Chapter 2: Together

Present Day

Malcolm Reynolds strolls nonchalantly around the central branch of the First Trafalgar Alliance Bank and admires the décor.

"Anytime you fancy helping?" Zoë retorts, hauling a bag of used notes onto the back of the mule that is pulled up to the doors.

Mal just smiles at her and grabs a bag.

"We done?" Jayne's voice comes from outside the doors.

"Yeah," Mal says calmly, placing the last bag on the back. "Wash take her home. Zoë ride shotgun."

"Yes sir," she says, climbing on the back of the mule behind her husband.

Mal steps into the sunlight and looks to Jayne.

The mercenary nods at him. "Good plan Captain. Hitting the bank while they celebrate. Better than your normal U-Days plans."

"Hopefully a lot more profitable too," Mal says jogging down the steps, Jayne on his heels. "Although my normal plan is enjoyable too."

Jayne laughs as they start to move through the empty streets, skirting the busy central square.

That is when they hear the gunshot.

Simon winces as the spatter of hot blood hits his face. Then realises the shot wasn't at him, and the blood isn't his. He opens his eyes that have involuntarily closed and looks down at the dead man lying in front of him. He looks up to Kaylee. The soldier has dropped her arm and is staring off to his left. Kaylee is doing the same, her mouth hanging open. Simon looks round and stares.

The crowd has parted like the Red Sea of Book's bible stories of Earth-That-Was and strolling coolly down the centre of the people is his sister. She is wearing tight black trousers and a fitted black jacket, fastened with a double row of silver buttons. Black leather boots encase her legs to the knee and round her waist a dark red scarf is tied like a sash. She has a holster low on her right hip but the pistol is in her hand and over one shoulder a long rifle hangs by a strap. Her cheeks are flushed a delicate pink and her eyes are bright, and she has filled out somewhat, just enough to remove the hollows from her face. Her walk has become a swagger. Her walk has become the swagger of Mal and Zoë and Jayne.

Simon stares open mouthed at his sister. She looks like a different person.

"I want these two released at once," she says to one of the soldiers, raising her pistol and aiming it between the man's eyes. "I ain't kidding."

"River…?" Kaylee breathes softly.

River smiles but her eyes never leave her target. "Hey Kaylee," she says equally softly. "I said let them go."

The soldier takes a step back from Kaylee and holds his hands up. Kaylee gets slowly to her feet. The crowd are back away nervously.

"Now him," she gestures to the other soldier with her pistol. The man bends down and pulls Simon to his feel by the cuffs. Simon hisses softly. River cocks the pistol. "Now is that what I told you to do darlin'?"

The soldier undoes the cuffs and shoves Simon at River. "Have him."

"River," Simon steps forward as though to hug her then stops, unsure.

Two men come skidding through the crowd, guns drawn.

"Cap'n! Jayne!" Kaylee cries happily.

Mal looks to River first. "All sorted sweetheart?"

River nods, holsters her pistol, and smiles at him. "Yeah," she says softly. She looks at Simon. "Hello big brother."

The crowd around them mutter uneasily, eying Mal's coat. He glances around worriedly.

River narrows her eyes. "Jayne on your right behind you."

Jayne's fist connects with the man's face a moment later. "Thanks River."

"Left Jayne," she continues, as the crowd gets angrier. "Simon duck," she snaps taking a pot shot at someone over his head with her pistol. "Darling the man behind you."

Mal brings his elbow back into the man's stomach. Simon and Kaylee stare at River aghast, while she stands unafraid in the melee and directs it all.

Five Months Ago

Simon opens his eyes and looks over at the still sleeping Kaylee, his breathing fast and his body damp with sweat. He blinks a few times and lets the image of the sleeping girl next to him soothe his shattered nerves. She wiggles in her sleep, and snuggled deeper into the pillow, her naked shoulder pushed up beside Simon's.

Of course they were having sex. It had been inevitable. Pretending to be married, sharing a double bed. But it all seemed like it was happening too quickly. They had gone into this plan out of sheer necessity for survival. They had an apartment, secured by Kaylee's cousins. But they had never once discussed what was to happen. Was he going to pretend to be Kaylee's husband forever? Did Kaylee even want to be married to him? Sex was one thing, even love, but marriage? Kaylee has never mentioned if she has doubts about this plan, and as much as Simon loves her, she is going into this rather naïvely. She seems content to let things take their course and Simon knows that route rarely runs smoothly. What if she meets someone else? Simon swallows the lump that comes to his throat. It's perfectly plausible. What will he do if he's alone here? He isn't sure that if they'd remained on the ship, that they would be doing this. Whether they would even have kissed is questionable. Why has he rushed into this with her now? Selfishness, he thinks to himself. I'm using her to make myself feel better.

