CHAPTER EIGHT

Even after River told Mal her suspicions about the little Elliot girl's birthday gift, there wasn't much they could do about it. River was still a little lost as to where to start—they had no idea which mercenaries had kidnapped Savannah in the first place. Rina Duncan was probably the only person who knew, and she was, conveniently, missing.

Just before they dropped off the Elliots, Mal got a call from a man who he'd never heard of, but who said he'd heard of Mal's reputation and needed some cargo moved. Mal thought it over, and finally decided that would probably be his best option—better pay with someone who wanted him specifically, opposed to the odd jobs he'd found on the cortex. So once the Elliots were settled in their safe house, they left to pick up cargo on Greenleaf. Mal found that ironic enough, considering taking something to Greenleaf had been their last job before embarking on this mad chase after slavers.

They were only half a day's flight from Greenleaf, and the schedule that Mal was running on now also meant that he would get to Greenleaf in the middle of the night. The rendezvous was set for shortly after that, which was fine with Mal—better to get this over with quickly, and there was always less chance of being spotted in the dark.

That night, for the first time since Simon and Kaylee's return, all of them ate dinner together. River only looked a little lethargic, and when Mal sat down beside her, she smiled at him. Simon glared at him from across the table, but next to him, Kaylee was beaming at them. It was obvious that Simon had told her what was going on between Mal and River. And of course, Kaylee couldn't keep her mouth closed for long when something made her happy. "I think it's just shiny about you two," she finally said.

Simon shot Kaylee a disbelieving look. Zoe was wearing a knowing little smirk, and Jayne glanced up from his food with his normal expression of confusion on his face. "What two now?"

"Captain and River!" Kaylee replied, rolling her eyes at Jayne.

Little Ren squealed and threw a handful of canned fruit on the floor.

"What about 'em?" Jayne shot Mal and River a very suspicious stare.

Kaylee uttered a long-suffering sigh as she bent to pick up Ren's mess. "They're together, Jayne."

Jayne stared at Mal and River dumbly for a moment, and then understanding slowly dawned. "Oh…" A grin crossed his face, and he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Guess the sex must be pretty int—"

"What?" Simon whipped his head around to Jayne.

"Don't be a pig, Jayne," Kaylee said, before Simon could say anything more. She straightened and dumped Ren's food back on her little high chair. "'Sides, River's got a bullet hole in her back. Wouldn't be much fun with—"

"Kaylee!" Simon gasped, and Mal bit back a laugh. Wasn't like he and River had done anything. And even if they had, it wasn't anybody's business but theirs.

Mal considered saying something of the like, but he was finding the sight of Simon being all bothered by Kaylee right amusing. And River didn't seem troubled; she just glanced at him and smiled with her eyes, but continued to calmly eat her food.

"Don't go gettin' your knickers in a twist," Kaylee told Simon affably, spooning some sort of mush into Ren's mouth. "Weren't like we didn't do it all over the place when we—"

Simon's face was an interesting shade of red, though whether out of embarrassment or anger, it was hard to tell. "That's different," he said, shoving his plate of food back.

"Really." Kaylee crossed her arms, spoon still in hand. "How's that?"

Simon seemed to have realized he'd dug himself into a hole, and several years of being married to Kaylee had taught him when to keep his mouth shut and keep from jumping into said hole. His jaw tightened, and his eyes flickered from Mal to River. Before he had a chance to say anything, though, Zoe spoke.

"Seems what the captain and River do and how they do it is their business," she said, in her 'drop it now' sort of voice.

Simon's angry gaze turned on Zoe, but she stared back at him. One thing Mal thought Simon had neglected to remember until now was that however protective he was of River, Zoe was equally protective of Mal. Hopefully that would make the good doctor think twice before he acted…rashly about anything.

Ren broke the intense moment when she screeched again and chucked another fistful of fruit into the air, several pieces of which landed on Kaylee and Zoe. Kaylee grinned as Zoe plucked a chunk of pear out of her hair. "You tell 'em, Ren," Kaylee said.

Mal pushed his chair back and stood up. "Kaylee, I want the entry sequences checked before you hit the sack tonight."

Kaylee stood up and pulled Ren out of her chair, brushing food off of her before setting her down on the floor. "Not to fret, Captain. It'll be done."

:-:-:

Greenleaf had earned its name due to the forests that covered much of its surface. It was one of the rare worlds that had taken well to terraforming, producing lush green lands and a lot of plants, from which dyes and materials were produced and manufactured.

This was another under-the-table sort of job, and Mal had no idea what they were transporting, but he didn't care so long as he got paid.

