AN: This one took me quite a bit, sorry for that, it was exhausting really, I started and started over probably four or five times. I wanted to convey that while things had changed for the two of them the last chapter, things hadn't really changed BETWEEN them. I know it's kind of cliche what's happening, but at the same time I'm not entirely certain that either one of them could fully comprehend the situation, so of course Russell would approach a situation he doesn't understand as if it doesn't exist. The other problem is the way River fights... honestly the source material doesn't give me enough to work from, so I've had to spend some time looking for other sources of information, in the end I settled for a technique similar to the Black Widow from the MCU, so I can't say how accurate it all is, but I hope it's close enough that it works for any of you.

Russell looked at the holographic display in front of him. His brow furrowed as he considered a plan. GRIMM was silent in the background of the small stash house, he was gathering all 'relevant data' as Russell had termed it, how the AI would know what to look for was confusing to her.

"Colonial Wright's secretary turns 36 in three days," the AI informed them quietly. Suddenly Russell looked away from the display, as if he were considering something. River attempted to look inside his mind, but she found it was like a fortress, she hammered at the walls with all her might, but it didn't fold.

"Please stop doin'at," Russell told her in an aside.

"What are you working on?" she asked him with a frustrated sigh.

"We need a way ta move 'round 'thout bein' seen by central security," Russell answered her.

"Couldn't GRIMM just blackout their security protocols?" River asked him.

"Sure, no problem, 'cept he'd wrest control from 'em and if'n they caught him tryin' 'fore he made it all the way, the whole base'd go on lockdown, then they'd go ta black, take out all electronic signals until they could ferret out the situation, meantime we might be found, captured, and summarily executed… afterward they'd find and abuse GRIMM. Personally I don't much care for the idea a givin' them that kinda power," Russell explained to her.

"Communications between the guards will be a problem then, assuming we can avoid being seen by a feed, they will be patrolling, they will converse with one another," River reminded him after she considered the situation closer.

"We got that, GRIMM and me done this a time or two, we know what we're doin'," he reassured her. "GRIMM, check the list of approved deliverers in the floral category, cross-check their selections with any known allergies a that secretary an' order the cheapest arrangement that'll block out part a the hallway, we're lookin' for somethin' that'll cover this intersection here," Russell commanded the AI as he pointed to a location on the model. In the corner of the table the computer began comparing a profile to the required coverage. A moment later it sent a candidate to the center. "Perfect," Russell agreed when he saw it.

"Not perfect," River interjected a moment later, the image hovered in front of them for a moment.

"S'wrong with it? It's got the right coverage, an' a decent price, she puts it on the corner a her desk there and it'll be great," Russell explained his rationale.

"It is cheap, and it shows. It's not a terrible arrangement, it is the kind that you thank the sender for politely, perhaps even place it on the desk for a few days, but no more than that… certainly not the corner of her outward facing desk, it'd go on her rear bureau, where it can be seen but is not overly distinguished, if she is going to place it on the corner of her outward facing desk, in a place of prominence, it must be grand, it must be decorative, and it must me something she can take pride in receiving," River explained it to him. "... Go with this one," she added as she pointed to another.

"WUH DE MAH! That costs five thousand-! And you're basin' this on… what?! Your acute awareness of women-folk sensibilities?!" Russell replied incredulously. She furrowed her brow, her lips pressed into a thin, firm line at his response. He backed down his disbelief almost immediately, instead he moved to damage control. "Sorry, I… I immediately regret that I said that," he told her when he recognized her frustration. "I- I don't even know what I'm sayin' obviously I'm still a touch addled from my wound… Di-did I jus' open my stitches again? Cause it feels like I'm bleedin'," Russell added, stammering nervously a moment later as he turned to show her his shoulder.

"I have spent a great deal of time with Kaylee over the years… I simply chose the arrangement that she and I would most agree on," she told him as he turned back to face her. Her voice was clipped, agitated.

"So… are we good?" Russell asked her unsure.

"Hmph!" she snorted dismissively as she turned back to the table.

"Yeah… I thought not," he commented to himself as he turned again to start pacing. Before he took a step, River lashed out, jabbing with her first two fingers directly to the wound on his shoulder. The pain caused Russell to stagger forward, falling onto one of his knees, he put one hand on the ground to catch himself.

"NOW… we are good," she told him softly.

"Ow!" he told her in a flat, clipped tone as he stood up once more. He looked behind him to see he was bleeding freely again. "You opened my stitches," he told her, struggling to contain either frustration or pain.

"Oops!" she answered him flatly, not even feigning innocence.

"We're not good, are we?" he asked her dejectedly.

"Hmph!" she snorted again, before she moved off to retrieve a first aid kit.

"Do you like flowers?" he asked her hopefully.

"Not the ones you buy," she answered without turning around before she stepped into the other room. ~

"OW! Ya know I can feel everything that's goin' on back there, ain't like I got somethin' ta numb the pain," Russell reminded her through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps if you would stop moving this would be less difficult," she reminded him in a steady tone.

