Mal heard the knock on the door to the bridge. He even heard it the second time, and the third. But he didn't want to answer it. He already knew who it was. "Come in, doc," he called, still sitting in the pilot's chair. In Wash's chair.

Simon came in, closing the door behind him. "Captain, I'd like-"

"I know what you'd like," Mal interrupted. "You wanna apologize for all the trouble you caused, ask if we'd consider-"

"No," Simon cut in, interrupting right back. "That's not it at all." He sighed, placing his palms together and pressing the sides to his lips. "Not everything was wrong. About River and I, I mean. You saw the Alliance chasing her, you've seen what it's done to her. Everything she is, is real." He readied himself for a plea bargain, and he could sense Mal knew what was coming as well.

"Talk straight," the captain ordered. "What do you want?"

"Don't tell on us."

Mal lifted an eyebrow. "That it?"

"Yes sir. That's it. I just need you to drop us off and act like you've never seen us before. I know I don't deserve any kindness, but this isn't for me. It's for River. She's sick. She needs help. She needs me. And if we get turned in... they're just going to take her back and cut her up and ruin her. And I'll go to jail, or worse, be executed. I won't be able to save her again. So, I just need you and your crew to leave us alone."

Mal turned in the chair, looking Simon up and down thoughtfully. He got to his feet, took a few steps closer to the doctor. "The girls needs you," he agreed. "And I think you can help her. So no, I won't turn you in. Won't encourage any of my crew to either. Can't guarantee what they do on their own, but chances are they won't care nothing about you when you're gone."

Simon nodded. It was the best he could get. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Sure," Mal said amiably. "Now, having said that..." Rearing his fist back, Mal took a swing at Simon hard enough to draw blood. The doctor fell to the floor, holding his jaw. "You're lucky I ain't snapping your neck," Mal said fiercely. "You brought my crew right into danger. You get us involved in your mess, you get one of mine killed, and all you can do is ask me for favors? You don't even apologize, you break my mechanic's heart. I lost a dear friend because of you and yours, and all based on a lie?" Mal kicked Simon in the ribs, aiming to make something crack. "My first in command lost a husband. She ain't been the same since. I'm losing a second pilot, and a medic which, in case you ain't noticed, we truly need. My crew is falling to pieces around me, and all cuz you couldn't have just said outright that that girl ain't your sister."

Simon slowly got to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth onto his crisp white sleeve. "I am sorry," he began. "I never wanted to harm any of you. I never wanted it to go this far. I never wanted... anything like this." His voice got quiet, severe. "But you are not the only person whose lost someone dear to them," he said. "Wash was a friend to me, too. Shepherd Book was a comrade to me just the same as you. It kills me to know Zoe goes to an empty bed every night and wonders why it had to be her husband. Your crew is going through a rough patch, one you will all band together for and see yourselves through." He ran a hand over his face. "But River and I are losing everything. We lost her family when I went to save her. We're losing this family. This ship... Serenity is the only place we've felt welcomed in so long. I know it's my fault, and I know I've caused everyone heartache. But that doesn't make it easier."

Mal tapped his fingers against his elbow, his arms crossed. "Frankly, Simon, I couldn't care less about your problems." He made a face. Unfortunately, that wasn't entirely true. Despite the wrongdoings, he liked Simon. Or, well, not quite Simon. "So... what does River call you?"

At first, the doctor looked confused by the question. "She calls me Simon," he said. "Or brother. She hasn't called me Adam since..." Since the real Simon died.

Mal understood. "She's a good girl, River. Loyal."

"That she is."

"She deserves a better life than this."

"I know." He felt so ashamed of what he provided River as a so-called life. He's promised her he'd save her. When a valiant knight saved the fair maiden, didn't he also bring her to a happy place where she was always safe, and didn't he always protect her? Simon had most certainly failed at all those things.

