The traditional obligatory offering to Boss Joss. Love his work, got bored, and decided to run with it!

This is a story co-written with a very good friend of mine, aka DeanWinchester here at FF.net. Action adventure, some family drama, and humor. Simon/Kaylee and Mal/Inara galore! Jayne/OC as well. Also, River getting to be a teenage girl in later chapters!

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As morning came on board Serenity, Inara shifted in her sleep, the cool, over processed air in the Mal’s room causing her to shiver. The movement made her suddenly aware, despite her half-consciousness, of the heavy weight resting along her body. With a quiet sigh, and the hint of a smile, she glanced down to see the captain lying against her in a deep sleep, his cheek resting heavily against her chest in the tangle of sheets intertwined between them.

Her lips quirked up in a dreamy smirk. Many nights had drifted by much this way. And to tell the truth, Inara wasn't minding it one bit, really. Shifting very carefully as to not wake him, Inara brushed away the covers shielding the man's face from her sight, until his cheek finally rested upon warm skin, and she could see him more clearly. She lifted a hand, gracefully running her fingers through the warm coarseness of Mal's hair.

Mal wasn't going to deny that he was enjoying this secret thing they had going on. It was nice to not go back to his bed each night and be alone inside it. Granted it was way more crowded than it ever had been it was still a good thing if you asked him. One Inara was far more graceful than most of the women that had been in this bed. Which was...well, one. That probably wasn't the best way to look at things, so he brushed that thought away.

He was sleeping himself into a silly stupor at the moment. Using her as a lovely pillow. It wasn't until he felt fingers combing through his hair did he realize he was partially awake. He didn't want to admit it he was trying to fall back asleep. Though the lack of movement in the belly of Serenity told Mal that they had landed already.

The past couple days had been almost perfect, in his opinion. Sometimes he'd find himself planning a job with Zoe and he'd glance up from their plans and she'd be there making tea or something. Mal would just watch her till she was finally done. Zoe would have to snap him out of his gaze and force him to pay attention. He had no doubt in his mind that his first mate knew something was up. It was the others like Kaylee, Simon, and Jayne that he wanted to keep it quiet around. Lord knew that River already knew. The girl was a walking mind reader so it was hard to hide much from her.

Inara tried her best to remain still as she combed through to the back of his neck, knowing full well that any sudden movement could land them smack dab on the cold metal floor. Though, she mused with a gleam in her eye, on some occasions they'd found themselves in that position and hadn't minded at all. But, regardless, there wasn't much she could do to persuade Mal to change their surroundings. As far as that stubborn ass of a man was concerned, Inara's shuttle did not even exist. She knew that the very idea of sharing a bed with her and not being even in the first dozen to have ever used it made him uneasy. So, for the sake of Mal's ego, and not to cause a riff between them on such a silly subject, Inara had agreed to keep their rendezvous secluded to Mal's living quarters only.

Rendezvous? The thought occurred to Inara that she wasn't really sure of the proper term to use to describe them. In fact, since that first night that they had been together, she and the Captain had not once discussed the nature of their relationship. Sure, she had attempted to bring up the issue several times, but most attempts ended in much more distracting ways than arguing. Even their everyday activities had dramatically shifted in tone.

Inara couldn't deny that she had trouble not watching him from across the room or hallway. Stifling girlish smiles and giggles had since become second nature to her. When the two were in the same room, the tension was palpable. Her thoughts drifted to the last few weeks: arguing breaking down into hormone-driven teasing, hands brushing past each other down the halls, the occasional stolen kiss when they found themselves wandering around a corner alone...

Inara's skin flushed as she suddenly felt him shifting against her, and her attention returned to stroking his hair. "You know, you're kind of cute when your sleeping," she whispered to him with a soft grin, fingers grazing along the side of his face. She had a feeling that he was beginning to wake from his stupor.

At the sound of her soft voice Mal's eyes flickered under his lids, but they did not open. A slow smile spread across his lips. "You crazy?" He commented finally opening them to lift his head up. "I'm cute all the time. It's a common known fact." The captain managed to sit up the best he could. He rubbed the back of his head. He was pushing tufts of his hair down. He was a good sleeper, so his hair tended to stick up most of the time when he woke up. It was kind of funny if you ever woke up next to a snoozing Malcolm Reynolds. You'd be in for a shock.

Inara shivered as Mal lifted his exposed body from hers, leaving her in the cool air. Sometimes that man was infuriating, but right now he was milking that ‘sweet but saucy guy after sex’ bit that he’d perfected with her over the last few weeks. And despite how much she had been fighting it, the Companion was finding herself falling for it more and more.

