Kaylee had to cover her hand with her mouth to keep from squealing with delight. It was the final touch the galley needed. She looked around the store trying to locate her crewmates. She wanted this to be a surprise.

Third Hand Joe’s, the largest thrift store on Persephone, was full of dark and dusty corners to hide in. Kaylee took her prized possession off the shelf and shuffled off to a quiet place next to some old mattresses.

She held it up, a sight to behold. A cream colored tin sign with black lettering and a border of light green vines. Kaylee bit her lip in thought. Don’t really need it. Mean Serenity needs a new wrench mo’ren I need a silly sign. Then she felt the weight in her pocket, all the platinum from her part of a job that that had finally gone right. Aw, what the hell? She thought, grinning. Only live once.

“Hiding?” asked a voice from behind, causing Kaylee to drop the sign. “Sorry, sorry,” Wash said waving to the store patrons that looked up at the loud clank. “I have kind of an EMP effect on women,” he said to a man in a straw hat who glarrd at Wash as he walked by. “Really, you should see my wife.”

Kaylee waved, her face bright pink with embarrassment.

Wash bent over to pick up the sign. ”Home may be where the heart is, but family is where the food is,” he read. “That’s adorable.”

“What’s adorable?” asked Zoë, peering over Wash’s shoulder.

“Oh,” whined Kaylee. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“It still can be,” said Simon from behind Kaylee.

Book had wandered over to see what the crowd had formed over. “Oh, my. Well, all of us aren’t here.”

“The Captain is going to hate that,” Simon said, looking at the sign like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

“You think?” Kaylee asked, disappointed.

“Happen to recall when you painted the vines in the first place?” Zoë asked, cringing at the memory.

“Or the tinsel at Christmas?” reminded Book.

The whole crowd grumbled at the memory of that little affair.

“Well, ain’t no point in