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!) ********************** Now everyone rushed to the floor of the bay. Zoë stood her ground, still cautious. Inara and Mal were caught in between running to tear River loose and fear of how River might react. Kaylee was forced to physically restrain an anxious Simon, who either didn’t care what his sister would do or wasn’t contemplating the issue at all. But one movement from River froze them all in place. Somehow she had slipped a hand to Jayne’s waist holster, completely unnoticed, and had retrieved his LeMat. Now she was holding it shakily against her own head, eyes flooding with tears, voice cracking. “Cowards don’t deserve to live, can’t trust them. Have to be put down.” But Jayne didn’t flinch. River was now facing the group, but Jayne still had one arm wrapped protectively around her waist. Bringing a finger from his other hand to his lips, he indicated for everyone to stay quiet, before slowly moving to take River’s hand, and took back his gun. Flipping the LeMat to Mal, he brought his now free hand back to River, drawing her back into his chest while the other hand soothingly stroked her back. “Don’t keep that one loaded while we’re in the black. Lucky I wasn’t carrying Lucy though…” Mal gaped as he caught the firearm, terrified that Jayne might have forgotten to unload it, and nervous at the prospect of having the gun sail fifteen feet across the bay for him to catch. Luckily for Mal, he did manage to catch the weapon, and without touching the trigger. Immediately he released the catch to eject the cylinder and found it empty. Sighing in relief, he closed it before sliding into his waistband for safe-keeping. “Glad to see you do listen on occasion.” Mal started to walk towards Jayne and River, but thought better of it. “Doc, kitchen, mă shàng! ‘Nara, you stay, see if you can figure out what the gŏu shĭ happened in the last five minutes. Zoë, you supervise, but see if you can keep the hysteria and violence to a minimum. Kaylee, you go find someplace else to be, dŏng ma?” Kaylee was verging on tears of her own, the image of River with Jayne’s gun against her own head burning in her mind. What’s goin’ on? Everything was all shiny! “But Cap’n––” I don’t have time for this… have to make it up to her later. “No arguments! I don’t care if you re-wire the whole gorram engine, you stay clear ‘til I come get you. Nĭ míng bai wŏ ma? Or does Zoë need to lock you in your bunk?” Kaylee didn’t seem to even hear the threat. Before Mal had even finished, she was already fleeing towards the engine room, leaving a trail of angry sobs and tears in her wake. “Simon, what part of mă shàng don’t you understand?” Without Kaylee holding him any longer, Simon had slowly started creeping towards Jayne and River. I’m not sure if I’m better off with River or Mal, but maybe if I could get her away from Jayne… At that thought, River turned and fixed him with the coldest stare he’d ever seen on her face. Apparently I think too loud… With a defeated sigh, he stopped and turned back to the stairs, grudgingly dragging himself to the kitchen. Mal waited until Simon was out of earshot before approaching River and Jayne, hands held outwards and palms up in a gesture of submission. “Know you ain’t happy with me right now, nī zi, and I don’t know if you knew whether that gun was loaded or not. But let’s see if we can’t fix what’s botherin’ you without anymore gun play, please? How’s about you talk with ‘Nara and Zoë for a few minutes while I go chat with your brother?” River turned to face Mal, her eyes glassy. “Can’t fix what they broke. But you can stop it from getting worse.” River slid smoothly from Jayne’s arms and sat down on the weight bench, looking up at Mal again. “Take him with you to talk to gē ge. Have to trust him, knows how to save the broken pieces he took back from the water.” River tapped Jayne on the shoulder, getting him to turn around and look at her. “Won’t forget, we have a bargain, have to hold up my end.” Jayne got to his knees and hugged River before standing. “What’d ya want me to do, Mal?” Mal nodded his head towards the stairs before turning to leave. Jayne began to follow before River caught his hand. “I’m sorry.” Jayne rubbed his thumb over River’s smaller hand before letting go. “Nothin’ to be sorry ‘bout. My fault.” Jayne turned and followed Mal to the kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time. Zoë watched him leave before turning back to River. This is not going to end well… “River, is it ok for us to sit down with you?” River nodded, moving to sit in the middle of the bench, leaving seats on either side of her. Zoë motioned for Inara to sit on the outside before placing herself between River and the bar. “This is important, need