It's A Wonderful World

It’s A Wonderful World
by KLMatt


(All Firefly characters are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy and all original characters are mine.)

All feedback is very welcome, good or bad please tell me what you think.

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The job had gone from bad to worse. It had started off like any other and Mal had been hopeful that everything would, for once, go smoothly. No chance of that!

They had found a contact, money changed hands and the cargo was loaded on to Serenity.

They would all be getting a very large payout on this job once the cargo was delivered to the small and uninhabited moon of Daion and picked up safely. Mal desperately needed the money to keep his ship afloat and fueled and the crew paid.

The two week run to Daion was pretty uneventful and it was with a light heart that Serenity landed and Mal, Zoe, Jayne and Book set off toward the meeting site. Unfortunately they ran into an ambush on the way.

Someone had tipped off a band of known pirates that Serenity was carrying a very valuable cargo, but luckily for Mal and the others, this rag tag team of ruffians weren't patient enough for a successful ambush.

Their activities were limited to boarding ships in midair and raping or killing those they found rather than hiding in bushes and waiting around.

Even so, the situation turned into a gun fight very quickly with bullets flying every which way.

'Get back to the ship!' Mal ordered and started to shuffle forward.

The others stayed low and moved fast but the pirates must have had some training with firearms as they rained fire balls and bullets upon them.

A cry behind Mal signalled that Book was hit. He hoped it wasn't too bad.

Going for the small bag of coins that had been dropped by one of the pirates, Mal felt a sharp burning sensation that told him he had been hit.

Mal gasped. “Could this day get any better?” he thought. He coughed, trying to draw his breath in. “Book would never have been in this situation if not for me. It would have been better if I'd never existed”.

Then his thoughts disappeared, along with everything around him, into the growing darkness that swallowed him whole.

A flash of blinding white light enveloped Mal. When it had died down he opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a very large and well-furnished room. To one side was an ornamental fire place with a gold edged mirror hanging above it, to another was a large heavy looking wood cabinet with a glass front. All around him pictures were hung on the walls and it reminded him of his uncle’s house back on Shadow before the war.

“What the hell?” Mal muttered, then a little louder said, “Is there anyone here?”

It was then that he noticed an open door to the left of the fireplace.

“That’s strange,” thought Mal. “That wasn’t there a second ago!”

As he pondered, a young girl floated through the said door, her feet not touching the ground.
Mall was stunned. She was a very beautiful girl, with long dark hair and blue eyes very like his own and surrounded by a gentle, warm, pulsing light. She could easily have been an angel if Mal still believed in those things.

“Wuh de tien! Ni hao gu nian zhong de gu nian. Am I dead?” Mal said to her.

“Welcome Mal, you traveller weary, a journey begins, you may find eerie”. Her voice was gentle and sweet yet ethereal and unreal, and filled Mal’s heart with light and hope.

“Where am I? What’s going on? Am I dead?” Mal was persistent.

“You’re welcomed here, I’ll be your guide, so never fear I’m by your side, you wished a thought and made it true, which bought me here so I’d show you, that life without you’s not a blast, you’re one that life should not have passed” she said in a melodious sing-songy tone.

“Fay fay d’pien! I never…. Gos se tamade! I did, didn’t I?” Mal hung his head. “Wo bu dong? Who are you and what’s going to happen now?”

“I’ve come to take you so you will see, that this life is not pretty. So grab my hand and off we go, to visit a friend, someone you will know”.

Mal had absolutely no intention of going anywhere until he got a straight answer. However, his body was drawn towards the girl and his hand reached out and took hold of hers before he could do anything about it.

In the blink of an eye Mal found himself (albeit still holding the girls hand, which he dropped quickly) standing on a lush green hill looking down into a valley at a big house surrounded by flowers.

“I don’t know anyone here” stated Mal with confidence.

“The one you seek in this wonderous place, strong of spirit and fair of face, changed your life as you changed hers, with love and lust your body stirs. Inara Serra once as known, with her fate changed her life has grown, did not know then, cannot love now, so cries as she takes her final bow” she told him.

