A/N: We're only halfway through folks ... what did you expect happy endings and puppies?

Thanks to Leiasky and Kaynara for the beta. Enjoy!

“Kaylee?” Dasya greeted her warmly with a hug and the friendly smile she remembered.

Stepping away from him and reaching for Simon’s hand, she told the monk, “It’s real good to see you.” Glancing to her fiancé, she added, “This is Simon.”

Extending a hand, which Dasya shook firmly, Simon watched the other man’s eyes light with recognition. “Ah yes, your beloved,” he commented, his gaze flickering to Kaylee and giving her an indulgent smile which she returned. “I was hoping we would meet one day.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Simon told him, still slightly confused as to why out of all of the Buddhist temples in the city, Kaylee had demanded they go to this one – and how exactly she knew this monk so intimately.

“You look radiant,” the older man told her, again focusing his eyes on Kaylee and her beautifully sheathed form. Simon could agree with the man there. She and Inara had picked out an absolutely gorgeous dress of red silk. With a high mandarin collar, it fell in a straight line down to the tops of Kaylee’s feet, glancing over every curve she owned. Her arms were bare, but the slight warmth of the day assured she would not be cold.

“Yes, she does,” Simon murmured, almost absentmindedly, before pulling Kaylee to his side and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Smiling to him, Kaylee kissed him back and then said, “Actually, we came to ask ya for a favor.” She explained, a bit hastily, the true intent behind their visit and why they were so dressed up for the middle of the day. Dasya listened closely, greeting Eli and Evelyn as they arrived a few minutes later, a bag of necessities tucked under Evelyn’s arm.

“And you’re sure about this?” the monk asked, his gaze shifting from Kaylee to Simon and back again. “Despite the current situation with your family, you want to be bound in marriage?”

Nodding once, Kaylee stepped forward and took both of his hands in hers. “You told me once that I had to stop letting the weaker voice of my head dominate the strong feelin’s in my heart.” As the man smiled at the memory, she added, “That’s what I’m doin’.”

With this statement, Dasya agreed. Taking Evelyn and Eli aside to be sure they understood their role in the ceremony, Kaylee took the few moments of quiet to draw Simon outside and into the garden she had spent most of her time in when she’d been a resident of the temple.

Gazing at the beautiful surroundings, Simon finally asked, “Kaylee? How do you know him?”

Her fingers trailing over the petals of an exotic flower she could never hope to name, Kaylee sighed softly. “When I was gone, before the accident, I came here.” Gazing about the space and finally lifting her face to the sky, she closed her eyes and murmured, “I hid here.”

Moving to her side, Simon wrapped his arms about her waist, feeling a deep need to hold her. Kaylee sighed in his embrace, her head against his shoulder, as she smoothed her hands over his where they rested against her. “Dasya, he helped me. Gave me advice. Kinda like the Shepherd,” she added softly, a wistfulness to her tone that Simon registered as sadness mixed with gratitude.

“To listen to your heart?” he questioned, his lips murmuring against her cheek as he pressed a kiss there.

Nodding, Kaylee allowed the moment of peace to wash over her. Turning in his arms, she met Simon’s blue-eyed gaze and smiled faintly. “I had to figure it out on my own, Simon,” she told him quietly, her fingertips faintly tracing his jaw line. “I had to remember on my own how much you loved me an’ how you showed me an’ told me how much you cared. I needed to figure out that I was enough for you an’ you were enough for me.” Pausing, she swallowed hard and then forced her eyes to his face. “That’s why I ran all them months ago. I wasn’t tryin’ to punish you or make you feel guilty, I just …” With a sigh, she rested her forehead to the top of his chest, her arms encircling him in a tight embrace. “I had to realize on my own that I was good enough.”

Simon traced his finger below her chin, lifting her face back up so he could look deeply and intently into those large green eyes. “Kaylee, you are more than good enough. You are an angel, my angel. And I love you, with everything I have.” Leaning forward, he brought their lips within inches and added, “And I will love you for the rest of my life.”

Kissing her, they were interrupted by the sound of Eli’s teasing voice. “Save some of that for the vows, son.”

Breaking apart quickly, both Kaylee and Simon turned to regard their friends as they stepped into the courtyard. “Dasya is just going to gather some supplies and a few of his brothers. He said to wait here,” Evelyn explained. Placing down the bag she held, she pulled out a spool of white ribbon, her eyes lighting with happiness. “And I get the lovely task of tying you two up.”

