Disclaimer remains the same from the intro. If you've forgotten, head back to check it out.

"My lips taste like perfume."

Simon looked up from the book he was studying. His sister River was seated on the floor about fifteen feet away from him. Her eyes were closed, and, as he watched, her tongue ran slowly over her lips. "What?"

"Not her perfume, though. From a long time ago." She ran her tongue over her lips again.

"River." Simon stood up, closing the book, and went over to his sister. "Where are you?"

"My lips taste like perfume."

Kaylee stuck her head into the infirmary. "Cap'n wants to know if the two of ya are gettin' off the boat at the port o' call."

"Where are we docked?" Simon asked, tearing his attention away from River.

"Little place o' nothin' much," Kaylee admitted. "Folks who live there call it Wanderlust, as though a name alone will make people stop there."

"If it's not much, then why are we stopping?"

"Supplies and fuel," Kaylee replied. "Cap'n has some business to do, I guess."

"We'll get off," Simon decided. "Is that all right with you, River?"

"My lips taste like perfume."

Kaylee smiled. "What kind of perfume? If it's somethin' expensive, it's Nara's."

Simon shook his head. "I'm not sure she's with us. I think it's time to try a new medication."

"Why do you keep dopin' her up? What do you think it'll accomplish?"

"Wouldn't it be nice if River could have a conversation with us that didn't involve twisted metaphors and her drifting off halfway through?" Simon demanded. "Wouldn't it be nice if River could someday have actual relationships with people instead of threatening their lives?"

Kaylee sighed. "Simon… I know this is rough for you, seein' River like this. But don'tcha think it'd be better to let her… I don't know, figure this out on her own?"

Simon pursed his lips and looked down the walk to where River was still sitting, her eyes closed, crooning softly to herself. "I don't think she'll 'figure this out,' Kaylee. I'm not sure there's anything to figure out. They took it all."

"Hey!" Jayne yelled from down the corridor. "We're here! Get yourselves out here a'fore Cap'n decides t' turn this boat around!"

Kaylee smiled sadly at Simon, swung her pack onto her shoulder, and left the infirmary. Simon went over to River and grasped her under the elbows and pulled her to a standing position. She swayed against him for a moment, eyelids fluttering. "My lips taste like perfume."

"I know. Come on, we're going to see Wanderlust."

The two siblings exited the ship and went blinking into the bright sunlight. The natives of Wanderlust were milling around in an open-air market. Most of them were swathed in brown or gray clothing. The women all had long hair, and most of them wore it back in tightly woven braids. Jayne was sidling up to one of the vendors, a fruit stall it looked like. Mal and Inara were trying hard to make it appear that they weren't walking in the same direction. Kaylee had run to catch up with Wash and Zoë.

Simon took River by the hand, and they slowly followed the rest of their crew members. They had just caught up to Mal at one of the stalls, and they were just in time to hear a man's voice speak out of the crowd. "Sir! You are captain of Serenity, are you not?"

The voice was extremely cultured, with a hint of an accent to it, and those gathered around heard no trace of slang imbedded in it. The man attached to the voice was nervous-looking and pale. He had a thatch of brown hair closely cut with spiky bangs, and a sprinkling of freckles across his rounded nose. He wore a thigh-length green shirt and baggy tan pants. Fastened cross-wise across his chest was a leather strap connected to a leather rucksack. His shoes were well-worn. There were no emblems or insignias anywhere on his clothing; nothing to suggest he belonged to another ship.

Mal looked over at the man, giving him an up-and-down glance. "Yes, I'm the captain of Serenity. Who wants t' know?"

"Myself and no other, sir. My name's Miles Cromwell. I'm looking for safe passage to… well, I'm not sure where."

"Wait a gorram minute," Mal said. "You want safe passage, but you're not sure t' where?"

The man nodded. "Yes, sir. You see, I've lost my memory."

"All o' it?" Jayne asked, suddenly appearing from nowhere. He was very good at that.

Miles nodded again. "All except my name, good sir. I've been here on Wanderlust for… ages now, eight years to be precise. No one here can tell me where I came from or what happened to me. I wandered out of the desert in these very clothes with this very bag, and have been here ever since. But I know I'm not meant to be here. I'd be honored if you'd grant me safe passage to wherever it is I'm meant to be."

Mal looked at Jayne, who looked at Wash, who looked at Zoë, who looked at Inara, who looked at Kaylee. Kaylee shrugged and looked at Simon. Simon did a half-shrug, and then quickly looked back at River, who was at the end of his arm-tether, scuffing her boots in the dirt, staring at the sky as though expecting something to fall from it at her feet. "You can pay, right?" Jayne asked.

