Serenity's Other Shuttle

River pulled away from Jia Li and went to sit on the bed, pulling her legs to her chest. She hated when people yelled. She didn't want Jia Li and Simon to hate each other. They were both the most important people in her life. She watched as Jia Li came forward with the tea. River took the cup and smiled weakly. She looked over at the companion and tried not to look so pathetic with her eyes full of tears and a bandage on her forehead.

"He knows I dance..." She said weakly. "He knows I'm smart and I love to smile. Simon just tries to help. Please don't hate him..."

"He's a doctor. He sees everything as something he can fix. He doesn't understand. Forgive him. Please, Jia Li." She looked down at her tea. It smelled so good. She took a sip and sighed. It tasted really good. She hated the zombie moments in her life. She didn't know if they were brought on by the drugs or if it was just her mind losing itself.

River sat there quietly, drinking her tea. She yawned and her eyelids started to droop. She whimpered and rested her head on Jia Li's shoulder, closing her eyes.

"I will...I will. But you are more important to me than anything. Come here...come lay down." She set the cups down and pulled River up and held her as they got under the blankets.

"If you have a good sleep I'll start bringing you a cup of tea every night...that's if you aren't in my shuttle in my arms."

River let herself get pulled onto the bed. She sighed and closed her eyes, nuzzling against Jia Li. She felt so sleepy and the companion was so warm and soft. "The monster comes out in sleep..." She muttered before falling directly to sleep. She was safe in Jia Li's arms and in this shuttle.

She actually slept through the whole night and, when she woke up, she felt so completely refreshed and happy. She looked over and saw Jia Li at her side and she giggled, poking her on the nose. The companion barely moved, so River got up and started jumping on the bed to wake her.

"Jia Li! How can you sleep when we're going to be planet side today and see the sunlight?" She laughed and plopped down next to her again. "Light on the grass and we'll feel with our feet."

She just couldn't stop smiling.

Jia li woke up to River bouncing. "I would love to but...I have a client. At least for the first day. I left the last day we're here open...for you...if you want to spend the day with me planet side." She smiled and sat up, watching River's happy face.

"Did you sleep well?"

River sat and pouted, nodding at what Jia Li said. A client. She didn't like the sound of that. But the last day...all for River...she smiled at that. "Yes. I slept well. No drugs. No monsters." She giggled and jumped off the bed, going over to grab Jia Li's brush. She came back to the bed and held it out to her, hoping she would brush her hair. River liked having her hair brushed and no one ever did it for her. Not since she was a child and her mother would braid her hair.

"Brush my hair?" She asked, still grinning. It would seem as though she were on the mend but it always faded. River always made the best of it, though. Giving into the darkness was the quickest way to never again see light.

Jia li took the brushed and smiled at her. "Of course I will. I love brushing hair...your's is so beautiful...and long...and soft." The companion moved to sit behind River and started brushing her hair. "Be sure to let your brother know you had a good night's sleep. Maybe he'll stop giving you that sedative and let you have the tea."

Jia Li brushed her hair and River was content. "I will. I like the tea better. It doesn't hurt." She laughed again and turned to nuzzled against Jia Li.

"Will you think of me all week?" She asked, looking into the companion's eyes. "Or is that not allowed?"

She still felt in a good mood but she eventually had to leave. Jia Li took off in her shuttle to go see her client and River was back to wandering the catwalks and trying to guess what everyone was up to. Kaylee brought her some fresh fruit from the planet and made River smile. She saved it in her room, though, waiting to share it with Jia Li when their day finally came.

Near the end of the week, River was wandering outside the ship, letting her bare feet feel the dirt and grass beneath her. It felt incredible to have a breeze wash over her. She felt alive. Simon joined her and wanted to talk. He wanted to know what her relationship with Jia Li was. River didn't lie. She told Simon she was in love. She may have been cryptic but Simon seemed supportive. He could see the happiness in his sister's eyes and she had been herself for the first few days and then again that afternoon. Jia Li was to return in the morning and that brought River's spirits up. Simon could see that the companion and her love was the treatment River needed.

That's why he cornered Jia Li when she returned in the morning. River was not yet awake and Simon needed a word with the companion.

"I need some level of assurance that you aren't just messing around with River." He was calm. He didn't want to start another fight. "She's so fragile...and while she seems so strong now, it's only because of you. I don't want to see how hard she'll fall if you mistreat her. She'll go back into that unreachable place where no one can help her."

Simon's eyes were honest and concerned. He wanted to be Jia Li's friend, if he could. He just had to be a brother first before he could be supportive of the relationship.

Jia li did think of River. It didn't show but she was always on her mind. When she got back Simon cornered her. He wanted to know her intentions...to know that she wasn't leading her on.

"Doctor Tam...I can save with near certainty that I do love River. I'm not giving her up for anything. I'm hoping that she won't start hating me after everything people say. I know what Inara says and I know Kaylee tells her to be careful...that I'm only going to hurt her...and I know you've said the same thing to her...I'm just happy she still wants come talk to me let alone anything else." Jia li moved passed Simon to go give Mal her payment. What the crew had been saying really did get to her. She didn't like it and she could only hope that River didn't start believing it. There were a few tears in her eyes when she handed Mal the money and went back to her shuttle.