Chuckling softly, Simon and Kaylee stood facing one another, hands clasped as Evelyn circled their heads again and again with the ribbon. They had opted for a more traditional Buddhist ceremony, both of them feeling that the peace and understatement of the ritual was much more fitting for them both. Had they been holding the entire service, there would have been bracelets of string and other tradition, but as it was, the simplicity of it was just as intimate.

As Evelyn finished, stepping back to admire her work, Dasya entered the courtyard, followed by eight of his brethren. “We’ll be able to begin in just a moment.” Glancing to one of the other men, the monk stepped forward, adorning Kaylee and Simon both with a beautiful garland of flowers. The others encircled the couple and the Butlers, taking seats around them and beginning to chant.

Kaylee and Simon, immersed in one another, barely noticed.

By the time Mal stepped onto the slaver ship, he was nursing a huge gash running along his forearm and a bullet wound just above his left knee. But he was still standing and that was a kindness. Keeping his weapon at the ready, Mal stealthily crept down the corridor, well as stealthily as he could with a gunshot wound, pausing before corners and doing his best to stay alert to any imminent threat. Zoe and Jayne had radioed a few minutes before that they were aboard and now Mal was doing his best to find them.

Pausing at the end of a long corridor, Mal viewed his options, right or left. Frowning, he had decided to play a quick game of eeny-meeny-miney-mo, when he heard a scuffle of boots and the click of gun. Cementing himself to the wall at his back, he raised his own pistol, concentrating hard on identifying the threat. Muttering a quick prayer that he’d live to tell the tale, he whirled away, his gun swinging to point at his attacker and coming face-to-face with Zoe.

“Sir.” She dropped her firearm back to her side casually, as if she hadn’t just been a hairs-breath from riddling her best friend with a few holes. As Mal also let his arm fall lax, she said, “Jayne should be here in a minute.”

“Anything?” Mal questioned, taking the moment’s rest to wipe a heavy line of sweat from his brow.

Shaking her head once, Zoe’s pursed lips and empty eyes conveyed more to Mal than words. “Nope.”

“Mal! Zoe!” Both of them started a bit as Jayne’s gruff voice sounded over their comms. Flipping his on first, Mal questioned, “What is it, Jayne?”

“Not good,” the merc answered, his voice tight with either fear or rage. “You better get down here.”

Throwing Zoe a grimace, Mal turned to head in the opposite direction, following his friend’s lead. “Where are you?”

Inara had just finished reading a story to a group of five-year-olds, each of them full of a wide-eyed innocence that nearly broke her heart. She had not had a lot of cause to be surrounded by children, but Inara found that the more she volunteered in the orphanage, the more her heart ached to know the unconditional love of a child, to hold a small life in her arms and know that she could care for and protect it.

And, of course, these realizations only made the sting of her previous loss all the more painful. Watching as the children filed out of the room, she had to wonder how Kaylee had managed to survive volunteering here, when she knew how devastated the younger woman had been at the knowledge of her miscarriage.

Shaking the thought away, Inara rose, placing the book back on the shelf and moving about the small library to pick up. Turning with an armful of mats, she stopped abruptly as she was confronted with a small boy, his dark hair and blue eyes regarding her with a look of pure curiosity.

“Hello there,” Inara greeted him warmly, smiling to him before continuing to clean up. “How are you?”

“M’okay,” he answered, still standing in the door, studying her as she moved about.

Inara smiled softly at his intensity. She had seen him in passing a handful of times, but had never really had cause to speak with him.

“Do you know Miss Kaylee?”

Pausing, Inara turned to him, seeing for the first time just the slightest hint of concern on his face. Sitting down in a nearby chair, she beckoned him forward and he came, taking her hand as she reached out to him. Looking into his sad eyes, she asked, “What’s your name?”

“Asher,” he said, smiling sheepishly and dropping his gaze to his feet.

“Well, Asher, I’m Inara and yes, I do know Miss Kaylee. She’s a very good friend of mine.”

Barely contained hope lighting his face, Asher’s eyes snapped up to regard her as he asked breathlessly, “Where is she? I ain’t seen her in days.”

Smiling to him softly, Inara rested a hand to his cheek. “I know, sweetheart, but Miss Kaylee, well …” She didn’t want to scare the boy, but she knew she’d have to give him some explanation. “Miss Kaylee hasn’t been feeling very well. She’s needed to rest.”

“Is she coming back?” he asked, his voice teetering on the edge of a whine.

Nodding, Inara told him, “I think she will. She’s just going to need some time.”

Releasing a heavy sigh, Asher offered her a big grin that brought a small chuckle to Inara’s lips. “Oh, okay, good. ‘Cause I like her. I like her an’ Doctor Simon.”

