Firefly, Serenity, and all related proprietary characters are the intellectual property of Joss Whedon and corporations with whom I have no affiliation. Said property does not belong to me, and the fictional story below is of my own creation. (I don’t own ‘em, just like to play with ‘em!) ********************** Serenity had certainly seen better days – the crash landing on Mr. Universe’s moon caused damage to almost every major electrical system, as well as significant scarring on the hull. The crew fared no better – aside from Jayne and River, everyone had sustained injuries leaving them hospitalized for at least a week. The bullet that pierced Jayne’s shoulder had gone through cleanly and River’s wounds were mostly superficial lacerations, but the others had not been so fortunate. The darts which struck Kaylee carried a strong toxin, leaving her temporarily paralyzed from the neck down until the poison could be cleansed from her blood. The Reaver’s weapon that sliced through Zoë’s back was coated with a similar toxin. Simon had been shot in the stomach, and the bullet caused significant internal bleeding. Inara broke four ribs during her encounter with the Operative at the training house, and re-aggravated the injury in the fight at Mr. Universe’s moon. Worst of all the injuries were the ruptured spleen and kidney, and the broken wrist and arm, suffered by Mal at the hands of the Operative; the two surgeries to repair the tears and breaks took the better part of two days, and Mal was supposed to be confined to bed-rest for at least three weeks, although Mal being Mal, said bed-rest would end up being nine or ten days. Jayne was completely unnerved, but at the same time, he knew it was time for him to do right by the people who had done right by him. The very first thing he did after his shoulder wound was stitched shut was find the Operative. Standing on top of a building overlooking the crash site, the Operative seemed to know who was approaching without turning to face the mercenary. “My quarrel with your friends is at an end, Mr. Cobb. Parliament no longer guides my actions, and those who are on this moon will obey me. Your friends will come to no harm here.” Jayne knew the Operative spoke the truth, but it wasn’t enough. “That ain’t gonna cut it. You slaughtered them people on Haven… not just my friend Book, but all of ‘em. Decent folk, never done wrong by nobody an’ defenseless, didn’t deserve that. You killed almost every business contact Mal has. You gotta do better than that.” Jayne’s voice had turned from angry and hateful to gravelly and rough. The Operative turned to face Jayne, his expression somber. “What would you have me do? I do not have the authority to rescind the warrants against River Tam and her brother, nor can I stop the Blue Sun Corporation from pursuing them. I’ve already informed the medical staff to help heal your friends’ wounds. Parliament does not yet know I am no longer pursuing River, and I intend to maintain that arrangement for as long as possible. But word will get out eventually, I will be terminated, and another Operative will be put in my place, perhaps not as good as I am, but just as ruthless and vicious. Your Captain was right, River Tam is an albatross, but her good luck has run out… she will rain down havoc and destruction on anyone she associates with until the Alliance reclaims her. And when they do, they will have no choice… they will try to tame her, but they will fail… and she will be terminated.” Jayne’s fury could barely be contained. “Not one soul is gonna lay hands on that girl ever again, especially not the gorram Alliance! They’ll have to kill me first, an’ everyone else on that boat, and I ain’t gonna lay down an’ die! Tell ‘em they can have me, they can do whatever the hell they want, but they ain’t touchin’ her again.” The Operative sighed, turning away again. “Your nobility is well-intentioned, Mr. Cobb, but futile. You could offer them a million of you in exchange for River Tam, and still they would refuse. I’ve instructed repair crews to begin work on Serenity. There will be no cost to Malcolm Reynolds, nor any other crew. Hopefully the work will be complete by the time your friends feel better. Do you know anything about Firefly class ships? The crews will need someone to guide their work. Or perhaps River can—” “Not one of them gorram purple-bellies is goin’ anywhere near River Tam. Them that have questions can ask me. In fact, that’s the first thing yer gonna do… tell every gorram person on this gŏu shĭ moon that River Tam is off-limits, an’ as her personal bodyguard ‘til we get off this gorram wasteland, I’m tellin’ you right now that anyone so much as asks the girl what her favorite color is, I will personally rip their throat out.” The cold gleam in Jayne’s eyes was fearsome, rivaling any the Operative had ever seen. “An’ after that, yer gonna refuel the ship an’ all the spare fuel cells we got. An’ after that, yer gonna give us every single gorram piece of platinum you have access to… fancy government