“Malcolm Pitt, Dr. Holmes would like to see you.” it was a woman’s voice that rang clear through the air. It was one of those rare days, one where Malcolm was lounging around in the rec room, book in hand. It was curious to see the 16 year old boy with a book, but the nurse brushed it off, perhaps he had changed in his time here, she thought before he began to speak. “I’ll go later, I’m far too busy.” he huffed lowering his eyes back to the pages. She frowned. Over the years she had dealt with Malcolm’s horrible attitude and at first she took it personally, now she knew this was just how the boy acted. “Now Malcolm.” she repeated, this time with a more stern tone, blue eyes gazing at him. She held her breath, not sure if he would put up a fight or not. After a few heartbeats passed, he let out a long airy sigh and closed the book and lightly placed it on the table. 

He looked annoyed and glared at her as he walked by before letting his feet carry him towards the man’s office. Rounding the corner to his door, he saw a familiar face emerge from it. Payton. He halted where he was, expecting some sort of jab or snarky remark from her, but she stared down, tangled blonde hair brushing her cheeks. She walked passed him and he frowned. As far as he knew, the two of them weren’t fighting, so she had no reason to ignore him. Drawing his eyes back to the door, he pushed it open and strode into the office as the man looked up, his eyebrows already closely knit together. “Jesus Malcolm, knock why don’t you. What if I had been doing something important? What if you disturbed his greatness at work.” Malcolm rolled his eyes taking a seat, biting back just as hard. “You never do anything important or great.” 

Holmes shook his head and reached for his cup of coffee. Judging by his looks, this was probably his fifth or sixth cup. With Serenity shutting down, Holmes was busy and was forced to do actual work and not just sit around. Swallowing a gulp of coffee he started to speak. “Okay, let’s make this short and sweet and too the point. Today patients are packing. In two days, a bus will leave to bring the patients to Brielle.” he paused and held up three fingers.  “In three days, your Aunt--er--Guardian--um whoever she is will come to get you.” Malcolm pressed his lips together puzzled. “She’s coming to Brielle?” Holmes shook his head an pointed at Malcolm. “She’s coming to Serenity. You’re heading home.”

It took a moment for the words to process in his mind. Going home.. As in... Home home California...? This confused him even more, nothing was in Cali for him. He was told not too long after arriving here that his house was sold. They told him he would get the inheritance when he was older. He had heard that Beth, Jackie, and Harley weren’t there anymore either. “What---where?”

“Home,” Holmes repeated sighing and rubbing his temples. “Your adoption papers went through in time. You met her before remember? She’s taking you home in three days.” the man paused to study Malcolm’s shocked expression as she was surprisingly... quiet. “I’m just as shocked as you. I even recommended you for the psychiatric program there, but you were denied. Apparently you showed improvement after last summer’s Maya and Payton fiasco.” It was clear that Holmes didn’t believe Malcolm had improved at all as Malcolm lowered his eyes. Almost two years in Serenity, it was hard for him to imagine life outside of it. He had gotten used to how things worked in there and he wasn’t even sure what he would do if he left. Holmes kept talking, saying something about how Brielle would do monthly checks on him, but he wasn’t listening. His mind was somewhere else. All he could think about was home before it suddenly seemed to hit him. 

Being home = not in Serenity

No Serenity = no patients

No patients meant that Payton wouldn’t be there. 

During his stay at Serenity, Payton had become someone he almost needed. It helped him keep himself in check. If he got in to trouble she would scold him, kick him, or tell him he was an idiot. She had also become his rock during his moments of rage, someone who could pull him back and quell the anger. If she wasn’t there, he didn’t know what would happen. Probably a lot of fights. He thought to himself. As soon as Holmes stopped blabbing, he left the office in a hurry. He needed to find and talk to her. What if she wasn’t going home and she had somehow gotten transferred to Brielle. There was too much uncertainty for someone who needed to know everything. Right now, Malcolm felt powerless--a feeling he hated and scorned. It created an uneasy feeling as he roamed the halls searching for her. 

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