“You sure ‘bout this?” Mal had asked his son. “I mean real sure. Ain’t summat ya can go back on.”

Derry had been sure. He’d felt the Call, not unlike his namesake. Knew he wanted to follow those footsteps and become a Shepherd.

So Mal had called in a favor or several with the abbot at Southdown Abbey, and in a couple of weeks, the life of Derrial Wash Reynolds would forever be changed. It was nothing short of ironical that it was Mal’s daughter Carly who had followed his path and become a soldier, and his son who took after Inara’s more spiritual side. Funny old ‘verse, that.

But before then, there was adopted family to visit, in the form of Kaylee’s sprawling clan. Two weeks from today, the taste of Pa Frye’s BBQ ribs would be a distant memory for Derry.

As would Kaylee’s little cousin, Robin. And that, right there, was the first time Derry seriously wondered if he was built for being a Shepherd. Hell, he and Robin had run around together during visits when they were growing up -- climbing trees, splashing in the creek and spying on their older siblings.

But seeing Robin this time, Derry began to doubt he could go through with it. Furthermore, the fact that she’d seriously outgrown the gawky phase and was now all curves and curls was not helping matters. Not that Derry had never kissed a girl before. He’d kissed a few in his 17 years.

But he’d steeled himself. Told himself that he could overcome the temptation.

Until…

Until the second to last night of the visit, when she’d crept up into his guest bedroom. And damned if Derry knew how it happened, but there was kissin’. And a few things beyond kissin’. Which was only halted by the steel-cold reality of neither of ‘em having come to the party with proper protection.

Derry started to thank God for having intervened at the last minute, but then Robin leaned forward with her nightie still all undone and whispered, “One last chance, Derry. Bring somethin’ tomorrow night.”

Then she vanished.

Somewhere in the back of Derry’s brain, God was jumpin’ up and down and wavin’ His arms about, trying desperately to get Derry’s attention. In two weeks, it wouldn’t matter. In two weeks, Robin’s curves and curls would be as distant a memory as that fine BBQ.

But that was two weeks away, which might as well have been 20 years. And in the here and now, Derry knew he had to find a way.

“Can’t miss what you never had” – that was always Pa’s argument-stopper whenever Derry and Carly got too whingy for expensive gewgaws when they were littler. And for the most part, Derry now saw the wisdom in that.

But something in his gut told him that if he didn’t get to have this, he’d miss it something fierce for the rest of his life. Even if it was the only chance he’d have.

Problem was, how to get ahold of a rubber without Pa findin’ out. Uncle Jayne’d just guffaw at him. Auntie Kaylee’d squeal so gorram loud that his Pa’d be sure to find out. Uncle Simon’d blush red as a beet then give him some sorta lecture. And Aunt Zoe’d back up Pa anyway. Derry wondered just how his long-gone Ma woulda reacted…what with her bein’ a former Companion and all.

Fortunately, it was Auntie River who saved the day the following morning after breakfast. She sidled up and pressed a small foil packet into his hand. Derry knew she’d read his mind. He jammed the packet into his pants pocket.

“Little bird told me you might be wanting this. Secret between you and the little bird, OK?”

Derry nodded dumbly, not believing that it was actually going to happen. Heart jackhammering in his chest all day – even more so when he gave Robin a small nod to let her know he’d done his part. She dimpled back at him in return. Dimples were gonna be his undoing. Of that, he was certain.

Finally, the longest day of Derry’s life came to an end. At the appropriate hour – not to early or too late – he made a big show of yawning and headed upstairs. His Pa gave him a funny look.

About an hour later, Robin slipped into his room. He could clearly see her figure outlined underneath her thin nightie. It looked every bit as good as he remembered from last night. Felt just as good, too.

And then somehow they found themselves at the precise same point where things had to be cut short last night. Except this time, was nothing stopping either of ‘em, save for their own self-control. Which, best as Derry could recall, was lyin’ in a heap on the floor under either her nightie or his pajama bottoms.

Still, Derry figgured God would be even more pissed off at him if he didn’t at least make some token effort at being a gentleman. Not wantin’ to risk the wrath of the Almighty, he forced Robin’s hands to stop whatever that wonderful thing was they were doing, pulled back and looked her square in the eye.

“You positive about this, Robin-bird? Not jus cos’ I’m goin’ off to be a Shepherd?”

In response, she laid back on the bed and held her arms out to him. “Want ya to always remember me, Derry.”

It occurred to him, as he struggled to roll on the rubber, that the likes of that not happening were similar to Uncle Jayne taking up wearing Auntie River’s sundresses.

Derry had just started to carefully ease himself inside her, when he suddenly met resistance and couldn’t go any further. He wondered just how God would feel about his taking Robin’s maidenhead his own first time out the gate.

Before he could say anything, she reached around, grabbed his ass, and shoved him toward her, so that he had no choice but to break through. At least he had enough presence of mind to kiss Robin at that instant, so that her cry of pain wouldn’t wake anyone else.

And then, there he was, past the point of anything resembling return. He looked down at Robin, as she finally opened up eyes she’d screwed tightly shut just an instant before.

“Sorry, Robin-bird. Didn’t mean to hurt ya.”

A finger on his lips. “Shhh, Derry. Worst is done and nothing I wasn’t ready to let go of anyway.”

Then a shifting of her hips, and it was Derry’s turn to have to close his eyes to try and steady himself. Having already taken a nice big bite of that forbidden fruit, Derry wanted to at least savor that particular sin.

Seemed, however, that God did have other plans, such as not letting him take his sweet time about it. The way Robin kept squirming and sighing and tightening down on him, he knew he was not gonna make it. Just a couple more thrusts, then Derry felt like he’d been picked up by the scruff of his neck and tossed off a cliff. Pain and pleasure sliding back and forth against one another for a timeless second.

When he finally felt like he was not gonna black out any more, Robin was smiling gently up at him. “You OK there, Derry.”

He very gently lifted himself up and away from her and sat back on his heels to look down at her. “Never better, Robin-bird. You?”

Robin pushed herself up on her knees to face him for a kiss. “Pretty gorram good, Derry.”

They both moved to clean up and get redressed. Derry looked over to notice her stripping the sheets and replacing the bed with fresh ones from the hope chest. He suddenly noticed the spots of blood and was a bit shamefaced.

“Robin, I am so sorry…”

“I ain’t. ‘sides, guess who’s got laundry duty tomorrow anyway?”

After breakfast, Pa tapped him to help reload Serenity. It was rapidly getting to be a warm day, so it was not long before both of them had stripped off their shirts as they grunted, rearranging cargo. Finally, after the last crate had been secured, they both sat down on the cargo bay floor for some water and to cool off.

Derry finally looked over at his Pa, not quite sure how to broach the subject he so sorely needed to get off his chest.

“Pa…I’ve been thinkin’…”

Mal took a long swig of water and grinned at his son. “Finally came to yer senses ‘bout this whole Shepherd thing?”

“No. Just that…well…not sure I wanna go to seminary at Southdown. They walk a pretty narrow path, I hear. Might want summat a bit less constricting.”

Mal cocked an eyebrow. “That so? Seems to me that things already got a bit less constricting for ya last night.”

Derry finally managed to stammer out, “Wh…whaddya mean, Pa?”

Mal chuckled. “Only one thing leaves marks like that on a man’s back, son. Ten of ‘em, attached to the female of the species. Learned that from yer Ma.”

Mal then stood up, dusted off his pants and headed for the catwalk, calling over his shoulder at a staring Derry, “Button ‘er up, son. I’m off to go make yer apologies to the abbot at Southdown.”