you to focus for me. I need you to talk with Inara, help us figure out what’s going on. Can you do that for us?” “Saw something painful, he didn’t mean to show me. Couldn’t focus, felt it happening all over again.” Inara wrapped an arm over River’s shoulders, using her free hand to wipe the tears from River’s face with a handkerchief. “Tell me, bǎo bèi, what did you see? Something that’s going to happen or something that already has?” “His past. Not my story to tell. But he did what was right, took another’s punishment on himself.” Inara gave River her handkerchief before turning and straddling the bench. Turning River’s shoulders slightly, the lithe girl copied her, leaning back against her and facing Zoë. “What did you mean what you said you felt it happening again?” “Could feel the pain he felt back then. Couldn’t stop it, hurt so much. Had to make it stop, thought his gun was loaded. But I couldn’t pull the trigger, too scared. Coward.” River’s voice dropped off as she spoke, the last word only a whisper. Tears began anew, and she was beginning to lose focus again, until she felt a hand on her knee. “Are not. Not too scared to pull that trigger neither, you fought.” Zoë’s face was stony. “Brave people, strong people, they fight. Like you did, wouldn’t let the abyss swallow you.” River forced herself to wipe her eyes and look at Zoë. “Weak, not strong. Saw it once, barely walked away. You’re the strong one, the brave one. You see it every day.” Inara gasped in disbelief that River could be so tactless. But Zoë simply shook her head. “Wrong there, little one. Ask the Captain where my guns are. If I had ‘em with me even one night since we left that gorram moon, we wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation. But Wash loved me same as I loved him, an’ he wouldn’t have wanted that. So I gave ‘em to the Captain to hold onto for a while. So you gotta face up to the fact that things are gonna be hard now, same as me, and then you need to decide you want to keep fighting, ‘cause I ain’t gonna tell your brother that you give up. You’ll see things that’ll make you want to crawl in a hole and die, probably hundreds of times more than the rest of us, because of whatever it is they did to you at that gŏu shĭ school. But that’s when you have to fight, because every person on this gorram boat needs you, just like you need us. Dŏng ma?” River nodded in agreement, but that wasn’t good enough for Zoë. “No, little one, I want to hear you say it.” River gathered every bit of her focus to make the words come out clearly. “Understood. Won’t give in to the abyss, have to fight.” Inara ran her fingers through River’s tangled hair. She really needs a good comb and brush next time I’m planet-side. “Bǎo bèi, can you tell me what agreement you made with Jayne? Or is it a secret?” River tilted her head down to rest her chin on her chest, allowing Inara easier access to her tresses. “Exchange of information for mutual benefit. His is worth more than mine though, even if he didn’t know. Had to tell him, make it fair. Promised to spot him when he weight trains, and answer questions he had.” Inara momentarily stopped her fingers, halfway through a particularly messy section. “Jayne didn’t… ask you anything… inappropriate, did he?” “Perfect gentleman, thought never crossed his mind. Was expecting it actually, pleasantly surprised.” River reached down and rubbed Zoë’s hand, still laying on her knee. “He’s scared of all of you. Thinks you would space him without questions or second thoughts, if you even thought he hurt or was inappropriate toward me.” River lifted her head slightly to look directly at Zoë. “Thought he was dead for sure when you walked into the bay and he was holding me. He doesn’t understand why you didn’t kill him.” Zoë sat back against the bar, thoughtful and contemplative. “Can see why he’d be confused. Mal and I made it pretty clear you’re supposed to be entirely off limits, ‘cause first thing that runs through Jayne’s head when he sees a female is how he can get them in bed. Wouldn’t want him gettin’ the wrong idea, so we mighta gone a bit overboard.” Suddenly a grin broke out over Zoë’s face. “But then you had to go and ruin it, didn’t you little one? Thought you’d make friends with the big scary merc. And he doesn’t know who to be more scared of offending, the ninety-pound girl who’s beat the gŏu shĭ outta him on at least two occasions, or me and Mal.” Light laughter graced Zoë’s features for the first time since Miranda. River smiled before closing her eyes, leaning back against Inara, who was forced to stop playing with her hair. “He watches over us all now. Bodyguard. No need to fear him.” Tilting her head back until she was looking directly up at Inara, River’s eyes flitted open again, a