River dreamed. She dreamed she was walking along badly lit corridor. To each side of her were rooms with small windows. There were people in the rooms. They were sitting or lying down but they all had a look of hopelessness in there faces. She couldn't stop, for some reason she had to know were the corridor led. She walked faster now, because she thought she heard footsteps behind her. Each room had a sign saying what the name of the occupant was but they were all to blurry to read. She started to run. There were bulb lights on the celling, and they swung as she ran under them. She made it to the end of the corridor to find that there was one last room. Only one. The name on it was visible. She stopped at the door. It was her name. She had a driving need to go threw the door. She did and everything around River started to swirl and became solid once more. She was back in the rain slicked alley.

« oh, god. » River moaned. « Not again, please not again. »

But it was the dream, the young doctor on the wet cement with the bullet from Vira in his chest, Jayne standing over him and driving the knife threw is heart and then consciousness. River awoke in her room and found that she had been crying in her sleep.

« Oh god, why is it me? » ***** Wash and Zoe sat in the kitchen. They were trying to think of a way to tell Mal that they wanted to take a few days off.

« look, » said Wash « All I'm saying is hes not your dad, I don't need his permission to take you out for a nice time! »

« oh you'd be surprised. » Said Zoe grinning at Wash.

« Look I think this is what we should say {Hi Mal, sir, nice day isn't it? We need to take a few days off but we promise will bring you a nice present back. } »

« some how I don't think it would cut it, dear. »

« hey I think it'd work »

« course you do dear, you also thought a human finger was a appropriate gift for my mother. »

« Hey, it was a fake finger and I apologized. »

« Yes and you got that lovely sweater as a gift from her. »

« Hey, I like that sweater, it makes me look distinguished. » said Wash, slightly hurt.

« That gran sweater makes you look like a ruddin' old lady. » said Jayne was he walked threw the passage.

« Hey, why is everyone so anti sweater, huh? »

« because it's for old ladies, dear. » said Zoe standing to get some water.

Wash was about to reply when The doctor and Kaylee walked in.

« hey everyone, was up? » said Kaylee smiling.

River walked in behind them, as silent as a petal in water.

« Were arguing about my sweater. Kaylee, does it look like its for an old lady? » asked Wash.

« um.............no. » Kaylee said, her eyes shifting uncomfortably.

« See everyone, Kaylee agrees with me. »

« «Lil' Kaylee agrees with everyone, especially men. » Said Jayne taking out his hunting knife.

Kaylee punched Jayne on the arm.

"Not nice." She said.

River watched as Jayne so casually used the wicked knife he would soon use to kill the doctor to open a can of soup. Jayne smelled the soup then tasted some soup that was on the knife. He noticed River starring at him.

« What you lookin' at moon-brain » he snarled at her.

« The knife. » Said River reaching out her hand.

Jayne pulled the knife quickly away from her.

« oh, no you don't » he said sharply « I remember the last time you handled a blade. »

« It's not safe. Give it to me. » said River, with her hand still out for the weapon.

« I'm thinking, no. » said Jayne

River turned helplessly to Simon. Who was watching her from a distance.

« That's the knife, he won't give it to me. » said River pointing.

« What the hell's she talking bout'? » asked Jayne pointing the knife at Simon.

« I don't know. » said Simon, looking away.

***** River sat in her room. Simon had come and tried to talk to her.

« He wouldn't have believed me mei-mei. Don't be mad. » he had said, but River wasn't talking to him.

She felt so helpless. Everything was about to fall of the edge of the world, her world, and there was nothing that she could do, and no one she could turn to. She put her head down on her pillow.

« I just have to hope it isn't Simon. » she said to her self.

She closed her eyes and a single tear came out before she was back to her land of dreams. Where the troubles that she was experiencing would soon catch up with her. But until the she slept, unmolested, and dreamed.