River sat on a crate in the cargo hold, swinging her legs back and forth as she cradled a small object in her hands.
It's just an object. It doesn't mean what you think.
She took a deep breath and looked at it again. This time, the object meant exactly what she thought. River smiled. It meant change.
Her life had changed so much over the past few years. She went from being a gifted, beautiful, whole child, to a schizophrenic, psychic, broken girl. Then her brother rescued her and brought her on board Serenity and she changed again. She became a woman. Still broken, but accepted for all her pieces.
Mal had saved her life. He didn't know it, but he did. He took the gun from her hand when everyone else was afraid to touch her. He brought her out on a job when the others thought she was still crazy. He believed her when she told him about Miranda. He risked his own life for her mission. When everyone else thought she was babbling, he understood what she was saying. He spent time with her, teaching her how to pilot his ship and taking her out on jobs. Eventually, he began spending time with her for no reason other than to just be next to her. They understood each other in a way no one else could. So it was only natural when he began to feel for her more than what he thought he should.
River remembered the moment she knew something had changed. The crew was sitting at the dinner table enjoying a meal and Mal was telling a story of a past job. He paused and looked at her as she laughed, then he smiled. Later that evening, she sat in the cockpit setting the ship on night cycle. He came up to bid her goodnight and leaned down to kiss her forehead, like he had many nights previous. This time, however, he stopped and tilted her chin up.
As his lips met hers, everything changed.
River took a deep breath and hopped off the crate, still clutching pregnancy test in her hand. She needed to find Mal. It was time to tell him that life was about to change once more.