Title: Patience

Disclaimer: I do not own this universe or these characters

A/N: additional disclaimer - I'm nervous to post this because I can't look it over again tonight - please forgive the glaring typos if they exist - I always have a couple, which is why I'm nervous.

Mal, River, Zoe, Simon and Kaylee huddled together near the balcony. Kaylee's head rested on Simon's shoulder, "Why don't we just ask Inara to have a talk with the lawman. It doesn't have to be a big deal."

Mal shook his head, "We're not gonna risk embarrassing her today. No, out of respect for Inara, we do this nice and quiet like." Mal took a breath, "Which is why it makes most sense to go ahead and get Jayne out of that holdin' thing they got there - not even let it get to the jail."

"That makes sense, Sir, how are you going to do that without going in gun-ready?" Zoe asked.

Mal nodded his head toward the balcony ledge where, two stories down, they could see where Jayne was being held. Mal tried to look confident, "Well, I figure you could go in and sweet talk that deputy there while I get to the lock and get Jayne out."

There was a momentary silence as everyone turned to Zoe, who cocked an eyebrow, "Flirt, Sir?" Mal nodded, "I don't flirt."

"I'll do it." River said quickly.

Mal ignored her and turned to Kaylee, "You up for it?"

Simon shook his head, "No she isn't."

Kaylee turned around to argue with Simon while River stepped in front of Mal to argue with him, "I can do it. You could use Kaylee with the lock - she can take care of it without busting it and raising the alarm."

Mal muttered under his breath, "Look, this sort of job needs..."

"You don't think I can flirt. I can flirt. Just because I haven't made a habit of it since you've known me..."

Mal smiled mildly, "River, let's not turn this into something-"

River turned abruptly and stalked gracefully away. Simon and Kaylee stopped arguing to watch as River interrupted a conversation at the bar between two women and a man. Within a minute the two women had drifted away and it was quite obvious River's flirtations were a success. Suddenly she turned from him with a parting nod and went back to the group.

Kaylee grinned, "River, I never knew you had it in ya, sweetie!"

River stared triumphantly up at Mal, "Trained assassin. How do you suppose they expected me to get close enough to kill my target?"

"Wait!" Simon put a hand out in front of him, "I don't think I want to hear this."

"Companions are implicitly trusted - we needed to be able to get close without trust - have just as much skill to seduce-" River rolled her eyes as Simon covered his ears, "Wouldn't have to actually do anything - just get them alone to kill them and leave without fuss."

Mal frowned down at her, then glared over her shoulder as the man she'd chatted up came toward them, "Hey, did I say something off, because I thought we were getting along-"

Mal pointed at him, "You - get out of here."

River looked at the man when he refused to move. She looked almost confused, "Yes, please leave," she lowered her voice as if imparting a secret, "We're trying not to shoot anyone tonight."

The man's face turned a funny shade of red and then white as Mal's hand rested warningly near his gun. He retreated hastily back to the bar and pretended to look calm.

"You-" Mal pointed to River - seemed at a loss of words and finally, he sighed, "Come on, let's get started."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"There's got to be two hundred Companions here and you go after the daughter of the Mayor," Mal hissed as he crouched with his back to Kaylee while she worked her magic with the cage lock.

"Hey, they were all dressed the same, and she came onto me, Mal - I just - tried to hurry the deal along," Jayne protested, "I'm the victim here. Small planet politics! My Pa always said to stick to the moons - at least if you're gonna get in trouble, it's gonna be for something you deserved."

"Just consider this payment for one of the many things you deserved trouble for but weren't ever caught for," Kaylee piped in helpfully.

Mal kept up a steady stream of swearing (mostly directed toward Jayne) while he concentrated very hard on not actually watching the part River was playing with the deputy. It had been disconcerting to see her slip into the role like she had - no quivers or second glances. But she was just doing her job - and she would always do her job exceptionally well.

"Hey - Moonbrain looks hot," Jayne added conversationally as the lock to his confinement popped open noiselessly and Kaylee sighed in satisfaction at her own handiwork.

Mal grit his teeth to keep from using his gun to clock Jayne in the head, "Just get your no good, greedy skin back to the ship and if I hear one peep out of you before we're off world, you're going to find yourself at the business end of small planet justice before you can spit."

Jayne took his hat out of his jacket pocket and put it on, grumbling about politics as he made toward following orders. Mal grabbed his arm before he could straighten and, avoiding Kaylee's eye muttered, "Next time we're out for supplies - you get River one of those string violin things... with your own coin... you owe it."

