A knock at the door roused William from his thoughts. He blinked the images of Book from his mind and sat up. He rubbed the back of his head and just stared at the ground, he’d lost track of time. He wasn’t sure if he’d been in here a matter of minutes or hours, though he knew it didn’t matter. He’d need more time to get past this, of that he was certain. The knock came again. “Coming.” William called out as he stood up. He walked over to the door, disengaged the lock, and opened it. Mal was standing in the hallway, his arms across his chest. “We need to talk.” Mal looked reserved, but adamant. “Book was your friend, and it’s only fair you know what happened to him.” “Captain, I …” Mal cut William off. “No, you need to know, and now’s as good a time as any. Kaylee has some tea brewing. Take a minute for yourself then come to the kitchen.” Mal started to walk away, but William stopped him. “Captain?” Mal stopped and turned, but didn’t say anything. “Did he suffer?” Mal looked down a little. “More’n he should have.” And with that, he walked away. William took a minute to compose himself, walking to the lavatory to splash some water on his face. When he thought he was ready he went to face the truth of what happened to the only man he had ever truly considered a friend. When he walked into the kitchen area, everyone was seated at the table, including River. She smiled at William as he entered, and William found himself smiling back despite himself. He took the empty seat at the foot of the table, opposite Mal. He didn’t say anything, opting to wait for them to start. Mal just looked at him, and William could see the gears turning behind his eyes, trying to piece together the best way to tell William what happened. “Just telling you how Shepherd Book died isn’t going to be enough." Mal started. "Without context, it won’t make no sense.” Mal sat forward in his chair, the shift in light caused deeper shadows to form on his face. He immediately seemed more imposing to William, though he was unsure if Mal had done this on purpose. “So, we’ve decided to tell you everything, at least everything we have to. But this,” Mal shook his finger, “puts us in a precarious situation, as you can imagine.” Mal sat back in his chair. William took a quick look around the table and noticed that no one, not even River was looking at himself or the Captain. Telling William what happened was obviously not a decision they came to lightly. “We need your word, here and now, that nothing you hear at this table ever leaves this ship.” William looked up at Mal and responded without hesitation. “Of course.” Mal stood up. “It’s not that simple. I get word that you ever betrayed me and my crew, so help me I will hunt you down and shoot you dead.” Kaylee flinched at this, but didn’t say anything. “I’d never willingly betray the trust of someone that fought for the same ideals as my father.” William stood up as to look the Captain in the eye. “If I betrayed a Browncoat, I’d be betraying my father’s memory, and I’d sooner die.” Mal sat back down, apparently satisfied, and William followed suit. “Fine, it all started when …” And for the next few hours, the crew of Serenity told William about River and what the Alliance had done to her, and the secret the Alliance tried to hide. They told him of the men that had been sent after River, those she had called the “hands of blue”, and the Operative the Alliance sent after they had failed. They told him about how the Operative had systematically killed nearly everyone that had given them quarter when they were on the run, and how that included Book and all the settlers on Haven. And finally, they told him of the final stand they had made, one that cost Zoë her husband, to tell everyone what the Alliance was responsible for. William just sat there, taking it all in. So these are the people responsible for weakening the Alliance. A lot of things were falling into place now, and William understood Jayne’s mention of Miranda as well. William looked up to see that everyone at the table was looking intently at him. He wanted to be mad at them. If it weren’t for them, the Operative wouldn’t have had any reason to kill Book. But he couldn’t, it wasn’t fair. Book was always willing to die for what he believed was right, and exposing the events of Miranda, and protecting an innocent girl, were definitely causes worthy of that sacrifice. “Thank you.” William looked at the mug in front of him. “It’s good to know it wasn’t a senseless death. He died standing up for what he believed in, and that comforts me.” “Book was a great man,” Jayne said to no one in particular, “he didn’t deserve what happened to him.” The words hung in the air for a while, the silence becoming oppressive. Mal finally spoke. “You can see why you can’t talk about any of this. Far as we’re all concerned, this conversation never happened, shiny?” “Of course.” William said as he took a drink of his tea. The crew sat in silence for a few minutes before Mal finally stood up. “Well, I that's about the long and short of it. Those that have work to do, get it done. The rest of you, get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Mal left the kitchen and headed to the bridge. The rest of the crew stood up and went their own ways, leaving William alone at the table. Inara stopped at the door to the hallway and turned to face William. “For what it’s worth, William, I’m sorry.” William looked at her, not knowing what to say. He hesitated for a moment and then simply nodded. Inara smiled and left the room. William sat in silence for a moment before finishing the rest of his tea. He cleaned his cup and put it away before heading down to his quarters. He opened the door and was surprised to find River sitting on the end of his bed, a sad look on her face. “The screaming has stopped.” She said, not looking up at William. “What screaming, love?” William became concerned. “I didn’t hear any …” “The screams of the dead.” She cut in, and began to cry. “Of those that were cut down by the Alliance. Their story has been told. They can move on now.” William sat next to River and put his arm comfortingly over her shoulder. She accepted the embrace and buried her face in his chest. William didn’t know what to say. “You don’t have to say anything.” She said as if reading his mind; and then William realized she probably was. “Just being here is enough.” William kissed her on the forehead. “Well, I’ll be here, right here, as long as I can, love.” River smiled. “I like it when you call me that.” The two of them sat there together in silence.