They were now stood in a small room, which contained a desk, two chairs and various other items of furniture. Inara was sat on one side of the desk and a tall, blond and well built man was sat on the other. A nameplate on the desk identified him as Alexander J. Paighton. The two of them were arguing.

“They can’t see us, can they?” Mal asked in a hushed tone.

“We do not exist, so they cannot see, nor hear and feel either you or me” was the answer he received.

“Alex, we've been through this. You knew perfectly well what I did for a living, I've never tried to hide it from you but I gave it up for you because I love you. Why is this such a problem?” Inara was asking.

“You promised me you'd given up all the other men and would be mine only. But now I find these…” he waved a handful of letter at her “addressed to ‘My Darling Inara’ and signed ‘S’. Who is he?” Alex sounded really angry, pissed off even and Mal winced.

“I am faithful to you” Inara tried to convince him. “I swear! I don’t know who this person is or why I keep getting these letters”.

“DON’T LIE TO ME, WHORE!” Alex bellowed, reaching out and slapping her across the face.

“Why that….that gos se wangba dan! I oughta punch him for that. Why does she stay with that ni ta ma de?” Mal said, outraged.

The girl just looked at him for a moment then turned her eyes back to Inara. Mal took the hint and also looked back.

Inara was now stood with her arms around Alex as he sobbed and wailed “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean…. It’s just I love you so much. I couldn’t live without you. I’d kill myself if you left!”

“The companion is sad, the woman is lonely, often thinks to herself that if she could only, save him from himself and her from his rage, they could start anew on a clean page” the girl sighed.

“She's staying because she thinks she can save him? That man'll go crazy, tear her apart and there won't be a one who can save her!” Mal muttered. They watched Inara and Alex for a few more seconds then the girl turned but as she did her appearance changed and when she faced him she was in her late teens, her long hair cut short and her body fuller.

'Come we must go, we have to move on, our time here is limited so we must be gone' she said, a small smile on her face.

“We can't leave, I need to be sure that Inara is okay” Mal reached out his hand to Inara as she stood with Alex in her arms. “Inara!” he said trying to touch her shoulder but try as he might he just couldn't. There seemed to be some kind of barrier preventing him from touching her.

The girl reached out her hand again and Mal tried harder to resist this time. He didn't want to leave Inara like this, in pain, and he was also a little wary of what he might find next.

But once again he found fighting just made it come quicker and just like the last time he was powerless to stop what he knew would happen.

And sure enough, in the blink of an eye, they had moved once more. The sight in this place, however, was very different from the natural beauty of the last.

They stood in a graveyard, which seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see in every direction. It was a bleak and dismal place, everything grey as if all of the colour had been sucked out.

“What are we doing here? Don't tell me Jayne's become a security guard!” Mal joked.

The girl silently pointed to a spot just slightly to the left of him.

With a growing sense of horror and tension aplenty in the air, Mal slowly looked down to the place at which the woman was pointing knowing full well what he would find but not whose fate it was.

There inscribed on a gravestone in large bold letters, was Zoe's name with ‘She fought Hard RIP’ and the date she had died. Mal immediately knew that she had died 3 months before the battle of Serenity. He even remembered the night, they had been on the move and under fire all the way. There had been a spot, on the surface looked like a good place to set up camp, quiet, secluded, plenty of cover but Mal had protested. Didn't think they should stay there. He could have been demoted for that but his superiors had listened to him and agreed.

Obviously no-one had made a fuss this time.

“What happened?” Mal took a deep breath as if steeling himself inside.

“Dear Zoe, she thought that the end was in sight, the browncoats could win with victory a flight, but they didn't know that a trap lay in wait, in a place you'd avoided with anger and hate. They set up their camp their hearts filled with light, a feeling of peace was with them that night. An ambush was set, they all died together, their bodies lay rotting in beautiful weather”.

“All of them?” Mal said raising an eyebrow.

He looked back at Zoe and then at the headstones around them. All the men and women he had served with were present there and every single date was the same.

“They all died that night? Not one of them survived? Can you show me what happened to them?” Mal asked.

“Don't know the future, can't show the past, can only see the present and the present never lasts” The girl shook her head and as she did so aged about 5 years and Mal found himself looking into the face of a young woman.

