The local shepard stood over her, reciting his doctrine to those massed before him as they wept there bitter tears. Simon felt numb, lost... alone. The coffin was open to the air, and the people came and prayed silently before her, wishing her Godspeed and such. It didn't matter. Kaylee was dead. They would pray their hollow prayers to a mercilous God who didn't care for them a whit. Simon's legs brought him foreward, but he was unaware of it. He only saw Kaylee, cold and dead. He walked up to her, ran his hand along her ashen cheek... and he wept. Wept for all he had lost, and all that would have been, could have been, and should have been, but wasn't. His tears fell on her deathly beauty, and he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Rose's eyes were dry, for she had no more tears left to cry anymore, but her voice held all the loss that her eyes could not show. "You loved her, didn't you?" "I-" Wait... he did love her. But he had never told her, never told her he loved her. She had died under his hands, never knowing if he truly loved her. "I love you, Kaylee." The words fell from his lips like a prayer. He fell to his knees, cursing fate, cursing Niska, cursing God... but, most of all, he cursed himself. The sky opened, rent asunder by lightning, crying out thunder, crying its bitter tears over this soul that shouldn't have died. The tears on Simon's face were drowned in the rain. *** He hurried through the halls, clutching the vial to his chest as he navigated Serenity. Clutching my cure, I tightly lock the door, I try to catch my breath again... He quietly stepped into his room, making sure that he locked the door behind him. "Start to run now, you'll never stop." River. He wasn't surprised by it anymore. He couldn't be. "I have to do this, meimei." I hurt much more than anytime before, I have no options left again... She was clutching her knees to her chest, staring blankly at the wall. She turned her head to look at him, eyes wet. "Bu tthat doesn't mean that I have to like it. He carefully hugged, careful not to spill a precious drop of his liberation. For the last time, he kissed the top of her head. "I love you, River." She stepped outside. "I know." But he couldn't see the tears that ran down her cheeks. "I'm coming, Kaylee," he whispered reverently to the darkness. I'll paint it on the walls, cuz I'm the one at fault... He pressed the needle into his arm, making sure that all of the precious drops slipped into his veins. He leaned back against the bed with a sigh. He closed his eyes. Forever. I'll never fight again, and this is how it ENDS... *** Simon was buried right next to Kaylee, dual crosses in the graveyard. Their epitath's were both chosen by River, and no had any objections to them. Simon's said; "Grieve not for the dead, but for those they leave behind." Kaylee's was an excerpt from an old song from Earth-that-was; "It was just my time to go. I wanted you to know that, it rains in Heaven all day long. And i wanted you to know that I'm miserable up here without you, miserable up here without you..." Inara cried softly into Mal's shoulder, clinging to the only thing in this world that she still loved. None of them would forgive River for not stopping Simon, not yet. But that was alright; Simon and Kaylee were watching over her now... forever. The crew would mend, they always did. And, now, Simon and Kaylee were together, until the ending of the 'verse itself. *** Thanks to all y'all that have played along ith me. If ya wanted to know, the songs I used were "Breaking the Habit", by Linkin Park, and "The Truth About Heaven", by Armor For Sleep.

-Danny