Here's the next chapter. Thanks for reading! Reviews/Thoughts/Feedback, as always, are much appreciated.

(x)

Present Day on Board Serenity

Simon walked purposefully down one of the pathway of Serenity, his lips set in a stern frown. "River!" He called, searching behind each doorway and in all of River's usual hiding spaces. If they could be called usual, which if he was being honest with himself, they could not be. "River," he said, a warning in his voice. "I've told you before. We are not playing hide and seek." Simon stormed forward into the joined kitchen and dining hall. He surveyed the area and murmured, "Not when we're docked on a planet without any known civilization or inhabitants to speak of."

Shepherd Book peeked out from the kitchen's cooking area and cast Simon an odd look. "Were you saying something, son?"

"No," Simon answered. After a short moment, he followed up, "I'm just talking to myself. Which is a good indicator of someone who is mentally unwell."

Shepherd smiled. He walked over and put his hand on Simon's shoulder. "She went through here not a moment ago. I'll help you find her."

"Thank you." Simon breathed a deep breath of relief. "It's good to know that there's someone else on board this ship keeping an eye out."

"Plenty of people keeping an eye out as far as I can see. But none so fixed on keeping River as close by as you are."

Simon walked forward. "She was having such a good day yesterday."

"You know, I think I'm starting to notice a pattern in her hiding places. Interestingly, more often than not, she can often be found hiding-"

Shepherd called out as he tripped on a clear wire. Both he and Simon lost their footing, but before they fell, an open container jutted forward, dousing their faces with a soft, pink, powdery substance.

Simon coughed and hacked, while beside him Shepherd shook the powder from his face and hair. They looked at each other and then upward. River stood triumphantly above them, laughing and clapping her hands. "You fell right into!" she shouted gleefully. "Right into the trap!"

When Shepherd spoke, the powder puffed out from his mouth. "Plain sight," he finished.

Simon stood up, removing his leg from the wire in the ground. He rubbed the powder from his eyes and spit it out from his mouth. "River! What have I told you about wasting food? There's only so much we have on board."

River became somewhat calmer. "It's not food. It's baby powder."

Shepherd reached for a cloth from the kitchen, found one, and began wiping the powder from off his face. "Where in the 'verse did she find baby powder?"

Simon said, "I must have had some in my med kit."

River said to Simon. "It's expired."

Simon looked to his sister. "Why? Why would you attack us with baby powder?"

River spoke as if she couldn't believe that Simon was unable to divine the answer for himself. "This morning. You said you needed a bath."

Simon tried to say something, but only coughed again as he accidentally inhaled some of the baby powder still on his face. At the same moment, Wash and Kaylee walked around the corner and both stopped in their tracks.

Wash drew in a breath and said, "Jao Gao! What happened in here?"

The preacher looked over, his face still half-doused with pink powder. Simon coughed into his hand right beside him, sending up a powdery cloud when he did.

Wash shook his head. "I swear we go to leave and not two minutes later you're all dying your hair without me? And by the way, last I recall, I called pink."

Kaylee walked up to Simon, putting her hand on his shoulder. "What is that? Dish washin' powder? I didn't even know we had any."

Simon cleared his throat and said, "No, it's baby powder. River found it. In my med kit."

"They are going after what isn't theirs," River said. "They fell into the trap."

Wash's lip drew down in concern. He checked out the wire and contraption set up to spray powder upon her unsuspecting victims. "Are there any more of these we should know about?"

River said. "Not right now. I need time."

"Okay," Wash announced. "I'm hereby putting a stop to all booby traps, shenanigans, and anything involving invisible wire. At least until we get back."

The Shepherd and Simon both nodded, and the Shepherd said, "We'll keep an eye on her."

Kaylee squeezed Simon's shoulder as if to say 'good luck'. She leaned down to smell his neck. "Y'all smell real pretty though."

Simon rolled his eyes and then blinking, said, "Wait. Where are you going?"

Kaylee turned around before heading out. "We're goin' out to get fresh water. Wash said he saw a stream not too far from Serenity. We're gonna go check it out."

"You won't be alone," River said.

Wash looked to Kaylee. "No, we're goin'. With each other."

River began to breathe rapidly and her face scrunched in pain. "Look out."

Kaylee frowned and walked over to her, along with Simon. She said, "River? What?"

Then River screamed at the top of her lungs. "LOOK OUT!"

Simon began to lead River away. At that moment, footsteps sounded from behind them, and Inara joined them in the kitchen. She was dressed beautiful as ever in a green and gilded silky dress.

Kaylee waved, still looking at River. "Hey, Inara."

Inara looked to River. "Is everything all righ- Whoa…." She looked up in the faces of Simon and the preacher.

