Job well done, right?

A figure hovered just by a window near a large house in the 17th Provincial Human Colony on Itheas-4. The windows were dark, all of the home's inhabitants asleep. Good. That made it easy.

The figure looked down an intricately carved pocket watch, listening to the dull thud of seconds passing. Seconds. Minutes. All very subjective, really. Seconds ticked by for him differently than for other people. Other people went straight ahead. He went wherever he wanted to.

Jet checked the orb again, sighing gently at the gentle red glow of the narrow strip of alternating black and white squares. He tapped the band a little, then shoved the device deep into his pocket once more. He flipped the lid of the watch shut as well, returning it to his other pocket, and allowed himself to touch the ground. The bag around his shoulder was plunked to the ground, and Jet hummed quietly while he removed the first explosive and placed it at the back door. He placed another at the front door, and then one at each corner of the home. The powerful blast should, in Jet's experience, be enough to destroy the house and eliminate the four people inside, perhaps without them even having consciousness.

That's the way to go, Jet thought. In your sleep. That way there's no pain. You don't even know what happened, you're just gone. He shook his head. You wish. The bag went back over his shoulder, and he ran a hand through his disheveled, sweaty hair. This planet is hot. He'd never go outside if he lived here. Good thing it was night. He imagines he'd shrivel up and turn into a raisin if he was here in the day.

Alright. Job well done, right? Just press the button.

Floating now far enough away from the house for safety, Jet looks down at the detonator in his hands. He checks the orb again, and, finding the glowing band still there, presses the button.

He hardly hears the boom. His mind is elsewhere. He investigated this. This was right. This was what had to be done. It is only once the red band has flickered out that he looks up at the wreckage of the building. He sighs slowly in relief, and then goes to inspect the damage.

Jet picked through the ruined home for a while, making sure that it had been done thoroughly enough. He didn't need a bunch of unstable, spiraling loops turning up later because of a mistake. He looked at the orb and turned the middle two sections, lining up different combinations to show the different timelines and checking for any that had been marked for extinction. None. Good. Phew.

He turns away, thinking back on the last notes he'd found and the web of conversation in the memo, even going to the extent of pulling out his syncpad to check over the dialogue and make sure that he could safely make a jump and not cross an paths. He couldn't go home, he found, there were too many paths he'd be in danger of crossing if he went there. Unless, of course, he went to one several timelines away... but Jet was bored. Home offers more boredom. Maybe he'd just jump the clearest available route, and see where it took him. That was always fun.

Turning away from the destruction, he checked his syncpad and then his orb, then checked his syncpad again before selecting a timeline and moment for his jump. Just as he selected it, highlighting it with a shining blue square of light, he heard something...

Another nightmare. A bright flash. Crumbling walls and fire. Her parents disappeared in the blaze. Her brother went after them, and never came back. Falling, through the dark, forever. Time slowed, came to a stop. One second became eternity. Everything happened all at the same time, so quickly, yet agonizingly slow.

Serenity tried waking up. She opened her eyes. Only blackness greeted her. She blinked. Still darkness. Her heart was racing from the terrifying realization that the nightmare wasn't simply a nightmare.

She felt her hands, wiped the tears from her eyes. It couldn't be. She was alive. But why couldn't she see? Serenity felt claustrophobic in the dark. One of her senses was failing her, yet she needed them all to learn, to experience the world, to find knowledge. The thought of being buried alive crossed her mind briefly, and she barely noticed it.

Buried . . . alive. Instinctively, she reached forward. Hard concrete. It was slightly cracked, and warm. The sun is just beyond this, then. She pushed. It refused to budge. She tried again, pushing with arms and feet. The rock came loose, very slightly. So she tried, again and again, to free herself. She was close, and soon could smell the fresh air, tinged with the scent of smoke.

The sun seemed to blind her. Serenity stumbled out of the destroyed concrete, falling on her knees in the confusion. She collected her thoughts and looked behind, to the grave she just crawled out of.

