When everything began, River was only trying to stop the nightmares.

They haunted her after Miranda, even though the secret was free. Mostly strangers, millions of faces that had been dead since she was nothing more than a little girl…but sometimes there were two that were much for familiar. No matter where she went on Serenity, they followed her.

Dreams. Ghosts. Nightmares. They came even when she was awake, and—even though they thanked her now instead of crying for her to help them—it made her wonder where reality ended and the illusions of her mind began.

She wasn't healed. Not completely. It didn't matter what she had told Simon back on Miranda. They both knew that she wasn't normal. That she'd never be what she once was. Yes, the secret that had given her nightmares and made her mind feel like it was going to explode was out in the open…but there were other secrets. Lesser secrets. And not all of her problems were thanks to her being a reader. They had done things to her, cut into her brain and made her feel more than anyone was ever supposed to feel.

She would never again be the River Tam who had lived before the Academy. But she would be all right. Perhaps slightly crazy, but—then again—that was almost a requirement for living on board Serenity. Especially now.

River had never considered seven to be a lucky number, no matter what they told her.

That's why she hadn't been surprised to when the nightmares that had once come only while she was asleep began coming even when she was awake.

It was also why she had kissed Jayne in the first place.

The others were protected from the nightmares. Mal kept Inara safe from them, and she usually kept him safe as well. Simon and Kaylee protected each other, warding them off without even knowing that they were. Zoe…they didn't go after Zoe. She was protected by one of their own, and they knew better than to try getting through Wash.

He had dinosaurs on his side, after all.

Shepherd Book protected Jayne sometimes. River wasn't sure why, but she suspected that it was because they had been friends. Or as close to friends as was possible with Jayne. Even though he was protected, though, she knew that he was the best choice. The others had pairs, significant others that kept them warm at night—or, at least, whose memories kept them warm—but it was different with Jayne.

Even if he could see the nightmares, River suspected that he'd just throw his blanket over his head and sleep through their haunting. That's why she chose him.

Of course, she hadn't expected him to react in quite like he did.

"Gorramit girl, get off of me!"

River cocked her head as Jayne pushed her away from him and quickly made a beeline for the opposite side of his small room. "Did I not do it right?" she asked, a trace of puzzlement in her voice. "I watched Kaylee and Inara, and I thought that I had copied their movements exactly."

"Just because you watched Kay—" Jayne trailed off. "When you say that you watched Kaylee and Inara…do you mean that they were kissing each other or that they were kissing the captain and the doc?"

She grinned. "For me to know," she said teasingly.

Jayne muttered several curses under his breath before giving her a look that seemed to be a cross between amusement and concern. "Now, promise me that they'll be no more kissing," he said firmly.

River studied his face for a moment before slowly nodding. He let out a sigh and took several steps toward her.

That's when she dropped her robe.

"Does this mean we skip ahead to copulation?"

---

Although Jayne's reaction the first night had been different than what River had expected, he soon began acting more like himself. She knew that he wasn't the chivalrous type, and—as soon as he realized that he wouldn't be struck down by the Lord Almighty himself, or by either the captain or Simon, both of whom Jayne seemed to hold in a similar light—he didn't mind, as he put it, "getting sexed daily and not even having to pay for it."

River was happy that all of the nightmares except for two stopped visiting her while she was still awake. And she didn't mind that two didn't, because it felt right for them to still be there. They were still part of the crew, even if the others didn't see them.

After a little over a month, River had tasted something new on Jayne's lips. There was a taste there that was unfamiliar, but at the same time it was as familiar to her as the air itself. His lips tasted vaguely of Simon, but it was secondhand…not nearly as potent as Simon himself tasted whenever River kissed his cheek or burrowed her face against his shoulder. Not like she remembered him tasting the one time, right after he had rescued her, when she had kissed his lips for just a moment before he had pushed her away.

No, it wasn't as strong…but it was familiar.

River knew better than to say anything, but she kept her eyes opened wider after that night. She saw things that the others didn't, hints of what was happening but not being mentioned. No one knew that she spent the latest hours of the night in Jayne's bunk, but at the same time they also didn't know that Jayne spent the earliest hours of the morning in Simon's bed.

