A knock at the door roused William from his thoughts. He blinked the images of Book from his mind and sat up. He rubbed the back of his head and just stared at the ground, he’d lost track of time. He wasn’t sure if he’d been in here a matter of minutes or hours, though he knew it didn’t matter. He’d need more time to get past this, of that he was certain. The knock came again.

“Coming.” William called out as he stood up. He walked over to the door, disengaged the lock, and opened it. Mal was standing in the hallway, his arms across his chest.

“We need to talk.” Mal looked reserved, but adamant. “Book was your friend, and it’s only fair you know what happened to him.”

“Captain, I …”

Mal cut William off. “No, you need to know, and now’s as good a time as any. Kaylee has some tea brewing. Take a minute for yourself then come to the kitchen.”

Mal started to walk away, but William stopped him. “Captain?” Mal stopped and turned, but didn’t say anything. “Did he suffer?”

Mal looked down a little. “More’n he should have.” And with that, he walked away.

William took a minute to compose himself, walking to the lavatory to splash some water on his face. When he thought he was ready he went to face the truth of what happened to the only man he had ever truly considered a friend.

When he walked into the kitchen area, everyone was seated at the table, including River. She smiled at William as he entered, and William found himself smiling back despite himself. He took the empty seat at the foot of the table, opposite Mal. He didn’t say anything, opting to wait for them to start.

Mal just looked at him, and William could see the gears turning behind his eyes, trying to piece together the best way to tell William what happened. “Just telling you how Shepherd Book died isn’t going to be enough." Mal started. "Without context, it won’t make no sense.” Mal sat forward in his chair, the shift in light caused deeper shadows to form on his face. He immediately seemed more imposing to William, though he was unsure if Mal h