type like you always has a bank account filled with funds to help ‘em do what they gotta do an’ go where they gotta go.” The Operative hesitated for a moment before whispering into the com unit on his wrist. Turning back to Jayne and walking past him, the Operative made his way to the stairs, Jayne following close behind. “I do not exist, Mr. Cobb, therefore I have no need of money. But I have seen to it that your other requests are met. If you will follow me, I will introduce you to the head of the repair crews.” The two men left the building a few moments later, completely unaware that they had been observed. For the next week, Jayne and River worked side-by-side, repairing Serenity during the day, and taking turns visiting the crew members in the evenings while the other stood guard duty. They spoke few words, but none seemed necessary. For the first time since her rescue from the Academy, River was able to selectively filter whose thoughts she heard and whose thoughts she could ignore. Consequently, River was able to tune out everyone but Jayne while they worked, and every time Jayne needed a tool or a spare set of hands, River was ready and waiting. Jayne was completely unwilling to let River leave his supervision, still not trusting of the Alliance workers surrounding them at all times. Jayne handled all communication with the workers and medical staff, River content to simply stand by and answer Jayne’s own questions. River had taken to going to bed at the same time as Jayne, but sleeping only for a few hours before sneaking out into the night to take walks. With only minimal Alliance personnel wandering about, it was easy for River to go about her way unobserved. On one particular evening, she noticed that two guards sitting in front of a small unmarked tent only a few hundred feet from Serenity’s cargo bay had fallen asleep drunk. Feeling curious, River snuck past them into the tent, and was pleasantly surprised to see a number of shelves, each containing two cases approximately the size of her own body. At the end of the tent, two cases lay open. The one on the left contained approximately thirty small caliber hand-guns, each slightly different, and River could see from the indentations in the foam that two had been removed. The contents of the case on right, although lighter in weight, was much more interesting, and River could not help but giggle before she snuck past the guards again and stole away into the night. “Mustn’t be greedy, no mortal sins or touching guns allowed…” True to the Operative’s word, the crew left the moon later that week, full on fuel and the ship repaired as much as possible, and traveled to Haven for the funerals of Wash, Book, and Mr. Universe. Every member of the crew cried at some point during the ceremony, save River, who stood silently behind everyone else, staring at some point on the horizon, mumbling incoherently about “darker days not yet come” and “monsters playing happily behind broken walls of blue.” Finally Simon decided enough was enough. “Eta Kooram Nas Smech.” River didn’t even move, much less object, and proceeded to pass out and fall directly into Jayne. Only Jayne’s quick reflexes saved River from falling face first into the dirt. Jayne scooped up River into his arms, glaring at Simon. “A little warnin’ nex’ time would be ‘ppreciated, Doc. ‘Less ya think moonbrain could do with more craziness on ‘count of smashin’ her pretty face on the rocks.” Jayne walked off towards Serenity, leaving a scowling Simon in his wake. Kaylee turned to Simon with a raised eyebrow. “Was that really necessary?” Kaylee started to follow Jayne. Simon put his hand on Kaylee’s shoulder and she turned back to face him. “She was suffering, Kaylee. You heard her, you saw how worked up she was getting. Besides, isn’t that why we have it?” Kaylee forcefully dislodged Simon’s hand. “No, that ain’t we why have it and you know it!” She was trying to whisper and be respectful, but wasn’t having much success. “I’m gonna see to River, then check on Jayne. I best not see you again ‘til we hit black, or I might find a way to leave you in the airlock ‘til we get ‘nother job. At a funeral, you disrespectful…” Kaylee didn’t need to finish her sentence, her eyes ablaze and tearing as she turned and fled. Simon felt a hand on his own shoulder, but he didn’t need to turn around to see who it belonged to. Mal’s voice was deadly calm and icy. “Go take a walk, anywhere but here. We leave in two hours, I see you on my boat more than fifteen minutes before take-off, I might encourage Kaylee to leave you in that airlock. Now move it…” “Sir, with all due respect, let him stay. Wash wouldn’t want this, us all fighting. We need to be a family, now more than ever.” Zoë’s voice wasn’t her own, broken as she tried to hold back tears. “No, I ‘xpect he wouldn’t, nor the Shepherd for that matter. Doc, this ain’t over, we’re gonna have ourselves a palaver later, but right now, we’re gonna honor the Shepherd, Wash, and his friend best we can.” Mal would have said more, but