Kaylee and Simon both cared for each other, that River knew. But she also knew that, while Jayne took Kaylee's place, the other young woman was somewhere else. In someone else's bed. She didn't know whose, not precisely, but she had her suspicions.

It wasn't important, though, so River didn't try to find out anything that she couldn't learn by just being more attentive. Jayne kept the nightmares from bothering her, and—for all she knew—maybe he did the same for her brother. In a way, knowing that she shared a lover with her brother made River feel special…like she was closer to Simon than before, in a way that no one would understand.

Of course, Simon wouldn't understand either, so she made sure never to mention her thoughts to him. Especially since he didn't even know how much they shared.

All in all, River had almost began to think that, just maybe, things would turn out fine after all.

Then she came.

Although the nightmares had scared her a little, River had known that they didn't blame her for what had happened to them. All that they wanted was someone to tell their story, and—once everyone in the 'verse had heard—they were satisfied. They didn't want retribution.

The new nightmare wasn't the same, though. She wanted revenge.

Everyone knew her face, since she had been the voice behind the message. There was hardly a person alive who didn't know exactly how the last few moments of her life had been.

And because of that, she wanted the Alliance to pay.

River had tried explaining that she couldn't help, but the new nightmare didn't believe her. This new ghost didn't follow the rules…she didn't stay away when Jayne was there to protect her.

That's why, one night after leaving Jayne's bunk, River had waited for him to make his way to her brother's room. Then, without saying a word, she had walked in on them, a silk blindfold held loosely in her hands.

If the nightmare hadn't been standing there staring at her, begging her to help find a way to get revenge on the Alliance, River might have found the expressions on both of their faces to be humorous. As it was, though, she had merely found their gaping to be wasting time.

"Jayne's not enough to keep the nightmares away anymore," she said matter-of-factly, ignoring the way they were staring at her. "I need both of you now."

Simon sat there for a moment, blinking in surprise, before he comprehended exactly what River was saying. Then he blanched and turned, once again gaping, toward Jayne. "You've been sleeping with my sister?" he choked out.

Before Jayne had a chance to reply, River let out a soft peal of laughter that drew both of their attentions back toward her. Then she carefully brought the blindfold up to her face and carefully tied it over her eyes.

Even though she could know longer see their faces, she seemed to know what kind of expressions they were wearing. "The nightmare won't go away," she explained. "I don't want to see her anymore. If I wear this, I can't see her. That's why I want both of you to copulate with me. Then maybe she'll leave like the others did."

"I'm beginning to think she's a lot more crazy than you thought," Jayne muttered.

Ignoring him, Simon grabbed a pair of pants that had been discarded on the floor and quickly pulled them on. Then he made his way over to where River was standing, gently reaching out and pulling the blindfold down off of her face when he reached her. "Mei-mei, I'm your brother," he said gently. "I've already explained that we can't…do that."

"You only said that we couldn't be married," River protested, cocking her head a bit. "That doesn't mean you can't be sexed up by me."

Behind them, Jayne groaned. "You're going to get me killed, girl."

"Shut up," Simon muttered, not even bothering to turn around. "This doesn't involve you."

River blinked. "It doesn't?" she asked. "Isn't he your lover too?"

As Simon's face turned an interesting shade of red, River let her gaze drift behind him…and then she froze. "She's gone," she said suddenly.

Neither Jayne nor Simon said a word, but she could see their puzzlement.

"The new one," she explained, gesturing toward the now-empty area on the other side of the room. "She's not there anymore."

Simon studied her face for a second. "The new…what?" he asked, slightly hesitatingly.

River rolled her eyes. "Nightmare," she said, as if that should have been enough to let them know exactly what she was talking about. "I told you that she wouldn't go away like the others."

When both of them kept staring at her, she let out a sigh. Then, without warning, she turned her attention entirely on her brother. "That's not a nice thing to think," she said, sticking out her tongue at Simon.

Then, her eyes twinkling, River turned and seated herself on the small stool standing behind her. "Continue," she said, grinning.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jayne asked, shooting her a confused look that mirrored the one on Simon's face.

River merely smiled. "Watching," she explained. "And waiting until it's my turn. Simon and I know how to share."

"River!"