Kaylee eased Serenity into the air about thirty minutes after Simon, Zoe, and River had left in the shuttle. She'd wanted to leave sooner, but it had taken her shaking fingers a long time to wire the makeshift remotes to control the belly doors and the lift.

She was holding the yoke so hard her hands hurt, and though she willed herself to relax, she couldn't ease her grip for more than a few seconds. She flinched as Inara's voice cut into her concentration, and the ship lurched sickeningly to the side as she overcorrected. She hit the button to respond.

"I'm on my way back," said Inara. "I'll dock with you in the air. How's the flying?"

"Fine," Kaylee replied out of reflex, but Inara saw her bite her lip to hold back a tear.

"Kaylee, just try to relax," said Inara kindly. "Let Serenity talk to you. You understand her."

"But what if I hurt her? asked Kaylee, her voice shaky. "Cap'n won't ever forgive me if something happens to Serenity. She's so alone - we're so alone."

"That's not going to happen, Kaylee," Inara soothed. "The captain needs you, and he'll be right there with you if you get into trouble. You've just got to listen to him, okay?"

Kaylee nodded, the shaking in her hands lessening. She could feel the ship's engines rumbling through the floorboards, steadying her. "The cap'n, he's alive?" she asked, sudden fear in her voice. "Wash? Jayne? Did you see them?"

"They're alive," said Inara gently.

"What's - what's happening to them?"

Inara closed her eyes. She opened them and said firmly, "You can't think about that right now. You have to do your job and get that ship overhead, do you understand me?" Kaylee nodded, and Inara cut the feed, ending the conversation before Kaylee could ask any more painful questions.

Kaylee looked out from the bridge. There was a full, bright moon in the night sky, illuminating the earth below. A faint haze of fog hung in the air, diffusing the light and giving it a beautiful, surreal quality.

City lights began to appear under the nose of the ship, and Kaylee knew they had less than an hour left in the journey. It was vast and bustling, but the wispy purple atmosphere and the gentle roar of the darkened ship gave the scene a feeling of peace and comfort as she watched the lights twinkle on and off below. She leaned back in the softly cushioned seat Wash usually occupied, and felt Mal's comforting presence standing behind her.

Kaylee soaked up the feeling of peace radiating from the ship, the family that called it home occupying its very core even though they were momentarily absent. She was a calming cocoon of steel, sheltering her crew through the hard times and soaking up the joy of the good times which resonated throughout.