Kaylee had prepared the plates.

Simon had gone off to retrieve the rest of his suit, then went to the cockpit because he had something planned for them in there. Eager, she dished out portions, then balanced the plates as she barefooted down the corridor.

Simon stood at the door, swooping in to take the plates as she absorbed the surroundings.

Kaylee gasped.

Before work that morning, he had taken a sheet of plywood and a couple of crates up to the cockpit. Now, one crate and the plywood piece were the table, elegantly conceiled under a tablecloth, and the other crates served as the chairs. It was all positioned at the very nose of the ship, the ceiling the windshield and the blanket of stars in full view. He ahd also lit a small candle in the center, two glasses with the wine bottle chilling in an ice filled Blue Sun coffee can, a platter of chocolate dipped strawberries, and had tried to set up a cheese and bread plate, yet the bread was mangled on account of the Hero of Canton. He set the plates down, and went back to retrieve his awestruck bao-bei. With chivalry that came from the finest cotillions and debutantes, the took her hand and kissed it, bowing deeply. "Miss Frye, may I escort you to your table?"

The mechanic, who had never been addressed in such a manner, felt the threat to melt into a puddle, or, jump her date's bones. Composing herself the best she could, she noticed the twinkle in his eye and merely nodded her head.

Simon held onto the hand, but placed his other on the small of her back to properly walk her over in Core high class custom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inara helped her onto the couch.

Her demeanor could only be classified by the ex-companion as a panic attack. The reader was cold sweating, hands trembling, eyes shut as she let out a crackled cry of pain.

"Sweet heart, we're on Shadow..." Inara gently gathered the smaller hands, as River had balled herself up. Her own worry began to grow at a rapid pace, River's last sentence sent her into a downward spiral. "Bao-bei...."

"Not processing...." She choked out, head whipping around wildly as if it threatened to spin off. Gasping for air, River appeared to search desperately for familiarity. "Layout doesn't fit..... doesn't fit in the mold....."

"River..."

"Bu dui shi.... ma... di... yin-ying..."

"River..."

Boston and York howled to add their own uninterperated frets.

"This isn't where we practice...." She babbled. "Couch not here... there... this... isn't where we are..."

"River we're at the ranch...."

River's eyes blinked with a snap, and she shot up straight, making her friend most ungracefully fall backwards. "WHERE'S SERENITY?!"

Mal came through the old screen door, and immediately braked.

"Na-li shi Ping-jing?!" River, seized Inara with startling strength by the collar of her dress, and hauled her up to her own face.

"River.... Serenity..."

"They don't go here!... They don't. Go. There." Her eyes suddenly raged with an earnest intensity as she pressed Inara. "Where is the layout."

Inara's quite frightened brown gaze swept to the side to land on Mal and Zoe, who were slowly creeping in to free her lest River further proved to be a March Hare. "River..." Her voice quivered, yet she steadied herself and used a hand to signal Mal and Zoe to back down. River no doubt knew they were there, and there was no telling if she would escalate the entire matter once they were within her grasp. "What doesn't go here."

Her grip loosened as she turned to the fireplace and gestured with her chin to the mantle. "The saurischians."

Zoe studied the stegosaurus and triceratops adorning the mantle. Wash's dinosaurs decorated several areas of their new home. The other places being the little oasis with plastic palm trees and a houseplant in the kitchen windowsill where 'Rex', 'Zilla' and 'Spike' were, and the rest of the menagerie were in her own room. She gestured to the captain, making surehe understood.

Mal moved in and skillfully replaced the collar of Inara's dress with his own hands, thus putting himself in River's grasp. "Those dinos?"

The waif of a teen began to rock herself, head nodding and spilling over a curtain of raven hair. "They need to be in their place.... up front helping me fly...."

"River." Mal cut her off firmly, his commanding voice getting her attention. "We aren't on Serenity right now."

She gave a 'well duh' look. "But we need to be."

"You 'n me both on that feelin', Lil' One, but we're not on Shadow right now. You're in our home, dirtside on Shadow, 'n everything was dandy till ya currently went ta pieces." He noticed how the turbulent glaze over the round orbs dissipated, and within seconds he had a very cogent and ashamed River Tam. "You back?"

River dipped her head and let go. "Back."

"You gonna be well? Or do I gotta go and disturb that splendiferously dressed brother of yours and his date?" River slipped past him, tight lipped and seeming to ignore his question. Standing, Mal folded his arms against his chest and gave her a dour face. "I dunno if you forgot or not but I can't read your mind...."

"Fine." She muttered, naked feet padding over to scoop up a saucer eyed Boston who had taken refuge on a bookshelf between a leather bound H.G. Wells and a hardcover solar system atlas. After taking hold of her cross eyed friend, who let out a timid squeak, she ghosted over to the stairs.

Inara walked over and touched the railing. "Would you like to talk, Sweetie?"

River paused, face demure and concealing how rattled she felt. "No thank you."

"Would you like me to draw you a bath?"

"No." She went up the stairs, York following at her heels.

"Is there anything...."

"You could tell him the truth." With that, River knew she had successfully deflected all thoughts of going to Simon about her outburst as she shut her bedroom door. Conflict, yes, she had created that, yet she was at peace with it. They needed to get it out anyhow.

Mal turned to Inara, confused, yet curious. "Hate to assume... but I gather I am him?"

