The night that River stayed was not discussed. By that morning, Rose was too uncomfortable to mention it and River chose to respect that. They went forward with the day as if nothing happened, and that attitude continued. If we don't talk about it, it didn't happen, Rose had decided. It was just a slumber party with a best mate is all, Rose continued in her mind. Yet, that conflicted with her strong desire to forget River's arms around her.

Though the pilot and the newest crew member were nearly inseparable, one can never be around someone all the time. Rose did spend time with the other crew members, yet those interactions were simply never interesting enough to think about or speak of.

She avoided Jayne and Mal if at all possible. Jayne couldn't be around her for more than three seconds before a cheesy come-on slipped from his crass mouth, and Rose couldn't be around Mal for more than a minute before arguing with him.

At first, everyone found their rows amusing. Then, it started to make their boat incredibly and unpleasantly noisy. It was still fun to see Rose go at him, especially since she managed to make him speechless from time to time. He had never dealt with anyone so challenging before, which was definitely saying something.

Well, he respected that. To a degree. He still wanted to throw her off the ship.

For Rose, Zoe was a tough nut to crack. Rose had coffee with her from time to time, yet it was hard to make small talk. She realized that talking about the weather while in space was pointless and made her seem a bit daft.

She did like Simon and Kaylee a great deal. Kaylee was nice, a bit too hyper, but nice. She would give Rose lessons on the engine and machinery in their world. Or, she would rope Rose into girl time with fashion shows and gossip. Rose never had the gossip, but clearly Kaylee was happier spreading it than listening to it.

Simon was another story. He was softer and reserved, which gave Rose a great chuckle when seeing the bubbly mechanic at his side. This doctor offered to help her learn Chinese, and Rose readily accepted. During their lessons, he occasionally spoke of history. He was a human encyclopedia, so Rose enjoyed hearing the facts than having to read them all. Yet, every so often, the older Tam had to talk about his sister.

Usually, Rose didn't mind, but lately…well, she was more than a bit edgy.

"You should have seen her as a girl," Simon fondly remembered as they sat in the kitchen. "She was remarkably brilliant even back then. But, she could be a complete brat. That's the job of a little sister."

"Yeah, I can see where she'd be a bit hard to handle."

"You have no idea," he laughed. "Do you have siblings?"

"A baby brother. Not born too long ago. So, I didn't get much of a chance to know him."

Simon sensed the sadness, so he comfortingly smiled. "Think of it this way. You could have grown up with a total brat."

"River will come in here and hit you if you keep saying that, you know."

"It wouldn't be the first time. As much as she drove me insane, we were always so close. That's how I knew that something was wrong. After we sent her to the Academy, she sent me a letter. I know her well enough to know that she was in trouble. It took all that I had to get her back, but there was never another option in my mind. I only wish that I had reached her sooner."

"She said that they," Rose hated to say it. "They put needles in her brain."

"They did. They caused her psychosis. It's much better now, but the condition is permanent. I can control it with medications. That's all. It's difficult to see her on bad days, especially knowing how she was. But, they're almost gone now. Ever since we found the right treatments and she's settled down here, it's almost like nothing happened."

"That's brilliant. I can't imagine seeing her like…" she couldn't finish the thought. The idea of River struggling like that sent ice through her veins.

"I doubt that you will. She hasn't had a relapse in a long time. This may seem like a misplaced question, but have you seen her dance?"

Her throat gulped as she replayed the handful of clumsy dances they had shared. "Well, I mean, not alone."

"Not alone?"

"I saw her dancing with…someone. Else. So. Dancer?"

"Yes. It was her passion before the Academy. I think that it sort of sums up who she is. It's such a graceful and dynamic form of expression. It always made her so alive. It took a long time for her to feel that way again. She seems to be getting happier every day. I think that is partly because of you."

"Me?"

"I haven't seen so much light in her eyes since…" he stopped there and cleared his throat. Rose wondered what he was going to say, as darkness had crept into his face. But, he didn't continue the thought. "Anyway, I think that you bring out the dancer in her. If that makes any sense. Maybe I've spent too much time listening to my sister's cryptic speech patterns."

Rose smiled at the thought of Simon's words, yet she quickly began to panic. What could he mean by that? Was he implying that they were something more than friends? What could it mean in general? So, she made her best mate happy. That's what mates do. Make each other smile and laugh. Make the lonely nights pass. Give each other butterflies…

She didn't think that about River. It was officially stricken from the transcript of her brain. Giving me butterflies, Rose erased the idea and noticed that Simon saw her distant gaze.

"Right, yeah. River, she's fantastic. She's the one person who makes this reality feel like home."

River makes this feel like home, Rose gulped again. One more phrase to be removed. River feels like home, Rose imagined a red pen blotting away the idea. Of course, a mind is not like a piece of lined paper in her school books. Obviously. Scribbling out and erasing emotions could never be as easy as editing a report, and this report on River Tam grew longer by the second. She feared the concluding paragraph more than anything.

"Well, I'm glad that you're here. However it is that you got here," Simon chuckled and lightly patted Rose's hand. "You are our crew now. Don't listen to the Captain. He is resistant to change, to put it mildly."

"He's a warm and fuzzy sort," she sarcastically snorted. "He doesn't seem to handle a spirited girl such as myself very well."

"We've had a few spunky people around, but I have to say that you are the spunkiest. I'm fairly certain that this entire ship finds it hilarious that you keep him on his toes."

"How sweet of you. I'm sure that all of you could give him a run for his money, if you wanted to. River especially. She does already, I think."

"Yes, but she's shifty about it. Somehow, she always gets what she wants, and it's always for the best."

Gets what she wants. What does she want? Rose felt the reader's eyes and touch in her mind and quickly pushed it away. She covered with a smile. "She's something else."

"That she is. You fall into that category as well. I think that's why you're such a perfect fit with my sister," he stood to return to his work. "Let me know if you want to see any medical history in the infirmary. It really is fascinating."

"Yeah," she distractedly muttered. "Fascinating."

He left her sitting at the kitchen table and she tossed down the rest of her water like it were alcohol in the pub. Perfect fit. Make her happy. Butterflies. Like home. Gets what she wants. For the best.

Please, that's just mental. No way. Doesn't mean anything. Rose laughed it off and figured that the new reality was only making her a bit barmy. Anybody would get turned about if dropped in a strange new world, particularly if only one person understood. That's right. That's why she was so fond of River. It was only that she understood her.

It couldn't be anything more than that. Not in all of time and space. Not in all of the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey realities. She was absolutely sure about that. No changing her mind. It was just, well, impossible. Yes. Impossible…

On the bridge, River caught the thought and smirked. "Improbable isn't impossible, Rose Tyler."