A soft knock at the door interrupted Derry’s studies. He knew it was Carly. They always had a secret code knock to let each other know who it was when they were supposed to be asleep.

“Hey, gotta sec? Shove on over there.”

He scooted over so she could sit down on the bunk next to him.

“Just tryin’ to figgur out these math problems Auntie River gave me for homework. How she can do all that inside her head I will never understand. I do think mine would just explode.”

“Uncle Jayne’d hafta clean up the mess. Cursin’ and swearin’ and carryin’ on.”

Derry looked at his boots, not in the mood for Carly’s joking.

“Yer really up and leavin’, Carly?”

“Gotta go walk in the world, Derry. Ya know that. Hell, I’ll be back before ya know it!”

“Doubt that. I’ll know yer gone every time I get stuck with yer septic vac duty.”

Carly grinned and socked him lightly on the arm.

Suddenly, Derry got a flash of inspiration.

“Lemme go with ya, Carly! Please! Gotta be more out there then just this old rustbucket. I wanna see all them fancy places Auntie River and Uncle Simon go on about.”

“Love to, but…I can’t.”

And in that instant, from the look on Carly’s face, Derry knew the truth. His eyes grew wide.

“Yer uppin’, ain’t ya? Sweet Buddha, does Pa know yet?”

“Lower yer voice, midge!”

Derry broke into a devilish grin.

“Ai-ya, yer so in for it, Carly! He ain’t gonna let ya go. You’ll get stuck with MY septic vac duty for at least a month.”

“Derrial Wash Reynolds, you breathe one word, one ruttin’ word before I get a chance to talk to him, and so help me, I’ll rat you out about kissin’ that lil’ red-headed cousin of Kaylee’s, last time we visited her world.”

Derry snorted derisively.

“That the one with the big brother I caught *you* doin’ more than kissin’ with? Oh, man, this is gonna be good…”

“Derry, I am dead serious. This is gonna hurt him like nothin’ since Mama…”

Derry grew serious at the mention of Inara.

“He blames me, don’t he, Carly?”

She reached over and ruffled his hair, making it spike just like their father’s.

“Don’t you ever think that, midge. Not ever. You just needed to come out, was all. Oh hey, I got somethin’ I made for ya.”

Carly pulled out a piece of paper from her pants pocket and handed it to Derry. He carefully unfolded it to reveal a small charcoal sketch of Inara.

“You look just like her, Carly.”

Carly blushed and ducked her head.

“No I don’t, Derry. She was way more beautiful. With her hair all done up and in her pretty silk gowns.”

Derry folded up the paper and carefully put it in his shirt pocket.

“Gonna miss ya somethin’ fierce, Carly.”

“Right back at ya, midge.”