Mal sat on the couch in the common area drinking his coffee as he reflected on the events of the last job. Badger had landed them a good deal and now they were flush with spare parts and lots of cashy money. Mind you, there were of course the usually gunshot wounds that seem to come with any job they took, but all in all, the crew was in good shape.

He was so pleased with the results of the job that he decided to stay overnight in Beaumonde, to the crew's delight.

Jayne had mumbled something about trim before running to his room and then out of the ship. Inara was pleased that she could accept a client for the evening and had taken off in her shuttle. Zoë just smiled stiffly and then retired to her bunk.

Simon and Kaylee had looked at each other with their normal, lust-filled gazes, and Mal and found himself agreeing to watch River for the night so they could have a night out.

Kaylee’s parting shot of seeing him in the morning had unsettled him a bit thinking about taking care of River overnight, but since Miranda she’d been doing much better; things would hopefully go smooth.

Just then, he heard the soft sound of bare feet on metal grating coming from the dorms, and he looked up to see River gliding into the room. Clothed in a well-worn babydoll nightgown, Mal felt his cock harden at the silhouette of her body through the fabric.

Squelching those thoughts quickly, he smiled warmly as she sat down next to him on the couch.

“You all right, little one?” Mal asked when he noticed the tear tracks on her face.

“Scary monsters peck like carrion birds. Each after their pound of flesh.”

Mal’s eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher her meaning. Realizing that she’d had a bad dream, he smiled compassionately at her.

“Why don’t you lay down here for a few minutes, and let’s see if we can’t chase the monsters away.”

River rested her head on his thigh for a pillow and curled her body into a ball next to him.

Mal tensed briefly as she put her head in his lap, then dismissed the n