A/N: I kid you not: this is going to be an actual story. :) Fluffy, humourous, with a little hint of darkness because it's a Joss world. Rating may go up in the future.

"Is it still me that makes you sweat?
Am I who you think about in bed?
When the lights are dim and your hands are shaking as you're sliding off your dress?
Then think of what you did
And how I hope to God he was worth it..."

-'Lying is the most fun a girl can have', Panic! At the Disco

Sky Song

Oh, Susannah

Mal leaned onto the bars of the catwalk overlooking his cargo bay. He stared at its current emptiness. At this time on the ship, everyone of his crew was fast asleep, and he had Serenity all to himself. He took in a deep breath through his nose, and inhaled the scent of engine grease, metal, and the mustiness of old, void packages. The silence offered him a solace, a kind of peace he couldn't really find in sleep. Instead, he wandered the many little avenues of the Firefly, happy in the company of Serenity. He touched her up, wiped her clean until she would shine in the synthetic lighting, his hands as gentle as a lover's. In return, she kept his thoughts away from the darkest corners of his mind. It had been a fair trade off.

Eventually, his eyes would droop and he'd skulk off to his bunk, heavy feet dragging as he went, if only so his crew didn't find him passed out in some nook or cranny the next day. Purposely, he'd take the longer route, in an effort to avoid the shuttle. Too many haunting memories lay in that direction. If he started down that path, he would never sleep. He'd suffer the longer journey, push open the door to his small quarters, and carefully step down the ladder to where his lonely, dismal bed awaited him. Even after he'd changed the sheets, even after he threw out the blankets, the ghosts were still there, reminding him.

A chilling memory of a girlish giggle was in his ear, and then it was gone, echoing past him. He scratched at the rough stubble growing on his cheeks, and willed the sounds away. His hands came to the buttons of his shirt; he began to undo them, giving his back to the corner where his bed lay. If he turned, he might still see that ghost of golden skin, naked, lovely, waiting for him. He slipped off all of his clothes, and pulled on a pair of comfortable, loose pants. He stumbled into his bed, closing his eyes immediately. If he opened them, he knew he'd see her there next to him, propped on one elbow and smiling lovingly with nothing but the white sheets covering her naked body.

Her ebony curls would frame her sweet, heart shaped face. She'd glow, fresh from a love session with him, her hair tousled and natural. Even with his eyes closed, he could still see her, could still smell her. The scent of jasmine, vanilla, and incense imprinted on his mind, even when he'd tossed the pillow cases.

He thought he'd forgotten, thought the wound might have healed, scabbed over. All these years later, he should have been okay with it by now. But it hadn't taken much to reopen it, and it was still as fresh and raw as it had been the first day.

River had stared right at him from her pilot's seat when Zoe told him where the next job would be taking them. The girl had mouthed the words while Zoe provided the voiceover.

"Lu'Weng, sir," his first mate had said, not without unspoken compassion.

The capital of Sihnon.

Sihnon.

Rumours told him that she was on Sihnon, now. Back at House Madrassa, where she'd started. Not that he'd been keeping tabs or anything like that.

River had watched him reproachfully with her wide eyes, gauging his response, reading his mind like he knew she would be.

"Kaylee will want to visit the training house," the psychic had stated, rather matter-of-factly.

The genius mechanic had been begging for years to go visit her, and those conversations had a habit of ending in tears and, eventually, apologies. Until now, it had been too risky, especially after the events of Miranda. Or so Mal would argue. Kaylee never did buy his excuses, although, there was some truth to his words. The Alliance was on edge, and there were more active rebellions cropping up everywhere now. Not to mention, the fugitives they were still harbouring on Serenity. Anywhere there was Alliance, it was deemed too dangerous.

But this job was giving them enough incentive to be worth the risk. It just wasn't easy getting a decent heist contract on most outer planets anymore, now that the Alliance was patrolling for any suspicious behaviour. Or, maybe he and the crew were just hurting something awful for credits, protein, and fuel. In the least, Jayne, Zoe, and Mal would go ahead and meet with the contact, while Simon and River stayed hidden on the ship with Kaylee. If they even caught so much as a whiff of a problem, they were off the planet in a heartbeat.

