Disclaimers : Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation.

**Mousing over the Chinese should reveal the English translations on most browsers. If not, translations follow the story.

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The dream that night began as it always did, with Wash and him blindfolded and disoriented in a strange room.

It ended like it always did with him struggling and clawing his way out of sleep to find himself sitting bolt upright in his bed, soaked with sweat, heart thudding.

He rose, as had become his nightly routine, and ascended to the main level, hoping he hadn’t actually screamed out loud and wakened any of the others. Barefoot and shirtless, wearing only sleep trousers, he padded to the galley for the caffeine that would chase away the remnants of the nightmare. Bleary-eyed and chilled from the ship’s cooled air mingling with the sweat on his body, he moved to the stove.

“Hello,” came a voice from the lounge.

Mal started, fumbling the cup he had just picked up.

Wo de ma! he cried, clutching his chest. His heart, which had finally slowed to a reasonable pace, now threatened to just plain stop. He whirled to see Alex sitting on the sofa.

“You scared the hell out of me!” he snapped. “What are you doin’, sneakin’ up on a guy in the middle of the night?”

She smiled and shrugged.

“Not so much with the sneakin’ up—more like sitting with a book and a cup of tea.” She gestured with her mug. “Have some—water’s still hot.”

Mal shook his head and moved to the cubby where he kept the instant coffee.

“Not really a tea drinker,” he said, scooping out enough coffee to make his spoon stand up in the mug and salute. He poured water into the mess and began stirring.

“The tea’s decaffeinated,” Alex said. “Might ought to drink it instead of that—you’ll never get back to sleep that way.”

“That’s the plan.” Mal moved to the lounge and sat down.