A/N: Here is the end to this first saga. This is the last chapter and a very small epilogue.

Thanks to all for the great comments and for reading - I hope that you all enjoy all that comes next! I hope to post the beginning of the interim stories over the weekend.

And much thanks once again to Leiasky for the beta of this monster and its 350 sequel and its 380 page sequel!

***

A NEW LIFE, ch. 29: Goodbye For Now

***

Kaylee was the most nervous Simon had ever seen her as they prepared to leave for their honeymoon. He had thought she’d still be wrapped up in the happy haze of their wedding and wedding night, at least until he could get her to Santo and the two of them could remind each other of all they had, but it apparently wasn’t meant to be.

Wandering the grounds for a quick evening stroll, Simon had left Kaylee to put Daniel down. Still bothered by her anxiety that seemed to be growing as the minutes passed, Simon reentered the Frye’s home, taking the stairs two at a time. Finding Kaylee still in the nursery, he paused outside the door as he heard her talking – to their son.

“Now listen little one. You’re daddy and I, we ain’t gonna be gone long, I promise you.”

Simon smiled slightly at her words, and he peered around the edge of the door frame, watching as she stood over the little baby’s crib and ran a light hand over his forehead. Leaning against the entryway, arms over his chest, he continued to listen.

“It’s just that, we jus’ got married and so, we’re gonna go ‘way and have a little trip, just us. It’s what folks do. I ain’t sayin’ I don’t wanna go, but I don’t wan’ you worryin’ none neither. We’ll be back, right quick.”

Simon felt guilt welling in his chest, as he watched Kaylee lean down and press a kiss to Daniel’s forehead. With a whispered, “I love you,” to his sleeping form, she turned to leave, wiping a few stray tears from her face, and stopping abruptly as she saw Simon in the doorway.

“Oh, hey you,” she said quietly, reaching him and pressing a light kiss to his cheek even as he attempted to hold her. Stepping out of his reach, Simon sighed and followed her back to their room where he found her resuming her packing. Entering their bedroom and shutting the door, Simon encircled her waist from behind and pressed a kiss to her temple.

She did not stop her work even with him so close and Simon knew now that something was really wrong. Kaylee had not been able to keep her hands off of him the past few days since the wedding nor he her. They were both delighting in the happiness they had strived so hard to find, had fought so hard to keep and Simon had thought everything was fine. But her stiffness and her anxiety obviously told him differently.

Turning her around, Simon placed his hands on both her shoulders and said softly, “Kaylee.”

When she would not meet his gaze, Simon placed a gentle hand under her chin and tipped her head up so he could see those beautiful green eyes. When he realized they were clouded with tears, his heart thudded to the floor. “Bao bei,” he breathed, pulling her tight to his chest. “What is it?”

Kaylee heaved a huge sigh, as she rested her cheek against Simon’s shoulder. She felt so guilty, so ridiculous for being so sappy and overprotective and now she could tell, by Simon’s hurt expression that he was convinced he’d done something wrong. When in actuality, he had done everything right.

Rubbing a light hand across her back, Simon whispered, “I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what it is.”

Kaylee knew he was right and knew he deserved an answer. Besides, she didn’t want him feeling any worse than he already did. Pulling back from him slightly, she kept her teary eyes focused on his neck, unable to meet his gaze and murmured, “I don’t wanna leave Danny.”

With a moment of startling clarity, Simon realized that he truly was an idiot. He had hoped getting married would have relieved some of that stupidity, especially where Kaylee was concerned, but apparently he’d been wrong. Reaching up and cupping her face in his hands, he watched as she blinked rapidly to clear her wet eyes. “We won’t be gone long,” he reminded her, keeping his voice low and soothing.

She nodded and sniffed once and then said, “I know. I know that it’s totally loony for me to be frettin’ so, but …” She didn’t know how to make him understand without making him feel worse. Sighing heavily again, she bit her lip, feeling more tears threatening to fall.

“Kaylee, tell me,” he said quietly, brushing a light kiss across her lips, trying to coax her fears out of her.

Looking back to him with a hurt expression, she finally relented. “For a real long time, he was all I had. And I jus’ don’t know if I can leave him for two whole weeks.”

Simon hated that she was right, that she had been forced to hold onto Daniel as a lifeline while he had been trying to get his life back in order. He hated the fact that he was the one who caused her to feel that way, alone, and hated that even though he was here now, it would never erase that pain she had suffered, never take away the loneliness she’d felt.

