Here is the next chapter (after another computer apocalypse!) This one does contain the character death so you are forewarned. Its all a bit tear-jerking. I got all teary when I wrote it.

PLEASE read and review! I'm interested in whether the person who dies is the person people expected. I've been sent a few interesting theories on who should die and why.

Chapter Eight: Another Crack In My Heart

He looks the part – the clean white doctor's uniform, the stethoscope hanging from his neck, the neatly slicked back hair. Yes every inch the part and he feels like a child who has raided the dressing up box. He takes a deep breath and wills his hands to stop shaking.

Dr Simon Tam walks slowly towards the woman sitting with her two children. The smallest child, a boy is maybe five, the girl in her early teens. The woman tidily dressed but there are crow's feet at her eyes with tiredness.

Simon's feet like they are stuck in quicksand. It seems to take an eternity to reach them.

They spot him and stand, worry etching their faces.

"Mrs Lee, I'm Doctor Tam," he says slowly and to his credit his voice doesn't shake. "I was part of the team treating your husband. I regret to tell you that the damage was too severe, and that he did not survive the surgery."

Those easy words. The first time he has said them to someone and not in his head walking down that corridor.

The whole moment seems to slow down. Mrs Lee's hand goes to her mouth and she stares at him wide eyed. The girl starts to cry and the little boy gazes up at him not understanding. Then Mrs Lee steels herself blinks and drops her hand.

"Thank you doctor. You looked after him well. I'm sure you did everything you could."

Simon nods numbly. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss Mrs. Lee."

Simon turns in his polished black shoes and walks away without a backwards glance.

Inara stands just inside the doorway of the barn and feels utterly useless. The smoke from torched houses drifts gently across the town. Screaming echoes after it.

The smell of blood comes to her on the night air. She retches and swallows deeply. She had already seen one body tonight. The woman the Reavers dragged into the barn. Inara covered her face with the shawl she had abandoned whilst in the heat of the pit. She feels cold now without it. But she didn't want Kaylee to see her ravaged body when Jayne's brothers pulled them out of the hatch. Jayne sat to one side on a hay bale nursing his arm. Kaylee waited precisely three seconds to squeeze Jayne's hand, tell him she was glad he was alive and then went running from the barn.

"Kaylee wait!" Inara had cried after her.

"I've got to see if Serenity's okay!" she had yelled over her shoulder, pink dress flying round her legs.

Jayne had tried to grab her as she went but she nimbly dodged his hand and he didn't have the strength to follow her. Benjamin said he would follow her and check that she was alright. He limped from the barn, his right arm dripping blood from where he had collected a Reaver knife wound to it, but he would live and, as Jayne put it proudly, he'd have one hell of a scar.

Inara shudders and wraps her arms around herself. Suddenly a hand takes hold of her upper arm startling her. The skin on the palm is rough. She turns.

"You alright?" Jayne asks.

She nods. "Despite Simon's best efforts." She twists her mouth, as she isn't sure if she agrees with his actions or not.

Jayne sighs. "I know. Saw Mal give him the gun. Wouldn't have done it for any other reason."

His hand is still wrapped round her bicep. She hasn't asked him to move it yet. Somehow it makes her feel more grounded.

"Can you go and look after River for me?" he asks softly.

Inara nods. "Of course." She can see something haunted behind his eyes.

He gives her arm a squeeze and lets go. She takes a deep breath and steps out of the barn.

The grey brain matter slides sickly down the point of the pickaxe that has been driven upwards through the reavers chin. It lies slumped in a dark pool of its own blood. The sandy dust is criss crossed with footprints and drag marks. But this isn't what captures the attention of the Cobb boys.

Two reavers wait their turn, laughing and salivating at the sight in front of them. The other holds Zoë against the wall, her eyes are closed and while her feet are on the ground they definitely aren't supporting her weight. She is covered with blood. The Reaver is gnawing on one side of her neck. Jayne feels his own blood boil and he lets out a roar. He tackles the nearest reaver, bowling it over. He goes with it, rolling over and over. He feels his face scrape the gravel on the ground. He forces his heels into the floor to stop their motion. He ends up atop the reaver, and yelling again starts hitting it about the head with his fists, his rifle butt, anything he can get hold of.

The sounds of his brothers fighting behind him sound far away and muffled as Jayne stares at the reaver's ugly face. He suddenly spits blood and teeth into Jayne's face. He recoils, spluttering. The reaver grabs his arm as his guard is momentarily down and yanks. Jayne screams feeling his shoulder make a sickening popping noise.

Jayne reaches down with his right uninjured hand and grabs hold of something. He brings it down into the reavers face again and again. Several sharp shots ring out behind him but he brings the rock down again, yelling wordlessly. A red mist of rage and fear taking over.

"Jayne!" someone grabs his hand as he is about to bring it down again. "Its dead!"

