My Hero
Characters: River, hints of Mal/Simon and Mal/River
Notes:
Written for ficlets100.
Tag to "The Train Job".
"He's my hero."
River heard the words not aloud as Shepherd Book heard them, but in her mind and her soul. Despite their bitter edge, they were not said in the disdain they appeared to hold, but rather in truth. She could see into Mal's heart. She could see the respect he had for Simon; his appreciation for what he'd done.
She could understand also, why he'd want to hide it. It would ruin his image. It would show everyone that he was not as hard as they thought.
Later, River discreetly found Mal and smiled.
"He's my hero, too."