River was on the bridge again, it being the only place where she could get any semblance of peace. It was the farthest point on board from her brother’s room and the engine room, which were too places that nearly oozed with sexual overtones now that he was with Kaylee. She was happy for him, but that was just, well, gross.

Jayne spent most of his time in the cargo bay, lifting weights when they weren’t on a job. Not that his thoughts really bothered her; he had so few. And Zoe, well, she had always been quiet, more so now that Wash was gone. Her presence had only been overwhelming to River once, in the first few seconds after Wash’s life had been ended. The seconds of pain that followed had nearly drowned River in despair until abruptly they had vanished. If River ever got the nerve to ask her, she would question Zoe about how she had managed to build such strong mental barriers. River suspected she could learn some good lessons from the woman.

Faintly, River could sense Mal and Inara’s presences a few hundred yards from the ship. But that she didn’t mind so much – it was about time. And at such a distance, it was easier to block out. So, she was again quiet, but she was not alone.

She had felt the small tugs to the edges of her brain over the past few days. Had sensed the urgent need by someone or something to enter into that private place. Whatever it was, it did not come with good intentions and River had been fighting it valiantly. She had left her own protective walls up for longer and longer periods of time, almost fainting again, but somehow managing to make it through. She had worked to gain back some of the sanity the Persephone debacle had taken out of her and she would not lose it, not again.

But she suspected she didn’t have much of a choice. The presence that was trying to invade her senses was blue and that meant it was strong, unrelenting and unwilling to lose. She was quite simply locked in a battle of wills, and she knew with a certainty that only omniscience could bring it