The nightmare came to life again. Visions of an explosion and her house collapsing in fire filled her mind. Falling, feeling the rocks bury her alive. The fear of suffocating and dying, never to be found under the rubble. She was scared, terrified; completely and utterly helpless.

A man was standing atop some of the wreckage, holding a strange orb. He knew what happened. He could tell her everything. She was sure of it. Did he do it? Could it be? It didn't matter.

Serenity stood up and brushed off the debris. She was scared, but she had no choice, and started climbing up the rocks. There was a moment of hesitation before she spoke. "W-wait. Don't leave me here alone. Please."

EDIT: 300-post milestone. Heck yes.

Jet turned quickly when he heard the voice, deeply confused. He'd made sure no one was around to see. He'd made sure... oh. The girl. The girl who lived in the house he'd just blown up. How did she escape? This can't be good, this might affect the timeline...

He spun the orb back to this timeline, but doesn't look down at it and instead stares at the girl. She was a mess, dirt and dust from the explosion all over here, a few scrapes amd bruises but nothing serious from the looks of it. When he finally did stop looking at her, nothing had changed; the timeline is still stable... he flipped through several other timelines and looked carefully for loops, then did a once-over of the area around the ruins.

Well, he didn't see any of his corpses. That didn't mean they wouldn't turn up elsewhere, but...

He stares at the girl again, wonders how she possibly could've survived, how she could be alive and not be affecting the timelines. He'd checked his work, checked it and double checked it and triple checked it. This girl needed to die as well, that's what he'd thought. He'd been wrong, then? That was rare.

In any case, Jet had no idea what to say. What do you say to someone whose family you've just murdered? Granted, it was for a reason, a good reason but a reason that would be too difficult to explain. He stuffed his hands in his pockets amd walked a little closer to her, frowning behind his shades. She'd said not to leave her alone. What could he do? What could he say? He felt his face flush a little (though it would have been difficult for anyone to see) because he'd never been good at this.

Finding nothing else to say, Jet simply spoke the truth and told her, "You're supposed to be dead."

The man's face looked a little distraught and confused as to why she was still standing. She was right. He killed her family. Her house was no more than a heap of rubble. But for some reason, she felt like it was something that needed to happen.

"Yes, I know this," said Serenity as she took a tentative step backwards. "You killed them, didn't you? Does that mean - " She hesitated, and shook her head. She didn't want to know, but she had to. "Do I have to die too?"

"If you - if you really have to - " Serenity looked down at the ground. The man who murdered her family stood in front of her. There was nothing left for her here. Maybe it would just be better to die. But . . . "I don't want to die. Spare me, or end my life here if you want. I hope you won't regret whatever choice you take. My name's Serenity. Remember that."

The girl turned away from the man in front of her. She watched a few birds flying through the sky. The sun seemed to reflect off the smooth concrete grounds around her house. Prairie glass made waves in the distant hills. A spring scent was in the air. She soaked it all in; the sounds, the smells, the scenery. Today was the day she would start a new beginning, or end a long past. Either way seemed somewhat okay to her. Tranquil. Serene. Wasn't this what she named herself for?

"Uh..."

Jet just stood there, mouth hanging open infestiminally, and stared at this girl, this Serenity. She knew he killed her family. She knew. She asked for her life, but accepted death if it was to come. He watched her back and her slim figure and the way she stared up at the sky for a long moment, mind full of confusion and pondering and not really understanding her reaction.

After this moment passes, he looks down again and furiously spins through nearly a billion timelines just looking for errors she might have caused. But there were none. What did that mean? Maybe something else was to take care of her shortly. Maybe she really was of no threat to the stability, though Jet feels this cannot be a high probability.

He even gets out his syncpad, sending out a message quickly on the memo and checking for information about this girl, this Serenity.

>hey everyone I need some help really quick
>serenity
>anyone got some feedback
>not sure what to do
>she was supposed to be killed along with her family to prevent a doomed timeline I'm sure you all know about that
>so
>what do I do

He waited a few minutes for responses to come in, looking back up at the girl who stands there looking, as if just waiting for whatever was coming. He became a little transfixed in looking at her, got lost inside his head with thoughts, blinking long and slow behind his shades. When Jet finally came back to himself and looked down at the holographic screen projection he noticed there were multiple replies.