~~~

William awoke to a knock at his door. He’d left it opened after River went to bed, so the first thing he saw was Jayne standing in his doorway. “Cap’n needs everyone in the loading bay.” “On my way.” William kicked himself up into a sitting position and put on his boots. He grabbed a fresh shirt and headed out the door. William was putting the shirt over his head when he heard Kaylee behind him. “Looks like someone keeps in shape.” William turned and flashed her a smile. “I do what I can.” “You ready for today?” Kaylee asked as she fell into step beside William. “All sorts of things liable to go wrong if you ain’t sure about …” “Are you trying to make me nervous?” William asked as they rounded the corner into the bay. “No, I just want to make sure is all.” “William, Kaylee, waiting on you.” Mal was standing next to the hover mule handing Zoë spare magazines. Jayne was throwing a bandolier of grenades into a back compartment. “We expectin’ a war, Jayne?” William asked. “No, but I ain’t about to be caught with my pants down if we get hit by Reavers.” “Point taken.” “Down to business.” Mal cut in. “This is a simple snatch and grab.” He looked around at everyone. “If our source is correct, the cargo will be in the storage shed outside of town. Jayne, William, that’s you’re target.” William nodded ascent and Jayne pat him on the shoulder. “Kaylee, Simon.” They stepped forward. “You’re our distractions. Kaylee, he aware of the plan?” Simon answered. “She filled me in last night Captain.” “Shiny. River,” Mal walked over to her “you’re on the bridge with me. Any question?” No one chimed in, and without any prompting they all began final preparations for the job. Mal helped Zoë off the mule. “And you, I want you in your quarters relaxing. I can’t have you goin’ into labor while the Doc’s away.” Zoë smiled. “Aye, aye, Captain.” Mal walked over and put his hand on William’s shoulder as he was loading up some gear. “You alright?” William stopped what he was doing and turned to face Mal. “A little nervous.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Felt pretty useless these last two weeks and now I’m actually going on a job. Just don’t want to screw up on my first outing is all.” “I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just follow the plan.” Mal smiled reassuringly. William smiled back. “Thanks.” Everything was in order. The others were already in the mule; William disengaging the last of the tow hooks connecting the mule to Serenity. Once he was done he hopped into the front seat of the mule, Kaylee and Simon behind him and Jayne in the drivers seat. “William?” William looked down to the right to see River standing there, a look of worry on her face. “What is it love?” “Remember your promise.” She reached out and took his hand. “You have to come back.” William smiled. “Don’t worry love, I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezed her hand reassuringly, and she smiled back. William didn’t have to look behind himself to know that Kaylee was smiling. She was always giving him a hard time about River. “Let’s roll.” Jayne said as he started the mule.

