A/N: Thanks for all the awesome reviews! I hope the story continues to entertain. ;) Special thanks to Li, who came in and helped me fix a few things that needed attention.


Kate was amazed at how quickly she recovered from the gunshot. It had been about two weeks, and she was getting around the ship fine, but with an insistent pain across her shoulders and chest when she pushed too far. If she was in New York, she was sure she would have still been in a hospital bed or rehab.

She enjoyed the silence aboard the ship, but the noise and movement of the city was still in her veins and she missed it. Missed Castle, her dad, the boys. Everyone.

More than once, since Mal had finally given in and let her have her gun back, she found herself in the dining room. The Glock set before her in pieces, as she cleaned the weapon and put it back together. It was, in a way, her only connection to the life she led before she was brought on board the Serenity.

Quietly, River walked through, watching her and dragging her hand across the opposite edge of the table as she walked past. Kate knew there was something special about the girl in how she held herself. River never spoke, either, at least to her. Kate smiled at her and she stopped.

The young woman's voice was strong and didn't waiver as she spoke to Kate, "You think you're lost, but you're not. The path you walk will show you the way." Then, she leaned closer and whispered, "Secrets are like caged birds. They're meant to be set free."

River smiled as she tilted her head to the side, shrugged, then continued out of the room and down the hall.

Kate thought about her words for a moment, not sure what the girl meant, or why she chose now, of all times, to speak. She decided not to worry about it, since the others had warned that she talked in riddles and nonsense a lot.

But, there was still a meaning in there... lost but not lost? And secrets meant to be set free? Sure, she had secrets, but none of them held meaning here. Maybe what the Shepherd said before was true, that she was here for a reason. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way home, and she'd find her way there, but only after she figured things out. It was definitely something to consider, even if it sounded like one of Castle's crazy theories.

She sighed and went back to work on the gun. It was strange, doing this again, so soon, barely two days since she cleaned it last, but it seemed everyone else on this vessel was armed, and she felt a little more safe knowing she was as well. Especially with the leers she'd taken note of from Jayne.

Her chest suddenly tightened and it made it difficult to breathe. Kate's hand flew to her chest, and she gasped, trying to fill her lungs with air. She could feel the rise and fall of her chest, but it was like nothing was getting inside.

The world spun around for a moment, and she could have sworn she heard Lanie's voice calling to her, "Stay with me! Do not die! C'mon, girl!"

And just as suddenly, the tightness lifted and she could breathe again. She felt eyes burning into the back of her head and knew it was Mal. She desperately hoped he didn't witness whatever kind of spell she'd just experienced.

"You're staring, Ca-ptain," she said, almost choked, but hoped to distract him in case he did see. "It's creepy." She almost slipped when she called him by his title, but it was still hard not to, as much as he looked like Castle.

"Didn't mean to be. I'm usually the one who uses the dining room table to maintain my revolver." he said, then let out an amused puff of air and walked to sit across the table from her. "You okay? You looked like you might pass out for a time."

Kate shrugged, "I'm fine, just had a moment. If it happens again, I'll talk to Simon."

"If that's what suits you," he said, and she thought there might be a little more than concern in his eyes, but let it pass. "I hope River wasn't being all... like she is. Creepifying, you know."

"She's fine. If anything, she gave me something to think about." Kate set down the piece she was holding and finished, "And you were standing there longer than I thought. Do you make it a habit to stalk people on your ship?"

"Not really," he admitted, "but then, I still don't quite know you. You hold your cards close to your chest."

Kate didn't have a reply to his comment, so she went back to re-assembling the glock in the heavy silence. The last thing she did was pop the clip into the handle before she slipped the gun into her shoulder holster.

She found Mal was still watching her, eerily like Castle. "What do you want, Mal? You wouldn't still be here unless there was something you want from me."

"Fair enough," he said and blew out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "Kate, I know you're still healin' but I could use an extra set of eyes, and maybe an extra gun, on this job we've just picked up. I can pay you a fair wage as well; get you a somewhat decent start in the 'verse. Can't say it'll be on the right side of the law..."

"I know, Mal. I get it, trust me. It's not my world. This place is... upside down from my home." she gave a sardonic smile, "You've given me a place to stay, and helped me out so far, so it would be only fair if I help you. What's going on?"

He nodded in acceptance. "There's a man we're to deliver some merchandise to on Athens. Thing is, we can't just call him up and tell him we're here, if you catch my drift."

She understood where this was going. "You need to tell him in person?"

"Yes. There's a party we're to go to in order to make contact. Just got the invite, so that much is done. You think you can do this?"

Kate shrugged and said, "I have to earn my keep here, don't I? But why can't Zoe or one of the others do it?"

"Fair question," he answered. "My face isn't exactly unknown, Zoe's too. They know we fly together, so I like to change things up a little when I can. And Jayne... well, he's a loose cannon, so I can't go in with him."

"I don't even want to know what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into, if it's that bad," she said.

"Yeah, it's best if you stay in the dark for now." He shrugged as he got back to his feet, "If it means anything to you, I do believe I'm on the right side. It's just... things are more than a little messy right now."

"I don't want to know," Kate reiterated, stopping him from going any further. "If I'm here long enough, I may ask one day, but right now, you're right."

He studied her for a moment, then with a quiet voice, said, "Shuh-muh."

Kate looked up at him, not understanding. "What?"

"I'm sorry you were dropped here." He crossed his arms and paced, "You deserve better than this, what's been tossed in your lap. It's all I can do to try to give you a start. Maybe somewhere along the way, if you hang around, we can find your Castle. Maybe get you to smile. I haven't seen it, your smile, your real smile, but I reckon it's a sight to behold."

She watched him for a time, almost seeing... but no. Kate then looked away, "I'd like that too. It's been too long since I've felt like smiling."