"You don't think Simon might be put off by the fact I've had others do you?" Kaylee's voice was muffled, coming from beneath the engine block.

River, crouched at her feet by the tool box, shook her head. "No. He's stupid, but not that stupid."

Kaylee slid out from beneath the engine, face streaked with sweat and oil. "It's not like there've been all that many. I'm no Silene Carpenter!"

River handed her a cleaning rag. "I'm supposed to spout non-sequiturs, not you."

Kaylee looked at her startled, then laughed. "Neighbor-girl back home. She'd sex anything with two legs - and maybe some with four!" she wiped her face energetically, then surfaced to continue; "Where I come from it's okay to have yourself some fun before settling down but decent folk are a little choosy!"

"I'm sure you were very selective," River said soothingly.

Kaylee wiped her hands, considering. "Guess I was. Nice boys, with good manners as well as good looks. A few who shared my mechanical bent. But never felt for any of them what I feel for Simon."

"Maybe 'cause he's the right one."

"Maybe he is." Kaylee hesitated then ventured; "I'd never try to come between the two of you, I mean a sister is a sister -"

River patted her knee. "I'll have Jayne to take care of me."

At that very moment Jayne was confronting Margot in the passenger lounge. "I want you to tell lil' crazy to stop pestering me!"

She gave him a mild look over the top of her book. "Why not tell her yourself?"

"'Cause she just laughs and calls me nice," He answered, aggrieved. "Once she even kissed me!"

"Oh the horror!"

Jayne glared. "Ain't funny. Actin' that way towards a man is invitin' trouble."

Margot pulled a solemn face. "I'm glad you don't mean to take advantage."

"I like women - not lil' girls!" Jayne mumbled.

"But little girls grow bigger every day," Margot observed.

He flushed even redder. Oh yes, he'd noticed. "I don't do nice girls. I want a woman who knows what's what."

"Women who've been knocked about a bit. In short women like yourself."

"Nothing wrong with that," he said, still defensive.

"Not a thing. In fact it's very admirable. So many men have an unhealthy obsession with virgins."

"Rotten bastards," Jayne agreed. "Nice girls oughta meet nice boys and settled down."

"Very true," Margot said soothingly. "And a troubled girl like River needs a good man, one who can take care of her."

"A doctor maybe, like her brother. Somebody educated and fancible," Jayne said, becoming downright animated.

"I was thinking more along the lines of somebody tough, good with his fists and with weapons," Margot answered thoughtfully. "Somebody able to keep her out of Alliance hands." Jayne's face turned a fascinating shade of magenta. "You don't think so?"

"No!" he said violently. Then appropo of nothing: "Sooner the Doc finds a place for them to settle the better!" and stalked out.

Margot looked after him, smiling faintly. "Oh yeah. He's got it bad. And that ain't good."

...

River leaned her head against the warm satiny side of the black gelding watching Margot rake horse manure into a sack. "Medication can only do part of the job, you have to do the rest." the older woman was saying.

She stroked the horse, frowning. "I can't just stop being crazy."

"No, but you can control bad feelings rather than letting them control you." Margot answered. River looked dubious and she continued. "For example, when the scary, frantic feeling comes over you instead of giving in to it, force yourself to fight it."

A spark of interest broke through the doubt. "But how?"

"Being with people always helped me," said Margot. "I've seen the way you wander round this boat like a lost little soul. Force yourself to sit down and talk to folks. Argue philosophy with Shepard. Talk maths with Wash. Help Kaylee with the engines."

"I did that earlier. We talked about Simon."

Margot nodded strongly. "Good. Good. Everybody on this boat's got problems, River. Smart girl like you might be able to help them, and the effort'll give you something to think about beyond the bad thoughts."

"Work to keep the fog thin," River said.

"Exactly. Got to get out of your mind and back into the real world."

River picked up a curry-comb and ran in it sweeping, soothing circles over the white mare's already sleek flanks. "What about the voices and visions?"

Margot leaned on her rake, considering. "That's a problem I didn't have. Mine was a mood disorder...Hmmm. I wonder if my nightmare spell would work for you?"

"Spell?" River repeated curiously.

