*Clink clank clunk.* “Gorrammit, Kaylee!” Mal called, moving through the common room. “If you were payin’ as much attention to this ship as you are to the doctor, she might stay workin’ better.” Entering the room from the direction of the crew quarters, Kaylee rushed across the space toward the engine room at the rear of the ship. “She was just fine a minute ago!” she insisted, more to herself than to Malcolm. “Didn’t get no complainin’!” “Find out what that noise was,” Mal called after her, then moved the other direction, toward the cockpit. Ascending the second set of stairs after the crew quarters, he stepped into the cockpit. “River,” he spoke, meaning quite a bit more than a simple name. “We’ll live,” River muttered, hands fluttering deftly and confidently across the controls. Within days of taking over the role of ship’s pilot, River had ascended the ranks to become one of the best pilots Mal had ever seen. Simon hadn’t been exaggerating when he first explained his sister’s mental abilities to the crew well over a year ago. “What’s she doing?” Mal reiterated, referring, of course, to Serenity. “The booster coupling came disconnected when we entered atmo,” River explained calmly, her gaze never leaving the controls. Mal waited a moment for an explanation that did not come. “...and?” “We can land without a problem,” River informed him. “Once on the ground, we won’t have enough boost to escape gravity without fixing the ship.” “Get us on the ground,” Mal ordered, turning away and walking hastily back toward the engine room. Zoe appeared from a side corridor. “Don’t tell me,” she intoned. “Not again?” “It’s no problem,” Mal told her dismissively, not slowing his gait. “*Noo* problem at all.” He crossed the length of the ship, stopping before the engine room’s door as Kaylee appeared in it. “There’s nothing wrong in here, Captain,” the mechanic reported. “Everything’s just as fine as it was the last time I checked.” Mal nodded. “River says it’s the booster couple. We’ll have to check it out after we land.” He slapped a palm against the door frame in mild frustration. “Captain,” Zoe said, having caught up to him, “is this situation going to affect our delivery?” “Shouldn’t,” Mal assured her. “We can still land at the pre-assigned drop-off point. The buyers will pick up the cargo, and we’ll fix the ship.” He fixed her with a confident look that didn’t match the queasy feeling inside of him. “No problem at all.”

The cargo pickup went off without a hitch, which somewhat eased Mal’s queasiness until he heard Serenity’s diagnosis from Kaylee. “Just like River said,” Kaylee confirmed, inspecting a panel below the engine nacelle at the rear of the ship, “the booster couple separated from the auxiliary pressure line.” She stepped back, wiping her hands on her thighs. “Easy fix. Problem is, looks like the pressure drop caused both vapor compression accelerators to overspeed tryin’ to compensate. Port one’s totally burned out.” “Remember our ‘Captain Dummy Talk’ conversation, Kaylee?” Mal reminded her. Kaylee blew out a breath. “Yeah, sorry Cap’n. Point is, we need a new port accelerator, or we’re never leaving this moon.” Mal nodded. “Good thing this happened on a decent-type moon. Is that the only thing we need?” Kaylee pressed her lips together and nodded once in confirmation. “Just the one part. Pressure line broke free and knocked around a bit, but I can fix that up no problem. It’s free-sailin’ for us after that.” “Okay.” Mal turned to Zoe. “Get everyone into the common room. I’ll designate jobs, and then we get movin’.”