>no clue sorry
>not sure
>never come across her before
>the timeline was fixed so maybe it's okay to let her be
>is she hot
>sorry don't know
>she is not a threat

His eyes snagged on the last one. She is not a threat. He read it again to make sure he saw it right. She is not a threat. He looks up at her, the way her black hair sways in the gentle breeze, then down at the message again. At least one of him, in some timeline, at some moment, knew her. He knew better than to ask questions about how he knew her, but he knew how his own brain works enough to know that "she is not a threat" meant more than what it appeared. He knew it meant that whatever him had sent Jet the message knew her more than just in passing. He knew that another Jet had perhaps even gotten to know her.

That decided it for him, and he put his syncpad and orb away. He moved a little closer to Serenity, though not too close for comfort, and said quietly, "I don't have to kill you."

Serenity felt her hair flowing with the wind. She tried to make herself at peace, remembering everything that mattered to her in her now past life. It was by no means a happy, prosperous one, but it gave her something to hold on to, something comfortable to return to despite everything that happened. All that was gone now. Before she recalled why, she pushed aside all memories of the nightmare that she just witnessed.

She could hear the young man behind her tapping on a holo-screen, sensed him weighing his options, felt his eyes watching her closely. It was enough to make her curious, but she stopped herself from turning around; he was already quite uncomfortable, and she didn't want to make his job any harder than it was. A few minutes past by, and his feet moved closer and stopped. She tensed up, fearing the worst and hoping for the best.

"I don't have to kill you."

Serenity was in such a trance that she almost didn't hear him. When the words reached her mind, it was the best news she had heard in several years. She smiled to herself for a moment, and then recomposed herself and turned to face the man who killed her family yet spared her own life.

There was a pause as she fumbled to find the right words to say.

"Th-thank you, um - " It was at that moment that she realized she didn't know his name. "Sorry. I've been standing here all this time and I just forgot to ask, but . . . Who are you?"

Jet sighs slowly, looking at her from behind his shades for a long time before angling himself away from her, hair swept forward in profile and gazing out at the fields beyond the house. "Jet. Jet Black, is my... is my name. But you can call me Jet."

This whole situation was confusing. Another of his iterations, at least one, knew her; he was supposed to kill her but sparing her didn't cause anything to go wrong; she is somehow not mad at him for killing her family and only wanted him to not leave her alone; and somehow, he is unmistakably intrigued by her, and enough that he couldn't leave. Not really. But he was still confused.

Turning back to her, shielding any emotion that may have shown in his eyes, be it confusion, sadness, hope, or frustration, with his shades, he asks her. He liked to think he wore them because they made him seem cool and collected, but it was really his way of hiding from any emotional weakness and he knew that.

"Why aren't you angry? I mean, I killed your entire family. But you just seem... okay with it. Why aren't you upset?"


((Sorry, short post))

"Something tells me that it had to happen. You had to do it. I can't blame you for that," Serenity said. She watched her own reflection in the glasses of the man in front her, and his own uneasiness couldn't hide behind them.

"If I were angry, you might be dead," she said, indicating the old pistol she kept concealed in her jacket to ward off any would-be bandits. "But something also tells me that it wouldn't have mattered."

She sat down on a small flat patch of rubble, turning away from the seemingly evasive man who called himself Jet. He was confused, disturbed, and slightly terrified; more so than she was.

"Don't think I'll forget it, though. Everything I had is now gone. Even if it wasn't much, you can't undo what happened." Memories of what Serenity lost flashed by. Her brother, perhaps her only friend in times of need, lay dead some several meters under a heap of broken structure and demolished concrete. Next to him, she hoped, were her parents. They occasionally argued with her, but she knew they just wanted to provide the best possible life for her. What a grave.

