SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR INTRODUCTIONS, DISCLAIMERS AND WARNINGS

Chapter 2

River sat Indian-style on the bed in her room in the passenger dormitory. Her elbows were propped on her knees, and her head was resting in her hands. She looked like a pouting teenager, resentful at being sent to her room like a child. However, River was thinking and planning.

Her little experiment -- that's how she though of her latest adventure – was coming along just fine. She had started playing little tricks and pranks on the crew of Serenity a few weeks before. They had started out harmless enough, but she had slowly escalated the danger factor. She had to admit that the prank she'd played on Kaylee a few days before had gotten slightly out of hand. After all, she hadn't meant for a fire to be started. She had thought perhaps then, that her experiment had reached its ultimate conclusion, but the Captain had only lectured her about her behavior and responsibilities and ordered her to clean up the kitchen after meal times for the next week.

She couldn't help but wonder what the result of the trick with the control panel would be. River had programmed the data to display in Italian. It was such an arcane language, that she knew nobody on board Serenity but herself would be able to read it. It wasn't as dangerous as everyone made it out to be. It just took a flip of a switch to return the display back to its original setting. After all, the purpose of her experiment wasn't to get anyone hurt. It was to see how far she could push the Captain before he pushed back. While she didn't think that time had come, she knew it was getting close.

* * * * * *

Mal paced the confines of his bunk. He'd gone down there to calm down and to think before he went to deal with River. He knew talking to her and giving her extra chores wasn't working. But, he didn't know what he was going to do with the girl. She'd been severely traumatized, and he didn't want to do something that would push her back over that narrow edge she'd managed to cross.

If Mal didn't know any better, he'd think she was just rebelling. But, that just didn't feel right. His gut told him River was plotting something. He just couldn't figure out what. All he knew was that if River had been male instead of a seeming fragile little girl, he probably would have thrown a punch at her by now. He couldn't do that with River. He stopped pacing and stood in the middle of the small room. Mal hated to admit it, but maybe Jayne had, for once in his life, had a valid point. Maybe it was time to tan River's hide. That would certainly get her attention without doing any permanent damage.

Mal started toward the ladder that led from his bunk into the main corridor. No, he thought. He'd just hold that little gem in reserve. He had another idea to try first.

* * * * * *

River looked up from her pout when Mal knocked on the door to her room and walked in, sliding the door shut behind him. He leaned back against the door jam, crossed his arms over his chest, and leveled a stern look in River's direction.

"What did you do to the control panel, River?"

"I told you, I didn't do anything," she replied. She leaned back against the headboard of her bed and returned Mal's gaze.

"Zoe found the switch to reset the display, so we know you did something." Mal straighten and walked to stand beside River's bed. "I don't appreciate being lied to, River. You've gone too far this time."

River didn't move, but her brain was racing. Had she really pushed the Captain too far? Had her experiment really reached its conclusion?

"You are going to march your little butt back up to the bridge and undo whatever it is you did. After that, you are not to set foot on the bridge unless you have my or Zoe's permission." Mal paused a moment so that, hopefully, his next words would carry some weight. "By pulling this latest stunt, you've lost my trust. You have to earn it back."

River hadn't expected that to happen. The tears in her eyes when she looked up at the Captain were genuine. "I'm sorry, Captain. I was just having some fun."

"Well, your little fun could have gotten us all killed. What if Zoe hadn't found the switch in time? If somethin' had happened? We wouldn't know what was goin' on before it was too late." Mal stepped back to open the door. "After you finish on the bridge you're to come back here and think on what coulda gone wrong today. You're grounded. That means for the next week, except for mealtimes and trips to the latrine you pay put in this room."

"I'm givin' you fair warning, River. I've had just about enough of these pranks. You pull another one, and I'll personally see to it that you won't sit comfortably for a week. Dong le ma?"

River nodded her head. "Yes, sir." She stood to follow the Captain out of her room and back up to the bridge to undo the changes she had made to the display console. Maybe her experiment was working after all.

* * * * * *

I'll try to update again soon.