Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine, neither is the song...it just fits too well.

***

Mal stood apart from the mourners. This was his fault, he never should have let her off the boat. But she had begged, pleaded. They needed a new coil compressor. They always needed one of those. And because it was hard to say no to her, Kaylee was dead. He never thought that he would return to this planet. Never thought he would be the one to deliver such news to someone, he had done it for Tracey. Why for Kaylee as well? He had promised her father he'd take good care of the girl, and now he was at her funeral, as an old hymn was sung.

There is a fountain filled with blood/drawn from Emmanuel's grave/And sinner's plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains/Lose all their guilty stains/Lose all their guilty stains/And sinners plunged beneath that flood/lose all their guilty stains/The dying theif rejoices to see/that fountain in his day/and there may I though vile as he/wash all my sins away

There had been question on who should be the one to write a eulogy, and despite his failed attempts at speaking, it was decided that the best canidate would be Simon. Three on the ship knew Kaylee best, Mal, River and Simon. River had been unstable ever since the death, and Mal felt that he did not have the right to do so, hence it was up to Simon.

The young doctor in question made his way to the casket and began to speak in a trembling voice. Alliance never came here, and in the black? It was rare people would read the bullitons on who was wanted. At first, his voice wavered, but as he continued, Simon's voice grew stronger, his eyes far off, as if recalling his different experiences with the young mechanic.

"D...did you ever hear her laugh? When she laughed you wore you'd never cry again. Did you ever see her smile? Her smile was like a glass of lemonade. And she said funny things, and she wore pretty dresses, and she liked to hear the stories out of anyone who'd tell. And she loved strawb