When the proximity alert went off, indicating they were coming up on Greenleaf, Mal dragged himself out of bed. However, when he got to the cockpit, he found River already there, and he squinted at her. "What're you doin' up here?"

"Piloting."

Mal rolled his eyes. "Why?"

"Because I miss it." River began pushing buttons and adjusting their vector slightly to lower Serenity through the atmosphere of Greenleaf. "I wish I could go with you."

Mal rested a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be all healed up pretty soon. Meantime, I need you here in case we need a quick getaway."

"I know, but we don't know this contact. What kind of man goes by the name 'Bones?"

"One who don't like his rightful name." River looked up at him and pursed her lips, looking so serious that Mal frowned. "You sensin' trouble comin'?"

"Not specifically. I just don't like that I can't be there," River's eyes focused out the window as she continued to lower the ship and extended the legs. They settled neatly on the ground. "I looked on the cortex and haven't found much on this Bones character." River swiveled her chair toward Mal and gazed up at him. "Be careful."

The sound of a hatch opening indicated that someone was awake, and moments later, Zoe stepped into the cockpit, her gun already on her hip, looking completely alert. "We takin' the mule?"

Mal considered. The rendezvous point was less than a quarter of a mile from where they'd landed, but he'd been told the cargo would be in large boxes, so they'd need the mule to haul the cargo back to Serenity. Might even have to make a couple of trips, depending on how many goods were being transported.

Besides, with an unknown contact, might be nice to have the mule for a quick getaway and extra weapons, should they need them.

"Yeah, we'll take it," Mal said.

Zoe prepped the mule, and Jayne loaded up with his weapons, including grenades. Mal didn't begrudge him the grenades; he'd long learned it was nice to have them as contingency. Even Simon got up, likely because of all the noise going on, but Kaylee stayed asleep.

Simon went down to the cargo bay with River to see them off. He didn't say anything when River kissed Mal just before they drove out of the cargo bay and away from Serenity.

The night was cool and the air was fresh. Well, mostly. The occasional draft had the stench of smoke from the numerous factories, some of which stayed open during the night to increase productivity.

The rendezvous point was close enough to Serenity that Mal could see the silhouette of the ship among the trees. Bones wasn't there yet, so there was nothing for them to do but wait.

:-:-:

River wrapped her arms around herself and watched the mule disappear into the cool night on Greenleaf. Simon stood beside her, staring at her with a most curious look on his face. Given that he had just, for the first time, seen her kiss a man, she could understand his expression. He looked stunned, but hearing his thoughts, River realized it was good. Hearing her say that she loved him and seeing it…it had made an impact, and River hoped in a good way.

"Come on, River," he said softly, raising the ramp. "They'll be back soon."

"I won't sleep," River said, turning. "Not till they get back."

Simon studied her for a moment, and then he nodded. "I'll make you some tea."

"You don't have to stay up."

"I don't mind."

"Can I have the tea in the cockpit? I've missed being there."

And so it was, a short time later, that River sat curled up in her chair in the cockpit with a hot cup of tea in her hands. Simon sat in Mal's usual chair, and it was nice—aside from check-ups and that one conversation about Mal, she hadn't talked with Simon very much since he returned. She'd been sleeping a lot, and often when she was awake, he was asleep. So she enjoyed sipping her tea and listening to his stories of the time spent at Kaylee's parents' home.

She was about halfway through drinking her cup of tea, and Simon was in the middle of a tale about Kaylee's father, when a wave came in from Agent Burnham. "River. How are you doing?"

"All right," River said. "Getting better."

"That's good to hear. I was actually waving to see if you might be able to give me some information."

River's eyes narrowed slightly. "What sort of information?"

"Rina Duncan didn't show up at her meeting today, which was expected. However, we did get a tip on one of Rina Duncan's top mercenaries. He was actually at the party on Olympia, and we believe that just before that, he was involved in the kidnapping of Savannah Elliot on New Canaan. Unfortunately, we don't even know his real name. I thought you or one of the crew might have heard of him, since he apparently often works in the—subtler sort of business."

"You mean the thieving business," River said.

"Well, yes. If we can find him we might have a lead to Rina Duncan, and we might be able to recover the missing Elliot girl. This mercenary goes by the name 'Bones,' and—"

"What?"

Burnham blinked. "You know—"

River didn't wait around to hear what she was saying. She ended the wave and contacted Mal immediately. "Mal! Mal, you have to get out of there! It's a trap!"

His voice crackled back through the comm. "Think I just figured that out, darlin'."

