This is the last chapter! I'll be moving on to something else Firefly-ish soon, so keep an eye out!

Mal plods his way down the stairs towards the passenger area, allowing his footfalls to announce is presence. Tapping on the door covered in sketches of butterflies and dinosaurs and other portraits, he waited for a response. None came, and he nodded to himself and plodded back upstairs.

"Hey Cap'n!" Kaylee beams at him from the kitchen, her face covered with flour. "You wanna help make some cookies?"

Mal shakes his head. "I'm headin' up to the Bridge. Don't think Wash would take kindly to that." He turned slightly and noticed River perching on the counter. She's still pale and horribly thin, but it's the first time she's been about in a while. "There's our girl. How are you doin'?"

River glances up at him, smiling slightly. She's having a good day, and he can see that she's working something in her mouth.

"What, you don't wanna talk to your Captain?" The girl sticks her tongue out at him, and he sees that it is candy-striped blue and green. "Oh, I see. You've got treasure and you're not sharin'."

He hears a slight laugh and turns to Inara who's busy with another bowl of future cookies.

"Well, I must say, I'm quite put out by this show of unfairness. What a selfish crew I have." He's smiling, ruffling Kaylee's hair, and turns to head to the bridge. Just before the stairs, he reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a piece of wrapped candy. He gets just a second to raise his eyebrows in surprise before River's giggle finds its way into his ear.

"Gorram sneaky girl."

They hold the picnic down in the cargo area. Blankets are strewn on the floor and a couple pillows are tossed in convenient spots and suddenly everything seems cozy despite the cold metal surrounding everything.

Jayne, being his usual kind self, tests the cookies for them by shoving three in his mouth. Spraying crumbs, he gives the cookies a positive review. Wash whumps him over the head while Inara roles her eyes.

It's a lovely picnic, but within an hour everyone can see that River still not quite well. She's still picking at her portion of the eggs, leaning against Zoë's shoulder for support.

Simon frowns, trying to think of a way to get some of the food into his sister's mouth. "River, do you want some oatmeal?"

"She isn't particularly hungry," his sister responds. She pauses. "I ate a bite of would-chicken."

"What about some tea?" Kaylee offers sweetly, pouring some of the tea into River's favorite cup.

"Can I have an apple for later?" River asks.

Shepard sees to it that she gets two.

They sit back and watch as Jayne takes to competing with himself on how much oatmeal he can get into his mouth in one go. The cookies have all but disappeared, and everyone else takes to patting or rubbing their stomachs contentedly.

Wash grabs the last cookie, holding it secretively. "Hey, River. Look at the butterfly!"

There is no butterfly, and River turns to him, her mouth half open in what looks to be indignation that turns to surprise as he pokes the cookie into her mouth. She covers her mouth with her hand and laughs with her mouth full, everyone else joining in with the laughter. "Not very ladylike," she mumbles, quoting her mother.

"Do we seem like the sort to care?" Wash replies, stealing a piece of her candy pile and almost managing to duck from the resulting pillow toss.

The picnic wraps up. Shepard helps Kaylee and Simon with the dishes while Jayne makes himself conveniently busy elsewhere. Mal starts to grab the blankets, then snorts with amusement as he notices the small form sleeping in the middle. Stooping, he carefully picks her up and carries her into her room.

"Get some sleep, River-girl. We'll be here."

He arranges her apples next to the bed and moves to leave the room. Just as he is cracking the door shut, he hears the small voice whisper "Me too, Captain-man," and smiles as he heads upstairs.