Jayne took another shot as he let his eyes roam the room again. They stopped for a moment on two of the barmaids that were looking at him. He straightened up for a second then continued his search. He was now seeing the many looks that kept getting tossed towards their table. Jayne assumed the men in the room were either leering at Kaylee or wondering why someone as dressed up as Simon was in their establishment. As he followed one man's eyes however, Jayne found that they were staring intently at Mal. Jayne straightened himself quickly and walked over to Mal, looking calm as he bent down to his ear. "I'm thinkin' it might be time for us to be movin' on cap'n." Jayne whispered with intensity. Mal looked up at Jayne and caught the look in his eye just before the lights in the place died. Shouting and cursing echoed in the pitchblack room. Mal felt dizzy all of a sudden and heard a scream come from deep somewhere inside him. 'Not here', Mal thought, 'Not now.' "You! Big guy! Get the girl and the prim out of here. I got your captain," Shouted someone from the dark. Mal felt himself heaved over someones shoulder and felt someone carry him out. Someone shouted really close to his ear, something about his name and a bounty. He heard a thud and that voice was gone. He could hear Jayne shouting at Kaylee and Simon to stay close. The sunlight nearly blinded him when they burst out of the bar. Mal saw the yellow blur of the mule as they ran past it to a good-sized steel transporter. He got hefted into the passenger seat and could hear Kaylee complaining about the mule. The man next to him said something and they were off. Mal was forced back in his seat by the force that the transporter let out. His vision swirled as the dream took a hold of him again. There was no screaming this time. No sound at all. It all just played through. Then it was dark. "It's okay Sarge, I've got you." Bo said to him from the darkness. Mal felt peaceful. He slept for he didn't know how long. He might have dreamed again, but it didn't bother him now. When he woke up he was in his bunk. He went to the sink and rinsed his hands and pressed his wet hands to his face. He pulled his pants up and tucked his wine colored shirt into them. He strapped his suspenders over his shoulders and started up the ladder. He looked to the bridge and saw River sitting at the pilot seat. He smiled as he thought what a good pilot she was. He turned towards the galley and saw the crew sitting at the table. He stopped as he saw someone sitting with their back to him. Zoe looked up from the opposite end of the table and smiled. Mal stepped down the stairs loudly. The man in the chair jumped and spun around, sending his long leather jacket swirling around his ankles. "Howdy Sarge." Bo said as he grinned slowly. Mal stood and looked at Bo dumbfounded. He blinked as he looked his young subordinate over. "Hi." Mal said still dumbfounded. Seemingly without thinking, Bo went to a position of parade rest and stood looking at the captain. Both men stood locked in a stare until Zoe intervened. "Cheek, how bout you sit in a different seat and let the captain enjoy the head of the table." Zoe more said than asked. "Of course." Bo said as he moved to a seat beside Jayne. The big man eyed Bo as if he'd knock him aside with a quick swing of his arm. Bo stared intently at the captain still, his blue eyes seemingly seering with questions. Kaylee broke the uncomfortable silence. "So how do you know the captain and Zoe?" she asked politely. "We all served together at the begining of the war. We got seperated at a particular juncture and I never saw them again," Bo answered, shifting his gaze to her. "Seperated is putting it lightly," chimed Zoe, looking at Mal who had still not overcome the shock of his 'first class' showing up on the doorstep. "Maybe so," Bo laughed light-heartedly. "You should have been dead." Mal finally said Bo quickly swung his eyes back to his Sergeant. He eyed Mal, and Mal was instantly reminded of the way River had eyed him days before. "Some one was watching out for us, sir." His eyes shifted suddenly as River came down the steps. "You weren't followed." she said. "Would hope not, with this hundan's driving." Jayne growled. Bo just laughed. He looked at the big man, not fear in his eyes but more like he was sizing him up. Mal felt mighty uncomfortable about having Bo show up at such an odd point in time. He looked at River, trying to get her attention. River caught his eyes. Mal rolled his head towards Cheek. River asked the question with her eyes. 'You really want me too?' Mal nodded. River looked over to the newcomer and felt his mind with hers. When their minds touched she felt a numbing cold shoot through her mind. Her mind recoiled as she looked back at Mal. She shook her head. Mal shot her a questioning glance. She pushed her way into Mal's mind. 