Zoe, feeling the type of discussion it was about to become, retreated to her own room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Simon had quite possibly praised the meal a dozen times over.

Kaylee knew it was because he was nervous for the chivalry could only cover up so much. Still, it was endearing, and she was still in awe at what he had done to give her a fine date. They had gone through their pasts, his days on Osiris including the less gallant moments that became public service announcements on the evils of saki, and her days on Boros which included plenty of her own mischievous moments. There had been ample laughter from both sides of the table, the wine fuel for giggle fits, however the night settled into more sincere talk.

Kaylee's eyes seemed a deeper green as they danced on Simon's candlelit features.

"What?" He asked, amused with her thoughtful expression whilst her drank fine wine.

"Nothin'." She skirted away from the question she wanted to ask, and dug around in her mind for something else. Remembering her confabulation with Mr. Colter, she grinned. "You wanna here good news?"

"Of course." He smiled back, as suddenly she had shifted like a summer's breeze, face a glow with excitement.

"I was at the general store, fixin' Mr. Colter's truck....."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mal was following Inara into their bedroom.

It was the first 'their bedroom' for them. On Serenity they had both spent the night from his quarters to hers, both wary of moving in with the other and making it somewhat official. But seeing as there were only so many rooms in the ranch house, they had decided to take the master bedroom. And as Mal followed with the need to know what River had blurted, it was obvious Inara had done the decorating, as some of her fineries graced the room.

"It was nothing, Mal." She shooed him away with a wave of her hand.

"Then why did River say it?" He shut the door and shucked off his coat, ignoring her gesture. "You not responding gives me the notion it is somethin'..."

"You know what Mal?" She whirled around and faced him, lovely face clearly peeved. "It amazes me you want to talk."

His brows furrowed. "And what does that mean?"

"Means we haven't talked in months. Probably since we landed here." She raised her voice.

"Oh! So you've been wantin' ta talk? 'Cause you've been as gregarious as a brick wall. I've been talkin' a plenty but you barely say anything other than pleasantries..."

"Pleasantries? You're the one ridiculously optimistic every day!"

"So you don't like me bein' happy?!"

"I don't like you putting on face and not being honest...."

"Plenty honest!"

"To Zoe... and possibly River and that's because she knows your real feelings?!"

"I'm honest to you!"

"When?!"

Mal's face went blank as he put his hands on his hips. There was a silence that crossed their paths, and he clearly took the time to find that moment when he had expressed himself to her. "Well...."

"See?!" she scowled.

"Well obviously you haven't been forthright with me either! And what do you want me to say?!" He snapped back in frustration. "That I ain't happy here? That I know what the chances are for makin' this lot work? That there are rustlers, pirates, reavers and winter we gotta get through before driving all of that beef ta New Calgary for profit?! I have to keep moral up, this ain't us out in the black with hope of work. That died, and this here farm is one shot. One shot Inara, one shot at life and right now Kaylee's the one putting food on the table at a steady pace. We have a good week that means Simon's delivered a few babes so we got a little more to patch holes. Place looks like a slice of heaven but it ain't made of gorram platinum."

They stared each other down, Inara breaking first as she turned and sighed.

Mal scrubbed the back of his head, setting his jaw as he was good and plenty riled up. "You don't even go outside... Doc took to the land faster than you. Act like you're trapped in here as a cook and maid."

There, Inara knew the seed of his pain. This was his world, though he wasn't there on his on accord, nonetheless he was carving out a new life and she was stubbornly refusing to acclimate to it. She didn't see herself in the life. She didn't see herself being a frontierwoman, and she didn't say anything.

"You don't like this way, you can take a shuttle and leave." There was a bitter undertone to his voice as he started to pace. "Horus has a first class dock, I'm sure you can find a transport to Shinon and return to your bed of roses. Un-retire yourself or what ever the hell ya call it."

"Mal...."

"You love the ship, we ain't occupyin' in so it doesn't grieve me none if you trek back."

"I can't do that."

The way she said it, the way the words were spoken with humiliation made him turn to see her sullen mien. "Shen-me wei ni yi-wei-zhe?"

"The parliament oversees the Guild." Her gazed dropped to her hands as they fidgeted. "In illation from their review of my part in what happened with Miranda, they pulled my certification... I... I didn't retire."

He tilted his head to the side, trying to process it all. "You went to Horus to see clients...."

"Not guild clients." Her voice wavered at the thought of what she had done.

"That means..."

"YES MAL. I whored myself out." She snapped out of defense and suffering.

His face softened, though he still didn't understand. "Why..."

"We needed the money." She fought tears, feeling demeaned in front of Mal. "You had to buy a hundred acres so I sold some of my things and I... I did what I know...."

Walking over, he slipped his hand on her shoulder. Feeling guilty, for she had put herself in that situation to contribute to buying land, he pressed his lips to her forehead as a silent apology.

Inara exhaled deeply, resting herself against him.

***** ***** ***** TRANSLATIONS

Bao-bei: Darling

Bu dui shi.... ma... di... yin-ying..: Not the right history... horses... land... shadow...

Na-li shi Ping-jing?!: Where is Serenity?!

Shen-me wei ni yi-wei-zhe?: What do you mean?

*******

Comments are welcome, whether praise or critism.