~~~

A little outside of town, Jayne stopped the mule so Kaylee and Simon could get out. Jayne hopped out too. “Alright, you guys take care of things and we’ll meet you at the rendezvous in an hour.” “Right.” Kaylee said, looking serious. “You guys be careful.” “I want her back in one piece Doc.” Jayne said as he hopped back into the mule. “Understand?” He didn’t wait for an answer before he pulled away. “You really like rufflin’ Simon’s feathers, don’t you?” William said with a small laugh. “Yeah, but it’s getting’ boring.” The supply warehouse came into view. Jayne slowed the mule down and pulled it to the side of the road. “He’s just such an easy target.” They shared a laugh as they got into position. It wasn’t long before the two of them saw one of the guards at the entrance pull up his radio. He pulled three of the four guards and went into the city. “Shiny.” Jayne said as they arose from their cover and headed towards the single guard at the door. “Mornin’, sir.” William said as he walked nonchalantly up to the guard. “I was wonderin’ if you’d be able to help me with somethin’.” While the guard was intent on William, Jayne went and leaned on the wall behind him. “Move along citizen.” “Aw, but come on.” William protested. Jayne pulled out a sap. “We was just wonderin’ how many stars you see.” “Star…?” The word cut off as Jayne took him from behind. “Good work, Will. Now let’s get the goods and get the hell outta here.” Jayne and William pushed open the large sliding door of the warehouse to find that it was … “Empty?” Jayne yelled. “What in the Holy Hell is going on?” William walked past Jayne and into the warehouse. It was completely empty, and it appeared to have been that way for quite some time. “Why would guards be posted at an empty … build …” The words trailed off as realization sunk in. A look at Jayne confirmed what William was thinking. “Trap.” They said in unison.

~~~

“Get to the street now!” William was yelling into his transmitter as he and Jayne rounded a corner and sped into town. There was some chatter back but he cut Simon off. “No time to explain, you got thirty seconds.” He clicked off the transmitter and hopped in the back so it would be easier for them to get in. When they came around the next corner Simon and Kaylee were standing on the street. Jayne slowed, but there was no way he was going to stop. William reached out his arm and grabbed Kaylee as they went past, pulling her into the mule as Simon jumped onto the side. Once he was sure Kaylee was in, William pulled Simon into the front seat. “What happened?” Kaylee asked as they sped away, the sound of shots being fired made them all duck some. “What’s going on?” “It was a trap.” William yelled over the sound of the rushing wind. “There was no cargo, hanger was completely empty.” “A trap?” Simon looked dubious. “For whom? If they wanted us, there were plenty of guards that could have taken us in town at any time.” “Doesn’t matter.” Jayne chimed in as he cut a hard right to avoid a rock. “We gotta warn the Captain.” Simon picked up the transmitter and Jayne knocked it out of his hand. “If the trap’s already sprung, we don’t want to warn ‘em we’re comin’.” ~~~

They came up on Serenity and it was quiet, too quiet. William and Jayne had their weapons drawn and advanced on the cargo bay door. William hoped Simon and Kaylee were all right at the mule. Jayne began to give William signals to move but the sound of a girl screaming cut him off. “River.” William said under his breath, and without a moment’s hesitation he ran around the corner and into the bay. Jayne tried to stop him but he wasn’t having it. There were seven men; one of them was holding River as she struggled to get away. And there was one man William immediately recognized. “Badger?” A look of recognition flashed across Badger’s face and he smiled. “If it isn’t William Alexander. Never woulda’ thought you’d fall in with this lot.” “Where’s the Captain?” William raised his gun and pointed it at Badger. As soon as he did, the man holding River pulled a knife and put it to her neck. Badger’s smile broadened. “I think you should drop the gun before precious gets hurt.” William advanced a step. “Cut the shit Badger. I know you need her alive. Now where is the Captain?” He pulled back the hammer on the pistol. “I will not ask you again.” Badger’s expression didn’t change. “A bit tied up at the moment I’m afraid. Though I wouldn’t worry.” Badger’s expression got serious and he walked right up to William as if he didn’t have a gun. “Now why don’t you just put that gun down and look away? This whole thing is between Malcolm and I, it’s not your business.” William readjusted his aim and fired a single shot at the man holding River, hitting him right between the eyes. “I’m making it my business.” River pulled free of the corpse and began to run out of the ship. Badger went after her as another one of his goons leveled a pistol at William and pulled the trigger. A sharp pain in his shoulder told William he was hit, and he staggered to the ground as three more rounds whizzed by where his head had been a moment before. Sounds of gunfire reverberated through the loading bay. William shot low and hit one of the thugs in the knee, bringing him down. There were two more bodies on the ground as well; apparently Jayne was doing all right. William stood so he could see if River got away and a second round caught him in the lower abdomen. His vision flashed red. The pain was numbing and William found it hard to focus. Shouts were coming from behind him. Mal. Apparently he had managed to get free, and suddenly William remembered that Zoë had been on the ship. She must have released him. Gunfire ceased and William shook his head trying to regain focus. He stood, looking for River and saw her in the arms of Badger as he was baking away from the ship. “Drop your guns.” Badger yelled, still backing away. “I will kill her. Bounty’s less, but it’s still high.” William saw Jayne drop his weapon and caught Mal doing the same out of the corner of his eye. William didn’t lower his. “You know if you kill her, you’ll be dead.” William staggered forward a few steps. He noticed for the first time that Simon and Kaylee were coming up behind him. “Let her go Badger. Your men are dead, you’ve failed.” At that moment, Simon stepped on a dry branch, the snap causing Badger to turn. William took the shot, hitting Badger just above the knee. As he fell to the ground, Kaylee rushed and hit him in the head with a rock, knocking him out. William looked over at River and smiled. She was okay. And then he collapsed.