They say that curiosity kills, but Serenity was not dead yet. Turning around to face Jet again, she found the determination and desire to learn more about what happened.

"Jet, if you don't mind telling me, why did you have to kill them? What are you here for?"

Realizing how tense he was, Jet lets his shoulders relax and sighs slightly. Of course she asked. Who wouldn't ask? He couldn't help but roll his eyes a little in exasperation behind his shades, though. Looking more relaxed, he could retrieve his coolkid demeanor. The gun didn't bother Jet much, in reality. Though he had never himself experienced death, he knew it happened to his other iterations enough to know that if he died, another him would appear as he had to take care of this timeline and would find his corpse here, and know to kill her when the opportunity presented itself.

And at least now he could understand how she was acting.

So he looked at her, and he sighed. "I was correcting something that went wrong. Something happened that would have caused your entire universe to... to die." There was no easier way to explain it to someone who hadn't had the experience Jet had. "It's... my job to prevent that. I trace the events that would have caused it right down to the source, no matter how inconsequential the original source was, and make the absolute smallest change neccessary to prevent things going wrong. Sometimes it's stopping a message from being delivered, sometimes it's something as simple as helping brighten one person's day so they don't set off a chain of reactions that cause the event I'm trying to prevent. And sometimes, it's blowing up someone's house and killing everyone inside."

She had good perception for feeling like what he'd done was necessary. "You're absolutely right. I t was completely necessary. It was the death of four people, or the death of an entire universe."

"So you're some sort of time traveler, fixing things that aren't quite in-sync? I see, then."

Serenity sighed, still trying to accept what happened. At least now she didn't have an excuse that he was unjustified. Jet didn't lie, either, judging from his tone and the amount of thought put into each and every word. He also had tried to conceal his uneasiness behind a veil of coolness, but it wasn't hard for Serenity to see straight through it.

"I guess they didn't die for nothing, then. They would understand. Their lives to save everyone."

Her voice was quiet, tinged with a bit of longing as she reasoned aloud. A part of her wished she died with her family, even if the other parts of her were glad to be alive.

"Why did you have to leave me alive? I don't have anyone left. Or anything, for that matter, but that's never been an issue in my life. I almost wished I'd died, but - " Serenity looked up at Jet, eyes begging. "You know I don't. If you're going to leave me alive, though, don't leave me alone here."

She stood up and faced Jet fully, and asked, "Can I come with you? There is nothing left for me here. Plus," she said, with a slight smile on her face, "I've always wanted to travel through time. May I?" With the final question, Serenity extended her hand to Jet, offering a handshake to the conflicted time traveler.

Jet resisted the urge to facepalm. It took a lot of effort.

"I left you alive because as it turns out, your death isn't strictly necessary." As he finished his sentence, he realized exactly why and began cussing himself out internally for his stupidity. Damnit. She doesn't have to die because against all odds, I find a way to take her with me. Fuck.

Jet stared at her hand for a long time, expression mostly blank except for the slight furrow of his brow. "You have to understand... Serenity... it doesn't work like that. Maybe for other time travelers, but... with me... I don't know if you would even survive a jump." He draws his orb from his pocket, tossing it a little from hand before holding it out to her. "This is what allows me to make the jumps, but no one else has ever been able to use it but me. I'd worry that if I were to try to jump with you along for the ride, you might get hurt. Might even die. I've never tried anything like that before." Well, at least, this iteration of me hasn't. Who knows about the others.

He considered for a long time, thinking about ways he could "take her with him." He supposed he could send one of his other selves to escort her to the next point on this timeline where he'd appear... "Look, Serenity... unless you want to go ahead and try to jump between timelines with me and risk dying anyways, I could always send the version of me that actually is from this timeline to travel with you. I personally can't stay here, because if there are two copies of me in one timeline simultaneously for too long, the universe has to correct it. Meaning, somehow I'd die to correct things."

He sighed slightly, finally extending his hand to the girl and shakes it. "It's your choice, I suppose."

