Deer River,

Gess it’s yur birthday. 18 huh? Good luk with that. When I turnd 18 I got reely, reely drunk n’ I shot sum hoon dawn n’ a gun fite n’ then I got sum trim. Don’t doo th’ ferst too, but celibrate n’ git pursinal with that Feeyeero guy. Best wey too celibrate a birthday is too go a few rounds I alweys say.

Happee Yuletide Too, Jayne

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

Fiyero was worried.

River stood still for the longest time, as if frozen with fear. Going over, he touched her back and nudged her along, knowing that the feds were the nightmare, and the nightmare was coming to her safe haven. Making her reach the bed, he untied her sash, stripped her of her shirt, and made her sit down to take the rest of her clothes off until her undergarments remained. Sliding her under the covers, he did the same to himself, and slipped in with her, Holding the petite frame close, kissing her neck and head, trying to stimulate her from the dark world that consumed her mind.

She shuddered, and began to weep.

“Wo shi yi nin.” He reassured as she gripped his arm. The warm tears hit his skin, and he held on tighter.

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

“Draw!”

Simon drew his weapon, and fired.

The preacher nodded his head. “Two seconds, you’re getting better.”

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

The bison had been picked up later.

As it had been, Inara and Mal collected Meilin, stayed shortly, but left and headed for the estate.

“It was nothin’, ‘Nara.” Mal objected as they returned to the apartment, he with a slight limp. It was just sprained, nothing too serious.

“Mal, you rode your horse into a stampede.” She went to the bedroom. “How many times must I just say that? You RODE your horse into a shen beipaoqi STAMPEDE.”

“Child’s play. I was doin’ more dangerous houzi lashi when I was a kid.” He unbuttoned the vest, which was destroyed by his tumble, and shucked it onto the floor as Inara set Meilin in the middle of the bed.

“Must I point out how you’re not a kid anymore?” She whirled around, left the room and shut the door so their child wouldn't be in the middle of their conversation.

“You sayin’ I’m too old ta do stuff like that?” He tore off his tie and shirt that had been ripped and stained, face tightening more with opposition.

“I’m saying you did something foolish to one up someone else and the consequences could have been deadly Mal." She hissed "You had a close call with the horse beforehand and then you gallop off to take down a raging buffalo!"

"Everyone loved it!" He snorted. "It broke the ice, probably started a new trend in their tradition filled lives!"

"It could have broken every bone in your body! You don't seem to grasp that I... you..." She refrained from saying something.

“What?” Mal pressed.

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

River rolled over and faced him, absorbing his expression of affection with her shaken, round dark eyes. They were even darker through the flickering light of the fire as she shuddered to the chill.

“It’s gonna be ok.” He whispered, wiping a tear he saw that glistened on her cheek. The air was cold, and curled in the air. The cat leapt off of the bed and settled by the fireplace where it was warmer.

River fingered a lock of his rich hair, and shook her head. “They’re coming,” she smiled in a way that questioned sanity and showed terror “they keep doing it, they keep doing it and I don’t even know what it is.”

“Maybe it’s something we can figure out.” He caressed her cheekbone, leaning in and kissing her lips. “I won’t let them come near you, Shao Long.”

River sighed, shutting her eyes and grabbing his shoulder. With more strength than Dell, she pulled him close, till he was on top, and kissed Fiyero languishingly. They first time they had kissed deep, she had lost herself in him, and she prayed it would work again.

Fiyero braced himself to keep from crushing her, and moaned, tilting his face to get a better position for mouth to mouth. Their chests heaved, and his blood rushed. Pulling back, dazed, he saw her expressions and lowered his head to kiss her jaw and neck.

Her breath hitched, her toes curled, and she forgot about the pain and the horrors as he pulled off what confined her chest. River twisted her body under him, pushing her back up off of the mattress.

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

“You went and nearly killed yourself ag…”

“No, wasn’t what you were about to say.” He corrected, walking over to her and setting his hands on her hips.

Inara sighed, heavily, eyes roaming up his bare chest to his face. “You scared me.” She admitted in a hushed way.

There were tears glossing her eyes, understanding Reynolds leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I apologize.”

Inara pulled away, shaking her head. “No, no you can't just kiss me and patch things up." She locked eyes with him to show how upset she was. "Mal, you and I have come a long way… and… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t know… if anything happened to you.” Her jaw quivered. “I love you... I love you, you thick headed ruffian.”

It was said with more affection than insult, Mal's mouth quirked.

