”…thanks Kaylee, that means a lot.” Inara told her.

”Hey, what’re shipmates for?” Kaylee replied, fighting back a yawn. She really did need to get back to sleep, she considered – River had thoroughly worn her out earlier in bed before they’d got around finally to sleepin’ after all, and that was after a day a’diggin’ graves. But darned if she was gonna let on to Inara about that. ”You know, River said you’d be alive. Said you were tied to this life, by strings we’d made. That those strings were stronger than most, an’ harder to break. You think there’s anything to that?”

”…It would be nice to think so, wouldn’t it? It’s a beautiful thought, in any case…” Inara said softly.

”I know, isn’t it?” Kaylee said back just as softly. ”Inara… can I tell you something?”

”Of course, Kaylee. You can tell me anything, you know that. What is it? Nothing bad, I hope?” Inara asked carefully.

”No, it’s happy news in fact.” She said looking down at River’s peacefully sleeping face resting on her lap, and thinking how beautiful she looked like this, how beautiful they’d been together when they’d… made love. How beautiful it was, just being with her like this now even. Or just walking together in the forest. She knew now for dead sure, uncertain though the future might be, that she didn’t ever want it to be any other way. ”Me an’ River, we’re sort of a couple now.” If they got out of this, she was even sort of thinking she’d ask River to marry her, honestly. After all, when it came to the choice of havin’ someone to love or not havin’ them, it was a pretty easy choice, ’specially where River was concerned.

”Well, that’s certainly a surprise… I thought, well, you know, it seemed you had eyes for her brother.” Inara observed, her spirits seeming to be lifted by the news. ”That must be quite a story.” She said, clearly curious.

”Yeah, you could say that. And I guess I did sort of have a crush on Simon, but… you know, things change.” Kaylee explained helplessly.

”So true. But you’re right, that is very happy news, isn’t it?” Inara laughed happily a little. ”So? How’d it happen? You have to tell me all about it.”