Author Notes: Sorry this chapter took a bit longer then I thought it would and I fear it didn't come out quite as smoothly as I had hoped, but despite rereading it a few times through I can't quite improve on it short of rewriting it, which I'm not quite sure I want to do. I think the next 'part' of this fic should be out fairly quickly, but the last two might take me a little longer as Easter weekend means family stuff to do. But promise, I will get it posted soon as I can find the time to write. Enjoy!

Thoughts in Space

More Thoughts – Kaylee

Her mind was filled with dreams as she lay in bed. In her dreams she could feel his hands intertwined with hers, his lips locked against hers and the heat radiating from his body. With a sudden jerk her eyes opened and she realized it was only a dream. She sighed, in disappointment. Why couldn't he just make her dreams a reality? She knew he felt the same way, when they were alone he was so open with her, but once anybody got near he reverted back to his prim and proper self. Oh well, she thought to herself, she would be happy with just having him near, he would get over his shyness eventually, she would make sure of that.

Slipping out of her night cloths she dressed for the day, running a brush quickly through her hair. As she turned to leave, she spotted a magazine about gardening and how to grow various small fruits and vegetables in a space ship. She had picked it up on Persephone, before their last job went terribly wrong and they were fleeing before anyone else could get shot. Good a time as any to read it, she thought as she picked it up and made her way to the kitchen. She considered stopping by and waking up Simon, but last time she had he woke up half dressed and she was sure steam was going to come out of his ears, they were so red.

As she made her way into the kitchen she realized it was still empty, "Guess I'm the first awake." She said aloud to nobody. Being the first to the kitchen meant it was up to you to get things started for everyone else. She walked over to start coffee; she knew Zoë and the Captain would want some. She got out a few plates, setting them in the center of the table, as well as eating utensils and several cups. As she decided what to eat, protein or protein, she sighed and wished for just a few strawberries.

Just as she started to get the food together, Jayne walked in and said sleepily "Mornin' Kaylee." And he went to his usual seat and sat down, leaning back in his chair as he yawned loudly. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a cheery smile then turned back finishing up the serving plates. Jayne had the odd habit of making it to the kitchen within a few minutes of whoever was first there. She could almost guess he was waiting for others to get the morning chores done so he himself didn't have to. One day she was going to have to trick him into thinking she was up then catch him in the kitchen so he would have to get everything ready for everyone else, just to show him it wasn't that big a deal.

She put the plates of food on the table and went to get herself a drink while Jayne started to pile food onto his plate, which soon looked as though it was the serving plate. Kaylee, having poured herself some water, sat down and slowly started to eat while she looked at the magazine in her lap. The room was filled with the sound of Jayne eating and Kaylee reading, until Mal entered.

"Mornin'." He said. To Kaylee's right Jayne grunted at the captain and Kaylee just raised her hand in a silent wave while she studied her magazine intently. She heard the sounds of the captain moving about the room, pouring himself a drink and felt his presence as he walked behind her toward his chair. As Mal had finished filling his plate, Kaylee looked up at him and smiled, then noticing his off colored lips she gave him a kind of confused smile. Why did the captain have purple lips? She thought to herself. Then a bell went off in her head and her confused look turned into one of utter delight, and she could barely suppress her grin.

Mal looked at her and made an annoyed face as hers broke into grins. "What?" He said, more loudly then he normally would of. "Oh nothing. Everything just shiny, Capt'n." She replied, it was taking all of her will power not to burst out in laughter looking at his violet colored lips that he was obviously unaware of. She kept staring at him and was trying without much success not to giggle or laugh, but it was too much for her. Finally, she heard Jayne's fork hit the table as he laid it down and burped loudly. She swatted at his arm, "Manners!" she said in a hushed whisper at the mercenary. She started to turn back toward the captain as Jayne started talking.

