Mal stood silently staring out at the vastness of the landscape that was before him. He took in the natural beauty of a planet they never had visited before today and it was breathtaking. The morning light exploded over the rocky hillside and the shadows played among the boulders and cacti. The moon still sat high in the sky while the sun slowly rose, fighting for dominance.

The spicy scent he had come to learn so well filled his nostrils and a small smile graced his face as his young pilot walked up and stood quietly beside him. Mal's breath caught deep in his throat at the sight of how the rising sunlight radiated across her face, surrounding her with a halo of light.

"Are we ready for take-off, albatross," his low voice broke through the cool morning air.

River glanced at him and smiled, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the chill. She gave an almost imperceptible nod as she watched the sun win its battle for supremacy in the sky. Mal took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. River smiled appreciatively at him and pulled the coat around her, deeply breathing in the musky leather scent that could only be described as Mal.

"Where are you taking us?" he asked. River closed her eyes and tilted her face up to the sky.

"Somewhere that you've never been before," she replied, her breath catching as the moon finally bowed down, defeated.

The next time they made planet-fall they got caught in the middle of a rainstorm. River led the ship safely to the surface, tenderly setting the ship down in the clearing of a forest. As soon as the ship was on the ground, River ran outside with arms spread wide and her face tilted up to heaven, worshipping the glorious wet night. Mal ran out after her, intent on hauling her back on board before she caught pneumonia, but found himself speechless at the sight before him. He watched without a word as River danced in downpour, her hair plastered across her face and her eyes closed. Her laughter rang out through the night and suddenly she stopped dancing and looked at him. He watched the raindrops trace their way down her face and arms as she tilted her head to the side and smiled at him.

"Dance with me," she said to him. It wasn't meant as a question.

"It's raining outside, darlin," Mal answered but he knew his resistance was useless.

River grabbed his hand before he could protest and dragged him outside the ship. She led him in an unfamiliar dance to music only they could hear. He reached one hand down and encircled her waist, drawing her closer to his body. With the other hand he reached up and gently stroked her face, brushing the wet hair away from her eyes.

"You're wet," he said quietly as he stared down into her dark brown eyes. The only sound was the quiet beating of the rain against the ship.

"So are you," she whispered back.

Mal leaned down, tenderly kissing her lips and for a moment, the universe only consisted of him, her, and the dark rainy night.