Mal looked around the small room that passed for a dining room. ‘Course, space was at a premium on any ship, so this room passed as the largest room on Serenity (give or take a few feet). Still, it was home, and he was grateful to River for making it stay that way. But, Gorramit! One shouldn’t be able to talk to Reavers! Or, at least, not in a way what makes them understand you none. And what River had done just now wasn’t natural. He looked around the room, resisting the urge to pace. Wash was nursing a bottle of booze. He couldn’t tell what, but it sure seemed enough to kill a man if he happened to ingest enough of it. Kaylee was another matter entirely. Girl could out drink Jayne, if she had a mind. Look at what happened on Canton. Said mechanic was helping Simon out with River. They two were “examining” her, if it could be called that. To Mal, it was just hitting someone on the knee with a small hammer. He didn’t pretend to understand. Let the doctors do the doctorin’. He’d put the bullets into folks for them to take out (or just have Jayne do it. Man had a problem or some-such, cuz he had a habit of enjoying his work far too much for sanity) Screw it, Sanity is overrated anyway. Said man was sitting as far from River as he could, nursing Vera the way a Mother Hen would nurse her chicks. Okay… bad analogy there. Jayne and the word “motherly” in the same sentence was hazardous to ones health. Every so often, Jayne would eye River warily. Probably a good idea, seein’ as she had kicked him in the head hard enough to knock him out. Inara and Zoë were conversing lowly in a corner, speakin’ of things that Mal didn’t bother even trying to understand. A woman’s talk was not the territory for a man to cross into. Even a man who had once dressed up in a pretty floral bonnet. And then there was River. She seemed almost… well, normal, sitting there on the tyable, legs dangling a few inches off the ground. She seemed happy enough, letting her brother hit her with that little mallet. She even hummed something to her. Screw it. He started pacing. He held up a hand to speak, but Inara cut him off. He still had his hand up in a gesture that said ‘I am man, hear me whimper! Grrr, argh’. Inara knelt down before River, even taking her hand. “River, honey? Do you mind telling us what happened back there.” River smiled at her. Mal shivered. “Destiny.” “Could you please be a little more specific?” “Please, mei-mei?” Simon gave her a pained look as he smoothed back some of her hair. “It’s Destiny, Simon. What I was created for.” Her smile seemed a little forced now. “Yeah, like the fish was created for flyin’,” growled out Jayne venomously. “Jayne,” said Mal warningly. “Just ain’t nat’ral, is all,” he said defensively. “It’s what I was made to do. Broken little girl in a broken little world. No one wants her, no one can have her. It works, in the end.” “See, she’s fine with it! What?” Jayne failed to quail under the withering glares of Zoë, Simon, Kaylee, Mal, Inara, and Wash. Simon wiped away the tears that had formed at the edges of River’s eyes. “Mei-mei, never say that. We want you here. We love you. I love you.” “Simon’s right, River,” chimed in Kaylee. “You’ll always have a home here.” “But the Home isn’t mine. Isn’t yours yet, either. Never had a home.” “But you do! You did! I mean… I… um…” River rolled her eyes. “Boob. Still, River can never have a home. River is… dangerous. An anomaly. A monster.” Simon once again wiped away the tears that threatened to fall, wishing that they had Shepard Book with them still. Haven was a great and deserving place, but that man had had a knowledge of how to speak to her. “River, mei-mei, I know that this is hard for you. But we’ll get through this, I know it. You are not a monster. You are my beautiful little bratty genius sister, who somehow always seems to know what’s going on, and always knows how to make it better. That is not a monster.” “Then… Simon…. What is it?” “That is… uniquely River Tam, the One and Only.” He embraced her, and swore that he heard an ‘Awwwwww’ from Kaylee. Mores the pity. “Still don’t-“ Jayne was cut off by Zoë elbowing him in the gut. “Oooofff!” “Best you keep shut tight, Jayne. Cap’n don’t like it when you insult his crew.” “Ain’t crew,” the merc protested faintly. “Nope,” said Mal. “They ain’t. They’re family. And damned if I let you hurt those few I got left.” Jayne nodded. *** Wash looked worriedly at the radar that told him about what was on his ass out there in the black. “Mal?” ”Yeah, Wash? What’s the problem?” “I think that the Reavers are back.” ”Ta mah duh, the verse loves to make me go all grey. Wo de mah. How close are they?” “Close enough that I recommend getting away faster than we could normally. Is River-“ ”Must we go to that again?” “Normally I’d agree, Mal, but… well, she’s our only hope of getting out of here. We’re humped if we don’t.” A pause came from the other end of the line, silence cascading down upon the Hawaiian shirt clad man. It shattered irreparably when Mal said, quietly, ”Alright. I’ll go get her.” Wash looked again at the radar, becoming slightly more alarmed as they were now closer to the malignant ship than before. In harpoon range in fact. Mal chose this moment to come in, pulling along River and followed by a very angry Simon. “Captain, I must protest. This practice is dangerous to her mental health, and-“ “Sorry, doc, but if she don’t it will be a danger to all our health. Mental, physical, spiritual, you name it. Revaer’s ain’t an experience to live through.” He placed River next to the comm., taking on a softer voice. “Now, darlin’, you mind pullin’ out all a yer magic tricks to make the Reavers go away?” “The rabbits out of the hat, Captain.” She once again manned the comm., like she had done not a day ago. An irate snarling greeted her. A conversation, of sorts, followed, ending with River placing the comm. Back in its place, a crestfallen look on her face. “The rabbit’s run away. The woods are too large, and she can’t be found again. Sorry, Captain. The magician has lost her magic tricks.” She bowed sadly to the bewildered Mal. “Um, does that mean that, perchance, we may be able to live through this?” “I don’t think so, Wash.” “Ai ya. Well, I’ll see if we can outrun ‘em for now, and we’ll see what happens.” “Fate had spoken. The dogs of war are unleashed. Lo! They cry for blood, the blood of innocents and criminals and murderers and saints and sinners all. They sweep all before them, and they can outrun the swiftest of feet. They come for us now, Isiah. They come now for the young. Their lust for blood is insatiable. They are coming for us, and they will run us to ground.” River collapsed into a sobbing heap, ands Simon put his arms around her. “… I think… that that means to go faster, Wash.” “Yeah. I’ll… uh… do that.”