"I don't have much to lose. I'll accept the risks. Don't feel too guilty if I die." Serenity returned the handshake with confidence. She figured she didn't have much of a choice. Anyways, it wouldn't be exciting if it wasn't dangerous. There wasn't much point in living any more in the first place.

"You seem like a lonely fellow, too. I'm certain you'll appreciate some companionship." The time traveler looked at her a little strangely. Trying to appease him, Serenity said, "Of course, if I'm becoming too much of a hassle, I won't bother you. Look, I know you're going through a lot of trouble to allow me to live, even more so to let me come with you, and I do appreciate what you've done."

She sighed. "Too much talking for now, I think." Serenity briefly sat down to rest, and it just then occurred to her how strange her current situation was. Multiple iterations of the same person? Alternate timelines? Not to mention that she just got acquainted with some time traveler who just killed her family. It didn't matter, though. It would all come to her in due time, even if it was a little dizzying at first.

"Hey, uh, Jet? One last thing. Thanks for taking me in. Nobody's ever done something like this for me."

Jet sighs, fully and completely guilt-tripped. "It's alright, you're welcome. I mean, you're right. I killed your family, left you with nothing... it would be horrible of me to just leave you here, too. With nowhere to go and nothing to your name." There was no regret in his voice, for he could not regret his actions; he had learned that long ago. There is guilt there, however, guilt for having ever considered leaving her like this in the first place.

He isn't sure what to say, though, until something occurs to him. "Hey. Just so you know, I'm usually a much more light-hearted guy. You just kind of... caught me off-guard. Wasn't sure how to react; you know. I'm not usually this serious. Heh," he laughed a little, though his expression didn't change much except for a small smirk, "maybe if you survive these jumps, you'll even get to see just how much of a jerk I really am. It's all part of the job description." Something else occurred to him then, that she might have to be prepared for the fact that she might encounter other versions of herself, too.

"Since the way we'll be traveling is by jumping through different dimensions, I want you to be prepared for the possibility of seeing yourself wherever we end up. You probably won't, of course; it's actually a pretty rare thing unless it's intentional, but still... be prepared for that possibility. It can be a little disorienting... you will definitely see other iterations of me on our travels, though. Many copies. They're everywhere, always getting in everyone's business." He laughed humorlessly. "You might even see them... not looking so good. As in, dead." His nose crinkles just the slightest at this statement, betraying his distaste for occasions when his own corpses turn up. "Another part of the job description. But don't worry, there are certainly enough me's to go around. I'll try not to die on you," he smirked a little. He realized it was almost like he was babbling, and immediately stopped. He doesn't talk this much. What?

"Anyways, I don't want to stick around much longer, or else my dying might be exactly the outcome. So... whenever you're ready, I guess." He draws out his orb and begins flicking through timelines to find the one he'd been planning on traveling to before this mess of finding Serenity alive had begun.

"I see. Let's go."

Serenity wasn't sure if she was actually ready. Her stomach was a little queasy at the prospect of traveling through time, not to mention dying. Or seeing herself die. She shuddered, recalling more than a few nightmares in which she did die.

She looked up at Jet, wondering if he'd be the last person she would ever see. It wouldn't be too bad; he was a fairly nice guy. Was that guilt she heard in his voice? He cared, too. For someone who seemed to hide behind his glasses and attitude - someone who held together the fabric of reality on a daily basis - he was alright. Maybe they'd be friends someday. A part of her wanted to keep living to see what would happen.

The orb caught Serenity's eye as she thought to herself. It was a strange, alien artifact, many years beyond current technology. Powerful, too. She could feel the energy resonating from it. No wonder nobody else could use it.

"Yeah, let's go."

As he smiled at Serenity in the most comforting way he could muster, he selects his planned destination and reaches out to take Serenity's hand. He looks into her eyes with a confidential smirk, as if he's about to let her in on the biggest, awesomest secret ever. In a way, he thinks, he sort of is. And he finds himself desperately hoping she makes it out okay on the other side. None of this shows on his face, but he realizes he's enthralled by the prospect of having someone to travel with, someone to... well, to share the mess that was his life. And maybe he'd die, and another Jet would take his place and be her companion of he asked, but... knowing that she could maybe be the first person he could actually get to know for any extended period of time, really get to know... oh, it excites him.

