Sorry it's taken me so long to update this. School has been crazy and I have been sick. I've worked on this though, there's one more part before another long saga starts up...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Serenity.

He wasn't there, he wasn't the captain. He wasn't standing proud, he wasn't giving orders, he wasn't there. None of them were there, she wasn't the first mate, he wasn't the doctor, she wasn't the mechanic, or the merc, or the companion. None of them were there as she walked through the hallowed halls. Her feet were noiseless as they moved, lifting up and slowly coming down on the grating. Her hands stroked the railing, the walls, they touched and connected with the mechanical beast. The mechanical beast was her friend, an entity in her dreams, and spirit that connected with her, that beckoned her like an imaginary friend to come and stay.

Up the stairs, her eyes shut as Serenity's inviting hum made her body feel electric as the ship talked to her, told her to stay. There were no words, but she knew Serenity was talking, the Firefly always used to talk to her when she was alone.

Through the corridor, her heart jumped as the bridge was wide and open, inviting. The stars winked at her, and a planet glowed in the distance. It was Sihnon, she could see the chain of mountains where the temple was, and Serenity was moving away from it. Though the ship was empty, and she stood there, gazing at the stars, there was no feeling of isolation, abandonment. There was just the rush she felt when she saw the endless sky, for it was freedom. It was nothing, yet everything at the same time, and she drank it up.

She turned around as she sensed another's presence.

It was Book, he stood there with kind eyes, looking down upon her with a sincere mix of love and knowledge of something of importance. Reaching up, he draped Mal's coat over her shoulders and gazed back out the windshield.

She too gazed back out at the stars, there were no words between them.

Coming out of sleep, eyes slowly awoke, not frightened by the dream, yet happy and confused at the sureness that had been felt in it.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his back against a modest boulder as she had fallen asleep on him. The nightmare, had drained her terribly, yet she had refused to go back to the temple. Seeing her awake, made him fear she had been on the cusp of another terror.

"Shiny." the small voice explained, nuzzling up to him to prove her point. "It was peaceful." Reaching out, as the cat was lying beside them with a mouse he had caught while out on a personal hunting trip of his own, she rubbed the dark triangle ears. "Important, but peaceful."

"What was important about it?"

Shoulders shrugged, and she yawned.

"So I should chalk it all up to your obscure infinite wisdom?"

"Yes."

"You think we should go back?"

"Don't worry about me," the tone was serious, as she feared he took her as weak "Not fragile."

He knit his brows, for that was where she truly was a paradox. Her exterior, post-nightmare, was like a snowflake. So small and precious and threatening to melt away through her sobs and strangled cries. However at the same time she was strong willed and tough and could easily incapacitate himself as well as a handful of four hundred pound men. She was the snowflake and the dragon, and he had a position that had to coddle her yet at the same time respect her fire. "Never said you were. But it's sorta been a long day playing hookie and it's been a little rough on you."

"Can handle it." She insisted, kissing his lips in the late afternoon. "She doesn't want to return, she wants to stay with her lianren. Who knows what other dreams will come."

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

It was early in the morning.

Meilin had woken up early, rubbing her eyes and squirming. Inara had as well with Mal nowhere to be found, so she put on her robe and slippers and toted a grumpy five month old baby girl downstairs.

The child fussed, not getting her full night’s rest she whined and rubbed her face against Inara’s shoulder, on the verge of tears as a hungry noise elicited through her lips.

“I know Xiao Xiongmao.” Inara rubbed her back. “We’re going to get through the morning and have a nice, long nap after lunch.”

“You’re gonna nap through Valentine’s?”

Inara looked to the kitchen, as Mal stood poised by the counter, flanked by a pair of begging cats. He appeared to warrant suspicion, for the captain rarely cooked. “And what are you doing up so early?” She went to the living room, towards and rocking chair. The fire had been refueled, which made the room warm and inviting, perfect for soothing Meilin’s growth related fussiness.

“Breakfast.” He explained, craning his neck as he watched them. “Y’know, I can do that.” Signaling for her to wait, he plucked a bottle out of a pot on the stove, checked the temperature, and went over, scooping Meilin up.

Meilin saw her bottle and opened her mouth up. Letting out a stream of demanding sounds.

“Why thank you.” She watched as he took the seat with Meilin and adjusted her and bottle so.

Meilin attacked the bottle with gusto, grabbing it with her tiny hands and drawing it to her own mouth. She grunted, closing her eyes as her breakfast helped soothe away the bad night before.