Mal rubbed his bare chest and then his eyes. He was trying to wake himself up. He didn't exactly know when he had drifted asleep last night. It was hard to distinguish. Mal looked over at Inara and smiled. "You were mighty loud last night." He commented nodding his head. "I think Kaylee or Jayne might have heard you." He said laughing.

“Bih-zway, ni zhu,” she glared up at him with a smirk. Inara writhed beneath the covers, unable to find a warmer position than her earlier one. Reaching out, she snatched Mal’s wrist, tugging him back down towards her. “And get back down here; its cold,” she chuckled, her hand wrapping around the man’s neck as she pulled him to her. Her lips met Mal’s in a gentle, tentative kiss, before deepening it eagerly.

Mal could only chuckle. When he was snatched up and pulled towards her he went willingly. Laughing he lay there staring down at her. Pulled into a kiss he deepened it.

That was when he heard it. The sound of the comm crackling to life. Growling he pulled back watching her. "I should get that." He muttered, rolling away. He took a separate sheet, leaving her with the rest of the covers. He held it around his waist going up to the wall unit. Hitting the button he leaned in.

"What Zoe?" He barked, putting his head against the wall.

"Sir, we touched down ten minutes ago. You're needed up here. Sir..." His first mate trailed off. "You wouldn't happen to be in your room would you?" He could hear the suspicion in her voice.

"Yes, Zoe." He mumbled, sucking on his bottom lip.

"That’s what I thought, sir." He could hear amusement in her voice. Mal watched the comm system, stunned.

"What’s that supposed to mean?!" He called. Getting no answer, he grumbled.

Inara lifted herself up on her elbow, watching with an amused grin as Mal spoke to his first mate over the comm. She hated the idea of the crew talking about their relationship behind their backs, but it was hardly unexpected, or avoidable for that matter.

"You would think they could take care of things themselves." He said shuffling off towards his pants that hung on his chair. Grabbing them he tossed the sheet off to the side and pulled them on one leg at a time. Buttoning he let the suspenders lay at his sides.

Without answering him, Inara watched him with vague interest as he slowly dressed himself. Inara fought the urge to object as he turned to face her.

"Where's my shirt?" He asked, looking towards her.

Her expression softened, and she suddenly became aware of the lump of cloth tangled around her legs. Reaching down underneath the covers, she squirmed to take her weight off of the crumpled up piece of cloth beneath her and ever so slowly pull it out. As inch after inch of Mal’s shirt appeared from under the sheets, Inara lifted and dangled it in the air in front of her. She lifted a brow teasingly as she watched him silently from the bed.

“You mean this?”

Mal tilted his head watching as she pulled the shirt out slowly. He shook his head with a smile. "Jing-tsai..." Mal muttered watching in complete silence. Finally he stepped towards her gently reaching out to touch his shirt. "You're gonna be the death of me one day."

He took the shirt, but leaned in still and kissed her deeply. Stepping back he shrugged it on and buttoned it. Stuffing it into his pants he pulled the suspenders up and over his shoulders.

Inara smiled as she settled beneath the sheets, and chuckled pleasantly when Mal snatched the shirt from her grasp. The prospect of him leaving the room wasn’t entirely pleasant, but it was getting along in hours, and perhaps it was time for their blissful little bubble to be popped by reality.

He looked down at her again and winced slightly. He leaned down, once more kissing her. With a bit of force of his part, Mal was finally able to tear himself away, turning and going towards his stairs. "I hate being the captain." He muttered, climbing up and out into the hallway. He stalked down the way to get into the bridge.

“I’ll be up in a little while,” she said softly as he opened the hatch upstairs. She fell silent as the bedroom became exposed to the upstairs hallway, all sounds now shared between the two spaces. She lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a quiet sigh.

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Finally after some frustrated attempts, Mal reached the bridge looking quite annoyed. "You better have broke something."

Zoe was lounging in one of the pilot seats. She glanced back at Mal as he came in. He looked kind of out of sorts and she offered him a smile. "Have fun sir?" She got the 'I have no clue what your talking about' look and nodded. "That’s what I thought.”

She glanced back to the front, reclining in her chair. “Nothing is wrong up here. Thought you might like to conversate instead of being in your bunk. All alone." She drew the words out with a wry smirk. Catching the captain’s glare from the corner of her eye, she simply grinned, spinning to face forward again.

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Mal stalked off into the kitchen, cutting through and going for the cargo hold. Stepping onto a catwalk he looked down seeing Jayne fiddling with the door controls.