This startled Mal a little but he tried to ignore the strange happening and instead said “I only get what's happenin' now?”

He kneeled down to Zoe and smiled sadly, tears shining in his eyes (although if anyone had called him on it, he would deny everything).

“Zoe, I'm sorry,” he said, laying a hand on the grave and bowing his head.

After a moment he took a deep breath, straightened up and cleared his throat.

“I take everything back, I said. They need me and the sooner.....” he started to say.

The woman cut him off with “Won't go back yet, you need to see, the rest of the group, your family. This may get better or maybe worse, but see it through then break the curse”. Her hand stuck out and Mal knew enough this time to not fight what was bound to happen, so he just took hold of the hand tightly.

In an instant they were stood on the bridge of a very large ship looking out into deep space.

There were an awful lot of men and women rushing about, all dressed in identical grey uniforms.

'This is an Alliance ship, isn't it? Who on my ship would be would be working for these bastards?' Mal asked a little spooked by the large grey mass.

A voice came from behind them. “You off shift now Wash?”

“Sure am, Boss!” answered a very familiar voice. Mal spun around and sure enough there was a somewhat leaner Wash, complete with the ugly 'tash Zoe had made him shave off, stood to one side of the Captain's chair.

“Emmerson!” the Captain barked.

“Sir?” a rather large, burly recruit stood to attention.

“Escort Wash to the Mess Hall!” the captain ordered.

“Yes Sir!” Emmerson replied.

Emmerson and Wash both turned and left the bridge, Mal and the woman following in their wake.

“Wash is working for the Alliance now? I knew I never liked that guy! Traitorous scum!” Mal was bitter about this.

“It was a choice he had to make, got caught with stolen stores, either this or a prison cell, at least here they got smores! But it's not good, it's just as bad, he hates this life, it makes him sad”.

By this time, Wash and Emmerson had reached the Mess Hall. Wash stopped by the door and Emmerson turned to go back to the bridge.

Wash called after him “Hey, thanks Emmerson!”

Emmerson didn't stop or turn round just called back “Just following orders! Take care now” in a tone of voice that suggested he hoped Wash gave someone a reason to start a fight so that he could watch Wash get beaten to a pulp.

Wash sighed and wandered into the Mess Hall. The noise inside gradually died down as people noticed him there and turned to stare at him.

Mal could hear whispers of “Captain's Pet” and “Independence Scum” coming from all corners of the room and Mal felt as if he could willingly go over there and bash some sense into those people.

Wash shook his head, his shoulders slumped and he turned and left the room.

Mal and the woman followed Wash as he trudged along a corridor and finally into the crew quarters where he sank down onto his bunk. He laid back, closed his eyes and looked to the entire world as if he had fallen asleep. But Mal could hear him muttering under his breath as he prayed.

“Why are we still here? I've seen Wash's pain, enough to know he would have been better off on Serenity so lets get on with this”. Mal said briskly, hiding any pain he felt over Wash and his predicament.

“Wait just a while, turns day into night, more pain still to come, won't put up a fight. Lost the will to live, can't say I blame him, if it goes on much longer he may lose a limb” the woman told him.

“What does that mean?” Mal couldn't figure it out.

The hatch slammed open above them and three pairs of heavy boots came down the ladder attached to three threatening men.

“Lao tien ye!” wimpered Wash sliding off his bunk and bundling himself into a corner.

“Now Wash, you know he doesn't listen to independence scum like you!” one of the guys, a thin sneering man said.

“Please!” Wash curled up even tighter.

“Nothing you say will stop me giving you exactly what you deserve, traitorous bastard” the same guy growled. He gave a nod and then all three of them started in on Wash, kicking and punching him and spitting in his face.

Mal desperately wanted to kick these guys asses and was deeply frustrated because he couldn't do a thing, all he could do was watch and hope that Wash would survive, although he wasn't sure whether that a particularly good thing or not.

He didn't see the woman rapidly ageing again next to him or feel her hand take his and so the next thing he knew, they were standing in a village square in the middle of a large crowd of people.

Mal opened his mouth to speak but before he could say a word, a loud voice boomed over the crowd.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to pass judgement on this most vicious of criminals, charged with the murder of my most beloved wife! The man has himself admitted his guilt and all that is left to do now is execute the sentence!”

