fellowshippers | Serenity Now, Part 1 (rewritten)

okay, so i'm working on serenity now part 3, right? and i realize that with the new plot i've worked out, i need to rewrite parts 1 and 2. there are only slight changes, but they are necessary. so here is the new, revamped part 1. part 2 up shortly. the prologue is still the same and can be found here.

title: Meetings
rating: g, for now
warning: none, for now
summary: Dom makes a new friend.
disclaimer: not mine, yadda, yadda, yadda....

The hay was causing Dominic's allergies to act up again. He tried to avoid rubbing his watery eyes and making it worse, but couldn't resist. He threw his pitchfork down, wincing at the loud clang it made against the metal floor, and grabbed his handkerchief out of his back pocket. Blowing his nose and wiping his eyes, he cursed cows everywhere and his own dumb luck to be the one who drew feeding duty that day.

The cows lowed behind him, and Dom sneered. "I'm going as fast as I can, you goddamn hamburgers. Hold your friggin' horses." He put his hanky back in his pocket and dusted his hands off on the seat of his denims. He was about to pick up the pitchfork again, when the hanger doors lowered and the landcrawler roared on board.

The crawler skidded to a halt next to Dom, and Zap laughed wildly as Dom leaped backward out of the way. "Almost gotcha, squirt!" he howled as he climbed down from the driver's seat, pulling his driving goggles down around his neck.

"Great jeebus in hell!" Dom swore. "You're going to crash that thing into the hull one of these days, you fucking maniac!"

Zap laughed again and slapped Dom on the shoulder. "One day, one day. In the meantime, meet Billy, the new doc."

Dom hadn't noticed the quiet, terrified-looking man sitting in the back of the crawler. At his name, though, the man seemed to compose himself and stood to stumble down the cargo ramp to land in an ungainly heap on the metal floor. Dom got a good look at him as Billy lay on his back for a moment, regaining his breath. The man was small, even smaller than Dom himself, he was pleased to see. Dressed in mostly black, with a jade green shirt under his ankle-length jacket, he looked somber and pale. The black stetson on his head fell off as Billy sat up, and he reached for it quickly, replacing it squarely on his head, but not before Dom got a good look at the man's receding hairline. Billy had soft-looking, ginger-colored hair. He was also beautiful, with brilliant green eyes and a small, perfectly formed mouth. The clincher for Dom, though, was the man's filtrum. Dom knew he was in trouble when he spotted that gorgeous little indention between Billy's nose and upper lip.

Offering Billy a hand up, Dom introduced himself, tipping his hat. "I'm Dom. I'm in charge of storing and looking after the --" There was a sharp cough from Zap, and Dom cut him a look. "The cargo," he finished.

Billy accepted the hand Dom offered and held onto it for a handshake when he was vertical again. "Nice to meet you, Dom."

Flaming moons of Neptune! Dom thought. Listen to that voice. That was it. Dom was in love.

"Do you happen to know where I might find the captain?" Billy was saying next. "I need to introduce myself and arrange to have the rest of my things brought on board."

Dom gave Zap a sideways look. The old man grinned maniacally and hopped up on the cargo crates corralling the cows in. "Um, Billy...." Dom started. "You've already met the captain. That would be Zap, over there."

Billy took in the long and wild white hair, the dirty and torn clothing, the dozens of weapons strapped to the man's body, and cringed. "Well," he finally sighed. "At least this looks to be an interesting job."

Leaving Zap to look over the cows, Dom motioned for Billy to follow him. "C'mon, I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew and show you your quarters. And we can arrange for transport for your stuff."

Billy started to follow, then turned back to the captain. "Sir, I --"

"For jeebus' sake, boy," Zap snapped, "Don't fucking call me 'sir.' You call me Zap, just like everyone else, you got that?" Then, the old man smiled wide, menacing more than humorous.

Billy quickly followed after Dom.

***

"And these are your quarters. The sick bay is just across the hall. Should be fully stocked. We haven't had to use it in...." Dom trailed off, lost in thought. Billy noted the sad look to suddenly cross his face, then Dom continued, "Well, in quite some time."

Billy stepped inside his new living space, nervously twirling his hat in his hands. It was small and cramped, just like he expected. Only four gray metal walls, low ceiling, and toilet facilities in one corner, but there was a comfortable-looking bed and shelves for his books, so he decided he could live with it. "This will do nicely." He sat on the bed and looked up at his new crewmate, hat dangling from restless hands between his knees. "So, tell me, Dom. How long have you been flying with Zap?"

"For as long as I can remember. Don't let his appearance fool you, Billy. Zap's a good captain. He's kept us in the air this long. He's the smartest man I've ever met and the best shot. And he never leaves a man behind in a firefight."

Billy swallowed hard. "And are there a lot of those? Firefights, I mean?"

The sad look crossed Dom's face once again. "Our fair share, I suppose. That's why you're here, you know. Now, come along. I'll take you to meet the rest of the crew."

Dom led him down the corridor toward the crew cabins, and Billy wondered just how interesting this job was going to get.