Jayne grimaced at Mal for a moment, then glanced toward River and the deputy. Finally, he grunted agreement and went on his way.

Mal waited for the sound of Jayne's departure to disappear, then nodded to Kaylee and they both straightened up. Mal braced himself for anything he might see as he offered Kaylee his arm and strolled away from the deputy's vehicle. It was the signal to Simon to interrupt River's time with the deputy; it was also the first chance Mal had had to get a good look at River's end of the deal.

Mal knew he shouldn't look - or even better, shouldn't mind. He didn't want to. He trusted River, even though they weren't... exactly together - he trusted in her what he hadn't dared trust to anyone in a very long time. Still... he wouldn't be human if he didn't just take a glance.

Of course it wasn't that bad - the two were just talking... even if intimately. River, laughing up at the deputy who was leaning over her, touching the earrings she'd borrowed from Kaylee. Mal shouldn't have looked, he glared at Simon as they passed on the stairs as if every second River was with the deputy now was his fault. Simon glared back, as River being with the deputy altogether was Mal's fault.

Simon's interruption went to plan, the deputy went back into the party and they all separated just as discussed. Simon would, of course, eventually rendezvous with Kaylee in their own room after escorting River back safely to her own room. Zoe had accompanied Jayne to Serenity... just in case. And Mal... ended up just where he ought to be. Alone.

Mal sat on the bed of his hotel room and stared grimly at the closed door. This whole mess of a day could not have gone better, really. Inara had gotten married; Mal took a second to digest this. He'd been so consumed with his own feelings... for River... that he'd sort of let Inara's marriage - her departure from his life slip passed. They'd said their goodbyes though. The rest - all this - was just ceremony.

He once again and finally let go of Inara- everything this time and continued bitterly counting their blessings. There had been no official identification of Jayne, no one had even been officially arrested. No one had been killed or injured... everyone had ended up safe and exactly where they started out. There was just one problem - and that was that Mal didn't want to be where he'd started anymore.

How much time had he wasted worrying about what everyone and anyone would think of him for loving someone he didn't think he should love? How long had he been playing the coward?

Mal was done caring about what people would see when they saw he and... River - together. They had a chance here. A chance that he'd only truly realized they had when they'd sat together in the hall, accidentally spilling their hearts out to each other. He'd been prepared for another long suffering, silent, implied connection. He'd been prepared to live as only her Captain, loving her without confirmation - without physical consummation...

Mal pushed his hands through his hair, reigned in his thoughts and took a steadying breath. But things had changed. He'd seen the fear of his feelings, and ultimately his rejection in her eyes. And for once, Mal understood that the right thing to do - the selfless thing to do - was to be selfish. River, for all her triumph over the past year, had heavy burdens still - not the least of which, he'd realized, was the fear of getting this close to him, and being the first to know that he'd regret it.

Mal stood up. Thing was, he knew something River didn't. And that was the absolute truth of his own feelings. The regret she feared, the regret she must sense was regret he harbored for ever wanting her - for her every being in this place to have to be on his ship rather than on some concert stage or dance hall. His regret would never, not as long as the stars kept spinning, be over having her as his own. No, now that he knew she was there for him, he wouldn't turn from her.

He was done pacing and worrying over what he wanted; Done living like a ghost stuck in the wrong clothes. Years he'd kept himself loyal to one love: Serenity and the losing side of a war. Well, he had a new plan now. There was going to be a new start. Mal walked to the door, paused at the handle... There would be no more questions. Only beginnings.

Mal grabbed the door knob and swung open the door.

River's hair lifted as the rushing wind of the door opening swept by her. It took Mal less than a moment to comprehend River's presence at his door and the flush in her cheeks. I've been waiting for you, he thought dumbly.

"Here I am," River said simply and reached for him just as Mal pulled her into the room. Even as his hands were finally full of her, Mal was the one that kicked the door shut. The sharp crack was like a trigger; No more running.

The night after Simon's wedding:

River felt him hesitate at the threshold of the cockpit. She wouldn't turn to him until he'd decided to come in and sit in the chair across from her. She smiled, "Course is set Captain."

Mal met her look, a wave of regret carried with it. River ignored it and swallowed her own regrets - there were plans to make. She would set him at ease and in time he would forget what had passed between them. But she wouldn't. She would bring it up to her mind and relive it a thousand times when she closed her eyes. And she would wait; Even if every sense and dream told her there was nothing to wait for, she would wait and pretend that her heart didn't already belong to him.