Simon and Kaylee didn't make an official announcement. They couldn't. Kaylee had already told everyone before Simon had even finished bringing the bags and boxes in. River and Mal pretended to be surprised when Kaylee showed them her ring. Mal turned to River and mouthed the words, "Big ring!" River nodded. Simon had been saving for a long time. Not for a ring, but just in general.

Dinner was a joyous affair. All six of Serenity's crew were smiling and laughing. Inara had been gone for at least seven months now. Sure Mal thought about her now and again, but it wasn't like it was when she first left. It didn't hurt as badly, because he expected it. He didn't bother pining after her. He had a crew to think about, one that had been through enough in the last year or so. River and Zoe being the ones that he really needed to worry about.

Zoe took Wash's death hard, but that was expected. Something inside her died with him that day on Mr. Universe's moon, something she was trying desperately to get back. He was there for her, the pillar of stability and control. She followed his lead always, and he tried to lead her back to some sort of inner peace or happiness.

River, on the other hand, was getting better. She only had a touch of psychosis here and there. She spoke normally, only in bigger words than Jayne could understand and Mal cared for. She was strong, a fighter just like he was. Still, he watched her like a hawk, especially since Simon had Kaylee to now take care of as well. Just like Simon did, Mal worried about River relapsing. He had become found of River, not that he didn't like her before, only now she was his crew. No doubt about it. That girl was an amazing, graceful, beautiful, mystery. He didn't want to lose her, to anyone or anything.

"…and then he took off!" Jayne howled.

Everyone started laughing. Mal hadn't been paying attention to the story, so he only smiled. Dinner ended after a few more stories, most of which were dirtier than Mal would have liked, but he let them slide. Everyone went their different ways after that.

****

"I thought you'd be here," Mal smiled from his place in the doorway of the bridge.

River turned her head just enough to see his smiling face. She smiled back and then looked back out at the sunset. She was curled up in the pilot chair. In fact, she spent most of her time there. More than she spent in her room. Some mornings he'd find her in that chair, sleeping peacefully.

"Sun sets, descending through the sky only to rise again. It's reborn, remade each day and ends each night. Slate wiped clean, forget it all. Start new." She turned back towards him and smiled. "Speaking in riddles makes people pay more attention."

"That it does, little one."

He sat in the copilot's chair, watching the sunset with her in silence. After it had disappeared behind a row of trees, River looked over at him.

"The moons will take their respective places now. It's their turn to light the sky."

"I suppose so."

She grinned and then suddenly looked pensive. "What do you think their relationship is like?"

"Who?"

"The sun and the moons."

"Can't say I ever pondered that."

"Let's go now. Simon and Kaylee are on their way to their bunk."

"'Nough said darlin', 'nough said…"

They got up and walked through the ship until they got to the cargo bay, where they slipped out of the door into the summer night.

The air was humid, but it was countered with a pleasant breeze that caught River's hair in just the right way. The light from the three dull moons shone down on her milky skin, giving her some angelic glow. She turned to him with that smile and then started walking away towards the woods. Her white cotton dress swished around her in the most captivating way he'd ever seen.

He caught up with her after breaking out into a jog. She was moving quicker than he would have liked to go. Sensing his thoughts, she slowed down. At first they walked without talking. They walked through the dew covered grass in a large meadow before coming to the edge of the woods.

"When you said 'away' I thought you meant like…an inn or something," Mal commented.

"No. It won't be all night. Just until I know they're…just sleeping."

"You still hear 'em?"

"He's my brother. I always have some connection with him. Emotions, remember? It isn't too graphic right now, luckily."

They went through the woods, listening to all of the sounds of nature. It was very tranquil. River started to dance. She spun around in a circle, smiling wildly. He could see the light in her eyes. It was brighter than all three of the moons put together. He stood back and watched her dance on, admiring her skill and grace.

"What music you dancin' to?" he asked.

"Nature and the song in my head."

"What might that be?"