River woke up and smiled as she stretched. Today would be a good day. She knew it would because Jia Li was back. She got dressed and grabbed the three apples that Kaylee had given her earlier that week. They were still good looking and River was happy she would be able to share them.

She walked up to Jia Li's shuttle and for some reason, she just could not walk in. She smelled it from here. The sex. Jia Li with someone else. River closed her eyes and tears started to well up. She knew what Jia Li said, that she would have to be with clients and keep her job, but it still hurt. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, hoping she could just take Jia Li somewhere else so she wouldn't have to be in that shuttle. It was a reminder of what Jia Li did for a living.

"Jia Li?" She called out, wanting so much to see her.

River was at her door and Jia li opened it to find her crying. "River? River what's wrong? Are you alright?" Her arms went around her immediately. She had lit an incense and took a very thorough bath.

"What can I do to stop those tears and make you smile again?"

"I see. I hear. I smell..." She leaned against Jia Li, still clutching those apples in her hands. "Make it go away..."

She didn't want to be a blubbering mess but she just didn't like the fact that Jia Li was with someone else all week in her sanctuary. River didn't even want to go inside. It felt wrong all of a sudden.

"I thought of you. That smell, that voice...that moment...in my mind it was you." She looked into River's eyes, showing nothing but truth. Every time she took a client she pictured River. She never let it show because she couldn't but she thought of River.

"Me?" She looked up into her eyes. "Really? But...why?"

Jia Li always told her she was beautiful but River felt so plain compared to her and to what her glamorous clients must look like. She blushed and looked down at her arms, realizing she still was holding the apples.

"I, uh...Kaylee brought me these but I couldn't eat them. They would taste so bitter without you." She held out an apple to her. "Would you like one?"

"Because you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen River...and...to be honest. I think I'm falling in love with you. I want you. My clients are simply my job...what I want...is you." She moved and took a bite of the apple.

"Mmm...delicious..." She pulled River in. The smell was going away. She had lit a nice light waterfall incense.

RIver followed her in, transfixed by how Jia Li was looking at her. She smiled and entered the shuttle, looking around nervously before looking to Jia Li. River still had two apples in her hands and she set them down on a table so she could go hug onto Jia Li.

"I've missed you..." She whispered, kissing her cheek.

"I've missed you too." Jia li set down her apple and cupped River's face in her hands. "I've missed everything about you...your smell, your eyes, your hair, your smile. I missed your laugh. Tell me I have you all to myself. All mine, all day." She wanted to kiss her. To hold her...she wanted her love. River meant more to her than anything. She wasn't lying.

"Of course." She smiled. "All day. And all week...and whenever you want." She saw the look in Jia Li's eyes and she reached out to run her fingers through her hair.

"Don't look so sad...I'm not going anywhere." She leaned up and kissed her. Jia Li was taller than her and River was practically standing on her tip-toes. She wrapped her arms around her and held her close, needing to feel warm from the comfort of her arms.

"Well how about we go out on the planet today and bring a nice basket. Get some fruits...and maybe some good vegetables...and anything else we could need and then come back here and hole ourselves up for the week. Just you and me..." It sounded so amazing...and Jia li could get her some clothes. Buying her things that she wanted...things she liked. The companion wanted to make her so happy that she wouldn't want to leave her.

"Yes. That would be fun." She smiled, taking Jia Li's hand and tugging her to the entrance of the shuttle. "We can go now before everyone else is up and about too much. They're still waiting for Zoe and Mal to return so we have plenty of time."

River was excited to go walk around the planet with Jia Li. Simon only let her out only as long as she kept the ship in sight. It was nice to climb that nearby hill and feel the wind and watch the sun. But to go into town...that would be a fun adventure.

Jia li grabbed a basket on the way out and walked with River toward town. Her lover seemed so happy, and free. It was adorable and gorgeous. She took her hand and led her into town. Shopping. Dresses, fruits, good food, maybe some new incense she liked. River was her focus today. River and that smile.

No one stopped them from leaving Serenity. That made River extremely happy. Simon even saw them, too. But he only gave them a smile. It was going to be a good day, she was sure of it. Jia Li had a basket and they went into town and to a grocery. They had fruit but like all parts of the 'verse, it wasn't much. This planet had a good collection of strawberries, though, and River pointed them out to Jia Li. Strawberries were good.

Jia saw River looking at the strawberries and bought a good amount of the sweet red fruit. She also grabbed some other fruits and some fresh vegetables. Then she saw it. A beautiful blue and gold silk robe. "River...look at this...it even has slippers to come with it. Put it on. I want to see how it looks on you."

River walked around, happy to have someone to be with who wasn't treating her like a baby. Simon would never let her look through the things in the store like this. Jia Lie brought her over to some clothes and River frowned. The rose was very pretty but it was more for someone like Jia Li. Like a companion. River shook her head and tried to move away.

"She's not a doll..." She said, back walking into a display of shoes that fell over. River fell too and she blushed as she tried to pick up the shoes. Simon tried to make her look like a sweet girl, making her wear dresses and now Jia Li wanted her to look like a companion. She didn't like it.