That had been the plan.

But now that they were en route, now that the subject had been broached, the memories plagued Mal like a relentless disease, in a flare up. It had never truly disappeared in the first place. The ache, the constant longing, the hole she'd made when she'd left for the second time. It was there.

He was still waiting for Kaylee to ask him for permission, because he knew she would even before River had predicted it. Either that, or she was planning for a stealthy visit while the muscle of the crew was out and about doing business. It made sense, seeing as how at this point, the little mechanic had a pretty good inkling as to what her captain's answer would be. He frowned at the thought, the creases of his forehead more prominent when he did so. He decided he'd rather she come to him. Sneaking around was bound to get them in trouble, and Lu'Weng was not an entirely friendly city, even if you didn't take into consideration that there were Alliance soldiers milling about.

Hopeful, he thought it was possible that Kaylee had just given up in her pursuit of the subject. But he knew that that was unlikely, because he'd heard rumor that there were more than a few waves exchanged between the two women throughout the years. It was no doubt Kaylee was planning on letting the companion know they'd be landing on her home turf. And why should it matter to him? It wasn't like he was going to visit her, and it sure as hell wasn't about her wanting to see him.

He sighed, and rolled over to his side in an effort to fall asleep, and shut the nagging thoughts out of his head.

It had been years now, anyways. Was it six? Or seven? Maybe even eight. Somewhere along the way, he'd lost count. It didn't matter when the days felt like weeks, and the weeks trudged on like months.

Still.

Perchance they met up again during this short visit. That two people, out of a population of over a few hundred thousand in the capitol city, would find each other, familiar faces in a crowd. What would he say to her? How would she react to him? Would she go on her way, pretending not to even see him? Would he do the same to her? Or would there be an uncomfortable greeting, with forced pleasantries and small talk? All these years, and he hadn't as much as gotten a wave from her. Nothing, no contact whatsoever. To him, it only had proven that she was doing fine without him, that she didn't need him around anymore, while he suffered in his loneliness without her.

He woke from empty dreams to River's singing voice.

"I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee
I'm going to Louisiana,
My true love for to see,"

He could hear her from his bunk, and he awoke with a start, sleep still in his tired eyes. He struggled to open them, fought against the strong desire to collapse back into his pillow and blankets. Only, River's voice continued to bring him into reality whenever he'd slip back into the darkness.

"It rained all night the day I left
The weather it was dry
The sun so hot, I froze to death
Susannah, don't you cry,"

He groaned inwardly, and tried to wrap his pillow around his head in an effort to keep out her voice. He could hear Jayne's grumbling threat, now that the mercenary was also unhappily awake. "Someone git that gorram moonbrain to shut 'er yap before I do!"

"Oh, Susannah,
Oh don't you cry for me
For I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee,"

Mal was of half a mind of letting the burly, man-for-hire, take care of the problem. Only, he wouldn't look forward to the blood splattered all over his shiny bridge, which he'd most likely end up cleaning. Yet, when he thought about it, he didn't know if it would be River's blood, or Jayne's, now that River was mostly in control of her...abilities.

He could hear her skipping along as her voice carried. Reluctantly, Mal lifted himself out of bed, and scratched at his face. He needed a good shave before they headed off. Had to look clean on Lu'Weng, and it had nothing to do with the wōnang thought that he might run into her.

"I had a dream the other night
When everything was still
I dreamed I saw Susannah dear
A-coming down the hill,"

"River...!" He grunted, knowing she couldn't hear him calling her name. He stood up, rubbed at his eyes, and tried to push the sleep away.

"The buckwheat cake was in her mouth
The tear was in her eye
Says I, "I'm coming from the south,
Susannah, don't you cry,"

He peered up the ladder, where the sound of her footfalls were louder as she skipped on past. "Simon!" Mal shouted this time, trying a new avenue, knowing that the doctor was bunked next door with Kaylee. He didn't remember River having a relapse like this in a while. She had gotten significantly better after Miranda, although not all was right with Serenity's little albatross. Then again, after everything she'd been through, it was unfair to ever believe she would be.

