The Shepherd smiled as Zoe moved on to spread the word. It had been a long time since his last visit and while two hours wasn't enough to locate and catch up with any of his old friends, it would be enough to replenish some of his supplies and purchase something new to read. The Docks were familiar enough he had not been concerned with the very limited time quoted before but he was sure he would be back well before Serenity took to the air. He was equally certain Zoe and Wash would be a little late returning from their own shopping. It had been quite some time since they had been to any city that sold more than necessities and cheap trinkets.

By the time the ship was settled, the passenger had disembarked and the more excited crew members had rushed off, Book was left standing beside the sour looking Captain. "Very generous of you to extend shopping time for everyone."

"Be back in two hours or it'll last long as you please." Mal said in an attempt to sound indifferent.

Book smiled to himself and sauntered off toward a used book stall he was fond of. The Captain may seem gruff but he did have a good heart and strong moral values he would deny to most folks as if it made him a worse person. It was a shame he was so determined to cling to what appeared to be atheistic views but he supposed it was something of a defense mechanism he chose to employ after the wars. People cope with pain in different ways and while religion was a great comfort to most, others were able to find strength within themselves. There was no good that could come from arguing semantics with Mal, he had learned as much very quickly, but that didn't mean they lived on opposite sides of the spectrum as most seemed to assume.

People would think what they wished as has been the way of humanity from the dawn of time. He smiled to the man running the stall and began searching for something that would make those long weeks in the Black a little less frustrating. He chose not only for himself but with some of the others in mind. The Captain and Jayne appeared the only two who never seemed to enjoy a good book and while he was fairly certain that was true of Jayne, he suspected Mal had a few novels hidden away in his room.

Half an hour later he left the stall with a heavy bag of books and made his way to the vendors selling fresh fruit, vegetables and spices. While the fresh food would be used up quickly it would be greatly enjoyed by all and a wide selection of spices would help considerably when they were down to less flavorful rations. Though his religious services were rarely looked upon favorably by the Captain, he was still able to bring comfort and cheer through non-denominational means and that meant a lot to him.

After making small talk with the merchants and taking his time with selections he headed back toward Serenity with little more than half an hour to spare. He was still trying to decide whether to put the perishables in the kitchen right away or wait until morning since the Captain would most likely be in a foul mood due to essential crew returning late when he heard a distressed boy nearby and paused.

There were a great many ships docked, some taking passengers and others merely cargo, and one of the Captains was being harassed by a young man.

"Please, please… anywhere… just far from here. I can pay! I just need to get away from this place!" He begged the snarling man. Book could hardly blame the captain for his reluctance to take on this particular passenger - he was painfully thin, pale, dark rings under his eyes spoke of considerable lack of sleep and his ragged clothing was caked in dirt. He did not seem the trustworthy sort at a glance, perhaps a substance abuser and most likely a criminal on the run.

"We don't take on passengers." The man said sharply and gave the boy a shove.

Book stepped closer to the him as he stumbled on, desperately looking at the ships. "Who is it you are running from?"

"No one with authority." He said quickly, turning those pleading eyes on Book. "You know a ship getting away from here?"

"I might but I can't guarantee anything. If you have money enough the Captain may take you on." Book admitted carefully. As long as it wasn't Alliance chasing the boy Mal might jump on the excuse to get back out to the Rim quick as possible.

"I got money." He nodded, almost smiling.

Book watched the boy out of the corner of his eye was they walked - whoever was chasing this young man, he couldn't be more than seventeen or eighteen, he was terrified. It was likely he crossed Badger and that would almost certainly earn him a smile from the grumpy Captain.

Mal was still standing by Serenity looking just as irritable as when everyone had taken off and Book sighed, turning to the boy. "The man standing over there looking as if someone stole the engines off his ship - that is who you must talk to. I can't offer much advice beyond telling him your destination and how much you are willing to spend to get there. Just don't lie to him and you'll have a good chance of getting on board, alright?"

"Thanks, Shepherd." He nodded and turned to the Captain as Book quickly walked by.

As expected, Wash and Zoe were still out but the rest were back and looking more cheerful than they had in months. It was amazing what spending a bit of money could do for someones' mentality. Book smiled at everyone as he went by and handed fruit to each as he passed. He chuckled as a small bag of strawberries earned him a hug from Kaylee then hurried to the kitchen to put everything else away so he could retreat to the relative safety of his room.

It was only fifteen minutes after the appointed time when he heard the engines powering up, not long after that he heard a knock at his door and he went up to find the thin boy smiling at him.

"Thanks for your help. Captain Reynolds agreed to drop me off on Deadwood."

"Not much around there - are you sure it's where you want to go?" Book frowned, while the boy had said he wanted to get far away he had not expected such an unfriendly place to be the destination.

"Trust me, it's the best possible place there would be any chance of talking the Captain into." He said with a nod.

"Well, it's not a particularly short trip so you best get some sleep."

"No." There was an almost desperate edge to his voice. "No sleep. Trust me, you want me awake the whole time."

"It's not healthy to be awake too long and you look as if you've already gone a few days without rest." Book pointed out as his concern grew.

"Yeah… just… trust me. I paid the Captain extra to get me there as fast as possible." The boy admitted with a nervous smile. "He said he should be able to shave a few days off the usual time."

"If you are concerned with sleepwalking or something you might talk with our doctor. Just remember that you're safe here."

"No he's not." River murmured softly as she drifted by.

Book frowned after her while the boy spun and pressed his back to the wall as he watched her retreat with wide, terrified eyes. "Who is that?"

"Don't mind her too much… she went through some traumatizing experiences and can be a little unusual sometimes." He said soothingly, trying not to think about how often she was right. He would have to ask her about that later. "Since we are going to be here together for a while I suppose I really should introduce myself. I'm Shepherd Book"

"Oh… yeah…" He said, reluctantly looking away from the section of hall that River had long since vacated. "I'm Jerry."

"Well, it's good to meet you. I imagine the Captain has already explained things to you?"

"Mostly. Seems pretty simple, stay out of the way and don't go poking around. I may go see the doctor, though… Just need to get by until we land. Then I can sleep."

Book sighed and shook his head as the young man headed toward the infirmary.