"But remember how you told me that I was to retire from a life of crime because neither you nor Meilin can afford losing me? I felt like that, twice today. You could have killed have killed yourself falling off of the horse." She pointed an accusing finger at his chest. "And on top of that you could have killed yourself riding into a stampede just because you wanted to impress a bunch of xiantian guizu and knock Cadoc off of his pedistal."

Mal listened, putting his hands on his hips.

She sighed, overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions. "Listen, this trip with you, being together with you and Meilin like this, has only solidified it for me that we are family. I never expected to have one at any time in my life, but I do and it's with you and I love our family very dearly. And I know that your occupations can be dangerous, but you.... it's just.... Mal when you do something as stupid as running into a buffalo herd yelling your head off then I just watch in horror thinking you're going to kill yourself and Meilin won't have her father." Letting out a deep breath, she turned away from him. Her face flush with color as she told herself that was the most skattered talk she had ever given.

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

Sex, was the social norm.

It wasn't the twenty-first century, it wasn't taboo nor secretive. They were both well above the normal age, and in deep, reckless love. Which was normal. Everyone began with deep reckless love, where you took it, if you matured it was what differentiated people.

Their era, sex before the legal bind of marriage was conformity. There was nothing hip, against the culture about it (abstinence was ironically rebellion), it was regular life. Sixteen was the usual age, though it was younger on the more backwards Rim planets, and on the Core planets were was a certain decorum that was followed. In the Core, the boy asked the father's permission to date the daughter, there was a certain nobility that was supposed to be preformed for the first week or so, but after that it was simply expected. On less socially rigid worlds, one night stands were perfectly understandable. Parents encouraged it, the government could care less, and an entire industry, an entire dynasty had been built on the act of copulation. For women and men, like Inara, were taught beginning at a young age. Groomed in all the arts, politics, medicines and ways. Registered, authenticated, and transformed into intelligent, revered beings who's essential job was to provide for their well paid clients in any way shape or intimate form. From home to the geisha-esque companions, it was everywhere.

And now, it was there turn.

Fiyero was seasoned, not well seasoned but no longer vestal. River however, had been a slave to the Alliance from fourteen to seventeen, and now at eighteen had she only found the young man she was willing and sure of giving her all to. She made him groan, planting hot kisses on his chest whilst pulling off his trousers.

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

He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned around. Mal wearing understanding on his face. "I'm sorry. You know me, sometimes I don't think... well more often than naught."

"I forgive you. I love you." Her lashes fluttered as she swallowed thickly. “And I’ve never said that to anyone before.”

“I love you too.” He whispered, reaching up and cupping her face. “Never one to say that lightly, but I do… whole heartedly. Never thought I’d say this too but you and Meilin… nothing else makes me into a ai chujeliao cowboy fool like you two do.”

She smiled.

"You're my family too. And I... I understand and I won't do anything that stupid anymore unless consulting you first." He hugged her as she let out a wry chuckle to his last words.

They stood silent and embracing for quite some time.

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

The first time, had been typical.

Awkward, painful, and brutally short.

Yet in those fleeting moments, it felt like an eternity for River Tam. River drowned her mind in ecstasy. With Fiyero, she couldn't hear anyone, anything else. It was just them, in the moment. The way his neck felt taunt and sinewy when her arms wrapped around it to hang on. How his thighs slid alongside her own, the way his arms braced the mattress, his head bowing and lips fervently tasting her mouth and skin. The way his chest pounded, and his heart galloped. How he set her on fire, how he made her ache and reach nirvana. A pinnacle without distractions, without a mindful of fragments and nightmares wailing at her, invading her. With him she felt singular.

Free of her plagues.

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

Mal was out walking the courtyard of the Serra estate.

Inara was taking a nap with Meilin, as the day had been tiring and he had actually insisted. She needed the rest after such a vigorous hunt as well as being upset, and Meilin wanted some cuddle time since she had been away from her parents all day. So left to his own devices, he and Shan-shan were taking a walk. The house was massive, and the courtyard matched it. There was a large pond at the heart of it, with waterfalls starting at each of the walls and trailing into the streams to connect with the pond. Massive koi swam around and under the lily pads and lotus blossoms, and there were perfectly pruned and sculpted cherry, plum and peach trees scattered about as their blossoms were prized in spring. Off in a corner near the main building, Mal had found a winding moss covered path and walked it to discover a massive statue of Buddha. It was shielded by it’s own sloped roof, and there were candles and incense burning in from of the monument.

“Congratulations.”

Mal turned to see Zaira behind him, which made him uneasy.

She smiled. “Cadoc told me of your daring and successful bison hunt. Seems you were all the rage at the hunting lodge.”

“Well, I like ta put on a good show.” He smiled back.

