a pirate.’
“What would you call him. He steals from other ships, uses it to get money, robs fancy machines and buildings and carry’s stuff he shouldn’t be carrying.”
“He salvages what he can find of use from abandoned ships,” Norrington did not look at him.
“Illegally,” Jack pointed out.
“Yes, without the proper forms it is illegal, and he does some smuggling and is paid to rob or he steals necessities that the less fortunate colonists on the outer-“ he tried to remember what Reynolds had called them. “Border. He provides food and medicine to those on the outer border.”
Jack nodded. “Pirates.”
Norrington gritted his teeth in frustration. “You won’t allow it to sink into that rum soaked head of yours. Captain Reynolds may do some dishonest things, but he is not a pirate. He is man of honor in a den of thieves.”
Sparrow shrugged. “But you are going to go with them. I know you. You are a big man of honor, by staying here you are forcing seven people to give up their lives and their needs and desires outweigh your own.”
Norrington smiled weakly. Sparrow was right once again.
“Which brings everything back to my point.” He pointed over to Turner and Elizabeth. The young couple was approaching them. “They are going to want to know what happened to you. I know ye don’t have much respect for young Turner.” Jack pursed his lips and shrugged. “I can’t really blame ye, but I believe he may have some left for ye and I know Elizabeth still cares about ye.”
“I will tell them,” Norrington said. “I will let Mr. Turner and Miss Swann know I will not going with all of you.”
“We are not going back with Jack’s crew either,” Turner said. “Our home is not on the Black Pearl it’s at Port Royal.”
“I thought ye were wanted criminals,” Jack asked.
“Cutler Beckett only wants us because of this,” Elizabeth held up Sparrow’s compass. “We told our plans to Anamaria and she gave it to us.”
“And this is the part where you are supposed to give it back to me,” Sparrow held out his hand.
Both Elizabeth and Turner shook their heads.
“The promise of redemption,” Norrington smiled, knowing what they wanted. “That is if Beckett does live. I believe now the Navy knows of his intent and word gets out to the king you will be redeemed.”
“You can come with us to, James.” Elizabeth said. “The warrants were for the three of us and Port Royal is our home.”
“I cannot,” He turned back to Reynolds and his ship. “I’m going with them. It’s not because I want to, it’s because I have to. If I stay here they cannot return back to their time. Serenity only works when I’m aboard for some odd and unexplained reason.”
“You are going into the future?” Turner asked. “Do you know anything about outer space? It’s more dangerous than the ocean.”
“Will,” Elizabeth gave her fiancé a look. “You can’t be serious, James.”
“I thank you for your concern Mr. Turner, but I will be fine, and yes, Miss Swann I am serious.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Elizabeth’ eyes had moistened over.
“It’s not fair to them,” James pointed to Serenity. “They can’t return home without me. They would have to adapt to this century. It would be harder for them. ”I am a fast learner I already have a friend aboard and the captain is a man I can respect.”
“You are doing for her. You are doing this for Miss Tam.”
“I’m doing it for her, for her brother, for all of them.”
“We are never going to see you again,” She was trying to keep from crying and was failing at it.
“Please don’t shed any tears on my behalf,” He wanted to embrace her and knew she wanted to embrace him. He didn’t want to make Turner jealous. “I know that you have always seen me more of an older brother.” He brushed her tears away.
“I never would have used those words,” She wrapped her arms around him. “You are correct. You were the closest person I had to a brother and now I’m loosing you.”
“Mr. Turner, I know you will take care of her.”
“I promise.” Turner nodded. “I will not allow anything to happen to her.”
Norrington stepped back and turned to face Sparrow. “There is one more thing I need to do.” He held out his hand in front of the pirate.
Sparrow stared at Norrington’s palm before he looked up. “There is no spot on your hand, unless it is invisible and if it is invisible then what is the point of being a black spot, unless you want me to read your palm.”
Norrington fought every urge to roll his eyes. “It appears you do not quite understand the fact that I am leaving this time, this planet and I will never see you again. I believe it would be best to collect my payment now.”
“Payment?” Jack raised his eyebrows.
“You said it yourself earlier. You did not fire me. I expect payment for my time employed on your ship.”
“Ah that payment,” Sparrow raised a finger and fished around in his pocket. “Here you go mate.” He tossed a coin towards Norrington.
James caught it and inspected it. It was a single penny. “It is a good thing I will never see you again, Mr. Sparrow. I only hope someone like Captain Barclay will succeed where I haven’t and see that you are hung.”
Jack grinned. “I’m always rooting for you, mate.”
Norrington turned away and nodded once more at Turner and Elizabeth. “Good bye,” he said softly before he returned to Serenity and stepped onto the metal platform.
