Mal liked to take a walk after supper.

It was always dark after chow time; the stars glittered in the black, the moons glowed vivid hues, the crickets chirped and the tall grass rustled in the breeze. As always, he walked passed the barn, then stopped at the fence where his pasturage began. The captain leaned on a fence post, shut his worn blue eyes and tilted his head back. Lungs flooded with chilled prairie air, and his blue orbs opened to see the sky his heart yearned for. He loved the black, he loved his spirit going where the wind took it.

Granted, if he was going to settle on land, Shadow was the only place in the 'verse he would. No other place was like Shadow, no other patch of dirt could his gypsy heart once call home. No other place he had come into the 'verse. No other place he had received his first horse at the ripe age of two and had been taught to ride by a ranch hand called Spiv. No other place he had hiked, hunted and had his first adventures at as a young boy. No other place had he slept out on the prairie with the feeling of pure liberty in the wind. No other place he had left with reluctance. No other place he had wept over those lost so heavily. No other place he had wept over the land itself.

The talk that Shadow itself had been completely destroyed had only been rumor. Shadow had been bombed heavily during the war, as it was home to people of an independent spirit. People who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, who didn't take government handouts, who didn't like some Alliance moving in. Yet the Alliance had only destroyed half of the planet. From space, it was easy to see, the divide was a straight line between the western and eastern hemispheres, making Shadow like Ying and Yang. To the west was green grasslands, rippling great lakes and a brawny spine of snowcapped mountains. On the ground life flourished. The bison didn't heed man, and the wolves sang their own ballads as the cattle got fat on premium grass. Yet to the east was grey and pallid, pockmarked with black craters. One large black scar that once used to be the rodeo capital of the system and the capital of Shadow, Blue Rock, was particularly visible from space. There, in the grey area, there was nothing but bleached bones and rusted metal, the land poisoned with radiation. Horror stories of the devastation however had been misconstrued as total obliteration, and the government didn't clear up the confusion, in fact they held it over the heads of would be rebels to instill 'patriotism'.

Yet for the most part the feds had cleared out of Shadow. The economy had been devastated after the war, along with morale, so uprisings were not feared. The eastern hemisphere had held the capital, and all of the larger if not commercial ranches. Western Shadow had been left to pick up the pieces of their trade with a mere a fifth of the population left, and it had only been but two years since the effort of recreating what was lost was visible. Two years ago a small government effort had been made to reach out to Western Shadow due to the demand for beef and leather goods on the core planets. The Alliance funded the building of New Calgary and Horus so beef could be mass marketed and shipped, yet tensions had remained high with the people, so for the most part the government itself only kept within those city limits. It made Malcolm's Shadow near the town of Pryor ideally safe for his little crew, for though Simon and River were exonerated, they were all unfortunately infamous which was what killed their career criminal status.

Still, he missed the black.

"I miss it too."

Hearing Zoe's soft yet firm voice, he turned and saw how she walked towards him by the light of the moons. Face silver lit while tilting up to see the sky she knew since birth. However instead of talking he simply turned back to his pasture.

Zoe was still in her work wear from her rounds out on the prairie. Dark ringlets pulled back, tan chaps matching her pioneerish jacket. The most distinctive thing she wore though was her neckerchief. When they had started wrangling cattle, she had been in need of several neckerchiefs, so she had taken a select few of Wash's Hawaiian shirts and taken to sewing at night. Every day she now proudly wore a Hawaiian print neckerchief 'round her neck, and every day it reminded her of her quirky semi-muscular man who was a casualty. Giving him a sideways look, she sidled up and leaned on the top post of the fence, careful of the hot wire nearly everyone had been jolted by one time or another. "Been offly taciturn...."

"Who, me?" He scoffed it off, yet refused to make eye contact. "Bu dao. As jocular as ever."

"Pardon me, Sir, but I can smell a pile of go-se a mile away." She responded quite bluntly.

Mal's jaw tightened along with his resolve to keep it inside. He wasn't a monologing man, and hoped to keep it that way. However there was little he could keep from his second in command. Fixating on the midnight hued prairie, the air forced out noisily through this nostrils, like a stubborn mustang refusing to break. Shoulders grew taunt, craggily fingers gripping the weathered wood before finally speaking the question that had been simmering in his mind for week. "Was this the right decision?"

Zoe stood next to him and gave a puzzled expression that was partially shadowed by the twilight.

"Settlin'.... choosin' this rock and this way of life. Parkin' Serenity." his face pulled into a frown before turning to catch her reaction.

