'We're still flying.'
'That's not much.'
It's Enough

Cate Sera Inara was having a good day, this was categorised by the sighting of one of her top targets, Derrial Book. He'd been spotted planet side two hours earlier and by chance she'd been in precinct rather than off world. Debriefing had taken longer than she'd liked and they'd lost his location in the maze that was Persephone harbour.

'Sir, no positive I.D.' she called it in and kicked the dirt for good measure as she spun slowly to observe the busy ship harbour.

'Start going round ships, it doesn't have to be official.' The sound of crackling distortion echoed the end of the transmission. Cate backed nonchalantly into the booming market place and picked a stall out from the hundreds. It was covered in fine silks and dresses, really not her style but necessary for this particular job. Handing cash over she asked to use the curtain-drawn back room behind the booth to change in, the teller nodded and waved her through as she accepted her next customer.

A good ten minutes later she was ready with gun concealed, looking every inch the companion she would say she was. She tripped ungracefully on the long dress and tried to untangle her boots, this was going to go so smoothly.

Three ships later there was no sign of the coarse white hair that singled him out. Pursing her mouth in a stiff expression she was brought back to the present by a happy voice chirping out toward her.

'Your dress is real pretty,' a girl in grubby overalls twirled a paper umbrella over her left shoulder. 'I'm Kaylee and this here is Serenity and we have a whole shuttle free if you were looking.' She broke off in a hopeful voice. Her accent was soft and lilting and she seemed the kind of person to trust just about anyone.

Cate saw the opportunity to scout a fourth ship and nodded, 'I'd like to see it if you don't mind,' she flicked her hair out of her eyes, 'before deciding.'

Kaylee grinned and hopped up, 'right this way. What's your name?' Her smile was infectious, not that Cate smiled, but the corner of her mouth twitched a bit.

'Cate Sera Inara, you can call me Cate.' She held out the commanding handshake that had accompanied her through her career and then remembered she was supposed to be a delicate companion and slackened her grip.

A tall man in a long brown coat came striding through the cargo bay. 'Who's this then?' he said clanking to a stop at the top of the boarding ramp.

Cate stood taller in response to the challenging posture he was wearing.

'This is Cate, she's…well I don't know yet.' Kaylee closed her umbrella in a flap of multicoloured paper. 'But isn't her dress pretty Captain?'

Cate thought she might just pass it onto her if she liked it that much.

'Malcolm Reynolds,' he said tipping his head to her, 'so what is it that you do?' he said ignoring her dress and scanning her face instead. He obviously liked to get a pretty immediate feel for peoples motives.

'Cate Inara,' she said extending her hand quite forcefully. 'Companion.' She had nearly added her rank in annoyance but that would risk blowing her cover.

Mal burst out laughing. 'A companion, are you sure?' his eyes took in Inara's almost military stance. It was like meeting Zoe, in a dress.

'Captain! You can't say things like that.' Kaylee admonished and blushed on his behalf at his rudeness. 'He don't mean to be horrible, he's just grumpy.'

'I'm sorry, Inara, you are welcome to do your whoring on this ship if it be the vessel that you choose for home.' He pulled an apple out of his pocket and walked off chuckling with a bounce in his step.
Kaylee gasped and stared after him, 'well he's not usually that rude.'

Cate ruffled her feathers and huffed his response away. She wasn't a companion, but she didn't need his comments either way.

'Excuse me, is this where I put my luggage?' a gravelly voice scattered around the hold.

Kaylee spun around, 'Shepherd! Yeah, here is good as any place.'

Cate could tell Kaylee was real happy to have this Shepherd on board. Life in the black did make you want to seek out a kinder sort of folk, people you could trust. However having spotted Derrial Book, Cate wanted to point out that this was not the man to invite aboard your ship.

'Hello,' he nodded at her, all airs of respectfulness. Of course he had no idea who she was, no clue that she was to shadow him and gather his tactics until they could be caught.

'I'll take the shuttle,' Cate said, eyes still on Book as he passed a wooden box into Kaylee's eager hands. The shuttle would be a convenient method of removal should he become uncooperative.

'Oh that's great! We're gonna be the best of friends,' Kaylee said opening the lid and lighting up at the sight of fresh strawberries.

Some hours later they were flying pretty and Mal was just settling into the un-comfortableness that was having strangers in your house when someone went and pulled a gun. Seeing as that about quadrupled the unpleasant feeling he didn't take kindly to it.
The companion didn't seem too stressed, no fainting or anything, poised to spring into action except the man with the gun was a mite erratic and no one wanted to be moving too fast.

