Title: Tough

Rating: PG-13. For swearing (Firefly) and violence.

Characters: the whole crew, plus the Pirate Children and Alistair Caramia (the latter are mine, the rest are Joss's)

Pairings: Canon pairings. I will openly admit that I heavily, heavily favor Mal and Inara and the Reynolds Family. (Trying hard to rectify that without negatively affecting the storyline.)

Summary: Yet another Pirate Children story. Set twenty-eight years post-BDM. A not-so-fluffy (but still slightly fluffy) look at the future. Serenity's adjusting to her grown children.

Author's Note: A shorter chapter, but full of important action. One more chapter to go. I know some of you are a little put off by the reemergance of YoSafBridge, but I want to point out that it's not like she was stalking them for twenty-five years. This is more a crime of convenience. And as Serra said last chapter: "Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

Part 4

“What is he doing?” Kacey asks, leaning against the wall next to Lolly up on the catwalk. The captain is staring at the sinking sun, occasionally pacing back and forth. “He and Aunt ‘Nara get in another fight?”

While Mal and Inara’s fights, legendary among the crew, were once the subject of many jokes and laughs, everyone on Serenity has been taking them a little more seriously recently.

Lolly just looks at him out of the corner of her eye, recrossing her arms over her chest, face on the border between hurt and contempt.

“Aw, c’mon, Lol… You have to talk to me at some point. This is a small boat, and sooner or later you’re gonna have to ask me to pass the salt.”

Lolly humphs a little and walks off.

“Real grown up, Leila Lee!”

“Really grown up,” a voice corrects behind him, teasing admonishment in her voice. “Please try to make it seem like I taught you something in the nearly twenty years I’ve been aboard. Otherwise you make me feel entirely useless.”

“Hi, Ally,” Kacey greets his former tutor, and as Lolly and Serra so love to bring up, Abe’s and his first love.

“I’ve heard