"Well, maybe, just maybe, if you tried sewin' 'stead a stabbin' I wouldn't move," he told her. River clenched her teeth for a moment as she tried to focus. "That's still attached!" he shouted as his moving had shifted her target once again. She was standing over the top of his shoulder while he sat down so she could get a better look, her right hand shot out as she poked him firmly on the forehead.

"HOLD. STILL." she commanded him firmly as he rubbed his forehead head. She managed to finish restitching with a minimal amount of grumbling on Russell's part.

"Hmmmm," Russell grunted almost to himself. "Now there's an idea," he continued as he stood up and headed over to the display. "GRIMM, give me a list a routes from holdin' ta the infirmary," he demanded, the highlighted routes jumped out a moment later. He shook his head. "Now from interrogation," he suggested.

"You have an idea?" River asked curiously.

"The hallway to the infirmary is only covered by one feed, if'n I could slip in there undetected, it ain't inconceivable that I could make a run at a-gettin' us out," he answered as he thought it through.

"And how would I get in?" She queried.

"Front door," he shrugged.

"I am to turn myself in?" She asked him hesitantly.

"Nope, gunna say I apprehended you, see I'm a bounty hunter, but you wounded me in the process," he explained.

"You will seek medical attention at the infirmary," she understood.

"Now you're gettin' it," he nodded.

"You will have to stop by the accounting office before the infirmary; bounty hunters always seek pay immediately... in case their mark escapes," she added.

"We're gunna hafta sell it," he prompted her.

"Are you suggesting what I believe you are?" she asked as an impish grin slid across her face.

"Oh I think I am," he told her with an energetic confidence. Her grin turned to a confident, gleeful smirk as she relished the idea. "I was afraid you might not like that," he told her, he was overconfident.

"Perhaps I should apply a covering of some sort to your stitches?" she suggested before they got started. He looked as though he wished to dismiss the matter, but River shifted her stance to a defiant one when he did. He nodded his consent as he waved her over. As she drew close, she quickly rolled her hand into a fist and slammed it into his jaw with as much might as she could muster. The blow staggered Russell as he shakily fell onto one knee, his composure slipping as he registered genuine shock at the turn.

"You… you sucker punched me!" he said, visibly grasping for words as he worked to recover from the surprise attack, reeling as he tried to get back to his feet, he fell to a knee once more, then took a moment, drew a ragged breath, and this time stood more slowly. He looked at her, a seething anger flashing in his eyes for a moment, and then it was gone.

"I was just trying to sell it," River told him, with a sarcastically innocent tone.

"I'mma 'member that," he warned her playfully.

"See to it that you do," she answered with a raised brow. He raised his guard as he stepped in closer toward her. She lashed out at him again, this time from a position of control, but he caught her fist in transit and struck out at her throat, the impact staggered her backwards a few paces.

Have to move fast, use my greater speed and agility to finish this fight quickly, otherwise his superior strength and endurance will make it more difficult. The longer this drags out the more likely he'll win she coached herself mentally as he rose to his feet and squared off with him. Grappling is the best way, put him in the right hold and his strength will work against him.

She approached him slowly, carefully, lashing out as she needed to, guarding when he struck a few more times, moving carefully until she managed to clench with him. She was trying to be careful, his size gave him a clear advantage when she couldn't use her speed to her advantage. She needed to isolate one of his arms. They had one hand around each other's neck, the other was prying at their elbows, trying to break the other's grip to gain control of the situation.

Then she had a thought, she coiled her body in just slightly, forcing Russell to maintain the clench, the shift convinced him he was winning the clench so he pounced on the chance to dominate, immediately she stepped up with her right foot, to the point that it ended atop his left elbow, she jumped up onto it, pushing his arm away, as she did this she brought her right leg throwing it over his right shoulder and around his neck, her right leg tucked up under his shoulder as his arm was pulled forward while grasping the back of her neck. She tucked her right leg up behind her left knee, the weight she'd placed on his neck caused him to lean forward, she tried to wrap her free arm around his leg so he couldn't slam her, but he reacted faster than she'd assumed, stepping back as soon as her weight was on him. She'd expected to lock his leg up so he couldn't slam her to the ground, instead he evaded the lock, and threw her to the ground hard, the force of the crash knocked the wind out of her, but she managed to keep her legs around his neck, instead she tried to slip her leg around to the other side of his neck, settling instead for an armbar.

His right hand locked around his left wrist as he heaved hard and slammed her to the ground, she barely held the lock, her back and shoulders taking most of the hit, but he managed to lift her again… and drop her again, the second fall shook her loose, and now she was left on her back. She had expected him to fall on her, but instead he fell back for a moment, need to catch his breath. River rolled over, slipping onto one knee, then rushing to her feet, charging him, she tried to tackle him, but instead he hopped backwards, leaning forward putting his weight on her back as he wrapped his right arm under her shoulder and his left arm slipped just above her left shoulder. She'd rushed too hard and he had isolated one of her arms, she knew what was coming as his arms tried to clasp together her right hand grasped him by the wrist so he couldn't choke her without applying more pressure. Her isolated left arm moved into a sort of awkward hug so when he tried to lean back and apply greater pressure, she rolled to the opposite side of the choke, putting them in an awkward head lock instead of the guillotine choke he had sought, she slipped her right leg behind his left, and swept his leg out from under him, taking them to a sidemount on the ground, from there she moved her legs to establish a base so he couldn't switch the positioning into a back mount on her. Once she was sure he wouldn't take the controlling position of the situation away, she jerked her right leg in so as to knee Russell in the face… twice. The impact jarred his head and forced him to release the head lock. His lip was torn and bleeding.

