And what's more respectable than a guild-approved space hooker? The Sitar Of Poorly Planned Gender Role Subversion plays as Inara walks into the sheriff's office in a cleavage-enhancing red faux-Oriental dress. Mal stands up and is about to ask Inara what she's doing there when she slaps him hard across the face and warns him not to say another word. Inara pretends that Mal and Zoe had tried to steal money from her and were only posing as a newlywed couple to escape attention. Inara explains that Mal is her "indentured man" with three years left on his "debt." So hookers can have slaves? How enlightened. Inara notices that everybody in the office is staring at her. The sheriff apologizes because they don't get "registered companions" out here in Paradiso. They just have to muddle through by getting to know each other and falling in love or maybe just getting drunk and all that troublesome nonsense. Inara offers to take Mal and Zoe off his hands, unless there was some other problem. The sheriff mentions that there was a problem with the Mal's story, but of course, Inara's lie covers their lie, so everything's okay.

Inara's shuttle returns to Serenity, and there are greetings all around. Wash gives Zoe a big hug. Jayne is lying on the one of the landings of the stairwell, semi-conscious. Kaylee explains that they tried to get him to the infirmary, but he was too heavy. Wash says that the ship is ready to go, but Mal has changed the plans. They're giving the medicine back. See, people need it, so they're going to give it to them. I guess they normally steal things that nobody wants. No wonder life is so hard for them. It's not easy being a soft-hearted, hard-bitten cynic with a heart of gold. Believe me, I know. Through partially paralyzed lips, Jayne expresses surprise that they're giving it back, and lies that he waited for them. Wash asks about Niska. Mal says they'll give the money back to Niska and explain and everything will be fine, because apparently Zoe wasn't joking when she told Mal he had a problem with his brain being missing. Wash informs Mal that they're about to get the opportunity to explain everything right now; Crow and his crew and his bad-ass tattoo have just found them.