Chapter Eleven: Moving In

Soundtrack suggestions: "Dare You To Move" – Switchfoot, "She Moved Thru the Fair" – The Fallen Angels

Parker's Playhouse on Colchester Street had once been a theater for the Snozlund Repertoire Company. The theater group was now defunct, following a horrible production of Anything Goes when Alan Winkle, president of the SPC and the lead in that production, had thrown himself from the balcony to protest lowered wages for all actors. The building had stayed empty for years, until a couple from Cadence, twenty-five miles outside the main city, had bought it and turned it into a hostel, naming it after their dead son, who had met his end in a way not unlike Alan Winkle.

The couple was older now, in their sixties. The woman's name was Marion and the man's name was Peter. They looked like each other in that way that many older couples look like each other – they wore similar styles of clothing, and their hair and eyes had aged together so much as to appear similar. Both had genuine smiles of welcome for their guests.

"Welcome to Parker's Playhouse!" Marion said. "It is our hope you'll be comfortable here. The room assignments are here." She handed Mal several keys.

"Okay," Mal said. "Zoë, Wash, yer in Room 215."

"There seems to be three more of you," Marion said, having finished counting the party.

"Yes, we're terribly sorry t' have brought them along," Zoë explained. "They're passengers without a place t' stay."

"That's right fine," Marion replied, still smiling. "The room with the women-folk in it can easily accommodate three more. It's dormitory-style."

"That would be Room 226," Mal said helpfully. "Kate, you 'n yers will be stayin' there with River, Kaylee, 'n 'Nara. That leaves Jayne 'n Simon 'n me in Room 231."

Simon looked a little fearfully at Jayne. Jayne was looking at Mal and didn't notice.

"Do you need help with your luggage?" Peter asked, looking at the group's belongings. Most of them had only brought one bag; they wouldn't be staying long. The exceptions were Simon, who had brought medical supplies to treat River, and Inara, who had brought three.

"No, we'll be fine. Thanks fer askin'," Mal replied. "Let's go."

"Lift's over there," Marion said helpfully. "Enjoy your stay!"

They went up in two stages – Mal, Zoë, Jayne, Wash, and Kaylee first, then Inara, Simon, River, Kate, Nona, and Mother Mary in the second car. They found their respective rooms. Marion had been right about the room for the "women-folk"; it was long and narrow with rows of beds on either side. But it was bright, thanks to the windows along the far wall, and cheerful, thanks to the brightly-colored quilts on each bed.

"Nice place," Kaylee remarked, dropping her bag on one of the beds. She peered out the window. "And you kin see th' skatin' rink from here! How I love skatin'!"

"I didn't know you could skate, Kaylee," Inara remarked.

"I can't," the mechanic answered cheerfully. "But I've always wanted t' learn."

"It's all right," Kate said from the corner bed she had claimed. "Mother Mary taught us awhile ago."

"Bird can skate?" River asked wonderingly.

Kate shook her head. "No. We usually just push her chair around the rink. But Mother Mary used to be quite the skating champion! Tell them, Mother Mary."

"Was nothin'," Mother Mary remarked. "Back in my heathen days."

"She won the skating medal at the Ariel Games," Kate related.

"Yes, and then I realized my heathenish ways," Mother Mary continued.

"She met her husband Jack, and joined the Followers of the Second Coming," Kate finished. "Lived on Ariel with us until he died, then went back to Seven Skyes."

"You've had a very exciting life, Mother Mary," Inara said with a gentle smile.

Mother Mary clucked her tongue. "A bit more exciting than a follower of the Good Lord should have, I think."

Simon appeared in the doorway. "May I steal River from you for a moment?" he asked the room in general.

"Go ahead, Doc," Inara said, smiling at him.

"Kathryn, I'm going to take Nonny out for a walk," Mother Mary decided. "We'll be back in a bit."

"Keep her warm," Kate said.

"Oh, I will," Mother Mary said. "Let's go, Nonny."

They left. Simon entered the room and came over to where River was sitting on the bed opposite Kaylee. "I need to check your stitches, mei-mei," he said. "Jayne made you a new hat."

"He better not've!" Kaylee exclaimed. "That's m' good foil! I've got more presents t' wrap!"

"I'll buy you another," Simon said. "We need it for River."

Kaylee shook her head dismissively.

"Come on, River," Simon said, and took her gently by the arm, leading her from the room. He took her into the communal bathroom, which was in fact quite large. It had six sinks along one side of the room, and all were sparkling clean. There was a large mirror running the length of the counter. The tile floors were light blue and were also sparkling clean.

Simon had brought in his kit. "Sit down," he told River, gesturing to the counter. She hopped up obediently and sat watching him. He opened his kit and brought out a pair of scissors. He used those to cut open the bandages. He went about his work dedicatedly, cleaning the wounds to prevent infection from growing and then replacing the bandages.

The fingers of her right hand were looped around the catheter running out of her chest. "This is part of me now," she informed him. "It's eating my soul."

"No, it's helping you to stay alive," Simon replied, only a little angrily. He wasn't mad at his sister, he was mad at Bert, Clarissa, and Jimena, who had put his sister through such a rash medical situation. "Don't pull, you'll rip it out and then we'll be in trouble."

She opened her left fist and there, in the middle of her palm, was the locket the Shepherd had sent. "Can I wear this?"

He looked down at the locket. "What is it?"

"Treasure." She let go of the catheter and clicked it open, using her fingernail to jimmy the catch. She held it up by the chain so Simon could see what was inside.

He was, for some reason, surprised. It was two pictures – one of his sister as a little girl on the left side, and a picture of him as a young boy on the other. "Where did you…?"

She shrugged. "Shepherd's treasure." She closed it, then hooked it around her neck, and for some reason, it looked right.

It shook him more than he let on, but he went about the rest of his work as calmly as possible.