suddenly Inara was in his arms, or perhaps more accurately, he was in hers. “Malcolm Reynolds, you be quiet this instant. Réncí de Fózǔ, why can’t things ever be easy?” Now Inara was in tears, and repeatedly hitting Mal’s chest with her tiny hands. “Shh, sweetheart, it’s alright…” Mal’s arms seemed to be a salve, and Inara quieted some. No end to the troubles that spring from that boy’s mouth…gonna get someone dead, sooner or later. When Simon entered the cargo bay an hour later, he was surprised to see River sitting on a crate a couple feet from Jayne’s weights, facing away from him towards the exit leading to the crew bunks. Walking up to her, Simon was feeling very guilty. Kaylee was right to be mad, and he was sure River would be too. “Mèi mei, I’m sorry about—” But that was as much as River was going to hear. Spinning around, she landed two sharp punches, one to Simon’s jaw, the other to his chest, knocking him to the floor. River stepped over Simon, bending over so her head was directly over his, her hair hanging in messy drapes. “The girl hates that word, it hurts. The girl no longer wants his drugs. They don’t help her, the bits don’t stay down, and they make her numb.” Simon rubbed his jaw, hesitant to get up. “Mèi mei, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ve been working on something new, maybe we can try that tomorrow.” “Gē ge never listens. She doesn’t want drugs, he can’t save her.” “River, you may be a genius, but you can’t––” “Aww stow it, Doc!” Jayne’s boots thundered down the stairs as he made his way over to the weight bench. “Sick an’ tired of you thinkin’ you know everythin’ ‘bout what’s best fer everyone. She don’t want yer gorram drugs, let her be. She’s fēng kuáng dì half the time she’s on ‘em anyway.” Jayne lay back on the bench, preparing to start his daily lifting routine. “Hey, moonbrain, he tries to give ya any more drugs, you just go ‘head and beat the snot outta him. ‘Less ya want me to do it for ya…” River straightened up, looking at Jayne for a moment with a ponderous expression, and promptly ran up the stairs and out of the bay, giggling the whole way. Simon sat up to look at the mercenary, but was greeted only by a decidedly evil sneer. Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, Simon shook his head and headed for the infirmary. “Shh, it’s ok, mèi mei. It’s just been a long day.” Inara was sitting on the bed in her shuttle, with Kaylee on the floor leaning back against her legs. She was attempting to brush the younger girl’s hair, as it always seemed to soothe her in times of distress. But today, Kaylee was a quivering mess, caught between rage and sorrow, and it took careful discipline not to tangle the comb. “Nothin’s diff’rent, ‘Nara! She couldn’t even get through the funeral… she ain’t never gonna be right, an’ that bèn lǘ wú zhī doctor ain’t never gonna accept it. One day, he’ll give her the wrong medicine, or that safe-word won’t work, and she’s gonna kill him… and then Cap’n ‘ll try to space ‘er, and we’re all gonna die! Tā mā dì mĕi gè rén zài yŭ zhòu hè shí bā gè hòu dài, tā men dì zŭ xiān sĭ xíng!” Kaylee slammed her hands into the shuttle floor, nearly crying, although whether from pain or anger was too difficult even for Inara to discern. “Whoa, Kaylee-bear, I know the Doc’s a mite stiff around the edges, but that was pretty colorful.” Mal slid smoothly into the room, and moved to kneel in front of Kaylee. “Now what’re you so worked up over? Not like it’s the first time the boy’s done somethin’ insensitive, and definitely not the first time our resident genius has had a bad day.” Inara was finding it difficult to remain calm. “Mal, we’ve talked about this more times than I care to remember. What did we say about entering my shuttle without invitation? You didn’t even knock!” “I know, I know, manly and impulsive, blah blah blah. But I figured somethin’ might be wrong with one of my crew, since I could hear her from the cargo bay, and she ain’t none too calm.” Mal had taken to rubbing Kaylee’s hands in the mean time, and Kaylee was still on the verge of tears. “What’s wrong, mèi mei? Tell me how to fix it… your big cheery smile is all that keeps this boat up in the air most days.” Kaylee tried to compose herself enough to talk, but the struggle was a losing proposition. “Sorry, Cap’n. Sometimes things get broke, can’t be fixed. Be ok though… ‘Nara’s always got good ideas.” Mal would have wanted to ask what was wrong with his ideas, but the ship’s intercom interrupted him. “Sir, can you come to the bridge? Getting a wave from Lord Harrow, wants to speak with you.” Zoë’s even voice projected none of the excitement she felt at the possibility of a paying job with no complications. “Well, as long as everything’s shiny, I ought to go see if that’s a job.” Mal got up to leave, but stopped at the door. “It’ll work out, Kaylee… always does.” And without further comment, Mal left the shuttle. Kaylee watched the curtain flutter closed again and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “Not gonna make