They were going as fast as Serenity could possibly go, without the Feds getting curious. Meanwhile, she walked around the ship on edge, and nobody could console her. Simon had tried his best. She knew it. She didn’t really mean to snap at him. She was just trying to deal with the news. After all, they were the best of friends growing up. They always hung around together. She didn’t have any real friends, just her family. All the kids at the school used to pick on them, and Kaylee would beat the living snot out of them when they messed with Sara. She didn’t care if they picked on her. But don’t EVER mess with her cousin.

She remembered when they were about ten or so, and they used to sneak into Old Man Cowley’s apple orchard to pick apples. One day they were over there grabbing some of the juiciest apples of the season when Tommy, Cowley’s grandson, sneaked up and grabbed the apples from Sara and pushed her down. He didn’t see her, and when she said, ‘Hi Tommy’, he spun around and she landed a good kick right between his legs. He never pushed her or Sara around again. Sara couldn’t believe she did that to Old Man Cowley’s grandson. He was the richest man in the city, and who knows what could’ve happened to them. But Tommy never said a word. ‘Why would he say anything?’ Kaylee told her. ‘He just got beat up by a girl!’ They both laughed and picked up the apples to take home to their parents.

Tears started to stream from Kaylee’s face as she remembered that. She hadn’t seen Sara since they both got out of school. Sara was very smart, especially in astronomy, and she got a scholarship to go to one of them big schools on Osiris. So, she had left their little planet, and Kaylee all by her lonesome. Wasn’t too long after that Kaylee took the job on Serenity, and she swore then that if they ever went near Osiris, that she’d stop by and say hello. That was about three years ago.

She started crying, really letting the tears flow. She hadn’t accepted it yet, but she knew Sara was gone. Sara had been on a research mission for a school project with her class. They were scouting out past the core planets, but the school lost contact with the ship. They sent out a rescue ship with the feds, and found out the ship was hit by Reavers. Her best friend and cousin died a horrible death. She’d probably never even heard of them. Most of the feds just think it’s a story people tell… like ghosts and what-not.

Simon came into the room to see her crying, and he instantly ran to her and grabbed her in a big hug.

“We’re almost there, baby. About fourteen hours out.”

He looked down at the ring that he placed on her delicate hands just a few short months ago. He hated to see her like this, and would do anything to stop her from this kind of pain. She had helped him through his parents death last year. He and River couldn’t even go to the funeral, they were still wanted fugitives. And he was still having problems dealing with that…even after all his parents put them through. He had found out before that, that they had actually gotten paid for River to go to that horrible school. How could they do that to their own daughter. He never told River this, but, she knew. How could she not? And now with Kaylee’s cousin’s death… to Reavers no less, he just wondered how much more death are they going to have to deal with.

He hugged her tighter, and she just collapsed against him. He rocked her till she fell asleep. She hadn’t truly slept for days. He heard her sniffling at night, trying to hide it from him, and wishing upon anything that he could do something for her. He brushed his fingers through her hair while she slept. He always did that. He loved the feel of her hair, and it seemed to calm him. He just kept brushing his fingers through her hair till they both were asleep.