This is the last part of the six years saga which included Scattered to the Wind, Driftwood, Ace's High and Here. I do hope that you will continue to review this as you did those stories. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I just play here. Oh but if someone guesses where all my chapter titles come from they can comission me to write them a story!

Italics are flashbacks.

There is a character death in the story so I will warn you now. And God& Buddahforgive me for what I am about to do.

Full Circle

(Five months later after 'Here')

Chapter 1: If This Is Love

"My mother likes you."

Jayne raises an eyebrow. "Yeah I'm sure she does. She thinks I'm a cradle snatcher." He pulls River into his lap. She giggles into her hand.

"Hope your mama likes me," she says softly and a little worriedly.

"My mama is gonna love you," he assures her. "Who was it sent you all those gloves an' socks an' such on Tanulia?"

"She might not like me in real life," River states matter of factly. "Might decide that a crazy girl isn't good enough for her son."

Jayne rolls his eyes. "She knows what you're like. Told her in all my letters didn't I?"

"Probably embellished me. Made me different, better…"

"Don't be stupid." Jayne kisses her on the tip of her nose. "She's gonna love you. I just gotta find Mal now and hurry him up to gettin' me home so you shut up."

Simon chooses that moment to enter the dining room. He pulls a face at River and Jayne and heads to the kitchen without a word.

"Oh don't be a misery Simon," River calls out to her brother. "Just because you and Kaylee…"

Simon points a spoon at her. "You shut up," he growls.

"Hey! Don't be rude to my wife," Jayne snaps back

"Less you wanna be finding another doctor for your child I'll say what I like to her."

Jayne has gone all red in that way he does when he wants to pummel someone. River stands up and takes his hands. "Let's find the captain shall we."

She gives Simon a look that says she will talk to him later.

Jayne looks from River to Simon and back again. The doctor isn't worth it. And Jayne knows that River desperately wants them to stay friends. So he follows River from the room.

"What's up with him?" he asks his wife softly.

"I think he feels he doesn't fit in here," she rubs her belly. "I want her to know her uncle."

"How are you so sure that's a girl?"

River looks at him. "Just know that's all."

Jayne sighs. "If that comes out a boy and all we got is pink clothes it'll be your fault if he grows up sly."

River giggles. "Okay."

Pilot Hoban 'Wash' Washburn fidgets in his flight suit as he and his co-pilot Kingston 'Fox' Kelly walk across the landing field to their ship. He glances over at his friend with a grin. "I feel the need…"

"…The need, for speed!" Fox finishes with a sound high five.

Wash grins again and nods his head towards two other pilots trailing miserably back to base. "Wanna bet that Shuttle shot them down?"

"I won't bet against Shuttle and you know it. Let's just hope we keep our necks today." Fox says with a grim smile. "I don't wanna flunk outta here."

"Aye aye sir!" Wash throws him a sharp salute as they reach their ship.

"You are gonna be the death of me Wash," Fox sighs. "Just don't make it today, if you can."

"I'll try," Wash says powering up the ship. "But no promises."

Mal sips his coffee and swallows the scalding liquid with a hiss. Then he hears the soft fall of feet heading this way. He wonders who else is wandering about the ship at this time in the morning when Zoë steps into the room. She is wearing nothing but a tight vest and tiny shorts. Mal sweeps his eyes heavenwards and silently asks why women have to walk about dressed like this on his boat. Especially her. With him just coming from Inara's bed he has to slam his mind shut on thoughts that he should not be having about another man's wife.

"Good morning sir," she says softly.

"Hey Zoë. Wanna join me?" He raises his mug. "Is it really morning?"

She grabs a mug and slides in across the table from him. Mal pours her a cup of coffee so black that it looks like engine oil. Zoë takes a sip and pulls a face.

"You make this sir?"

"Yeah why?"

"No reason," she says but her mouth twitches into a smile. "It is morning though. About four a.m. Can't sleep?"

He nods and takes a swig of his coffee. They sit in companionable silence for about ten minutes, just drinking their coffee. Then Mal says, "Do you think Inara is happy?"

"What?" Zoë looks up a little confused.

"She has had two clients since Osiris. Two. In five months." Mal looks at the tabletop. "None in the last three." He swallows and doesn't know why he's telling her all this. Why on earth does he feel the need to tell her this? "I don't think she's happy here."

Zoë sets her coffee cup down on the table and looks at him. Why is the captain saying this to her? And why does she not want to hear about his relationship with Inara as strongly as she does.

