Glad you're enjoying this fic, it looks like there's going to be possibly 2 more chapters after this one. I keep on trying to wrap it up, but I don't want to skimp out on some things so it just tends to get a bit lengthier....

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Inara had promised to watch River.

She had gotten into a bit of trouble, mainly getting into a strange argument with Jayne and calling him a girl. So while everyone was busy cleaning up, Inara had been put on babysitting duty. As she thought about how she had killed someone, River curled up on her luxurious couch and drew pictures.

“What are you drawing sweetie?” She said while coming over after having a long debate over her future with Serenity.

“Two by two.” River looked up, somewhat nervously, and pointed to her sketchbook that had the drawings of four blue hands. An upturned palm, a clenched fist, a down turned palm, and one holding a strange pen-like object.

The Inara furrowed her brows, confused, but then again it was normal for someone to be confused regarding River. When someone came into her shuttle, she turned around and saw Mal there.

He stopped and realized something was amiss. “Not gonna call me manly ‘n impulsive?”

“I assume you’re here to check on me.” She sighed. “And yes, I’m fine.”

“Doc said you shot someone.” He walked over, closer to her, within a few steps they were face to face. “Killed ‘im.”

“Well Simon would have been arrested or worse if I hadn’t.” She said a bit too quickly to sound composed.

Looking down, he saw her hands trembling, a reaction towards taking someone’s life he had seen many times in the past. “’Nara,” Taking her hands he rubbed his calloused thumb over the top of her knuckles.

Inara pulled away from the soft contact. “I’ll be fine Mal.”

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Wash, groaned.

Zoe walked over to their bed with a basin of water and a cloth and sat down next to him. Dipping the cloth in the water she then dabbed his face with the cool, damp rag. She watched him ca