Kaylee opens her eyes to find him staring at her.

"Good morning," she murmurs gently. "Penny for them?"

"Uh what? Oh, morning Kaylee."

She reaches out a hand and strokes the side of his face. "Thinking about River again?"

He shakes his head. "Had a nightmare."

"Oh Simon…River?"

He nods and bites his lip. "I was treating her. Doing surgery on her and then I couldn't remember what to do. When I looked down she just laughed at me."

He shudders and Kaylee grabs his hand.

"You'll be okay."

Simon just nods silently and wonders where his sister is.

"Captain?"

Mal wakes up with a start. "What? Who…oh River. What is it?"

"River had a bad dream," she says, standing in the middle of his bunk shivering in a thin nightdress.

"Ok." Mal leans up bare-chested, and looks at her. "Why ain't you askin' your bro…" Then he stops, realising what he was about to say.

She looks at him wide eyed.

"What's up?" Mal corrects.

River crosses her arms over her body. "River was back at that place. And they were doing things to her. Needles and poking and dream making. All these men stood round and touched her. When she looked up Simon was watching. And he let them hurt her. He let them do stuff to River." Her lower lip trembles. "He did nothing."

Mal looks at her sympathetically. "Firstly come here, you'll catch your death if you wandering about Serenity with no boots on in the middle of the night."

She walks over to the bunk and sits down beside Mal where he pats the mattress. He wraps a blanket around her shoulders and she pulls her ice cold feet up onto the bed and tucks them under Mal's thigh. He winces but tucks the blanket in tighter.

"Secondly," he continues, "what's with all the second person nonsense? Now I believe that you're a whole person. You're stronger than what happened to you but you think you aren't."

She stares at him. "River was…I was afraid."

Mal smiles at her. "It was just a dream River. You're not just a broken girl, you're a woman. You're a reader. You are more than you think you are."

"Can I stay with you?"

"I'm not sure that's…err…"

River has already lain down on the narrow bunk, pulling the blanket around herself.

"Like you say I'm a reader. You want me here."

Mal sighs. He doesn't fancy a night on the cold floor so her lies down beside her. River throws the blanket over him and pushes her icy feet between his.

"Oi," Mal says, "enough of that."

River giggles and snaps off the light.

"Anyway as I was saying. Thirdly River…"

She suddenly kisses him on the lips and Mal can't remember what his third point was.

Present Day

They stand round the cargo bay and stare at each other.

Simon stares at River. "What happened to you?"

"Your little sis is all grown up now," Jayne calls from the catwalk.

Simon throws him a sharp look. "That doesn't explain anything."

"Look," Mal starts.

Kaylee steps forward and slaps him round the face with as much strength as she can muster. "You left us you bastard!" she screams at him.

"Kaylee…" Mal protests.

"You left us in the middle of an Alliance invasion!"

"I'm sorry Kaylee. I had to keep River safe. This ship is wanted by the Alliance in just about every sector. Two people can disappear, Serenity can't in a dock."

Kaylee retreats back to Simon's side and takes his hand, glaring at the captain.

"What happened to my sister?" he asks.

"You ran out on a broken little girl doctor. We taught her how to take care of herself."

"You made her a killer!"

"No we didn't. They did." Mal's voice is sad as River sidles up beside him. "We did what we had to."

"You made her in your image, with your guns and your killing," Simon spits. "All of you made this innocent girl hard."

"Hey!" Wash exclaims indignantly. "I don't kill people!"

"Sorry Wash but she's a girl, she was a girl. When was the last time she dressed up like one? Danced? Styled her hair? Because all I see is a warrior that you made Captain."

Zoë looks at the floor.

Kaylee is squeezing his hand tighter and eying River nervously. This woman doesn't look like her friend anymore.

"Simon." River finally speaks up. "They didn't ruin me. I chose this."

Simon stares at her as she slips her hand into Mal's.