Mal moved through the crowd to find out whom the voice belonged to.

At the front, on a low stage, stood a very fat man with long greying hair and beady eyes. He was wearing long, midnight blue robes and there was a table with three very officious looking people, taking notes, set just to one side of him.

“Jayne Cobb, are you ready to die? Any last words?”

Mal's head whipped across to look at the other site of the stage. There was Jayne, trussed up like a turkey and tied to a pole, ready to be burnt alive. He was furious and was struggling and swearing like a real trooper.

“Yeah!” he spat. “I got me some last words. You can rutting well go to hell you gos se wangba dan! I didn't do it!”

Mal tried not to laugh as he watched all the goings on. He knew there were few situations that Jayne couldn't get himself out of but just seeing him like this lifted Mal's spirits.

The crowd was pretty much baying for blood and Jayne was sweating profusely but he had managed to loosen his ropes just enough for him to slip free.

Mal watched Jayne take a breath and then make a run for it. He didn't get far before he had to start fighting his way out. And fight he did.

“So did Jayne do what they say? You should know” Mal asked, almost conversationally.

“Jayne isn’t guilty, not of this crime, but it’s too late he’s out of time, he was set up, he hadn’t seen, a trap by magistrate and beauty queen. It’s kind of sad I have to say, his life should have to end this way, a bullet to his gut was lended and now his days have finally ended” the woman spoke softly.

Mal looked back at Jayne. He was still fighting the village folk and enjoying it too.

“You'll never take me alive, yuchun ching-wah tsao de liou mahng!” he bellowed as he took on two more men.

Unfortunately, Mal could see something that Jayne couldn't. A man behind Jayne was pulling a gun from a holster.

“Jayne!” shouted Mal, forgetting that Jayne couldn't hear him. “Look out!”

Jayne whipped round to tackle another guy coming from behind him, flipped him over his shoulder and stood for the briefest moment, hands raised in victory.

Mal saw it coming and Jayne did too but not until a split second before the bullet ripped into his stomach and did an awful lot of damage.

Jayne looked down at the hole in his middle, “Oh Crap!” he said, staggered a step and sat down hard with a thud.

Mal could see from Jayne's eyes that he was having difficulty focusing and that the pain was so intense Jayne was fast going into shock.

It was probably a good thing that Jayne couldn't focus, Mal thought, as it meant he never saw the gun point blank at his head or the second bullet, the one that killed him.

Mal stared at Jayne's lifeless body, lying on the hard dirt, glassy eyes open and unseeing, blood trickling from his gapping mouth and clotting in the midday sun around his open wounds.

Although the sight slightly sickened Mal, as it had always done, he did not let it show out of respect to a fallen comrade.

“Can we move on now, please?” asked Mal, a little sharper than he had intended. He knew his wasn't her fault, he was the one who had condemned his friends, no...his family.

This time the woman only changed very slightly, her face becoming a little fuller and her hair longer. She held out her hand to him, almost hesitantly. Mal grabbed at it like a drowning man grasping at floating debris.

They arrived on another ship. This one seemed smaller, almost like Serenity, but as they were stood at the bottom of a flight of steps at the end of a corridor, Mal couldn't be sure.

From the heart of the ship Mal heard faint screams. He tensed up, waiting to see what was going to happen. The screaming got louder and closer until a figure appeared at the end of the corridor. A female figure.

She seemed to be running rather erratically and kept looking over her shoulder as if searching for something or someone.

Another figure, this one a man the same height and build as Mal but with a shock of blonde white hair, came through after her and ran straight at her with purpose.

As the girl came towards Mal, he realised that it was Kaylee and she was screaming, not with terror but with laughter. She looked good, her hair and skin glowing and she shrieked and giggled as the man caught her and twirled her off her feet.

“Put me down. I've got work to do, Travis!” she said, laughing.

“I'm your captain and I say it can wait xin gan” he said in a deep melodious voice.

“Yes Cap'n!” Kaylee raised her hand to her temple.

Travis' face grew serious. “How are you feeling, bao bei? Are you okay?”