"Sir, ya did right by us." She stared out into the middle distance, swallowing and preparing her words. "Life we had was snatched away, no one would touch us. If we kept on driftin', woulda gotten desperate for handouts. Seem to recall you vowing never ta be like that." Turning, she looked at his blue eyes that struggled to hide his yearning to return to the black. "You did what was best for us, you had us adapt. And I think you chose the right place to settle. Got the upper hand 'or here, got land and a trade that makes profit, Alliance not around ta sully what we occupy. Maybe we'll get back in the sky, maybe we won't, but this here is a good a life as any, better than some have."

"Ain't home." He disclosed as the wind picked up and toyed his face with the scent of damp earth and wild sweet pea.

"Home ain't where you rest your head, Sir, home is the loved ones 'round you."

Mal shifted his weight, the conversation over as they would spend the next thirty minutes in silence.

Staring out into the black.

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

Simon learned very early in the relationship that the best passion was in the engine room, and he had come to ignore the grate flooring indenting his backside whilst engaged in Kaylee's intimate pleasure. Something else he had learned was the mechanic gave her all when it came to love. There was a love, and then there was Kaylee's all or nothing, intense, fiercesome passion that left him helpless in the end. She liked to take charge, yet when he took charge, the little mechanic seemed to enjoy the commanding aspect of that, just as long as she got her turn.

In the end the couple got a few rounds in, both sporting grate marks and scratches on their backs as badges from the tryst. They retired to Kaylee's hammock, snagging a blanket from her stash to wrap themselves in. Her head nestled against his chest, blowing soft kisses as his calloused hand messaged her back. Yawning, she looked up at him and smiled in a hazy manner.

"Feel better?"

"Much." She sighed, yawning sleepily.

"Good, hate for you to go into this date feeling in need of something." His mouth pressing against her soft hair that smelled of strawberry soap for a kiss. "You know what would be an excellent step after this?"

Kaylee smiled up at her sweetie "What?"

"I have a bottle of some of the best wine in the core and a few other things we can indulge in." He suggested in a lower, tempting voice. "Plus you cooked dinner, I can't miss that."

Before Kaylee could respond, there was a loud noise in the galley.

Simon shot up, eyes narrowing as some one or some thing was definitely on Serenity. They hadn't heard anyone come in, however that was due to the fact that since no one was supposed to be on the ship they had decided to be loud. And loud meant Kaylee's passionate shouts, as well as a few bangs when she rather forcefully pinned Simon up against the engine.

Kaylee looked fearfully at the mouth of her engine room, for she still startled easily since Early's invasion and the entire Miranda fiasco.

Simon eased her back down as he slid out of the hammock whilst in the buff. Silently, he grabbed his slacks and slipped them on, then his undershirt. Leaning in, he reached onto the shelf behind the hammock and felt the top, for underneath attached was a gun Mal had installed. Talking the gun out of the small case, he signaled for her to stay back before creeping out. With gun poised, heart racing, he walked the corridor until he came upon the galley.

And scowled.

An orange hatted Jayne turned to see a scantly clad Simon with a small pistol pointed at him as he guzzled a bottle of red wine and had a ripped piece of bread in his paw. Pulling the bottle away from his lips, his mouth smacked and he took his time to run his tongue across his teeth. "Ya'll done sexin' like yowlin' cats?"

Simon dropped the pistol, wide eyed and mouth a gape. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Kaylee peeked from the engine room, her dress on yet hair tousled.

"Forgot one of my knives." He patted the sheath on his belt. "So are ya that good or does Kaylee like ta fool ya?"

"Jayne!" Kaylee marched out with a face of frustration. "Shen-me zai fo de min shi ni wei?!"

"Just saw some food, figgured there's more than 'nough fer you guys ta spare." He scowled at their obvious anger. "Geezus, don't need ta git in a tizzy. Not like I ruined that little bit of trim ya'll obviously needed." He shoved the rest of the bread chunk in his mouth, and then washed it down with wine. "Think I could get myself a pinch of that roast?"

Kaylee moved in, grabbing Jayne by the muscly forearm.

"Hey!" He was pulled towards the door. The merc could have very well dug in his heels and not budged, however he was somewhat taken back that 'lil Kaylee was trying to move him, what with the weight ratio and al. So he stumbled along like a giant doll.

"Bye, Jayne." She shut the door to the galley, leaving him in the hall.