Then he made a mistake, instead of slipping away he rolled over onto his hands and knees, allowing her to jump out and try to mount him from behind. The moment her front touched his back though, the situation changed, he tucked his head in and shoved toward his knees with his hands, forcing her to catch herself on her arms before she hit the ground hard, which was exactly as he'd wanted. He lurched forward, putting his weight on her back. His right arm came up under her chin, locking his hand inside his left elbow while his left hand hooked behind her neck to lock onto his own shoulder. His left leg rolled inside of hers, pulling her knee out and pushing her flat onto her stomach, he pulled his leg up across her stomach as it hooked behind the other which locked behind her right thigh. She tried to escape the hold, but her hands were out of position and every time she touched either his shoulder or his elbow he would twist himself violently out of her grasp.

She felt the seconds ticking away, and with each moment her arms grew heavier and the world around her grew dimmer. I miscalculated… not his strength or endurance, though they certainly helped… he outwitted me she realized dimly. She didn't want to surrender, it wasn't in her nature, so she was certain she would pass out, but everything felt fuzzy, and then... a moment later the pressure around her neck went slack as Russell unfurled the hold, rolling her out onto her stomach. The air jumped into her lungs when she gasped, it burned for a moment, then it seemed to freeze as she pushed herself up, onto her elbows and knees, head pounding into her ears.

"Yes!" Russell panted as he himself was propped up on his hands and knees, he tried to laugh but it was interspersed with bouts of panting and coughing, the he rolled over onto his back, hands held up in triumph.

"Why did you release me?" River asked him softly as she regained her breath.

"You tapped," he answered sluggishly as his hands fell to his chest. "You almost had me with that flying triangle… I thought it was over until I almost fell," he admitted softly as he looked over to her. She rolled over to her back, head beside his as she stared at the ceiling.

"I took a chance, I did not pay off," she answered grudgingly.

"I got lucky Kitten. It happens from time to time," he tried to soothe her. For a moment they both lay there, panting on the ground, staring up at the ceiling as they reflected on the bout.

He surprised her when he rolled over, pinning her down beneath him as he straddled her, he propped himself up on his hands which fell to either side of her shoulders. After a moment a soft blush crawled into her cheeks as she considered the intimacy of the situation, nobody knew where they were, nobody would interrupt whatever came next, and then there was the kiss from the other night… they hadn't spoken of it since then, she had tried her best to avoid thinking on it, but in this predicament it was impossible not to recall. She found herself staring at his lips as he stared down at her, wondering the whole time if it would happen again, hoping it would. It was odd for her, at this moment she wanted nothing more than to know what he was thinking, but his was the one mind she'd never been able to force open. She wondered if he'd felt the change the other night, surely she had… after all River was not the most adept at understanding feelings, but even she had known things were different.

She felt and eager tightening in her chest when he started to lean down, he'd had to have felt it, this confirmed it. At last there was understanding.

Then there was heartache as he veered to the side, pecking her softly on the cheek before he recoiled onto his feet, chuckling softly. He offered her a hand to bring her to her feet, but River stamped her face into a scowl as she ignored it, rolling to her knees and rising on her own, she stamped away irritably. He hadn't felt it at all… he didn't understand, he was playing with her, nothing more. Her chest tightened as she tried to keep tears from leaking out as she walked away. ~

Close one. Russell thought as she walked away. Seeing River lying there, looking helpless, knowing nobody would disturb him, for a very long moment he'd considered kissing her, not some childish peck on the cheek, but a real kiss, the kind that could convey all these emotions bubbling up inside of him, but if he did that there was no telling what would happen. The girl was so hard to understand, so difficult to figure what she was thinking... what she felt, and if it wasn't what he felt… he'd lose her, and that thought pained him. He'd lost a lot in his life, but he wasn't sure how he could bear losing her.

He sat there for a moment, trying to imagine what it would feel like if she were no longer near him. It was staggering to realize he'd only known her a few days, but already he couldn't fathom the idea that she would be anywhere but with him, but he didn't know if that was what she would want. If she didn't care for him as he cared for her… it would kill him. He would die of embarrassment if that were the way of things, he wouldn't be able to look at her, and he couldn't stand the thought of her pitying gaze when she looked upon him. No… it was better to keep it to himself than to withstand that kind of torture. He was good at keeping things to himself, he'd been doing it his entire life, but he wasn't sure how long he would manage to keep this bottled up, only a few days and seeing her like that had almost caused it all to come flowing out of him unbidden.

This is gunna be impossible he thought to himself as he pulled himself to his feet. Don't think 'bout it! Lock it up… an' get back ta work he prodded himself into action again.