'I can't read him. He has defenses around his mind I've never seen before. He's cold Mal.' her voice echoed in his head. Mal shook her from his head, he felt like his mind was full of cobwebs. Inara came in the room from the opposite side of the room and caught Mal's eye. She looked him over and smiled. He smiled back at her and looked back at Bo. He had gotten into a conversation with Jayne about guns and the mercenary business. "Bo. What happened in that bar?" Mal asked. The conversation ceesed. Everyone got quiet. Bo was now the center of attention. He sat quiet for a moment and looked at Mal with a sad look in his eye. Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a large stack of papers, unfolded them and slid them across the table to him. "There's a huge bounty on you're head Mal. Almost every one of the men in that bar was looking to take it. The one you were dealing with was only other man there for something other than your head." Bo said solemly. Mal looked up at Bo, then back at the papers with his picture on it. River jumped abit and a slight squeal came out of her mouth. She looked at Mal then back at Bo. "You took the job." She said quietly. Bo stared at River with curiosity. Then he nodded slowly, as if coming to some conclusion. Jayne jumped from his chair and placed a knife at Bo's neck. Bo grabbed Jayne's arm and twisted it away from him as he pulled a gun from his jacket and placed it below Jayne's jaw. "How bout you let me speak before you place that steel to my throat?" Bo growled. "Private!" both Mal and Zoe shouted. Bo's arm dropped and he snapped to a very military stance. He looked at Jayne angrily, then calmly at Mal, then River, then Zoe. "Yes. I took the job. I needed coin, and they provided it. I've been a merc for years now. Since the war really. I couldn't find another job that suited for a while. Bought a small ship with one of my larger jobs and have been running shipments of medicine from planet to planet. Had a large shipment to Ariel a few months back, said they had a large heist." A look went around the table at the mention of the medicine. Bo caught it and gave a small laugh. "Well, it's a smaller 'verse than they say. I reverted back to mercenary after that one actually. Then this job came along from an anonymous bidder, someone with alot of money. I don't know who Mal. They were hidden the entire interview." Mal sat in silence for a minute then stood from the table. He walked out and heard quick booted footsteps behind him. "Mal!" Bo and River called after him. He descended the stairs and walked by the infirmary into the cargo bay. He heard both people follow him into the cargo bay and stop. "You came to kill me Bo." "No Mal, I came to find you. If I wanted to kill you I'd have done it when the lights went out in the bar. Or when we were in my transport on the way here. Or even when you were asleep and I was talking with the Corpor- I mean Zoe." "Mal he's not lying. When he told you his mind opened and I could see-" River stopped and stared at Bo while Mal spun around. Bo stared hard at River. He looked at Mal then returned his gaze to her. Mal could practically hear the wheels turning in the privates head. "Of course. I remember now. The psychic girl and her doctor brother. There was a big bounty on you two not too long ago. I think someone tried to claim it, but they killed the guys who wanted it. Yeah I was never much for taking bounties on girls any how. Especially not ones as cute as this." He looked River up and down with a flirtatious grin on his face. River blushed and looked at the floor, holding her hands behind her back. "Now I don't rightly care about what you think about pretty girls and the like, but I want to know why you're on my boat." Mal almost shouted. "Mal, I'm here to make sure you don't get taken. I couldn't bear to hear of your death. That's the reason I stayed behind in that attack. You were like an older brother to me Mal, ever since my mom passed and your's took me in-" Gun shots resounded outside the bay doors. River's eyes got wide and she bolted for the cockpit. Bo pulled his gun from the holster as Mal did the same. Jayne came running down a set of stairs with a large shotgun as the firing outside began to ricochet off the hull. "Ruffians." Came Rivers voice over the com. Bo looked out the window at a good number of the bar patrons he had seen earlier. "I count sixteen, maybe more around back. Two dune buggys and a few horses. There goes my transport. Gorram drunks." "Sounds like fun." Jayne laughed as he looked out the window as well. "Orders captain?" Zoe shouted from the bridge "Open the doors." Mal shouted back. The doors hissed open and the three men opened fire on the croud of men. Bo fell back and continued to fire until the shooting stopped. Jayne picked him up and hauled him to the infirmary. Bo grunted and stood up to get to the table. Jayne ran back out to the door as Bo blacked out. Mal came to the infirmary later and watched Simon patch Bo up. Then he sat with Private First Class Bo Cheek for a while longer, until River had them safely off world and coasting towards their job with very few bumps. Mal walked onto the bridge with Zoe, River, Jayne, and Inara. "Well Captain, what now?" River asked. 'She's right Mal,' he told himself,' what now?'