“I'm fine husband! Stop worrying about us. You heard the Doc, the babe's healthy and I'm good too. In fact, he said we could still have sex” she told her man looking up at him though strands of hair.

“Well then, I think I can arrange for us to stay on rock a little longer, maybe give the others some time off. Have a little off time ourselves!” Travis replied, his face breaking into grin.

“You betcha!” Kaylee stepped up to him, put her arm around his waist, his arm went around her shoulders and they walked back down the corridor.

“I'm glad someone's happy!” Mal said. “But then, lil' Kaylee can make happy out of any situation”.

He looked at the woman and saw she had aged once again whilst he wasn't looking. She was almost glowing and had a smile on her face as she watched the young parents-to-be huddle together.

The smile was gentle and caring and her eyes shone.

Something stirred, low in Mal's body. Longing, wanting, needing. Tianna, how he wanted this woman, to feel her flesh touch his, to see her naked and glorious, to kiss every inch of her body and watch her as she came again and again.

The woman turned her gaze to Mal and he felt the blood rush to his head and then to his groin as he imagined she felt the same.

She reached out her hand to him slowly and he gently took hold of it, curling his fingers around her so that their arms became intertwined. He closed his eyes to savour the gentle, warming glow that enveloped them both.

The next moment the woman's hand was icy cold and Mal dropped it quickly as he opened his eyes, and looked at the woman.

The beauty and goodness that had attracted him so only a few seconds ago was gone leaving only a blank stare looking back at him.

They were in a darkened room, the only light coming in from a large window that spanned one whole side of the room. The window looked into a padded room.

Sat on the floor of the room was a young dark haired man with his back to them.

A hatch on the door of the cell slid open and a tray of food was pushed in. The young man turned to the food and his face was revealed.

It was Simon, as Mal had already guessed but he looked terrible. His hair was flat and limp, his eyes dull and glassy, his face almost skeletal and he was dressed in a loose white suit.

Mal watched as Simon picked at his food for a second and then flung the tray against the door.

“He didn't get River away, did he?” Mal asked, knowing the answer was obvious but not wanting to spend any more time watching this depressing scene.

Her voice was soft as she said “He tried his best, had to make a choice, he rescued his River, still heard her sweet voice. But they didn't get far, were caught by and by. A shepherd he shopped them as they set off to fly. Now River is back with the Docs at her School and Simon is stuck here, his captors are cruel. His body is rotting, his mind almost dead as he ponders the actions and words River said”.

Mal turned back to look at Simon who was now picking at a spot on his shirt.

“How was it that Simon ended up here and not prison?” Mal asked.

“They thought he was crazy when he talked of the things, what they did to River and the pain that that brings, so they locked him away so he'd never tell, of the horrors and bad things that on them befell” the woman said.

“Tzao gao! Poor Simon” Mal turned back.

In the padded cell, Simon lifted his head and looked straight at Mal. “I know you are there. I can hear you whispering about me. Stop whispering!” he said clearly.

There was a sound behind Mal. He spun round and noticed that, at the back of the dark room, there was a figure.

Seconds later a woman stepped into view her face hard and cold and her features set into a permanent scowl. An ID badge on her freshly laundered and starched lapel gave her name as Janet Lewis.

Janet Lewis was as cold a customer as they came, Mal could see that but she also looked as if she wouldn't have much patience.

“I'm here, Mr Tam” she said through the glass. “Tell me what I want to know and I'll get you moved to a more comfortable room, all the luxuries or I could just leave you here in your little padded cell to rot. Your choice!”

“We all live in padded rooms, just some of us don't have a choice about it! Insanity is a state of mind, somewhere to slip away to, visit because truth and reality are not the same” Simon answered.

“Focus Mr. Tam. All I want is for you to tell me why you took your sister. You can do that can't you? Tell me the truth” Janet Lewis's voice sounded almost sympathetic but Mal didn't buy it for one moment and he could tell that Simon (even in his current state) didn't either.

“Told truth, no lying!” said Simon. “You don't believe me, they” he said pointing past Janet Lewis “will never admit to it but the voices, they know it's true”.

“Do you think I give a shit about that gos se story of yours. I want the truth, now!” She was starting to lose her cool as Mal had guessed she would.

