Chapter 2- More to it
Summary: They don't understand when she became his concern

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"Not again," Simon sighed when he found River wrapped around Mal the next morning. "Cap-"

Kaylee came up from behind him and put a hand over his mouth. "Let them sleep," she whispered in his ear.

He shut the door and turned to her with a huff. "I want to know what he's been doing sleeping with my sister."

"He ain't sleepin' with her! They were both dressed and their hair wasn't messed up and the sheets were still neatly on the bed. Unless they's the conservative type in bed which I doubt…"

"I'm going to ask Mal about-"

"No! No! NO! You're gonna scare him off 'fore anything can even begin! She just got back from somethin' awful 'n if havin' him there helps, let it be! Don't take that away! Let's just look the other way for now."

He went to argue, but she kissed him and he gave in like he always did. She never played fair.

****

"Once she realizes she'll never see her brother or Captain Reynolds ever again, she will be ours once again."

"They won't find you."

"The sooner you accept it, the better."

"You won't even remember his name."

She sat up suddenly. His name dripped off of her tongue in a hushed whisper, "Malcolm Reynolds."

Mal heard his name shortly after she sat up. "River?"

"They said that I'd forget your name, that you wouldn't find me…" she choked. "I was alone and scared and they were hurting me and-"

He put an arm around her and she snuggled into his chest.

"They're gone."

She nodded.

"It's time to get up. Let's go 'fore Jayne eats everything."

They arrived at the table together. Everyone—with the exception of Jayne—picked up on that fact, but no one dared broach the subject. Not yet, anyway.

****

"There you are," Simon sighed. River looked up from her book.

"I'm on my way to my room. Just had another lesson with the blonde. He gave me a book on piloting."

"That's nice. It's time for your medicine-"

"No."

"But-"

"I've gone days without it and I'm fine!"

"It was probably still in your system. I need to give you a few other things to flush the medications they gave you out of-"

"No!"

"It's just a quick shot."

Her eyes drifted to the needle in his hand. She dropped the book and slid down the bulkhead shaking all over.

Simon started walking towards her muttering the usual things that calmed her down.

"NO!" she screamed a bit louder than she meant to. "GET AWAY!"

"But mei mei-"

"What the hell are you doin'?" Mal growled from the steps. He quickly made his way over to her. He heard her screams, but he conjured that everyone in the 'verse heard her.

She automatically reached for him and he gathered her into his arms.

"What seems to be the trouble?" he murmured tenderly. He followed her eyes to the shot in Simon's hand.

"Gorramit doc!"

"What?" Simon asked.

"You want to stick her with ruttin' needles after what they did to her?"

"I don't know what they did!"

"Put that thing away. From now on, no stickin' her with needles unless you absolutely have to!"

"I…" he trailed off and put the shot in his pocket, defeated. "Fine, but I need to run a few tests to make sure that what they did to her didn't leave any lasting effects."

River looked at the infirmary fearfully. "No."

"It's alright. Just step into the infirmary-"

"No! Locked down can't move. Deeper and deeper. Can't let them in!" she shouted. The infirmary was too similar to the room in Red Falls.

"She seems perfectly fine to me. If somethin' was wrong, that'd be another story," Mal replied.

"It's only a two minute scan, if that!"

"No! Deeper in the brainpan…kept going and going…trying to make me theirs…" she choked.

"No infirmary, doc. Not unless she needs it," Mal snapped while attempting to calm her down.

"Don't make me go in there. Please Simon," River begged.

"Fine mei mei. Not today."

"Thank you."

She slipped out of Mal's arms towards her room. He nodded to her and then turned his attention to Simon.

"I need to speak with you about this further, Captain. I can't allow you to make decisions about my sister's health!"

"It's still soon after what they did to her. She needs to be a bit more stable before you start remindin' her of what happened. I'm not sayin' no infirmary forever, just for right now."

"I don't understand at which point she became your concern."

