Rose Tyler stood on a desert planet in her otherworldly clothes with a misplaced cowboy belt on her blue jeans. River insisted that she wouldn't need to shoot anyone, but she still told Rose to take a weapon anyway. Rose had used guns and the like in the past, yet it was nothing like this.

"That little albatross better be right," she mumbled to herself. Her eyes scanned the directions to the problem area, and she chuckled at the little smiley face River drew at the bottom of the page. "Right or not, she's definitely charming."

A long walk led her to a farm of sorts. The barn was filled with a ruckus. It sounded like a bar fight, complete with guns, except there were a few loose hens clucking about. When she heard Jayne's voice, she knew that she was in the right place.

"Gorramit, Mal! You said there'd be no shootin' on this one!"

"There wasn't until you pulled your gun!" Mal shouted back.

Rose crept to the structure and peered through a crack in the planks. The firefly crew was up against six burly men, and Rose couldn't believe that a British girl from realities away could take them down. But, River swore that she could.

"Well, can't take them on with weapons," she told herself aloud. "Got to get clever."

She looked again and saw a second level. It didn't look very stable and the boards looked very heavy. Also, there was a ladder on the ground and a small window at the top. She could go with this, and she was going to.

The ladder was wobbly and a rung broke under her shoe. However, she regained her footing and yanked herself onto the top level. Stealthily, she crawled on her stomach with extreme caution. All of the boards were weak under her, but it seemed that they were just strong enough to hold for now.

Soon, she was above the fight. She could see the action and had to come up with a way to group the six men together. That's when she saw a rope coiled near the window. She looked up to see a strong support across the roof. She knew how to use a rope and she knew how to tie a solid knot.

A plan was formulated. She started with the rope. After two tries, she got it to swing over the support. She tied a knot and tightened the rope. There was a test and she confirmed that it would hold long enough. Now, she had to examine the boards.

There was only one full support beneath the boards. If that went, the old loft would go with it. Now, she knew why she had the gun. There was another ledge across the way that was just wide enough for her feet. And, as luck would have it, there was another ladder lying near her.

Time to save the world. Well, crew.

"Oi!" she shouted over the noise. Everyone stopped to stare. She waved from the loft with a little smile. "You lot. The big bad guys down there. Think you can take me down?"

"Shut yer face," one of the particularly nasty men answered.

She took one shot near his foot and pointedly lowered the ladder. "I'm challenging all of you. Every last one. Fair fight. I've got muscles to beat you into next Thursday. Or, are you scared of a girl?"

Properly provoked, the big men came after her. She stepped backwards and to the side as all of them got onto the creaky loft. It was already about to break.

The biggest cracked his knuckles. "You ready to go, little girl?"

"Yep. I'm ready to go."

He lunged for her and she ran forward. With a leap, she used the rope to land on the other side of the barn. One perfect shot later, the support splintered and they all fell into a clumsy pile on the ground with boards holding them in place. From there, Zoe collected their guns while Mal and Jayne stood over them.

"Think our business is done, fellas," Mal smiled and ripped their pay from one of the men. "Have a nice day."

Rose slid down her rope with a grin. Mal sent a deadly glare in her direction while Jayne draped an arm around her shoulders to keep her safe until they left the barn. She shoved him to the side once they were clear and Zoe gave a small nod.

"You did some good work in there," she patted Rose on the shoulder. "Quick thinking. Not bad shooting either."

"Thank you. River sent me. She said that you could use a hand."

Jayne scoffed. "We was doing fine."

"You mean that you were doing fine," Rose corrected him.

"Whatever. You were hot on that rope, though."

"Enough talk. We have to get off this rock before their goons find us," Mal snapped and stalked ahead.

Rose pointed. "What's his problem?"

"Captain doesn't like it when people steal his thunder," Zoe whispered loudly.

Mal turned with a glower. "I heard that, Zo. Not funny."

"Never said that it was, sir."

Rose snorted at the smirk on Zoe's face and the scowl on Mal's mouth. They arrived on Serenity without more than scrapes and bruises, and Zoe was quick to tell Kaylee and Simon about Rose. She found it amusing that some strange supposed time traveler—and a girl—saved the day before Mal and Jayne.

Rose expected River to be waiting in the cargo bay, but she figured that River had to be ready for takeoff. Sure enough, she found her friend sitting in the pilot's seat. River spun to face her with a serious expression.

"Mission accomplished?"

"You know that, witch."

"I do, Brit."

They laughed River rushed to embrace Rose. Their embrace ended, but they still held onto one another at the waist. "That was fantastic, River. Just what I needed."

"What they needed."

"That too. Captain Suspenders doesn't seem happy."

"Because I was right and he was wrong. Cranky. Suspenders in a knot. Don't worry. He'll come around."

"I hope so. Maybe I can do that more?"

"Yes. Proud of you. You were brilliant."

"Why, thank you, ma'am. You were brilliant for sending me."

As they stepped a little closer, Mal poked his head into the room. "River, get us out of here. And quick like. Tough girl over there probably pissed off that crew for a lifetime."

"Pretty sure you started it," Rose retorted.

He was about to say something when River chimed in. "Saved your skin, Captain. Thank her."

"But—"

"Thank her."

He shook his head. "This is my boat. I'm not thanking nobody unless I want to."

"You're welcome anyway," Rose smiled at him.

His eyes scanned their positioning. "Would you stop feeling up my pilot so we can get out of here?"

Rose blushed and instantly backed off. She sat on the console next to River instead and Mal smirked at her jumpiness. He left with a single, "Ha!"

The Captain went to his bunk to wonder how in the hell his young reader had him wrapped around her finger. Actually, come to think of it, all the women on his boat had him whipped into shape lately. How age makes tough biscuits crumble…

He refused to let Rose boss him around, though. Wasn't about to happen.

River laughed on the bridge. "Captain just thought that he won't let you boss him around like all the other women on this ship."

"We'll see about that," Rose chuckled. She was still bugged by Mal's comment about feeling up River Tam. That's not how it was at all.

River smirked at the thought and lightly tugged on Rose's pink sweat jacket. "Clothes won't blend in. Need to take you clothes shopping."

"Girls' night out?"

"The exact appointment time cannot be foreseen at this juncture, yet girls' time is affirmed."

"Good. I'd like that. Get out of the ship for a bit. Not on a dusty spot to fight some criminals."

"They were rubbish."

She grinned at the word and the voice. "I love it when you talk back to me in an accent. Feels like home."

River felt like home in general. River thought the same thing about Rose Tyler.