smirk on her face. “Besides, couldn’t hurt me even if he wanted to, and we’ve bonded now.” She probably has no idea how creepy that sounded… unless of course she just heard that. But River showed no signs that she had picked up Inara’s thought. “If you don’t mind my asking, what information could Jayne have that would help you? I imagine you might be able to teach him all sorts of things related to fighting. But—” …he’s not very bright, and she’s a genius! Now River frowned. “Much smarter than you give him credit for.” River got up, moving to a nearby crate and vaulting herself up to sit on it. “Image is important to him. No one needs a gun-hand to think critically. Just shoot the bad guys, do what they’re told.” Zoë looked at River somewhat critically. She had been thinking along the same lines as Inara, and was wondering if River had picked up on that. “We know Jayne’s not stupid, River. Maybe a mite predictable, but not stupid. You didn’t answer Inara’s question though.” “Has both older and younger siblings, both male and female.” The quizzical looks on the faces of both Zoë and Inara indicated to River that she needed to provide explanation. “Need help with gē ge, has to understand he can’t fix me, but won’t listen. Needed advice on how to effectively communicate with my own sibling, so sought out the person with the most relevant experience.” Inara swung her leg over the bench to turn and sit facing River. “That’s why you told Mal to take Jayne with him, told him to listen and trust Jayne. You think Jayne will help explain it to Simon.” “Gē ge won’t listen. Not his fight anyway, have to do it myself. Intent was to provide chuán zhăng with information.” River picked at the worn edge of her dress for a moment. Need new clothes. These are no longer acceptable if Serenity is to be my new home. Zoë stood up from the bench. “Why don’t we get you to bed, little one? Been a long day, must be tired. Still have over five days to Persephone, best part of it on auto-pilot.” Holding out her hands to offer River help getting down, Zoë was surprised to find the lithe girl in her arms a few seconds later. Turning to see Inara smile, Zoë sighed internally before readjusting River to be able to better hold onto her. “We really need to feed you more if I can still carry you around. Inara, would you mind fetching Kaylee while I put our resident genius to bed? Meet you in your shuttle if that’s ok?” “Of course, Zoë. Engine room or bunk?” “Bunk. Won’t touch the engine if she’s upset, afraid of breaking something if she wasn’t paying attention.” Zoë carried River across to the short set of stairs leading to the passenger dorms, and her passenger waved good night to Inara over her shoulder as she climbed. A moment later they had arrived at River’s door, but before Zoë could put her down, River had slid the door ajar and hit the light switch. So for the first time since River had come on board, Zoë entered her room. “Wŏ de mā!” “Thought you might like to see. Ready now.” Every inch of wall-space and ceiling was covered in drawings, some in color, others in pencil or charcoal, and varying in subject matter from landscapes to abstract pieces. Except for the area near River’s bed, where there was a section completely separate from the rest. Here resided pictures of the crew, all in color, mostly portraits except for one group picture. But there was a blank spot here. Zoë had not noticed River slip from her arms, and was slightly disappointed when her mental inventory of the portraits determined that Wash was not represented on the wall. So distracted in fact that she didn’t notice River had returned, now standing in front of her with her hands behind her back. “Not right to have these anymore, wanted to give them to you, so you aren’t lonely.” River revealed her hands to be holding a stack of drawings and offered them to Zoë. Zoë carefully took the pictures from River and began to look through them. Every one was of Wash or the two of them together. Oh gŏu shĭ, I’m gonna cry now! “River, sweetie, these are beautiful. But you should keep them. They need a home, and they can stay with the rest.” Zoë passed the drawings back to River, barely holding back tears. “You can visit whenever you like. Know it isn’t the same, but had to try. Keep this one, was his favorite.” River handed one drawing back to Zoë. Zoë nearly choked. She hadn’t seen this one initially. It was of both her and Wash, but in this instance, she was holding a baby boy, a perfect combination of both parents. “River, is that…?” Tears cut off the rest of her question. “One day. Not sure why I know, but I do. Can’t get Wash back, but the boy… not gone yet. Don’t know how, but not gone.” River felt bad not telling the complete truth, but it would have been too much