[A/N]: My original character is the only one that belongs to me, and I only claim her when she behaves. Insert clever don't-sue-me disclaimer here. Rated PG or so for mention of, but not description of, rape/abuse. Feedback makes my day.

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“Nearly married her accidentally, or on purpose?” the Shepherd asked, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

“On purpose, Preacher. That what they teach you in the Abbey, how to poke fun at them as confide in you?” Mal retorted.

“I was merely clarifying, Captain. After all, you don’t have an exemplary record in that area, and I was concerned for the safety of the ship.” The preacher smiled.

“Sure you were. Anyway, I met her shortly after I shipped out to fight with the Independents. She, uh, broke me out of an internment camp. We were together for ‘bout two years—I asked her to marry me but she wouldn’t have me.”

“There were differences between you?”

“No, no, nothing like that. She said she wouldn’t marry me during the war. Said there was too much chance one or t’other of us wouldn’t come home. Said that war changes folk—she was right about that. She told me if I still wanted her when the war was over she’d marry me then.”

“But you didn’t marry her when the war ended.”

“’Bout ten months before I got shipped out to Hera, she got sent on a job. See, she’s a person knows how to get things. Had…has… a knack for getting things to folk as need them and putting people in jobs where they’ll flourish. Hell, preacher, that girl could spend twenty minutes with a person and practically tell you their life story. There was a unit stationed on Echo and that unit was havin’ all manner o’ problems. Stuff gone missin’, information gettin’ to the wrong people, and the like. She was supposed to take a shipment of medical supplies there and spend some time with the unit. Figure out what had gone wrong, find the mole if there was one. While she was there, the Alliance attacked and razed the base. Wor