No-one on the crew knew why she did it. Kaylee was sure it was for the best of reasons. Jayne thought it was because other guys had more money - a lot more money. Even the workings of her mind were a mystery to River. But by the end, everyone knew what had been done - Inara had broken the link between her and Mal, and with it, his heart.

It wasn't a conventional relationship - never had been. But she knew how he felt about her, and he thought he knew how she felt about him... as if thinking made it so. They would spend as much of their free time together as possible, knowing that come the night, she would be with another man, who would also believe her heart was his. Mal never liked it, could never respect it. But she'd talked about "retiring", becoming a woman like the others, with a regular job.

Mal had said that as long as he had Serenity, she'd have a place to call home. She smiled at him and they sat talking through the day... then came the night. Every time the shuttle left, Mal would hate her work even more. But he knew one day she wouldn't do that job any more. One day she would be with one man. And he was right.

Mal paced in the hold. He didn't like waiting, especially when he knew something was wrong. She was due back hours ago and there was no sign of her shuttle. There was no point trying to mount a rescue - they didn't even know where she was.

"We wait." Zoe knew it was her duty to point out the other considerations that Mal wasn't going give a go se about.

"Sir, the cargo won't keep for long and we're expected at..."

"Zoe, we wait."

"Yes sir." Zoe tugged at one of the plants sticking out from a crate. Perhaps she could introduce the locals to her recipe for brown lettuce leaf soup. Memories of her own loss echoed again (still painful, still not quietened by the passing months) and she left Mal to his thoughts.

The cargo had been jettisoned the day before Inara finally returned to Serenity. She apologised, briefly; made offers to make good any losses which Mal decline