Hugging him quickly, Inara ruffled his hair and told him, “I like them, too. Now, why don’t you head to the kitchen? I think it’s time for a snack.”

“Okay,” he said brightly, any previous hint at his melancholy gone. “See ya, Miss Inara.”

Smiling long after he’d left the room, Inara had never felt more happiness and sadness in one single moment than she did now. Making a decision, she rose, smoothing her dress and heading from the room. She was here to get answers and so, she would.

Simon and Kaylee were nestled into the opposite bench of the hovercar as it whisked the newlyweds and the Butlers back towards the Butlers’ estate. Hands and arms wrapped together, it was almost impossible to tell where one of them ended and the other began and Eli and Evelyn could only smile at them knowingly as they cuddled and whispered, seemingly oblivious to the other passengers.

Stealing kisses whenever they could, Simon and Kaylee had never been happier. Despite all that was happening, they were now officially married, matching rings on their fingers and peace in their hearts. Simon wondered, not for the first time that day, how he’d ever gotten so lucky.

Reluctantly pulling his gaze away from Kaylee’s shining eyes, he looked to their hosts and said, “Thank you, really. We can never repay you for-“

Holding up his hand to stop Simon from another round of “thank you”s, Eli told him, “We’ve already told you, Simon, it was our pleasure.” His eyes darting to Kaylee as she kept her gaze firmly locked on Simon’s face, he added, “Besides, we’re just delighted we could share in your day. It does both of us good to see you so happy.”

Blushing slightly as Kaylee brushed her lips to his cheek, Simon tightened his hold around her shoulders and told them, “It does us good as well, trust me.”

As the car slowed, reaching the Butlers’ front door, Eli and Evelyn shared another look, completely lost on the young couple across from them. Smiling to his wife, Eli squeezed her hand, reaching for the door handle. “Well, I suppose we’re here.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind us taking the car back to the apartment?” Simon asked, using every shred of self-control to focus his attention on something other than Kaylee.

“We don’t mind at all, dear,” Evie told him, taking her husband’s hand as he helped her from the car. “But, won’t you come in for a drink first?”

As Simon and Kaylee shared a look of thinly veiled disappointment, both Eli and Evelyn stifled a laugh. It was no secret to either of the older people that the younger couple was very amorous, especially in a physical nature. Eli could only assume that a toast was the last thing on their minds at the moment. Of course, he also knew that Simon’s sense of propriety and Kaylee’s desire to please them would win out.

And he was right. “Of course,” Simon answered, shifting to exit the car and help Kaylee. She took his hand eagerly, using the contact as an excuse to fall against him and kiss him breathless. The Butlers simply moved into the house ahead of them, glad for the extra moments to make sure their hastily prepared celebration was ready.

Standing in the driveway, Simon returned Kaylee’s fervent kiss, his arms wrapped around her tightly, their bodies pressed together. Pulling apart and gasping for breath, Simon murmured, “Mrs. Tam, I do believe you are insatiable.”

Squealing softly, Kaylee kissed along his jaw line and begged, “Say it again.”

Quirking his eyebrows, Simon teased her as he nipped at her lower lip. “Insatiable?”

Rolling her eyes, Kaylee intoned, “Simon-“

Silencing the rest of the statement with another heart-stopping kiss, once they had again parted, Simon whispered against her cheek, “Mrs. Tam.”

Blinking back a few tears of complete happiness, Kaylee murmured, “I can’t believe I’m your wife.” Pressing her lips to his once again, she added, “I love you.”

Reluctant to pull away, Simon finally tore his mouth from hers, while gently tugging on her hand. “I love you.” Heading towards the house, he told her, “Come on, the sooner we toast, the sooner we can go home.”

“I like the way you think, husband,” she added coyly, taking a moment to pinch his backside before they entered the foyer.

Rafe cautiously approached the bridge, stopping at the base of the stairs as he took in River’s tense form in the pilot’s seat. They had barely spoken since her declaration in the galley and his subsequent discussion with the captain the night before. And it was killing him.

He was not a deep man, nor particularly bright, but like Serenity’s former mechanic, Rafe understood machines in a way not many could. His mind worked and operated like a diagnostic tool, examining situations for faults, weaknesses and then determining the best way to resolve those issues. As a child, this ability to problem-solve had kept him out of quite a few scrapes. As an adult, and a man in love, it seemed a hindrance to all he wanted.

