Bel Canto

It was weeks before he pulled the guitar out.

Honestly, Mal hadn’t thought he ever would. The guitar had been a parting gift from Book when he left Serenity, and although Mal couldn’t fathom the friendship between a Shepherd and a Mercenary, he couldn’t dispute the strength of it. He just figured there was too much of Haven tied to the instrument for Jayne to ever play it the same.

Maybe that was why he hadn’t recognized the solitary, haunting melody that twisted through Serenity.

Bursting into the passenger lounge to investigate, he was almost sad when Jayne pressed his hand flat over the strings, silencing the music. Mal shifted his weight guiltily, his blue eyes drifting from Jayne to Kaylee, who sat beside him on the couch, curled up tight with her arms wrapped around her legs, and then to River, who had paused mid-step in her impromptu ballet.

Quirking an eyebrow at Jayne, he gestured back the way he’d come, “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Oh, have a sit, Captain,” Kaylee gestured to an empty chair, “Jayne here was just playin’ for us.”

The bigger man shot her a disgruntled look, “Never said I was playin’ for nobody.”

She smiled at him and he melted like butter, his fingers moving back over the guitar to pluck out a few lonely chords.

“Listening to him sing,” River added, beginning her dance again, moving to silence.

“Now I sure as hell weren’t singing,” Jayne protested.

She moved to him, all lithe grace and little girl smile. “Bel canto. You sing inside,“ she passed her cool fingers across his furrowed brow before dancing away, out of his reach. “High notes. Can’t reach.”

Mal thought for a moment that Jayne would toss aside the guitar in favor of throttling River, but the big man stayed put. His calloused working-man’s hands slowly filling the room with that same ethereal song.

He lingered in the common, following River’s movements with rapt fascination. Her steps were disjointed, not quite in sync with the music and he wondered if she really was d