"Oh, Susannah,
Oh don't you cry for me
For I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee,"

"That's it!" Mal heard Jayne roar. The captain stood to attention, and heard the rumblings of things being moved around angrily against the mercenary's bunk.

"I come from A-la-ba-ma
With a ban-jo on my knee,
I'm going to Lou-i-siana,
My true love for to see,"

If it phased River at all that the giant hulk of a sleep deprived man was coming at her, she didn't let it stop her. Mal wasn't entirely worried, however, recalling how the girl had once taken on an endless army of reavers and won. Even Jayne was afraid of reavers. If anything, he was more concerned of losing his gun hand.

"Girl, I recall sayin' fer you to shut yer gorram mouth! Ain't you got a ship to be pilotin'?!" Mal could hear Jayne shout as he clambered out of his bunk.

River stopped her skipping, and her singing.

"Waking up the captain," she said, as if it was the most logical conclusion to her actions.

Mal heard Jayne walk past his bunk, boots loud and heavy, thudding against the metal.

"Yeah, well how's about doin' it a bit more quiet-like? The rest of us would like to keep sleepin'!" Jayne spat, unable to hide the anger in his tone.

Next to his bunk, Mal could hear the rustling of Simon and Kaylee finally mussing about after the romping session they'd had the previous night.

River giggled.

"She was naked. She was naked, and you were about to kiss her. She was sweaty, and maybe a bit dirty, but it's okay, because you like her that way, don't you?" River spoke.

Silence on Jayne's end.

That was Mal's cue to clamber up the ladder, knowing the thing that the silence indicated: rage.

A few things happened at once. Mal moved as quick as he could, throwing open the latch to his bunk. Jayne had already started moving towards the girl's smaller frame while River stood still and watched it all unfold, knowing.

Zoe appeared out of the cockpit, standing behind Jayne only a few paces back, shotgun in her arm, cocked and marked directly into the mercenary's back. Her expression dictated all business, but if Mal gave her the signal, she'd shoot without a moment's hesitation. As long as he didn't, she would only make a threat of it.

"Jayne, back away from the girl," her sultry voice ordered, her firearm clicking.

The noise had Jayne frozen, inches away from grabbing River, just as Simon peeked his head through the entrance to Kaylee's bunk.

"Wha-...What's going on?" the doctor asked, looking around at everyone, confused and disheveled.

River looked to her brother, and said, "Jayne almost got beat up by a little girl."

With that, River continued to sing her song as she walked towards the cockpit. She brushed past Zoe, and didn't even spare a glance at Mal.

"Oh, Su-san-nah, oh,
Don't you cry for me,
For I come from A-la-ba-ma
With a ban-jo on my knee."

Jayne clicked his tongue, looked to his captain, and said rather menacingly, "Best watch out for her, Mal. I ain't gonna be takin' it too kindly if she keeps runnin' 'round this ship, readin' minds, spewin' lies and crazy talk."

Mal smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "'F I were you, seems I'd be askin' for help to watch my back around her, instead."

The mercenary stalked off with a scowl, muttering under his breath even as he disappeared into his bunk.

Zoe had put down her gun now that the danger was done, and Simon still appeared to be as lost as his girlfriend.

"Did I miss something?" he asked Mal, looking between the captain and his first mate.

Zoe answered him, "Nothin' much. River's just feelin' like she oughtta be the ship's new alarm clock, as well as it's pilot, 's all."

The tall woman then looked down at Mal and instructed, "'Bout to be in Sihnon's orbit soon, sir. Might wanna look to your appearance 'fore we land. Can't imagine anyone would wanna be dealin' with a man ain't dressed or shaved."

The warrior woman turned on her heel, and followed after River into the cockpit. Eventually, the doctor and Kaylee had sunk back down into their bunk, and Mal didn't think they'd be coming out anytime soon, not even after that debacle with the other Tam sibling.

He could still hear River humming the eerie folk tune, as she guided Serenity smoothly towards the massive core planet.

-.-

A/N: There it is. I get it seems tragic, with Inara gone, but there's a perfectly good explanation for that. :) Here we go!