Serenity was docked at the Rutledge fuel station, the ship had taken a lot of damage in the attack and they were lucky that Rutledge was close by. It was cheap, small, and out of the way. That meant Mal could risk a week or two if necessary to make repairs without worrying about getting any serious Alliance attention or risking anyone else stumbling across his crew.

"You were hit by Reaver's?" asked the dock owner as he looked at the damage from the grappler.

"Yeah, we were lucky though. No fatalities and only a few serious injuries." said Mal.

"Damn Reaver's are all over the place now. Yours is the 10th ship I've heard of this month been hit. First with any survivors though."

"So how much to repair the hull?" asked Mal a bit impatiently.

"Not too big so I figure 40 plat."

"Done, how long ya reckon it'll take?"

"At least a week I've got 6 ships ahead of yours. We'll get ya done as fast as we can."

Mal nodded and walked off to find Kaylee. He knew the hull repairs would slow him down, but at least with Kaylee they'd be able to keep the engine repairs cheap and get them done quickly.

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"They've got everything we need here Captain." said Kaylee. " but it will still take me a few days or so to get our girl back in the sky."

"A few days? You must be slipping, or maybe your distracted." grinned Mal.

"Hey it ain't that… it's just they did a lot of damage to the engine… and unless you don't want it working right the next time we get in a pinch."

"Calm down Calm down." said Mal. "I was only kidding. The hull's gonna take at least that long so take your time. How's Jayne doing I ain't had time to check in since we docked?"

"Better Simon says he'll be back on his feet soon, but that he should still take it easy. Jayne's getting pretty tired of the infirmary, yesterday he got Shepard Book to sneak in one of his weights so he could at least work out his arms. Me and River stopped that right quick though." Kaylee smiled.

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"I'm telling ya doc I'm fine." said Jayne as he sat up on the edge of the infirmary bed.

"I didn't spend all that time patching you up, so that you could rip yourself apart again. If your going to get up you will use that crutch or I'll dope you until you're fully healed." Jayne grimaced knowing that Simon would probably do it.

"Alright, alright… but it's stupid." He stopped talking as soon as he put weight on his bad leg and immediately grabbed the crutch.

"If you feel any pain or anything let me know right away."

"I hear ya doc…" said Jayne as he used the crutch to limp out of the infirmary and into the kitchen.

"Well look who's up." said Inara. "And where's the first place he goes right for the food." she grinned.

"Mornin 'nara." said Jayne as he walked over towards the fridge.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Sure, doc's making me use this stupid thing though. Like a few little knives are enough to stop me. Ya seen Kaylee around?" asked Jayne as he sat down at the table taking a plate of protein.

"She went to the station with Mal to get some supplies for the engine. Why did you get used to having your meals fed to you?" She teased.

"Nah, not that I don't like the attention, but if she's off the ship it might give me a chance to do a few sets before her and River find me."

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"Why?"

Shepard Book entered the room then. "Neither of us will be working out for a while, because those two young ladies decided to have the weights removed until you're healed."

"Gorram women I said it before they can't be trusted."

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Simon looked down from the catwalk and smiled as River danced. He'd managed to save up enough money to get some new music for her and she was thoroughly enjoying it. He noticed right before they were kidnapped that for that moment she was dancing the fear seemed to disappear. The music was like water and it washed away the memories of torture and suffering. It was in these moments that Simon could see the smile on his sister's face as it had been, as it should be. When River smiled he felt that everything was right in the universe.

"She dances so beautifully." said Inara as she walked up next to Simon. He nodded, but only continued watching. Concentrating on River had been taking his mind off of things he'd rather not think about.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine… just… never mind it's nothing…" Simon looked down at River, but his eyes darted to the open door as Kaylee and Wash returned bringing the engine parts. Once she entered he stared at her for only a second, but even that was a second too long as Inara took note.

"Kaylee… I understand."

"I know it's stupid, but I always thought that maybe one of these times we'd go on a date and I wouldn't blow it by saying something stupid. I guess it might not have been meant to be, but it just…"

"Do you love her?" asked Inara. "I don't know… I don't think so. Maybe it's not that she's not with me, but that I don't like being replaced by Jayne… no offense."

