Disclaimer: Don't own, don't profit.
A/N: The Mouse is coming. Soar is coming. They're just a bit slow right now...
He had been the captain of a smuggling vessel. A Firefly. Serenity. Took care of him 'til the day he died. Died for what he believed in. It hadn't been Plan A, but they'd accomplished their goal. Too bad they all had to die, of course. But it was a happy ending. He knew that much. All in all, it was better than them surviving. At least when they died, they were all together.
Book would've gone first. He'd have stayed on Haven. They'd have visited, of course, but it wasn't the same. He wouldn't have their Shepherd, their conscience. He'd have finally brought his religiosity to his fuzzy-wuzzies. Nice folk, too, them Haven fuzzy-wuzzies. Too bad they all had to get killed.
Inara would have left next. Mal doubted she would stay. He'd do something stupid and drive her away, running and screaming. She'd leave in a huff and never come back to his sorry ass. She'd become queen of the companions, or whatever the hell she'd been training for. No, he and Inara would have never gotten together. Too bad that dream would have to die.
Jayne would probably go next. He was the oldest, aside from Book. He'd lose his sight or aim and wind a bloody corpse on a job. They'd have to bury him on some shit moon and pretend they never liked him too much, anyway. Then, a letter to his ma would have to be written, and nobody'd talk when it was sent out. Too bad the woman would probably die of grief.
He supposed Kaylee and Simon would be next. They'd leave, too. Maybe after there was youngins, maybe before. They'd get married and make a little family away from the boat. They'd visit, but none too often, because they'd probably settle somewhere smugglers weren't very welcome. Too bad the engine would probably bust and die.
After that, the Washburnes would go. Zoe wouldn't want to leave her war buddy, but they'd eventually have a kid and Wash wouldn't let it be raised in such danger. Zoe'd concede and they would go. They'd wave each other nearly every day, but it wouldn't be the same. Too bad his drunken U-Day brawls would have to die.
Then it'd be River. He wasn't sure what she'd do with her marbles back, but he liked to think she'd use them to hunt down every hun dan from the Academy and avenge her old self. She'd be the last bit of crew he had, and she'd be gone. Too bad his smuggling career would have to die.
Mal would be alone. He would have never hired new people, it would have been wrong. You couldn't replace family. Too bad he'd have to die more alone that the average person.
But none of that happened. They were together, whole. It was a damn good feeling. There was an afterlife and it was shiny. They were still a family, and they never got shot at. Maybe Simon and Kaylee never got together. Maybe Book never converted him. Maybe River never got to enjoy her new sanity. But, they had a new world, and a new eternity to do all that. Too bad the Shepherd kept giving him them smug looks.
Sometimes folk were wrong, okay?
