based on the world of Firefly by Joss Whedon

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She lay under the stars, an ocean of twinkling and sparkling that defied logic, a beautiful, but deadly place right now to be with the plague of war and the dark shadow of the Academy. A noise from the direction of camp alerted her, but only for a moment, the smell of him allowing herself to lower back into the scent of the green grass under her.

"Lying down on the job, huh? Ain't like you." He smiled and sat down beside her, Cat letting a smile grace her soft face. In the last week, things had definitely improved between them, more as though they were friends or even something more than...instead of her jumping at every order shouted. She had mellowed to almost human, though certain things still alluded her. Her protection of the unit hadn't waned either and though they hadn't suffered a really bad attack in awhile, Mal knew they were die one any time. Still, as he sat down in the grass beside her, this moment didn't feel like war. In fact, one could say he was a might nervous.

"Enjoying the sky while I still can." She whispered, her ears picking up the sounds of the world around them.

"It's a might pretty tonight. Always thought of gettin' a boat if I make it through this war. Sail her through the black, make a profit...maybe even start a family." The last was quieter than the first part, but Cat's ears had no trouble picking it up.

"Family..."She repeated it. "You would make a good Captain...father. Care for your people even more than yourself. That's what it requires."

"What are your plans? After this?"

"There is no after this. I will always be at war. Either with myself or the ones that own me."

"Ain't owned, Cat. Nobody is." He touched her arm and she sighed.

"I told you I'm not like you." She sat up and looked at him, green eyes covered in the long red hair. Mal brushed it out of her face and then drew some pieces of grass from the strands. "They'll hunt me down eventually, reg