Author's Note: Alright, so maybe you get this third part earlier than I had planned. The presentations in my third-year seminar on the Greek Bronze Age have approached the level of boredom wherein I'd rather kill myself than sit through another. I figured writing would be more productive. It's short, my apologies. And yes, this is the LAST PART.

Now would be the perfect time for a few well-chosen swear words; but even as angry as he was, Simon had only said one thing resembling a bad word. Why did he have to be so proper? Kaylee thought.

She'd had fights with her daddy, of course. Everyone did. And she'd done some things that got her a whooping. But if she'd ever talked back to her pa like Simon was to his, she'd have gotten much, much worse. But then, her daddy loved her; she was his favorite. Simon's pa didn't much sound like he was all that fond of either of his children.

Kaylee felt sorry for him. She'd thought he must have had the perfect family; growing up in the Core and all, but it was obviously not so. It was no fair: Simon loved his sister more than anything; why couldn't their parents feel the same?

And poor River, too. The girl had been through so much, but Kaylee knew she'd still been waiting for her daddy to come and get them and take them home. She didn't deserve this.

And Mal had though his folks had had problems. His family was positively normal. Well, just went to show you, money didn't buy everything. Mal would take his family over all the credit in the 'verse.

But he couldn't help feeling sorry for the boy. Simon had enough to deal with with his crazy sister and all. Being abandoned by your family had to be the worst. No wonder he was so attached to Crazy: she was all he had.

Zoë couldn't help being glad for Wash. Maybe they hadn't been together all that long, but at least they were happy; they were a family. They had argued, sure, but they still loved each other and had always made up with apologies and good sex. Zoë hadn't had much family back home, and none after the war, but Wash had made up for that.

She really missed him.

She just wished they'd stop fighting. She hated it when Simon got mad. And daddy was mad too. He never used to yell. Go angry, of course, and frustrated with her, but he never raised his voice to her.

She liked quiet. People were loud enough even when they weren't saying a word out loud. It hurt her ears when they yelled. And they were both so angry her head was pounding.

"Stop," she whimpered. "Please stop." But they just kept yelling.

How in the gorram 'verse could they all be so messed?

Jayne's head was starting to pound. If they wanted to yell so damn much, why couldn't they go do it somewhere else? There was an entire planet out there and at least Jayne wouldn't have to listen to them no more.

Crazy, the lot of them. He was startin' to wonder whether the girl was really the most nutty. Her brother was doing a good job of impersonating one of his sister's tantrums.

Jayne contemplated taking a few warning shots at the two men, but he guessed Mal would frown on that.

Too bad.