Drowning.

Serenity was drowning.

Water was rushing in through cracks caused by the impact, the noise so loud Mal almost had to scream to be heard.

"Kaylee! Come on!"

"But maybe if--"

"No! It's too late! Now get yourself up here and through that hatch!"

Zoe and Wash hurried past him, Zoe carrying their daughter on her arm, the little girl in turn carrying her toy dinosaur. Wash slipped on the wet floor and Mal helped him up. After a brief "Thanks" they continued to the ladder that would take them up on top of Serenity, from where they would have to swim to the nearest shore.

"Zoe?" Mal jogged over as she was helping the child up the ladder to Wash's waiting arms. "Can she swim? Should I..."

She shut him up by touching his arm. "We'll be fine, Mal. You just concentrate on the others."

"Right. Right..."

Zoe nodded, then turned her back and began to climb.

Simon and River appeared a moment later. Simon was trying valiantly to look calmer than he did look; River seemed to be excited.

"Okay, River," Simon told his sister. "We're going to climb up here and then we're going to go for a swim. Okay?"

"Swimming." River nodded. "Everything's going swimmingly. Pushing at the water to propel ourselves. Like a shark."

Simon paled visibly. "There won't be any sharks, River." He looked at Mal uncertainly. "Right? No sharks?"

Mal shook his head. "No sharks. Now get on up there."

"Jellyfish!" River exclaimed when she was standing on top of the ship. Simon almost lost his grip on the ladder.

Book was next, closely followed by Jayne, who had Vera on his back and a tight grip on Kaylee's wrist.

"Cap'n," she pleaded, "If I had just a few more minutes..."

"Well, you don't, Kaylee; engine room'll be filled up with water any minute now. Now go on, up!"

Jayne released her and Kaylee reluctantly climbed the ladder. The shepherd made to follow, but Mal's hand on his shoulder made him pause.

"Make sure she don't go drownin' or nothin', okay Shepherd?" Mal said with more joviality than he felt.

Book looked at him curiously, but nodded and followed Kaylee up.

Jayne put his hands on the rungs but Mal stopped him from going any farther.

"Jayne, where's Inara?"

Jayne looked at him. "She not come yet?"

"Did you call her like I asked you?"

"'Course I did, Mal!"

"Did you wait for an answer?"

Jayne paused. "No."

Mal glared at him, then headed down the corridor at a run. "Come on!"

The cargo bay looked more like a swimming pool than anything else when they reached it, and it was filling up fast. Mal banged on the door to Inara's shuttle.

"Inara!"

No answer. Mal tried to open the door. It was jammed. Jayne grabbed hold of it too and together they pried it open. A wave of water came gushing out as they hurried inside and found Inara lying on the floor by the door. She had a large gash on her forehead.

And she wasn't breathing.

"Inara..." Mal checked for a pulse. Still there. Good. He wasted no time in tilting her head back, pinching her nose... "God, I hope I remember how to do this..." he said, before breathing into her mouth.

Two breaths first, then one every five seconds...

Five, four, three, two...

Breath.

Five, four, three, two...

Breath.

"Mal, the water level's getting mighty high out there."

"Shut up, Jayne."

Three, two...

Breath.

"Inara, come on."

Three, two, breath.

"Come on come on come on..."

"Mal..." The urgency in Jayne's voice was unmistakable.

Breath.

"Inara!"

Four, three, two, breath...

And another breath, all by herself.

Her eyes opened as she coughed up water. Gasping, she looked around, confused, until they settled on Mal.

"Mal..." She grimaced. "Hit my head..."

"Yeah, and almost drowned from it." He grinned in relief. "I think I like it better when you only say you hit your head."

"Mal!" Jayne again. "We'd best get goin' or all this pretty talk'll be for nothin'."

"You're right." Mal and Jayne pulled Inara to her feet. "Can you walk?" he asked her.

"Possibly... Things are a little... wobbly."

"Jayne, carry her. We need to get out of here fast."

"I ain't gonna argue with that." Jayne slung Inara over his shoulder with little protest from her and followed Mal out onto the catwalk. They rushed across it and into the corridor that led to the hatch. A steady stream of water was now flowing down it.

"Stay to the side," Mal said. "The current is strongest in the middle."

Fortunately the ladder was in an alcove, so they didn't have too much trouble once they reached it. Mal climbed up first and helped Inara through the hatch once he was standing atop his drowning ship.

He smiled when he saw that his crew was safe; he had spotted them standing on a beach not to far away, and if he had counted correctly they were all there.

He and Jayne waited for Inara to remove some of her heavier layers of sodden clothing ("Wish she'd done that before I carried her all that way," was Jayne's reaction) before the three of them submerged themselves in the water and began to swim.

Mal was itching to look back at his ship all the way to the shore, but he didn't give in to this desire until they reached dry land again. He stood on the beach and gazed out at the sea, saddened by what he saw.

Most of Serenity was under water by now. There was no helping her.

After a while he felt Inara put her arm around his waist. She leaned her head on her shoulder and he slipped his own arm around her and held her tightly. They stood there in silence until Serenity had vanished beneath the sea.

Then he took her hand and they led the crew up the beach to find out what the future would hold.