Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Firefly, Joss Whedon does. This story is set shortly after the last episode of the series.

Old Wounds

Captain Malcolm Reynolds walked up the small stairway to the bridge. He found Wash there steering the ship with ease. Mal walked over and sat in the second pilot's seat. He saw his home planet of Shadow below him. He had never wanted to return to Shadow, Serenity was his home now. But Mal had a crew to take care of; the job was the only thing that mattered.

"How far are we?" Mal asked his pilot.

"Just about to hit Atmo."

"Good. Land at the outer edge of the forest. Don't want to draw to much attention to ourselves."

"Didn't you use to live here?"

"That was a long time ago."

"You got any family around these parts."

"Just keep your mind on the job, need one to go smooth." Mal said as he headed down towards the engine room.

The Captain came upon a dirty yet cheerful girl tinkering with a few wires underneath the spinning engine.

"Kaylee, how's she holding?"

"She's ok for now Captain but if we don't get a new stabilizer soon the turbines are gonna fall apart and there ain't no telling how long till the entry couplings give way. I guess a week at most."

"How long has it been since we've had work?"

"A little under a month."

"Do you think we have the money to buy a new stabilizer? You're a member of this crew for one reason only: You keep this boat afloat and that's by any means necessary. You don't have a new part you make it yourself. I don't care if it's made out of gorram clay, as long as it works. Dong-ma?"

Kaylee looked hurt as she slowly nodded and got back to work.

"Now that I've gotten that out of the way, here's the money for the new stabilizer. Get one that will last."

"You're a good Captain."

"There's a shop in town, tell the owner I sent you." Mal said as he walked towards Inara's shuttle.

He walked into the shuttle as Inara was brushing her hair.

"Ambassador." Mal said as a greeting.

"Mal." Inara said with a small amount of anger in her voice.

"I assume you'll be leaving us after this job."

"That's correct."

"Good, One less person to keep an eye on."

"Why Mal I didn't know I needed to be watched." Inara tried her last attempt at flirting.

"I…..I mean as in a captain sense. Number of crew I got, hard to keep up with."

"Well you won't have to worry about me much longer."

"Anyplace particular you going to?"

"I may visit my family before I go back to work. Do you plan on visiting yours while we're here?" Inara asked making the topic once again about Mal.

Mal paused for a minute and slowly began to answer.

"Dad died two years back. My mom the next."

"I'm sorry Mal."

"Don't be." The captain got to his feet and began walking to the door. He then slowly turned to face her.

"Inara I…."

"Yes?" Inara asked hoping he would ask her to stay.

"I…..I'd start packing up soon, there's a trunk of yours in the hold. Seems like a quick job so we'll soon be getting you on your way."

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Simon walked into River's quarters to find her clawing at her own wrists. The blood was all over her hands dripping down onto the floor.

"River, What did you do?" Simon said racing to her side.

He opened his medical bag and began treating her. He wiped away the blood and began to put ointment on her wounds.

"You have to be more careful you could have bled to death!" Simon shouted in a tone which he rarely used.

"We're going home. Don't go back, Simon, don't go." River muttered trying to get to her feet.

"River calm down, we can't ever go back. I won't let that happen. There how does that feel?" Simon asked as he finished wrapping her wrists in bandages.

"The pain will hit you in the gut. I'm lost in the woods. I'm always lost."

"Hey you'll never be lost because I'm never going to leave you." Simon held her hand tightly and smiled.

River returned the smile as if mimicking her older brother. Simon laid out a syringe and a bottle of medicine on a table across the room.

River opened her eyes wide as if waking from a nightmare and whispered: "He's coming."