River didn’t need to be fixed. Whatever Rafe thought or even knew about her past, it was not his place, nor really anyone else’s to try and repair her. She was now, currently, the sum of those experiences, horrendous or otherwise. Without them, she would be someone completely different from who she was right now, and that person, sitting so elegantly in the pilot’s seat, was the woman he was in love with.

Of course, none of this made his desire to protect her or care for her any less. It did not stymie the need he felt to wreak havoc on the hun dans who had so carelessly taken her mind apart and hastily slapped it back together again. But in a way, Rafe also owed them a small debt of gratitude; if River had never gone to that Academy, never been subjected to such torture, Simon would never have rescued her and smuggled her onto Serenity. And therefore, Rafe would never have met her.

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself for whatever her reaction might be, he mounted the stairs slowly, gingerly sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. Swiveling to regard her, he studied her profile carefully. She was tense, he could tell by the paleness of her features and the tightness of her jaw. Staring straight ahead he suspected she was concentrating on their crewmates, doing her best to stay alert to any unforeseen danger. Realizing a bit after the fact that this wasn’t the best time to speak with her, he rose to leave as she said, “Thank you.”

Pausing mid-stride, Rafe turned back to study her, still only able to see the back of her head. “What for?”

“For believing I am no longer broken.” Pausing, she waited an extra second, and then added, “No matter how untrue it may be.” Taking a deep breath, River finally turned to face him and he saw the tears in her eyes.

Resisting the urge to gather her in his arms, Rafe shook his head once and told her, “I don’t believe that. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with you.”

Knowing they both needed to concentrate on the mission at hand, River did not bother to contradict his statement. “This isn’t the time,” she murmured, dropping her eyes to her lap.

“We’ll talk about it after, all right?” he asked, reaching out a hand and more than relieved when she clasped it tightly.

Nodding silently, she maintained the hold with him for an extra second – a second that turned out to be too long. “’Allo, luv.”

Whirling, Rafe quickly stepped in front of River, his hands flying up as he registered the very formidable gun wrapped in their ex-prisoner’s hands. Badger’s black, beady eyes regarded him casually. “Well, you’re new.” Giving a smirk to his accomplice behind him, Badger turned back to Rafe, and cocked his head to the side, catching River’s impassive gaze. “You aren’t cheatin’ on me, are you luv?”

Refusing to be baited, River rose slowly, unfolding her long legs from beneath her. Resting a reassuring and steadying hand to Rafe’s shoulder, she addressed Badger. “You sprung a nice trap.”

More than satisfied with himself, Badger nodded, a wide, feral grin on his face. “Why thank you, darlin’. Do admit, I am quite impressed me ownself. Thought for sure you might figure it out.”

“Too many lies,” River murmured, the explanation a surprise to Rafe. He had thought her infallible. “Too many layers of dirt and muck to sift through. Got fooled.”

“Oh, now darlin’, that kind o’ flattery ain’t gonna get ya no wheres.” Badger feigned humility as he waved the large gun in their direction, intimidating them to step further onto the bridge. As he moved out of the doorway, his accomplice, a large, burly man with a large gun of his own, stepped forward to tie up first Rafe and then River. “Well, it might get ya somewhere,” Badger amended, watching with a sick hunger as River’s arms were pulled tightly behind her back, her chest thrusting forward. “Like my bed.”

Lunging for the man, Rafe’s eyes flashed with anger at his crassness, his better judgment clouded as he felt a deep urge to defend River’s honor. With a cry and a sickening crack, the butt of the other’s man assault rifle hit the back of Rafe’s skull and he sank to the floor in a heap. River dropped to her knees beside him, wrenching her almost bound hands away from her captor.

Shooting daggers at Badger, she cradled Rafe’s head in her lap and spit out, “He wasn’t a threat. Just a mechanic.”

“I don’t trust anybody on this boat, mechanic or not,” Badger retorted. As his goon again grabbed for River’s hands, she whirled quickly, jamming the base of her palm up his nose and breaking the bone. As he fell back, momentarily blinded and paralyzed, River spun to take down Badger, freezing as she noticed that his gun was pointed squarely at Rafe’s temple.

“I wouldn’t, luv,” Badger warned, cocking the gun and watching with satisfaction as River seethed. “I really wouldn’t.”

Sinking back down to her knees, River held Badger’s gaze evenly. Taking Rafe’s head back into her lap, River pressed kisses to his temple as she stroked his hair. “You’ll be okay,” she whispered, wishing she really believed it.