'Now everyone just stay calm,' Mal said trying to gain an advantage in the situation to protect his crew and holding his gun steady.

'You are harbouring fugitives, everyone on this ship is culpable. Drop your weapon Malcolm Reynolds.'

'That changes the landscape a bit,' Mal had no compassion for feds on his ship with guns pointed at his chest.

The young doctor who had boarded on Persephone was sweating something terrible and trying to edge toward the cargo he'd brought on board behind the gunman, 笨 stupid. What the heck was he hiding that had brought feds down on their heads? Mal held his gun to the side and made to place it on the floor.

Inara pulled a gun from her boot and pointed it at the fed. 'The Alliance won't be pleased if anyone gets killed on a standard arrest charge.' She wasn't about to let anyone get shot because of a possibly unhinged Alliance worker. She needed Book alive.

'There's nothing standard about the doctor your about to transport across federal borders.' Gunman's eyes were bloodshot as his eyes took in how many potential blocks he had to get through before reaching said doctor.

'Lets not let stupidity take over,' the Shepherd was holding placating hands wide to no avail as he attempted to approach.

'Don't think I wouldn't shoot a Shepherd,' he shouted and loaded the barrel of his gun. 'Simon Tam you are bound by law to stand down.'

The man was quivering and Mal would have felt sorry for him except he was having to walk toward the threat so as to create a diversion for their master of P.R. He better get there!

Jayne dropped from the balcony and slammed the man, gun and all to the ground. One shot fired in the ensuing wrestle and Mal spun to see it land in Kaylee. His sweet, unassuming engineer was punctured because of this 笨蛋 dumbass.

'Wha-' Kaylee stumbled back into the doorway and fell with a thud. Mal registered that Jayne was laying in to kill the fed but he was too busy running to Kaylee's side.

The doctor fell hard on his knees next to her convulsing body and noted she was going into shock.

'Alliance have been hailed, their ordering us to remain on course for boarding and investigation.' Wash's voice came in over the intercom, unaware of the happenings in the hold.

Mal thought an investigation sounded like a pretty good idea, which was hell out of character for him but the amount of people shooting or getting shot needed to be taken hold of. The fed and the doctor had to go, soonest moment.

Simon dropped her wrist and stood, 'change course.' The doctor apparently had a backbone, cause no fool would argue with the captain's glare at that moment.

'She will surely die if you don't save her.' Mal clenched his fists and knew he was in no position to argue. Kaylee gasped as the pain went up a notch and grasped at the captain's hand. The doctor didn't move and Mal's stomach dropped, 'Zoe tell Wash to change course.' Once this was over they were going to have it out, investigation or none.

Zoe who had been training a gun on Jayne and the fed to stop a second murder attempt turned and clicked the intercom. 'Wash, change course, we're running.' She glanced at Kaylee and shut off her emotions, not the moment to be sentimental.

Inara helped the captain lift Kaylee to the infirmary for the doctor to work on, bearing her weight evenly between them. The doctor registered a complication as they placed her on the table.

'Can I x-ray someone on this ship?' he said as he began prepping to remove the bullet, his voice was tinged with worry.

Mal hit a button on the wall and three bars above the bed slid out of the wall. 'You have to power it from outside.'

'Not now, I need to get this bullet out.' Simon strapped her arms down as he worked methodically in removing every fragment, Jayne leaning on her legs. Once he had finished stitching her stomach back up he filed everyone out and pressed his bloodied hand to the button to run the x-ray. He counted down the seconds and flew back in when the doors released, the scans showed what he did not want to see.

'Who here has medical training?' he said looking up hopefully at the none too happy crew.

'Zoe and I have patched up many folk, we could lend a hand.' Mal was prepared to make peace 'til the surgery was through.

'Wash has got a very steady hand,' Zoe said, 'he can set a course and Jayne can keep an eye on it.'

Simon wanted to fling himself out the bay doors, this was not the trained medical team he needed for a complex procedure like this. Wiping his hand on his waistcoat he nodded and started prepping.

Fifteen minutes later he had her back opened where the bullet had come out and a quarter of his medical crew were trying not to throw up. 'If you don't stop sweating, your going to have to leave.' Simon said not taking his eyes from his work, it was paramount he not blink now.

Mal glared between breaths through his nose and waited for the bleeding to stop. 'Is she going to be okay?'

'Just concentrate,' Simon said the words slowly, his brain not focused on speaking. He handed Zoe the scalpel he'd been using as she passed him the clamp he'd been thinking he needed next. He met her eyes and then shook himself out of it, focus. His capable hands worked tirelessly in a learned dance of years of education and work at the hospital on Osiris. He'd seen wounds like this but never had his medical team been so inexperienced or his tools so limited.

