AN: Huzzah! I'm back baby! XD Sorry, it took me a while to make up my mind on not leaving this a one shot. Kinda short, sorry.

Enjoy! Reviews would be shinny! Conservative criticism is shinny too! Flamers will have their addresses handed over to the Hands of Blue and told that they are hiding River Tam. So do it at your own risk.

The whole crew of Serenity was sitting around the table in the dining area. Mal was tapping at the counter, crossing and uncrossing his legs. Zoë was sitting completely still, Wash kept checking her chest to make sure she was breathing. Jayne was cleaning one of his guns, he needed something to keep his hands busy. Book was tapping a finger on his worn bible and Kaylee was twisting her hands together in distress as Simon gave Maryjo's heath report.

"What'd yah mean she don't remember?" asked Kaylee, her soft brown eyes widening, her voice getting higher in distress.

"She has what we call post-traumatic amnesia, most likely from the Reaver attack on her village and . . ." Simon trailed off. Even with all his social awkwardness, he knew better then to bring up just what had happened to her.

"What I wanna know is why she's still on this gorram ship!" Jayne barked as he slammed down his fist, "am I the only one that remembers just what happened last time we took on a survivor from a Reaver attack?"

Zoë and Mal both shot him dark looks but Wash nodded.

"As much as I hate to say it, he has a point. How do we know she isn't going to flip out on us?" he said in a meek voice as Mal glared at him.

Mal and Zoë didn't want to admit it, but they had thought about this too. Well, mostly Zoë tried to reason with Mal about the dangers of having her onboard. Mal didn't want to hear it, he already lost so many of his old war friends. Ross' death, hell, the death of the whole town, had been a low blow for him. He knew it was stupid and dangerous, but he just couldn't abandon Ross' daughter.

Zoë had always been the level-headed one. The one that pulled Mal's head out of his ass when he was doing something stupid on a gut feeling. But this time she couldn't move him on his decision.

"I thought of that too, and I'm keeping her doped up for now," Simon admitted.

"Has anyone tried talking to her?" Book interjected. "If I remember correctly, the young man we rescued from the ship was babbling some very disturbing things."

Simon scratched the back of his head, trying to choose his words carefully before speaking. "She's not making much sense, but nothing like what the other man was saying. When she is awake her and River just kind of stare at each other."

"Where is River, by the way?" Kaylee asked, looking around the room. River had been sitting quietly in the corner but now she was gone.

"River?" Simon cried out in panic as he ran from the dining room.

"Ai ya!*" Mal muttered as he got up and followed the doctor.

Simon looked into the window of the med room and found it empty, "Oh, not good! Not good!" he said, looking around like he might have missed the two girls when he ran in. He ran his fingers through his hair and hurried back to the hall where Mal, Zoë, and Kaylee were waiting.

"They're not there," the doctor said, short of breath.

"Go se*" Mal hissed, "Zoë, check the engine room, Kaylee, tell Jayne to check all the other rooms and then you and Inara check her shuttle."

"But Cap' in, she ain't-"

"Now, Kaylee," Mal said in the firm tone that meant no more questions.

"Yes Cap' in," she mumbled before running back into the dining room.

"Doc, you're coming with me," Mal ordered before hurrying down the hall with Simon on his tail.

Luckily, it didn't take long to find both Maryjo and River sitting on the steps in the bridge staring up at the stars. White bandages wrapped around Maryjo's left arm and peeked through her shirt. Both where staring up at the sky with fixed fascination.

"River," Simon sighed in relief as he hurried to her side, "What are you-"

"I thought she was like the cows,"(1) River said, not taking her eyes off the Black.

"River, that's very rude!" Simon chastised her as he gently pulled her up.

"Oh," Mal nodded, crossing his arms, "You were just trying to help."

"I thought if she saw the sky she would remember who she was. Maybe if it was blue..." River trailed off and walked out of the room, mumbling to herself.

Simon sighed, "Sorry Malcolm, she was just trying to help."

"She didn't mean no harm, just keep an eye on her."

Simon nodded before following his sister, leaving Mal and Maryjo alone on the bridge. The young girl had shown no sign that she heard or cared about the activity going on in the room. The browncoat sighed deeply before sitting down next to Maryjo.

"Sure is somethin', ain't it?"

He had said something like that to her before, that last night he saw her family alive. He could almost feel the warmth of the town fire on his skin, smell the home-cooked food, hear the town's laughter. Mal closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to rid himself of the too-real memory.

Maryjo didn't reply, she just kept looking up at the sky. Mal took it as a good sign. Silence was better then Reaver babble, that was for damn sure. Though silence wasn't exactly a great comfort. Maryjo used to be such a chatter box, Mal used to threaten to tape her mouth shut just to get a moment of peace. Now he would give anything to hear her talk.

"Maryjo," Mal paused, trying to get his words together, "Do you know who I am?"

"You're the captain of this ship, right?" Maryjo answered innocently as she looked at him, unaware of the pain it caused Mal.

"Yes, that I am. My name is Malcolm Reynolds," The older man said, trying to sound casual about the whole thing.

"I'm..." Maryjo paused and then sighed, "This is embarrassing, I'm not to sure what my name is."

"Ah, that's all right," Mal said with a forced smile, "Happens to the best of folk. Lots of things happen'in in the past few days. Your name is Maryjo, if you're interested."

"Maryjo," The name sounded awkward and heavy on her tongue, she didn't like it and it read on her face.

Mal chuckled bitterly. He was never one to spot an ironic moment but this must be what one looked like. He used to give Ross such a hard time about naming his daughter that backwater moon name. But Maryjo was so proud of it, happy she had such a unique name.

Mal sighed heavily before he stood up, "You hungry, kid? We don't got much, but it's food...more or less."

Maryjo thought about this before carefully pulling herself up with her good arm, denying the hand Mal offered her as she struggled to her feet. "Can't say I remember the last time I ate so I would have to think so."

A small half smile crept onto his face as he led her out of the bridge and down the hall. Whatever was going to come next, he was going to look after this girl. It was the least he could do for her, for her family.

AN: AAARG! *bangs head onto desk* Wash I love you to bits but you're a son of a BITCH to write. You too Mal! Book and Kay are by far the easiest. Sorry about the shortness, and the bad ending.*sigh*

1) My beta told me the cow line might be lost to some people. In the ep Safe River said "They weren't cows inside. They were waiting to be, but they forgot. Now they see the sky and they remember what they are." So really River was just trying to help, in her own moon brain way. :)