Inara smiled. "I can understand that more than you know."

"I guess it's selfish of me, and this is going to sound terrible, but Kaylee was the only option for me. In many ways Serenity is a prison for River and I as much as it is sanctuary. I'm a wanted fugitive; I can't really go out and bar hop with Mal and Jayne. Probably wouldn't be a good idea to give any of my old girlfriends a wave either. I suppose it is better that we didn't get together. I wouldn't want to use Kaylee like that, she doesn't deserve that."

Inara looked over at Simon with pity showing in her eyes. She had to agree that if that was how Simon felt it was probably better for Kaylee that things hadn't worked out. She couldn't overlook Simon though. The young man had given up everything, and as long as the Alliance was in power he'd never have the chance for a normal life. He couldn't go to the core for obvious reasons, and on the rim without Serenity bounty hunters would pick him up in an instant.

"Do you ever wish you'd made different choices?" asked Inara quietly.

"There wasn't a choice to be made. I couldn't have lived with myself if I didn't help River. I don't wish for me or River to have done anything different… I wish that people hadn't made our actions necessary…" Simon lowered his head and stared at the floor. "I wish we could go home." Inara kissed him gently on the cheek then.

"I think you are home, and I'm sure that once River recovers more you two brilliant people can put your heads together and find a way out of this."

"Thank you…" Simon looked up then feeling at least a little bit of hope returning to him as River finished her dance.

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Mal felt a hand on his shoulder pull him into a dark alley. He reached for his pistol, but as he turned around the hand released him.

"Aaron?" said Mal as he looked into the eyes of his old friend.

"Sarge… I see the years have been kind to ya, they've been less hospitable to me." said Aaron as he stepped from the shadows. He was still taller than Mal, but he was no longer the imposing figure he had been. His face had several new scars and his short blonde hair was starting to be streaked with grey.

"I haven't seen you since the war ended. How ya been?" Mal smiled in spite of the shock of seeing his old friend looking so worn down.

"Ended? The war never ended Malcolm. You just stopped fighting it. Which surprised me, I always thought you'd live like a soldier instead of a coward." Mal's face went stern then and his glare turned deadly serious.

"I ain't no gorram coward."

"Maybe words aren't enough for me Sarge. Maybe ya gotta prove that to me again." said Aaron as he motioned for Mal to come on. "Or CAPTAIN you can call for security or maybe some of your crew to help you…" Before Aaron could finish his sentence Mal took a swing at him and caught him flush on the jaw. Aaron stumbled back, but he was stronger than he looked and he came back at Mal as the two traded blows for a minute. Finally, Mal landed a second punch to Aaron's jaw, while Aaron got a shot into Mal's stomach as both fell away from each other.

"That's how I remember it." said Aaron rubbing his jaw. "Good to know you haven't gone soft Sarge. Good to see ya too." Aaron grinned then.

"I forgot that's how you like to say hello." said Mal getting back to his feet. "Zoe is at my ship you'll have to stop by."

"Maybe, but for now we need to talk."

They made their way towards the nearest bar. It was dirty and flowing over with smoke. Aaron seemed more nervous than Mal could ever remember him. Every few seconds he would look over his shoulder, and any movement caught his attention. "We aren't gonna last long now Mal. Everywhere we go, the alliance finds us, even before we find a way to do anything. They've crushed over 30 independent cells over the last year. We need help Mal." said Aaron.

"I wish I could, but I don't have any money to spare."

"Don't need your money damn it we need you. You may have only been a Sergeant in the war, but when you spoke everyone knew who was in command. You were a leader Mal, and that's something that we don't got. There are only scattered anti-alliance organizations left. The only chance we've got is to unite them. Each organization has its own leader, but none of em are strong enough or smart enough to bring all the others together. You’re the only person that could convince these people to rally behind one banner, behind your banner." Mal stared silently as he thought about everything he said.

"I'm sorry, If ya had asked me two years ago I would have done it without a second though. I've got crew on my ship that ain't anxious to run up against the alliance. They made a deal with me and I don't break my word."

Aaron took a big drink from his beer.