Mal watched Simon's face pull into a grin then he stuck his tongue out at her and firmly turned his back on the window.

“Jien tah duh guai” Janet Lewis spat, totally losing her temper. “We'll see about that!”

She stormed out and as she did, Simon started picking at his shirt again.

“We have to leave and in a hurry, can't save him now, of that I'm sorry”. A note of urgency had crept into the Woman's voice and Mal, looking at her, saw that she had aged a great deal more this time and was looking a lot more tired and drawn than she had before.

“Where next then?” asked Mal as he took her hand. He had gotten used to that fact that there was nothing he could do for his crew except get though this and put everything right again.

They landed in a city on the top of a very high building. The place looked deserted and Mal had learnt that all they could do was wait for the action.

Mal's patience was rewarded after 10 minutes of intermittent boredom and watching people in their homes below as River appeared through the doorway and out onto the rooftop.

She was moving at a good speed and was carrying a small silver case.

Mal found himself quite disturbed when she started to unpack the case and assemble a sniper rifle. Who the hell had let her have a gun? That was a really bad idea. Mal knew guns and this was a heavy piece used by professionals and it gave him a very bad feeling.

Once River had finished putting all the pieces together, she checked her sights, adjusted the range and then sat back on her heels.

“Daddy? not dead or alive. Why are you here? I remember you, all blurred now can't see! Where's Simon?” She asked, then answered her own question with “Simon's lost. Poor Simon! Head’s buzzing, mind unclear, driving further towards insanity but it’s not a place just a state of mind. Can't find himself, doesn't even know who he is anymore! He needs you daddy, we all do!”

Then a faint static sound came over the small com link on the jacket. “Ready student Tango Blue” a voice barked to her.

River smiled, whispered “ready!” and popped her eye onto the eyepiece attached to the gun.

“Target headed to you. Approaching from North East in approximately 2 minutes as predicted. Target is to be eliminated on sight” came the barking voice.

River concentrated and waited for the target to appear. Mal moved closer to River and said gently “River, don't do this. You have a choice. No touching guns, remember?” He was repeating the words he had said to her the day before that bounty Hunter Jubal Early had tried to take her away.

“I remember” River said and pulled the trigger. “But it never happened!”

“What did they do to you, River?” Mal asked.

River started to sob. “They cut me up, took things that didn't belong to them. I told them...told them stealing is wrong but they wouldn't listen, told me that time wounds all heels but the voices are still screaming in my head. Please make them stop”.

Mal wanted to take River into his arms and chase away her demons but once again the barrier between them prevented him.

Behind him Mal could hear people screaming and shouting as they tried to work out where the bullet, that had hit its mark, had come from.

The voice on the radio came again. “Student Tango Blue, target is verified dead. Report back to base”.

River smiled sweetly, packed her things and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Mal called after her. “Why are you doing this?”

“It's what I am, what they made me. Only you can make it right again!” River called back to him and she walked across the rooftop and out of sight.

Mal looked after her for a moment then looked at the woman stood silently beside him. She now looked old and haggard, her hair grey and her face sagging slightly. She was having trouble breathing and the hand she held out to him was very thin and every bone was clearly visible.

Mal took the hand carefully, not wanting to break the brittle bones or hurt her in any way.

Although they jumped to the next location again in an instant the woman staggered and fell, her face drawn with pain.

“I feel the darkness draw pulling through the night, death is drawing closer to drag me out of sight. The circle is complete and now it's time to die, all life is but a chain and so I say goodbye” She said faltering slightly when her breath caught and then added in a voice so low that Mal almost didn't hear “brother!” then took a deep breath, smiled, closed her eyes and then didn't breath again.

“Wait!” Mal shouted, shaking her. “How do I get back and change this? I can't stay here!”

His head drooped and he lay the lifeless body gently upon the ground.

After a moment of grief, Mal lifted his head and took in his surroundings. He was in another graveyard but this one was very different. The sun was shining and it was full of colour. Bright, wondrous flowers adorned the graves.

A little way away a funeral party stood around an open grave.

A shepherd, Book, stood there committing the body to the ground.

