Story: Why Not Me Chapter: 1 Summary: Late night conversation, questions, and dancing between River and Kaylee Authors Note: warning, femme slash pairing. My first Firefly fiction. I'm having trouble personifying River, and Kaylee both. With River, it's this graceful confusion I'm having trouble capturing, and with Kaylee, it's the language, the accent, the jargon. Help Help Help, feedback deeply needed. Hasn't been Beta'd. Don't know someone who could. Anyone volunteering? Disclaimer. Joss is Boss. Don't own characters, But I'd sure love to own all the women of the ship.

River and Kaylee sat on the ground in the cargo bay, playing jacks, River winning. Jayne placed his bar on the bench shelves and stood up, nodding to Simon, giving thanks for spotting him.

Simon, shirtless and glistening with sweat, walked by and hopped up the stairs towards the infirmary and his bunk.

Kaylee stared after him, watching his torso shine in the light. She turned her attention back to the game as River picked up the ball and eight jacks.

Mentally following her brother through the ship and finding nothing attractive about his body, River handed Kaylee the jacks. “Still?” She asked innocently.

“Still what?” Kaylee’s eyes looked puzzled, but her emotions betrayed her.

“Simon still.”

Kaylee’s eyes went wide. “Your brother Simon? No, not for a long time now. You know that.

“I know. But I saw your eyes follow.”

“Naw, I was jus' wonderin where he's goin."

“Wondering if he’ll come back. If you’ll let him come back.”

Kaylee blushed. "Naw."

“Why not me?”

Her blush dissolved as a puzzled look took her face. “Whatcha mean, River?”

“Pairing. Inara and Mal, Wash was Zoe’s, Zoë was Wash's, Kaylee and Simon, Jayne and who knows, Book pretending to be a Shepherd, so no one for him.”

She looked Kaylee square in the eyes, causing Kaylee to stand up and step back

River stood and started to dance beautifully and gracefully. “And me alone." She looked straight at Kaylee. "I’m of age, you know.”

“River, whatcha say-"

River cut her off. “You’re not much older than I am, I know. Why not me?”

Kaylee finally grasped her meaning. “River, now we just friends. And I ain’t no kin'a sly no ways.”

River cocked her head to the side, puzzled, thinking. “Sly: Adept in craft or cunning. Lacking or marked by a lack of candor. Playfully mischievous; roguish.” She straightened her head and raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t say you were Mal.”

Kaylee laughed. “That ain’t what sly mean, River.”

River nodded. “Yes it does.”

Kaylee shook her head. “Well, shur’, but i ain’t mean that kin’a sly. I meant...” She stood silent for a second trying to figure out how to explain it.

River searched her mind for Kaylee’s meaning, for the last time she’d heard the word sly, a while back.

Nandi spoke to Mal. “You’re not sly are ya, cuz i got my boys...” She died later, so many had died.

River then comprehended and looked to Kaylee. “Sly: sexually attracted to the same sex.”

Kaylee, still deep in thought, nodded slowly. “That’s what I’s tryna say.”

River went back into her dancing. “You’ve thought of it. Daydreams and night dreams. Of Inara. But she belongs to the Captain, and he to her.”

Kaylee’s eyes went wide, she became mildly angry. “I weren’t, I wasn’t, I... You shouldn’tna been peakin in my head, River.”

“I can’t keep any of them out. Sometimes, I think it’s you who’s peaking in mine. But that’s impossible.” She stopped, balancing flawlessly on her right leg, her right, stopped from revolving around her spinning body. “Isn’t it?”

Kaylee, who couldn’t manage to remove the eternal enpuzzlement from her face, nodded. “You know it is. If anythin, it was a dream.”

“If dreams were horses...” River jumped to her left, and spun on a 45 degree tilt, hand then left leg touching the floor every 180 degrees.

Kaylee watched her dance, flawless, gracefull, beautiful. Her blue dress spun and rippled around her.

River smiled. “Why thank you.” She stopped on both feet and curtsied. She walked forward and grabbed Kaylee’s hands. “The teacher and the student.”

Pulling Kaylee with her, she danced around the room, spinning as she did so. Fumbling but taking it all in, Kaylee followed, smiling, still holding her soft hands. “This is fun!”

River raised her hand and Kaylee spun individually beneath it, then grabbed River’s hands again. After dancing for a few minutes, Kaylee grew tired, and lay down on the deck.

River lay beside her, staring directly at the top of the bay. “And now?”

Kaylee gazed to her left, River was barely inches from her face, and turned to face her. She reached over a few inches and grabbed River's hand. “Ain’t sly, River.”

River looked back towards the ceiling of the Bay.

Without speaking, Kaylee kissed her on the cheek. After watching the ceiling for minutes, they both were finally able to sleep.