Jayne's face pouted somewhat in the round window before it turned and left.

Simon watched, equally stunned as Kaylee was not the type to be so forthright. Yet he could see in her lovely eyes she was in fact determined to keep their very first date from being rudely interrupted like so many other moments they had endured. Letting out a deep breath, he clasped his hands together and did his best to say something. Anything. "Surprise.... I brought wine."

His uneasy smile made Kaylee blush. "Sorry 'bout that." Her voice meekly uttered.

"Oh no... you handled better than I would have." Picking up the gun, he walked into the galley, placed said gun on counter, and wrapped her up in a hug. "Interruption aside, shall I go prepare our table?"

Kaylee refrained from squealing with joy as she kissed him a 'yes.'

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

Inara was used to spending time with River.

Though it was the first night in the house, it was as if they were still on Serenity. Simon and Kaylee were off to do their own romantic event, Mal was out prowling the farm, Zoe was watching lest land life drove him insane, and Jayne was merrily off drinking his liver away and waving farewell to his lungs with a cigar clenched betwixt his teeth. Which left Inara with River. It wasn't her first time with River Tam, for the now ex-companion often watched the troubled reader when her big brother was frazzled and needed a break. River was easy to watch, though now that Miranda was over she seemed more extroverted, energetic and curious. Inara had found a way to channel this energy and curiosity though, through River's great love of dance. Miss Serra was a connoisseur of classical music, therefore played a disk every night whilst drinking her green tea and practicing calligraphy, and River would expend her excess energy via her old recitals. The seal pointed cat brothers York and Boston, were also always nearby. For they were River's confidants, the minds of felines were similar to her own and they seemed to understand her. Thus during the nightly routine, York, the larger and more independant of the two, was resting comfortably on the staircase to watch his two legged mei-mei go through her sauts (though on Serenity he normally liked to watch atop the couch, preferably on one of Simon's sweaters). While Boston, smaller and slightly crosseyed to look like he was fascinated with what was on the tip of his nose, observed the dance from the mantle of the fireplace, somewhat anxious to regain his place on River's shoulder. Within thirty minutes or so the last song finished, River Tam ended it with a flourish.

She rose up, panting, wild-eyed, sweaty. Grinning as Boston leapt to her shoulder and wrapped his tail about her neck as if it were prehensile. The feline chirped pleasantly, rubbing his jaw against her cheek as if to praise her for the splendid preformence. If that were the case it was understandable, she possessed near feline grace, a cat would be impressed.

"You never cease to amaze me." Inara praised, her wrist twisting expertly to curve the flow of ink on her brush.

River blinked her eyes, for her mind had been absorbed in the music. It was the only time when she didn't feel bombarded with the minds of others, yet when she stopped, her brain was suddenly forced back into the stimuli and it took her time to adjust. The round eyes shutting, she breathed deep, then crouched on the floor. Curling her knees to her chest, throwing her head back to gaze up at the ceiling as if it were limitless, not blinking, merely as stiff as stone.

Boston's dark ears twisted back as he maneuvered onto her knees and balance on the joints covered with a sheer skirt. He yowled, for something wasn't right.

Inara looked over, eyes creasing with concern as River had never taken the position before. It was quite normal for River to calm down, then prance off to take a bath. However her breathing seemed labored, and her eyes impossibly wide as if she were anxious. There wasn't anything that should have sent her into such a disposition, for River had been rather placid the entire day. Rising up, she wafted over to the reader and knelt.

River didn't acknowledge her presence.

Batting her eyes, she tentatively pressed a hand to the girl's back, flinching as she feared it may trigger some mortal defense response. However her dark brown eyes watched as River's muscles twitched, beckoning her mind forth and into the realm of the present. "Sweetie... what's wrong?"

River vaulted up, Boston tumbling off of her with a squawk. Her body landed into a sparring stance, as if ready to grapple with those ready to do harm to her new family.

Inara leapt backwards and to her feet, ready to reach onto the wooden box on the bookshelf to retrieve the dart gun Simon had reluctantly filled 'in case of emergencies'.

Yet River's eyes seemed to lose the middle distance when she fell upon Inara's worrisome face. Turning, slowly, she faced the ex-companion fully, and swallowed the dry air in her throat. "Where are we?"

***** ***** ***** ***** TRANSLATIONS bu-dao: no way

go-se: crap

shen-me zai fo de min shi ni wei?!: What in Buddha's name are you doing?!

*******

As always, comments whether be praise or constructive critism are welcome.