"I want this Simon. Mal didn't leave the two of you deliberately. He wanted me to be safe. He wanted all of us to be safe. How could he keep me safe in the middle of an invasion?"

But Simon's gaze has locked onto their hands. "River why are you…" he starts.

"I love him. He loves me. That's all you need to know."

Simon rounds on Mal again. "That's why you left us, so you could seduce my little sister?!"

"Seduce her?" Mal stares at him mouth open. "Hey she seduced me!"

"Really?" Simon sounds disbelieving. "That broken little girl just happened to seduce you one day?"

Mal's mouth has set into a hard line. "We can always leave you again."

"Captain please!" Kaylee pleads tearfully. "River…"

River's lower lip starts to wobble. "Don't leave them Mal. Please don't."

"Mei mei," Simon instinctively steps forwards to her. "Don't cry…"

Mal too has turned to her. "Bao bei don't. I'm sorry ok? I'm a mean old man, didn't mean to make you sad."

She smiles at him, biting her lip and Simon stops short. Mal strokes a tear off her cheek gently. She nods to him and steps away from Mal towards Simon.

"I know you're confused Simon. And I know that right now you want to punch Mal but please right now, just give me a hug."

Simon wraps his arms around River and hugs her tightly to his chest.

"What?" Mal says with his eyes shut.

River is staring at him, he can always tell. She shifts her weight on top of him.

"Are you going to make him leave?"

Mal opens his eyes. "What? No."

"What about Kaylee?"

"No!" he narrows his eyes slightly. "Why aren't you just reading this?"

"Not clear enough. You don't know what you're going to do, do you?"

He shakes his head. "No ruttin' idea."

River rests her hands on her hands, folded on his chest. Mal looks down at her awkwardly.

"Are you gonna try talking to him about us again?" she asks quietly.

Mal raises an eyebrow. "Man knows about a million ways to kill me. To be the guy who is involved with his precious mei mei is volunteerin' to be a guinea pig for any one of them."

"Is that a no?"

"Damn straight. Your brother is scary when he gets that look in his eye."

River nestles her face against his chest so she isn't looking at him. "You think he's right."

"What?"

"You think you broke me."

"No I don't…"

"I can hear it!" she says sharply. She jabs a finger against his chest. "In here."

He sighs slowly and doesn't answer her.

"Something you didn't tell us?"

"Huh?" Simon looks up from his bowl of rice at dinner that night while Mal gestures to his and Kaylee's hands. At their wedding rings. "Oh." He glances at Kaylee who has stiffened at his side. "Cover." Simon forces the ring over his knuckle and drops it onto the table.

"Yeah," Kaylee says thickly, "just cover." She slides her own ring off her hand and lays it down carefully next to her plate. "Guess we don't need 'em any…anymore."

River hears the catch in Kaylee's voice and glances at Mal. She knows he heard it too. Simon is pretending he didn't.

What happened to you Kaylee? River thinks sadly. It was my fault you got left. My fault this happened to you. I'm so sorry.

Mal notices her worried eyes and squeezes her hand under the table. A squeeze that says it will get better, it will.

Later River goes to find Kaylee who is sat in the engine room, an engine part on her lap.

"Kaylee?"

She looks up and smiles a little hesitantly. "Hey."

"Hey," River sits herself on the step. "I'm sorry Kaylee. We didn't mean to leave you. I am still the same River."

Kaylee stares intently at the part in her hands. "But you seem so different River. Striding about shooting people looking like some kind of revolutionary…"

"I know." River stares at the floor.

"And you're with the Captain…"

"Yes."

"But he is so much older than you River," Kaylee says warily.

"I know…but we fit you know? Like you and Simon do."

Kaylee sighs audibly. "Yeah we'll see. He's more caught up in being angry at Mal."

"What? But I thought you were…I read that!"

"We did, we were…. we didn't plan anything River. It just happened. I don't know where it's going…it might just be sex for all I know."

River drops gracefully beside Kaylee and hugs her. "He loves you. I can tell."

Kaylee sighs again. "Simon won't forgive Mal for this you know?"

"Yes he will," she says tapping the side of her head. "In here, he thinks it's all wrong, but here," she lowers her hand to her chest, "here he knows that he loves me and he'd want me to be happy."

"Go to him," Kaylee gives the younger girl a little push on the arm. "Go make up with your stupid brother."