Natara led him to sit with her at a small group of chairs, where the others sat together. Ken was silent but kept his face in his hands as if resting. Amy had her elbow on her leg, her cheek in her hand. Kai was looking at the floor. Natara and Mal sat in the two remaining seats in that area, no one looked up as they approached. "What's going to happen to her?" asked Natara. Mal looked at her questioningly, wondering what exactly she was asking. "She has no where to go".
"If she needs to, she can live with me." said Mal.
There was a slight pause. "Everyone thought she was your daughter earlier, before I said she wasn't" said Natara.
"I would be proud if she was. She saved my life, twice." he said.
"That doesn't make you responsible for her. What if she has relatives she can live with?"said Natara "Then you have to respect that."
Mal looked at her seriously "Look at her Nat. Her father was a criminal. She doesn't have a mother. Who does that remind you of?"
Natara was silent for a moment. "She's not you Mal. Her situation is different."
"Is it? Not at the basics. I don't want her to grow up the way I did. To be embarrassed and mocked at school, constantly reminded what her fathers done. That's no life for her." he said.
Natara went quiet once again, and a very long pause went by before she said "Your going to raise someone you met three days ago alone? What will she do on school vacations when your at work? Sit alone?"
Mal didn't answer, he hadn't thought of that. "I'll think of something."
"Mal, you can't make it up as you go along, this is a girls whole life your talking about." Mal kept silent. "You don't have to do it alone. I can help you, Molly needs a mother."
For a moment Mal didn't seem to realize what she was saying. You could see on his face when it sunk in. "Don't you have to go back to D.C.?"
"I'm thinking of quitting and moving to San Francisco to work with you. I don't have anyone left in D.C.. I used to have friends there, but after the Shawn incident they seemed to draw away. Like they blamed me. They don't understand. You and Molly needs me more. I can help you, you don't have to take care of her alone."
"You'd do that?" he asked.
"I would. She doesn't deserve any less". Natara was surprised when he hugged her, somewhat awkwardly since they were sitting down. "I love you Nat. You have no idea how much this means to me".