~~~

William awoke to the sound of a heart monitor. His vision took a moment to focus, but he immediately recognized where he was, Serenity’s infirmary. William tried to sit up, but the sudden rush of blood to the brain caused him to feel dizzy and he fell back against the bed with a grunt. Simon turned around. “So, you’re awake.” William was having a hard time forming a thought. “… River?” was all he managed. “She’ll be fine, thanks, in no small part, to you.” Mal walked in and answered before Simon had a chance. “You did good out there William. Now get some rest.” The pain and the drugs overwhelmed William and he fell back asleep. She’s safe was the last thought he had before blackness reached him again.

~~~

It was some time before William regained consciousness again, though he had no concept of how long he had been out. The room was quiet, the only sound coming from the heart monitor behind him. It was also pretty dark, and William guessed it must be the middle of the night. William tested sitting up. There was pain, but the dizziness was at a minimum. He removed the leads off of his body and pulled the IV out of his arm. His muscles were sore from the lack of use, and William felt it best to get some circulation back into his extremities. He began walking through the ship, his joints tight and swollen. It took him some time before he felt comfortable in his own body again. He rotated his shoulder, testing the limits of his injury. It felt good, all things considered, so William guessed that the bullet had missed the bone. His abdomen was tender, and there was some discomfort internally as well. It could have been worse, but William could tell there was some internal damage he’d be recovering from for awhile. William found himself in the loading bay. It was quiet as a tomb. He walked along the catwalk taking in the scents; the oil and coolant, the metallic tinge that the air had, and the faint smell of ozone. And William began to think about his first time on a ship. It was a troop transport, bringing men and supplies to one of the forward outposts on Titan. Cale smiled, remembering how angry his mother had gotten when she had learned William’s father had taken him on a mission. His hand involuntarily closed around the cross hanging from his neck and he said a silent prayer for his parents. Feeling the weight of the cross in his hand made him start to think about Book again. He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a shuttle docking with Serenity. Inara was back, and William realized he hadn’t been out all that long after all. The door opened and Inara came into the loading area, and jumped at the site of William. “Oh, William, it’s you.” Inara said smiling, a little embarrassed. “I didn’t think anyone would be awake.” William smiled back. “It’s alright, Inara, I didn’t expect to be up.” William strained to speak; the words came out almost as gasps. “William, are you alright?” Inara came forward, putting her arm around William. “What happened to you?” “Job was a trap. They tried to take River.” William turned to face her. He wasn’t wearing a shirt so she could see his bandages. “Who tried to take her? Is she alright?” Concern was painted on Inara’s face. It was apparent to William that River wasn’t the only one she was worried about. “Everyone else is fine, no other injuries I’m aware of.” William put his hand on his side. “And River’s safe, I wouldn’t let them take her.” “Let’s get you back to the infirmary.” Inara said, not leaving it up to debate. “We can talk more there.” Inara helped William get back into bed. She looked at the medical equipment and decided it best not to try. “I’ll go get Simon.” Before William could protest, Inara was gone. It was only a minute or two before she returned with Simon. “Sorry Doc, I had to get up.” “It’s alright; I was worried something had happened.” Simon made quick work of reattaching William to the monitor and putting the IV back in. “You should really rest, right now that’s the best thing for you.” William grimaced. “I’ve been asleep for a few days, Doctor. I think I’ve rested long enough.” Simon became serious. “You’re lucky to be alive William. Had you been shot like that in town we never would have gotten you back here in time. And walking around the ship is going to put strain on your body that I don’t think it’s ready to take.” William didn’t say anything. He knew that Simon was right. After a moment, William broke the silence. “How’s River?” Simon crossed his arms