Jayne looks down at the pulpy mess of blood and skull and skin that used to be a reaver's face. "Jesus!" He throws himself to his feet, left arm swinging uselessly, staring in horror at it.

Then shakes himself from it and turns to Zoë. She is slumped at the bottom of the wall, not moving.

"Zoë!" Jayne skids to his knees and fumbles to find a pulse in her wrist. There is a minute flutter there but its weak, barely there. He hauls her over his good shoulder and staggers to his feet as she hangs limply. He needs to find the doctor and he needs to find Mal.

Daniel Cobb shoves a piece of wood from his head and bites back the scream that comes to his throat. His arm is definitely broken.

"Maddie!" he yells hoarsely. "Maddie!"

"Here."

He looks round to see his little sister, her face covered in blood from a cut at her hairline. She is cradling baby Mal to her chest and he is bawling. Daniel realises that he couldn't hear any of it when he was panicking about escaping from the wreckage of the shed. He starts to laugh. "Gorramit Maddie you scared me!"

He gets awkwardly to his feet. "C'mon."

Kaylee stares at the mess of tangled metal that is scattered around Serenity. Mal's security measures had stopped them getting inside so the reavers have taken their frustration out on the hull. The entire housing of one engine has gone, twisted into pieces at her feet. Kaylee feels her eyes well up and feels stupid. It's just a ship. They could have lost a lot more today. But it's Serenity.

A hand slides into hers. She looks up at Jayne's brother. "It'll be ok. Next town over has a sizable junkyard we can fix her up."

Kaylee nods silently, listening to the screaming echoing back from the town. "What do you need me to do?"

Simon's fingers flash over the wounds, muttering to himself. Mal hovers shirtless, staring at Zoë with a twisted expression on his face. He is leaning against the second bed, his arms folded. His blood soaked shirt has been flung on the worktop forgotten.

Wash stands at the foot of the bed. "Come on Zoë, wake up."

Suddenly her eyes flit open and she bites down hard on the coming scream. Her body arches on the bed. Simon jumps, stares at her for a shocked millisecond then starts checking the monitors, muttering. "Sedation levels should be stable."

"Zoë?"

"Baby?"

Wash and Mal fly from their places to the sides of the bed. Her eyes flit around, half crazy with pain, catching Wash's for a moment then settling steadily on Mal's. Her face is bruised, her left cheek purple and swollen, there is still a splattering of dried blood on her skin too. Her dark eyes are fixed on Mal's. He feels his breath catch in his lungs. There is a pleading look there that he has only seen once before. In that gorram valley in those days after the surrender, holding on. She had asked this question with her eyes then too. Mal had said no. He knows exactly what he has to do now. He gives her a tight lipped sad little smile and nods, just once, barely moving his head.

The monotone beep fills the room.

"Zoë! Don't you dare do this! Zoë!" Wash shakes her by the shoulders.

"I'm so sorry," Simon steps back, away from the monitors. "I tried…"

Wash rounds on him. "You tried? You're the big city Core doctor, try HARDER!"

Simon shakes his head. "I can't. I'm sorry Wash. Her system went into too much shock…" He reaches out to rest a hand on the pilot's shoulder. Wash swats him roughly away.

Simon continues gently. "Human bites are the most likely to get infected…"

"They ain't human," Wash growls. "You killed her."

Simon stares at him, open-mouthed. He makes a few silent o sounds.

Wash turns back to the bed and puts his hand on Zoë's arm.

"Don't…" Simon starts.

Wash looks back. "Is she just a body on a slab to you now?" he spins and shoves Simon back hard. "She is my wife!"

Simon bites his tongue as he stumbles against the doorframe. He makes a decision. "I have to help the other people," he says, trying very hard to keep his voice steady.

"You doctors," Wash spits venomously. "You're just workaholics with God complexes! Go! GET OUT!"

Simon grabs his medical bag and leaves quickly.

Wash rounds on Mal who is standing where he was before.

"You…" the pilot's voice cracks. "Standing there. Alive. Covered in her blood."

Mal looks down at himself. He is covered in red, staining his trousers and skin of his stomach and chest, and he had not even noticed.

Wash continues. "She looked at you and…died." Wash steps up to Mal, getting right in his face. "She was my wife. Yet she looked at you! What gives you the right to give her permission to die?"

"Wha…" Mal stops. That was exactly what he had done.

"Took orders until the end." Wash's voice is high and verging on hysterical. "Its your fault she's dead!" Then he hits Mal. And Mal lets him. Wash's punch is obvious, sloppy but hard and it sends Mal's head snapping sideways. He shakes the stars from his vision silently and gives his pilot an icy stare. He does not retaliate. Just turns and goes to Zoë's side. He takes a deep shuddery breath, leans over and kisses her firmly on the lips. They are already going cold. Not like that lingering warm kiss in the barn before she shoved him to the floor. He closes her eyes gently with his fingers.

"Sleep well Zoë," he whispers, voice wobbling alarmingly. "57th Overlanders dismissed."