Inara was having another sleepless night. Everybody had them from time to time on Serenity, especially when they'd been away from a planetside day cycle for so long. One's body got confused. She put on a light robe and a pair of soft slippers, not as much for the warmth as for the comfort, then left her shuttle to wander the hallways of the ship.

The galley was empty, which was surprising, even for this time of night. She took her time making tea, considering four different packages before choosing the darjeeling; its delicate flavor suited her quiet mood. When her tea had finished steeping, she took a longer route back, mug in hand, circling past the crew's quarters and then the other passenger compartments.

When she drew near River's bunk, she heard a muffled sob from behind the thin sliding door. She felt a pang of sympathy and stopped to listen; the young woman had frequent nightmares, and it might be wise to wake her. As Inara reached for the door, she heard a lower voice: Simon was already there, speaking in soothing tones so low that she could not make out the words. Judging by the sounds, River was not calming down. The broken, disjointed sobs were getting louder and more frequent, despite her brother's whispered shushes.

She wanted to offer her assistance, whether it be tea or company, so she slid the door aside. She had only opened it a handspan when she quickly and quietly shut it and hurried back to her shuttle, her heart pounding. She was certain they hadn't seen her, which was a relief, but really, that wasn't her main concern. She had only seen them for a moment, but the image was vivid in her mind.

    River, naked, her thin body arching
    as she straddled Simon's hips,
    one of his hands reaching up
    to press fingertips against her open lips.

As part of her mind struggled to find rationalizations for their behavior, the rest of her was unnerved, worried, and a bit disgusted, if she let herself admit it.

As a trained Companion, Inara knew a lot about intimate body language, so it was obvious to her that this had been going on for quite some time. Exactly how long, she couldn't say, but it must have started before River went to the academy at fourteen.

She had to tell someone who could help her stop them. Who to tell, though? Mal was so unpredictable - would he say it was fine, just to vex her, or would his convoluted sense of ethics suddenly surface? She couldn't tell Kaylee - it would break her heart. None of the others would act without Mal's approval, save Book, and she really didn't want to involve the preacher in this.

The more she thought about it, the more she believed that secrecy was the best course of action. She'd have no trouble pretending that she didn't know the truth. Some things were best left unspoken.