A/N: So I have been AWOL for a few days without notice, and I apologize but I was wisked away on an impromptu trip to the nice and cool Sierra Nevadas. I meditated on the wonders of the forest, caught a fish (supper), watched the olympics, and occasionally worked on this story, which wraps up shortly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To The Wessen Family

Merry Yuletide

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

Zoe smirked at the letter.

Yuletide was four days away, however Zoe wanted to get Simon’s plan done before the Captain and Inara returned, and they were coming home the next day after an earlier arrival than planned. Simon had improved over the last days, and had been given the responsibility of the fate of the Tig horse and money. Jayne naturally wanted to keep it, however Simon had been adamant about not keeping it nor selling it as it wouldn’t bode well on his conscious.

He had come up with a better idea.

The night was cold, a navy sky swirling with white snow against sterling moon and stars. However Zoe didn’t mind as Simon’s idea had a sort of poetry. She braked Amos right next to the small shack of a ranch house, and swung down to walk to the Tig horse tied to her rig. Untying the reins, she quietly led the blue blooded equine to the porch, where she tied it to the post of one of the poorer families in Pryor who had lost childern to the Lilac Syndrome. Taking the note, papers for the horse and the pouch of coins, she tucked it into the horse’s saddlebag and patted its flank.

She road back home, pleased with Simon’s decision.

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

River had stayed up on the mountain with Fiyero for another day.

It was gracious of Grand Master to do so, because he sat with them and helped her understand her sudden development before going back down to join the rest of the temple. The Alliance had left swiftly, without any further harassment, and life seemed to adjust back into its normalcy. River and Fiyero returned to their chores, to their classes, their schedule as if time away from it had never occurred. With that came the lack of privacy, though Fiyero snuck onto her bunk nearly every night to enjoy the nearness of her.

River was working in the garden with him, a task that had become her only activity with Fiyero since she had blazed through the classes they had been in together previously. He was off in another plot, harvesting vegetables while she was on her knees pulling weeds. It was a nice day, a cool breeze filtered through her uniform, and the sun peeked through lofty cotton clouds as she stole glances at him.

She still was confused as well as in awe and horror at her new talent. What she had done to the officer was still fresh in her mind, though it didn’t cut to the bone it was still a reminder that she could terrorize. And Fiyero, atop of it all, had taken the news with only minor shock and enormous acceptance. He looked at her, talked to her, existed with her as if her power and past were merely a way to playfully tease her when needed.

River Tam understood, but she didn’t comprehend.

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

The trip home, had been less than luxurious.

Inara sold what she wanted, most of her possessions with only a few treasured items she wished to keep and pass onto Meilin. With it tickets were purchased, and they were ushered to the luxury liner and their room.

Their single room.

It was tiny compared to the plush suite they had been spoiled with, the new cabin cramped and akin to a cheap motel room. The family passed the time the best they could, though they were unable to have access to most of the amenities they had been given on the flight over. Time was spent either on the coach deck exercising a giant orange pet that was restless in their closet of a cabin, entering the dining hall for meals (not Inara’s favorite pastime), or just staying indoors playing with Meilin.

“How much did this room cost again?” Mal growled as he had to slide through the bathroom door sideways to get into their accommodations.

Inara held their daughter as she sat on their double bed, Meilin was in her deep nap state, stubby fingers in her mouth, being the only one comfortable in the room. “Most of what I sold, but it was worth it because we’ll be home soon.” She sighed, as the wealth she had talked about investing in Kaylee’s projects had been spent on fleeing Sihnon. Such was life though whenever they seemed to come into some good money.

Shan-shan yawned from her square of space on the floor. Though she was with Inara, it was quite a step down from her life on the rolling Serra Estate.

“We shoulda waited for Zoe, wouldn’t have had to have bent over and taken the price nor lived in this cangshu longzi.” He huffed, shuffling through their luggage to the bed. Since day one of paying through the nose for the shittiest cabin he had ever seen, Malcolm Reynolds had been none too pleased.

“You know, you can quit complaining anytime now, especially since we’re docking in thirty minutes.” Inara watched as he carefully stepped around the tiger that took up the floor.

“I got every right ta complain, we’re existing in a shoebox.” He sat on the bed and let out a deep breath. “I’ve been in hostels nicer than this.”

Inara gave a subtle look of exasperation as Meilin kicked her foot out of the blanket as she slept.

Mal rubbed his face, and looked across to them, negative thoughts towards the accommodations dissipating.

“What?”

“Oh nothin’… you two just gotta knack for appearing about as sweet as the ‘verse allows.” He explained, looking down at the napping Meilin. “You feelin’ better?”

“I am.” She admitted. “I just had to get off of that world. That’s why I left in the first place…” Pausing, she mused over her own words “there was so much pressure, controlling, and I burned myself out getting caught up in it all… plus my mother, I’ve just decided I can’t coexist with her on any level.”

“I agree, I imagine she could take down a reaver.” Mal quipped, running his fingers through glossy black hair, he kissed a previously hidden ear in a way that was rather suggestive.

“Hmm… why are we so amorous?” She answered back softly as he began to kiss around the general circumfrence of the ear. It felt heavenly, they had been so uncomfortable since leaving Sihnon they hadn't had time to do anything romantically enjoyable. “More so how have you been able to go from cantankerous about the room to sympathetic about my issues with my mother to passionate all in the span of a few minutes?”

