He softly, absently stroked her hair, watching as she snored peacefully next to him. She hadn't been awake all that much for the past day or so. Just little, tiny minutes of his love opening her hazel eyes to him, just for a little. But it was enough. Just to know that she was alive was enough. He had come so close to losing her... Niska had pulled the trigger... but he had aimed the gun. Her vitals were strong and healthy, and soon she would be right as rain (or some other thing that is right. Simon couldn't fathom why folks thought of rain as "right". It made him feel downright miserable, truth to tell.) But that didn't matter. Kaylee would be alright. Suddenly, here eyes opened. They took in the room for a few seconds before they settled on Simon, sitting beside her in one of the Dining room chairs, his hand softly stroking her hair in long, fluid motions. Her smile lit up the room like it should. It was the thing he missed most. He loved her smile a little bit more than anything else about her. Not much, but a little. She soon found words for him, her throat taking strain after not talking for a day or so. "Hey... Simon. Whats goin' on?" He looked sheepishly at the floor. "You, um... you got shot." She arched one eyebrow. "Wha'?" "Yeah, uh... when we got saved from Niska, you got hit. We almost lost you. I almost lost you." Too close for comfort. She smiled. "Oh, naw, I was never in any trouble, I had you-" her face fell. "Oh God! Was anyone-" Simon held up his hands to placate her before she went on a rant. "Its okay, baobei, its okay. No one else was hurt. Not the Captain, not Zoe, not Inara, not-" "But... but you were tortured! I... I could have killed you..." Simon took her face in both of his hands. "Kaylee, it was the right thing to do. We all expected Niska to go for the decoy; we never thought he would have men raid Serenity. Mal and the others got us out before Niska could do any real damage to me." Seeing you bleed under my hands was tortue enough. "But-" He captured her lips in a gentle kiss. When he pulled slowly away, he had her full and undivided attention. "Shh, shh. Its alright. There wasn't any lasting harm done to me. Or you." At least, nothing that Niska could have done as effectively as I did. He smiled slightly. "And... we have a surprise for you!" Her eyes, which had formerly been staring into his two azure windows, snapped back to reality. "Huh? A what?" His smile brightened. "A present for you. From all of us. You know how you had been asking to go see your parents ever since we got together a month ago? Well, Mal has decided to go there, to let you see your parents. You deserve it." She gave a sort of squeal that many girls make when they are very happy. She lurched forward, grabbing Simon and getting him into a big hug. Simon looked past her shoulder at the wall. He returned her hug enthusiastically, but his eyes were his own. They roved to the door. There, standing half in shadow, was River. She quickly pulled away, not wanting to get in the way of her brother's time with Kaylee. Not know. He deserved it. More than anyone else right know, he deserved to be let alone. For now. *** Kaylee wobbled forward, a mite shaky on her feet now. Soon, they would be getting down to her home world; they were but a few hours out know. She first went over to Mal, embracing him and kissing him on the cheek in thanks. Then, she went to Inara, grabbing her hands and immediately started clamoring for any and all news that she had missed. She'd only been out a day, maybe a little more, and she still wanted to be up to date on all the latest gossip. On Serenity! Wasn't all that much to say, really. Well... a little "Mal?" Inara's voice was a little shaky as he entered her shuttle. He stepped in, trying and failing to retain some semblance of confidence here. "Uh, hi, 'Nara." He crossed his hands behind his back, like some school boy reciting a piece of poetry. "Um... well... y'see, this whole buisness with Kaylee, its got me thinkin'. On us." "Mal... last I checked, there wasn't an 'us'." Inara's eyes held all her fear at a glance. "Ah, see? Theres the rub, cuz there ain't an us. Not yet. And... well, all this has got me realizin' that lifes just too damn short for all the 'what ifs' and 'coulda beens' that we got goin' round. I... oh, I dunno. But... I was hopin' that, maybe, we could become somethin' more than what we are." Inara's eyes sparkled with a small glimmer of hope. "And what is 'something more'?" Mal took a step closer as she stood up. "Maybe... maybe a lil' more like Simon and Kaylee are now." He took her hands in his. Kaylee squealed in delight again, causing Mal and Simon to wince. "Oh, 'Nara, tha's just wunnerful! Aw, cap'n," she said slyly, a conspiratorial grin spreading over her face as she turned to Mal. "You ol' charmer, you. I knew that you'd come round eventually." Inara put her hand on Kaylee's shoulder. "He did it because of you, meimei." Kaylee turneqd back to her friend. "I'm happy ta help, 'Nara, happy ta help!" Before the two could start talking again, Simon cleared his throat. Kaylee turned to him. "Simon, whats up?" He grinned, slowly holding up a small box of carved wood. "Well, the captain got you a present, so I got you one of my own. I was planning to give it to you as a birthday present, but this is just as well." Slowly, he opened the small box of carved cherry wood. Inside, there was a small bracelet, golden chain with a small sapphire set in the middle. He slowly, languidly, pulled it out of its casing, undoing the clasp as he went. "I'm sorry I couldn't get anything more for you, but-" She leaned forward and kissed him. When she pulled away, she had the bracelet on her arm already, admiring it. "Its jus' shiny, Simon. Hell, its perfect!" Simon smiled as he leaned in, whispering in her ear as he enveloped her in a hug. "No, baobei, its not perfect. You make it perfect." *** SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... what do ya'll like? What do ya sorta like? What do ya hate? Please leave feedback, as it makes me feel all shiny.

-Danny