Disclaimer: I'm poor. I own nothing

-o-o-o-

Nine Days Ago

"How's our patient doing Doctor?" Mal asked as he strolled into the infirmary.

The younger man looked up sharply from his conversation with Kaylee, but recovered quickly. Coolly Simon responded with, "Why? Eager to have him discharged and travel ready?"

"Just need him well enough to tell a story Doc," Mal said, letting the snark slide for the moment. "I'm still not convinced Jayne didn't catch crazy."

"I was never convinced of Jayne's mental stability to begin with."

"Simon!" Kaylee exclaimed. "That was mean. Jayne's a big teddy bear." Then she paused and thought for a second. "A teddy bear who likes guns and hurting people, but still a teddy bear!"

The two men shared a look. Only Kaylee could get away with calling Jayne a teddy bear and sound sincere doing it.

"Sorry," the Doctor muttered. Mal could tell he was anything but, but Kaylee seemed satisfied.

"Xander?" Mal questioned to get things back on track, if only so he didn't have to watch his mechanic and his doctor make mooneyes at each other.

"He's awake," Simon said gesturing to the wall bed tucked next to the door he had just come through.

River sat on a nearby stool with the young man's hand held in her own. It struck Mal just how much she looked like a normal girl comforting her injured lover. Creeped him out a bit too, truth be told.

"I'm not sure how much you will get out of him though," Simon continued. "I had to dope him pretty good."

At that moment Xander turned towards Mal furrowed his brow. "Your pants are really tight," he stated with complete seriousness, if in somewhat slurred speech. "That just hasta be uncomfortable."

Then Xander's gaze left the Captain and settled on his hand, as if just realizing another was held in it. His eyes followed the trail to an arm and a shoulder, then from a neck to a face, until finally focussing on a pair of brown eyes. "I like River's eyes," he stated abruptly, in what Mal was sure was a perfectly logical change of subject to him. "They're so expressive and… and brown… and… pretty. River's pretty. Really, pretty. Really, really, really, very pretty."

Mal turned back to the doctor who looked like he was trying his hardest not to laugh. "Did I mention I had to give him nearly twice the normal dose just to get him to stay in bed?"

The innocent tone didn't fool Mal one bit. He was about to tell Simon exactly what he was thinking when he felt a tug on his sleeve. River looked up at him with large, innocent eyes.

"He followed me home," she told him earnestly. "Can I keep him?"

Kaylee giggled. "River, sweetie, he's not a puppy."

This, of course, caused her to catch Xander's attention and him to say, "Kaylee's pretty too."

She rounded on Mal with her best puppy dog eyes look. "Can we keep him Cap'n? Huh, huh, can we?"

-o-o-o-

Now

Magistrate Higgins stood in front of the fireplace, a glass of expensive brandy in his hand and contemplative look on his face. There were pictures and a few antiques on the mantle, but he wasn't looking at any of it. His eyes were unfocused, lost to his thoughts.

He didn't even look up when one of his servants led in the Mudder foreman, a tall, bald man with dirt smears on his face. "Magistrate Higgins–" the foreman started, but the magistrate wasn't listening.

"M'son's out there," he said absently. "I pray to God losin' his cherry."

The Foreman just shrugged at the abrupt comment. He knew the Magistrate had said it more to himself than to him. Normally when the Magistrate was distracted like this the best thing, and the healthiest, was to just leave it be. Still, this was something he needed to hear. "There's a problem in worker-town, sir."

Higgins turned as if noticing the Foreman for the first time.

"Jayne Cobb's come back."

-o-o-o-

He'd been staring into his tea for quite awhile now, seemingly too embarrassed to look up at her. It was nerves, Inara noted and she wasn't surprised. Many people were nervous their first time with a Companion, yet alone their first time period.

Fess wasn't an unattractive man. Tall, blond, and well kept, and even through the loose clothes Inara could tell he was in good shape. Not that she would ever choose a client based on something so shallow as appearance, but it certainly helped. A fortuitous bonus, as it were.

It was his gentle soul that had drawn her here and had her accept the invitation. With that sense of innocent, an intelligent mind, and his looks, she almost found it hard to believe he had never been with a woman. Almost.

He wasn't the type for casual, meaningless sex and Inara highly doubted the shallow opportunists of his father's court would hold his interest enough for a real relationship. She doubted anyone of Higgins' Moon would. At least, none that his father would allow him to associate with.

In truth, she doubted Fess would even be here now if it hadn't been for his father's prodding.

"It's just, my father's always been so in control, of everything; of me, of everyone. I could never be like him, no matter who he pays to–" Fess cut himself off from his ramble and finally looked up at her. He gave her an embarrassed smile, like he couldn't believe he had just said that. He held her gaze for barely a moment before he blushed and turned away. "I'm sorry. This whole thing, it is embarrassing. My father's right again, I guess. And to have to bring you here, to…"

He trailed off as Inara gently took the cup from his hands and replaced it with her own. She hated the way his father seemed to tear him down and make him feel like less than he was. It was time she enlightened him on a few things.

"Your father isn't right, Fess," she told him softly. "It's not embarrassing to be a virgin. It's simply one state of being. And as far as bringing me here, Companions choose the people they're to be with very carefully. For example, if your father asked me to come here for him, I wouldn't have."

