Malcolm Reynolds walked down the steps of Serenity, admiring the look of the lights reflecting off of her soft interior. The captain could never be accused of being artistic in any way, shape, or form but he could recognize beauty when he saw it. And to him, beauty was Serenity…his ship. He came at last to his destination; the infirmary. The doc was busy doctoring with the limited medical equipment on board and looked up when the captain entered.

“Captain?” he asked curiously, and a bit suspiciously.

“Should arrive on Demeter in ‘bout two hours time, but the job’s not for another three. Still, don’t want no body to leave the ship unless necessary.”

“Of course,” Simon nodded, still curious.

“We’ve been doing well lately in money terms, and so I was wonderin if there was some medical equipment you might need…in case of emergencies,” Mal added at the end, and Simon cocked an eyebrow.

“Is there, erm, something a bit more hazardous about this job that I should know about?” he asked, and from the captain’s slight squirm he knew he’d hit the mark.

“Hopin not, but we’ve not had good dealins with the Lady Lavender lately, and I just wanted to be prepared.”

“I see,” the doctor said, and looked at the captain expectantly.

“There’s…something else,” he added and Simon cocked an eyebrow. “I’m gonna ask our new pilot to come along, and wanna make sure there won’t be any problems between you and me.” Simon exhaled. So this was the reason. He contemplated his answer a moment.

“Well, I suppose that my sister has showed she’s more than capable of handling these type of situations.” The captain muttered in agreement, and they both were momentarily lost in their memories. Finally Simon continued. “And I think she’s grown up to the point that she can make decisions herself. I won’t hinder your activities Captain, so long as you don’t needlessly put her in harm’s way.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about, Doc. ‘Sides, I think a boy would be more danger to yer sister than any other weapon someone could point at