"Then the Alliance has already won. I know you well enough that I can't change your mind. I probably don't have much time left, so you'll have to give my best to Zoe. The Alliance hunts me all the time. If I want a chance at getting out of here I better get my ship moving. Good luck Sarge." Aaron stood up then and walked away from the table before he even made it to the door two Federal Marshals stepped up to him on either side. Aaron gave one look over his shoulder and was glad to see that Mal had already made a quick escape.

"Aaron Lawson you are bound by law to stand down." said the first marshal with his rifle pointed at Aaron's chest.

"Wow faster than I figured. Guess I'm gonna have to learn some new tricks to duck you purple bellies." The second marshal quickly grabbed Aaron's hands and cuffed them behind his back, and standing behind him he started to lead Aaron away.

"So tell me ya ever think of having kids?" asked Aaron then he stopped and brought his back leg up slamming hard into the first Marshal's groin. Aaron ducked low then as the second marshal swung his rifle to club him. Aaron just got under it and the marshal's swing effectively took his partner out of the situation entirely.

Aaron from one knee swept the marshal's feet out from under him and then raised his left leg up high and as the marshal hit the ground he brought it down like an axe snapping the marshal's neck on impact. He sat down then and using skill and flexibility positioned himself to slide his cuffed hands from behind his back to in front of him. He jumped up then and saw 8 more Marshal's come into view with their rifles aimed. He dove behind a column just as the first one opened fire. As soon as the first shot was fired the crowd in the bar started to scatter and the Marshal's had to hold their fire. Aaron quickly used the chaos to his advantage and rushed away making sure to stay low.

As he reached the corridor leading to his ship he saw 5 feds standing just outside of the airlock. Before he could dart back out of sight they saw him and opened fire. He managed to make it back around the corner, but then he saw that 3 of the marshals from the bar had already cut him off. He pressed himself in tight against an out cropping in the wall as they too opened fire. The only bit of luck he had was that while that group fired the other marshals couldn't come around the corner. He looked up and saw the ventilation duct above him one blast later and he jumped up and began crawling away as the marshals continued to fire. He crawled through the duct trying to be as silent as possible. His ship was gone now, no chance of getting on there.

"Where would be the last place a fed would look for me." he thought. Then he looked out of the vent through a grate and saw three alliance gunships at the dock. "nice ships." a smile spread across his face.

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"Ya really think they'll get Lawson?" asked the first fed.

"It's a small station, I don't think some brain dead indy is gonna out run 20 marshals." said the second.

"I'll take that bet." said a voice above them. When they looked up Aaron kicked down the heavy metal grate and it knocked them both off their feet pinning them down. He jumped down then and walked across the grate before he knocked them unconscious. Then he heard yelling as more marshals were running from the far corridor. They were opening fire already and he dodged behind the gunship using it as cover. He turned and was about to open fire when two shots came from another corridor hitting the door panel and locking it before the marshals could get through. Aaron looked in the direction of the shooter, but all he caught sight of was the tail end of Mal's trademark brown coat flapping behind him as he rounded the corner disappearing. Aaron grinned for a minute and then climbed into the gunship to set his plan in motion.

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Mal made it to the window and saw as an alliance gunship started to make a run from the station. "Come on Aaron you can make it." Thought Mal then his eyes went wide as he saw it, The alliance cruiser closing fast. "No…" he thought as the cruiser target its main weapons on the gunship. The blast cut through the hull of Aaron's ship like it was butter and Mal watched as the cruiser fired two additional shots to ensure that there wasn't even any debris. As the ship exploded the assembled crowd of pro Alliance people let out a cheer of victory. Mal walked away in disgust.

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"It was Aaron…." said Zoe.

"I know, another name to add to the list." said Mal as he sat down at the table with her.

"Remember when the three of us got caught behind the Alliance lines Sir?" asked Zoe sadly.

"You and I would say we we're caught behind lines. Aaron always told that story as if we we're purposely flanking an enemy of thousands with 3 people. Aaron always used to claim any mistake was a tactical maneuver. The three of us sure did cause some mayhem behind those lines though." Mal smiled a bit then remembering it.

"I wonder how many more of our old friends we're going to have to mourn and bury…" said Zoe.