Kissing her again, Simon pulled her back to him and held her tightly. Leaning his cheek into her hair, he said softly, “I’m sorry, Kaylee, sorry you had to go through that. If you don’t want to go to Santo, I understand.”

“No.” She said it with more force than even Simon had expected and he pulled back slightly to see a familiar look of determination playing across her features. “No, Simon, I want to go. Nobody’s every planned a trip for me ‘fore, and we only gonna get one honeymoon.” Simon smiled at her, and she again felt her knees buckle, just a bit. “I jus’ can’t help feelin’ guilty is all.”

Simon understood, he had read a few articles in the past month or so about the first few years of a baby’s life and what could be expected. And one of the major articles he’d found had revolved around separation anxiety for both the baby and the mother. He knew that was what Kaylee was feeling, and due to the circumstances, it was just a bit more pronounced for her than others. “What do you want me to do, bao bei,” he asked her gently, again cupping her cheeks in his hands. “Tell me, and I’ll do it. I’ll do anything.”

She smiled at him, even as a few more tears threatened to fall. “Jus’ tell me I’m a good mama,” she begged, surprising herself as the question escaped her lips.

His eyes widening slightly that she could even entertain such a notion, Simon gently used his thumbs, already on her cheeks, to wipe the few tears away that had fallen. Kissing each of her cheeks, and then placing an even more passionate kiss to her mouth, Simon murmured once they’d parted, “You are the best mother and the best wife any man could ever hope for.”

He kissed her again, feeling her sigh a bit against him, and working his hands back around into her hair and along her neck, he pulled her tighter to him. She was relaxed now, more so than before and she moved her arms under his shoulders and around his back, bringing them close. When they needed air, Kaylee buried her face into his neck and Simon laid his cheek on her head. “I love you, Kaylee Tam,” he murmured into her hair.

Sighing with content this time, she pressed a kiss to his neck, smiling slightly as his skin got goosebumps at the contact. She would never tire of hearing him call her ‘Kaylee Tam’ or making him shiver. “I love you.”

***

After everyone said their farewells to Kaylee and Simon, wishing them the best and telling them to have fun on their trip to Santo, the crew of Serenity prepared for its own departure. And it seemed their leaving was going to be hardest on Millie’s eight children who had grown quite accustomed to having them all around over the past three months.

River had tried to apologize to Cadie over the past few weeks, after she had emerged from her self-imposed seclusion, but the little girl had wanted very little do with her and River couldn’t blame her. She had not been fair to her and had hurt her though that had never been her intent. But intentions didn’t matter to a three-year-old, just realities and the reality was River had shut her out.

However, Cadie still took to Jayne, so the day before they were going to leave he brought the little girl to River who was sitting out enjoying a few more moments of quiet before they again headed into the black. As soon as Cadie and Jayne rounded the corner, River could feel the girl’s fear and sadness and it brought tears to her eyes. Looking towards the two of them, the questioning look on her face, forced Jayne to explain.

Approaching her and whispering to the girl, he said to River, “It ain’t right if we leave and you two ain’t worked this out.” Glancing back to the little girl, who had turned her big blue eyes to River, he added, “I know if you don’t get this figured out, it’s gonna eat atcha.”

River nodded once and then reached for Cadie who actually allowed Jayne to place her in the woman’s arms. Kissing her lightly on the forehead, Jayne retreated inside, staying close by in case either of his girls should need him.

Sitting before her, Cadie held River’s gaze with those big blue eyes and just stared. The little girl was sad, and River hated to see that. But she could understand. River was sad too, sad that she had caused this girl pain, sad that she would have to leave her behind. But River knew, even if she could somehow convince Mal to say yes, that she wasn’t ready to care for this child, not yet. And she couldn’t run the risk of causing her more harm, not when her life had already been so hard.

Still holding her gaze, Cadie reached up and placed a hand to River’s cheek. “Mama,” she questioned quietly. Blinking back tears, River took the girl’s hand and it kissed it and then said, “Cadie, little one, we’ve got to talk, can we do that?”

The girl nodded once and River smiled at her, surprised when the girl returned her grin. “I know that I hurt you a few weeks ago and I’m sorry, so very sorry,” River told her, her words coming fast. But she knew it didn’t matter, Cadie could read her emotions better than she could understand what she was saying and it was those feelings that she was really paying attention to. “I love you very much and I wish I were your mama.” River paused, feeling her tears threatening to overwhelm her.