She was already too late. Panic fluttered through her. "I'm coming to help you." She shoved herself to her feet and was halfway out the door as she heard Mal objecting

"No, you a—" She shoved herself to her feet and was halfway out the door before Burnham realized she was leaving. She moved quickly down the corridor and swung around the stairs toward the cargo bay while Simon ran after her. "River! River, what are you—"

"Bones. She must have hired him to lure us here with a job. It's a trap; it has to be." River ran along the catwalks and down to the ground floor of the cargo bay, Simon right on her heels.

"River, you can't—you're in no shape—"

He might have had a point—just going down all of these stairs jolted and sent little lightning flashes of pain shooting through her back from her wound. "Irrelevant. I can function."

"And then what? River, you're still healing; you might tear that wound open ag—"

"I don't care." River reached underneath the stairs and pulled out one of the guns Mal kept hidden around the cargo bay. She realized that she was wearing nothing but her knee-length pajama shirt, and settled with keeping the gun in her hand. She quickly found a second gun on the way to the cargo bay doors.

"River…" Simon's voice was at once worried and resigned.

River punched the button to lower the ramp. "I'll be back. Get Kaylee, keep the ship running." If it came down to it, Kaylee might be able to pilot Serenity. "Lock the ramp behind me; don't let anyone in." She fled down the ramp before it even touched earth.

:-:-:

Mal hadn't been at the rendezvous point for more than a few minutes when the transceiver he wore crackled, and River's voice burst into his ear. "Mal! Mal, you have to get out of there. It's a trap!"'

What? He didn't stop to question; he just nodded at Zoe and Jayne. "Back to the—"

But he was too late. A half dozen men appeared, all armed and pointing their weapons straight at him, Jayne, and Zoe. "Think I just figured that out, darlin'," he told River.

"I'm coming to help you."

"No, you a—" But Mal knew that River was no longer even listening on the other end. He cursed inwardly. Last thing he wanted was River in this mess in her current condition.

Another half dozen men came out of the trees from behind them, similarly armed, and when another few men came from the other two sides, completely surrounding them, he knew they were really in trouble. He, Jayne, and Zoe had their guns out and pointed in three different directions, but they were far short of covering their own asses.

One man stepped forward, gun in hand, and Mal's eyes narrowed as he recognized him—this man had shot at him and River at the party on Olympia. He kept his voice even, though he felt anything but calm, as he addressed the gunman in front of him—Bones, most likely. "Well. Looks like we got a problem here." His mind raced to find a way out of this before they got killed, and before River came bursting into the scene.

"Bigger than you know," Bones replied. His sharp eyes scanned the area. "Where's that woman weapon of yours?"

"She ain't my weapon," Mal said. "And her whereabouts don't matter none."

"Afraid they do, but I suppose we can find her our own selves." His finger was on the trigger.

"Whoa, just hold on a tick. You doin' this for money? 'Cause if it's payin' you're after, we might be able to work somethin' out," Mal said.

Bones looked at him coldly. "I don't think you could match the deal I've got goin' now, let alone pass it. Besides, this is the job. You understand that, don't ya, Captain Reynold? Ain't nothing personal."

Before Bones could squeeze his trigger, both of his hands suddenly had bullet holes in them, and then he dropped to the ground with a shot to the stomach. Before Mal could even blink, the two men beside him went down, and then Mal threw himself to the ground in front of the mule, effectively hiding him from over half the circle of shooters, all of whom were trying to figure out where the bullets were coming from as two more men fell. Several shots were fired in Mal's direction as Zoe and Jayne dropped down beside him. Mal took a shot at a man who turned his gun on Zoe.

There were still shots going off, though, and shouts, and Mal's gun was out of bullets. "Where's the spare clips?" he yelled to Jayne.

"Side hatch!"

Mal poked his head up over the top of the mule, and his heart seemed to stop in his chest. River was here, in a blue night shirt of all things, a gun in each hand. She was standing behind one man, using him as a shield as she fired her weapons two different directions. It hit two different men square in the head. She hit the man she was using as a shield over the head and then moved to her right to the next target.

It was the first time since the Maidenhead that Mal had ever seen her use a gun to cause injury, let alone death. Sure, he'd seen her take guns from people and seen her use them to shoot a weapon out of someone's hand, but she hadn't ever used it for killing.

But he watched now, at the eerie and methodical precision with which she wielded the weapons. Watched one-two-three as the next men went down before he could so much as blink, and saw as she just missed getting hit with bullets, probably sensing them coming the moment before it happened.

