Ma,

It’s been a peace of time since I last wrote you and I’m sorry. The Space Bazzare where you used to send letters was hit by Reavers. We was there at the time but managed to get away on account of not wantin to get ett. If you wanna send letters now, you can send them through Kostova’s Shipyard on Boros or carre of the Pye Store in Eavesdown on Persephone. We got us one of them Pyes as crew now. She’s a geenyus when it comes to makin bombs and such but she don’t sit still for more than a minute, and she can also be a real pain in the ass. I told you about Karl when I wrote last. Found out later he was our old pilot’s big brother. Those two are makin nice with each other in between getting themselves kidnapped and arrested. You probably saw that big trial on the cortex in March. Well that was the Pye we have as crew. Wave hello to Matty for me. I hope that the credit I forwarded a few months ago had helped with his medeesin. We took on some passengers at Whittier. A woman and her father. It turned out that they used to live on Serenity a long time ago. She reminds me of you some - specially when you both are mad at me. Reckon you would like her. She can shoot too. They’ve taken a job on Bane’s brother’s Pye Eatings ship, the Rosalyn. She’s a real good cooke and her father’s a mechanic that Kaylee says is good enuff for Serenity, which is saying something. I hope to see her again at Christmas as Mal has promised to try and meet up with them. Tell Pa that I still keep up my welding when I can and if you want to send any more hats that would be real shiny.

Love your son, Jayne

Dee put down the letter and looked at her husband.

“Everything alright?” he asked, concerned. It had been their first proper letter from him for a long while.

“I think our son’s fallen in love.” Matt Cobb’s grey eyebrows raised high enough to disappear behind the fringe of hair on his forehead. Dee handed him the letter. “In all the years he’s written he’s never talked about a woman in that way.” Mat