NirSighted Chapter Twenty-Four: Make it Worth Your Time

"Get up! Get up!" someone was shouting, and cold hands patted Mal's face in a rapid staccato.

Mal looked up. It was River, and his head was on the marble tabletop. The crazy girl was wearing a dress Mal hadn't seen before, and she looked remarkably happy and… well… sane. Her eyes, no longer black, were bright. "Get up!" she repeated gleefully. "Must start celebration! Mazel tov!" she shrieked in delight.

Before Mal could argue, she shoved a plate of something in front of him. Whatever it was, it smelled awful good, so Mal decided not to say anything. She produced a fork and he began to eat it.

Callan appeared before he was done with the meal. "Did you enjoy your breakfast?" she asked.

"Yes," Mal said with his mouth full. "What was it?"

"Applesauce and latkes," Callan said. "Potato pancakes to everyone else. That's only the first course, though; there'll be more down at The Fox and Cricket."

"Sounds great," Mal said earnestly, looking at his now-empty plate.

"Take that in and wash it," Callan said gently. "And then we'll get ready to go."

She disappeared with her arms full of laundry. As Mal was washing his plate, Nir appeared in the kitchen. She was wearing her usual outfit and her hair was braided back neatly. The old look he'd seen in her eyes had disappeared over the night. "Good morning, Captain Reynolds," she said, smiling at him. "Did you enjoy breakfast?"

"It was great," Mal answered. He finished washing the plate and set it on the drainer.

"I trust you will enjoy the Hanukkah celebration at The Fox and Cricket," she continued. "It's a traditional festival, usually enjoyed with…"

He cut her off. "Nir, I wanna thank ya fer what you've done fer me and mine," he said. "You've done right good by us."

She started to say something, but he wasn't done. "Look at all ya did. Ya saved all three o' those babies, ya got us all here t' Irving-Keene, ya fought the Love-Bots. Yer a miracle worker, Niriel Shatter-Glass, one I'm proud t' know and call one o' mine."

For a moment it appeared that Nir was going to cry. But then her eyes glinted with something new. "You think I'm one of yours now, do you, Captain Reynolds?" she asked with her same smart-ass grin.

"Here's hopin' so," Mal said.

"We'll see," she said, and left the kitchen.