FIC: New Haven
Jan. 3rd, 2006 12:55 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
srichard.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
firefly_fanficTITLE: New Haven (Thirteenth in the Riverrun Series)
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: River/Mal
SUMMARY: One dilemma is resolved, another is in the offing.
NOTES: Serenity spoilers.
"Jayne!" Mal's voice was raised to carry, even as he pulled out his revolver. "Where are they?" he said, in a choked voice.
"Oh, calm down Mal," Patience said irritably. "I ain't touched neither one of 'em. Though that girl is worth the touchin', I'd guess. Still, I reckon she's too young for a leathery old thing like me."
"You..." Mal was lost for words. "You don't look at her that way!"
Jayne came down the corridor, his face tense. "What's she doin' here? Where's River?"
Mal was taken aback for a moment at the real concern in his voice, but then it occurred to him that it was about the same tone Jayne would have used for one of his guns, and that made sense. While Mal was distracted, thinking about that, Patience lifted her rifle and fired it at him, grazing his arm.
"You shot me! Again!" he said, furiously, grateful for the support as he heard Jayne lock and load behind him.
"Hell, you killed half a dozen of my men last time. You're just lucky I'm a forgiving woman, Mal." She lowered the rifle again and leaned back.
"Well, I ain't," Mal said, cocking his piece. "Forgiving or a woman," he stumbled. "So you just tell me where they're at." That was all that mattered, after all.
"Hear tell you're startin' a war without me, Mal. Now that ain't nice. You gettin' all uppity and forgettin' your old friends?"
Mal gave a short, incredulous laugh. "No, see, the point of a war is to shoot at the other side. Not at me."
"Maybe that's what I'm doin'," Patience said, amused.
"Never took you for an Alliance lapdog, Patience," Mal said warningly.
She snorted. "You know damn well how I feel about Alliance, Mal. Now, you gonna ask for my help, or is this gonna get messy?"
"Reckon the mess'd be all yours," Jayne snarled.
"Until you tried to leave this ship and find your girls, anyway," Patience pointed out. "Mal?"
Mal drew a deep breath. He still didn't understand this situation, but...they had River. Slowly, he put the safety back on his gun. "Patience, will you help us fight the Alliance?" He felt stupid as hell saying that to her.
A broad grin spread across her face. "Damn right I will, Mal! Now you just tell me what you need, cause we got a ship—"
"Right now I need a doctor," he snapped, gripping his bleeding arm. "And I want to know where River and Zoe are."
"Bathhouse," Patience said cheerfully. "I give 'em run of the town. Don't worry, they're safe enough here. I put 'em under my personal protection."
Mal grunted and turned away, intent on tying up his arm and finding his women.
"So what about planning this war?" Patience called after him.
"Later," Mal called over his shoulder, and little as he might like to admit it, he wasn't wholly displeased with having Patience on her side. She had enough clout to keep Whitefall clear for them, and it wouldn't hurt them any at all to have a safe haven for a while.
In the infirmary, Mal tied up his arm, then headed back into town. He remembered passing the bathhouse, remembered because Jayne had wondered aloud if they'd let him bring a whore in there.
He strode through the door. "Two women. Where are they?"
The attendant pointed. "The girl's in there, the older woman in the other one."
Mal nodded and moved towards River's door because he didn't like to think about what Zoe would do to him if he walked in on her during a bath. When he opened it, a wave of steam hit him in the face, but it didn't distract him from the sight in front of him.
River was just stepping out of the bath, her long hair dank and dripping about her head and shoulders. She was poised on one slim, perfect leg, and all her skin was suffused with a rosy flush from the warmth. She turned her face to look at him, then smiled. "Close the door. Air is cold."
He did as she said, then watched as she stood on the mat, facing him, unabashedly nude before him. "River..." Inara had always reminded him of a diamond, all sparkle and cold fire, but River was different, a warmer, self-contained shine. A pearl. She was like a pearl, and Mal vowed right then to wreathe her in them before much longer. He took a few steps forward and dropped on his knees in front of her, pressing his head against her flat, soft stomach. "I love you," he whispered.
Her fingers ran through his hair. "Love you too," she said sweetly. She stooped down to look in his face. "Did you worry?"
"Patience, ah...wasn't particularly forthcoming at first," he said delicately. "She shot me."
She touched his arm just lightly, all fingertips, then kissed his cheek. "Let's go back, and I'll take care of it." She stood up straight again.
He stood up too, watching as she pulled on her dress, the pink one that he really liked, though it also made him think about the special hell. "Did Patience—she didn't say anything...bad to you, did she?" He remembered the admiration in the old lady's tone.
River shook her head. "I like her. She's like an old purse." She paused in thought for a moment. "Told her not to shoot you too much, or I'd get mad."
"You couldn't've told her not to shoot me at all?" he demanded indignantly.
"Well..." She cocked her head. "She wanted to so. And she might not have been so ready to help if she hadn't gotten to."
"Some help you are," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head. "I got everything we need, so once we talk to Patience, we can set off again—"
"No," she cut him off. "Someone else coming, so we have to wait."
"For who?" Mal said, puzzled.
River shrugged, running a finger over the rough planks of the bathhouse walls. "Don’t know. Never met him."
"Is he gonna shoot me? Are you gonna let him shoot me?" Mal demanded.
She giggled. "No. Nothing like that. Besides, baths make Zoe feel better." She turned to look at him. "She needs that. Likes to feel the ground under her feet sometimes. She's like Serenity. Love keeps her in the air."
Mal knew precisely what that meant, and knew very well that he couldn't ignore Zoe's needs. "All right. We can stay a couple of days then. Still, I'd feel a lot better if you knew who was comin' for us."