“Everything’s woozy,” Gabriel reported. “Hard to focus on anything...” He frowned. “There’s a needle, though. They’re stickin’ it in my arm...” “Do you know what it is?” Inara inquired. Gabriel was laying on his back in her shuttle, eyes shut in trance. As with the first two hypnosis sessions, Simon stood in the corner, arms crossed in silent observation. “Yeah,” Gabriel confirmed. “Sedative. I don’t remember... This must be much later. I’m back in my holding cell. Still can’t see...” “If you can’t see, then how do you...” Simon began, but a raised hand from Inara silenced him. “Keep talking,” Inara urged in a soothing, gentle tone. “What happens next?” “I’m standing up,” Gabriel continued. “More men are coming into my room. They have a noose, one of those animal nooses on a stick. More syringes, too. I knock the nearest man into the wall headfirst, but they got the noose on me, and another man sticks me with the needle...” Inara noted that Gabriel was becoming noticeably angry. “It’s okay, Gabriel. If you need me to, I can bring you-” “I should be going back to sleep, but I don’t think I am. Can’t see, can’t think... but I’m still movin’.” He clenched his teeth, his hands balling into tight fists, and a low growl emanated from the back of his throat. “Gabriel!” Inara called in a loud voice. “Listen to my voice! Focus on nothing but my voice. When I reach five, you’re going to wake up. One! Your recollection begins to fade. Two!” Every muscle in his body flexing, Gabriel began shaking uncontrollably. “Two!” Inara repeated, louder this time. “You’re beginning to awaken. Three! You’re lying on my bed aboard Serenity’s shuttle.” “*Rrrrrraaaaaggghhhhh!!!*” A loud, animalistic roar howled from Gabriel’s mouth, and his eyelids parted slightly to show his eyes rolled back in his head. “Four! You’re almost fully awake! FIVE!” With the fifth count, Inara slapped her hands together hard. Gabriel immediately sat up, leaping from the bed and darting his head back and forth, scanning the room for threat. “Gabriel,” Simon said, trying to keep his shaking voice calm. “Do you know where you are?” Gabriel made another scan of the shuttle, then turned his gaze to the doctor. He clenched his jaw and nodded once in confirmation. “*This is Zoe,*” came the first mate’s voice over the intercom system. “*Captain wants everyone in the common room.*” Without hesitation, Gabriel strode from the room. Exchanging worried glances, Simon and Inara followed him into the ship.

Mal was standing at the head of the table, arms folded, as he waited for the crew to arrive. Zoe and Kaylee were already seated, and Inara and Simon, closely followed by River, entered a moment later. Not following suit with the others, River remained standing silently to the side. Mal waited a little longer until finally, Jayne swaggered into the room. “Sorry, Mal,” was Jayne’s excuse as he plopped into a chair. “Was in the head.” “Is this it?” Mal asked aloud, and a split second later, Gabriel finally entered. “Sorry, Sarge,” he offered. “Must’ve gotten lost in the thirty paces between the shuttle and here.” Without further explanation of his obvious wanderings, he found a seat and sat. River immediately took the seat next to him, and although he, for the most part, ignored her, he flashed her a quick smile. In the nearly a month since he’d arrived on the ship, it was the second time Mal had seen Gabriel smile. The first time was on Persephone, when he’d awakened in the infirmary to find River standing over him. *I estimate she’s gettin’ cozy a mite quicker than he’s comfortable with,* Mal thought to himself. *Far as I can tell, he’s never had a girl interested in him before...* River flashed Mal a scornful look, having heard his thought, and he immediately decided to get to the point. “Ship’s broke,” he announced. “Can’t escape this moon’s gravity until she’s fixed.” He shifted his weight to his other foot. “Kaylee and River can start the repairs right away. It’s a vapor compression accelerator for the port side that we need. I know what it looks like, so while they’re doin’ their thing, I’m takin’ Zoe and Jayne and goin’ to find a new one.” He turned to his mechanic. “Kaylee, ‘bout how long do you reckon the whole operation is gonna take?” Kaylee sighed. “Well... There’s some minor damage to some of the various workin’s back there. I might hafta reform the backfeed duct, and the pressure line will definitely need new mounting brackets, so all that could take me the rest of the day.” She shrugged. “Installing the accelerator should take about twenty minutes, so realistically, we could be back in the air later tonight.” Mal nodded. “Any way we can speed it up at all?” Kaylee raised an eyebrow. “Mal, if I didn’t cut corners an’ I took the time to make sure everything was in textbook-accurate position, we’d be here at least six days.” Mal sighed. “All right, see what you can do. You know I trust you.” Kaylee smiled sweetly. “She’s good to me, Cap’n. Won’t be no trouble.” “And you’ll have River helping you,” Mal reminded her. “Simon, too, if you can find something to occupy him. Gabriel,” he redirected, “You’re gonna be our ship guard. You don’t let nobody on this boat without clearin’ it through Kaylee, dong ma?" Without smiling, Gabriel tossed Mal a wink. It was a bit creepy. “No worries here, Sarge. Unless they have a tank...” Jayne grunted his dismissive skepticism. “If they have a tank,” Mal instructed, “I want you to tackle it.” River was the only one who laughed at the joke.