for Zoë to deal with. Zoë was torn. One part of her wanted to hit River, but another wanted to hug her and never let go, and yet another wanted to ask questions that she knew River couldn’t answer. Finally she settled on a mumbled “thank you” before retreating to her bunk, still grasping the drawing. Not until she had safely locked it away in a box inside her dresser did she let go. After a few minutes sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow, Zoë regained her composure and cleaned up a bit before setting out for Inara’s shuttle. River hung the pictures in the blank space once again, but now with one spot left empty from her gift. Moments later she was sound asleep, truly asleep for the first time since before Miranda. Meanwhile Inara ventured to Kaylee’s bunk, and after assuring Kaylee that it was ok to come out, guided the shaken mechanic back to her shuttle. They arrived at the door just as Zoë came around the corner, and together Zoë and Inara filled Kaylee in on what had transpired. Once it was clear that River would be fine, at least for the moment, Kaylee found the revelations regarding Jayne to be very interesting indeed. “Aww, that’s just shiny! Good that they’re all friendly now. Maybe Jayne’ll be nicer to Simon too!” Inara chuckled. “I wouldn’t hold my breath, mèi mei. Apparently Jayne is none too pleased with the fact that River can’t get Simon to listen to her.” Kaylee suddenly stared off into space for a moment, completely zoned out and ignoring both Inara and Zoë. But then a gleam entered her eyes, and she turned back to them, apparently excited. “You don’t suppose Jayne likes River? Or maybe she likes him?” “You mean ‘like’ as in want to date?” Zoë looked absolutely horrified, as images of Mal and Simon torturing Jayne to death flashed through her mind. “Oh Kaylee, you better hope not. That would not go over well!” Inara smiled, pouring another cup of tea for herself. “Relax, Zoë. I think our little lovebird here is just a hopeless romantic. I’m sure they’re just friends, mèi mei. Let’s not jump to conclusions, that’s Mal’s job.”

******** Approximately two hours earlier, picking up from when Jayne left the cargo bay ********

Jayne wasn’t really sure what was going to happen when they got to the kitchen. But he knew the upcoming conversation might be the most important he’d ever been involved with since joining Serenity. And for once, the mercenary wasn’t going to be yelled at, if his understanding of the trusting relationship between River and Mal was correct. But it seemed likely that Mal might ask for his opinion and insight, and Jayne found himself reluctant to face such pressure. Mal rarely asked anyone but Zoë for an opinion, because she was the only person he trusted unquestioningly. Can’t screw this up, this is important! She said she wouldn’t let nobody space me, but I ain’t takin’ any chances. Simon was sitting at the table sulking when they entered. He knew Mal was coming, but he hadn’t expected anyone else. Then Simon noticed who the second person was, and suddenly he was hot with rage. Leaping from his seat, he flung himself with abandon at the mercenary, sending both sprawling to the floor, and knocking Mal back into the corridor in the process. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER? SHE WAS DOING WELL, BUT NOW SHE’S SUICIDAL! AND IT’S YOUR FAULT!” Simon’s screams did nothing to cool his temper, and he began hitting Jayne as hard as he could. Jayne could only raise his arms to protect his face. Can’t fight back, she’ll kill me if I hurt him. Mal will save me… I hope. “Knock it off! Don’t wanna have to hurt ya, but I will.” The blows wouldn’t cause any significant damage, Simon couldn’t hit hard enough, but they hurt just the same. Once Mal regained his senses, he moved quickly to restrain Simon. Hooking both of the doctor’s arms behind his back, Mal locked his own hands and yanked the smaller man to his feet. Overpowering Simon with relative ease, Mal smashed the enraged man face-first into the kitchen table, pinning him with his body weight. “Best you calm down, son. Seems to me you’ve been hurtin’ a lot of feelin’s recently. Maybehaps you should remember that the ‘verse doesn’t revolve around Simon Tam, especially on my gorram boat.” Mal matched the emphasis on the last three words with increased pressure on Simon’s back, forcing his ribs harder against the table. “Now are you gonna play nice so I can let you up?” Simon’s wheeze of a reply wasn’t intelligible, but the nod he gave with his head was. Hope I didn’t do more than crack a rib or two… Mal released Simon, who promptly collapsed into a nearby chair, breathing heavily. Sitting down across from Simon, Mal gestured for Jayne to take a seat as well. “As odd an’ creepifyin’ as this