"You know Mal, you know me, and I'm all for lettin' folk choose to do whatever they want or be whatever it is they wanna be…" Kaylee rolled her eyes, isn't he just a saint, she thought to herself with a laugh. "…but really I don't think purple lipstick is you." As he spoke the last line, Kaylee couldn't keep it under control and tears of laughter misted over her eyes as she laughed harder then she had in months. She laughed and laughed, finally as her breath came back to her she realized that Mal most of ran out of the room, she got up and pushed her chair back, and started running toward the shuttle.

As she passed the door she bumped into Zoë, where did she come from Kaylee thought to herself, "Sorry!" she shouted over her shoulder and kept running. As she entered the top of the cargo bay, she turned right toward Inara's shuttle. She knocked excitedly and waited, wanting to burst into the room and talk with her, but respected the companion's need of privacy. Finally she heard the musical voice of Inara, "Ching jin." Kaylee burst through the door and almost ran right into Inara, practically bouncing around the other woman.

"Well, something good most of happened that has got you excited, mei mei." Inara said to Kaylee as the younger woman's face was obviously filled with delight. "Did something finally happen between you and Simon?" She asked.

"No! Stop teasin' me, tell me how it finally happin'd." Kaylee said, her breathing coming a little rapidly after her sprint through Serenity. "How what happened?" Inara's reply came, sounding confused about what she was talking about. "How you finally got Mal to kiss you! Or did you kiss him?" She said with a sly grin. "Ya shoulda seen him, lipstick smeared against his lips, and he looked happier then I 'member him in awhile!" She added, the words coming out rapidly in her excitement.

"But, Kaylee, I haven't seen Mal all day. I didn't kiss him…" Her words trailed off, barely audible. "But but, he had, and I thought that…If you didn't who woulda…I mean…" She looked at Inara, seeing a crack in the mask the companion wore so well, "I was um, just kiddin', uhm it was just a 'lil joke." She said, stepping back, toward the exit of the shuttle. She turned and fled the shuttle, running back toward the engine room, leaving Inara in the middle of her shuttle looking a little lost.

As she entered the engine room and leaned against the wall, her mind was racing. She was so sure it had to be Inara, the lipstick on his lips seemed a little smeared, not put on perfectly by someone's hand so she was sure it had finally happened. She was lost in thought wondering who it could be; the ship wasn't a big place. If it wasn't Inara, it wasn't her, was it Zoë she thought? That didn't seem right at all, obviously Zoë and the captain had spent a lot of time together in the past but nothing in their relationship spoke of anything beyond good friendship, forged in the darkest of days. Then who could it of been, she thought. Then she mouthed to herself, "oooh!" her mind finally coming to a conclusion.

River….the thought drifted through her mind and she was left feeling unsure. It was the most logical choice considering what she knew, but could the younger woman really of kissed the captain? It seemed too bizarre to her, she never remembered either showing any interest in each other. But then her thoughts flashed back to a couple weeks previous, it was dinner time and everyone was sitting down ready to have their nightly talks and stories while enjoying one another's company.

She remembered Mal's hand reaching out to grab something on the table then he snatched it back like he had burned it on something. She only really noticed because he had pushed his chair back some and dropped his fork to the floor which bounced and landed near her foot. She had looked down and seen that River's hand was on the dish that the captain had reached for. The rest of the night she could almost swear his eyes kept darting toward River, but she passed it off as her own imagination since every time she looked up, he was looking everywhere but at the younger woman.

She let her mind return to the present, the hum of Serenity's engine filled the room. She was really unsure of how she should feel. She, much like the rest of the crew, figured Inara and Mal would get together eventually if one or the other could let down their guard for just a few. But then she also felt that if River made the captain happy she would support them, just as he had supported her and Simon, or at least he never said any different, although he did try to throw them off the ship a few time, but that was awhile ago. Simon, his name floated through her thoughts and made her heart smile, he wouldn't like the thought of River and the captain though. She smiled to herself; she would do her best to keep Simon's attention squarely on herself, and not on what may or may not be forming between his sister and the captain.