Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, just writing for fun.

A/N-Best to read First, Folks, and Apprehension. Yay parents. Will post more soon, hope you like it and please comment!!! ________________________________________________________________

Simon tossed and turned all night. He had become accustomed to holding Kaylee when they slept. He missed the heat of her lying against him, her hair and the scent of it. Not to mention the bad dreams. He had awoke twice from some mysterious figure with an exceedingly enormous gun shooting at him. His nerves were shot by the morning. The rest of the day was filled with Kaylee’s irresistible anticipation. Every one on the ship was just as excited as she was, except for Simon, he was excited in a whole other way. A home cooked meal, and maybe some drink, the prospect of a fine time was always welcomed by the crew of Serenity. With a few minutes left before they would land, Kaylee was eagerly changing into her new dress that she had picked up in Three Hills. It was similar to her flowered one, with the wrap tie and short skirt, in the prettiest green she had ever laid eyes on. There were a few tiny embroidered birds on it, painstakingly intricate and even though it was second hand, Kaylee had fallen in love with it like it was brand new. She had scrubbed all the grease off her face and body, it was pink and flushed with the effort. Her hair was freshly washed, dried, and laid soft and shiny around her face. She smiled in the mirror as she felt the rumble of Serenity hitting atmo. Quickly slipping on her shoes, Kaylee raced out from the room and headed to the cargo bay. Assembled by the mule, except River and Mal, busy with landing the ship, they were all dressed in their nicest clothes. Kaylee beamed even brighter, the thought that they all wanted to make a good impression on her family. Even Jayne had put on his whorin’ outfit. “Y’all look so pretty!” _______________________________________________________________

Her daddy was waiting outside for his little girl to arrive home. After docking it was just a short walk down to the Frye’s shop and home. With the last light of the summer day ending, they could all see Kaylee's home town was just like any other border town, right down to the dusty roads and mish mash of metal and stucco buildings. Kaylee had been leading the pack, holding Simon’s hand and dragging him behind her. At the sight of her father she let go and ran into his arms. They could see he wasn’t a large man, not much taller than Kaylee herself, but he seemed strong. He was the quintessential prairie man, sun browned and craggy. His head was covered by light brown hair, with a full beard and moustache. Her father’s arms tightly circled Kaylee in a hug and all the love for his only child was apparent in that embrace. From the cry of joy that escaped out of Kaylee there was a commotion from inside. Her mother came bouncing out the door, a familiar sight for the crew that had been lingering back, letting the family have their moment. She looked almost exactly like Kaylee, she had the sweet pixie face and soft auburn hair. She was rounder, though, and when Kaylee leapt into her arms it was like being held by a soft pillow. Mal made the first move up to Kaylee’s father, stretching out his hand, “John.” Kaylee’s father clasped Mal’s hand in a firm but cordial hand shake,” Mal.” “Oh, ain’t this a scene. C’mon now, everybody inside," Kaylee’s mother chided and then let go of her daughter only slightly to motion those standing back to the doorway. John Frye nodded and then silently led the way. He was a man of few words, they could all tell from his demeanor. Jayne nudged Simon in the ribs and commented as they walked to the porch,” S’pose bein’ all eloquent ain’t goin’ to help much with him.” Jayne then passed him up chuckling as he followed the rest. Kaylee’s mother still held onto Kaylee on the porch when Simon began up the front steps. Kaylee slid from her mother’s hold and grabbed Simon’s hand as he tried to enter unnoticed. “Mama, this is Simon. Simon, this is my mama, Grace.” Simon extended his hand formally, trying to stand up as straight as possible. “Mrs. Frye, it’s good to meet you.” “Well, I’ve certainly been waitin’ ta meet you. Pleasure’s all mine.” Grace took Simon’s hand and smiled gently at his obvious uneasiness. “Best ya be headin’ up now. That large boy looks like he could eat all the food in one bite, and I’ve been slavin’ all day. Wanna make sure y’all get a taste. And I still haven‘t been properly introduced to them all yet, carryin’ on like we did. Go on now.” Simon returned Grace’s smile and headed into the door and up the stairs. Grace looked at her daughter with an approving twinkle in her eye. “Well, if that boy ain’t all swai.” Kaylee's cheeks began to blush. Her mother reached up and smoothed Kaylee’s hair, then planted a kiss on her forehead. “C’mon, Baby, there certainly are a lotta people to go meet.”

to be continued...