I really appreciate constructive criticism, so if you find something you think wouldn't particularly happen, or there's something about the layout style I'm using, please comment and let me know. Cheers.

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Mal fell into the co-pilot's chair, barely acknowledging River in the pilot's seat. With a big sigh he dropped his head into his lap. He couldn't believe all that had happened over the past few weeks, let alone the past year or however long it had been since Simon and River had arrived on his ship. He blamed himself for Wash and Book's deaths, along with all those on Haven even if he couldn't have prevented it. He wondered now if he could have. There were so many ways to have made this situation different, if he was different. But never once did it cross his mind to turn in Simon and his little albatross sitting beside him. His thoughts began to focus in on Zoë and the pain she was in. He had never, in all the years of knowing her, seen her like this. He remembered back to the day she had found out about her folks during the war. They had just had a particular victory on one of the rim planets, and were celebrating with captured supplies of whiskey and rum when the messenger had come by with death notices. He had received one a few weeks before, for one of his childhood friends, a man named Stephen who had been like a brother to him through childhood and beyond. Zoë's had been about her parents. She shed one tear for each parent and then went on with her life. When he had questioned her, she merely replied "Even civilians die in war, Sir." And that was that. Now was different, she was in her room sedated after becoming hysterical. He thought about the rest of the crew, all so changed by death. 'What're we gonna do now?' he thought miserably.

River had come to Mal's side without him knowing. She could not only see the pain he was suffering, but she felt it. She felt ever thought of failure, of guilt, and insecurity of the future flow through him. She swivelled the