“Tea’s on the stove.” He told her. “You’re gonna have to wait on the omlet.”

“An omlet sounds delicious.” She commented, finding the teapot, tea ball and cup all relatively together. Pouring herself some, she scratched Shan-shan for a good morning, and went to sit on the couch. “So, why do I get breakfast from the great captain himself?”

“Cause you’re the mother of this thing, and it’s Valentine’s Day, and I happen to….” he paused, as if searching for words “have some kind of deep affection for you.”

“How touching, your passion is overwhelming.” Inara smiled a dry smile. “I love you too by the way.”

“I think I love this one too.” He gazed down at Meilin, who had relaxed some. “Regardless she’s been surly.” Remembering something, he gave a smirk. “Guess what I was told.”

“What?”

“That Simon will be cooking breakfast for his own significant other.”

Inara winced.

Mal nodded his head in agreement, Simon just couldn’t cook, period. No matter how hard he tried (or how hard others taught him) Simon always either burned, overcooked, undercooked, or in some other obscure way shape or form ruined his own cooking. Even if he had been well enough to cook on Yuletide, they still would have made him watch Meilin.

“It’s the thought that counts.” She rebounded, smoothly.

“Not if it may poison ya.”

“Mal.” She chastised.

“It’s the truth.” He muttered. “Kaylee may spend her Valentine’s hugging the toilet bowl.

There were footsteps from the banister that cut their chatter on Simon’s lack of culinary skill. From the stairs Jayne descended, wearing a suit that was borderline cheesy. There were black slacks with white piping up the sides, tucked into white and black boots polished to a mirror sheen, a black shirt with matching piping (and white fringe on the arms and back), a paisley scarf of various reds, his facial hair trimmed, hair slicked and parted to the side, clutching a black hat whilst his belt was black with an enormous buckle of a bucking bull. Jayne saw them staring at him and paused, straightening out his shirt nervously. “What.” The giant man grunted.

“Nothing,” Inara batted her eyes. “You look very, sharp.”

“Figgur women folk like it when ya button up.” He moseyed over to the refrigerator and opened it.

“So you’re seeing someone special?” Inara rolled her lips into her mouth and glared at Mal who looked ready to laugh at Jayne’s outfit.

Shan-shan came over and sniffed his pant leg. Sneezing at the potency of his cologne, round ears twisted back and she retreated to Inara, where the air wasn’t as strong.

“Seein’ a few special someones.” He grabbed a small stack of little heart shaped boxes of chocolates and closed the door. Heading to the coat rack, he set his hat on his head, slipped on his coat, and turned. “Happy Valentine’s Day, ‘Nara.”

“Thank you Jayne. Happy Valentine’s Day to you too.”

“What about me?” The captain griped.

“You I ain’t attracted to.” Jayne sneered as he opened the door and left. His duty at the outpost cabin was limited, because nearly the entire herd had been pushed to the land right in front of the house. They stayed there, because there were troughs lining the fence that were filled with hay or feed every day. Easy to find food during the snow was a good incentive for the herd to stay, meaning less fret for Mal, fret that came from many things, but most of which was the fact that Jayne was not a consistent watchmen. He came over to the house, went to town and brought distracting company to his cabin.

“Well thank the Universe for that.” Mal told Meilin. “Someone needs to tell the tailor his clearance rack is empty. Didja see that buckle? Wonder if anyone else has the strength to wear it or if it just makes them collapse into a broken heap.”

Meilin’s eyes lazily fluttered open. She was no longer upset, for a bottle always made her content.

Shan-shan sneezed on Inara and pressed her nose into the robe. She was still trying to get the smell out of her nose as she jumped up on the couch and lay there, grumbling.

“It’s nice he tries, though seeing more than one woman is questionable.” Inara set a hand atop the mighty tiger head and began to absently rub an ear.

“I dunno how he does it, one’s enough work.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not… that you’re work.” He stumbled, backtracking, saving his skin, seeing her very serious dark eyes. “It’s just, one relationship is a lot of work. What we… got.. I can’t see it… times two or three. The intensity, the passion would be just too great.”

“You’re lucky you’re making breakfast.”

"The captain's making breakfast?" Zoe entered, fully dressed for the day and covered in snow since she had gone out to check on everything. Stomping her boots, she shed her coat and hat.

