Bo meandered around the ship, his booted feet actually silent on the metal paneling. He watched River through the door as she flew the ship with as much grace as she moved with. He smiled and moved on, his mind venturing to parts of the ship his body couldn't reach. His new gun rested in the holster at his chest comfortably. He grinned as he remembered Jayne's face when he won it from him in that game of cards. He could still feel Jayne's dismay over losing one of his favorite hand guns. A thought that wasn't his own entered his mind.

"Can I trust him?" Mal's voice echoed in his head.

Bo felt Mal's instincts twist and turn with thoughts fighting feelings. His own heart twisted as he thought that his oldest friend couldn't trust him. It was more painful than almost anything he had felt before. He felt the confusion and the pain. Bo withdrew his mind and went back to the cargo area. He was alone here, though he could feel River's mind wandering the ship just as his had. A smile crossed his lips for a moment as he marveled at the young girl and how she continued to find her abilities. His own reading skill was more manufactured than anything. Pain shot through his mind as he tried to delve into a memory that he wasn't supposed to have. A needle flashed in his memory, a reflection on the scalpel cutting into him flashed brightly. Blue eyes stared at him as the memory whisped away. He opened his eyes and he was on the floor. He felt River's mind brush his as he got up. He let her feel a calm resonate from him as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

He moved to stand under the catwalk and grabbed the handles there. He wrapped his hands tightly around them and lifted himself from the ground. He cranked his legs up to his chest then lowered them down again. He heard a hatch hiss open and felt more than heard the Companion enter. She was graceful and so imperfect it was enticing. Her smile was flawed ever so slightly. Her movement just graceful enough to draw your eyes along her body, which was sculpted to be seductive