"I don't know," Rose called from behind the curtain of a dressing room. "Your clothes here are so…blah."

"No Union Jack shirts available," River chimed as she waited on a rusty chair.

Rose laughed at that. "We should start making them. Have a business."

"It would not be economically feasible."

"That's why they're called dreams, Rivy."

Rivy. That nickname. River loved hearing and Rose loved saying it. She also loved that River threw chopsticks at Jayne when he tried to call her that. It was their thing. They liking having a their thing, especially since Rose was officially staying on Serenity. This was thanks to her usefulness on jobs and general tasks around the ship. Mal was not pleased, but he couldn't argue that maybe Rose was a good fit.

"Come out, come out," River sang in a distant tone.

Rose stepped out in typical outlaw garb. The boots, the belt with the holster, tight tan pants, and a collared shirt in a dusty yellow. River thoughtfully assessed the outfit while Rose plucked at the pants. "Aren't these too tight?"

"No. Captain's pants will always be the tightest."

"True, but c'mon. These are tight."

"Yes. Makes them perfect."

Pleasantly blushing, she took River by the arm and they purchased the outfit along with a few others. They were essentially the same, save a few pinkish shirts and brownish pants. Rose had to admit that it was exciting to try on a new look, especially with the comfy boots, yet she missed her sweat jackets and blue jeans. She still missed a lot of things and somebodies.

"Follow," River instructed with no explanation.

They went through a busy market place to a small vendor. The sign read Ice Planets. Rose wasn't sure what that meant. Was it a bit of estate that could be bought for holidays on a frozen tundra? Or, was it some sort of save the cold people fundraisers? Well, apparently it was food.

"Like your ice cream," River handed her a stick. "Only problematic to consume."

"How do you go at this thing?"

"Must attempt."

They walked through the streets, each trying to capture a bite of their confection and laughing when it smacked them in the face. Rose sunk her teeth into one side, yet the momentum sent the ice planet crashing into her nose. She winced at the cold and River stopped her movements.

Gently, she reached out and wiped the sticky treat from Rose's upper lip. Rose swallowed at the contact and the deep look in River's eyes. "Had foreign substances on your skin."

"Right. Yeah…"

River stepped closer and ran a hand across Rose's shoulder. She felt a slight tingle rush through her. She wondered what the reader was doing, why she was doing it, and why she didn't mind it a bit. Then, River held up a tiny fly and let the insect go.

"Was on your collar."

"Ah," Rose cleared her throat. "Thanks for that."

River enjoyed making her twitchy. She put an arm through Rose's arm and continued their trip about town. Eventually, they gave up on the ice planets and decided to take in the scenery. Rose would like nothing more than some chips and maybe a quick chase. Running was always part of her daily routine on the TARDIS.

Softly, River took Rose's fingers and leaned close to her cheek. "Run."

And, they ran. It was definitely a chase, though Rose could hardly keep up with the former assassin. They didn't slow down until they left the populated area and wound up in farm country. A shady tree was a welcome sight from the sun and their sweat, so they sprawled in the grass to look through the leaves.

"London was home. All the shops. Big Ben. Double decker buses. Aliens trying to destroy the world on Christmas. Do you have Christmas?"

"Hard to have a Christmas in space. Time is lost. Dates unknown. Cantankerous crew. Not the same as you remember. Ho, ho, ho—not proper words."

"That's the most fun, Rivy. Improperness. You should have seen my Earth. You would have loved it. Trouble around every corner."

"See it in your head. Can feel it. Christmas spirit. London. Can feel everywhere you went."

"You can?"

"Yes."

"How's that?"

"I can feel you."

Rose smiled and River held her hand flat to hers, comparing the exact difference in mass and length. The Londoner focused on the clouds through the branches and River followed her eyes. She pointed at one cloud in particular and muttered the shapes in her soft accent.

"That's a frog in a fight with a walrus wearing a bow tie."

"Next to an iguana riding a cow."

"I can see that," Rose snickered. Their shoulders were overlapping and River seemed to be moving closer. It made her heart race and her head cloudy, so she awkwardly sat upright. "When should we be back at the ship?"

River sat up next to her with a distant expression. "Now is fine."

"All right. I'll have to get my new clothes in the wash. Going to blend in fine now."

"Couldn't blend in anywhere. Too unique."

Rose flustered and had to get some space between them. River soon caught up and acted as though she didn't know how Rose felt. After buying a few apples, River made a joke about televisions and toaster ovens. Rose had to laugh and somehow wound up taking River's hand. It wasn't corrected and they cheerfully returned to the cargo bay.

Jayne looked at Rose and whistled. "Now that's an outfit."

"Must you?" Rose groaned. "Remember that bit about having no chance?"

"Whatever," Jayne grunted. "Jus' go back to being a happy couple and leave me be."

Couple. Rose let go of River and gestured to the laundry room. "I should, you know, new clothes and all that. Should probably get them in the wash. To be washed. Since that's what the wash does. It washes. I'm going to go now."

She scurried away and River hurled an apple at Jayne's head. He barely caught it. "The hell was that for, moonbrain?"

"Don't mess this up."

River left and Jayne took a bite of apple. "Mess what up?"