“You were my flock.” Book smiled kindly. “And my family. I took an interest. Being dead doesn’t stop that.”
“More’n just an interest, if I recall.” Mal gazed at him for a moment, then let the words fall from his lips. “How do I keep them safe, Shepherd? My wife, my son …” He glanced towards the room where they slept. “How do I stop the bad happening to them? Like it did to Wash. Like it did to you.”
-- Arrivals - Epilogue by Jane0904