“We now commit the body of your servant, Suzanne Jena Reynolds to the ground and into your care Lord” Book was saying.

Mal looked down to where the woman lay, or rather, had lain as she was now completely gone.

Mal looked back at the funeral party a little closer and saw a tall woman stood by the coffin that reminded him of his mother. She was wearing a heavily veiled hat so he couldn't see her face.

The service had now finished and Mal, a little unsure of what to do, followed them across the grass.

Once inside, Book approached the tall woman and handed her a flat square package.

“I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Reynolds” Book said gently. “Here's the plaque you wanted for Suzanne”.

The woman lifted off her hat and veil and looked Book in the eye.

Mal couldn't help but gasp. It was his mother! His own mother and despite the teary face and loss of smile, she looked so good. Mal wanted to comfort her even though he didn't know what was going on.

He moved closer and listened to his Ma as she talked to Book.

“.... I’m going to hang this in her room” Mrs. Reynolds was saying.

“I'm sorry I didn't have time to know her. She must have been a good person,” Book said. “Saving someone's life is a wonderful thing to do”.

“But why did she have to die?” Mal's ma sobbed. “She had a brother, you know”. She dug around in her bag and pulled out a tissue.

“No. Was he here?” asked Book.

“He died in the womb,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “We even had a name picked out”. A tear formed in the corner of her eye and slowly slid down her face.

She again dug in her bag and pulled out a photograph, which she handed to Book.

“We were going to call him Malcolm Joseph” She said as both Mal and Book looked at the photo.

The photo was of her, his angel... No, his sister.

As he stood there watching his mother and Book, he heard familiar voices from far away.

One of them sounded very much like Zoe and the other Simon. Then there was silence for a second. He opened his eyes gently.

“Welcome back Sir,” said Zoe moving into his line of vision.

“What happened?” Mal was slurring slightly.

“You got shot Sir” said Zoe.

“Again!” said Mal raising his eyebrows to the ceiling. “Where's the Doc?”

“Gone to see how Book is doing. He got hit too but only a scrape” Zoe answered him.

“Oh” was all Mal could say. His head was fuzzy and he was having trouble focusing. A moment later it cleared.

“Ni me she ba sir?” asked Zoe.

“I'm shiny. Well...what happened after I got shot? How did we get out?” he asked Zoe.

“We were pinned down by the 'rates sir but then reinforcements came in the shape of Wash, Kaylee and the Doc and we managed to hold them back until we could get you and get gone” Zoe told him.

“Did we get paid?” asked Mal.

“If you mean did we get that coinage you were after, the answer's yes. You held so tightly to it I didn't think you would ever let go. Also while they had us pinned down just had to boast...”

“You'd think they might have figured out that telling your hostages what you've been up to is not a good idea in this biz, but no!” Mal interrupted.

“That we'd been set up good and proper by the Client. The cargo was just a ploy sir, to get us all killed. There was no cargo, no drop off” Zoe continued.

“We can't let this slide, Zoe. We'll have to find the wangba dan and give him a piece of our minds!” Mal smiled somewhat maliciously.

“That we will sir! I'll leave you to think on that,” Zoe said turning and leaving.

A few minutes passed, then River poked her head around the door.

“Hey River, Ni hao ma?” Mal asked softly.

“Bang ji le! You saved us. You made the voices go away” she smiled.

River moved closer and put a hand on his cheek.

“Brother, one of two, half of a pair, ying to her yang, 2 peas in a pod” she looked into his eyes.

“My sister, Suzie” Mal smiled sadly. “I wish I could have known her better”.

Simon came into the room. “What's going on?” he asked. They both ignored him.

River put her hand over Mal's heart. “In here. Always watching” She smiled down at him and said “xiexie. Time wounds all heels. Screaming in my head. You made them bi zui. All good. Back to crazytown. No touching guns!”

Mal regarded her with a gentle look. He knew she was trying to tell him that it was okay, she remembered their words. River kissed him on the forehead and then turned to leave.

Mal saw Simon's puzzled look and said “Don't look so worried Doc, Everything's shiny”.

River moved away from the door out into the common room and as Mal drifted off to sleep, he heard the welcome sound of her laughter echoing around the ship.


THE END