"I used to have terrible nightmares as a child," Margot explained. "So I invented a magic spell to wake myself up. The key is knowing it's a nightmare. Can you tell when it's real and when it's not?"

"Mostly," River answered.

"Then it should work for you. In fact it'll probably work even better than it did for me, you being psychic and all. Stop currying moonbeam and sit down over here."

River obeyed, settling herself on a crate. Margot pulled off her work gloves and removed a ring set with a big rose red stone from her finger. "We'll use this as a focus."

River's face clouded. "You gonna hypnotize me?"

"Sort of. It's the best way to set the spell." she lifted a brow. "Won't work if you don't co-operate."

"I don't want to go to sleep," River warned.

"I don't want you to sleep," Margot replied, briskly. "I need you to concentrate, to focus. Now look at the stone...see the color, all warm and rosy. Color of safety, color of happiness." the Oxbridge accent crept back into her voice giving it an almost musical lilt. "Sink into it, feel it lap you around. Smell the sweetness, like roses in high summer..."

River's nose twitched, she breathed deep.

"Like a sea of billowing silk scattered with rose petals, sweet as the memory of a perfect summer day...This is how you want to feel."

"Yes," River breathed. "Oh, yes!"

"These are the words, say them after me: Rose Red -"

"Rose Red -"

"Summer Sweet -"

"Summer Sweet -"

"Safety Seek -"

"Safety Seek -"

"Wrap Me Round -"

"Wrap Me Round -"

"So Mote It Be!"

"So Mote It Be!"

"Now together," River's voice softly echoed her own as they recited the rhyme: "Rose Red; Summer Sweet; Safety Seek; Wrap Me Round; So Mote It Be!"

"Very good, River. From now on whenever you say or think these words you will feel exactly like you do at this moment. The voices will be silenced; and the visions disappear. So Mote It Be!"

Margot slipped the ring back onto her finger, and her voice turned brisk and business-like. Well it's done. I was right about your mind powers, it'll work even better for you than it did for me."

River's eyes refocused on the real world but her smile didn't fade, and she took one last deep breath of rose scent before letting the spell fade. "I know it will."

They were dropping the manure sacks into the waste chute when they heard voices on the catwalk above them.

Inara, waspish: Mal, Captain Reynolds! I want to talk to you."

Mal, mocking: "What can I do for you, Ambassador?"

"Stop wasting my time on backwaters is what you can do." Inara all but snarled.

Mal's answer oozed fake sympathy. "Nobody on Muir to meet your high standards, eh?"

"You've been very carefully avoiding decent planets where I might find a permanent clientele ever since I told you I was leaving!"

River and Margot exchanged looks, the girl's eyes wide with dismay.

"I ain't been doing anything of the kind," Mal denied, heatedly. "I go where work is in case you haven't noticed. Happens our next fuel stop's on Xanadu, that fancible enough to suit you?"

There was a pause, and a note of uncertainty in Inara's voice as she answered: "I think I've heard of it, a resort skyplex in Aetherium sector?"

"You got it," said Mal, still angry.

A deep breath. "That - should do nicely. Thank you, Captain."

"You're welcome!"

The metal catwalk vibrated as big boots and soft slippers stalked off in opposite directions.

"Inara's leaving?" River mouthed, face drawn with misery.

Margot didn't see, she was still looking up with a thoughtful expression.

Simon darted out of the passenger lounge so suddenly as to make both women jump. "Kaylee's not in here is she?"

They stared at him in surprise. "Why should she be?" River answered.

Simon heaved a sigh of relief. "Don't tell her you've seen me, okay?"

"Why not?" asked River.

"If that's what you want," said Margot.

"Yes!" he said with some emphasis and headed away from them to settle behind Margot's big crate with his hand cortex-link.

His sister and fellow passenger looked after him for a moment, then at each other, then went through the lounge to Margot's bunk to clean up.

"People are strange," said River, soaping her arms to the elbow.

"It's my professional opinion you are way far from being the craziest person on this boat, sweetheart." Margot answered, rinsing her face. Hatches slamming overhead made both look up. "Fact is you don't even make the top five."

River giggled.