Thanks for all of the feedback. As for the planet's name, I just went down the list of planets in the 'verse and chose it ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good mornin’.” Ru told Simon, River and Zoe as they were all in the kitchen. She was in a grey t-shirt that showed off the large browncoat insignia inked onto her right bicep, then her tan trousers, suspenders, boots, guns hanging on her belts at the waist as she watched them all. The siblings at the table, Simon in a olive green sweater and slacks with River in a blue dress, her friend leaning on the counter next to the coffee pot in her usual warrior woman attire.

“Well if it ain’t sleepin’ beauty.” Zoe quipped. “Would you like some coffee Ru-ru?”

“I haven’t been able to sleep like that in a long time.” She smiled sleepily, eying the metal coffee pot. “And why are you callin’ me that? Makin’ me feel like I’m fifteen years old, tagging along with you and Mal off the training grounds.” Grabbing herself a mug she poured a cup and took a sip of the black liquid. It tasted like it could wake the dead and melt iron, which was what she needed.

Zoe laughed at how annoyed her friend was at the name. “But you are ‘lil Ru-ru, our little shadow.” She giggled. “Always taggin’ along likea lost puppy.”

“That’s your name?” Kaylee giggled as she came in to fetch breakfast, her face and green coveralls with the teddy bear patch already smudged with engine grease. Seeing Simon’s sweater she found her mug in the sink, grabbed a slice of bread and plopped down next to him. “We match.”

“Chasing and wanting to catch.” River said the words so low, no one could make them out.

He looked up from his oatmeal and watched her slather some honey on the slice of bread and pour herself a glass of milk. “What?”

Kaylee pointed to her green coveralls, then to his cleaner and more expensive sweater. “We’re matchin’.”

“We are… that’s… um… cute?” He stumbled, fearing backlash like the night before if he had said something stupid. Spooning some oatmeal into his mouth to refrain from saying something that would kill the moment.

Kaylee giggled while Ru and Zoe held theirs in. “Yeah… it’s cute.”

“Ru-ru.” River muttered as she was busying herself with sketching a lifelike drawing of Zoe in her sketchbook with the colored pencils she had. “Child, family, affection, of the Mandarin dialect.”

“Yep,” Zoe rubbed Ru’s back and talked to her like a tot. “she’s our kiddo. Never did like the Independents lettin’ youngins as small as fifteen join the ranks, but she was a plucky ‘lil one.”

Ru laughed. “I’m twenty-six, Zoe. Moved up in the ranks, flewa gunship, special ops.”

Inara came into the kitchen, and her look stopped all laughter.

The new crew member sobered up, grabbed a bowl, spooned herself some oatmeal that was sitting on the stove, and went over to sink into a chair next to Simon and Kaylee.

Simon, glanced up, being adventurous as to breaking the silence as he pushed his oatmeal around. “So um… I heard you have a cybernetic prosthesis?”

She put her left arm on the table and turned her wrist up.

His surgeon eyes looked at it with awe. “The entire arm?”

“Um, yeah.” Nodding her head while eating some of the cinnamon flavored mush.

“That’s extensive work, may I?” getting a head nod he gingerly pushed up her short sleeve and studied everything. “An entire shoulder joint,” he began to move down. “elbow, wrist, fingers… wow.” Simon muttered. “Very impressive.”

“It’s Alliance handiwork, I was snuck into their soldier program.” She explained.

“I heard about that when I was working at the hospital, the program for the vets…” He explained, giving her back her hand. “I uh… was learning how to do this procedure before I… well we..”

“I know yer story, Kaylee told me.” She chuckled at his stammering. “You’re brave, doc. And if it’s any consolation, I won’t be haulin’ you in.”

“Well thank you..” He sighed in relief "but anyhow I was training for that before we went on the lam. So I’m good for basic repairs whenever you need any.”

“Thanks, I’ve learned how to do my share of repairs but one of these days I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Kaylee was slumped in her chair because even though Simon and Ru were chatting it up over the finer aspects of surrogate limbs, Inara had brought an unsettling aura into the kitchen and had a taunt face. “Good mornin’ ‘Nara.” She mustered with an uneasy smile. “Have a good night’s rest?”

“Yes, actually.” The woman in an oriental silk robe responded while making herself some tea.

“Lined yourself up some clients for some romantic adventures when we dock on the planet?” She wagged her eyebrows, making the ever so proper Simon a bit surprised at the open innuendo.

“I’m afraid not.” The companion sighed. “Liann Jiun doesn’t have many men that could afford my rates, and those who do are not ones who I would pick to be cliental.”

“Liann Jiun?” Ru blurted with furrowed brows. “Um… isn’t that the planet that took to the terra forming too well? Ended up like the jungles of the earth that was? Hardly habitated, Alliance namely uses it for preserving species of endangered animals along with cloning of the said animals? Big, dangerous, mean beasties?”

“That would be the one.” Zoe nodded her head.

“I know I’ll be in the ship the entire time.” The doctor quipped.

“Me too.” Kaylee said after swallowing her oatmeal. “No need to go out and risk runnin into some critter who likes people for snacks.”

