They all crammed into Warminger’s largest building – a meeting-cum-dance hall that was only heated for when there was a meeting or a dance on – and waited for their name to be called by the townspeople that appeared in succession in the hall’s doorway. These were the majority that had volunteered to put the homeless up; the minority considered it the fault of the people of Pity that they’d gotten their settlement blown up and why should they suffer for it too, and who was that Firefly crew anyways?

The chairs had initially been put out in rows but as the hours passed the arrangement changed: people huddled them in circles, pushed them together for something to lie on, hung coats over the back of them to make a tent for sleeping children.

Mal, River, Kaylee, Simon and Jayne sat on the wooden floor along with the other settlers who had arrived after all the chairs had been taken: Mal, like Jayne, who was opposite him, sitting slightly apart but facing in towards the group, Kaylee and River leaning on each of Simon’s shoulders. River’s eyes were open, gazing at the floor; Kaylee, her tears having only just subsided, sighed heavily while she dozed.

Someone was giving out blankets. It gave Mal the idea of fetching his own…

The name ‘Jayne Cobb’ was called from the doorway. A small, thin man stood there with his small, thin wife. Jayne looked at them, looked at Mal.

“We’re getting split up?” he asked.

Mal was too tired to move. It came into his head, seeing the contrast between Jayne and the couple, and imagining the gap between their expectations and what they were going to get, to make a joke about it. But instead, when he saw first Jayne rising, slinging the rough sack he’d found to stash Vera over his shoulder, loping over to the doorway, then the couple rushing with looks of visible alarm to consult the list-carrying official who was organizing the billeting, he hauled himself to his feet and followed after Jayne. And he found himself, when he caught up, feeling plain sorry for the sad-looking merc. Standing between an apologizing official and an apologizing couple. Almost like he should put a captainly arm around him or something.

“Come on Jayne,” he said, and to the official: “If there’s no-one who can take us all together, then we’re staying here.”

And he returned with Jayne to where the rest of the crew were sitting.

“Don’t have to stay, you know,” he said to Jayne, who sat with Vera in his lap. “Could be this is the right time for you to split.”

Jayne just grunted.

Then another name was called. “Dr Tam!”

Not wanting to rouse Kaylee, Simon turned only his eyes towards the voice.

“I just told the guy in charge, we want to be put together,” Mal told Simon.

“No, no, that’s Tull, the father of the baby I delivered. He must be” –

Tull was approaching. “Dr Tam!” he began, with suppressed but easily discernible anxiety, “it’s Barbara, she’s doing this shaking-twitching thing with her little arms” – and he demonstrated – “and we don’t know, is that – normal?”

Kaylee’s eyes had opened. She was watching Tull.

“I guess I’d better have a look,” said Simon, turning his head and brushing Kaylee’s hair with a kiss. Reluctantly Kaylee pulled away from him to allow him to stand up. He had barely done so when his name was called again, this time from behind. A woman came towards him.

“They said you were seeing to someone else, and I didn’t know what you looked like,” she said, reaching for his arm. “My husband’s been telling me not to bother you, but I know there’s something not right with him. His stomach” –

Simon looked from Tull to the woman. “There’s a baby needing attention but I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”

And then, surprising everyone, River said: “We’re not going to have more trouble from this one, are we?”

The way she said it gave Simon a chill: mocking, officious, brutal. A voice from her Academy past, he was sure. And the way she was looking at Kaylee, as though expecting an answer – would did it mean?

“Honey?” said Kaylee warily to River.

“Passion is useful to the program,” River continued, glaring at Kaylee now. “But only if it is under control.”

Simon spoke quietly to Tull, who was hovering nervously at his elbow. “Er, Tull, I – I think I need to attend to my sister first. But I’ll be right along, I promise.”

Tull and the settler woman melted away.

Simon crouched down before River. “You might need to attend to her first,” said River, crossing her arms and flicking her eyes toward Kaylee almost petulantly. From torturer to teenager in a blink.

“Kaylee?” Simon asked. “Is she sick?”

“He hasn’t even noticed!” River suddenly wailed, “I’m as good as making out with an Alliance tech and he hasn’t even noticed!”

At this Kaylee colored deeply and slapped a hand to her mouth.

“What the hell is going on?” Mal asked, sitting up.

“Don’t, River!” said Kaylee desperately.

“What’s she talking about?” Mal demanded.

“It was me!” Kaylee cried through her hands. “My thoughts, what I was thinking!”

“I don’t understand,” said Simon, bewildered. “Who’s been making out with an Alliance tech?”

“Me,” said Kaylee miserably, hanging her head. “Almost.”

“Well – what” – Simon stopped himself, pushed a hand through his hair – “when?”

“On Meridian. When River said there was a rat on Serenity” – Kaylee’s tears started to flow again at the mention of the ship – “and the Alliance sent a tech to help us find it.”

Mal nodded. “They helped all right,” he said grimly.

“I didn’t realize!” Kaylee sobbed. “I thought he was – oh geez, and how stupid was this? – I thought he was into me and I thought – I thought – you weren’t!” she finished, looking pleadingly at Simon.

Simon pushed his hand through his hair again. “This was how they attached the tracking device? Is that what you’re saying?”

River had moved over to Kaylee and taken her hand. She patted it. “Don’t worry,” she said, in the cold Academy tones of earlier, “we forgive you.”

Kaylee stared at her, aghast.

Mal spoke up quietly. “Simon, go and see Tull’s baby. We’ll still be here when you get back.”

Without relinquishing an ounce of tension, Simon picked up his medical bag and left.

Jayne muttered: “Why would I want to split now? And miss all this fun.”

Mal unfolded the blanket that had been left for the group and reached for Kaylee. She crawled towards him and into the crook of his arm; and Mal, lying down with her, pulled the blanket over both of them.

“Ain’t nothing to forgive,” he whispered to Kaylee.