She started to hum the music part of the song before going into the singing portion of the song. "You are the light in the black. You always come back. Oh, take me home. Fly with me."

She had the most beautiful voice. It made his heart skip a beat. She continued to hum and dance. She stopped and then looked at Mal.

"Don't stop on my account darlin'."

She smirked and then started to walk ahead. He followed her. They got to a pond, where she sat down and then put her bare feet into the warm water.

"I don't think it's wise to be puttin' your feet in there. What if there's some fish that'll bite you?"

She laughed and then splashed him. He sat next to her, but didn't put his feet in the water. She gazed up at the sky.

"Maybe they're jealous."

"What?"

"The moons and the sun! Maybe the moons are jealous that everyone gets to look at the sun, while they sleep through the time the moon gets in the sky."

She hugged her knees to her chest and bent her head back so far, it hurt Mal just to look at it.

"Or," she continued, "Maybe they're friends. The sun needs a break, so they switch off shifts. Like colleagues."

Her mind amazed him. He would never think about things like she did. She leaned back so she was completely sprawled out on the grassy bank of the pond. She tucked one arm behind her head and the other was tossed carelessly across her stomach. He watched as her chest moved up and down rhythmically. The moment was priceless. She patted the ground next to her.

"You came with me, so keep me company."

He laughed and didn't argue. He spread out next to her, his eyes fixed on his pilot rather than the sky she was so intently watching.

"I know. I have it figured out."

"Tell me."

"Everyone says the sun and the moon, or moons, are opposites. It isn't true. They illuminate the sky, rise and fall, die and are reborn every day or night. Day is like night, just brighter. They are alike, with only a subtle difference. The sun is cherished, seen, appreciated, loved. It gives life to everything and warmth. It is a symbol of hope. 'In the darkness, you are my light.' Everyone loves the light. The moon, or moons, is not. It lights the sky, but not like the sun. It isn't seen. It doesn't give warmth, only light. Enough light to see, nothing more. I think that the sun and the moon, moons, coexist but can have a relationship. When one falls, the other rises. They're never in the sky at the same except for the full moon. Even then, it's only for a moment. Transitory at best. They can never be, even if they are the same beneath the blanket of the atmosphere."

Her eyes met his. "The sun and the moon, they're just like…" she stopped and looked away.

"Like what?"

"It's trivial. It doesn't matter. It can't be, won't be. Transitory at best."

He didn't realize that she was going to say "They're just like us." He was the sun, she was the moon. That was how it was. All those nights on the bridge they talked, the mornings he woke her up with a gentle touch… That night, together, side by side in the grass, gazing at the sky…it was all transitory at best.

They had drifted off for a short amount of time. She woke up first to find her face buried in his chest and his arm carefully around her. She smiled, wishing the moment would last. She frowned and then rolled over so they weren't in that position when she woke him up. Simon and Kaylee were sleeping, and it was okay to return home. She lightly put her hand on his shoulder, just like he did whenever he found her sleeping on the bridge.

"Captain," she said softly. One of his brilliant blue eyes fluttered open with a grunt. "We can return to the ship now."

He sighed. He was comfortable. He didn't want to return home. Why couldn't they stay by the pond for that night? He realized that they had forgotten the comm. They'd surely be looking for them if they weren't around in the morning. So, he reluctantly got up and followed River out of the woods and to Serenity.

They stood in the cargo bay for just a second before going their separate ways. Transitory at best, she thought sadly. He was thinking the same thing, just not as elegantly. Never enough gorram time, he growled in his mind as he went down into his bunk. When he climbed into his bed, he thought that it was no where near as comfortable as the hard ground by the pond. He missed her presence already. He stayed awake, thinking how weird it was that he missed her. He missed her smile, her eyes, her voice…that voice that woke him up, the same one that sang so beautifully as she danced. He wanted to see her dance. Hell, he just wanted to see her. How could this be? The girl was half his age! And gorram incredible. An image of them together, his arm around her, his hand on her face, his lips against hers, it made him grin. It was the last thing he thought before slipping into a restful sleep.

****