is, I’m thinkin’ you might know somethin’ ‘bout what’s goin’ on with my fēng kuáng dì Albatross, and not just that fun little incident with your gun a few minutes ago. Not assuming it’s your fault she went nuts, but clearly you had somethin’ to do with it. Care to explain?” Jayne sullenly dropped into a chair he had spun around backwards, straddling it with his arms resting on the back. “Told you already, was my fault. Thinkin’ on somethin’ unpleasant that happened when I was a kid, wasn’t payin’ attention. Girl musta picked up on it, and can’t say as I blame her goin’ wooly on us, if that’s what she did.” Simon glared at Mal, his face clearly saying “I told you it was his fault,” but Mal ignored him. “Well what do you think she might’ve seen? She ain’t scared of Reavers, can’t imagine much in the ‘verse she would be scared of except those freaks with the blue gloves, and you sure as gŏu shĭ never met them before.” “Private. ‘Bout home, don’t wanna talk ‘bout it.” Jayne stared at the floor, praying Mal would accept that. Jayne should have known he wouldn’t be that lucky. “Somethin’ to do with why you can’t go back? Or to do with why you send your mother at least half of everythin’ I’ve ever paid you?” “Both. An’ that’s the last time I’m ever talkin’ on it with anyone on this boat.” Simon looked ready to interrupt, but Jayne raised his head and fixed him with an icy glare. “Ain’t tellin’ you what she mighta seen neither, like as not thought would go right through yer brain to River’s. Takin’ every bit of me to focus right now and not think on it.” Jayne returned his gaze to the floor, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to break through, his voice hushed. “If she ever sees it again, no doubt in my mind she’d go running looking for a weapon… and she wouldn’t wait on none of us to try and stop ‘er neither, she’d just end it. So you decide you want ‘er dead, just go ahead an’ ask either one of us ‘bout it, an’ that idea will be in her head before you can finish yer gorram sentence.” All three men sat in silence for a few moments. Jayne was praying for Mal to let him leave. Simon was in turmoil, part burning with rage, part yearning to question, part saddened by the prospect of even a single mental image ruining his mèi mei. Mal didn’t know what question he wanted to ask first, but he knew he had to finish with Jayne so he could address Simon in private. So he settled on reminding Jayne he had not fully answered his first inquiry. “What’s goin’ on with her, Jayne? You were in the bay with her, liftin weights before she came, I expect, but she musta had a reason to be there. You two seem to be gettin’ along for once, and since dinner, I been wrackin’ my brain to figure out why exactly that might be. Not every day someone steals multiple millions of credits from the Alliance just for giggles.” “Would you believe me if I said I have no gorram idea?” Mal rolled his eyes, so Jayne assumed that was a no. “I dunno, Mal. She started bein’ all manner of nice and such to me… the night after I talked to the Operative on that moon. Didn’t think on it ‘til now, just thought she wanted to be friends… but maybe not.” Jayne’s non sequitur completely baffled both Mal and Simon. Neither had been aware Jayne had talked with the Operative at all. Mal felt a little incensed that Jayne hadn’t said anything until now about such a potentially important topic. “Hold that thought a moment. Why the good gorram were you talkin’ to the Operative of all people? An’ why didn’t you ask first, I’m only the gorram captain?” “Mal, it was the second night y’all were in the hospital, don’t think anyone was even conscious ‘cept me an’ her. Somebody had to make sure we were safe, and that we could fix the ship, and not die of starvation before we found work.” Mal lightened a little at this. Always figured Zoë organized everythin’ but I guess she wasn’t in any shape neither. “Did a good job, Jayne. Thank you. But what’s that conversation gotta do with River? You didn’t take her with you to see him, did you?” “Aww, Mal, I ain’t that stupid. Whole point of what I was sayin’ was that the Operative wanted to run things through River ‘stead of me. Told him he could be the king of all Londinium in a shiny hat, an’ he still wasn’t never gonna see her again. Mighta gone a bit overboard, but he was all manner of irritatin’ and I lost my temper. Seem to recall tellin’ him that I was her new personal bodyguard, and that anyone so much as talked to her, I’d rip their throat out or some such.” Jayne flushed a little at this admission. Simon guffawed, nearly bursting at the seams. “That’s a good one, Jayne. I’ve heard some whoppers before, but that prevarication has to be one of the best ever.” But Simon’s humor was short-lived, as he suddenly found himself laying across the table face-first, looking right into Mal’s face, stony with rage, Mal’s fist holding him by the shirt collar. “What’d I tell you about playin’ nice? He ain’t lying, you bèn lǘ wú zhī moron. Now apologize, ‘less you want me to let your sister decide what to do with you. An’ if Jayne ain’t lying, she ain’t gonna be real pleased with you.” Simon froze, considering the very real possibility that Mal might not be kidding. Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, he wasn’t willing to take any unnecessary risks. “Sorry, Jayne.” Jayne shook his head. “Never mind that. Mal, you wanna let him go and listen to me a minute?” Mal cast a final warning glare to Simon before thrusting him backwards into his chair, which nearly tipped over backwards from the impact before Simon righted it. “Now I was thinkin’ me and the Operative were alone, ‘cause I made sure I wasn’t followed or nothin’, didn’t wanna get ambushed. But she musta heard us, or maybe she picked up on it while I was thinkin’ ‘bout it later that night. Anyways, can’t be a coincidence that was the night she started bein’ extra friendly an’ such. Think she’s of a mind I really am her gorram bodyguard.” Jayne’s thoughts drifted back to events earlier in the evening, particularly River’s thing with the names, how they were about what people were, not just what they did. But he wasn’t sure he was ready to show all his cards quite yet. She came to me private like. Shouldn’t go tellin’ people what we talked ‘bout ‘less I ask if she minds first. Mal pondered this new information. This is all manner of confusin’, startin’ to give me a headache. Need to know more though… “Jayne, got two more things to ask about, then I want you to go see if the women-folk are ok. What was this bargain Albatross was talkin’ bout? And why she’d say you had to come with me?” “Kinda related to each other.” Jayne was relieved; he could answer this with a minimum of detail, and then he could escape. “Wanted me to help her figure out how to get ‘long better with the doc here. Seems to think ‘cause I got a bunch of siblin’s, I’d be best one to ask. Said she wanted to trade, I help her, she’d teach me stuff she said I’d find interestin’. Figure she meant ‘bout fightin’ and such.” Jayne paused for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. “Think she told you to bring me cause I’m s’pposed to tell the doc somethin’, but she didn’t think he’d listen.” Jayne paused again, turning to Simon before continuing. “She wants to explain to ya somethin’ ‘bout how the drugs ain’t helped ‘er. Not never, ‘pparently, an’ she don’t think they ever will. But she don’t think yer gonna believe her. Somethin’ bout how yer always gonna trust yer tests are right, even when they ain’t.” Turning back to Mal, Jayne scratched the back of his neck. “Can I go now?” Not likely, but maybe… Simon was about to object, wanting Jayne to explain, but Mal cut across him. “I aim to be havin’ another discussion with you on exactly what the gorram is goin’ on. But at the moment, I got somethin’ else needs attention. Go on ahead.” Mal held out the LeMat handle-first to Jayne, nearly forgotten in the turmoil. Jayne wasted no time in grasping the revolver, nodding his thanks before getting out of the kitchen. Whatever that doc did to get Mal on his case ‘stead of mine, gotta say that was unexpected. Before going to seek out the women as Mal asked, he decided he needed to stop in his bunk. Gotta put this away, ain’t gonna carry no more in the black if nobody’s around. But Jayne wasn’t paying particularly close attention when he stepped over to his bed to hang the LeMat back on the wall, and as a result he smashed his head on the overhang. Passing out instantly, the mercenary crashed to the mattress. A moment of silence passed back in the kitchen, Mal seemingly staring off into space towards the cargo bay. Simon started to get up from the table, thinking he was also free to go. But Mal, even without looking at him, froze him with a single word: “Sit.” Mal wasn’t yelling, but Simon wasn’t foolish enough to think it was a request either, so he resumed his seat. After another few minutes of silence, he was beginning to get nervous. This was something new from Mal, something he hadn’t ever seen before. “Did you need something, Captain?” Simon had no idea what a huge mistake he had made. Mal rounded on him. “What I need? What I need is some kinda explanation for why you’ve been treatin’ your sister like a girlfriend, an’ treatin’ yer girlfriend like a sister! Top three percent, what a joke… need a gorram lobotomy to get anything dumber outta yer mouth!” Simon sputtered. “With all due respect, Captain, you have no idea what you’re talking about! There’s nothing going on between me