Out of the 47 different languages River knew, none had a word that could describe the feeling she got when Kaylee accepted her offer.

Okay, maybe offer wasn't the best word but Kaylee hadn't made River leave.

Kaylee had thought it was an odd game at first but, like so many on Serenity, she had played along if only to keep the crazy girl happy. River would pretend to be Simon and Kaylee would pretend to be Kaylee and they had had a nice little conversation. Kaylee hadn't understood the full extent of River's intentions until morning came and River was lying in bed with her still using Simon's voice.

After Miranda the dynamics had changed a bit, Kaylee sometimes sought river out and their sessions were now held in River's bunk, but the overall process stayed the same.

Kaylee had never asked River why she had started the ritual, and River had never asked Kaylee why she let it continue and progress, even after Simon finally got his feet out of his mouth.

River assumed it had something to do with some old earth-that-was adage about gift horses and oral cavities.

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An: I didn't specifically say it, but they are lovers.