People paused and stared, but I must have looked terribly depressed,
because only one person dared to stop and talk. Her name was Jane —
no last name given. She was in her late fifties, about as old as I'd be if were still Fred.

Dollar Runaways Chapters 13 and 14 of 26 by Tiffany Shar Edited by Carla Ann

Megan Franchino knows her chance for escape is now or never. With school finally out for her son Antonio, and her abusive husband going out of town she just might get far enough away before he starts looking for them. If they fail to get away, Megan knows she will not live to regret trying. There is no choice though, their recent injuries prove that if they stay one or both of them will eventually die from the beatings.

There is only one place she might feel safe to go, but will she be welcome there? Can she even get there? How long can she stay? What then? And if her husband's family does catch up to them, is there any way to keep Tony safe?

In the third part of FIREFLY: CHANGING COURSE, several crew members deal with what it means to navigate in places they’ve never been, and River’s hacking skills could force the crew to chart a course back to a place that’s never been lucky for them in the past.

This is a fan fiction set in the Firefly/Serenity universe created by Joss Whedon. It takes place after the events in the television series and the companion motion picture that followed, and is also the third part of a sequel to Firefly: Double Booked, which was in turn a sequel to Firefly: Connecting Flight. This means it might have SPOILERS, folks, and major ones at that. So please don't read this unless you get the chance to see the series and the movie -- and read my first two Firefly stories.

Dollar Runaways Chapters 11 and 12 of 26 by Tiffany Shar Edited by Carla Ann

Megan Franchino knows her chance for escape is now or never. With school finally out for her son Antonio, and her abusive husband going out of town she just might get far enough away before he starts looking for them. If they fail to get away, Megan knows she will not live to regret trying. There is no choice though, their recent injuries prove that if they stay one or both of them will eventually die from the beatings.

There is only one place she might feel safe to go, but will she be welcome there? Can she even get there? How long can she stay? What then? And if her husband's family does catch up to them, is there any way to keep Tony safe?

Sweet Dreams-56

Chapter 56

*Before…

Alex looks at me when he gets out. “You okay?”
“Yeah I’m just having that kind of hitting me again.”
“What?”
“That actual feeling of home?”
“You are home.”
“But it’s still something that I never really got before Alex; everything else was kinda just a squat. I’m having that full on thing where I had no idea I missed our bed so much until I climbed in it tonight.”
He smiles that soft little secret smile of his…that one that’s only partway on his lips but all the way in his eyes and I sigh and tilt my head up to meet him as he leans down to kiss me and we do that for a while before we end up snuggling up together and actually sleeping.
I missed that too…curling up with him and spooning.
It actually takes me the better part of three quarters of an hour before sleep overtakes me.
The rest of that time I was just sort of soaking in that feeling.
Home, safe and loved.

*And Now…

Julina's day started out relatively unencumbered – started out, you will have noticed

 
Julina of Blackstone
Her Chronicles

by Julia Phillips

018 – Making The Grade

Images 55

Chapter 55

*Before…

I kiss him again. “A day off, a real day off.”

He’s actually grinning. “Yeah, and there’ll be more I promise. I’m not working my way away from my family not when I just got them.”

We head upstairs and I’ll admit it…I’m happy, I’m choked up because he really gets it…family, those you love they come first. This is the way that I want to live my life.
This is the way I’m going to live my life.

*And Now…

 
Now it was Arrow's turn to tear up. "God damn it!" he said softly. Then, mastering himself,
he stopped the tears and looked at me. "I never thought I'd ever say this, but I wish you had gone to Vietnam."

"Why?" I cried, horrified.

 
I scoffed, disgusted, and without thinking said, "Kristy was right."

"It's interesting that you say that," Arrow observed.
"Have you thought about why she told me about you?"