The traditional obligatory offering to Boss Joss. Love his work, got bored, and decided to run with it!

This is a story co-written with a very good friend of mine, aka DeanWinchester here at FF.net. Action adventure, some family drama, and humor. Simon/Kaylee and Mal/Inara galore! Jayne/OC as well. Also, River getting to be a teenage girl in later chapters!

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The next morning had started off very early for the Cobb clan, as the family began their daily chores around the farm compound. In the kitchen, Charlie along with her mother cleaned up what was left of the breakfast that the others had chowed down on. Across the lawn, Mattie had headed off early with one of the horses to restock groceries after the party, while Jayne had been recruited by his brothers to help break down the tent and platform from the previous night.

Back in the main farmhouse, Inara shifted in her sleep, exhaling softly beneath the sheets as the sun slowly rose. Sunlight fluttered through the curtains, the rays bright against her face. Squeezing her eyes shut, she groaned quietly and reached over across the bed that she and Mal had shared that night. She had been pleasantly surprised to find that it was considerably larger than the one in the Captain’s quarters. But as her hand hit the soft sheets beneath her, she found Mal’s side of the bed empty. Inara’s eyes fluttered open, glancing around the bedroom as she looked around for him.

Knowing Mal, Inara assumed that he must have volunteered himself to keep his hands busy. She cautiously slipped out of bed, throwing a robe around her nightgown, slowly creaking the door open and glancing up and down the hall. The house was empty and quiet, the only sound coming from the kitchen as Charlie and Mrs. Cobb were bustling around and cleaning up. After delicately rubbing at her eyes in an effort to appear more awake, Inara stepped quietly down the hall and through the doorway.

Charlie noticed the other woman out of the corner of her eye. “Morni