Badger, his gun still trained on them both, waited for his now-injured guard to rise before moving towards the controls. As the guard fumbled to tie River’s hands, Badger input some commands on the console, before peering at its underbelly and finding a few wires he had long ago identified as important. Ripping them apart, he eased his way back to the door, his guard behind him.

“An’ don’t try nothin’, luv, ‘cause if you do …” Smirking, he motioned to the bank of controls behind her and said, “Boom.”

Scowling, River held his gaze steadily as they shut the door to the bridge. She heard the heavy clang of the override mechanism falling into place and she knew they were effectively trapped.

“Zoe?”

“Sir?”

Through clenched teeth, Mal shifted his weight just slightly, trying to relieve the pressure on his injured leg. Glancing out of the corner of his eye to his trussed up first mate, he told her, “I ever tell you I wanna do business with Badger again, shoot me.”

“Gladly sir,” Zoe answered in a monotone, her eyes never wavering from one of their captors. She had been staring the man down since he had tied her up, using the proximity to her backside to cop a feel. Zoe was greatly looking forward to having her hands free again; she’d break his wrists.

“An’ if she don’t, I will,” Jayne grunted, squinting as another bloody drop of sweat fell into his eyes. The cut on his forehead from his tussle with the three men in the room was bleeding profusely and he was already starting to see just a bit of black at the edges of his vision.

“I didn’t ask you, Jayne,” Mal reminded the man, his voice a bit strained as another shot of pain ripped through his thigh.

“Besides, I’m the only one allowed to shoot him,” Zoe added, her voice still infuriatingly steady. “Been with him longest, my prerogative.”

As Mal opened his mouth to protest, Jayne agreed with the Amazon woman. “Gotta point.”

“Hey!”

A low, throaty clucking could be heard and the three captives turned their attention to the opposite doorway as Badger sauntered through, a guard at his back who was doing his best to stifle the flow of blood from his nostrils. Smirking as Mal assumed River had had a hand in that, Mal stated, “Badger, nice to see you out an’ about.”

“No, it ain’t,” the little man retorted, eyeing each of them appraisingly before focusing back on Mal. His gaze lingering over the blood-stained pant leg, Badger commented, “That’s a bit of an injury you got there.”

Shrugging, Mal forced his tone to stay even. “This? Nah, not more than a mosquito bite.”

In silence, Badger moved forward, kneeling before Mal. As the two men held the stare, Zoe and Jayne tensed wondering if he was going to call on them in the next moment to launch an escape. But Mal was not an idiot – despite the tactical failings of many of his plans – and so he stayed still, content to glare at his captor.

“It occurs to me, I’ve been waitin’ a long time to get the better of you,” Badger stated tauntingly. “Who knew I jus’ needed ta tip ya off to some slavers for it be so gorram easy.”

“Where are those people, Badger?” Mal demanded, ignoring the man’s attempt to egg Mal into a fight. Despite their very dire situation at the moment, Mal was just a bit more concerned about what Kaylee would do should he return to her empty-handed.

“Well, that’s the beauty, see?” Badger smiled and it was not beautiful at all. “I’ve already shipped ‘em off to their final destination. They’re gone, Reynolds. Sold to the highest bidder, no doubt slavin’ ‘way in some mine or some such.” Straightening again, Badger tweaked his ratty lapels, puffing out his chest like a deformed penguin. “An’ me, I’m filthy rich.”

“Ya got filthy, right,” Jayne muttered receiving a sharp blow to his already bleeding head for his trouble. Biting back a curse, he chose instead to glower at his guard, already formulating the different ways he would mutilate the man once he was free.

Nodding in the general direction of the other ship, Mal commented, “So, I’m guessin’ the Amistad, that was you’re doin’ as well?”

Smiling toothily, Badger preened. “Yup, gotta admit, thought that feng le girl was gonna mess up my plans, but ‘parently, my mind’s too complex, even for her.”

Muttering a curse, Mal shot back, “Complex ain’t the word I would use.”

With anger burning in his gaze, Badger stepped forward, slamming his foot on top of Mal’s already bloody knee. Hearing something pop, Mal screamed as the swift motion caused mind-numbing pain to shoot through his body. Panting as Badger moved back, smiling vindictively at the now writhing captain, he turned to his men and said, “Let’s go.”

“Try not to miss me,” Badger mocked over his shoulder as his men preceded him out the door. Flashing Mal a grin and a salute, the blast doors clanged shut, leaving the three crewmen locked in the belly of the ship.

As Zoe looked to him quizzically, obviously trying to assess just how bad his injury was, Mal decided to ignore her concern. Instead, he again shifted positions, muttering, “I really hate that guy.”

Chapter 14