But Jet doesn't want to get his hopes up. She could be dead in a few seconds. She could be ripped apart by trying to make a jump. He couldn't help that excitement, but he didn't want to be crushed, when or if she died.

For now, all he could do was give her his trademark cocky smirk, and whisper, "See you on the other side."

He triggered the device, and felt the familiar surge of power before he felt himself vaulting through timespace once again.

And then they reached the other side.


((So what I was thinking was that she could get sick, like, throw up and all that because of the jump, but not be injured or anything. It just seems a little too convenient for her to be totally unaffected. Some nausea sounds good.))

(Here we go. Feels like it's been forever since I've posted.)

Serenity watched Jet smile, and felt a little more confident as he smirked. That confidence dissipated in the next second, as a surge of energy flowed through her, searing that last image of him into her retinas. She barely heard Jet say, "See you on the other side." before her surroundings seemed to disappear. The energy burned and overwhelmed her senses. It blinded her, deafened her, drowned everything out.

The girl found herself sucked out of her world. In the blinding whiteness of time travel, everything seemed like a vision to her. Hallways, doors, intersections; all of it didn't make any sense to her. All she could feel was a sick feeling in her gut and a terrible headache. Time slowed and sped up, as if twisting her mind and body. Everything felt as if it were tugging her in different directions, and she could compare it to riding two rollercoasters going different directions at the same time.

And then just as suddenly as it started, it all stopped. The image of Jet's signature smirk was still burned into her vision. She tried blinking her eyes to clear it, but she couldn't get it to the point where she could see her surroundings clearly.

"Jet...? I think...I think we made it. That wasn't bad, was it--"

Serenity instantly doubled over in pain. It felt like all the twisted, painful feelings that she just experienced catch up to her, hitting her like a brick. Her mind couldn't take anymore and she blacked out. She wasn't sure if she was alive or dead, but she didn't want to leave Jet alone, and tried to call out to him.

Jet, if I die, I'm sorry. Please don't feel bad.

That was her last thought before she slipped unconscious.

Jet caught Serenity as she started to fall, holding her up as she lost consciousness. As he slowly lowers her to the rocky ground beneath them, he prays that she is alive, that she'll survive this. Once she's fully against the ground, he reaches out and brushes her hair out of her face, and moves his fingers to her neck to check her pulse.

It was a moment before it reached him, but he breathed out a quiet sigh of relief to feel a steady beat through her veins. She's alive. Jet carefully lifts her up with an arm under her shoulders and an arm under her knees, and carries her towards the only building in sight: a large and sprawling but simple place, with the look and feel of some sort of temple with a simple exterior and aged walls.

Jet was glad he picked this place, since he knew there was a chance that something could go wrong with transporting Serenity. He picks the decision on the spot, changing his original destination to one that Serenity not only might find interesting but also where he could get her help if he needs it.

He carries her into the gompa and is greeted by several monks that speak in a language that will be foreign to Serenity, but which Jet answers in seamlessly. They smile and he smiles familiarly back--he knows these people well and they are used to his visits by now. They do glance with some worry at the girl in his arms, however, and when they ask if she is okay he replies that she traveled with him and that he thinks she'll be okay, but isn't completely sure.

This brings their acknowledgement and they walk him to the lama's quarters despite him knowing the way, and he politely knocks and waits for permission to enter from his highly revered guru, his teacher. Permission comes within a few seconds, and he opens the door quietly and closes it behind him. The man sitting in the middle of the room smiles warmly and fondly at Jet, and Jet says politely in English, "I hope I did not disturb your meditation, lama."

"Not at all, not at all." The man squints at Jet and then beckons him closer, saying, "Do come here, child. Who is this friend you have brought to me?" he asked, nodding towards Serenity in Jet's arms. "I have never known you to travel any way but alone."

