So, I'm ashamed to say that it's taken me this long to join the wonderful community you have here on fff.net, but to smooth my arrival, I thought I'd share a story I posted a while ago over on Fanfiction.net. Hope you enjoy, stay shiny everyone!

Spoilers: Slight ones for Serenity (the movie) but nothing too huge.

Disclaimer: Neither Mal, River, nor any of the other things associated with the world of Firefly belong to me. They are on my Christmas list though.

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She glides into the room and takes a seat opposite him at the table. He lifts his mug to her in a silent greeting and takes a deep draught. “She flying smooth, little albatross?”

“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.”

He sets the mug back down, amusement written across his face for the time being. “What was that?”

She smirks. “You read the poem.”

He considers asking her how she knows that, before rolling his eyes at his own stupidity. “I guess I did at that. You got anything illuminating to say; poetically speaking?”

She breathes deeply and a smile stretches across her face as she rises from her chair and spins dreamily across the floor. “I am a river.” She declares, arms reaching up above her head.

He chuckles deeply and takes another long pull of his drink, the liquid sending licking tendrils of heat down to the very soles of his feet. “I suppose you are.”

With a thump, she sits back down on her chair, grace momentarily forgotten as she collapses in a comfortable sprawl of limbs. “I won’t quench your thirst.” She declares, looking him dead in the eyes.

Caught in the middle of his next drink, he sputters and chokes, suddenly not liking the direction of the conversation.

“Ah, no.” He coughs, wipes whiskey away on his shirtsleeve. “Now I ain’t never, ever , said anything ‘bout-“

She looks at him with confusion, seriousness in her gaze. “I’m not trying to seduce you, Captain.”

“Ah, no.” He says again, shooting a nervous look around the room to make sure no one is there to listen, “I shoul