“What did he give you,” Reynolds met him half way.
“One pence coin,” Norrington said. “It won’t help you or your crew much.”
“Actually you may be wrong about that. I have a feeling that little coin is going to be a worth a whole lot in our time.”
“I wonder how much I’ll be worth to your crew,” Norrington looked down. He had no idea how a ship like Serenity works, nor how society functions on the future. He raised his head when he felt Reynolds’s hand on his back.
“You have no idea how thankful you for agreeing to this. We are you going to help you adjust. Jayne will help you strap in.” He stepped off the plank and headed straight for Turner and Elizabeth.
“Captain Reynolds?” Norrington turned towards him.
“I’m just going to use this capture to get you some memories,” Reynolds answered.
-
Malcolm felt like the biggest ass in the world. He knew he shouldn’t. That Tea Llama woman probably had something to do with it, but then again maybe she didn’t really have a choice if what she had said was true about not being able to change history.
“Lets try this again,” Malcolm removed the lid of the crate and picked up the time travel device. “What day did we leave on?”
“Tuesday at exactly four fifteen,” River answered.
“In the month of August,” Mal said as he examined the buttons. There were several, including one for hour, day, month and year. Mal pressed the buttons until he got the exact date and the year 2519 before he pressed the button activate.
He had barely set the machine back into the crate before he ran through the ship towards the helm.
“It would be better if you sit down,” River told him. She had already managed to raise Serenity several feet into the air.
Mal felt the ship shake before he regained the co pilot chair. “Almost a bit too late.”
“The same shake as last time.”
“Last time?” Mal asked and knew she meant the way the ship was shaking before they were sent back in time. “Ah last time. Hope the ride won’t exactly be rockety, and we don’t end up on another beach.”
“Everything is wobbly,” River stared at the steering wheel before she grabbed it.
“We’ll do this together,” Mal said as he grabbed his wheel.
-
William Turner did not can nor would he ever get used to seeing a ship such as Serenity be able to lift off the crown, much less veer around and actually fly. He would never get a chance to get used to it, not if Captain Reynolds and his crew were able to succeed.
“I never got to know the man,” Will said. “I didn’t get to speak much with him.”
Elizabeth nodded, yet said nothing. Will knew she was thinking of Norrington and the sacrifice he made. She reached for his hand and took it into her own.
“He was a bit odd,” Jack said. He also kept his eyes on the ship as it flew up at angle, still shaking. “The way he talked, the way he walked. What went on in here.” Jack pointed to his head.
“Some could say the same about you,” Will told him.
“I do see a bit of myself in him, when he isn’t acting all like Norrington.”
Will chose to ignore him and kept his focus on the silver ship. It was amazing watching the two silver cylinders spat fire and the ring near the abdomen continued to spin. He tried to imagine what it would be like to be inside.
He did not expect the ship to be taken over by and orange glow. The luminescence grew brighter until Will felt himself squinting. He closed his eyes when the glow turned to a flash before it disappeared.
“James,” Elizabeth gasped.
“I believe it worked,” Jack said before he turned and headed back to his ship. “Are ye certain ye don’t want to come?”
Will pulled Elizabeth closer before he nodded.
Jack shrugged. “If ye insist. Can’t see why ye want to go back to that place, but I guess it’s your brand of tea. We’ll leave ye a long boat, and don’t think I won’t try to come after ye later to retrieve my compass.”
“I am certain our paths will cross again,” Will said. He had wondered if that would be a good or a bad thing.
-
Mal remembered his vision being overcome by an orange light before. There was the light and then darkness, and then he and the others were on a beach. He stared through the glass as the light faded, leaving nothing behind but darkness. The only form of light came from the stars.
“Mal,” the image of Melchior appeared on helm’s screen. “The screen blipped for a second and you were not there, but you are here. How did you get to the cock pit so fast?”
“Melchior,” Mal pointed at the screen before he turned to River. Her smile alone reflected what they were both feeling. “Jonas still with you?”
“I have never left his side,” Jonas nudged the blond man so they could both fit into the screen. “May we ask what happened? Your hair seems to be a bit longer and you changed shirts.”
“How long did that blip last?” Mal asked as he ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn’t really noticed it had grown a bit in the last few months.
“Only a second.”
“I’ll explain when we come in for landing. You might want to set an extra place.” He stood up. “Better tell the others the good news.”
-
Kaylee had held her breath while Serenity shook and when the outside of the window was filled with orange. She knew Serenity was strong and would be able to handle it she could help but want to be in the engine room, making sure not a single wire came loose or a spark formed. It took both Jayne and Simon to drag her out.