Cadie sensed her distress and placed her hand back against her face. “Mama. Love.”

“Yes, baby,” River told her, pulling the girl into a tight embrace. “I love you very much, but I have to go, tomorrow, back to my home and you need to stay here, with Millie and your brothers and sisters.”

The little girl pulled back from her, a strong pout on her features that made River smile despite her sadness. “Mama. Love,” she insisted, her voice growing stronger.

Sighing, River wondered if there was anyway to explain what was happening that the child could understand. She suspected not. “I know this is confusing, but Cadie it’s what I have to do.” She could tell she was pleading with the child and wondered how much she really thought it would affect the three-year-old’s opinion.

Shaking her head, Cadie placed both hands on the sides of River’s head, reaching out to rest them againt her temples and said sternly, “Mama. Love.”

Inhaling sharply, River felt her eyes close and she registered an image there almost immediately. An image of a small raven-haired baby, with big brown eyes, staring up at someone, at her – River – with love and trust in her eyes. Blinking back more tears, River opened her own eyes to stare back at Cadie, and saw that the girl was now grinning from ear to ear.

They sat in silence like that for several moments, until finally Jayne came to check on them. “Dada,” Cadie said happily as he approached, lifting up her arms to him. He took her and then looked back to River.

“River, you all right?” He couldn’t tell if she was just sad or if there was something else going on that he should know about.

River could not answer him for several moments. She couldn’t believe what she had just seen, what Cadie had just shown her, been trying to show her all along apparently. She didn’t think that River and Jayne were her parents, she was trying to tell them that in the future they would be parents, of their very own baby. And now, with just a touch, Cadie had shown River that beautiful child, filling her with a hope she had thought she’d let go of long ago.

Blinking back more tears, River stood and kissed Cadie on the cheek, before turning to plant a firm kiss on Jayne. “I’m fine, Jayne,” she told him, rubbing her hand along Cadie’s back as the little girl continued to smile between them. “I’m fine.”

***

Of course, the one person most saddened by Serenity’s imminent departure and most vocal about it was Ellie. She had already moped in the day and a half since Simon and Kaylee had been gone, giving the young doctor a few choice looks. She was of course glad that Miss Kaylee was happy and that baby Daniel had a daddy, but she was not thrilled with the prospect of Miss Kaylee going away and now she was.

And that left her feeling more and more bereft at the thought of Zoe leaving. Ellie really liked her. She was strong and pretty and smart, and she talked to Ellie like a person, not a kid, the complicated discussion notwithstanding. Ellie often felt like the odd child at Millie’s, even more different than Cadie. She was always speaking her mind, always saying things the adults thought were inappropriate and always causing trouble, at least in others’ minds. She couldn’t help it if she just liked to have fun and play and learn stuff. It was who she was.

Zoe found the little blonde-haired girl sitting sullenly on the back porch to her new home. They had had a going away dinner for the crew with all the families and Zoe had noticed her absence. She knew that Ellie was sad and she was too. She had meant it, those weeks before, when she’d told the girl she didn’t want to go. It was true. She didn’t. She had felt more useful, more needed here, with these children than she had felt on Serenity for quite some time. Since Wash’s death, actually, and she liked that feeling. Zoe liked knowing that there were people, especially children, whom she could love and help and teach things to. It made her feel important and special, something she had not felt since her own husband had been taken away.

Approaching Ellie, Zoe called to her when she was close enough. “We missed you at supper.”

Ellie turned already tear-streaked cheeks in her direction and then returned her gaze to the vast yard before her. Sighing heavily, Zoe sat on the porch step beside her in silence for quite some time.

Finally, it was Ellie who broke the silence. “You really going?”

Zoe swallowed past the lump in her throat and said, “Serenity’s leavin’ tomorrow.”

Ellie sighed heavily and bit her lip to keep her tears back. Zoe reached out to place a comforting hand on the girl’s back, but Ellie violently pulled out of her reach. “Don’t touch me,” she bit out, turning teary, but angry eyes on Zoe. “You don’t care ‘bout me, so stop pretendin’.”

