“So then Monty says to the Fed, 'Well sir, I ain't 'sactly sure how it happened, but those fur coats were ferrets when we put 'em in the crates!' The gorram Fed was so fuddled and turned about at what was going on he let Monty go with only a warnin'!” Mal snorted.

Everyone else joined him. That is save for River. All through dinner she'd stared at Jayne, hardly touching her own food. Not that she was missing out on anything. Next to Simon, Jayne was the worse cook on Serenity.

“Course them Feds ain't never had more brains than a chicken's pi gu, so's Monty coulda tole em they was cats nappin' and they'd believe em,” Jayne snickered and reached for his fork. His eyes swept the table as a habit and caught the girl's gaze. He scowled.

“What are ya starin' at?” He growled.

“You'll lose more than you expect and gain less then you need. The prodigal son returns, but only when the Reaper knocks on the door. Then, fate catches up with him and he is given too much but not enough,” she rambled.

The table was deathly silent.

“Right. Okay. Doc?” Mal turned to Simon.

“I-I'm not sure—”

“Doc, ya either find a way ta get 'er ta leave me alone or I'll do it for ya. That's the second time today she's done said something moon-brained to me. She keeps it up and I'll—”

“Have your testicles handed to you like in the Maidenhead?” Simon snipped.

“Now listen here—”

“I'm sorry.” River interrupted. “I don't mean to annoy you, but it's the only way I see things. I don't know how to explain it. But you'll know soon enough. You all will.”

She walked away from the table and left for the cockpit. The silence at the table was almost deafening. Kaylee swung her gaze at Simon.

“Whataya suppose she meant by that?”

“I have no idea. She hasn't spoken like that since... well since Miranda. She's been so much better lately, not like she was before the Academy, but still... she had seemed so normal,” Simon shook his head in confusion.

“If ya ask me, whatever she said sounded sorta ominous-like. More so fo