This was truly not Mal's best day ever. He stared out over the virtual sea of cons and smugglers, bounty hunters and brigands on the round. Everyone was heavily armed and mistrustful. Some of them were mistrustful of their own crews. It made for quite a colorful parade. As someone brushed up against Mal, he turned around and grabbed a young teenage girl by the collar. He held out his hand as she handed back his money purse. This had happened three times since the last time he had left the ship. Jayne had already decked someone. Mal reprimanded him quickly, because violence in the middle of this crowd was a sure way to start the biggest criminal riot this side of a penal moon.

Monty sidled up to Mal and his crew to say hello.

"Damn it Mal! What is this? I didn't fly all this way for a party."

"Don't reckon you did, Monty. The new chin racoon looks good, by the way."

"Its not growing back in right. Its so gray its almost white. Damn that devil woman!"

"See ya, Monty."

Not wanting to rile up the giant anymore than he already was, Mal waved and walked off with the rest of the crew. Kaylee stopped to give him a hug and a kind word. Monty almost seemed to be near tears. And that was almost the strangest thing Mal saw that day.

River and Simon walked tensely in front of Jayne, who didn't seem to be paying particular attention to them. The same dirty, malnourished teenage girl walked up to Simon just as River said "Watch out."

She had started to trip and bump into Simon, but Jayne reached in between them and grabbed he hand, and squeezed mercilessly. River cried out at the same time that the girl did. Simon grasped Jayne's wrist, and achieved the desired results. Jayne did not like being touched, much, so he dragged his hand away, releasing the girl.

Simon reached into his pocket and drew out a few credits. He passed them to the girl and continued walking.

"What in the hell did you want to do that for?" Jayne grumbled.

"I had it