Zoe bit back her own tears at the girl’s words. She meant them, Zoe could tell and that made her feel terrible. She knew that Ellie, along with many of the other children under Millie’s care already felt betrayed and abandoned by many adults in their lives. Zoe hated the fact that she and the crew had been added to that list.

“Look, baby, I know you’re sad, but that ain’t no reason-“ Zoe began to explain, but Ellie cut her off.

Standing on the stair, her hands balled at her sides, she cried huge tears as she screamed, “I ain’t your baby!” Turning, she ran into the house, slamming the screen door behind her.

Taking a deep breath, Zoe counted to ten and then followed her. She knew her way to Ellie’s room as the girl had shown it off to her on more than one occasion. As she knocked lightly on the door, she could hear the girl’s sobs through the wood. “Ellie, sweetie, can I come in?”

“No,” was the sullen and muffled reply.

Taking a chance, Zoe pushed open the door, and entered the room, sitting on the edge of the girl’s bed. As she ran a light hand through her silky blonde hair, Zoe waited until her sobs had died down, before saying what she’d come here to say. “Sweetie, I know you’re really upset and I’m sorry ‘bout that, truly.” Ellie did not turn to face her, but she heard her take a deep, steadying breath.

“All of us on Serenity have come to care for you and the others very much, I hope you know that,” Zoe continued, hoping the girl would finally turn to look at her. When she did, Zoe knew that her own tears, which she had been fighting to keep welled in her eyes, fell down her face. She hated to see the child so upset. “But unfortunately, Serenity’s got jobs to do. It can't stay on Harvest forever.”

Ellie nodded glumly, wiping at her eyes and her running nose with the back of her hand. “I know,” she said quietly, sighing a raggedy breath.

“But,” Zoe said, finally allowing the touch of a smile to reach her lips. “I’m just tired of livin’ on a ship.”

Ellie’s eyes widened at this statement and she sat up straight, looking to Zoe’s eyes for confirmation. Nodding once, Zoe explained, “Yup. I’m thinking maybe Harvest’d be a good place to settle for a bit.”

“Oh Zoe,” Ellie squealed, throwing herself into the woman’s arms and wrapping tight arms around her neck. Zoe held the girl back, so glad she could bring her such joy. She had of course talked to Mal already and while he was not at all happy about her decision to stay behind, he said he could respect it. She hoped that were true.

She was nervous about it, truth be told. It would be a big change, from living the life of a marginal criminal to helping out in an orphanage, but Millie had been only too glad for the help and Walt and Marie were good folk. Plus she knew that if she needed some extra work, she could always help out Thom at his shop, as the man had mentioned she did seem pretty handy with a welding torch.

But the real reason she was staying was for this little girl in her arms right now. She had always wanted children, Wash’s children, but they had never had the chance and she had been mourning that missed opportunity ever since his death. Now, with the introduction of Ellie and the others into her life she felt complete again, for the first time in a long time and Zoe felt she deserved a bit of that completeness, a bit of that contentment, if she could get it.

***

Mal found Zoe the morning they were going to leave in her new room at Millie’s place. It was a nice room, with a few windows that let in the morning sun. She had brought over her things from the bunk she’d shared with Wash on Serenity and Mal smiled as he saw the dinosaurs and plastic palm trees dotting her dresser.

Turning at the sound of his knock on her doorframe, Zoe followed his bemused grin. “I left a few o’ ‘em for River,” she told him, looking over to the plastic toys. “She’s says they talk to her sometimes.”

Mal nodded, not at all surprised that River would say something like that or that Zoe would encourage it. He was also grateful that they would still be sitting watch on his bridge; it seemed that’s where they should be.

Leaning against the door jamb, he watched as she busied herself, putting away a few more of her things. Finally, crossing his arms over his chest, Mal said quietly, “You sure about this, Zo?”

She stopped her movements and turned to regard him. Not liking the tight feeling behind her eyes that indicated she was probably going to get teary again, Zoe sighed a bit and then sank onto the end of her bed. Looking around the room, anywhere but at her friend, she finally said, “I think I gotta do this.”

Mal still didn’t understand. He had tried, really hard, after Zoe had confided in him that she would be taking a leave from Serenity, opting to stay on Harvest and help Millie. He had been running through it in his brain for the past few days actually, but still could not figure out why a woman like Zoe, a born fighter, would choose this life.

Walking into the room, Mal sat next to her on the bed and looked to her. She still would not meet his gaze, which was just fine with him. There were very few people in the ‘verse who could cause his eyes to cloud over with tears, and she was one of them. He hated seeing her sad.

