Spoilers: Heart of Gold, Serenity

Disclaimers: Matthew Ryan owns the lyrics. Joss owns Firefly. Fox hates Firefly, but owns it as well. I'll give it back when I'm damn well done with it.

I swear I'll be your someone

I'll come there when you call

Until the last disaster means nothing no more

Nothing to me at all

If she had a yellow rose for every man who said he'd come back and ask for her again, she could carpet her floor with the blooms.

He brings her yellow roses when he comes. He strokes her with the petals and he pricks her with the thorns. He tucks them in her hair.

She's trained to recognize what men want, respond to it. He wants to treat someone with kindness. He wants to show someone beauty. He wants to do something simple and good.

"Is this what normal people do?" he asked as she poured him a drink, her apron strings knotted tight. "They come home from work, and they sit and talk about their days?"

"I think so," she replied, and put her arms around him from behind, leaning her cheek on his shoulder.

She thinks she fell in love with him because he's so grateful for normal. Even if it's not her normal.

He hands her a bouquet and she puts it in water. He sheds his dusty boots and clothes and showers while she cooks. She smiles at him and he eats what she puts in front of him and compliments her. Sometimes he takes her to bed right away. Sometimes he helps her with the dishes. She washes. He dries.

But always he takes flowers out of the water and slips them into her curls. One night he took her hand and danced her around the kitchen, humming a song she didn't recognize, something with a twang and sweet Chinese words about budding and spring.

The petals crushed beneath them felt cool against their hot skin.

The first time, when he told her he'd return in six weeks on his next run to Boros, she smiled and said she would look forward to it. But she didn't clear her schedule. The Heart of Gold had lots of customers, and if they couldn't have Nandi, they wanted her. Th