"She's my crew."

"I-"

"Listen up 'cause I got no notion of repeatin' myself," he growled as he stepped into his personal space. "The infirmary and anything about or in it are not to be anywhere near her 'til she's a bit more stable."

"I'm the judge of when she's stable or not. I'm the doctor here, not you."

"You best watch that mouth of yours 'cause it keeps runnin' and I don't much care for the words comin' out of it."

"What exactly have you been doing in her room at night?"

"She has nightmares and she don't like bein' alone. I'm just steppin' in until she's okay."

"Are you sure that's all it is?"

He punched him in the mouth. Simon staggered back clutching his nosebleed. Mal shrugged. "Told you to watch your mouth."

****

"Mal," Inara called when she ran into him in the corridor.

"We'll be settin' down in a few."

"No that's not what it's about."

"What seems to be the trouble?" he asked.

"River, actually. How is she?"

"I conjure that it'll take awhile before everything is somewhat shiny again."

"I was just wondering what is going on between the two of you."

He folded his arms. He had just had the same conversation with Simon. Granted he responded with a closed fist rather than using his words…

"Nothin'."

"Kaylee said that you've been in her room for the last few mornings."

"I'm just keepin' her company. She's havin' nightmares and things of the like. Bein' alone is a mite scary for her right now."

"That's all?"

He chuckled dryly. "Yeah it is. What is this really about?"

"I don't think that you should be there like you are. You are probably giving her the wrong idea."

"She needs me."

"Or do you need her?"

"What?"

"I've seen the way you've been acting. You're always there to comfort her. When you speak to her, your tone softens and it's as if no one else is in the room. I think that there's more to it than you think there is."

"I can't believe I'm hearin' this."

"You would never act the way you are towards anyone else. Not Zoe, not Kaylee, and not even me."

"If I didn't know better I'd say that this is more 'bout us than me 'n her."

"Perhaps it is! You asked me to stay and I did. Nothing has changed! If anything I've seen less of you than before because she always 'needs' you."

"She does!"

"That's where you're wrong! I think that you've gotten used to being the hero—her hero—to the point that you're creating situations to swoop in and save her."

"That ain't true."

"It is." She paused. "I'm thinking about leaving. For real this time."

"Just run like you always do."

"I resent that!"

"That's what you always do! You ran from Sihnon and you ran from us."

"You're the one that ran."

"I wanted you!"

"Maybe you did at some point, but now she's the one you want."

"You're wrong."

"You're in denial."

"You know that it's you that I…" he trailed off.

"You can't even say it. You can't say that you love me because you don't. You can't love me. I'm a whore, remember?"

He didn't answer. He couldn't. There was nothing to say.

"Don't push her away. You'll lose her if you do."

"I got crime to go commit."

He stormed off to the cargo bay.

****

Inara was wrong. He was convinced. It was just crazy that he'd need River. She needed him and he was there for her. That was all.

"Sir?" Zoe asked.

"Hm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You don't look like you're focused on the job."

"Just thinkin'."

They reached their rendezvous point and started unloading the cargo.

"I'm not worried 'bout this one. I've known him for a long time," Mal sighed.

Their contacts became visible on the distant horizon. When they got closer, Mal noticed that his old friend wasn't with them.

They got off of their horses and sauntered over to them.

"Where's Stan?" Mal asked.

"We had a…disagreement…" the leader of the group responded.

"Oh. Well, let's get to talkin' payme-"

He was nose to nose with the barrel of a revolver.

"You ain't for talkin' are you?" Mal sighed.

"Nope."

"This ain't my day…"

****

"Find anything helpful in that book I gave you?" Wash asked.

"Yes," River smiled.

"That's good."

-Bang-

She gasped and scrambled to her feet and to the radio.

"River?" Wash asked.

"Simon, get back now!" she shouted. He was out getting parts with Kaylee.

"What happened?" he responded.

"The captain has been shot."