When the shaking had stopped she had wondered if they had returned home. The others seemed to have been sharing her thoughts. Simon and Inara shared smiles with her while Zoe and Jayne raised their eyebrows at each other. James’s face was blank. He was staring at the window and Kaylee looked up to see what he saw. She could see the stars. They were either in space, or somewhere where it was night
“Folks I’m in the middle of discussion with a Jonas Hammond,” Mal’s voice came through the speakers. “I believe we all have a dozy of a tale to tell him.” Anything else he had to say was lost in the cheers and woops of Kaylee and the others.
“Wah-hoo.” Jayne thrust his fist into the air. “Home sweet home.”
“We did it,” Inara said under breath.
“Huzzah,” James said weakly and raised a hand half way.
Kaylee tried to give him a cheerful smile, but stopped when she stared into his sad green eyes. “I want to say something to cheer you up, but for once I can’t think of anything.”
“I don’t think anyone can,” Jayne said. “Considering what he did for us. I don’t think I could ever do something like that. It takes the greatest amount of honor in this verse to be that selfless.” He turned to James. “You had to say goodbye to your friends and everything you knew, and even most of your stuff so that we can just return to our lives. I don’t think any of us can repay that. Although I will teach ya how to use our guns.” His eyes widened when he noticed everyone was staring at him. “What?”
“Those are the words I wanted to say,” Kaylee smiled at him. It seemed like the words left her mind and Jayne had found them. “’Cept for the shooting part.”
“That was amazing,” Zoe blinked. “Did that last ride through time make your brain work?”
“I know you are all dancing in your seats,” Mal continued to speak to them. “But we got an hour before we hit Persephone. Enough time for us to get prettied up to meet with Jonas. Commodore, it be best if you ditch the wig and the lace. You are about my height. I’ll loan yas some threads until you get your own wardrobe.”
“I’ll take you shopping,” Inara said to James before she unbuckled herself. “This might be rare but I agree with the captain.”
“I need to check her first,” Kaylee unbuckled herself. Once she makes certain Serenity wasn’t hurting anywhere she will wash up and change into something nice.
-
Elizabeth stared at the sand where the metal ship once stood and then back at the sky, right where it had disappeared. She knew they were never going to come back. She had only gotten to know Mrs. Washburne and Mr. Cobb. She had met Miss Frye and doctor Tam as well as his odd sister. She only spoke with their Captain when he pointed that strange device at them and told her and Will to say anything they would want James to hear. She wasn’t going to miss them much, not like she was going to miss James.
“Elizabeth,” Will was trying to grab her attention again. Her fiancé had wanted to take the longboat out after Jack and the others had left and that had been an hour. She was too busy lost in her thoughts.
“I know how long it’s been,” she said softly. “I’m still not ready.”
“It’s a naval vessel,” Will said.
Elizabeth turned to see where Will was pointing. A large ship was sailing in close. There were a couple of longboats already on their way. “The Intrepid?”
“It may be,” Will said.
Elizabeth felt herself go tense as the navy came closer and wondered if not going with Jack as a good idea or not. She knew why. She missed her father and had no idea what happened to him.
When the men stepped out onto the sand she and Will raised their hands.
“We have no idea of the whereabouts of Sparrow.” Will said.
“At this point I do not care about the whereabouts of Sparrow,” the man dressed as a commander said. “If he was here we would arrest him, but since he is not we will hunt him down the right way.”
“Miss Swann,” the two marines Elizabeth had recognized from before had approached her. “And Mr. Turner.”
“You have come here to arrest us?” Will asked.
The commander shook his head. “Not if the orders have come from Cutler Beckett. I have heard how he had made out the warrants for your arrest. We have come to the belief that it was his decision and not of the King or the Royal Navy.”
“He lied about doing it in the Kings best interest,” The shorter man said.
His friend nodded. “Found out a lot about him.”
“More than I wanted to know,” the shorter man closed his eyes.
“We do not have actual proof,” the commander continued. “But it is his word against those of the Royal Navy.”
“Then why did you come here?” Will asked. He had already lowered his rms.
“We are looking for Commodore Norrington.”
“And his friends,” Murtogg said. “Like Mr. Eavesdown.”
“Those weren’t their real names,” his friend said. “And one was a girl.”
“Everyone except for the commodore went on their way,” Will said. “We don’t know exactly where they went.”
The commander nodded. “What of Norrington?”
“He disappeared,” Elizabeth said. “He was there next to us one second,” she felt warm tears roll down her cheeks. She did not have to fake them. “Then he’s gone. He disappeared and we don’t know where he is.” She continued crying, leaning against Will’s chest for support. “He was like a brother and now he is gone.”
-