and Kaylee, and River needs my help. Besides, what business is it of yours? You’re not their keepers!” Simon was digging the hole he was in deeper by the second. Simultaneously, Mal was becoming more enraged by the second. “I might not be Albatross’s keeper, but I’m the only gorram adult that’s been anythin’ near a parent takin' any responsibility for her! An’ I promised Kaylee’s pa when she took this job that I’d watch over her, keep her from harm! But more important than that, I’M THE GORRAM CAPTAIN, AND THAT MAKES IT MY GORRAM BUSINESS!” Mal hadn’t even noticed he was now standing, leaning over the table inches from the young doctor. Finally it dawned on Simon that it wouldn’t do any good to argue. “Could you please explain what you meant then? I don’t understand what you were trying to say.” Exasperated, Mal flung himself back into his chair. Gorram this boy can be dumb sometimes… “Everyone on this boat knows Kaylee has been followin’ you ‘round like a puppy for months now, and I also heard somethin’ ‘bout a dyin’ confession that I expect you ain’t made good on. But that ain’t my point. You act like River’s a gorram doll, and you gotta spend every second of the day makin’ sure she don’t break. Tryin’ to make sure she ain’t never anythin’ but happy. I freely admit that maybehaps I don’t know as much as ‘Nara, but that sounds like how you treat a girlfriend to me. Now Kaylee, you ain’t been nothin’ but snippy with her. I heard somethin’ bout you tellin’ her what she ain’t where River’s concerned, an’ I can’t say as I agree with your conclusion. That little girl needs every single one of us, but Kaylee’s closest she’s ever gonna have to a friend or a sister. So I’m tellin’ you right now, you’re gonna make two major changes in how things are goin’ on my boat.” Simon swallowed audibly. “And what if I say no?” Mal glared at Simon. “I ain’t gonna space you, but you’ll be gettin’ off next time we hit dirt. An’ neither River nor Kaylee will be gettin’ off, ‘cause you’ll have to pry those girls outta my cold dead hands before that happens.” “Perhaps you should let me know what changes I need to make then. I have no intention of going anywhere without my sister.” Simon was finding it difficult not to tremble in fear, as he realized Mal was absolutely serious with his threat. Mal backed off some, but held his face stern. “First you’re gonna patch things up with your sister, and I don’t care what your gorram tests say. If she says her meds ain’t workin’, then they ain’t, so if she doesn’t want ‘em, you’re gonna stop givin’ ‘em to her. If, and I stress the word if, you find somethin’ else you think might help her some, you ask her permission before you give her any. Now once you fix what’s goin’ on with her, you’re gonna decide exactly what you want from Kaylee. If you don’t like her same as she likes you, you’re gonna find a tactful way to let her know you ain’t interested, so you’ll need to find your way into ‘Nara’s good graces to get help from her. If you do like her, you’re gonna stop treatin’ her like the gŏu shĭ you scrape off your shoes, and you’re gonna make her happy. Either way, you hurt her, you will be gettin’ off as previously mentioned. But I ain’t gonna stop nobody from deciding you oughta take a walk outside, EVA suit or not, before we get there. Nĭ míng bai wŏ ma?” “Yes, Captain. I understand.” “Good… now you can go to your bunk ‘til someone tells you otherwise.” Simon silently obeyed, leaving Mal sitting alone at the table. Gorram it, why can’t things go smooth for once? Reluctantly getting up, Mal trudged out through the hall past the crew dorms, noting all the hatches were shut. Arriving in the cargo bay a moment later, he was surprised not to find anyone there. Back tracking a little, Mal walked to Inara’s shuttle, noting the door was shut. He was about to knock when he noticed that through the curtain covering the window, the lights in the shuttle were clearly on, and as he put his ear to the door, he could hear hushed voices. Probably shouldn’t interrupt… Quietly removing himself from the catwalk, Mal went back to his own bunk, sliding down the ladder with practiced ease. After shutting and locking the hatch, and making his way to the bed through the darkness, Mal flicked off his boots before collapsing on the bed. Just gonna rest for a bit, still gotta talk to Zoë and ‘Nara later… But that was the last thought to cross Mal’s mind before sleep overtook him.

********************** mă shàng – now; Dŏng ma? – understand?; Nĭ míng bai wŏ ma? – Do you understand me?

bǎo bèi – precious; nī zi – little girl; wŏ de mā! – my god! (lit. my mother!)

gŏu shĭ – shit; fēng kuáng dì – crazy; bèn lǘ wú zhī – stupid-ass ignorant

mèi mei – sister (younger); gē ge – brother (older); Chuán zhăng – Captain