One More Path
Jan. 4th, 2006 10:11 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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firefly_fanficThis is a pre-series/post movie (Both! I know!!) fic that I wrote for the Serenity Santa ficathon.
Rating:G
Spoilers: Seeing as it's post movie...
Characters: This is about Zoe. RIver and Wash are there too, but it's about Zoe.
Summary: Zoe finds something to believe in.
In truth, Zoë ain’t one for religion.
She’s seen all ways of finding a faith, a belief, a path, but she never saw much purpose in it. Even if she had been brought up with Mal’s church-going, god-fearing mama, the war would’ve knocked it out if her, the way it had for Mal.
And Inara’s way, with the belief in something greater, some path to follow to lead to eventual bliss – again, Zoë has seen enough to know that the bliss you’ve got now is likely to be the bliss you’re gonna get, so grab on and hold on tight.
She’d been able to believe in Mal, been able to follow him after everything fell apart for them. He’d been the path for her when they’d found their way out of that valley – the valley she’d been able to leave, the valley she didn’t think he ever would.
And her path, carved out of the ruins of their lives by a man whose belief had given up the ghost, her path has led her to a man with a fondness for brightly coloured shirts, a moustache that you could strain oil through and her.
She stands here, in this temple on Persephone, while they wait for Inara to drag Mal from the ship, next to her man. The man who is going to be beside her on her next path.
A man who showed her something else to believe in, other than just gettin’ through and staying upright.
A man who refused to let that one night, when they were out in the black between jobs, six days from one port to the next and far too much time on their hands, become just one night to her.
A man who left his dinosaurs in her bunk for three weeks straight after their first night together until she gave in and went to speak to him.
A man who never wanted her to cut her hair, so that he’d have something to bury his face in, bury his hands in, something to watch besides “that area” as she walked away.
A man who had finagled, wheeled and dealed with Mal in order to bring her here, to this place, to marry her in style.
A man who had belief in that path, that way.
A man who knew, beyond a doubt, that their path was together.
***
She’s still not one for religion, but she knows now something of belief. She’s seen what the need for justice and truth has done to Mal these past few weeks.
She’s seen how finding something else to trust in can bring people together – River did that for them. Her need to find what had been done to her drew them together.
Zoë’s need is drawing her to River now.
It’s because of this little slip of a girl that they ended up the way they did. It’s because of her Kaylee’s been going around singing all the time.
It’s because of her that Mal saw something other than loss and destruction.
It’s because of her Wash is gone.
That’s not fair and Zoë knows it. But being back here on Persephone, seeing that temple where they were married – she’s got to hope that this new path River’s taken them on is one she can trust as much as the last one.
She thinks she can.
Rating:G
Spoilers: Seeing as it's post movie...
Characters: This is about Zoe. RIver and Wash are there too, but it's about Zoe.
Summary: Zoe finds something to believe in.
In truth, Zoë ain’t one for religion.
She’s seen all ways of finding a faith, a belief, a path, but she never saw much purpose in it. Even if she had been brought up with Mal’s church-going, god-fearing mama, the war would’ve knocked it out if her, the way it had for Mal.
And Inara’s way, with the belief in something greater, some path to follow to lead to eventual bliss – again, Zoë has seen enough to know that the bliss you’ve got now is likely to be the bliss you’re gonna get, so grab on and hold on tight.
She’d been able to believe in Mal, been able to follow him after everything fell apart for them. He’d been the path for her when they’d found their way out of that valley – the valley she’d been able to leave, the valley she didn’t think he ever would.
And her path, carved out of the ruins of their lives by a man whose belief had given up the ghost, her path has led her to a man with a fondness for brightly coloured shirts, a moustache that you could strain oil through and her.
She stands here, in this temple on Persephone, while they wait for Inara to drag Mal from the ship, next to her man. The man who is going to be beside her on her next path.
A man who showed her something else to believe in, other than just gettin’ through and staying upright.
A man who refused to let that one night, when they were out in the black between jobs, six days from one port to the next and far too much time on their hands, become just one night to her.
A man who left his dinosaurs in her bunk for three weeks straight after their first night together until she gave in and went to speak to him.
A man who never wanted her to cut her hair, so that he’d have something to bury his face in, bury his hands in, something to watch besides “that area” as she walked away.
A man who had finagled, wheeled and dealed with Mal in order to bring her here, to this place, to marry her in style.
A man who had belief in that path, that way.
A man who knew, beyond a doubt, that their path was together.
***
She’s still not one for religion, but she knows now something of belief. She’s seen what the need for justice and truth has done to Mal these past few weeks.
She’s seen how finding something else to trust in can bring people together – River did that for them. Her need to find what had been done to her drew them together.
Zoë’s need is drawing her to River now.
It’s because of this little slip of a girl that they ended up the way they did. It’s because of her Kaylee’s been going around singing all the time.
It’s because of her that Mal saw something other than loss and destruction.
It’s because of her Wash is gone.
That’s not fair and Zoë knows it. But being back here on Persephone, seeing that temple where they were married – she’s got to hope that this new path River’s taken them on is one she can trust as much as the last one.
She thinks she can.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-05 02:43 pm (UTC)All this time I've been thinking that Zoe is going to harbor a huge chip in her shoulder for what River caused, but of course - that's idiotic. Of course she's a bigger woman than that.
Well done. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-05 04:14 pm (UTC)And yeah, when I started to write this, it was going an entirely different way: Zoe, watching River sleep, ruminating on how following her path had brought them all such heart ache, and then Zoe finding her wa around that. But as I typed, it went...another way.
And Wash! *sniff* *sniffsniff*
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-05 03:45 pm (UTC)Stylistically, I like how you repeat the phrases "a man who" and "it's because of." I tend to do the same thing in my writing. It sets such a nice, smooth rhythm, doesn't it?
Couple of nitpics, though. At the beginning you have "the bliss you’ve got know," that should be 'now'. And at the end you missed an "h" on 'here'. Darn those typos, anyway! *g*
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-05 04:17 pm (UTC)I'm very much a writer who falls into speech patterns and repition of phrases. I was worried that those two phrases might have been over used but glad it worked! Allayed (spelling is not my friend in the A.M.) my fears, so yay!
Thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-05 05:03 pm (UTC)