a liar outta me, are ya, ‘Nara?” Kaylee’s smile wasn’t her best, but at least it was there. Inara resumed brushing Kaylee’s hair. “Of course not, bǎo bèi. You’re my special responsibility. Now when I finish with your hair, would you like some tea?” “Yes, please.” Kaylee relaxed back against the bed again, but Inara could feel the tension in her. “I’m never gonna be enough for him.” “Bǎo bèi, I think we both know that’s not true.” Inara paused for a moment, experiencing a rare moment where she didn’t know quite what to say. But before she could elaborate, there was a knock from the shuttle entrance. “Qĭng jìn lái.” Simon brushed aside the curtain and entered the shuttle, clearly nervous and holding a cold compress to the side of his face. “Is everything alright, Simon?” “For now, I suppose. My sister has quite the right jab.” Simon couldn’t hear what Kaylee muttered, but it sounded suspiciously like “serves you right.” “But the reason I’m here is to apologize to both of you, for the disturbance earlier.” Inara shook her head. “Not necessary, you were just—” But Kaylee wasn’t interested. “Ain’t us you should be sayin’ sorry to… ‘disturbance’… you make it sound like it wasn’t yer fault, but River wasn’t hurtin’ nobody. Got no call to do that to her.” Simon was appalled. If anything, he would have expected such a reaction from Inara, and sympathy from Kaylee. “No offense, Kaylee, but she’s not your sister, and you’re not a doctor.” “Not my…” Kaylee was seething, unable to believe Simon was capable of being so insensitive, despite prior evidence to the contrary. “Get out… now… make him go, ‘Nara.” Simon was ready to object, but suddenly Inara was standing before him. “You need to leave this shuttle. I will not let you upset her.” Correctly sensing he would be unable to make any headway, Simon held up his hands in defeat and stepped out of the shuttle, sulking as he trudged his way back to the infirmary. Kaylee flung herself face down onto the bed, shaking with rage and weeping, her words slightly distorted by the comforter. “Ya see, ‘Nara? That’s what I was talkin’ ‘bout.” Inara moved back to the bed, sitting upright with her back against the headrest. “Come here, mèi mei. It will be alright.” Gathering Kaylee into her arms, Inara held the trembling woman for almost half an hour, attempting to soothe her with quiet whispers of assurance. Finally Kaylee succumbed to sleep, and Inara held her for another half hour before she heard another knock on her door. “Simon, you would be well advised to go find another place to be.” But the voice that responded did not belong to the doctor. “Not him, ‘Nara. Can I please come in? Need some help.” Inara was surprised, so much so that she accidentally jostled Kaylee out of slumber. Inara mentally kicked herself before whispering in Kaylee’s ear. “Sorry, mèi mei, I didn’t mean to wake you. Should I let him in?” Inara felt Kaylee nod her head against the fabric of her dress. Always wants to help, even if she’s miserable… “It’s open, Jayne. Just slide the curtain.” Inara chuckled inwardly when she remembered the only other occasion on which Jayne had entered her shuttle. He was in such a rush that he simply ripped the curtain off the overhead attachment after fumbling with it for a few seconds. Jayne blushed as he also remembered the incident. It would have been funny if not for the fact that they all had almost died when that engine piece broke and the fire forced the crew to abandon ship. This time, Jayne carefully found the top edge of the curtain and slid his finger along the track. “Thanks, ‘Nara. D’ya know where… oh.” Wŏ de mā, Kaylee-bear looks awful… “Umm, I was thinkin’ ‘bout this afternoon. I’m worried about crazy-girl. Near decapitated her brother ‘bout an hour ago.” “Jayne, her name is River.” Inara’s admonishment seemed to chasten Jayne. “We saw Simon a little while ago, I think he’ll live. Why don’t you have a seat? You can use the chair from my desk.” Jayne carefully slid the chair near the bed before walking back to the door. “It ok if I shut the door?” Inara nodded, so Jayne pulled the shuttle door closed before sliding the curtain back in place. “Figure you and Kaylee-bear here are prob’ly only ones I could ask ‘bout this… wanna know what I should do.” ____________________________________________ gŏu shĭ – shit; Réncí de Fózǔ – Merciful Buddha; mèi mei – sister (younger)

gē ge – brother (older); fēng kuáng dì – crazy; bèn lǘ wú zhī – stupid-ass ignorant

Tā mā dì mĕi gè rén zài yŭ zhòu hè shí bā gè hòu dài, tā men dì zŭ xiān sĭ xíng! – Fuck everyone in the ‘verse and eighteen generations of their ancestors to death!

bǎo bèi – precious; Qĭng jìn lái – Please come in; wŏ de mā! – my god! (lit. my mother!)

Chuán zhăng – Captain; piào liang fū ren – pretty lady; piào liang dì fū ren dì jīng xĭ – pretty lady’s surprise

nī zi – little girl; Shén shèng dì pái xiè wù – Holy excrement

jiě jie – sister (older); nǚ zhàn shì – female warrior

hé huā kāi huā – lotus blossom; xiăo hè – little lotus; xiăo hé huā – little lotus flower