"It appears he's trying romance." Inara sipped her tea. "I'm not entirely sure how it's working out for him."

"You know you're pretty damn close to being demoted from omlette ta oatmeal." It was a feigned threat, yet one done with a straight face..

"It's not working well for him." Inara clarified in a tone that was indifferent to the oatmeal comment. "He hasn't threatened Meilin though, perhaps she'll be his Valentine."

Meilin slurped her milk, hearing her name she wriggled a bit and grasped her bottle as she kept drinking. She was growing girl, it took a lot of the stuff to keep her fueled.

"Well at least she don't talk back." Mal wiggled a finger on the baby belly before adjusting her, she had gotten big with all of her growing and a healthy amount of baby fat, twelve pounds was Simon's last weighing.

Shan-shan let out a chuff and nuzzled Inara as if to say she would be her owner's Valentine. Although in reality she just wanted her chin scratched.

"Sir, I don't know if you're out of practice or if your brain decided to take a vacation, but I wouldn't go around saying that on Valentine's." Zoe went over to Inara and squeezed her shoulder as an affectionate good morning. "Happy Valentine's Inara."

"Happy Valentine's to you too Zoe."

Zoe's smile thanked her for the Happy Valentine's yet held pain from it being her first Valentine's alone. "You get anything yet or is he an queludi xueyu?"

Mal scowled as Meilin was finished and pushing away from the empty bottle.

"I have an annoying lover and a healthy baby girl, what more could I want?"

The infant let out a coo that meant she was full, though it sounded as if pleased with her mother's answer. It was followed by a belch, and some milk catching her father's shirt before he could get the towel.

"I agree with Meilin, but I'd also expect flowers." Zoe explained as she went to fetch herself some coffee.

"If you haven't noticed, there isn't a florist around here, nor is there exactly a field of daisies to go out and pick." Mal defended himself whilst patting his daughter's back firmly.

"Ingenuity is the key." Simon explained as he slipped down the stairs in a pajama set and a robe. "Good morning, Happy Valentine's Day ladies."

Good mornings came from the two women, Meilin let out an uncourtious burp.

"Oh yeah, and what did your top three percent brain come up with?" Mal cleaned off Meilin's face carefully and along with the others, watched as Simon went to a cupboard and preceded to take out a few rows of cups to reveal a tea tin.

"Flowers." He opened the tin and pulled out an origami flower, the stem green as the petals were purple. It was tiny, however he had a dozen of them in various colors, some done in origami paper while others were magazine paper. He admired his own work, yet at the same time seemed to feel as if it wasn't what he actually wanted to give her.

Mal's face went slack. Damn.

"Oh Simon, those are lovely." Inara was taken back at his thoughtfulness.

"It's just paper." He confessed, somewhat down. "I mean... it's not like it's a bouquet of real flowers"

"She'll love them even more." Zoe commented warmly.

"I hope so." The doctor carefully set his tin on the table and put the glasses away before going to the pantry. "I'm going to make her breakfast too, nothing too special, just some idiot proof instant oatmeal."

Meilin saw her uncle from across the room and and let out a string of demanding baby babble, reaching for him. With him previously laid up on the couch, they had had their share of bonding time.

"You have a fan." Zoe took her seat at the table and smiled as Simon immediately went over to appease his niece.

"I think she's a fan of everyone." Taking the baby from Mal, Simon showed his soft side, the rare facet that only used to show when he was with River. He murmured something to the baby, something soft and sweet in mandarin that made her smile before returning back to the adult conversation. "Even Jayne, who won't touch her with a ten foot pole, she still wants to play with him. Right Xiao Xiongmao?"

Meilin patted his mouth and jabbered back at him, trying to imitate her uncles words though it came out tiny and incoherent.

Simon took her hand and kissed it, then nibbled on the pudgy fingers to make her giggle with delight. Something caught his eye, and he paused. Pulling her hand from his mouth, studying the palm, he quirked a brow. "Why does Mei..."

Mal gave him a look that desperately told him to shut up.

When Inara wasn't looking his way, the uncle held out his niece's small hand, that was stained lightly with what appeared to be ink.

The father of the child gestured for him to keep his mouth shut.

'Is it non-toxic?' He mouthed with physician concern.

*** *** *** DEFINITIONS/TRANSLATIONS Xiao Xiongmao: Little Panda Lianren: lover queludi xueyu: unthoughtful cod

Comments... like hamsters, are nice.