Jet carefully sets her down in front of the wrinkled old man, and he smiles just slightly. "A girl I ran into on one of my jobs." He bowed his head respectfully, and added, "I know you dislike the nature of my work, but balance is something the universe seeks and something which sometimes requires one to get their hands dirty in the honorable task of maintaining it." Jet smirked a little, and continued, "But we have debated the ethics of my work enough times before. The point now is that I found this girl and I feel for her. She has no one left, and did not want to be alone. I brought her through the stream. She may have suffered some adverse effects, but she is alive."

Jet removed his glasses so that the man could see his eyes, could see the seriousness of the request that was coming. "Tell me, guru. Can you help ensure her safety and advise me on whether or not she will be able to travel with me repeatedly?"

The old man only smiled, and nodded his head once. He stands, and motions for Jet to bring Serenity out into the hall.

---

After following the man to an empty room with two small cots where the man told Jet to lay the girl down on one of the beds while he drew the room's curtains, he and Jet saw to it that Serenity was tended to by some of the other monks. They reported that nothing seemed to be permanently wrong with her, only that she had become disoriented and had blacked out. They advised Jet that she may have some nausea upon waking, and left a wooden bucket beside her along with a pot of herbal tea, a bowl of steaming water, and a small washcloth.

Jet had since returned his shades to their place, and tended to Serenity calmly, placing the warm, damp cloth across her forehead and placing her shoes beside the door alongside his own battered red canvas ones. Waiting for her to wake, he poured himself a small cup of the tea and once he'd finished it, sat off to the side, folding his legs beneath him, and emptying his mind in meditation.

The image of Jet's face and the bright light that followed burned in her mind painfully for hours on end, but the pain was Serenity's only reminder that she was still alive. Voices and footsteps echoed through her dream.

"...come here, child...girl I ran into...no one left..."

They came and went, eventually leaving her to silence again. Serenity blinked, seeing Jet's face again, but differently. The white light seemed to grow brighter behind him, forcing her eyes closed again. She couldn't be losing her life now. Not now, not after all she's been through, not after some stranger offered to spare her life. No. She would refuse to die.

With that, Serenity opened her eyes and found herself staring at, well, herself. There were two images, though. That couldn't be right. Jet's sunglasses. She couldn't tell where she was. The bright light still blinded her. She tried sitting up, but felt herself falling sideways - or, rather, the world turning sideways.

It was almost too much for her to handle. She couldn't stop herself from leaning over and throwing up, nauseated. Someone was helping her, and set her back down gently. A warm cloth was placed on her forehead. Part of her pain receded, and she was at least able to turn her head and feel her surroundings.

Wooden walls, a somewhat comfortable bed, and the smell of tea and incense greeted her, the last of which helped her recover from her nausea. There was someone else in the room. Serenity looked over to her side and saw a young man with sunglasses quietly drinking his tea with a half-smile on his face. It was Jet. She remembered now, and found some comfort in knowing that he was alright.

"Hey," Serenity said slowly, "Thanks for staying...You know you didn't have to, for my sake..."

Jet turned calmly to smile softly at Serenity when she spoke, and she could not help but notice how much more relaxed he seemed in their current surroundings than she had previously seen him. He shakes his head a little bit as if she's said something silly, and replies quietly, "Of course I did. You traveled with me, something no one's ever done before. You've nowhere else to go. So... you're sort of my responsibility now. This is all because of me after all..." his expression turns slightly sad, "It's my fault you're here and my fault you're alone."

After a long moment Jet shakes himself out of it and smiles again, continuing, "You should be just fine, you know. Traveling shouldn't affect you negatively in any sort of long-term sense. It seems likely that the more times you travel, the easier it will be. The first time will definitely have been the worst." Again the slightly troubled look passed his face. "That is, if you choose to travel with me again."

Jet turned his eyes back down to his teacup, and stared into his reflection in the rich honey color of the tea. He was frowning somewhat, and his shoulders tense up a little more than before as worry makes its way into his mind. After a moment he looks away from the tea and away from Serenity, moving his gaze to the curtained window. He asks in a slightly detached voice, "So are you feeling better now?"

