Sweet Serenity

The crew of Serenity had finally gotten over their losses. It took time, and Zoë tried to hide it well, but the sorrow was still there. It had never really left them; it was just locked in a chest and buried under the sand. But it would never go away: they just had to get used to it, they had to move on…which is why Captain Malcolm Reynolds docked on Persephone looking for more passengers. Passengers meant more money, and although the Alliance Operative and his crew had helped them repair the ship the best they could, they were still in need of new parts. Too bad they were too gorram broke to buy any.

Mal opened the doors to the busy, dirty streets of Persephone. It was always a good place to get passengers, but at the same time he needed more work. Work that wasn’t of a legal nature.

Gorram it, he was worried about his crew. Zoë hadn’t smiled in days, but she was still functional as the second in command. Wash and Book were…dead, and they needed a pilot. He and River were able to function pretty well, but for how long? They could never pull off the maneuvers Wash could. But then again, River was a genius. She was truly gifted, and the lil’ albatross showed a lot of promise. Speaking of River, she was doing much better. He was glad for her; most of her mental illness was gone, and she was becoming a real crewmember. Jayne was just Jayne, he was a lost cause. He never was too bright. Simon is happy because River is getting better. And now that he and Kaylee-

He shivered. Thinking about that made Mal a might uncomfortable. The less said about the consummating of their relationship, the better. Oh, God! He said consummating! About Simon…and, and….Kaylee!

Gorram it, Mal, he thought to himself, you’re gonna scare away your costumers. Think money! Ah, yes, money…nice money. He then tried to smile, to put on a happy face so that hopefully he would bag a real rich-

“Cap’n!” yelled Kaylee from behind Mal.

“Son of a-!” Mal exclaimed. “Ai ya, Kaylee! Don’t you know not to interrupt a man when he’