Even though she was a mind-reading genius, not even River could have seen where life was going to take her in the past year. In the span of twelve months, she had gone from being experimented on and tortured on a daily basis to becoming pilot of a smuggling ship. And in-between that time she had traveled all over the galaxy, met some wonderful new people, seen many people die (a few by her own hands) and helped expose a major government conspiracy. But the most unusual thing was her developing feelings for a man she’d have wished death upon five years ago.

River could remember when she was growing up how she’d long for any updates over the Cortex on the Unification War between the beloved Alliance and the savage Independents. She could remember cheering happily and dancing about the room with Simon any time the Alliance won a battle and would sob painfully anytime one of the high-ranking officers was gunned down in battle. After the war ended, she had joined her family at the spaceport in Capital City to greet the returning heroes and to thank them for the courage they had displayed. She was so proud as she watched these dashing young men greet their families they had been separated so long from. And now, six years later, she was on a ship captained by a man who had no doubt tried to kill those dashing young men at some point. A man who was now the most important man in her life.

For whatever reason, since the moment she was wheeled onto Serenity in a cryogenic box, Mal Reynolds had been there to protect her. When she first appeared, he had repeatedly visited her in the infirmary, watching her sleep. He always maintained that he was there to check on Kaylee after she had been shot in the abdomen but River could frequently feel his eyes straying to her, studying this mysterious young woman. And when that fed, Dobson, had taken her hostage while the captain was on Whitefall, her brother fought valiantly against him but it was the captain who coolly strode onto his ship and shot Dobson in the face without e