"Fine, we'll do it your way but only because you told me why you don't like my plan…" River sighed.

"Victory…it's a good feelin'!"

She playfully shoved him. She didn't want to get up, but she figured that she should before Simon came looking for her. He held her tighter when she tried to roll out of bed. She smirked and easily wiggled out of his grasp and started collecting her clothes, dancing about.

He got out of bed and she felt his arm curl around her waist as he took her hand and slowly danced a little.

"I ain't a dancer, but hey…" he twirled her and then caught her in his strong arms. "I can try."

She grinned and straightened her clothes before smoothing down some of his hair. Her hands went a little crazy…

She helped gather his things which had been tossed everywhere during their frantic undressing. They emerged together looking only slightly disheveled. Hopefully no one would notice. They all met in the kitchen.

"We've agreed to go with my plan," Mal began. He was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the cargo bay. They all followed him towards it.

-Bang-

Glenn looked down at his chest where a bullet had just lodged itself. He collapsed to the ground and Kaylee fell beside him. He was dead within seconds and the gunfire continued.

The men had followed them to Serenity and waited for backup. Once they had it, they went in to take the girl. Zoe, Jayne, and Mal unloaded on them while Simon pulled Kaylee and River out of the line of fire. Kaylee grabbed onto him like a terrified child and sobbed into his chest. He comfortingly stroked her hair.

Wash returned from the storage locker with a gun to help his wife in the fight, but he was hit. Zoe kneeled beside him and cradled him with one arm while shooting with the other.

"Hang in there, baby…"

"Simon, go help!" River cried. Simon let go of Kaylee and went to aid the blonde in the tacky shirt.

River watched the fight. These people were dying because of her. She stepped back out into the open with her hands up.

"STOP! I'LL COME WITH YOU!"

The fire stopped. Simon looked over at her with fear in his eyes. Mal had a similar look.

"Just stop shooting. These people have nothing to do with us," she said evenly.

"Get down here!" one of the men called. She nodded and went down to them.

"River!" Simon called.

"Help him," River snapped while pointing to Wash.

Mal waited until they were out of his ship to follow them. He ran after them as fast as he possibly could without being seen. They got into a cab and left. Mal broke into a speeder and followed them.

****

"We need to get him to the infirmary," Simon said. Zoe nodded and Jayne helped carry him.

They put him down on the table while Simon quickly rummaged through the drawers to figure out where everything was.

"Where is the thread?" he asked.

"Second drawer on your right," Zoe said calmly.

He grabbed what he needed and then put on some gloves.

"Can you feel a pulse?" Simon asked.

"Should I be able to?" Zoe countered while she pressed just a little bit harder on the wound.

"Yes."

"I don't feel anything."

Simon quickly grabbed a shot of adrenaline and stabbed it into the unconscious man's heart to get it beating again. He felt for a pulse. Nothing. He started chest compressions.

"Come on baby…" Zoe said softly.

Simon continued, but it was pointless if he didn't sew up the wound. He'd just keep losing blood.

"Switch places with me. Chest compressions."

Zoe nodded and started to perform them while Simon got to work sewing him up. He was able to close the wound, but he didn't feel a pulse. He pressed his bloody fingers to his neck and waited to feel something, anything. He didn't.

"I can't feel a pulse. It's been too long…I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry to me. Wash, you have to fight. You have to come back."

She kept the CPR up for a few minutes.

"Do something!" she snapped.

"He lost a lot of blood…too much. There's nothing I can do."

"Go se!"

She kept fighting for her husband until Jayne put a hand on her shoulder and she finally gave up. She kissed him one last time and then left the room with no emotion on her face.

****

They went down to an abandoned house on the pier. He waited until they were inside to look inside the window. They tied her down to a chair and started talking to her. She shook her head and they hit her.

"Tell us the formula!"

"No!"

One of the men hit her across the face and then grabbed her by the back of her head.

"This is important, Ms. Tam. We need the formula."

"I'm not telling you!"

"Don't make me hit you again!"