"You gonna open them or just stare, Jayne?" Jayne looked up and he could hear curses being muttered.

"I was planning on it, but then..." His mind went towards his brothers. His sisters and his family. And Aria. Plus, what today was wasn't helping his mood any. Finally, his hand slammed down hitting the button and he watched the cargo doors open.

Mal watched the burly mercenary with a curious eye. Jayne wasn't budging. He was staring out the cargo doors like he'd seen a ghost. "Woulda ya go already?" He asked, nudging the man. Jayne seemed to be out of sorts today. But Mal was itching to find out who knew a younger version of Jayne. One, he wanted some leverage, and two, it was just downright funny.

"Why you just standing there Jayne? You're supposed to be heading to your mother’s place. We all supposed to. You requested to go ahead first. Now get."

The mercenary wasn't budging. He looked back at Mal face was white as a sheet. "I feel kinda sick, Mal." He commented looking back out.

Finally he willed his feet to move and was heading out of the hold in moments. Stepping outside he looked up to the sky at the sun. He shook his head rubbing his eyes. Jayne agreed to walk ahead. So the crew could use the mule. He could make it. Wasn't too far from here. This was going to be a hell of a ride for Jayne Cobb.

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Several minutes passed, and Inara decided that perhaps it was time that she head out and back to her own room. It took her several minutes longer than she’d wanted to change, since her clothes were wrinkled beyond immediate repair. When she’s sufficiently cleaned herself up for the trek across Serenity’s hold, Inara swiftly and silently made her way up the ladder as the hallway above fell silent. Her head peeked out of the hatch, glancing right and left to make sure that there was none of the crew standing there in wait.

Satisfied that the coast was clear, Inara stepped cautiously up the rungs, finally steadying herself at the top and stepping onto the grated floor. Glancing up to the cockpit, she saw Zoe seated in the pilot’s seat. As she slowly turned around to head back towards the cargo hold, Inara wondered why that chair was even available for the first mate, considering that particular spot was normally taken up by…

“River!” Her voice nearly squeaked in fright as the young girl appeared out of nowhere, mere inches from Inara’s face. With a loud exhale, she lifted a hand to her heart, trying to recover from the sudden shock. “Goodness, you startled me,” she chuckled with a weak smirk, carefully stepping around the girl, but noticing acutely that River began following her down into the dining room.

At that moment, Kaylee had also decided to appear, wearing brightly colored pajamas as she wandered out into the kitchen. Pouring herself a mug full of lukewarm coffee, the young mechanic leaned against the counter.

“Mmm…” she groaned cheerfully, stretching as best she could without spilling her coffee. When she saw Inara stepping into the dining room, she took a long sip of her warm drink. “Oh, mornin’ Inara,” she yawned with a dreamy grin, showing in no uncertain terms that she’d obviously enjoyed her evening. Inara offered the girl a faltering smile.

“Morning, mei mei,” Inara managed out softly, still a bit caught off guard by River’s sudden appearance.

River didn’t seem nearly as pleased by the morning as Kaylee did, studying Inara with a blank, yet childish expression. “You wore that last night,” she observed curiously, her tone deadpanned as she met the Companion’s eyes with consideration.

Inara felt her skin redden uncontrollably as she forcibly avoided eye contact with both Kaylee and River as she hurried out of the cargo hold and pressed on down the catwalk.

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Simon stepped into the lab with a shiver. It was a bit cold at the moment. Rubbing his arms some he went over to his table. He figured it to be cold from the lack of Kaylee next to him. He'd deal though.

Zoe left her post in the bridge and headed to the back to round up the doctor and Kaylee if she was at his side. She found him alone in the lab. Poking her head in, she nodded. "Should come up to the kitchen so Cap'n can talk to us all." Simon gave her a nod and went back to his task.

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Within the half-hour, the remaining crew had assembled in the kitchen, as per Mal’s request. Kaylee, fully dressed in her olive jumpsuit, reclined in her chair at the dinner table with her feet propped up on the solid tabletop, while River had taken a spot on top of the kitchen counter, her legs pulled up beneath her. It was a routine briefing, most of them assume.

River, of course, knew exactly what Mal was going to be addressing to the rest of the crew. Jayne had wandered off some time ago to meet up with his family and make sure everything was alright. The large man had been very distracted as of late, and in fact it had been getting on the young girl’s nerves. Jayne was no good to her as a weight lifting partner if her was gonna mope around about his mother’s health.