Happy, sad, comfortable, and dreadfully worried in the span of a minute, Jet was quite confusing - or confused, most likely - to Serenity.

"It seems it would be that way," Serenity said, finally having the strength to sit up on the side of the bed. She frowned in concentration. "You worry a lot, don't you?" She took a long, relaxed sip of her tea, regaining some focus and letting her words sink in. Jet was silent the whole time, still looking worried.

"I don't think you understand. You spared my life. By all means, I should be dead but you, ironically, saved me. I won't ask why, but - " She paused with a slight smile on her face. "I figured I do at least owe you something. Companionship, if you can call it that."

Serenity took another slow drink, watching Jet think. She set the cup back down. "Thanks, anyways. For everything."

Jet's pensive expression was shielded by his glasses, but his slightly parted lips betrayed him somewhat. After a time he swallowed, and remembered himself.

It was so hard to not be relaxed when he was here, and he'd forgotten his barriers entirely. They fell down naturally around his guru and he's remained so relaxed that he forgets to put them back up. He's been too emotional with his responses. He can't let himself get attached...

"No problem. I suppose you're right, anyways." His voice is chilly with separation... he should be happy. He is happy. Serenity just agreed to stay with him, to travel with him. He is happy. But he doesn't want to be happy, and if she doesn't know that he's happy then maybe he can pretend for a little while longer that it isn't true.

He hopes he can keep her alive. He hopes...

Jet knew what was coming. He knew what he was going to have to do, he'd spent his whole life preparing for that one moment. The moment when it would all come down to all and one, and he hoped that he could keep Serenity alive through it. He didn't know if he would be the one to live, but he hoped that he would. Before he had simply prepared to throw everything away for the one, but now he had a reason to be the one. He hoped the others would agree.

He doesn't want to leave her alone so soon.

To her surprise, Serenity couldn’t quite place a finger on Jet. She always had a knack for reading people, as her father used to point out. Her father - she didn’t quite realize how much she’d miss her family until now. No, she couldn’t think about it now. It didn’t matter. What mattered was here and now. The man in front of her.

Was it something she said? Did she go too far? Say too much? Jet was an enigma, hiding behind those glasses of his. He seemed a little insecure; a sensitive soul, even within the comfort of this temple. Maybe he wasn’t used to being read as easily as she did. Maybe that’s why he wore those reflective shades. Whatever the case, Serenity decided to be more careful.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Serenity replied, a little more cautious, quietly, trying not to be too friendly or too cold with Jet. He was anxious; for what, she couldn’t tell, but something big was definitely coming. Her world was about to be turned upside down. As if it hadn’t already. Serenity didn’t want to dwell on it too much. In an attempt to mask her own bit of anxiety, she moved to the next subject.

“I’m feeling a lot better now. If...if you don’t have anything else that you want to say, I’m ready to go on.”

Jet nodded a little. "If you're ready, we can leave. Do you think you could make another jump so soon?" As much as Jet loved this place and his guru, it was hard to want to be here when he was so unbelievably vulnerable because of his comfort. Usually he didn't have to hide anything here, with the people who had helped him grow and learn, but now he did. He didn't want to continue to spoil his time here.

Maybe I should just do a jump within this timeline next. It would probably be a little less rough on her, anyways... Because they wouldn't be traveling between two timelines and instead only changing their position in space and time, there shouldn't be as much stress on Serenity's mind and body. It would still be jarring, of course, but more manageable than the first jump.

Probably.

Serenity’s own reflection stared back at her, gleaming in the empty teacup she held.

Do you think you could make another jump so soon?

What was she worried about? The worse that could happen is that she'd die, no more. There was nobody left to care if she died anyways. Perhaps there was one, though. Serenity glanced at Jet. Maybe that was it. Maybe it was that he cared about her. Maybe she - now's not the time, she thought.

"I'll be fine. I'm ready to go."

Maybe Serenity would look forward to this adventure after all.