Mal shifted uncomfortably in his bunk as daylight broke through the...walls? Wait a minute..daylight? He lived and captained in a gorram ship!

He was up with a start and out of his bunk quicker than if he was being followed by Reavers. Stumbling, he entered the galley to find almost everyone else already sat around the table, digging into breakfast.

"What. The. Hell." He managed to grunt. It was only then that he properly looked at everyone, and, sure enough, they all looked how he felt. Well, except for Kaylee.

"Mornin' Cap'n!" She said, bright as ever.

Mal just glared at her. "What time is it?" He grunted, after a while.

"Little after 5, Sir." It was Zoe, sure enough - but it didn't sound like her. It was, kinda, tired.

Mal buried his head in his arms at the news. "What the gorram hell am I doin' up then!?"

"Same as us all, I presume." Answered River, still trying to be mystical even though she was wiping sleep from her eyes. "The rooster crowed, so up we got. Did as we were told by the servant of the Sun. Although," She added, "this was artificial." River shot a glare at Kaylee, and for once cut a rant short, taking even Jayne by surprise.

"Tired, Albatross?" Mal asked.

"Very." River answered shortly. Adding, after much thought, "Her fault." She pointed to Kaylee, who just kept smiling.

"Jus' tryin' to spread some cheer!" Kaylee was actually skipping around the kitchen now. "Just rigged some new lights into gettin' brighter at the right times. Makes it seem like we got us a sun. Nothin' much wrong wi' that, now. Is there?" It was a rhetorical question, and everyone knew it, but this early in the morning Mal didn't bother with manners, let alone subtlety.

"Kaylee," he started, and everyone seemed to brace themselves as they waited for his short line of patience to snap. "You'd better sort this lu suh out, soon like." And he stopped it there. That was it!? That was all Mal had to say!? They all looked shocked as they realised he wasn't going to shout, and one by one they presumed that he was probably too tired to do so. Well, except River. She'd known all along, but she tried not to look too smug about it.

She failed.

Burying his head in his arms, Mal thought loud and clear, An' you can wipe that look off'n your face right now.

Damnit, River sighed. She'd gotten predictable.