They landed on Persephone for business purposes the next day. Mal explained to Simon what a guide was and he agreed that it was worth a shot. After searching the cortex, they found one in the slums of the docks. After their job was over, Simon and Mal left to meet with the guide.

"How much will this cost?" Simon asked as they walked.

"I don't know. Price wasn't there."

"What do you mean the price wasn't there? It's a business! It had to be somewhere!"

"Well it wasn't!"

"I hope we have enough…"

"If we want him to fix things. He might be a hoax."

"Yes well, we'll see."

They walked up to the little shack and opened the door only to reveal steps down to a basement of some kind. They went down and the place was a mess. They found a bell and Simon rang it.

A large, horrifying creature emerged from the back. He had spikes, skulls, and a huge chin ring. Honestly he didn't look like a human. He looked like a demon from Earth-that-was stories. It…he…laughed at the looks on their faces.

"Relax guys! I just came from a costume party."

"Are you the guide?"

"Yeah. I'm Skip."

He extended his hand. Simon and Mal shook it a little reluctantly.

"What can I do for you two?" he asked as he raked a few things off of some wobbly chairs so they could sit down.

"Well-" before Mal could begin Skip started talking again.

"It's about a girl. Let me guess her name…Ocean? Stream? Lake? Pond? Marsh?"

"River," Simon corrected.

"Hey, I was close! Now let me see…you both love her…but not like that…which one's the family member?"

"I'm her brother."

"Okay, so there's a problem with her. She's gone wacko."

"I don't much like you callin' her that," Mal said through gritted teeth.

"Hey man, my bad. So she's hurting herself and losing it when he's gone," he pointed a finger at Mal.

"Yeah-"

"So don't leave!"

"Can't exactly do that," Mal snapped.

"Okay, okay. Take a chill pill man!"

"What?"

"Never mind."

"That's basically it exactly. How'd you know?" Simon asked.

"I have connections…" his eyes drifted upwards.

"So I've heard. What can you do to help us?" Mal asked.

"Well, we don't solve problems. We prevent them from ever happening."

"You rewrite history?" Simon asked.

"Exactly. You're sharp!"

"That ain't possible," Mal scoffed.

"Yeah it is. Time is like a puddle. You drop a tiny little pebble in and the waters of change ripple through it. Hey…that was pretty deep! Ha. Anyway, we believe that some things are worth…dropping a pebble in so to speak."

"So all we have to do is change something in the past to prevent the future from being what it is?" Mal asked.

"That's the idea."

"What would we change?" Simon asked.

"Well I wouldn't get shot. Then she wouldn't have-"

"EEH! Wrong answer!" Skip exclaimed.

"What?" Simon and Mal asked together.

"You're going to get hurt eventually. Either way it would still happen."

"Okay so we just never get together. I don't kiss her and-"

"EEHHH!!!! Wrong again!"

"Stop doin' that!" Mal spat.

"Why not?" Simon asked calmly.

"Look, these two were going to get together eventually. Sexual tension like that…woo!"

Mal rolled his eyes. He was getting tired of this. "Okay, then what is the right answer?"

"We stop what set these events into motion in the first place."

"The Academy…you can stop her from going there?" Simon asked in awe.

"We sure can."

"But then we never would have met Mal or anyone else on Serenity…or anyone we have in the last three years…" Simon said quietly.

"That's right. You'd both still be on Osiris. You'd be a doctor, she'd have the life she should have had, and you're life would be much easier. Whoa…ho…hold up…I'm getting a reading here. Two men…a blonde in a tacky shirt and a preacher."

"Wash and Book," Mal provided.

"Yeah, they'd still be around and alive...well, for a bit longer anyway."

"What about Miranda?" Simon asked.

"It would still be covered up, but according to my sources another student could easily…and might…uncover that eventually anyway. Let me let you in on a little secret, fate has a way of working out. If something is meant to be, it will be."

"You're sayin' that River is meant to be on Osiris livin' the life she should have been able to live?" Mal asked.

"Ding! Right answer. I can rewrite her life. She'd never have gone to the Academy and I see a bright future for her."

"But you'd also be rewriting the lives of eight other people and more. We'd change everything and not necessarily for the better," Simon commented.

"You think too much. I can only guide. I can make this happen, but if I don't there's a good chance that she'll die sooner than she should. Besides, all of the pain and torture she went through would never happen. Woosh. Pain, Reaver nightmares, wacko crazy insane girl bye bye. Hello brilliant famous dancer and scientist!"

"But can we really sit here and say yes to changing everyone's lives?" Simon asked Mal.