over his chest. “She was pretty shaken up after what had happened. She thought you were dying and she blamed herself. But she’s better now.” Simon was quiet a moment before he continued. “Thank you, for everything.” William waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing to thank me for, it’s not like I had an alternative. I wasn’t about to let him just take her.” Simon put his hand on William’s shoulder and squeezed it, smiling at him. Inara stood silently at the door, apparently chomping at the bit to ask what exactly happened. “Get some rest, Will.” Simon said as he turned out the light. “I’ll fill Inara in on what happened.” William lay there looking at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting to River. Their time together had been short; only a matter of weeks, but William found himself thinking about her more and more. He had lied to Simon. He had plenty of alternatives. There were few people he would have risked himself so completely for. William was pretty sure when he fired his first shot that he was going to die. All he wanted to do was buy River the time she needed to get away. Things just ended up better than he had hoped. So maybe Kaylee wasn’t completely off when she teased William about his feelings for River. William rubbed is face, willing the thoughts from his mind. He wasn’t going to get any sleep if he continued down that train of thought. In a matter of minutes William was back asleep.

~~~

When William awoke the next morning, it was notably less quiet in the infirmary. River and Kaylee were sitting next to William’s bed talking and Mal and Jayne were standing at the door talking to Simon. “I hope all this fuss isn’t over me.” William said groggily. “William!” River said excitedly. “You’re awake.” Kaylee was smiling behind River. Mal and Jayne looked over to William’s bed when River called out. River took William’s hand and smiled. “That I am, love.” He squeezed her hand reassuringly. Mal and Jayne came to William’s bedside, Simon to the foot of the bed. They all exchanged pleasantries and small talk and Mal finally broke in. “Alright everybody, I need a few minutes alone with William here.” It was apparent there was going to be some protest, so Mal added, “I promise he’ll be here when I’m done. Scouts honor.” The others filed out of the room and Mal pulled a chair up to the side of William’s bed. “So, how you feelin’?” “Like I got shot. Twice.” William strained a laugh. Mal smiled. “That you did. And I’m still trying to figure out if what you did was real brave or real stupid.” “Probably both.” William agreed. “Well, that doesn’t matter.” Mal said, his tone getting more serious. “What matters is you put yourself on the line for my crew. Damn near got yourself killed too.” “And I would have, Captain, if it were necessary.” William said honestly, not knowing where this conversation was heading. “I have no doubt.” Mal sat back in his chair. “It’s hard on a ship like this to find people you can depend on, people you can trust.” Mal focused on William, almost enough to make him uncomfortable. “And the other day, you proved you were both.” William just lay there, not sure what he should say. “You’ve got enough skills to be useful around here, you’re quick to react in the field, and you obviously care about the wellbeing of my crew.” Mal stood up, moving next to William. “What I’m trying to say is that there’s a spot for you on this ship, a permanent one, if you want it.” William was caught off guard. He wasn’t expecting this. “You don’t have to decide right now, but I …” “Yes, I’ll stay.” William cut in before his mind even registered that he had answered. He organized his thoughts and continued. “There’s nothing I’d like more.” Mal smiled. “Good, we’ll work out the particulars when you’re better.” Mal looked at the door and saw River standing at the porthole, looking in on them. “Now I better let the little albatross in here to see you or she might kill me with her brain.” Mal laughed, but to William it appeared as if he was only half joking. He opened the door and River made a b-line for William, draping him in a hug. “You kept your promise.” She looked up at him smiling. “That I did.” William said, kissing her on the forehead. “And it seems I’ll be here for quite awhile longer, love.” She leaned forward, kissing William on the lips. It was short, but passionate. After a moment, she broke away and smiled. “I like it when you call me that.” Mal just smiled and walked out of the infirmary.