“I have many intricate facets, too many to properly explain.” He announced, sliding an arm around her back. “As well as the knowledge that this is the last thirty minutes we will have to ourselves for awhile?”

“So you propose we do something in this shoebox?” She couldn’t help but look on amusingly as he moved in, yet Meilin stretched and reminded him there was another person in the tiny cabin. “Where exactly would we place a certain someone?”

Meilin idly sucked on some of her fingers as she slept, her other fingers grasping Inara’s dress. She groaned, a cute little roadblock as there was no room to put her anywhere else.

Mal gently took Meilin, who grabbed onto him as he got up and carefully picked his way to the closet, where he grabbed her basket. Nearly tripping over a paw, he skirted disaster and set the basket on the counter with the sink, then placed the sleeping infant inside. He cleared the counter off, putting anything sitting on it in the sink, that way there was plenty of space on the counter for the basket. He grabbed a spare blanket folded at the foot of the basket, and draped it over the top of it to swath Meilin in darkness. Turning, he returned to Inara triumphantly, sitting next to her.

Inara was the one that started first, When he sat down, she pressed her lips against his, and fondled the buttons on his shirt. He finvers quickly opened a few.

Mal smiled his slight smile as he took her by the hips, smoothing a hand up the back to find the zipper. He teasingly pulled it down, taking his sweet time.

Inara rolled her eyes as he was going to take too long and shoved him down.

Mal grunted as his fly was suddenly pulled down and she was pushing her skirt out of the way. “Um… ok.”

“We only have thirty minutes.” She breathed.

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

Kaylee hurried over to the returning family.

“Welcome back!” she hugged her friend and gazed down at Meilin who was wide eyed and bundled up against the cold air of the Horus Docks. “So how was it?”

Inara chose her words carefully. “Enlightening. I think Mal took a lot away from the experience.”

“You think? Never took the Cap’n for the observant type.” She kissed Meilin, willingly taking the baby as Inara offered her up.

“Y’know I can always find someone else ta give my Yuletide gifts.” Mal came from behind and hugged her. Relieved he was back with his crew.

“Well… y’know I was just kiddin’.” She smiled coyly, innocently, batting her lashes.

“And money grows in sandy soil.” He kissed the back of her head and walked over to Zoe as Kaylee and Inara chatted. “How was it being in charge?”

“Interesting, Sir.” She announced tightly, looking down by his side at a peculiar site. “You bought tiger, Sir?”

Shan-shan sniffed her boots and let out a friendly chuff.

“Oh no, this is Inara’s pet that we decided needed to join the ranch.” He explained. “Reckon a cattle ranch just isn’t complete until it has its own two hundred pound tiger.”

“Riiight.” She nodded her head in a way that meant there were some things she would never understand as dock hands walked past them with cargo. Catching a glimpse of what they were bringing in, her head turned back to him. “You bought trees?”

“Landscaping, Zoe, our yard is in a pitiful state.”

“Had a good time, Sir?”

“Well it’s somethin’ I’ll never forget, let’s put it that way.” He walked towards his ship as reuniting with Serenity was just as important, the tiger on the lead following.

Zoe began to walk just as Inara and Kaylee caught up with her. “So, the trip?”

“We won’t be returning anytime soon.” She sighed. “How was the ranch while we were gone?”

“Interesting, I believe I’ll be explaining a few things.”

“ZOE.” Mal hollered.

Kaylee winced, Inara’s perfectly styled brows shot up, and Zoe braced herself as they walked into the cargo bay.

Mal came out of the common area, pushing a wheelchair containing Simon in his pajamas, who seemed none too pleased he was being hijacked. “How did this happen?”

“I told you, I was in a gunfight.” Simon explained in frustration as his story was not believed. He did freeze however when a large tiger set its head in his lap and licked his hands.

“Zoe, what happened to him?” Mal repeated.

“He was in a gunfight.” She clarified.

Mal gave a sarcastic chuckle. “Nei shi huaqi deyu, but no, seriously, what happened.”

“Well when we dropped ya off we picked up a buncha shepherds from the Southdown Abby and Simon was challenged to a pistol fight with Bailey Tigg. A Shepherd trained Simon to gun fight, and he got in an early duel, won the duel, then one of the shepherds was a doctor and patched him up.” Kaylee said quickly. “Shepherds left though, we took them to the spaceplex this morning.”

Inara’s eyed widened as she looked from Kaylee to Simon.

“All that happened when I was gone?” The captain quizzed incredulously.

“That’s the condensed version, but yes.” Simon added as he scratched Shan-shan’s ears for domestic large animals were not uncommon on his home world.

There was a pause as Malcom Reynolds digested all of the information. “Well, I’m never leaving you without a tight leash again.” He announced to Simon. “You’re becoming worse than Jayne, gettin’ in fights, pistol dueling, not the man that once smuggled his sister aboard my boat.”

Simon could pick up the good deal of humor in his speech."I'm sorry, it seems I have been poisoned by the wickedness of the rim. I'll do my best to change, but it may be too late."

“No no, nice to see you fitting in well. I guess as long as you’re well by the drive, there’s no need to fuss over this.” He concluded, patting Simon’s shoulder.

Simon winced.

*** *** *** TRANSLATIONS/DEFINITIONS cangshu longzi: Hamster cage Nei shi huaqi deyu: That is as funny as hell ****As always, the writer appreciates all comments whether they be positive, negative, or suggestions.**