A/N: Yes, this chapter is short. Sorry, but please enjoy all the same.

Chapter 18

"Whoa," said Alexis. "Hold on. How can you expect me to choose something like this?"

"Because I'm not leaving you," said Mal. "And I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to."

"Do you really want to go back, Dad?" she asked.

"I honestly don't know what I want," he admitted. "This isn't just your home; it's mine, too. But Serenity is a very important part of who I am. It's a part of me that I've never been able to leave behind, no matter where I've ended up or who I've become. I can't explain it and I don't expect you to understand. I don't know what to do, but I do know that I'm not doing anything without you."

"Wait," said Kate. "I don't get why you're even taking this so seriously, Alexis."

"You still don't believe me," said Mal, more as a statement than a question.

"You made up a story," Kate said to him. "It's what you do."

"I know," he said. "But this time I really need you to believe me. I think I've earned your trust by now."

Kate stared into Mal's eyes, really looked into them, and finally said, "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"Never more serious in my life," said Mal.

"Mal," said Inara, stepping forward. "I think I've already said all I had to say to you. Anything you do now will be your decision: not mine, not Martha's, not even Alexis'. I can't imagine having to go through everything that you have over the last several days, so why don't I return to Serenity, fill everyone in on what's happening, and then I'll return in a couple of days after you've made up your mind. And whatever that decision may be, we'll respect it either way."

"Okay," said Mal, conveying no emotion, though, inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Inara revealed her time-travel device and started punching in the coordinates.

"Where'd you get that, anyway?" Mal asked her.

"Badger," she said.

"Badger?" said Mal. "He's still blustering about?" He paused for a moment. "What do you guys owe him?"

"Just the usual job," Inara told him. "Nothing we can't handle."

"We?" said Mal, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes, we," said Inara. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Guess so," said Mal.

Inara said one more goodbye to everyone before disappearing in plain sight.

"That's impossible!" cried Alexis.

Kate, who had previously been seated, now inexplicably found herself standing and silently walking over to the spot that had recently been occupied by the other woman.

"How'd she do that?" Alexis asked Mal.

"I never really understood the mechanics of time travel," said Mal with a slight shrug.

"Is it safe?" Alexis asked.

"I suppose so," said Mal. "I did it, and I'm fine: didn't arrive without an arm or anything."

Kate who had just been staring, finally turned back to face Mal, and said as though everything had finally become clear, "You really are from the future."

"Yes," said Mal, in slightly patronizing voice, but only because he had told her so several times already in the past few hours, and it was also fun to see the expression of pure amazement on her face when she was usually of a highly skeptical disposition.

"So what are you going to do now?" Kate asked him.

"I really don't know," said Mal, turning from Kate to Alexis, then finally to the ceiling with a heavy sigh.