"There you are!" Brandon exclaimed as they got back to the hall. He hugged her tightly. "I was worried."
"I'm okay."
"Where'd you go?"
"That's not important. What happened?"
"Someone broke into your dressing room and stole the necklace."
"Really?"
"Yes. I thought that they took you too."
"No I was out…with Simon…talking."
"Right. Simon? Is he still here?"
"Over there."
River motioned him over. He walked over and shook Brandon's hand.
"It's good to see you again," he smiled.
"Likewise. I'm glad that you could come out and see the show."
"Me too. It was very good."
A few Feds walked out. "Thanks. I'm going to go ask them about what happened."
He kissed River on the top of the head and walked over to them.
"Did you tell him about our adventure with the thieves?" Simon asked.
"No. I didn't want to worry him."
"I'm staying here a bit longer just to make sure everything is okay."
"You don't have to. That meng go se didn't know what he was talking about."
"You swear too much."
"Stupid shit is hardly swearing."
"Ha-ha."
"But really, you don't have to."
"I don't, but I will."
They exchanged smiles as Brandon walked back over.
"What did you find out?" River asked.
"Thieves. They weren't professional. We can still finish our run here though."
"That's good. Let's go back to the hotel. I'm tired."
"That's a great idea. Simon, it was pleasure as always."
"I can say the same, Brandon."
They nodded cordially and Brandon put his arm around her as they caught a cab back to their hotel.
She was standing in his room going through one of her bags.
"Lose something?" he inquired.
"I forgot something in my other bags. I'll be back."
"Why couldn't you just have officially gotten a room with me?"
"You know what she'd say about 'fraternizing' during a run."
"You're right. You always are. Don't be too long."
"I won't."
She kissed him and went down the hall to her room. The door was half open. She opened the door further to discover that her room had been ransacked. All of her suitcases had been dumped, drawers had been ripped out and tossed across the room, and even the mattress had been destroyed. Maybe the meng go se idiot-child thief was right. She would have used the cortex, but the screen was broken. She went back into Brandon's room looking pale, even for her.
"What's wrong?"
"I…can't go into that. Do you still have that suitcase I gave you? The pink one?"
"Yes. It's safe in the closet. What's-"
"No time. I have to go somewhere. I'll be back. Don't wait up," she said as she grabbed her suitcase.
"But-"
She kissed him. "I love you. Trust me."
"Okay, but I'm going to keep worrying until you get back."
The door shut as she left. She went over to the nearest public cortex and looked for Simon. She found his hotel room and waved him.
"River, what's-"
"The thief was right."
"Captain Reynolds?"
"Yes, him. My hotel room has been ransacked. I think I know why. We have to go see him."
"Are you okay? Was anything-"
"I'm fine. They didn't get them. They're safe. We need to go see him."
"Captain Reynolds?"
"Yes, the stupid idiot-child."
"Why?"
"They need to find them, and I need them found. Meet me on the docks."
"Okay, but-"
She cut the wave and briskly walked out into the night air.
****
Mal sat in the kitchen being hammered by Jayne and Zoe with the dreaded, "What now?" question over and over again. He ignored them both while enjoying a mug of a coffee and whiskey combination.
"Sir?"
"I don't have anything to say, Zo. Or Jayne."
They sat in silence. He couldn't get over how familiar the dancer seemed or how much he enjoyed arguing with her. He should have made her stay.
"CAPTAIN!" someone shouted. He recognized her voice. He got up and sped to the cargo bay with the crew following closely behind.
"What the hell?" Mal growled as he saw her standing in the cargo bay with her brother. He stormed down to them and stood right in front of her with folded arms. Damnit, was he glad to see her.
"How'd you get on my boat?"
"My other occupation is designing ships. I know exactly how they work. This is a firefly, class code 03-k64. From there it was the simple matter of cracking the entry code."
"A girl designin' ships?" Mal asked with a smirk.
"You're not only an idiot-child, but a chauvinistic idiot-child."
"Now tell me why you're on my boat."
"Maybe I won't. I don't like answering to you."
"Too damn bad, sweetheart."
"I'm not your sweetheart."
"And I ain't a chauvinist!"
"You don't even know what that is!"
"Yes I do!"
"Oh really? What is it?"
"We're here because you were right," Simon interjected. River glared at him and so did Mal, but then he smiled at the words "you" and "right."
"What was I right about?"
"Tell him," Simon said.
"They broke into my hotel room and tore the place apart."