Her brow creased slightly. "Yes. So would I."
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: River/Mal
SUMMARY: One dilemma is resolved, another is in the offing.
NOTES: Serenity spoilers.
"Jayne!" Mal's voice was raised to carry, even as he pulled out his revolver. "Where are they?" he said, in a choked voice.
"Oh, calm down Mal," Patience said irritably. "I ain't touched neither one of 'em. Though that girl is worth the touchin', I'd guess. Still, I reckon she's too young for a leathery old thing like me."
"You..." Mal was lost for words. "You don't look at her that way!"
Jayne came down the corridor, his face tense. "What's she doin' here? Where's River?"
Mal was taken aback for a moment at the real concern in his voice, but then it occurred to him that it was about the same tone Jayne would have used for one of his guns, and that made sense. While Mal was distracted, thinking about that, Patience lifted her rifle and fired it at him, grazing his arm.
"You shot me! Again!" he said, furiously, grateful for the support as he heard Jayne lock and load behind him.
"Hell, you killed half a dozen of my men last time. You're just lucky I'm a forgiving woman, Mal." She lowered the rifle again and leaned back.
"Well, I ain't," Mal said, cocking his piece. "Forgiving or a woman," he stumbled. "So you just tell me where they're at." That was all that mattered, after all.
"Hear tell you're startin' a war without me, Mal. Now that ain't nice. You gettin' all uppity and forgettin' your old friends?"
Mal gave a short, incredulous laugh. "No, see, the point of a war is to shoot at the other side. Not at me."
"Maybe that's what I'm doin'," Patience said, amused.
"Never took you for an Alliance lapdog, Patience," Mal said warningly.
She snorted. "You know damn well how I feel about Alliance, Mal. Now, you gonna ask for my help, or is this gonna get messy?"
"Reckon the mess'd be all yours," Jayne snarled.
"Until you tried to leave this ship and find your girls, anyway," Patience pointed out. "Mal?"
Mal drew a deep breath. He still didn't understand this situation, but...they had River. Slowly, he put the safety back on his gun. "Patience, will you help us fight the Alliance?" He felt stupid as hell saying that to her.
A broad grin spread across her face. "Damn right I will, Mal! Now you just tell me what you need, cause we got a ship—"
"Right now I need a doctor," he snapped, gripping his bleeding arm. "And I want to know where River and Zoe are."
"Bathhouse," Patience said cheerfully. "I give 'em run of the town. Don't worry, they're safe enough here. I put 'em under my personal protection."
Mal grunted and turned away, intent on tying up his arm and finding his women.
"So what about planning this war?" Patience called after him.
"Later," Mal called over his shoulder, and little as he might like to admit it, he wasn't wholly displeased with having Patience on her side. She had enough clout to keep Whitefall clear for them, and it wouldn't hurt them any at all to have a safe haven for a while.
In the infirmary, Mal tied up his arm, then headed back into town. He remembered passing the bathhouse, remembered because Jayne had wondered aloud if they'd let him bring a whore in there.
He strode through the door. "Two women. Where are they?"
The attendant pointed. "The girl's in there, the older woman in the other one."
Mal nodded and moved towards River's door because he didn't like to think about what Zoe would do to him if he walked in on her during a bath. When he opened it, a wave of steam hit him in the face, but it didn't distract him from the sight in front of him.
River was just stepping out of the bath, her long hair dank and dripping about her head and shoulders. She was poised on one slim, perfect leg, and all her skin was suffused with a rosy flush from the warmth. She turned her face to look at him, then smiled. "Close the door. Air is cold."
He did as she said, then watched as she stood on the mat, facing him, unabashedly nude before him. "River..." Inara had always reminded him of a diamond, all sparkle and cold fire, but River was different, a warmer, self-contained shine. A pearl. She was like a pearl, and Mal vowed right then to wreathe her in them before much longer. He took a few steps forward and dropped on his knees in front of her, pressing his head against her flat, soft stomach. "I love you," he whispered.
Her fingers ran through his hair. "Love you too," she said sweetly. She stooped down to look in his face. "Did you worry?"
"Patience, ah...wasn't particularly forthcoming at first," he said delicately. "She shot me."
She touched his arm just lightly, all fingertips, then kissed his cheek. "Let's go back, and I'll take care of it." She stood up straight again.
He stood up too, watching as she pulled on her dress, the pink one that he really liked, though it also made him think about the special hell. "Did Patience—she didn't say anything...bad to you, did she?" He remembered the admiration in the old lady's tone.
River shook her head. "I like her. She's like an old purse." She paused in thought for a moment. "Told her not to shoot you too much, or I'd get mad."
"You couldn't've told her not to shoot me at all?" he demanded indignantly.
"Well..." She cocked her head. "She wanted to so. And she might not have been so ready to help if she hadn't gotten to."
"Some help you are," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head. "I got everything we need, so once we talk to Patience, we can set off again—"
"No," she cut him off. "Someone else coming, so we have to wait."
"For who?" Mal said, puzzled.
River shrugged, running a finger over the rough planks of the bathhouse walls. "Don’t know. Never met him."
"Is he gonna shoot me? Are you gonna let him shoot me?" Mal demanded.
She giggled. "No. Nothing like that. Besides, baths make Zoe feel better." She turned to look at him. "She needs that. Likes to feel the ground under her feet sometimes. She's like Serenity. Love keeps her in the air."
Mal knew precisely what that meant, and knew very well that he couldn't ignore Zoe's needs. "All right. We can stay a couple of days then. Still, I'd feel a lot better if you knew who was comin' for us."
Her brow creased slightly. "Yes. So would I."