Zoe rolled her eyes as she answered Mal for the umpteenth time.
"Just ain't feeling myself is all." Mal looked unconvinced. They'd been at this argument for almost twenty minutes today, and still neither would give in. The day before it'd lasted nearly an hour before Wash made up an excuse for Zoe to stay in their bunk until the Captain calmed down. While Zoe wasn't particularly fond of organizing her husband's trunk, it beat the hell out of Mal's unceasing questions.
"That's what you've said every day for the past week!" Mal countered. His eyes were dangerous now. Wearily, Zoe stood up from her chair.
"Sir, that's because there is absolutely nothing wrong with me. Nothing wrong with me then, nothing wrong with me now. Drop it." The common room was becoming uncomfortably hot. Zoe walked out, fire in her eyes. That left the captain standing in the center of the room all eyes on him.
"There's something the matter with her." Jayne shrugged and turned back to his meal. Simon and Kaylee exchanged a look.
"Captain," began Simon, "I don't mean to disagree, but how do you know that?"
"I just do, Doc!" Mal dropped back into his seat. "I've known Zoe longest and I've seen her in a lot of situations. She ain't the same right now. She's too quiet."
"No offense, Sir, but Zoe's always quiet. She ain't much of one for talking," Kaylee replied.
"She's a different kind of quiet!" Mal insisted.
"That's not unusual, Sir," tried Simon. "We all have periods…in which we withdraw. It's natural. Zoe probably has something on her mind."
"But what does she have on her mind?"
"Probably something she don't wanna talk about," Kaylee said.
"I'm the Captain! She has to tell me everything!" Jayne cleared his throat and stood.
"You know Mal, she really doesn't. If it's personal, none of us has to know." Kaylee and Simon rose as to take Jayne's dishes. The three left Mal, seemingly alone.
"What do you think, little one?" From her hiding place under the table, River smirked.
"I think lots of things. This one I can't tell, even if he is the Captain." Mal sighed and headed for his bunk. River leaned against the floor and began humming with Serenity's engines. It was war under the table; the gentle vibrations were almost like her lullaby. "Twinkle twinkle little star," River half-sang, "how I wonder what you are!"