"What for?" Mal asked.
"They were looking for this," she gestured to her pink suitcase.
"Why would they want your pink little suitcase?" Mal laughed.
"Fine, we won't help you. Simon, let's go. Too bad, since that necklace isn't what they were after…" she turned to leave.
"Okay, wait."
She turned back around smiling. His breath got caught in his throat. "Yes?" she asked.
"You're here to help us?"
"Yes. I need them taken care of and you need your necklace. We can both achieve our goals if we go about this in tandem."
"I like the sound of that. Let's talk."
"Let's."
"Follow me."
"You sound like you're ordering me around again."
"Fine, would you please follow me?"
"That's better."
She walked past him with Simon following her. Mal shook his head and followed them. Oddly enough she knew exactly where to go. Everyone gathered around.
"As I said before, my other occupation is designing ships. I work for one of the foremost ship companies in the core. Needless to say, other companies don't appreciate that fact. I'm currently working on a new ship, a cruiser. If my formulas work out and we can back the design, it will be one of the fastest and agile ships created since the X304. The military along with other outlets are very interested in it, and we are being offered a lot of money to create it. I am one of the leading workers for my company and I've been offered a decent amount of money from various competitors to sell my plans."
"How much is 'decent'?" Mal asked. She glared at him for the interruption.
"Seven hundred million platinum…and that's the lowest."
"Whoa…"
"Yes. I am already in a ten year contract with AAI, Advanced Aerodynamics Incorporated. I cannot sell or give my plans, drawings, formulates, equations, and so forth to anyone. No one outside on AAI can see or even know anything about them. I finished the final equations before my tour began. Since AAI was broken into last month, I didn't want to leave them unattended. I brought them with me and they're in here."
"This is real educational, darlin', but how does this have anythin' to do with-"
"I was getting there!"
"Don't raise your voice at me!"
"Not again…" everyone agreed.
"I believe that someone that wants my work has followed me here to get it. This is my hypothesis: they broke into my hotel room while I was performing to get them. However, when they could not find them, they assumed that I had them with me at the hall. They broke into my dressing room and mistook the necklace's case for a briefcase containing the documents. They probably have just now discovered their mistake."
"So you're sayin' that they don't want the necklace, they want your papers?" Mal asked.
"Exactly. I suggest that we work together to find them at which point you'll take the necklace and I'll turn them into the authorities."
"Or we could jus' do a trade. Your papers for the necklace and you'd have no say," Mal suggested.
"I think not!"
"Mei mei," Simon began.
"Not now, Simon!"
"I'll be damned if I'm gonna have some tiny little dancer thing bossin' me 'round on my own gorram boat and insultin' me to boot!"
"Tiny little dancer thing?" she snorted.
"Bossy annoyin' tiny little dancer thing!"
"How can you stand there and judge me? We've known each other all of three hours and you're acting like you know everything about me!"
"You're doin' the same thing, sweetheart!"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT! I DON'T KNOW YOU!"
"WELL THAT'S GOTTA CHANGE!"
"What?"
He extended his hand. "Captain Malcolm Reynolds. This is my ship Serenity. I hate Feds, I steal, I shoot people, I'm a Browncoat, and I am not an idiot-child!"
She took it. "I'm River Tam. I hate the owner of my dance company, I draw, I don't shoot people, I'm a college graduate with three degrees, and I am not your sweetheart."
Everyone watched, slightly confused at their exchange. The captain had a grin on his face, one that she mirrored almost exactly.
"Back to the problem at hand, Captain…"
"Yes. We'll work with you. We need that necklace."
"I need my documents to be kept safe."
"Then here's the plan: One of us will stay with you. The people will come back for you once they know that they got the necklace instead. When they show up, that person makes them say where the necklace is. After that, we tie them up and call the Feds. Then we're done."
"I concur, Captain. Simon will stay here with my documents."
"I will?" Simon asked.
"Yes you will," River's eyes had not left Mal's and their hands were still holding onto the other. "I will be with your captain, you will be with my brother like insurance. Just incase petty thieves can't be trusted or…tiny little dancer things with a surprisingly vast knowledge of how quickly it takes blood to drain the human body."
"Sounds fair to me. Zoe, boat's yours. Kaylee, keep the brother company. Jayne, Glenn you've got watch. Wash…......go play with your dinosaurs."
"Let's go."
"Let's."
"Simon."
She handed him the briefcase and then she walked out the door with Mal.