“How do you like it here Malcolm?” She began to walk, and he followed.

“From what I’ve laid my eyes on, awfully pretty, but it’s just one side of the coin I reckon.”

“That it is. The core isn’t what it used to be, all this horrid political unrest.” She sighed. “Sihnon is however, the crown jewel of this universe. Home to the most historic families.”

“Seen a few of them, gotta mighty fetish for crests ‘n flauntin’ em.” He noted.

“Do you know the history of the Serra family crest?” She probed.

“Just that you like birds.”

“Every crest has a meaning, it tells of the distinguished history of the family that bears it.”

“So you do like birds.”

She ignored his flippant tone “The fenghuang is one of the great mythical creatures of the ancient Chinese culture Sihnon is based on, it is a symbol of nobility as well as femininity, often representing the Ying against the dragon’s Yang. We are the fenghuang because the Serras are a matriarchal clan, and have been so for over four hundred years.”

“Clears a whole lot about your daughter up for me.”

“The sun it circles represents Sihnon itself, and the two sabers and palm frond are not symbols of Sihnon’s Asian history, but harken back to the Middle East. A palm tree and two sabers were the crest of the royal family of Saudi Arabia, as we are descendants from that line.” She poignantly divulged. “Royals, our blood flows. We’ve lost some standing, but we remain among the privileged, and it has been tradition for us to send our daughters to the Companion Academy. It prepares them for the life ahead of them, how to navigate through this universe in a horribly male dominate society.”

“So you?”

“And every girl baring the Serra name has gone through it. Some stay in the business, some merely graduate and move on, find a husband. However like me, Inara is a direct heir, and a little more was expected of her. I moved on after ten years of taking clients, and my standing as a companion aided in me obtaining my current position, as well as fueling my status for a run in the parliament.” They idled near some brilliant flowers, and she cupped a blossom to study the pink of the petals. “However, I won’t be in this galaxy forever. I’m getting old and though I talk of parilment I doubt I will reach it, as I am just over ninety.”

Mal was surprised. “Well, you surely don’t look it.”

“Thank you my child, the years have been kind and medicine has been kinder. Regardless, I see myself seeing the next decade, and not much longer before my soul is judged and reincarnated into the next life. It leaves this estate, this crest and the title of Ibnah of the line of Saud to Inara, and then to Meilin.” She turned and gave him a somber expression, one that was laced with some desperation. “She is the rightful heir to this fortune, to this legacy, however if she is not here to obtain it rightfully, and is off on another world playing house with you, it will be forfeit to her cousin who I personally think doesn’t have the poise nor pedigree to carry on this bloodline properly.”

“Bloodline.” He mused. “Make it sound more like Inara’s expected ta give you clean and pure Core children like she was a brood mare or somethin’. But after over a year of knowing her, I sincerely think she ain’t that kind of woman.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I am not keen on a woman of her standing being forced to carry and birth children like a run of the mill housewife.” Zaira clarified in a calm, un-agitated tone. “I do however think that my grandchild is a blessing, regardless of half of the stock she comes from.”

Malcolm smiled tightly to the verbal blow, regardless it wasn’t technically true. “Well, wish I could tell you differently, that I’m High Duke of a long line that comes from Old King Cole, but I’m afraid that’s just one of my many short comings.”

“I also think that my daughter and my granddaughter deserve what they are entitled to. They are royal blood, princesses really, and I sincerely think this life is far more suited for princesses then living on a quaint little farm milking cows and feeding chickens. I hope you understand, I’m looking at this as a parent and grandparent that wishes to offer them both the world as well as the protection that the Rim lacks.”

“I see.” Mal rubbed his face thoughtfully. “It’s touching, but if you’re driven with so much conviction as to having Inara and Meilin move back here instead of out in the boonies unfettered by your society and pressures, you best talk to your daughter, M’am.”

He left her, his mood soured.

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

"DRAW!"

BANG.

“Better, but you need to be faster.”

Simon gazed down at the pistol and swallowed anxiously.

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

River caught her breath.

Her head lolled on his chest, black hair carelessly splayed out on his skin as her fingers twirled and traced the fine patch of chest hair he had.

They both wore expressions of contentment.

*** *** *** TRANSLATIONS/DEFINITIONS Wo shi yi nin: I'm with you shen beipaoqi: god forsaken houzi lashi: monkey shit ai chujeliao: Love struck fenghuang: Chinese Phoenix Ibnah of the line of Saud: Daughter of the line of Saud, the royal Saudi family ****As always, the writer appreciates all comments whether they be positive, negative, or suggestions.**