Disclaimer: Firefly and all related elements, characters and indicia © Mutant Enemy Productions and 20th Century Fox Television, 2003. All Rights Reserved. All characters and situations—save those created by the authors for use solely on this website—are copyright Mutant Enemy Productions and 20th Century Fox Television.

Author's Note: Just a little "Serenity" missing scene. Written as an Improv, using the words "ten, inside, find, colour."

Girl
by Tara O'Shea

In Simon's mind, River was forever frozen at fourteen.

It had shocked him, when he'd guided her carefully from the cargo bay to the infirmary, Inara's coat draped wrapped loosely around her, that her head was almost level with his. In his mind, up until that moment, she had still been his xiao mèimei, all knees and elbows and the eventual promise of height. Dance classes had given her grace, but nothing could disguise a coltish body only half-done growing. Three years had made her a stranger, for all that he knew the planes of her face, the curve of her eyes, the timbre of her voice as she cried his name.

Her hair was longer now, a tangle of waves that flowed down her back.

Their mother had braided her hair every morning since she was ten years old. He hadn't seen it loose since they'd been children. And even then, it had been smoothed into curls, pulled back from her face and held with ribbons or small metal clasps. Whatever had been the prevailing fashion of the day. River had been a creature of fashion then—setting the trends among her small group of playmates. Always ahead of everyone else. Always in love with ruffles and lace. She was every inch the girl, his baby sister.

Now, suddenly, halfway to womanhood, with a child's terrified eyes.

The gold brocade robe brushed the tops of her bare feet as they'd walked through Serenity, the sleeves coming down to the knuckles of her hands. When she curled her fingers closed, they disappeared completely int