“They took him to the green.” River said out of the blue as she fixed the book.

Everyone looked at her.

“He hated it at first… he was so little… so scared… but they said he had good genes. He was smart… and they had already done the procedures on him…” She said softly. “Made a big cage in the green, put him in it. Put a collar on him and turned him loose. Thought learning to be wild would increase ferocity, make him a better… they were right… but it taught him to be free too. Learned to be one of them… learned to be better than a human…”

“Well ain’t that just reassurance she’s ruttin crazy.” Jayne broke the silence as he strode in wearing his snug t-shirt and cargo pants, gun strapped to his thigh. “Oo, oatmeal.” He went over, sniffed the pot, grabbed the bowl and slopped a large spoonful in.

“So um…” Ru looked up to Zoe. “Do I need to do anythin’ today… or…?”

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

“Who made the coffee?” Mal asked as he was up on deck with Wash and Zoe, taking a sip of the black liquid.

“That would be me.” Wash announced. “Was up early, figured I could be nice and make some joe. It good?”

“We need to get a newer coffee synthesizer, it’s stickin’ to my ribs.” He smacked his lips a few times. “And possibly dissolvin’ my ribs.” Looking down at his cup he then asked. “Ever thoughta usin’ this for paint thinner?”

“Stuff is somethin’ fierce.” Zoe agreed. “So Captain, what’s on the agenda today?”

“Just thinkin’ about our job and the coin we get fer it.” He looked out into the vast, star studded space before them as Serenity hummed from the inside. Letting out a deep breath he continued. “We do this, find one more job a bit more decent, I figgur we deserve a sabbatical.”

“Really?” Wash perked up. “Like a week…?”

“Yeah, likea week.” He took a sip and winced at the coffee. “Where’s Ru?”

“Kaylee’s takin’ a fondness to her.” Zoe announced. “I think she’s in the engine room.”

“Kaylee takes a fondness to everyone.” Wash quipped.

“Zo’s right, ‘lil Kaylee found herself a big sister who loves mechanical things too.” He set his mug down, turned and walked out, rolling his tan sleeves up. He went down the corridor, through the kitchen to the cargo bay to find Book and Jayne bench pressing. He went past that, into the engine room to peer in and find Ru sitting in the hammock with Kaylee telling war stories about flying her fighter ship and all about the mechanics of it. Malcolm smiled, glad both of his mei-meis were getting along so well, watching them silently, enjoying Kaylee’s wide eyed wonder of the tales. Turning around as they didn’t know he was there, he left them to bond while he backtracked into the one shuttle he wasn’t supposed to go into.

Inara sensed his presence and turned around as she was brushing her luscious black locks out. Seeing him, she frowned. “What did I tell you?”

“Can’t remember cause the word is you’re not too amicable with my new crewmember.” He said simply.

She scoffed and continued brushing her hair out in a rather sensual fashion. “That’s absurd.”

“Well I’ve been askin’ around and it seems you’re bringin’ a level of unpleasentness whenever you see her.” He explained. “Which is why I’m tellin’ you to play nice.”

“I’m not a child, Mal.”

“Play nice.” He gave a purposefully forced smile.

Inara rolled her eyes when he left, mulling over the prospect of still leaving Serenity.

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

Jayne was busy cleaning Vera.

He was in the kitchen, his favorite gun dismantled as he carefully spit polished and oiled everything. Everyone was settled in, Inara was in her shuttle, Kaylee and that woman who had smacked the daylights out of him were hanging out in the engine room, Simon and his ‘moon brained’ sister was downstairs along with the Shepard, and the rest of the crew was on the bridge. Which meant it was just him and Vera.

He heard footsteps.

Looking up, Jayne scanned around as he felt like he was being watched. “H’low?”

Silence.

He shrugged his massive shoulders and went back to work as the stowaway ghosted behind him towards the cargo bay.

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

River was in her bedroom, seated on her bed with her knees up to her chest as Simon was in the infirmary and working on something that involved the medicine she preferred to elude because it made her feel lethargic and impaired her senses.

Her head, which was on her knees, lifted up to the heavens as she smiled. Kaylee was buzzing around the infirmary, as she had acquired a tendency of doing recently. River shut her eyes and touched the feelings swirling around in that room. As much as her mind was bombarded with negative stimuli, she had learned quickly that affairs of the heart were often things that were positive, hopeful and very intriguing. And since almost everyone on the ship had an attraction, she had recently been getting a lot of readings. She smiled and giggled at her brother's chronic stammering. Shaking her head, dark hair spilling all over the place as she tapped into Simon, then moved to Kaylee. Which was much more warmer and less chaotic, she rocked herself slowly from side to side and smiled. “Always so close but never close enough. Chasing and wanting to catch.” Sensing someone else, she opened her eyes and looked up to see John. “Catch.”

“What are you talking about?” He said as he noiselessly prowled in brazenly as everyone was awake and he was in broad daylight. However John knew exactly where everyone was, which was why he was paying a visit to a fellow Academy victim.

Then he heard someone right behind him. Someone who had moved in so close he didn't have time to hide.

“Zen-me le." Simon muttered.

“Caught.” River smiled.