One month later…. Kaylee watched as Jayne walked away from Serenity. The sun shone off of a store front window in the small town on Paquin, making him disappear quicker. It was a desert-y place, sand blowin every which a way and hot. He looked back only once and seemed to reconsider, seeing her standing there in pigtails and her pink dress. Then he looked away and turned a corner so he was out of sight.

Kaylee turned away from the bay doors, not feeling the floor beneath her, not feeling the hum of Serenity’s life, in short, not feeling anything, but a big icy weight in her stomach. She was to the bottom of the stairs when her legs gave. She began to sob, feeling as though every part of her was empty, like she was just going to float away. Kaylee put her hand to her heart, needing to feel it beating there, needing to make sure it was still there. She clung to the railing, crying a month’s worth of tears.

‘You should be glad he’s gone,’ part of her snapped. ‘No more crazy talk about revenge for his sister, no more meanness to ya, no more worrying what to tell your baby about her daddy bein crazy.’

“Oh mei mei!” Inara had immerged from her shuttle. She ran down the stairs and swept Kaylee up in her arms.

*****

Jayne kept walkin.

He told himself over and over that this was for the best, what he’d wanted. What both of them had wanted. He’d seen her standing there, getting smaller and smaller, her face never changing: about to cry, but waiting, waiting for him to disappear. Not wanting to cry in front of him. And he’d wanted to go to her, so’s she wouldn’t have to cry, tell her he loved her and kiss her all over and breath in her smell.

But instead he’d kept walkin.

There was one image burned into his brain: Maddy lying cut to pieces and with a bullet through her. Lookin like something the devil’d spat outta hell.

Lord knew it had been hard to be so mean to little Kaylee with only that image to block out her hurt face, but he hadn’t wanted her to miss him once he was gone. That way she wouldn’t want him to come back after he left and wouldn’t grieve over much when he ended up in a body bag. He thought on all the ladies he’d left on Serenity: Lux, Betty, even his favorite, Vera. But he’d brought Kaylee along with him. Even know he could feel the small assault weapon against his chest, zipped up in his jacket. He’d had to leave the other Kaylee behind, along with their baby. Her baby now. Jayne didn’t think he’d be coming back from this, not alive.

Jayne kept walkin.

***** Zoe moaned. She had been washing dishes in the kitchen when Simon had snuck up behind her. Well, maybe snuck up was less then accurate. He’d tried to sneak up on her. Nobody could really sneak up on Zoe Alleyne Washburne.

His hand slide over her hip, slowly pulling the waistband of her pants. The boy was touchin her in all the right ways, feelin her soft spot, first delicate then harder, makin her feel right nice, makin her push up against him. She could feel his breath on her neck.

Until suddenly it was Wash’s hand cupping her breast. His breath on her neck. Just what was she doing? Letting this kid feel her up?

Zoe pulled away from Simon. “ I shouldn’t be doing this Doc.” He looked at her, confused. “I like you fine, but I can’t help thinking about Wash. He’s not even been dead a year and I’m already fixin to jump all over you.” Simon’s face tightened, but he only said “What ever you think is right.” He turned and left Zoe alone in the kitchen.

*****

She was staring at the door to Inara’s shuttle. Inara stood there, looking at her questioningly.

“River?”

How had she gotten there? A moment ago she’d been in the kitchen drinking a glass of Kaylee’s strawberry-lemonade, looking at the last sips at the bottom of the cup, hiding in the ice. And now she was here, but she could still taste the tartness in her mouth. River turned from Inara and fled.

***** Inara closed the shuttle door, not thinking on River’s obvious fear, unexplained though it was. She was preoccupied with Kaylee. The girl lay on Inara’s bed, curled into a little ball, her hands buried in her hair.

“Who’s gonna love me now ‘Nara?” Kaylee whispered. “What if he doesn’t come back?”

Inara sat next the little mechanic and petted her hair, began to massage her neck. “Shh, Kaylee. It’s obvious he cares for you. I’m sure he wants to come back to you and your baby. And his home is here on Serenity. He left all of his things here, even Vera, so I’m sure he plans on returning.”

Kaylee’s sobs began to subside into deep breaths. Then she looked into Inara’s face, so beautiful and kind. Kaylee saw love there and knew she could tell her anything and ‘Nara would never think the less of her. The voice she heard clearly in her head, a voice which made her doubt what she wanted, said:

‘I could be mean to ya. Real mean iffin I wanted to.'

She burst into tears again, throwing her arms around the companion.

***** While all of this happened some thousand people were slaughtered in a small town called An-Jing by over three hundred Reavers.