Simon was terrified. He had left River all alone on Serenity! How could he have been so stupid?

‘Maybe she knew it would happen,’ he thought. ‘Maybe she saw it?’ He thought of what Kaylee had said to him only an hour or so ago. It was impossible! What could have happened to make her worse? ‘Or maybe’ he thought darkly, ‘she was never better to begin with.’

Simon pushed the thought away, violently. He and Zoe were almost to the docks. River would be fine.

*****

Mal looked at the sleeping girl. He thought of all she’d been through. The bandages he’d put on her arms covered her only escape attempt. Thinking back, Mal suddenly couldn’t blame her. River had been alone. ‘All of us around her, none of them really there.’

Kaylee’d gone off with Jayne, Simon was always distracted, things Mal would have thought impossible a year ago. Everybody was so far away from both of them. “Well, little Albatross,” Mal took her hand. “Looks like it’s just you and me.” In her sleep, River smiled and squeezed his hand.

*****

There were bodies everywhere. Jayne kicked the one blocking the door out of the way. He was half carrying Kaylee. When that Reaver had landed on her ruttin ankle, hurt it. Her arm was a mess from that idiot shooting her. Little Kaylee took more looking after then a whole gorram townful of women.

Kaylee clutched her pistol close to her, ready to shoot anything that moved. They were close to the docks now. She did her best to hold it together. She looked up at Jayne. Without him she’d be dead or worse by now. Kaylee smiled thinking on how foolish she’d been about choosing him. Sometimes it was ridiculous how much people over thought things.

“This is getting stupid little Kaylee.” Jayne said.

“What do you-”

He scooped her up into his arms. “We’ll get to the docks much faster if I don’t have to help you along. So I’ll run and you shoot, dong ma?” Kaylee nodded without hesitation. She kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you!”

***** They had finally reached the ship. Inara felt like she was going to fall down and die, but she had to see Mal. Had to make sure he wasn’t just a part of this nightmare.

“What are we doing here? My ship is down there. I can take you anywhere. We can go wherever we want to.” Sturgis pointed down the rows of ships. He was insistent that Inara come with him. Suddenly she was angry with him. This man had practically left her to ruin as a girl. All of her sentimental feelings for him immediately evaporated. Even now, the man thought only of himself, trying to take her wherever he wanted.

“Wait a minute, isn’t this Malcolm Reynolds’ ship? The Serenity?” Sturgis squinted up at the crest on her side.

“Get out of here.” Inara’s voice was tense. “I don’t ever want to see your face again. If you come back here, I’ll kill you myself.”

*****

“There she is!” Kaylee was happier then she’d ever been in her life. There was Serenity. Mal had opened the airlock for them and was probably waiting for them right now so’s they could get off this godforsaken rock.

“Hey! Kaylee! Jayne!” Zoe and Simon were running towards them from the opposite direction.

“Well, c’mon! Let’s get inside, I ain’t getting any fonder of this rock!” It was Mal, waiting for them with Inara.

*****

“You know Jayne, you’re bleedin all over me.” Kaylee joked.

“Well, I can’t really help it. And you can’t complain. You shot me.”

Simon looked over at them. “You shot him?” he asked Kaylee. “I saved his ruttin life! So you can’t complain either.” Kaylee punched Jayne on the arm, smiling. Everybody in the hold was relieved, except Mal. He was incredibly tense. Kaylee touched Jayne’s ear. “It doesn’t look to bad.”

“Can’t hardly feel it anyway,” he shrugged.

“Really?”

“Well, not when you keep fiddling with it!”

Kaylee smiled and whispered in his ear “I think we should go celebrate. Nothing fancy, say…your bunk in about…now?”

Jayne grinned at her. “That’s the smartest thing I’ve heard all day.” He turned, his back to the open airlock door, still carrying Kaylee.

“Jayne!”

It was Zoe. A second later, Jayne felt something rip through his right shoulder, missing Kaylee’s head by inches. It was a Reaver harpoon. The Reaver wielding it began pulling him back. Kaylee, Zoe and Mal began shooting at it. It collapsed onto the floor.

“Shut that door!” Mal shouted. There could be more coming. What the hell was going on?

Kaylee tore the cable off the harpoon. She pulled out the harpoon and threw it. It skittered across the deck, pinging as it hit the wall.

It had punched a slick bloody hole in his shoulder. She grabbed him holding him close to her. “I’m bleeding on you.” Jayne touched her blood soaked shirt. Simon rushed to them. “I have to stop the bleeding. We should get out of here now,” he looked at Mal.

Kaylee held Jayne. “Just fix him!” she almost yelled at Simon. Kaylee was thinking on what River had told her. The hell she was going to let it come true cause Simon was too damn distracted to help.