A/N: This one was inspired by a scene in the last episode of The Inside, another short lived tv show featuring Adam Baldwin. It made me think of River so of course I turned it into a creepy, angsty fic. It was written with River/Jayne in mind but it's not particularly shippy, so if you ignore the one mention of a goatee, you can pretty much imagine the guy to be whoever the heck you want.

WARNING: Explicit description of eyeballs being punctured. Best not read the second to last paragraph if you're squeamish. Also includes shirtless-ness and implied nudity.

A River Turned to Dust

She felt a hand slide around her waist and up her belly to rest over her heart. It was a familiar hand, calluses rough against her smooth skin; nearly large enough to span her waist with fingers spread and comforting in its weight. She could feel him swallowing against the back of her head before he spoke, his voice the smooth velvety growl she only heard when he was half out of dreamland. "Why aren’t ya asleep?"

"I sleep so much." She replied. Her voice was small and nearly lost in their tangle of sheets and bodies and limbs. It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. She blinked, trying to clear away the darkness before realizing the lights were off. She placed her hand over his. "It’s so hard to tell when I’m dreaming and when I’m not."

"Well, can’t argue with that." He said sleepily, though she wasn’t sure what it was he couldn’t argue over. His thumb rubbed comforting circles against her breastbone like he always did after any one of her numerous nightmares. "But I know I’m awake right now, so that means yer awake too."

"You could just be dreaming that you’re awake and you’re actually talking to yourself in your sleep." She reasoned, snuggling back into the curve of his body. Feeling her shiver, he clicked his tongue like a mother hen and pulled the blankets tighter around them. His arms were warm bands pressing her protectively against his chest. She frowned. Something was off.