"Damnit." Mal cursed, then cursed some more in incomprehensible Chinese. "What am I supposed to do with you? Half of me want to lay you out right here, you caused me so much grief. The other half knows that that girl needs you, so I can't. And you've helped us out of a lot of scrapes. 'Course, you pretty much caused most of 'em, too, so I'm back at laying you out."

Simon nodded. "I really am sorry, Mal. About Kaylee. About Wash... everything."

"Hmm." He didn't know what to say to that. He could tell Simon was sorry, could see it on every pore of the man's face. But it wasn't the face of someone he actually knew. That was the part that kept throwing him. When you're in battle with someone, you think you know them. You think you know their true nature. But as it turned out, Mal didn't know Simon at all. "Anything else?"

"No, sir. Thank you." He turned to go, looking over his shoulder just once to see if Mal was watching him. The captain had returned to his seat, facing away from the door. Sliding the door closed behind him again, Simon walked quickly back to his quarters. It felt like the longest mile of his life.

"I heard you coming," River said, smiling. She was sitting on his bed, waiting. "I've packed."

Simon smiled weakly at her. "You're ready to go already?" She nodded. "Will you miss this place? These people?"

The smile evaporated from her face. "This was home," she said sadly.

"Yes," he agreed. "It was." But not anymore. Now they had no home, nowhere safe to lay their heads. He'd gotten comfortable with being here, with having people to watch his back. People who cared.

"Will you miss her?" River asked.

Simon cleared his throat. "Who?" he asked, folding a sweater and placing it gently into his suitcase.

"Kaylee. She was sweet. Will you miss her?"

He looked away from River, turning to grab his shaving kit from off the dresser. "Not much," he said at last. "She was sweet, yes. But I have you." He smiled at her, bent down and kissed her cheek. River smiled.

"Is River all you need?"

"River is all I've ever needed."

River is all I need, he tried to tell himself as he watched Serenity lift high into the air and whiz out of sight. They stood on a city street on one of the Core planets closer to the Rim than not, watching their home fly away without them. Simon wondered if anyone had bothered to take a second glance at them, if any of the crew were thinking of himself or River as they disappeared. He wondered if Kaylee missed him, or hated him, or doubted anything he'd ever told her.

Simon, Adam Morrell, was a liar by nature. He played parts, he pretended to be anyone he was not. Lying came easily to him, it was natural. He didn't even have to think about it. He'd lied to the crew of Serenity when first boarding. He'd lied to them when they discovered River sleeping in her frozen state. He'd lied about his past, about his family, about his school days. He'd lied to Kaylee when he'd hurt her, broken her heart. But he never felt bad when he told these tales about himself. He did feel bad, though, when he had never told Kaylee that everything he'd told her in the dark, every sweet whisper, had been true. That he could have loved her right back.

River would find out his true feelings about Kaylee, if she didn't know already. River could always read him even before the Alliance had tampered with her brain. But River loved him, and she would forgive him. After all, River was all he needed. And since that day he'd cut Simon Tam's throat, River was all Adam was ever going to have.

"Our life," River said, also watching Serenity fly away. "It's changed, now. We can be ourselves."

Simon nodded. "If only we were sure what that means."

River placed a hand on each of his cheeks, drawing his face close. "It means we have each other," she told him, kissing him gently. "I am yours. You are mine. Always."

"Always," he agreed, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her firmly.

As she felt the familiar warmth of Simon's mouth, the comforting fire of lust in her belly, River Tam smiled a secret smile. She knew he had fallen in love with Kaylee, and that it would only be a matter of time before he fell out of love with River. Just like she knew that her real brother, Simon, would've done anything to keep her and Adam apart. Why she'd convinced Adam the only way they could be together was if Simon died. River knew that while Serenity was home, was safe, she would have to be a girl she wasn't, would have to give up something she did not want to lose.

Most importantly, she had know that Mal was coming to her room to see if everything was all right. That was why, after so many months of watching her every move, she'd kissed Simon that day.