Inside Serenity, on the bridge, Wash wonders to Zoe what crazy thing River is going to do next. Zoe says, "Either blow us all up or rub soup in our hair. It's a toss-up." Wash hopes it's the soup thing, because it's funny and nobody dies. Well, there's no reason why she can't rub soup in some people's hair and blow up the others. Zoe expresses sympathy for River's situation. I just realized that we never really knew how Zoe felt about River's plight until now. Wash mutters about some funny "heat bounce" off the ship's wake. He figures it to be a screwed-up sensor. That's about as much explanation as we're going to get as to how the second ship is following them without them noticing. Considering that ginormous, city-sized Alliance dreadnaughts have managed to sneak up on them, I guess it's no big deal. They really should look into rearview mirrors, though.

Jayne follows Mal up the stairs onto the bridge. The two of them are arguing about River's little journey into an Afterschool Special about playing with guns. It turns out that the gun she had belonged to Jayne. Mal mutters about Jayne locking up his gun somewhere that River can't access without a combination. I couldn't catch the beginning there. Jayne insists that he doesn't leave his guns around and he doesn't leave them loaded. I'm not sure about the loaded part, but hanging them on the walls of your quarters probably qualifies as "leaving them around." Mal worries that she should have grabbed something with "hull-piercing bullets." Jayne explains that he doesn't have any bullets like that; even Vera could only "barely" pierce the hull. Jayne complains some more about how it's not his fault -- he didn't make River crazy and didn't even want her on the ship. Mal darkly asks him if this is the direction he wants the conversation to go in. Jayne backs down and says he doesn't want "a lashin'" for something he didn't do. Oh, Jayne. I'm sure you've probably done something today to deserve a lashing, even if it wasn't this. Zoe asks where River is now. Mal says she's back in her room, which he's thinking of bolting from the outside from now on. Wash asks if that's a little extreme. Jayne asks if anybody remembers how River slashed his chest open. Wash wistfully responds, "Wacky times." Jayne threatens, "You wanna go, little man?" Wash shoots back, "Only if it's someplace with candlelight." Wash probably isn't very concerned, because he's sure Zoe would beat Jayne into a puddle of furry goo if he messed with her man. Zoe says that she doesn't think that River would actually harm anyone. Jayne reminds her about the knife. Zoe corrects herself to say "anyone we can't spare." Heh. She adds that she doesn't think River has ever even picked up a gun before. That's Kaylee's cue to wander in and tell them that River's a bit more La Femme Nikita than they were aware of.