"I mean all she does is wait for me to come back from jobs. She goes about looking all kinds of pretty with nothing much to do," Mal says looking up at her.

"Inara's tougher than she looks." Zoë says to him, meaning every word and remembering her composure when they had the funeral. "She stays because she loves you."

Mal shrugs, looks up at her, and says all earnestly. "Am I really worth staying for?"

Zoë feels a flutter in her chest and she says quietly, "The right woman would follow you to the ends of the 'verse sir."

Mal looks up and their eyes meet and they hold the gaze for a moment longer than they should.

"Close you eyes and relax."

Kaylee obediently does as she is instructed and tries to relax.

"Now empty your mind. Think about nothing more than melting into the bed."

Inara's voice is soft and quiet and the shuttle smells of the incense she has lit. Kaylee spreads her fingers into the velvet coverlet and wiggles them.

There are a few moments of silence then Kaylee says, "Wonder where Simon is?"

"Ssshh Kaylee quiet." Inara chides gently. "You're meant to be relaxing."

"Okay," Kaylee says and tries to empty her mind again. But all she can think about is him. "Do you think he's going to leave?" she sits up and opens her eyes.

Inara sighs in mild exasperation. "I don't know."

"I think he is," Kaylee continues. "I mean every planet we go to, he goes vanishing off. An hour, two, maybe three. I think he's lookin' to leave us 'Nara. He just ain't found the right port yet."

She blinks, her eyes bright. Inara strokes her arm soothingly.

"I don't think he wants to leave."

"He does! He won't even look at us anymore! Simon left a long time ago." Kaylee blinks again but doesn't stop the tears splashing onto her nose. "And everyone else is happy. Zoë an' Wash, River an' Jayne. Even you an' Mal ain't fightin' no more."

Inara looks at her hands in her lap.

"Just me an' Simon left to avoid each other I guess."

She sounds so depressed that Inara pulls her into a one armed hug. "This evening was meant to make you forget all this. Do you want me to do your hair instead?"

Kaylee nods miserably as Inara picks up a brush.

Mal takes a deep breath and steps onto Serenity. He hasn't been here in nearly seven months. His leg took longer than expected to heal, due to a nasty infection. Then Monty claiming he had work that kept them away. Mal knows he was lying. Monty wanted to keep an eye on him. But he's fine now. Monty just wants to look out for him.

He's managed to limp around Monty's ship and drive his crew to distraction. Serenity has been in storage. Docked with a friend of Monty's who owes him more than a few favours. Mal had thrown more than one fit about Serenity being left on some dirt ball of a world. That was when he was no longer drugged to the eyeballs or hallucinating.

Now he's staring into the blackened hole of a cargo bay and all he can think is that Kaylee will kill him. If she…he swallows and steps further in. Monty and crew hover at the bottom of the ramp.

He walks silently through the cargo bay and can almost hear the sound of girl's boots thundering on the catwalks. He walks past the infirmary, dusty and silent. There are still medical supplies on the work surfaces. Simon had left them lying there when he went running. Mal swallows deeply again and feels the ache in his thigh throb dully. He goes to the crew quarters, again silent and heads for the bridge. He steps in and stares at Wash's chair. There is a bloodstain on the seat and smears of dark dried blood on the console, the buttons, and even Wash's dinosaurs where Mal knocked them hurriedly away.

He closes his eyes and grips the back of the seat. Feeling slightly sick. He realises that his heart is thudding in his chest and his eyes fly open. Keep them shut and he can hear them. All of them. Bickering in his ears. Every last word he said to any of them. The shouting at Kaylee. The muttered thanks for the rifle – Daisy – that Jayne pressed into his hands. The steady "Yes sir" from Zoë. His last words to Book were just "Get to a shuttle preacher." To Simon and River not even anything to do with escaping. Before the Reavers came. To Simon it was a complaint that River was tying the cables in the bridge into bows for no more reason than to annoy him. To River, yelling at her to get off his bridge.

Mal rubs a hand over his face swallows again. He doesn't know if he can do this. How can he go searching for them after so long? Somehow his hands are grabbing a cloth and wiping at the console roughly. He keeps scrubbing until his fingers start to cramp up.

"Mal?" Monty's voice comes from the doorway.

Mal turns and doesn't realise he has been crying. "I'm going to find them. You gotta help me."

Monty just nods. "Okay Mal. We'll go hunting boy."