I as always didn’t make these characters, that was Joss.

Washie thanks again so much, your wonderful guidance is always appreciated, and your comments make for a shiny day. Also a BIG thank you to The Datsuns for the title…for those of you who don’t know it both them and I are from New Zealand, and as a result I felt compelled to write them into my fic somehow…harmless promotion I guess.

Sky is Falling

The first few days back on Serenity had settled into a kind of a comfortable routine. Enhanced by the fact that upon their return no one save her and Kaylee looked any differently at each other. Mal had been his usual self, insulting and boisterous, but still reasonably personable.

Simon was still incredibly besotted with Kaylee, and with River very much coping better with her condition he would no doubt be taking more of an interest in her. Inara mused on this for some time, then thought that perhaps River may be her best bet at assisting in subtly discouraging the younger man. Not that she was worried about his reaction so much; she just didn’t want Simon to be crushed when the truth about Inara and Kaylee’s relationship reached him. Inara also figured that River would understand. In the young woman’s more lucid moments she had shared with Inara, she seemed to have a great grasp of (the concept of) empathy. Inara also had the strangest feeling that River would understand more than most about her and Kaylee’s relationship; the companion had noticed how River had stared a little too intently at her and Kaylee as they sat at the dinner table on their first night back.

Still, the young girl did have a habit of staring…'I’m probably just over thinking, splitting hairs as Kaylee would say’. Inara laughed, and returned to her usual routine. Much of her day she would busy herself looking into clients that she could take, making plans for her impending departure from companion life, and when the day was done she'd find her Kaylee. Or if Kaylee beat her to it, she would go seek out her lover.

Mostly they