Inara had taken special care to clean herself up properly before showing her face to the others, considering the embarrassment of that morning. But she still wore the hint of a smile as she stepped out of her shuttle and onto the catwalk, wearing the most outdoor friendly clothing that she could muster up from her slowly depleting wardrobe. Her lack of any stable income as of late had forced her to downsize much of her personal items, a fact of life that the Companion had come to accept as part of her life with Mal and the crew. Making her way over to the dining area, Inara wore a fringed floral skirt and red blouse; her raven hair was drawn back in a casual bun, wisps of hair tucked behind her ears.

For some reason, it had occurred to her that she’d done so because Mal had mentioned preferring to see her face clearly. She was beginning to notice that she was relenting to his whims more and more as the days passed. Though on this matter, she was more than happy to oblige. Several moments later, Inara stepped into the filling room, quietly taking a place against a pillar near the doorway as she, along with the other two, awaited the rest of the crew’s arrival.

Zoe was already heading that way with Simon bringing up the rear. He was quiet. He was reading from a book as they walked. She came to a stop only to have the good doctor ram into her from behind. Zoe did not stumble nor falter. She simply glared back at the young man.

Simon skirted around her into the kitchen glancing back uneasy. Shaking his head he snaped his book shut and took up a spot standing behind Kaylee's chair. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He held his book next to his side quietly observing as the group assembled. He made sure River was safe and in the room. He gave his little sister a smile. Then a silly face to join that. He loved his sister dearly. He was still in some ways making up for that issue. But still deep down he was struggling over killing that man.

Zoe took a seat at the other end of the table. He put her feet out in front of her waiting for Mal to join the crew. He was fumbling around in the cargo bay the last she saw him. He was mucking about over the mule. Also trying to figure out why Jayne seemed to damn jumpy and quiet. It never occurred to any of them that the big man was going through a birthday on this day.

"Where's Mal?" Simon asked from where he stood.

Zoe looked up and shrugged. "He'll be here soon."

Mal trudged up the stairs to the catwalks. He moved across them and towards the kitchen. He was going to address the crew about Jayne's family problems and then they'd go on out. Stepping into the kitchen he looked up with that typical half assed smile.

"Mornin'." He said nodding. "Probably all trying to figure out the deal. It appears that our Jayne has a family, strange as that sounds, its true. His mama seems to have taken ill and we're here for Jayne to do…whatever it is that Jayne does in these types of situations." Mal said, shrugging. Running a hand through his hair, he stepped closer to the table. "We'll be leaving shortly for his family’s farm. Probably be there through the night and as long as Jayne needs. Now who's ready to find out who spawned our big cuddly gunman?"

Both Kaylee and River’s expressions brightened as Simon entered, though for decidedly different reasons. The young mechanic turned in her chair, a hand lifting to rest on top of her lover’s, squeezing it back in turn. River, conversely, promptly stuck her tongue out at her brother, though it slowly faded back into a smirk towards him. Kaylee returned her gaze to the captain as he reviewed the plans for visiting the Cobb farm.

“Oh, this is gonna be shiny,” Kaylee muttered over her shoulder to Simon with a grin.

Inara watched Mal enter, battling the urge to let her gaze drift lower in the hormonal teenage manner that had become commonplace between them recently. When the captain had explained their trip, Inara offered a smirk as she thought about crashing a Cobb family reunion.

“For some reason, I shudder at the prospect of meeting anyone who resulted in Jayne,” Inara quipped, rather incredulous about the concept of Jayne having a mother at all. There were days when she rather suspected that the large man just crawled out from under a rock fully grown.

Simon simply smiled shaking his head. "Well I didn't think my day would end up quite as interesting as this, but it'll do." He said rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Mal clapped his hands together obviously looking excited about this event. It wasn't every day the captain got to meet the family of the man who did his killing. It was crazy. He rubbed his hands together nodding. "Let's get a move on."

At Mal’s insistence on heading out, River hopped off the counter, ready to scurrying out and follow Mal down the stairs. Her interest regarding Jayne’s past was growing with every passing minute with a mix of typical childish curiosity and her genetically enhanced tendency to want a greater insight, and by proxy more influence over the burly mercenary.

Meanwhile, Kaylee was basking in the attention that Simon was offering her on a regular basis. The doctor had let go of Kaylee's shoulder and put his book down on the kitchen table. He held his arm out to Kaylee as she stood. "Shall we?" He asked with a bright smile. Grinning wide, she slipped her hand into the crook of the doctor’s elbow, letting him lead her out with the others.

Mal turned to leave, but his eyes landed on Inara. He kept walking, but let them linger. He shook his head with a sad smile. Had to keep walking. Brushing past her, he went down the corridor heading towards the cargo bay. He wanted to get a start on all this. He was excited about this one. No big job weighting him down. Just seeing the big guys family.

