Merry sat in the galley staring off into nothing. They'd left the planet an hour before and so far everyone had left her alone. Even Sayer was off by himself dealing with his own grief. It was hard to believe her Grandmother was gone. She'd always played such a huge part of Meredith's life.

"Merry?" the hesitant voice came from the doorway.

"Come in Kaylee love." Merry murmured.

The redhaired girl entered the galley and took a seat at the table. "I'm real sorry about your loss Merry."

Merry smiled sadly. "I remember the first time I escaped from Jonah…Womack, I somehow made it home. I was bloodied and beaten and barely knew who I was. And I remember waking up, and seein' Grandmother's eyes staring down at me. I knew then that I was safe. She was a special woman."

"I don't remember my grandparents." Kaylee shrugged.

"She raised me and Sayer after our parents died. First Sayer's then my own. Had the patience of a Saint. She always told me I looked the spittin image of herself when she was my age. Same eyes…same abilities."

"She was a reader?" Kaylee asked with widened eyes.

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway, and the girls looked up to see Mal, Sayer, and Zoe standing on the edges. "Well come in. We won't bite." Merry scolded lightly. Jayne, River, and Simon were coming from the other direction. Looked like it was story time. Perhaps this was the best way to remember her Grandmother. Honor her with memories. "Aye, she was a powerful reader. River and combined times a hundred. Unless it came to herself. That was the only thing she was blind to. When I woke up that day hurtin and confused, she looked down at me and said Merry love, yer home…there'll be much more pain to come, but for now yer home and ye need to heal."

"I remember when I was ten years old. I'd skipped school to kiss Katie Buckett behind the barn…Grandmother was there before we'd even got there." Sayer reminisced. "She tanned my hide proper. And told Katie's parents. I never got the chance to kiss Katie."

"I barely remember that." Merry smiled. "I do remember you being sure that Grandmother had spies everywhere. When really, she just knew."

"She was quite sly, our Grandmother." Sayer murmured.

"When she told me that I was with child…I didn't want to believe her." Merry found herself looking at Mal whose gaze sat on her intently. "I didn't want any additional reminders of the devil. I wept, and wept. And finally, Grandmother told me that Nova would be an angel of a child, and that she was the one blessing to come from that horrible time. The day I first felt Nova move within me…I knew Grandmother was right. From the day she was born Nova was an angel."

"How did she die?" River asked.

Surprisingly no one admonished her. Meredith looked at River, and then down at the table. "When she was just turning three she got a burning fever. A wasting illness. There was no cure, no help to be had. I always thought that her death was the pain that Grandmother had foreseen…but then when I was on another planet bartering, he found me again. My Nova had been gone for six months."

"Did he ever know?" Zoe asked. "Did Womack ever know about your daughter?"

Merry didn't answer, just continued to stare at the table. Sayer spoke. "No. He never knew of her existence."

&&&

Mal sat in his cabin and stared at the view screen. He was about to view the disc left behind at the little girl's grave. He knew that this was something he'd probably have to share with his crew, but he wanted to look at it first. He pressed the necessary buttons and Womack's face filled the screen.

The man looked angry and unkempt. It appeared as though he hadn't shaved or bathed for days, and in the far edge of the screen was a whiskey bottle which was two thirds empty. "Meredith, you'd better be the one watching this. This is your one chance to come back on your own. Consider this your warning. You're making me very angry. The old lady made me angry too. Wouldn't tell me where you were, who you were with…it's pissing me off Meredith…" Womack took a swig of the whiskey and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Found the girl's grave…was that my kid, or were you fuckin' every guy? You stupid bitch…" the man's face was turning red with anger. "No whore treats me like this! No one! Where are you? Where the fuck are you?" Womack was screaming now and spittle was running down his chin. "When I find you I'm gonna fucking kill you WHORE!" Womack went into a rage then knocking everything from the desk near him. Mal could hear the crash and then the disc went black.

The man had lost his mind. What little of it he'd had before. The man had been on the way out when they'd met during the Tracey incident. Mal felt a twinge. Womack must have had Merry in his possession during that time. If they'd taken him out and searched the ship, chances could've been that they'd have found her…Mal tried not to dwell on those thoughts. He tried not to dwell on the anger he felt burning through his body, or the small hint of pleasure he knew he'd feel if he broke Womack's neck with his bare hands. Mal tried to tell himself it was because Sayer was his friend…he tried to tell himself it was because Merry was part of his crew now. Mal ignored the part of himself that told him he was only fooling himself.