Everyone had gone to their assigned tasks, and Gabriel was left alone in the ship. Remaining in the cargo bay, which was where he spent much of his time anyway, Gabriel did a thorough stretch and then dropped to the deck in push-ups position. Lowering himself several inches toward the floor, he flexed his upper body, drew a deep breath, and slowly raised his legs. Balancing all of his body weight over the base that his hands provided, Gabriel slowly pushed up, creeping his legs upward in an arc. Muscles straining and bulging, he held his body at a forty-five degree angle, keeping his breathing even. Having noticed a moment earlier that Simon was watching, he said, “Gettin’ in the way out there, Doc?” and returned to his even breathing. Simon took a step into the large room. “Um... Yes. Kaylee... She told me to come inside and see if you needed any help.” “Yeah, they have a commanding presence about them, don’t they?” Gabriel responded. “Women, I mean.” Changing physical attitude, he raised his body even further, until he was doing a vertical hand-stand. Only then, did he turn his head to look at the doctor. “Those you care about, I mean.” Simon looked a bit flustered, but the awe on his face had been there since he’d first stepped through the doorway. “Uh, yeah... How in Heaven do you do that?” Gabriel bent backward in the middle, bringing his body from the waist down into an angle on the other side. “Practice,” he said quickly, needing to stay in his breathing pattern. “I’ve never seen upper body strength this extraordinary,” Simon observed. “I mean, I’ve heard of it before, but never actually *seen* it.” He tilted his head, blinking curiously. “What’s your body fat?” His entire body trembling with exertion, Gabriel flipped himself over, landing on his feet. “Used to be one percent,” he answered, shaking and stretching his arms. “‘Course, with the diet I’m provided on this ship, that’s impossible to maintain.” Simon nodded his agreement as Gabriel grabbed an overhead stair brace and raised himself. “Actually gainin’ a bit of weight. Up to two fifteen, now.” Performing a full pull-up, he then swung his body to a horizontal position and held it there. “I see. So, um...” Simon continued, trying to maintain conversation and avoid awkward silence. “You seem to be doing fairly well aboard Serenity.” “Yeah, it’s comfortable.” Simon averted his gaze. “River... seems especially to have taken a liking to you.” Sighing, Gabriel let go of the brace early and dropped to the floor. Rubbing his hands together, he turned to face the doctor. “Simon,” he began, “I know exactly what everyone aboard this ship thinks about me an’ River. I have a recommendation for you.” He leaned back against the side of the stairway. “Watch out for her carefully. I’m a monster.” Simon suddenly looked much more uncomfortable, as impossible as the expression seemed. “Oh, I’m sure that’s not true...” “Maybe not.” Crossing his arms, Gabriel straightened and took a step to the side. “But that’s somethin’ you don’t want to discover the hard way when your sister is in the picture.” Grabbing a nearby towel, he threw it over his shoulder and turned to walk away. “Let her find a decent man someday. I’m damaged goods.” With that, he strode to the exit ramp and descended into the street outside.

“Not the biggest of towns,” Mal observed, “but I’ve seen a lot smaller...” “Sure we’ll be able to even find the part we need?” Zoe inquired. Jayne frowned in contemplation. There was something itching the back of his mind, and he was sure he’d been to this moon before... “A girl!” he exclaimed. Mal and Zoe both turned to stare at him as if he were an idiot. “I mean...” he reiterated, “...there was someone I knew here whose pa owned a machinery shop.” He shrugged. “They should have what we’re lookin’ fer, and we might be able to get a lower price outta ‘em.” Mal studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, we’ll check it out. Any coin we can save is a boon to us.” He turned slightly, gesturing down the street. “Lead the way.”