Simon raised his eyebrows, still holding River's arms. His sister in the meantime had gone from screaming in panic to smiling as he attempted to hold down her arms, as if they were suddenly engaged in a wrestling game. She sang softly, "Ashes, ashes. We all fall down."

"We'll be fine," Simon got out, in between trying to hold down her hands. "Everything's under control."

Inara looked from River, Simon, and the Shepherd back to Kaylee and Wash. "I'll see what I can do to help."

"Thanks, Inara," Wash said.

Inara walked forward and went to help the three of them as both Kaylee and Wash slowly backed away to leave the ship.

When they were out of hearing range, Wash sighed out, "Tian Fan Di Fu." He and Kaylee walked out into the main loading area and they stopped when they came to the yellow mule bike attached in Serenity's cargo area. "Just between you and me, I don't know how he does it."

Kaylee frowned, looking back towards the kitchen. "Seems like she was tryin' to warn us of somethin'."

"Who?" Then. "What? River?"

"She got all upset-like back there just as we were leavin'."

"Wouldn't that be like an escaped mentally unwell person trying to tell a well-to-do doctor that they think –he's- the one in trouble?" On second thought, Wash's shoulders dropped. "Well, actually, when you think about it, it's sort of exactly like that."

"Still, we oughtta be careful."

Wash stood importantly. "Never fear, fair maiden. For, I will protect you." Though he said the words somewhat humorously, there was something deeper at the bottom of them, and Kaylee heard it.

She said, "Well, anyway, we won't be gone long."

"Just long enough to lose any flour or bread crumbs or foodstuffs left over, once the doc's sister gets her trap goin' full speed again." He laughed at his own joke. Kaylee and Wash shared a look, and Wash nodded, readying the mule bike. "Right. You're right. Let's hoof it."

(x)

Once Mal, Zoe, and Jayne determined that the minefield was indeed inactive and not functional as told to them by signage, they stepped carefully past the mines scattering the ground and walked through to the entrance of the cave. The inside of the cave stared back at them, and the tunnel leading forward only seemed to darken more the further one looked down it.

Zoe reached to her side and pulled out a glow-rod. She handed one to Mal, as well. The blue-purple light illuminated the darkness and lit up the features of their faces. Jayne took out his gun and turned the overhead light on above it.

Zoe smirked at Jayne.

Jayne said, "Momma always said. Don't spare no expense when it comes to firearms."

Zoe turned to Mal and nodded to the cave. "What do you think, sir?"

Mal cleared his throat at the edge of the entrance. "Well, right. What're we waitin' for? Let's do this." He led them forward down the rocky path of the cave. As they traipsed forward, careful not to trip or fall on any jagged rocks beneath them, the cave took on color, brightened by the glow of the lights they carried. Above them, stalagmites glistened in purples, greens, and blues.

Zoe looked up, for the shortest moment, mesmerized. "Ain't that somethin'?"

Jayne walked up behind her. "Be better if they were a mite bit goldier."

They made their way deeper into the cave, silent as so to keep their ears listening for any sounds that didn't belong. After another few feet of walking, Jayne remarked. "Hey, you notice these walls getting' tighter in here?"

Mal gazed up and around at the stone walls precariously. "It's somethin' had come to mind, Jayne."

"I ain't no good in small spaces. Tell y'all that right now."

Mal saw the blink of a light, just in the nick of time. In his mind, he thought loudly 'look out!' He grabbed Jayne by the collar and pulled the big oaf forward. At the same time, a mechanic metal wall slammed shut just a hair off of where Jayne stood. Not a word needed to be spoken between them. They bolted forward deeper into the cave. Each step they made was followed by the mechanical hiss of another and another metal door closing them in further and deeper into the cave. When finally, the last door slammed, they stood wide-eyed, catching their breath.

Zoe looked to Mal. "'Member what you mighta said about not takin' another job from Fordayn?"

Mal shot his gaze all around, trying to find them a way out. "It's in mind all too clearly now."

Jayne snarled out. "I've had just about enough of this." He took out his gun.

Mal shouted, "No! Wait! We fire that we may as well shoot ourselves now. Those walls are dense metal, whatever they are. I'd like us not to have any gunfire come from our own guns."

"You got a better idea?" Jayne said back. "Cuz I ain't waitin' around for the next gorram trap to go off in here."

Mal looked forward, squinted, and thought he saw something glint in the darkness.

He took another step. It was one he'd grow to regret.

The floor dropped out from under them, and the three of them fell into a slide on the rock beneath them. Mal dropped down and hit the floor hard on his side, so hard in fact, that it knocked the wind right out of him.