"Wash and Book would be alive, you'd be the doctor you were meant to be, and she…she wouldn't hurt. She'd be okay. She'd be better than okay."

"Yes, but I never would have met you or Kaylee-"

"And I never would have met River. I know. But this is better for her. Right?" Mal asked Skip.

"Heck yeah."

"You can make this happen? You can really keep her from the Academy?" Mal asked.

"If they say so."

"They?"

He pointed upwards.

"How long until you know?"

"Hang on…"

He listened for a moment.

"Yeah. We can do it."

"What will it cost?" Mal asked.

"Mal! I don't know. I don't want her to be in pain, but we can't make this decision without her or the others!"

"What would she say?" Mal asked.

"No…"

"My point exactly. Zoe needs Wash. Jayne misses Book. Hell, I miss them both."

"But Kaylee!"

"Listen boys, I can't have you fighting all day."

"How much?" Mal repeated.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" they asked in unison.

"The price for this is paid for. We don't accept payment. We do what is right for the 'verse."

"And this is right?" Simon asked.

"It is," Skip nodded.

There was a pause.

"I need an answer," Skip chimed.

"Yes," Mal nodded. He waited for Simon.

"Fine. Yes."

"Great!" Skip said happily.

"Will we remember anything?" Simon asked.

"No. You will have no knowledge of Mal here, Serenity, or its crew. Same goes for you and the Tams."

"Can I ask a favor?" Mal asked quietly.

"Can you have an hour with her? Ah what the heck! Go. Go be with your loved ones. You'll have one hour from when you set foot on the ship before we turn back the clock."

"Thank you," Mal sighed.

"No problem boys. Have nice lives!"

They walked out together in silence. They weren't sure if they should believe him or not.

"Do you believe that he will change things?" Simon asked as they neared the ship.

"I don't rightly know. I just know that I'm not wastin' that hour."

"Me either."

"I know we haven't got along or nothin', but it was nice knowin' you."

"I feel the same, Mal. Thank you for everything you've done for us."

"It's not like you'll remember it."

Simon managed a weak laugh. "That's very true."

They reached the ship. Simon knew where Mal would spend his hour, but he had more people to say goodbye to. Mal would know them, but he wouldn't. Zoe and Jayne weren't really sure why he was being so kind all of the sudden.

"What are ya gonna do? Kill yerself or somethin', 'cause you're actin' like this is the last time we're gonna see you!" Jayne cried.

"No, no…just felt like saying what I feel…"

Mal and Simon had decided that it would be better to keep it between them since they didn't want to spend their last hour with the crew angry at them.

"Kaylee," Simon called as he entered the engine room. She appeared covered in grease.

"Hey," she smiled. He'd miss that smile. No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't even remember it.

"Hey."

He kissed her long and hard. "I love you," he declared.

"I love you too."

They kissed again and he made love to her one last time.

Meanwhile…

Mal was sitting beside River holding her as tenderly as he could. He was relieved when her eyes opened. He had been afraid that he wouldn't get to talk to her before…if…things were changed.

"Hey there darlin'."

"Hi."

He wasted no time as he quickly captured her lips with his.

"What was that for?" she asked sleepily with a smile. His heart fluttered.

"I'm kinda sorta crazy about you. Haven't you gotten the memo?"

"I think it got lost in the mail."

He laughed. She felt his sadness and reached up, gently caressing his face although it hurt to do so.

"What's wrong?"

"I never got to see you dance."

"You will…one day."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He smiled at her and kissed her again, savoring each moment. "I love you, River."

"I love you too. What's…" she searched his eyes trying to find out what had him so upset. "Ten minutes?" she finally asked.

"It's how long Simon said it would take your medicine to kick in."

"Liar. You don't lie to a reader."

"I never was very bright."

"You are to me…"

"I thought that I was intolerable."

"Insufferable, and only sometimes. When you don't listen."

He laughed weakly. She smiled and adjusted into a more comfortable position in his lap. He stroked her hair gently.

"Do you have any regrets?" Mal whispered.

"It took too gorram long for us to finally kiss. Sexual tension was unbearable."

He laughed again and continued stroking her hair.

"Do you?" she asked.

"Only one."

"What is it?"

"That is for me to know and you to not know."

"Well put."

"Thank you. Now shut those gorgeous big brown eyes of yours and get some rest."

"Now look who's bossy."

"Now look who's insufferable."

She smirked and shut her eyes as he kissed her on the cheek. She fell asleep. He checked the time. One minute.

"My only regret…" he whispered in her ear. "Is never marryin' you."

Time ran out as the "pebble" dropped into the preverbal puddle and the ripples changed everything.