A/N: I know, I know. No one is drunk, no one gets shot, and everyone still has their pants on. In fact, the plot barely moves. How exciting can this be? Don't worry, we're getting there.

*****

As was his custom, Simon arrived in the cargo bay precisely on time. As was also the custom, everyone else seemed to be late. The ship had touched down five minutes ago, so Simon busied himself with lowering the cargo ramp.

In this case, "everyone else" consisted of just Kaylee, but she appeared to be upholding the ship tradition of barely making it to a meeting. Simon groused to himself as he worked the controls, as punctuality was one of his pet peeves. He was still feeling a bit huffy when the sound of Inara's shuttle door drew his attention up to the catwalk. He promptly forgot what time it was. His mouth popped open and he stared.

Kaylee stood at the door, anxiously peering down at the floor where Simon was standing. Inara's loaned dress proved to be a deep green silk, with matching shoes. The Companion had clipped Kaylee's bangs up, but left the rest of her hair to fall down her back, contrasting nicely with the fabric. She was wearing the slightest of makeup, just enough to accentuate her features. Kaylee rocked forward slightly when Inara nudged her in the back, an obvious signal to "get moving." She took a few tentative steps forward, before finally stopping and giving Simon a timid wave.

Simon was wearing his usual: a button up blue shirt with no collar - he'd managed to find one that didn't have blood on the sleeves - and slacks, with a matching grey/black vest. His hair was as always immaculate, and even his shoes were shined. Kaylee thought he looked very handsome, although just a bit silly with his mouth hanging open like that.

"You don't like it, do you." It was a statement instead of a question, since there was no other reason Kaylee could fathom as to why he'd stand there looking so stunned.

With a withering glare from Inara, Simon realized that he was to required to s