Inara remained stoic, leaning against the pillar as Mal made his way past her. Their eyes met, and it was almost her undoing. With a subtle gaze, she held eye contact with the captain all the way across the room, till his arm brushed against hers, and she shivered slightly at the sensation. When he had disappeared from sight, Inara finally let out the breath that she had not even realized she’d been holding.

Zoe looked up as Mal left the room purposely touching Inara. Then as Simon offered his arm to Kaylee. "If I didn't know any better..." The woman commented, going towards the same way Mal left. "I'd say love was in the air." Zoe glanced Inara's way as she left out the same way Mal did.

Zoe’s words startled her, and she watched the other woman curiously as she left the room. Inara’s narrowed her gaze, but when the crew’s eyes were no longer focused on her, she let her mouth quirk up in a smirk as she spun on her heal to slowly follow the first mate out.

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As the group reached the mule, River was first to jump right onto the hovering vehicle, taking a seat on the far edge of the passenger row in back.

Mal stepped onto the catwalks and gave the area a look. Heading down the stairs he trotted over to the mule and rounded it. Zoe would drive. Mal tended to let her do most of the driving. Slipping into the front seat he looked up as in came River. After he was Zoe then the dynamic duo and last Inara. He felt Zoe slip into the drivers seat looking at Mal. She was almost sizing him up. Mal looked at her innocently.

"What?" He asked curiously raising up his eyebrows. He was trying to process what Zoe was seeing. He knew she knew, but he didn't want to indulge her in the details or actually saying the words. You never knew who was listening on your conversation.

Zoe shook her head at the captain. She just smiled. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, sir. You're ship has thin walls and might I remind you my bunk is next to yours." He said tilting her head downwards some. Mal turned red and looked off to the side.

Simon lead Kaylee into the cargo bay and down the stairs to the mule. He detached himself from her and stepped to the side standing next to the mule. His intention was to help her up into that thing. Not that she couldn't do it by herself because he knew damn well she was capable of it. It was his way. Just because she could didn't mean he had to make her.

Kaylee, with a hint of a wink at Simon, rested a roughly scrubbed-clean hand on the doctor’s clean shoulder, getting the leverage to push herself up into the mule with her other hand. Stumbling in, she steadied herself as the vehicle rocked under the added weight. Come on, girl, you can hold it… she thought to the small transport, tapping a trio of fingers delicately on the metal casing behind her seat.

After Mal, Zoe, Jayne, and River had barely escaped the clutches of a Reaver raiding party, Kaylee had kept it in the back of her mind to modify the hunk of metal a bit to run more efficiently and hopefully handle more than four passengers. She’d only just finished the modifications a few days ago, strengthening the engine some and adding a makeshift seat in the middle of the two already in the back, and they hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to test it.

Simon climbed in once Kaylee was seated nicely next to River. He situated himself a bit better lifting his arm to drape it on the back of the seat around her body. It gave them some extra wiggle room plus it made Simon a lot more comfortable about the prospect that they were heading to Jayne's family. Simon could handle Jayne, but could he handle Jayne's whole family? Were they all like Jayne? If so, he was gonna have to keep his mouth sealed and stick close to Kaylee throughout this little trip. With a shake of his head he hung his other arm over the edge of the paneling.

Inara was the last to reach the mule, glancing over the seats to find a place for herself. It was going to be a snug fit. Her hand traced the bar lining the sides of it, as she settled on the obvious fact that the only space available was wedged snugly between the edge of the front passenger’s side and Mal. With a mental grumble, she sucked up her pride and stepped next to where the Captain was sitting.

Hitching her skirt up a couple inches with one hand, she placed a sandaled foot up on the ledge. There was no way to go about this in a manner that they’d both be comfortable with, so she had to concede to necessity. She reached out to Mal with a delicate hand, silently requesting some help up into the seat.

Mal waited for everyone to load in. Finally turning his head he saw Inara's hand waiting for some help up into the spot next to him. Raising an eyebrow, he leaned over.

Zoe watched as Mal came to Inara's aid. She kept a subtle smile on her face as she watched the rough captain attempt to help gentile Inara into the mule without making it into something awkward. She chuckled under her breath and finally did a head count. They were all in.

"We're off." Mal said as the mule jerked forward. As soon as they were out of the ship Mal hit a button on a remote. The cargo bay doors shut after their exit.

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To be continued! Please R&R!

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Chinese Translation: Bih-zway, ni zhu = Shut up, you pig jing-tsai = Brilliant mei mei = little sister