Epilog

The crew of Serenity settled into a comfortable routine. Most would get up and have coffee then go for a morning swim. Then breakfast followed by a hard day of lounging and maybe Frisbee for those feeling energetic, or in Mal's case fishing. He finally started catching some and they had fish most days. Inara spent time sewing, she was altering her clothes and she had turned some of her full length pants and dresses into shorts and skirts, and just playing with folks.

After lunch there'd be more swimming and laying about, occasionally someone would slip into the ship to do chores or little things that they'd been meaning to get to. Everyone got so they would try and be a little noisy anytime they got out of immediate camp just to give those that might have slipped away together to play some warning. It had taken a few slightly embarrassing occasions for them to work that out. They all pretty much chipped in on making dinner and cleanup. Then usually a fire, using the deadwood they had slowly cleaned up throughout the trees, with Jayne playing guitar.

The impromptu skinny dipping the first night had stuck and mostly folks didn't wear much except when it was chilly, which was only in the morning or after the sun went down. Inara had brought out several sarongs and with the exception of Simon, who always had at least boxers on, thats pretty much all most wore. It had taken Mal and Zoe a day or two longer to ease into and they still mostly dressed if they weren't actually swimming or going to and from.

Simon had tried to bully River into more clothes but she really didn't like to wear much to start with so he didn't have a prayer of getting her to wear clothes when no one else would. Mal tried to support Simon but it was a pretty half hearted effort, he was looking at Inara at the time and short of making everyone dress, he could hardly get a wind up about just River having to be dressed.

Of course whoever had watch would but on boots, shorts and a shirt, the same for those that felt like wandering out into the prairie. Since it was spring, the grass hadn't gotten tall yet and it was more like a huge lawn. Mal, Zoe and Jayne always had a gun to hand, though so far nothing had happened to require them.

Only Simon and Jayne had spent much time in the ship. Simon looking for more information on the TLB 1641, and Jayne communicating with the Guild and sorting through the intelligence they gathered.

Mal watched his family playing as he took his turn at watch. Zoe, wŏ de mā, actually playing Frisbee with Kaylee, Inara and Simon sitting on a blanket under a tree chatting, and River and Jayne off swimming. He wondered what had happened to them in the last week and a half. It wasn't just Jayne and Inara who where different. They had all settled into each other. They'd all been family, mostly, since Miranda, no doubt about that, but sometime while they had been in this place they'd stopped being distant relatives that had to watch out for each other and turned into folks that really cared about one another.

Zoe smiled more and didn't sit off to the side alone as much.

Hell, seemed like Simon had smoothed out a bit and didn't stick his foot in it with Kaylee so often, boy might even figure out how to ask her to marry him soon.

Even he could tell River was doing better. Not that she'd been doing poorly but she hadn't had a bad day once since they arrived and Simon said she was almost off all her meds. She was much more like a young woman than the slighty confused wise child she had seemed after Miranda. Still smart as dìyù but she didn't hide behind her hair and look away so much, just looked you in the eye.

Kaylee was still Kaylee of course, loved everyone, but he knew she could feel how much closer everyone felt.

He hadn't changed a bit though, he was still a crusty wáng bā dàn and it better not have been the nekkidness that made everyone all happy cuz once they got off this rock he was gonna make sure environmentals were turned down low enough that folks felt the need to dress. Couldn't run a professional ship with nekkid people running all over the place.

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A/N: TBC soon in next installment.

If you have enjoyed (or have criticism as to why not) please throw up a review, they fuel the writer's 'Verse. Thanks to Badkarma00 and Imatu for the constructive thoughts and encouragement.

Watch for the next installment to see the crew get back into the Black. They have to return Fechin's favor and Jayne starts to plan a counter attack against the ...(find that out too). Find out why Kaylee says "I ain't never seen the Capt'n turn that shade of red affor."

Character's etc all belong to Joss, as one of my favorite FanFic authors likes to say "I just like playing with em"