She looked him right in the eyes with a smile. "No."

He raised his hand to hit her again when the door opened.

"Hey, is this a party? Why wasn't I invited?" he asked.

"Go away!" the man barked, assuming that he was some nosey neighbor.

"I think not," he drew his gun and shot him. He fell down. Mal shot everyone except for one man cowering in the corner.

"Could you do me a favor? There's this necklace that you stole by accident and I'd really like it," he smiled. The man nodded and pulled it out of a duffle bag. Mal took it from him and put it in his pocket.

"Thanks," he knocked him out with the back of his gun.

After that he ran to River and untied her. He gently cupped her chin and turned her face from side to side. No blood, but a few bruises.

"Are okay?" he asked.

"I am. Are you?"

"Just fine. Should we call the Feds?"

"You took care of them, Captain. I doubt they'll try to find me."

"Let's get out of here then."

They started walking back towards the speeder he "borrowed." They climbed in and went back towards the ship. It was a silent ride, both unsure of what to say to the other.

When they arrived they found out that Glenn was dead, and so was Wash. Mal covered them both up with blankets. They'd have a proper funeral once they got away from the core.

"Thank you for tryin'," Kaylee told Simon through tears. He nodded and hugged her tightly. She savored his touch and almost wished that he wouldn't leave.

"It was nice to have met you," he said softly. She agreed with a nod against his chest.

She pulled away with a faint smile. He smiled back and started down the ramp. Mal decided to accompany them to their hotels. He also just wanted to get the hell away from Serenity and his dead friends.

They dropped Simon off at his hotel before going back to hers. They hadn't spoken since they left the abandoned house. She wondered what he was thinking and vice versa. They finally reached the hotel and he decided to walk her in.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly as they stood in the lobby. "About your crew."

"Everyone dies, darlin'. Just depends on when and how."

She saw through his tough exterior. He was hurting inside. So, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. His arms automatically wrapped around her. They didn't have to say anything in that moment. He kissed the top of her head and her big brown eyes looked up at him curiously.

"You're leaving" it wasn't a question or a statement. It was mix of the two.

"I am."

"Will I see you again?"

"Do you want to?"

"I do."

"I wanna see you again too."

They smiled at each other and without thinking about secrecy, Brandon's room was just down the hall, they kissed. This was one of their longer and more passionate kisses.

"I don't want you to go," she said softly.

"I don't wanna leave you…ever. Which is a mite odd. I've known you for what? A few hours now?"

"That's a rough estimate, but an accurate one."

He grinned and kissed her yet again. She gladly kissed back.

Something happened. She wasn't sure what, but it was like a light bulb going off inside her head. River backed away and looked around.

"Mal…where are we?"

He looked around slightly taken aback by the use of his first name. "Don't you remember? We're goin' to your hotel room."

"Hotel? Why aren't we on Serenity?"

Then it hit him too. He remembered everything. The cryo-box, Miranda, Mr. Universe, being with River, her meltdown with the fork, Skip, all of it. From the looks of it, she remembered too.

"Mal, what's going on?" she asked as she skimmed over his mind. "Dancer? Hotel? Brandon? Documents? Necklace?"

"Yeah, we're on Ariel. You're a dancer and a ship designer while I'm still a petty thief. We came to steal a necklace and ran into you. Don't you remember?"

Now that he mentioned it, she did. "Yes, but that makes no sense! Why would I be dancing here when I'm Serenity's pilot? I fly with you."

"Uh…" he scratched his head.

"Who's Skip?"

"He's a guide."

"Guide?"

She read the full story from his mind and hit him.

"OUCH!" he snapped.

"YOU MADE A DEAL TO REWRITE MY LIFE WITHOUT EVEN TELLING ME?"

"It was for the best!"

"NO IT WASN'T!"

"BUT I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO HURT ANYMORE!"

"Whoa, take the volume down folks!" Skip cried as he walked over to them. River leapt at the sight of him. "Costume convention again. Mal, you're coming with me."

Skip grabbed Mal's hand and they were gone.