Author's Note: sorry for the wait... I had exams to study for...

Disclaimer: I know I have completely random disclaimers, like some on some chapters and none on others, but... none of the main characters or places are mine.

It was surprisingly chilly when Serenity docked planetside, her battered flank creaking in the light wind. Inara listed to the sounds the ship made as she folded the last bit of silk, tucking it away in her elegant bag and rising from her crouch. She felt strange, being on the ship as she landed. Usually, Inara was already off in her shuttle, meeting a client. Not that she’d be meeting any of those any time soon, of course…

She’d checked the weather on her monitor, and had been mildly startled when the temperature given was at least ten degrees below what she’d expected for this time of year. So Inara brought out her heavy woolen shawl, wrapping it around her shoulders as she lifted her bags (only two; it was amazing how little she actually owned, once she’d folded all the rich things away) and headed for the cargo bay. The others were already there when she arrived, Zoe and Jayne standing off to the side, Kaylee and Simon in the middle, Mal leaning faux-casually against the rail of the stair that led to her shuttle. He looked up when she descended, a small smile on his face. The sadness, most of it, was gone: they had made their peace, and Inara knew- she knew- they would see each other again.

Inara let him offer his arm, and laid her hand lightly on his bicep as he escorted her the rest of the way to where the others were. Kaylee and Simon were facing each other, foreheads touching, murmuring things no one else could hear. Inara tilted her head: Kaylee looked different, somehow. Oddly happy. She was clutching Simon’s hands, and Inara caught a dull glint on one very important finger. Hmmm… she and Kaylee would definitely have to have a little girl talk soon. And, Inara thought with a wry smile, they would most certainly be getting the opportunity.

She noticed, also, that Zoe