"Really?" Fess asked in surprise, a note of curiosity in his voice.

"Really, Fess. But you're different from him," Inara told him and lightly stroked his cheek with one hand. He swallowed deeply as Inara held his gaze. "The more you accept that, the stronger you'll become."

-o-o-o-

Jayne leaned heavily against a wooded support beam, a buxom brunette staring at him adoringly under one arm and a fresh bottle in both hands. After taking a swig from both bottles he turned back to the kid that had been following him around all night. He couldn't have been older than that Xander kid the Glowy Lady made him help, probably younger even. Normally being followed like that would piss him off, but Jayne liked the hero worship in the kid's eyes. The copious amounts of alcohol probably helped too.

"So the Magistrate, he let you folks keep all that cash?"

The kid, Jayne forgot his name, nodded excitedly. "He did. And it pained him, that's for dead sure. When he found out, he sent his prods in to take it back from us but the workers resisted."

"Fought the law, eh?" Jayne completely missed the satisfied smile on the kid's face at his approving tone.

"If the Mudders are together on a thing, there's too many of us to be put down. So in the end, he just called it a bonus."

"One hell of a bonus," Jayne laughed, pulling the brunette in for a drunken, sloppy kiss.

"And then, when we put that statue of you up in town square, he rolled in, wanted to tear it down. But the whole town rioted."

Jayne's head snapped back up and his eyes actually misted up at the idea. "You guys started a riot? On account of me?" He gushed. "Wow, I am truly touched; truly, truly touched by that. I mean, all of this has been swell and all, but that, my very own riot; that's just about the nicest thing I ever heard!"

"I can't believe you're back!"

Jayne threw his free arm around the kid and pulled him and the brunette into a bear hug. "How could I stay away?"

-o-o-o-

Magistrate Higgin's footsteps on the wooden planks echoed loudly through the marsh. Dozens of small metal boxes lined the docks, but he paid them no heed. It wasn't until he reached the end of the row that he stopped and knocked on the last of the rusted metal boxes. "Evening, Stitch."

"What do you want with me?" a voice called from inside. The sound was tinny from the metallic echo, but also hoarse, like a person badly in need of some water.

"Nothing," Higgins told him and nodded for the Foreman to unlock the door. "You've done your time. Paid your debt. Time you were on your way."

A tall man crawled his way out of the box. He stumbled trying to stand and used his former prison to hold himself upright. His long, dirty hair and beard formed a feral mane around his head and half his face was covered in ugly scars. He glared at his captor with his one remaining eye.

"Here," Higgins said, completely unfazed as he took a bag from the Foreman and handed it to Stitch. "I believe these were your personal affects."

Stitch snatched the bag from his hand and looked through it. He pulled the item on top out and examined it before staring at the Magistrate disbelievingly. "You keep me in that box four years and then give me a loaded gun?"

Higgins nodded but didn't look particularly worried. "Got the urge to use it, no doubt. But I'm not the one that brought you in on that robbery. I'm not the one who partnered up with you and then turned on you when his plan went south. How high up was that shuttle when he pushed you out? Thirty feet?" he asked knowingly. "Jayne Cobb cost you four years of your life, plus a perfectly good eyeball. And here's the poetical portion. He's back in town. This very day."

With a nod to the Foreman, Higgins started back down the dock. He didn't even flinch when he heard the gun cock. Instead he called over his shoulder, "Best of luck in your new life."

-o-o-o-

It was late. Not that he was in a position to check a clock or a window to confirm it, but Xander still knew it must be. It had been a long while since anyone had come to coax River out.

They failed, obviously, though Xander doubted it had anything to do with the fright that Book's hair had put in her. No, River seemed quite comfortable where she was. When the last person - Shepherd Book again - had tried all River had done was mumble something so low even Xander didn't catch it and cuddle further into his chest like he was her own Xander-shaped teddy bear. She hadn't moved since.

He didn't mind in the least.

In the year he had been in this time, Xander had held pretty much everyone at arms length. After being basically alone for so long it felt good to hold someone in his arms again.

River – despite all of her eccentricities, or perhaps because of them – had managed to worm her way past all his defences. He found that he truly did care for the girl. It astonished and scared him how quickly that had happened. There was just something about her that drew him to her.

He had spent those first days on Serenity avoiding her, but a part a part of him was awed that such a beautiful and witty creature of grace would want to pursue him. It was nice to be the one being chased and not the one doing the chasing for a change.

As that thought ran through his head Xander felt something. It was miniscule and he nearly dismissed it as his imagination, but he knew better. He looked down as he felt River's lips curl upwards against his chest. His first thought was that she was simply having a good dream. Then he realized her breathing wasn't quite as even as someone asleep. It was remarkably close, and if he hadn't been looking for it he never would have noticed, but he did and now he knew he'd been had.

"Fibber," Xander said softly, just in case he was wrong.

River just craned her neck and looked at him with an unrepentant grin. Then the grin was gone and she reached up and stroked his cheek briefly before returning the hand to its place on his chest. Whatever she had on her mind now Xander knew was important.

She looked up at him with innocent, pleading eyes and asked, "Can I keep you?"