DISCLAIMER; Joss Whedon, Mutant Ninja [Turtles?] and other corporations own Firefly, Serenity, all the characters and the entire 'verse. I'm just playing in their sand box, for my personal pleasure and hopefully yours.

A/N (1) I & II are NOT linear Think of them like the movie "Vantage Point" . They start soon after the Big Gorram Battle but well before the funeral. Note (2) I will leave a somewhat more detailed explanation in the comment area below addressing the reasoning behind this interpretation and addressing issues raised in the comments raised by AMD.

What happened in the editing cut between the order to stand down and the funeral (where ever that happened)?

Interludes II Jayne was confused ... no, seriously, I mean way more than usual. No understanding, no comprehension, just Jayne and Vera, and a dozen grenades. Couldn't believe those Purplebellies didn't blow them all away starting with Moon Brain. And Moon Brain, taking on 50 Reavers barehanded ...well barehanded to start, must be some serious kinda math. Maybe she really can kill with her brain, and ain't that all kinds of creepifying. Don't make no sense though, leaving him and Inara alone and taking the rest of the crew to their big cruiser. *Well, here I am, guarding the ship, because Inara got on the cortex then headed to the other ship to be with the crew, and Moon Brain, she just walked away with that short sword and battle axe. Don't know why, Serenity will never leave here, Wash crashed the ship... must be in a dozen pieces.*

Zoe woke up with her face in a donut unable to move at all. Just as the terror starts to rise she hears Inara talking " ... be alright, Mal too. he was worse than the doc and he's in surgery. Oh, you're awake!" "'s wrong? can't move." "You're in sick bay on a Federation boat, honored guests, most of you. Remember after we stole the Lassiter, Jayne hurt his back? The surgeon says the nasty cut you got hit the spine and cut off some muscle. They gave you a nerve block so you wouldn't move and undo their good work. And there's an electro-stim working to reknit the muscles, and antibiotics because no telling what was on that reaver blade. But he did say 6-8 hours you'd be ok enough they could reverse the block. ***** River just walked away, her brain like a strobe flashing Reavers' memories in red and black of what they did since leaving Miranda. She wanted to be sick again, heave all those memories-not-hers out of her brain along with the contents of her stomach. She didn't notice the purple belly walking along with her; didn't even notice when he spoke to her. Memories -- hers, not-hers -- the entire color wheel of glass shards caromed around her head like angry bees, no chronology, no order, just everything. She didn't even notice entering Mr. Universe's living quarters or sitting down at the chair where he was stabbed, totally unaware when he draped a blanket over her shoulders and stuck an Oatey Bar in her hand.

*****

Kaywinnett Lee Frye was beside herself when she came to. The last thing she remembered was passing out in Simon's arms. And here she is, in a sickbay, not Serenity's, and a doc, definitely not Simon, but a female one, with a tube up her arm. Memories of Jubal Early and Adelai Neska flashed through her mind. "Don't be alarmed, you're fine. you just took a dose of some nasty barbiturates and we're flushing them out of your system. Oh,and you're a bit aenemic and low on a few other vitamins and minerals, so we're boosting them too. Your ship mates are or will soon be fine as well."

Several hours later, just after Kaylee was released and spent a while with the captain (Simon was still in post op), she returned to the ship only to almost be shot by a panicky Jayne. She headed to the galley, fixed them something to eat and asked about Inara and River. Jayne shrugged his shoulders at her question while wolfing down the pan fried protien cubes.

*****

River was coming out of the adrenaline induced shock and starting to pick up on the psychic remnants of Mr Universe. In contrast to the Reavers, his psyche was calm and ordered, she actually liked it. She could hear him speaking in her brain as she felt the shadow his death left behind: "Lenore, you silly minx, you have to quit falling in love with me." He was still lying on the bed where he died, hadn't been half a day yet since the battle. Wash was still sitting in the pilot's chair, the Reaver lance through his chest. She walked over to them, Lenore still holding him in her arms.

"Mal! He killed me ..., " Lenore started. River waited until his final message was delivered then repeated that phrase she heard in her brain. When River finished the phrase, Lenore lifted her right arm in the traditional 1 finger salute of Earth-that-was only to have the middle digit separate slightly. River pulled it off revealing a thin magnetic key. Seems he entrusted his deepest secrets to the love-bot. An hour later she was shouting to Jayne to lower the ramp and give her a hand. Together they pushed a freight crate up serenity's ramp and into the cargo hold.

Not that it did any good, but River told Jayne he could get some sleep, that no Alliance troops would be attacking them that night. Yeah, Jayne would stake his life on the pronouncements of a moon brain. Kaylee was brimming with curiosity over the new box. "We got a paying job, one making mischief," River told her. "Come on, lets go see how everyone else is doing," as she split her Oatey Bar with Kaylee.