“But why,” he finally asked, sighing heavily as he knew he had no right to ask her and she had no responsibility to answer. This was a personal choice and Mal had long ago lost the privilege of ordering Zoe around – not that she’d ever followed his orders to the letter anyway.

“Mal.” She said it plainly, his name, and it shouldn’t have surprised him. But it did; not captain, not sir, but Mal. She very rarely called him that. Swallowing past the lump rising in her throat she said, “I know this don’t make a lot of sense to you, and truth be told, it don’t make a lot o’ sense to me neither.” Taking a deep breath she continued, “But I gotta do this. I gotta see if I can live this kind of life, if I can be the woman I thought I’d be with Wash.”

When the captain did not make a move to interrupt her, she continued, shifting slightly to face him. “You know that Wash and I argued somethin’ fierce about havin’ babies.” Mal nodded once and she went on. “Well, when he died, I thought that hope died with him. I thought my chance to be a ma, to care for a little one was gone, but it ain’t.”

He finally brought his eyes up to meet his friend’s gaze and Mal felt his breath catch in his throat. There, in Zoe’s ridiculously large, brown eyes was the light of hope he had not seen since before her husband’s death. The sight of it made him smile, if only a bit. “Being with Ellie and the others, it’s good for me, Mal, truly. It grounds me and reminds me that there’s somethin’ else more important in this ‘verse than me or you or any o’ us.”

Mal grinned slightly at her assessment and couldn’t resist teasing her. “I’m pretty rightly certain Jayne don’t believe there’s anything in this ‘verse more important than ‘im.”

Zoe returned his grin, guessing the statement was pretty accurate, although she knew that as Jayne’s feelings for River had deepened, even he probably didn’t think quite that way any longer. “Well, Jayne notwithstanding, this is still something that I’ve thought on, long and hard, and I want to do it. I want to stay.” Looking back towards the open door, they both heard the sounds of the children as they entered downstairs for breakfast. “I need to stay.”

Mal nodded once and then clapped his hands on his thighs. Rising he said, “That’s what I figured you’d say, but I had to give it a shot you know.” He turned back to her with a wide grin on his face and then embraced her, something he rarely if ever had done before. “You do realize that by you bein’ gone, I’m losin’ my only ally on board.”

Zoe hugged him back, clapping him soundly and then pulling away. “What ‘bout ‘Nara,” she asked, giving her her trademark raised eyebrow.

Mal rolled his eyes and answered her dryly, “Oh, yeah, ‘cause her and I never fight.”

Zoe actually laughed at his joke, a deep, throaty laugh that Mal had also not heard come from his friend in a long time, and he liked it. Reaching out he squeezed her hand and said, “I’m gonna miss you, Zoe.”

She smiled at him, and then putting an arm around his shoulders led him out of the room. “Yeah, well, I ain’t dead ya know. And I ‘spect to see you all and your ugly mugs more than once a year.”

Mal grinned at her and talked with her easily as they rejoined the others downstairs for one more meal before they took off. Watching as Zoe easily handled both Cadie and Ellie, bringing smiles to both of the little girls’ faces was the final confirmation Mal needed that this was the right choice was his friend.

Still hard for him, but the right choice for her.

***

It was quiet on board again. Mal had thought he’d enjoy the silence, enjoy the peace that accompanied it, but now, he found it a tad eerie. As he wandered his ship, heading back towards the core and a job there they had managed to line up with an old, old friend, Mal could feel the weight of the quiet and he was greatly looking forward to the day, in a couple of weeks, when at least Simon and Kaylee would be back on board with baby Danny. Then maybe there’d be some noise.

Jayne was out, no doubt dead to the world as he always was when he was sleeping and Mal had left Inara back in her shuttle, their shuttle, sleeping as well. But Mal was restless and so he made it to the bridge, content to sit with the stars. And he wasn’t at all surprised to find River already there.

“Well, hello there, lil’ albatross,” he said quietly, moving forward to place a kiss to the top of her head before taking a seat in the co-pilot’s chair. She turned a wide grin to him that Mal couldn’t help but return, before looking again out at the black. “Everythin’ okay up here?”

“Right and shiny, captain,” she told him, here eyes never leaving the view out the ship’s canopy.

