Serenity landed on Paquin just around dusk, notifying their contact that they had arrived.

“Sorry, Mal, but you’re gonna have to wait ‘til tomorrow. You made better time than we thought, and Crandall ain't here yet. Should arrive early a.m.”

Mal shrugged. “No problem.” He looked into the screen. “Anything happening around here we need to know about?”

Halvorsen shook his head. “Nope. Been dead quiet for a while.”

“Shiny. Well, let me know when he’s due, and I’ll roll out the welcome mat.”

“You being facetious?” Halvorsen asked, looking at Mal from under his big, bushy blonde eyebrows.

“Me? Would I do such a thing?”

“Yeah.”

Mal laughed. “I just don’t exude that allure of mystery any longer, do I?”

“Can’t honestly say you ever did. And tell Freya next time she’s in town to come see us. Hannah and the kids wanna say hi. And we still ain't seen that little’un of yours.”

“You know, we could always drop by now. Bring the shuttle.”

Halvorsen’s face broke into a full grin. “Now, that is a thought. When d’you think you could get here?”

Mal glanced at the shipboard chronometer. “An hour?”

“Shiny. Hannah’ll get some food going.”

“Food? As in the real thing?”

“Sure is.”

“You might get the rest of the crew descending on you if you say that too loudly.”

“Don’t mind if we do, but maybe another time, okay?”

Mal smiled. Since the war Halvorsen had always shied away from big groups, and his wife hadn’t managed to change the pattern. “Okay. Be setting down on your porch in a little while.”

“See you then.”

Halvorsen signed off and Mal sat back.

“We going somewhere?” Freya asked from the doorway to the bridge.

“Visiting.”

She walked up behind him and leaned down, putting her arms around his shoulders. “It’ll be good to see Hannah. We’ve not managed to catch up since Mabel was born.”

“Well, they want to see Ethan too, so get him together and meet me in the shuttle.” He stood up, taking her into his embrace. “Told you it’d just be you and