Miles nodded quickly. "Of course. As much as you need." Upon seeing their glances, he quickly amended, "And what's reasonable for passage, of course."

"This is going to be costly," Mal countered. "You don't know where it is you need to go. I ain't runnin' a sightseeing tour. I've got jobs t' attend t'."

Miles pursed his lips. "I'm well aware of that. I'll see to it that we don't make any unnecessary stops."

Mal nodded. "Fine. You're welcome aboard, stranger. Don't expect any special treatment. You're one of the crew now, and you'll be expected to pull your share."

"That's all right by me. I'm sure doing some work will be a well-needed change from sitting around here, waiting for excitement to find me." He hitched his pack over his shoulder, although it had not moved since he had begun speaking to Mal; it seemed an after-thought, a nervous movement.

"My lips taste like perfume."

Everyone's attention turned to the pale girl pulling at Simon's arm. Her eyes were skyward and she seemed not to have anywhere particular to go, but still persisted at getting away from her brother, who kept a tight hold on her hand. "She's fine," Simon said quickly.

"Then we're gone," Mal said with a tight smile. "Unless there's somethin' else someone can't live without from this market."

"No, we're good, sir," Zoë said quickly. "We're gone."

"Good."

Back on the ship, Simon led River back to the infirmary and sat her down. "River, can you hear me?"

"It doesn't belong to her anymore."

"I'm going to give you a shot to help you sleep, all right? You hear me? You're going to sleep for awhile."

"You have to stop taking things away from her," River demanded.

Simon prepared the needle. River closed her eyes. "You keep taking, taking, taking, Simon. Sooner or later somebody's gonna catch up with you and they're not gonna want to give you what they have… you have to learn to give, Simon. Give."

He injected smoothly, so smoothly that her speech was not even interrupted. "Why do they always take? They never give anybody what they want. You're always… always…" Her eyes closed, her body went slack, and Simon caught her as she fell backwards onto the bed. "Simon," she whispered. "She said to me…"

And that was that. River was fast asleep. Simon cleaned up the infirmary and was just turning off the light when he heard a voice. It was the newcomer. "What's this?"

"This is the infirmary, sir," Simon said, moving to close the doors, attempting to block River from the man's prying eyes.

"What's wrong with her?" The voice held polite curiosity and a little bit of worry.

"Nothing." Simon attempted a half-smile at the man. "Let's go to the galley, shall we?"

Miles – was that the man's name? – gave one last glance through the window at Simon's sleeping sister, and then allowed the doctor to lead him away from the infirmary. "So, where is this ship bound, good doctor?"

"I really can't tell you," Simon responded. "We… uh… go with the wind."

Miles laughed at Simon's unintentional joke. "Well, if you had to hazard a guess, where would be the next place we're to set down?"

Simon shook his head. "You'd have to ask the captain."

"So I will."

They had reached the galley by then, and found Kaylee playing in a bowl of oatmeal, staring downward into the beige mess. Oatmeal had become a food staple on Serenity ever since Mal and Zoë had somehow ended up with more than ten crates of it following a deal gone south. Simon had developed a taste for it, especially with all the things Kaylee liked to add to it. The bowl she was eating then appeared to contain some finely granulated sugar. "What'cha up to, Simon?"

"Just showing Miles the galley," Simon said with another forced smile.

"Where's River?"

"Asleep."

Miles took a seat at the large table, and had just began to ask a question when Jayne stormed in, swinging one of his favorite weapons, which he slammed loudly on the table. "Where in the gorram hell's m' good gun?"

"You mean that's not it?" Kaylee asked, wide-eyed and innocent.

"No," Jayne said with forced politeness. "This is not the good un. This is Louise. I need Vera."

"Can't help ya," Kaylee said, getting up and dropping her bowl into the stainless steel tub filled with a combination of water and highly-concentrated detergent. "Got work t' attend ta."

Simon left Miles in the galley and went back to the infirmary, where he sat and read until awhile later, when something told him River was going to wake up. He wondered, a bit ironically, if the psychic talent was passing off onto him. He went over to his sister and watched as River's eyes flicked open, first peering at him with distrust, then seeming to maybe half-recognize him. "Simon?"

"That's me."

"They're taking and taking and taking."

"I know, mei-mei."

"And he's going to take it all away from us." She smiled, still a bit groggy from the drug. "He's going to take it, and you'll never see it coming… then I'll be gone."

"Who? No one's going to take you anywhere."

She closed her eyes again. "Sleep again, Simon. Watch out for him."

Her breathing became slow and regular, and her head fell slack against the pillow. In wonder, Simon looked back towards the galley, wondering if the new passenger was hiding something. If River was right – and when was she wrong? – things could get a lot more interesting for Serenity and her crew.