It was around three months later that Mal thought he spotted something familiar.

He was in Persephone, collecting some supplies - and as usual, the town was heaving. People jostling, arguing, shouting. The heat and dust rose off the crowd like a cloud. Mal was pushing through the throng, when he happened to glance to his left.

It was then he saw them, a good few feet away. Gun barrels, poking up above the crowd. Resting on a wide shoulder.

Despite himself, he felt a rush in his chest.

Vera.

Immediately, Mal pushed forward.

"Hey, hola!" he was shouting. "Jayne? That you…"

But as soon as he had seen it, the gun disappeared. He looked left, right, spun around.

"Move it, dumbass," murmured an impatient trader, as he pushed past the Captain.

Mal allowed himself to be shoved out of the surge, into the sidings.

For a good while, he said nothing. But then: "Well. I must've imagined it."

Later, Mal stood before Serenity's open ramp and looked out into the town. He had bought everything they needed. They were ready to go.

But as his hand now hovered over the ramp switch, he now hesitated.

"Gosa," he said to himself.

Zoe, standing a few steps behind him, looked up from her work. She had been lifting some trunks.

"Problem, sir?" she asked.

Mal said nothing for a while. But then: "I dunno. I think I.."

"Yessir?"

"Hm. Nothin'" he replied, and hit the switch.

A day later, he was sitting in the galley, musing, when River came in. She nodded a greeting before moving slowly over to the table, where she picked up an apple out of a crate. Mal had purchased fruit in town the day before. The last job had paid well.

"Mmmm," she murmured, before taking a bite. And then, with a full mouth, "I think, the term is, shiny."

Mal looked up at her. She was as ever, wearing one of her black vest tops that showed off her lithe, shapely arms . Also as usual, she had a laser rifle strapped down her back. However, as had been her want of late, she had her cargo pants hanging low and loosely around her hips, to account for her now rather generous bump.

The Captain waved an arm in her general direction. "So," he said, "how's that, erm, goin' for you?"

She stopped chewing, and looked at him in surprise. Then, she looked down at herself, then back at him. Slowly, comprehension flashed across her face. She smiled, and threw some of herlong, lustrous hair over her shoulder.

"Fine. I'm slowing down a bit, but that's only natural. Wushu is definitely out. But, hell," she cussed, obviously enjoying the word on her tongue, "'won't be for long. Then I can get back to doin' what I do. And maybe teach the boy a few moves along the way."

She looks good, mused Mal. Strong. But sweet. I can see now, what he saw in her.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "So..you ever think of him?"

At the reference to Jayne, her smile immediately faltered.

"Of course," she replied. At which point, she lowered herself, gently, into a chair.

And then, slightly more sadly, "Every day. I mean, it's kind of hard to forget." She waved a hand over her stomach. "But that's okay. This is a good reminder. I mean, it was a hard time, but without him I would have never have found out just what I could do. It's just a shame…the things he had to go through, as well."

Mal nodded, slowly. She had seemed to grow up so much lately, he realised, it was frightening. Unless, he figured, she was always that grown up. He just never noticed before. Or she could never say.

"River," he spoke again. "Did he ever tell you about the thing with…his friend? When they were kids?"

"No," she replied. "We never had that conversation. But you know, I didn't need to know. I could feel it off him. Not the details – but the emotion. Just like.." she hesitated – "I can feel somethin' on you right now."

Mal looked into her eyes for a moment. Doesn't miss much, does she, he thought.

"Don't mind me," he murmured. "Guess I'm feelin' a mite sentimental today."

Then his face reddened.

"Do you think, River, that he really did love you?"

River looked at Mal again, in surprise.

"Yes," she replied, emphatically. "I think he had a lot of conflictions. But then, no one taught him how to really care for anything, did they? And what I've come to realise, was that that was the real problem all along. When he left …it was because he didn't really know what he had to do. Possibly because he couldn't be sure he was capable of really caring. Whatever did happen in his past had made him doubt himself too much. Even after our fight."

She continued: "But it's so…sad, because although I know he's a man that figures things out for himself, at the same time he's also a man that needs, on occasion, to be pushed in the right direction. When he was low, I pushed him. Maybe I didn't do everythin' right, but I think I helped him turn a corner, as much as he did me. Though I didn't think it through at the time. Well, obviously," she again waved a hand at her bump, "but that's why, well, part of me – worries. Who's there on Montgom'ry to push him? Help him to stretch himself, see the man he could be? I don't know. Maybe his mother. But I can't be sure."

For a moment, she was quiet. "Well, maybe I can. Because if he really was better, if he had've gotten over it all, I'm sure he would be here. With me." Her lip was trembling. "But, as is obvious, he's not."

She lowered her head slightly. "But it's okay. It's fine. Well, most of the time."

Mal stared at the wall. I was right, to leave him, he thought to himself. Let him work things out.

But I was also very ruttin' wrong. Because I forgot.

Whatever happened, he was still amean sommbitch - but worse, a proud one. And there's things he needs to know.

He turned to River, suddenly: "You know, young lady,I think I forgot to pick somethin' up real important back in Persephone. I gotta go back, and fetch it."

And then he stood up, and strode off to the bridge, his face rigid with determination.

Less than twenty-fours hours later, Serenity lowered down into Persephone port, settled, and lowered her ramp. Mal walked out into the sun, his brown coat flaring behind him in the wind.

He stepped down, and purposefully walked into the crowd.

Moments later, he was in the bar. The same bar that, months before, he had sat with Jayne and Randall.

He looked around. As usual, there were the normal traders, crooks, thieves. But Mal didn't see any of them. He was looking for one man, and his guts told him, he was here. Gorram it, thought Mal, I jus' know it, I can feel it in the air.

He walked up to the doorway to the booth and stepped inside. Then he looked down at the broad figure who was sat there, his head lowered, his big hands wrapped round a mug o'alcohol, and as ever, a gun at his side.

"Jayne?"

The merc looked up with a half-expectant face.

"Hm," His eyes locked into Mal's.

"'Lo, dumbass."