Gabriel stepped quietly into the storage locker everyone called Eden, and smiled. “I didn’t know there could be such places on ships like this.”

Simon looked up from the ViroStim, then glanced at the bins, overflowing with greenery. “It’s River’s work,” he explained. “Keeps her grounded. A sort of … therapy. At least partly.”

“And what’s the other part?”

“She wanted to give something back to the crew. To the people who made us family.”

“She loves them that much.”

Simon nodded, smiling slightly. “She planted strawberries for Kaylee. And she’s getting quite good at growing vegetables, which augments our sometimes bland diet.”

Gabriel ran his hand through the soil. “You know, if you need money so that you can have better food -”

“No.” There was no heat in the word, nor coldness either, just a tone that would brook no argument. “We do okay. There’s jobs, and when there isn’t … we cope.”

“It sounds a hard life.”

“It can be. Sometimes. Then there are times when Mal sets us down on a moon with a beach and a warm ocean, and it can be the best life ever.”

“And do you call him father like River does?”

Simon laughed. “No. Oddly enough, I don’t. But I can understand why she does.” Daddy will come, and take us home . He hadn’t understood then, thought she was talking about the man standing in front of him, but he’d come more and more to the conclusion that she was talking about Mal.

“I have to say, I’m jealous.”

“If it helps, it makes Mal feel very self-conscious sometimes.”

Gabriel chuckled dryly. “Actually, you know, I think it does.”

The ViroStim beeped, just a single sound that made both men stop.

“What’s that?” Gabriel asked.

“The AntiPax.” Simon went down onto his heels and opened the side of the machine, sliding out a tray of tiny ampoules.

“Can I help?”

Simon looked up into his father’s face, and for once saw nothing but honesty there. “Yes. If you’d like. I need to get these ready.”

“Of course.” He followed his son out o