Mal smiled and ran a hand over the console, knowing that things had changed for him, his crew and his ship in innumerable ways since he’d first bought the firefly. He had always thought that some things would never change, especially Zoe being on board, but they had and he imagined the adjustment period was going to be longer than he liked.

“She’ll be back.” River’s quiet voice pulled him from his musings and Mal turned to regard her. She was still looking straight ahead and from her profile all Mal could tell was that she was smiling. “She’ll be back. It’s just going to take some time.”

Mal sighed, knowing River had picked his thoughts about Zoe from his mind. He didn’t care so much, truth was he was getting used to it now. But still, some things should be private. “You know, little one, I’m thinkin’ maybe we need to be talkin’ ‘bout boundaries, now that your brother’s married and you and Jayne are …” He faltered looking for the right word, still having a hard time believing that Simon had not put an end to his sister’s ridiculous infatuation with Jayne. Sighing again, he simply stated, “I’m just thinkin’ we need some boundaries.”

Turning those big, all-knowing eyes on him once again, River said succinctly, “Boundaries are a construct of time and place, limits meant to define parameters.” Gazing back out to the stars, she told him, “Boundaries don’t work in the black.”

Mal thought about what she said, knowing she was right. They could try all they wanted to establish some kind of protocol out here, but truth was, they were a family and families were messy, overstepping barriers and pushing limits everyday. As much as Mal may have wanted to change that, he knew it would be foolhardy to try – and in the end, not worth it.

“Why do I get the feelin’ you’re just using that big brain o’ yours to get your way,” he asked, allowing a smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

Rising, River returned his grin and then moved forward to place a peck on his cheek. “Because I am,” she told him, and then with a giggle that honestly made Mal smile, she skipped away, leaving him with his bridge, Wash’s dinosaurs, and the stars.

***

A NEW LIFE, epilogue: Old Friends

***

Keller had left his nice, plush apartment about three weeks ago and he missed it. It just wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. He had only done what the blue hands and Gabriel Tam had asked of him and now, because Simon was an idiotic softie, with a heart that was too big for his own good, he had effectively ruined Keller’s life.

Glancing around the dingy room in one of Capitol City’s more shady neighborhoods, Keller sighed heavily and again tried to swallow down his anger.

Running from the blue hands was its own art form and while Keller had not been born with the innate talent necessary, he had quickly adopted it in the past few weeks.

After Gabriel Tam had left him, passed out in his office at the hospital, Keller had disappeared, falling off the map completely. First there had been the fake idents to obtain, funds routed through different banks on different planets and contacts to establish. He had known, since he’d struck a bargain with the Alliance and Blue Sun that the chance that his cushy life could one day fall apart in a hail of fireworks was greater than average, so he had planned for this contingency – he’d just honestly never thought he’d have to use it.

He had tried to reach out to Alicia a few times, knowing that she had been with Gabriel and Regan when they had finally found the new and amnesia-free Simon, but almost immediately after her return, she had jetted off planet, heading back to Ariel. Keller figured it was just as well as he knew she would want nothing to do with him. But still, it would have been nice to see a somewhat friendly face – even if it was screwed up at him in anger.

And then of course, there was his old friend, Gabriel Tam, to consider. The man had literally disappeared after his sojourn to Beaumonde. No one could find him and Keller had tried, mightily. He didn’t like the idea of Gabriel, a man who quite definitely wanted him dead out and about, free to strike at any moment. But after a very concentrated search, that had involved making promises he’d never been able to keep, there had been nothing.

Gabriel Tam was a ghost. He had left his wife, not returning to their palatial estate on Osiris and none of Keller’s limited underworld friends had been able to locate him. Keller still lived with a bit of fear that he would awaken one night to the elder Tam sliding a knife into his gut, but he figured that was a risk he would have to take.

Although getting the hell off of Osiris would help. He had already arranged for passage off planet and he would be leaving in just a few days. Going to another core planet where he could try to start over and stay one step ahead of the blue hands, not that he had much hope it would work, as those blue-handed creeps seemed to be everywhere, but Keller figured he had once worked under the radar – and he could do it again.

Of course, he would be spending every free minute not focused on survival focused on revenge – on killing Simon Tam. With a smug grin, Keller knew, it would not be easy or even soon, but he also knew that it would be sweet to watch his “old friend” writhe in pain and beg Keller to end his life. Sweet and unbelievably satisfying.

***

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