+++++

Mal snatched up the com, falling into a familiar routine that gave his weary mind some peace. "Kaylee, get set up for full burn. Soon as we clear atmo I want this place to be nothin’ more than a memory."

Without waiting for a response, he jammed the com back into place and spun to the pilot’s seat, his lips already forming a name out of habit. The wrong name. It caught in his throat as he faced River, her hands gripping the controls and her eyes fixed ahead.

"I can’t be him," she said, still watching the sky.

The captain hadn’t said the name. "How did you know ... ?"

She turned to lift an eyebrow at him.

"Guess you would at that," he smirked despite the odd feeling that he was suddenly naked. "Gifted and all." Mal looked back to his controls. "Still," he said, absentmindedly flipping a few switches, "wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea."

"I know," River said to the sky.

The captain crossed his arms and turned to her. "And what exactly do you know, young lady?"

"I know you. And what you think of me."

"That so?"

River lips bent into a Cheshire grin, her eyes still on her work. She was enjoying this. "I always knew, especially when you didn’t want me to." The grin spread as she sifted through memories, her distant expression drawing a heavy gulp from Mal. "It’s all there – all the words for her, and me, and the rest of them. You keep them locked away. Swallow the key."

Her eyes swam back to the present, and they rose to bore into Mal. "But I hear you," she said. "Your words are the loudest. You’re the loudest one here."

Mal studied her for a moment, this little girl lost who was guiding them all. "I’ll try to keep it down," he said.

Both worked silently for a few moments as the ship sped toward the edge of the planet’s atmosphere.

"Know what I’m thinkin’ right now?" Mal asked as he checked a gauge in front of him.

River looked at him. There was a short silence.

"I belong," River breathed. "I belong here with you. No more secrets."

His eyes cut up toward