An explosion consumed the men opposite River, and Mal whipped around, seeing Jayne preparing to lobby another grenade that direction. Mal quickly snatched the spare clips out of the hatch and popped one into his gun. A searing pain pierced his shoulder, and he swiveled to shoot the gunman who'd hit him. Zoe added her fire to the mix, and River had rid herself the guns—she was probably out of bullets—and had physically engaged with three men, a deadly, graceful whirlwind that took them all out, until everyone was down and she had worked her way back to Bones's fallen body. She stopped in front of him, breathing hard, and Mal noticed with a sudden surge of fear that the back of her shirt was soaked red with blood.

He also noticed that Bones was still alive—barely. His hands were a bloodied mess and the wound in his belly was obviously going to kill him, but it hadn't failed Mal's notice that River hadn't killed him straight away. Now, she scooped another gun off the ground and pointed it at his head. "Where is she?" Her voice was hard and angry. "Where is Savannah Elliot?"

Bones was taking deep, heaving breaths, but at River's question, he somehow managed the strength to spit at her.

River cocked the gun. "Where is Rina Duncan?"

"Qu ni de!" Bones started coughing, wet, hacking coughs, and when he stopped, he was either dead or unconscious; Mal didn't bother to check which.

River slowly lowered her weapon to the ground and turned to face him. The expression on her face was at once pained and fearful, dark and fierce.

Jayne's voice broke the silence. "Guess this means we ain't gettin' paid."

Mal glanced at Jayne, and saw that he was clutching a bullet wound in his thigh. Zoe seemed unharmed. Mal motioned her and Jayne. "Get on the mule." Clutching his own bleeding shoulder, he hurried over to River. He could have cared less about his own injury—he'd been dealt worse, and it wasn't life-threatening. But if River had been shot again…he didn't see any holes in her shirt, but with all the blood, it was a little hard to tell.

"I know where she is. I saw." River's voice sounded a little off. Mal wasn't sure she meant Savannah Elliot or Rina Duncan, and he still wasn't sure about what was going on. "I killed them," she whispered, her eyes roving over the fallen bodies. She swayed slightly on her feet.

"You did," Mal said evenly. "Hold still." He carefully lifted the back of her shirt and saw that she was bleeding from her previous injury. She must have torn it open again; the blood ran down her back and soaked into her underwear. "Come on. We gotta get you back to your brother."

"He's going to be upset."

"Think he'll be more upset if you don't get that taken care of." Mal pulled River firmly toward the mule and lifted her up into the front seat beside Zoe. He clambered over her to the back. "Take us home." And then maybe they could figure out what the hell had just happened.

:-:-:

Mal ordered Zoe to get them off of Greenleaf, but River protested that most frantically while Simon prepared to put her out so he could treat her wound. "No! No, don't leave—I know. She's here, she's here—you have to stay…"

Simon prepared a hypo and brought it over to River, but she grabbed his wrist to stop him. "We can't leave!"

"Just keep us in orbit around Greenleaf," Mal told Zoe, and she nodded and disappeared up the stairs.

River calmed slightly then, releasing Simon's wrist and allowing him to drug her. Just before he knocked her out, Mal heard her speak to Simon, so faint that he could barely make out her words. "I did it, Simon."

"I know you did, meimei."

"Killed them first. Bang, bang, and the puppets' strings were cut." River gave a sound that sounded like a half-laugh, half-cry, just as Simon pushed the hypo into her neck. Her eyes closed almost instantly.

Simon worked with a practiced speed that came from working as a trauma surgeon, cutting through River's nightshirt and working on her wound. Once he was through with River, he patched up Jayne's leg and then set to work on Mal's injury in stiff, angry silence. Kaylee hovered outside the infirmary, looking fearful.

Certain that his crew was going to be all right (Simon wouldn't have been angry if River wasn't going to be all right—well, he would have been, but he would have been other things, too) Mal thought the time had come to ask some questions. "How'd she know it was a trap?" Mal asked Simon in a low voice.

"Some woman called—I don't even know who she was, but she knew River." He described the woman and the conversation, his voice chopped and angry, and Mal realized it had to have been Agent Burnham,.

Mal kept his eyes on River, lying facedown with a sheet covering her bare back. She looked so incredibly pale. Kaylee was standing by her side now, holding her hand. "She's…really gonna be okay?" Kaylee whispered.

Simon replied stonily, "She's going to be fine, as long as she doesn't pull another stunt like that. She just undid what little recovery she had accomplished." He threw Mal a clean shirt. "I hope this was worth it."