Thanks to everyone who stuck this out and continued reading. This is pretty long to be an Epilogue and though I did want the story to end with the last chapter (more dramatic that way!) I decided to post the true end to this little tale.

To TamSibling, congrats on figuring out the ‘come full circle thing’ which is exactly what I intended when writing this chapter.

Hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing and sharing it with you.

-----------------

Epilogue

Serenity was a ghost ship. There was no laughter echoing through the halls, no pitter patter of tiny feet in huge combat boots. There was no gunfire, no shouting, no arguing, there was nothing but an eerie, uncomfortable silence. It was a metal shell gliding through space, much like the occupants who called the ship their home.

It had been a week since Simon had been taken away and not one single member of the crew could rightly admit that his loss hadn’t affected them. As much trouble as the stuffy doctor and his crazy sister had brought upon them, they were crew, they were family, and they’d had a place on the ship.

Mal, even at his crankiest, couldn’t ever admit to feeling so helpless. In the past, the ship had been filled with laughter, jokes, and a fair bit of ragging on their resident, uptight doctor. He was such a fun and easy mark. But now, as he walked through the empty hallways and looked at the solemn faces of those Simon had left behind, Mal couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so – lost.

Kaylee sat with Inara, as the Companion forced her to eat, pushed her to go on with her life. The young mechanic existed solely for her girl now. Serenity. Her baby; the love of her life - until she had met that stuffy Core doctor. The bright light of life was gone from her eyes, and with it had gone Serenity’s never-ending glow. Stupid shipboard relationships. Mal hated them even more now to see his lil’ Kaylee’s bright eyes dimmed because of a lost love.

He knew Kaylee had played back Simon’s m