“What’s on your mind?” Inara asked. Looking up from the point on the dining table he was staring at intently, Simon met her gaze, then turned away again and sighed. “Just boredom, is all.” He twined his fingers together before him on the table. Inara slid into the seat across from him, eyeing him calmly. “Just boredom, is all?” she repeated, pursing her lips slightly. Simon took a deep, noisy breath. “It’s just... I have a lot going on right now.” Inara waited, saying nothing, and eventually, Simon continued. “There’s my relationship with Kaylee, which, thankfully, is going very well, so far. I’m still worrying about River, and trying to treat her, while at the same time studying Gabriel.” He pressed his palms against the flat tabletop, rubbing them back and forth absently. “And then there’s River’s interest in Gabriel...” He leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand across his face. Inara reached across the table to grasp Simon’s other hand. “So you have a lot going on in your life. You can’t let it eat at you so. I mean, if I had as much to deal with as you, and I let it get to me, why I...” She paused. “...I’d probably go nuts.” Simon nodded. “Yeah, I know where you’re coming from. I still...” He shook his head. “I just can’t help letting it get under my skin.” Inara gave his hand a squeeze. “Just take it one step at a time. There’s no need to worry about your relationship with Kaylee; if you like each other as much as it looks, that will take care of itself. As far as your research, River doesn’t really need to be babysat anymore. She’s been doing fantastically on the new medicine you developed for her, and the time you spend researching her’s and Gabriel’s conditions couldn’t possibly add up to the time you spent taking care of her before.” Simon released some of the tension in his muscles. “True. I do have a lot more free time to spend with Kaylee, which I enjoy very much...” Inara nodded her head at him. “There you go. As far as your sister’s infatuation with Gabriel goes...” She released his hand and folded her arms across her breast. “Gabriel seems like a very nice boy to me, albeit troubled. Have you seen Mal and Zoe lately? They’re not much better off.” She sighed, her gaze sliding to the side for an instant. “He’s a decent man, and I think River’s to the point where she can make her own decisions. If Gabriel is responsive to her affections, I think you would be better off letting them live their lives.” “Oh, no!” Simon exclaimed, rather suddenly, “I don’t mean to interfere. It’s just... I’m not used to it...” “I’m no doctor,” Inara continued, “but personally, I tend to think this is a great sign of River’s recovery. It shows she may, yet, be able to lead a normal life, after all. How old were you the first time you became interested in a girl?” “Um... well, I...” Inara leaned forward in her chair, eyeing him intently. “And how many boys has River been interested in during her life?” Simon had no answer for her. “And how much longer until River is eighteen? *Eighteen* years old?” Simon ran both hands through his hair, squeezing the back of his neck. “You’re right,” he admitted. “It’s just... as long as she was in her condition after I rescued her, the...protectiveness just sort of extended from when I knew her as a child...” “But she’s not a child,” Inara assured him. “And the sooner you fully come to terms with that, the better you will feel.” Simon nodded again, slower this time. Then he smiled a bit. “Kaylee had the same opinion as you when we had this conversation a few weeks ago.” His smile turned a bit sad. “I guess there isn’t anything to worry about, after all...” His conversation with Gabriel earlier, however, continued to ring in his head, over and over...

“Faster would be better, Jayne,” Mal commented. “Hold on, gorrammit...” Jayne grumbled, turning onto another street. “I know it was ‘round here somewhereabouts...” It was the third street they’d stalked, and against everything that Jayne claimed, he had them completely lost. “”Sir,” Zoe spoke, “whyever did we never think of this before?” She arched an eyebrow, glancing in Jayne’s direction. “With Jayne’s photographic memory and keen directional skills, we could’ve...” “There!” Jayne exclaimed, pointing to a canopy-sheltered merchant stand in front of a stucco building. He glanced over his shoulder, glowering at Zoe defensively. “That’s the place!” “You sure?” Mal confirmed. “Looks like an apple stand to me.” Jayne shot Mal an evil glare. “This’s the place,” he repeated, moving toward the stand. He stepped up to the wooden, tacky counter and knocked with a meaty , gloved fist on the surface. A moment later, a slender, blond woman around the age of thirty stepped out of the stucco building and moved behind the counter. “May I help...” She trailed off as her gaze settled on Jayne’s features “Jayne?” She inquired, as shocked an expression on her face as Mal had ever seen. “*Jayne Cobb?!??*” Jayne grunted, nodding once. “Hey, Breana,” he acknowledged. Breana looked speechless for a moment, then reverted to a semi-nervous state. “How have you been?” Jayne shrugged. “Scrappin’ by.” He gestured over his shoulder at Mal and Zoe with a thumb. “Got me a new crew to run with; decent-enough bunch of human beings.” Mal and Zoe exchanged silent glances. A little girl of only a few years of age scampered from the building and grasped Breana’s leg. Jayne frowned in curiosity, then looked back up at the woman and forced a smile. “Cute,” he said, unconvincingly. “This your little girl?” Breana, avoiding his gaze throughout the short conversation, glanced down at the child. “Yes, she is,” she replied. She finally met his gaze, and tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes. “She’s yours, too, Jayne.” Jayne blinked once; he blinked twice. He glanced back at Mal and Zoe, then his gaze darted back to Breana again. “What?” he managed, blinking for a third time.