Sihnon

The crew determined to spend a few days on Sihnon. There hadn't been any wanted posters or suspicious glances, so they determined that as long as they stayed alert, it was safe for River and Simon to go planet side. Mal made it clear they weren't to be, at any time, without one of the crew's fighters. Zoe elected to stay with the ship, so Ry volunteered for the duty, and Jayne still seemed determined not to leave Ry's side, so the four of them, along with Kaylee, headed into the market. Casey was going to join them after dropping all their outgoing letters off at the post.

Ry took a deep breath before stepping off ship, pushing her hat further down on her head. She was grateful it was warm, because her brown coat would do nothing but draw unwanted attention in the Core. 'It'll be fine.' ran through her head like a mantra.

Kaylee looked curiously over her shoulder, "You all right, Ry?"

Ry nodded and smiled tightly, "Shì."

Kaylee hesitated, "I'll stay on Serenity with ya iffen you're too worried 'bout bein' seen."

Ry's smile was genuine then, "No, mèimei, my whole purpose for staying on ship was to protect my jiātíng, and if they want to go to the market, I can't very well do that from the ship, now can I?"

"Guess not!" Kaylee said cheerily.

"Besides, even if I am recognized, I don't think the Alliance knows I turned."

"Is that a good thing?"

"They see me alive, they'll assume I went AWOL, but it'll at least give me a chance to talk myself out of it and let the rest of you get away."

Jayne growled next to her, "We ain't leavin' ya anywhere, fly girl."

Ry smiled up at him, "'Course not."

The crew of Serenity enjoyed Sihnon's open market, indulging in real food and stopping to listen to the music pouring from some of the indoor shops. It didn't take long to cross paths with Mal and Inara, who joined in with the rest of the crew by some unspoken agreement.

Ry and Simon found a shop with real books and were happily browsing the shelves, Ry never taking her eyes off the street and the rest of the crew for more than thirty seconds at a time. Jayne and Casey were across the street squabbling with some fiery-tempered, wrinkled old woman over the price of a couple of knives; Ry grinned, predicting that the old woman would win. Mal and Inara were in a shop directly across from Ry, Inara was inspecting a bright silk skirt as Mal shoot his head in mock disgust, but his eyes were indulgent. Kaylee and River were a few booths over from there, fascinated with some bits of jewelry and other odds and ends. She glanced back toward the book in her hands, deciding it was worth the money, even if it was a major indulgence. She scanned her eyes over her crew again after she paid the vendor, alarm ringing through her brain as River's smile vanished and her eyes widened in fear as she glanced down the street. Ry dashed out the door and across the street to the girl.

Her flight across the street caught the attention of the rest of the crew, but before they could close in on Ry, River, and Kaylee, she subtly held her hand out to shoo them off. If there was a problem, she wanted the element of surprise. She followed the direction of River's frozen stare, trying to determine the source of the girl's fright without having to ask her. She immediately noticed the older couple staring slack-jawed in their direction. The woman was average height, slim, the man was on the tall side, almost athletically built. Her auburn hair and his dark hair were both graying at the temples. They were clearly wealthy, and if Ry didn't already know them, she would have made the connection quickly. The elder Tams quickly snapped out of their shock when Simon joined them and Ry stepped in front of the younger Tams, squaring her shoulders with a challenge in her eyes. Regan and Gabriel Tam stopped within an arm's length of Ry, looking around her shoulders to gaze at their children.

Regan found her voice first, though it was filled with disbelief, "Simon, River… where, what… how-"

When she failed to get a full thought out, her husband interrupted, "Do you know what you've put us through?! The way our family's name has been dragged through the mud?!"

Ry's shoulders stiffened, in her peripheral vision she saw Simon wrap an arm protectively around River's shoulders and his glare set on his father as Ry stepped more squarely in between the family.

The elder Tams seemed to notice her presence for the first time.

Gabriel turned his gaze to her angrily, "Who do you think you are to step between me and my children?!"

Ry debated for a half a second before deciding she might as well throw all caution to the wind. She reasoned that further shocking the Tams could avoid them contacting the authorities. She pushed her hat off her head, letting the string catch at her throat as it slid down her back. Gabriel's eyes widened and for a moment he seemed speechless. Just for a moment.

Finally, he breathed, "Impossible. You died. Your father... he went followed after he heard of your defeat at Verbena…"

Ry's tone dripped with acid, "My father's assault on Verbena was an unnecessary bloodbath. After that attack, I couldn't bring myself to tell him I was alive." She paused and cocked her head slightly to the side, her eyes narrowing and a sneer twisting her lips, "The funny thing about Verbena… my father should never have known I was there in the first place. You were one of three people who knew of that assignment, Mr. Tam, and I've always wondered who shared that information with my father."

Gabriel pursed his lips, "He had a right to know his daughter had lost her life."

"That wasn't your call to make."

"Actually, it was."

Ry's grip on her pistol tightened.

Gabriel turned his attention back to his son, "Simon, come home."

Ry's grip tightened eve further.

Simon noticed too, "And River?"

Regan spoke up, "Both of you, of course, dear. You can go back to the hospital and we can find a school for River."