Four and a half hours passed before Simon wiped Kaylee's back clean and began to dress the wound. He had not conceded to discuss what he was doing to Mal's irritation and this had probably saved her life.

'Is she okay?' Mal turned away from Kaylee's body with a face much paler than usual.

'It's too early to say. She needs to stabilise before I can do anything else.' Simon washed his hands extensively and dried them thoroughly as he avoided the captain's gaze. He had worked hard to bring her back from the edge she had nearly been pushed over, he hoped it was enough.

Mal was not satisfied with his response, 'Let's see what a doctor like you would kill for.'

'No,' Simon tried to pass the captain before he could get there. His whole body was exhausted from the surgery and he wasn't quick enough to pass the captain. 'Don't!'

Mal wasn't paying any heed to the doctor's desperate tone, this boy was about to be found out, whatever dirty dealings he was involved with.
'Jayne, hold him.' Jayne didn't question, just yanked the doctor's arms back and restrained him as the captain went to the cargo box.

Zoe had followed and the others appeared from various doors at the commotion. Simon was struggling against Jayne's strangle hold now, desperate to stop them. Mal unhinged the locks and brought his boot down hard on the lid, another kick sent it flying off.

Cold air mingled with the atmosphere on Serenity clouding their vision so it took a moment before they could see. Mal blinked at the tiny naked body curled up in the cryo crate, completely and eerily still.

'Transporting women?' Inara spoke aloud without meaning to.

Simon pulled out of Jayne's shocked grip, 'I need to check her vitals.'

'Is that what they call it?' Mal snapped coming between the doctor and the unconscious girl.

'She's not supposed to wake up for another week. The shock...' Simon tried to get round Mal but the captain became very intimidating.

'The shock of what? Of waking up, of finding she's been sold to some border world 色狼?!' Mal's grimace deepened as he spoke, men that were want to buying women disgusted him as much as they did Jayne. A brutal bar fight on Santo with some locals had showed their complete harmony of thought on this particular issue.

'I'm sorry, is this one for you?' Mal mocked with some intense level of sarcasm. 'Is it true love?' He was getting real ready to shoot someone.

'AAAHHH!' the scream sent Mal flying away from the cryo crate.

A small bare shouldered head of long hair had sprung into the room and soon followed her body as she scrambled onto the cold hard floor whimpering and shaking. Her hyperventilating screams send shudders across the floor and up the crews boots. Nobody moved, until the doctor ran forward and got down on his knees in front of her.

'River, river?' his gentle voice brushed her face as he covered her hands. 'It's me, it's Simon.' It chilled his whole body to see her so scared.

Tears fell from the corners of her frantic eyes. 'Simon, they talked to me. They tipped me upside down, they shook until the pieces came loose.'
Her young wide eyes roamed the room but saw nothing. 'We tried to find spare parts to make the whole but nothing matches.' Her damp face pressed against his warm hands, 'Oh Simon.'

'It's okay, it's okay, I'm here. We're safe now.' Simon held her hands tighter and pulled her into a hug. He was so glad to have her back in his grasp, after months of not knowing, of not hearing anything.

'What is this?' the bewildered captain's face broke through Simon's haze. He had so nearly forgotten where they were. Everyone was looking on with similar expressions of confusion.

'This is my sister.'

Simon was back in the infirmary with the captain, much to both men's distaste. He had explained to the crew what he knew of his sister's kidnapping, of the extensive experimentation on her brain. He had tried to touch open the genius that was stuck inside his little sister's head. Maybe they had grasped it, maybe they would still be thrown off at the next port, it remained to be seen.

Mal's folded arms were tense with staring at Kaylee, she was yet to wake up. 'There's something you aren't telling me, that surgery was no straight forward bullet removal.' The doc's slight gulp and way of avoiding eye contact made Mal sure he was right. 'Tell me right this minute what is wrong with my engineer.' His voice growled.

Simon licked his lips and placed his tools back in his medical kit. 'Kaylee has a complete T10 vertebrae fracture.' He willed his voice not to shake; he had performed many surgeries on patients prior to this.

'Meaning?' Mal was welded to the spot at the doctor's words, even not comprehending their full significance.

'She won't walk again. She is unlikely to feel anything below the waist.' Simon waited and sure enough out of nowhere came the punch that could have removed his jaw. He fell back but didn't fall, his vision faded in and out, he had deserved it, he knew. He wiped the blood from his mouth and didn't move as the captain's footsteps left the room.

AN: This is going to have some marked differences from the show. What do you think so far?