"Aaron said something important to me today, he said the war never ended, we just stopped fighting it. I think that's how a lot of us felt. At least it's over for him now."

"Why did we stop fighting it sir?" asked Zoe.

"We haven't, we're just using new tactics." Mal held up his glass of whiskey. "To Aaron and the independence." He and Zoe clinked glasses and then each drank their shots.

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"He's hiding." said River to Simon as he got ready to give her another injection.

"Who is mei-mei?"

"Shhh we didn't count to 10 yet. Can't start looking now…" she looked at him strangely. "He should know he can't hide, they don't count to 10, they always seek whether your ready or not. They always peek when he's hiding." As the medicine began to take effect River slowly drifted off to sleep. Simon tucked her in and then stepped out of the room he was feeling more than a little tired himself.

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Jayne slowly opened his eyes and listened more carefully. The slight rattling sound was coming from the kitchen. He looked over at Kaylee's sleeping form and moved from the bed as quietly as he could so he didn't wake her. He winced as he put weight on his left leg and cursed himself for forgetting his crutch. He grabbed that and he made his way from the bunk up towards the kitchen. Normally he wouldn't have made a sound, but the crutch made just a little bit of noise with every step. Once he got close to the door the noise in the kitchen stopped.

"Mal?" Jayne asked as he stepped into the kitchen. No one was in view, but food was laid out like someone had been eating. Jayne walked across the room doing his best to listen for the sound of anyone around him. He was about to pick up the bottle of whiskey when he had to duck as a bowl smashed into the light above his head dimming the room. Jayne turned just as a shadowed figure slammed two hard punches into his stomach, Jayne doubled over in pain as he felt the wound in his stomach agitated. Before he could even recover from that the man swept his bad leg out from under him. Jayne started cursing in Chinese as he was grabbed by the neck and slammed onto the kitchen table. Jayne reached out his hand and grabbed the chair and rolled onto his back swinging the chair to the left. It broke over the man's shoulder and Jayne hopped onto his good leg and tried throwing a punch at him. The figure was already running though as the sound of the fight had awakened the rest of the crew and they were running towards the kitchen. He darted away towards the nearest airlock.

"Jayne what happened?!" screamed Kaylee as she saw the bandage on his stomach bleeding. Mal and the others rushed in right behind her. Jayne was struggling to get his breath back and just looked up at Mal.

"airlock…" he said and pointed. Mal and Zoe rushed off after the attacker as Kaylee and Wash stayed with Jayne.

Mal and Zoe ran as fast as they could, but all they saw was the opened airlock and they knew they we're too late. They caught up with everyone except for River down in the infirmary where Simon was re-stitching up a really angry Jayne.

"Damn it Jayne." said Kaylee as she looked at the ripped stitches that Simon was working on. "Why ya gotta get into a fight while you're hurt? You're supposed to be resting."

"I didn't know there was anybody up there…" He growled at Simon. "Gorram it doc can't ya stop that?!?!" as Simon painfully repaired another stitch.

Simon sighed as he continued to sew up Jayne. "I'm afraid not, your actually rather lucky though. The wound could have been aggravated a lot worse. I'm surprised it wasn't. You can't take anymore risks with this injury though, not until you've recovered all the way."

Kaylee walked over to Jayne with a look mixed with fear and anger. "Alright you hear me Jayne, No fighting, No training, No working until the doc says it's ok. I'm not gonna let you kill yourself, I'll tie you down to your bed for a month if that's what it takes."

"Hmmm that sounds like a fun idea. Hey Zoe.." said Wash as he turned to her.

"Not a good time husband." she grinned.

"Alright alright… wasn't like I went lookin for a fight though. I'll take it easy I swear. I guess it would be stupid to die now after the gorram reavers didn't get me. Sides I don't like seeing ya angry…" he then whispered to her. "Yer prettiest when yer smiling..."

"Awww.." said Wash as he caught what was whispered. Immediately Jayne grabbed a tray and threw it at him.

"Shut up little man or I'll!!!"

"Jayne!" yelled Kaylee as he almost jumped off the table while Simon was stitching.

"Oh sorry, I forgot already…" Kaylee just shook her head forcing back a laugh as Jayne let out another line of curses when Simon hit a tender spot.