Ry heard River whimper into Simon's shoulder. She took a deep breath and turned slowly toward the younger Tams, scanning the crowd around them. The exchange so far had drawn less attention that she expected, and for that she was grateful. Jayne and Casey were still hanging back, to the casual observer no one would think they had a care in the world besides the goods they were currently pretending to examine. Mal and Inara walked casually arm and arm past everyone, and Ry knew he would be getting into position behind the elder Tams. River was now sandwiched between Kaylee and Simon, with the mechanic's arm around her waist and the doctor's arm around her shoulders.

River looked up at her with tear-filled eyes and whispered unsteadily, pleadingly, "Jiějie."

Ry gently brushed a tear off River's cheek and nodded, "Wǒ zhīdào. Simon?"

Simon shook his head, and answered her unspoken question, loud enough for his parents to hear, "We're not going back."

Ry signaled Jayne and Casey to flank the little group as she turned back toward the elder Tams. Mal was trying and failing to look bored, perusing a booth directly behind them. Ry would have laughed under any other circumstances.

Regan looked ready to cry and Gabriel looked furious as he spoke harshly, in a low tone, "Yes, you are. You belong at home. And that girl belongs somewhere she can be helped."

Ry's temper snapped the same time her fingers flicked open the snaps on her holster and she stepped menacingly toward Gabriel, and he wisely stepped back, "That girl is your daughter. And she's got the most gorram brilliant mind I've ever seen. And you, you want to put her somewhere she can be helped? Somewhere like that Alliance torture chamber you left her in for years? Where she only escaped because at least her brother loved her enough to listen to her? No, I take it back, she's not your daughter. You don't deserve her. You gave up that right the moment you brushed Simon's concern off. But she is my jiātíng. Do you want to know what they did to her in that 'school'? They cut into her brain, over and over and over until all her filters were gone. There's not a feeling or thought around her, living or dead, that she can't feel, that she can't hear, that she can't read. Instead of being a kid and getting to dance and run and laugh, she was turned into a weapon – an Alliance toy. And that's on you, because you didn't listen when something went wrong. Your children are no longer yours. They've moved onto better things." Her smile was cold, and if she had to guess, frightening.

Regan was crying now. Ry's heart softened slightly before she heard the other woman muttering under her breath, "What are the other women going to think of me? What will the other families think of us?"

Gabriel just looked angry as he snapped his glare from Ry to Simon, "You are coming home. Now. I'll call in the authorities."

Ry threw her head back and laughed, "Please! I'm about due for a good scuffle," she leveled her gaze at Gabriel, a threatening glint in her eyes, "Mr. Tam, you know who I am, and you know what I can do. River, here, she's at least five times more effective than I am in doing just the same. The two big fellas to your 2 and 10? Some of the most feared mercenaries in the Rim, and they're just waiting for me to let them loose. Not to mention the gentleman right behind you – I'm fairly certain he'd frown on anyone trying to spirit away his doc and witch." Gabriel glanced over his shoulder, where Mal grinned at him, hand resting easily on his gun before looking back to Ry, "Wǒmen wánle."

Gabriel watched with a cold fury in his eyes as the group converged and moved toward the street that would lead them out of the market and back toward the docks.

Before walking away with the rest of the crew, Ry turned once more to the elder Tams, "Oh, and Mr. Tam? Two things: One, if you send anyone after us, you will never see them again, and coming from me, you know that is no idle threat. Two, tell my father you saw me, and I'll make sure he knows who sent me to Verbena in the first place."

The Black

No one breathed easy until Serenity was once again floating safely through the back and Ry confirmed they had not been followed off planet or tracked.

That night when River fell asleep on the couch with her head on Ry's lap, she didn't even try to move – just pulled a blanket up to River's chin and wrapped another around her own shoulders, leaning her head against the back of the couch to sleep.

Kaylee curled up next to Simon, resting her head on his chest.

"You didn't wanna go back home at all?" she questioned quietly.

"No, bǎobèi. That's not my home anymore. This is." he reassures her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"What'd Ry mean she'd tell her dad who sent her to Verbena?"

Kaylee felt Simon take a deep breath, "My father is rather important in the government. He had quite a hand in many aspects of the war, I assume – it's not something he talked about at home. From the exchange today… well, I imagine my father had a hand in Ry's Alliance assignments. Including Verbena."

Inara woke as she rolled into Mal and a smile tugged at her lips. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to him being in her bed. Well… his bed. His bunk was far too small for the both of them, but he still had unresolved issues with her bed. She huffed lightly. She'd let it be for now, but that was something they were really going to have to discuss. In the meantime, she laid her head on his chest and draped an arm across his stomach, snuggling in as close as she could.

Jayne tossed around in Ry's bunk. He'd gone lookin' for her earlier and found her asleep with Crazy on the couch and known she wouldn't be comin' to bed. He'd never had a problem sleeping before he started sharing a bunk with her. He didn't have a problem sleeping sharing a bunk with her. But he surely had a problem now sleeping without her and he didn't have a gorram clue why. Something 'bout that little fly girl was gettin' under his skin…

Translations:

Jiějie – older sister

Wǒ zhīdào – I know

Wǒmen wánle – We're finished