Mal snorted himself awake and looked around groggily. It took him a few moments to scramble himself into a sitting position. He turned the lamp on beside his bed. The light stung his eyes and he blinked away the pain to get them accustomed to the change in light.
The clock on the wall told him it was far too early in the morning for the crew to be awake. He rubbed his face with his hands and puffed air through his nose. He had been having troubled dreams, he assumed it was probably due to the numerous memories of his past that had resurfaced when he opened the box. He looked down beside him on the bed where Captain Ted lay silently. He smirked and picked up the bear. Mal wondered how long The Captain had been travelling and why it had taken so long for the bear to come through the post. It had been years since his mother had passed away. He shrugged, it wasn't a concern of his since the bear had arrived in such good condition.
His stomach rumbled loudly and he decided it would be fine if he raided the food lockers for a midnight snack. He was sure the crew would be asleep so he decided to take Captain Ted with him. His inner child wanted to show his friend the ship. He tucked the bear under his arm and climbed out of bed and walked to the ladder. He punched in the code and climbed up into the passage.
All was quiet and dark as he walked to the dining room with Captain Ted tucked under his arm against his chest. With one hand he searched a few of the lockers for something to eat. He was out of luck. He sighed and decided his hunger could wait until morning. He started walking across the dining room to go back to his bunk when he heard one of the other bunks open and close.
Mal became worried about who was prowling around and who was going to see him with The Captain so lovingly tucked under his arm. He stopped dead in his tracks and waited with his heart beating hard in his chest.
He saw Jaynes bulk walking through the doorway. Mal was suddenly filled with all the horrible thoughts of Jayne seeing the bear as a sign of weakness and taking control of the ship and shoving him and his bear out an airlock. Inara's mocking laughter filled his ears as he imagined Jayne telling the rest of the crew about Captain Ted. He imagined Zoe shaking her head and watching him disappear out into the black.
His train of thought ceased its chaotic spin when Jayne stopped dead in his tracks and their eyes met. They both wore the same surprised and frightened expressions which automatically changed to looks of utter confusion. Jaynes eyes fell to Mals chest where Captain Ted was nestled and Mal saw a white fuzzy rabbit with big floppy ears tucked under Jaynes arm. The rabbit looked to have seen as many hugs as Captain Ted, its fur had a few stains and it had a large patch on one of it's ears. They both laughed nervously.
"This didn't happen." Mal said waving his arm.
"I won't tell if you won't." Jayne said slightly nodding his head. They both walked passed each other as fast as they could and Mal vanished down into his bunk.
