Angelle's mine, the rest is Joss'. --------------------------------------------

Refinement....the act of being polite, enriched, and full of grace. One must be able to talk like silk, walk like water, and sip with your pinky held high, and if you are really talented, you can do all of that in a dress that physically is trying to suck the life out of you. The things you do for people you really don't like to keep safe the ones you do.

"I figured you'd want black, though you'll be the only one at the party that's wearing it." Lou watched as I slid the long black gown over my head and felt the soft silk caress my skin on its way down. Looking in the mirror, I had forgotten what I looked like as a girl. My mom had always told me that I had the body of a ballet dancer. Swamp livin' and my healthy appetite for killing bad people had kept not only fat off my body, but added well formed muscles to my frame. The long black dress that Lou picked out accented my long legs as well as the full chest that came with being a woman.

"It's a bit low cut, don't you think?" Not that I thought cleavage was a bad thing, but I wasn't really use to showing it off as much as she seemed to want me to and as I looked down, I noticed the long slit that ran up the right side of the full length gown.

"Gives something to distract men with and that..." Lou pointed at the slit. "That's for getting your knife out quicker." I had to hand it to Lou, she knew where I kept my blades when without pockets. Sure enough, you could just see the black leather strap that held my boot knife halfway up my thigh. Thankfully, it didn't show unless helped a little by my hand.

"Guess I shouldn't tango." I laughed and adjusted the soft material so that it would conceal the blade.

"You know they never do that sort of dancing at those parties. Hell, if they did, I'd go in a heartbeat instead of being drug there. Might even take that Jayne fella with me a time or tow more." Lou Lou brushed her hair out of her face. "Been a long time since a man wore me out like he did."

"Aunt Lou, please. Think I heard enough last night." Reaching for the jewelry I wanted to wear, I first took hold of a pair of bracelets, which fit on my upper arms. They resembled beautifully crafted flowers with three long petals made of red tipped feathers, sticking out from the center. Intricate in design, each petal fanned out to touch the other as their stems slid into the three- inch base, which wrapped around my bicep. They had been one of the very few gifts my mother had ever given me.

"I remember when she bought those. One of the only times she came with your dad. Was the second time I met her, first was when your daddy insisted they get married here."

"Mom didn't like space travel. I think Dad kind of wishes he had let her live with you after Kyle died." My hand traveled to the necklace that matched the bracelets. Slipping the chain around my neck, I felt Lou's soft hands take it from mine and clasp it.

"It wouldn't have helped none. Your momma loved one thing in her life and that was your brother. She loved your daddy before him, but I think the swamp kind of stole that from her and your daddy's involvement in the war."

"Well, she didn't believe in the cause. She felt the Alliance was good for us." I shook my head and turned to let Lou inspect what she has done to me. "You were always more a mom to me than her anyway."

A tear in her eye, Lou smoothed my long red hair a minute before motioning for me to turn around. As I did, I caught my reflection in the full length mirror again. My aunt had indeed done the impossible for the upteenth time, a feat that no matter how many times I witnessed it, never ceased to amaze me. "You're beautiful. Not that you aren't always."

"No, Lou, you're right. Beautiful is a good word for what this is." I stood for a few second more admiring when I heard something on the other side of the thin walls.

"I ain't gettin' dressed up in some monkey suit. Ain't need to look like some nut on display." The voice was Jayne's and it was followed by a very stern Mal. Lou had told them they could get dressed in it and Kaylee and Zoe were on the other side of us, finishing their hair and makeup.

"Jayne, this is for 'Nara."

"Well, can't we just blast our way in. Figure then if the plan's gonna go south, we know it firsthand. Beats waiting for it to like we do with all your plans."

"Hey, most of my plans work out. Just not the way we first thought."

"Ya, but ifn I'm gettin' shot, I want to be shooting back."

"Jayne, wear the gorram suit."

"It squishes things ain't like being squished, Mal." I could hear the captain groan through the wall and smiled.

"Fine, I'll get Simon. He's use to this sort of thing and might be easier than taking some ape in."

"Ain't said I won't do it. 'Sides, with that doctor, you'd be lucky if he didn't kill you all first with his gunnin' skills."

"Seems like I ask you to help him with that?" I could tell by the sound of Mal's voice Jayne hadn't even tried with the good doctor. Mentally, I made a note that if we all survived this, I was gonna give Simon some lessons.

"Some people are born with it, Mal, but the doc, well, he couldn't shoot Serenity if he had the barrel up against her." Or maybe not...though if I could teach my cousin to shoot, I could teach anyone.

"You boys about ready?' I heard my aunt shout and realized I hadn't heard her leave. The door was open and I just barely stuck my head out when I heard a gasp behind me. "Oh, Angelle, you're just so pretty." I turned to see Kaylee in a gorgeous pink fluffy dress.

"Thank you, Kaylee. You do, too." Her hair bounced in ringlets that I knew that Jasmine must have done her hair. She was my aunt's best student and basic assistant. Strangely, she always reminded me of Zoe with her dark skin and beautiful raven hair, but what Zoe could do with a gun, Jazz did with hair, nails, and faces.

"Your aunt had it cleaned and fixed up a little. Been hangin' on my wall so was a bit wrinkled." Her long fingers, now colored on the tips with pink nail polish were free of the grease and oil I was use to seeing. Amazingly, both of us had been turned into princesses and as Zoe emerged from the room, a gorgeous dark green dress liken to mine huggin her curves, well, I just about forgot that this was a rescue mission.

"I feel ridiculous in this thing." She frowned for a second and then shook her head. Motioning to what lay behind me. I turned as Mal and Jayne emerged dressed to the hilt. There is one thing that I have learned over the years I've been with Lou and her wonderful parties, ain't no man that I have ever met not look good in a high dollar tux. Jayne even was borderline handsome, if he'd stop messing with his balls long enough for me to be a good judge.

Mal, though, was gorgeous, to the point of it being downright illegal. As much as brown was his true color, black made him look dangerous from the shine on his shoes to the hidden gun on the inside of his jacket on the right. I could tell that he was thinking the same about me, though the smile that seemed to slide cross his face echoed my assumptions.

"Clean up good." He stated, but reframed from adding too much as that we were not alone. He looked at Kaylee and Zoe, both giving them a captainy nod before turning to see Lou Lou coming around the corner.

"Think you might want to gather all your stuff, guns, knives, whatever other nasties you can think." She had dressed in her fancies as well, looking like the aunt I knew. Taking hold of Jayne's arm and smacking him when he fiddled with his crotch, she scolded him. "You want to be my escort, you need to stop actin' like a fool. It's not suppose to be comfortable."

"Can't I just come in with guns blazin' in my own gorram pants?”

“No.” Lou looked at me. “You ready?”

“Yup.” Her look became a glare and I repeated what I said only with a little of that refinement I was talking about earlier. “Yes, ma'am. I'm ready.” “I can get you all in the door, but then the rest is on you. Wing should be in the ballroom most of the time, but since his sword fight, he's hired some bodyguards.”

“Zoe and I will manage them. Mal and Jayne just keep your eyes out for Inara and Kaylee, you can be our look out.”

The mechanic, in her beautiful dress, looked at me innocently. “Would 'look out' include eatin'?”