Here In Spirit (part 5)
Jan. 17th, 2006 12:30 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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firefly_fanficTitle: Here In Spirt(Part 5)
Author: GateHobbit
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Zoe, Mal, River, Simon, Inara, Wash
Pairing: Canon
Summary: There's a lot of honesty going around. (Sorry this chapter is so late, i was out of state for most of my winter break and couldn't get to a computer.)
Warnings: MAJOR BDM spoilers.
Disclaimer: Like action figures. Not the real thing, but fun to play with.
Cross-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
washfic and zoe_wash
Earlier Chapters: Dead of Night, Two Butterflies, Joyful Noise, Dinosuar Soup
Mal stared at Zoë from his place across the table, where River had been sitting before he sent her off to bed. He was wearing his ‘I’m the captain, so don’t screw with me’ face. Zoë sighed.
“I’m tellin’ you, you ain’t gonna believe this. Sir.”
“What with a girl on board as took down an entire bar on account of an Oaty Bar commercial, I conjure I’d be open to believe quite a bit.”
“Well, keep that in mind when I tell you what I’m ‘bout to, then.”
“You get to tellin’ and we’ll see.”
Zoë leveled a stern glare at the captain to show that she would explain but she wasn’t going to like it, and he probably wasn’t either.
“I ‘spose you recall how River ended up with the Miranda memories in her head. We know the Alliance didn’t put ‘em there, just sorta happened. Somehow, she got Wash’s memories, too…”
“That’s odd,” Mal interrupted, “Seein’ as I don’t ever remember him usin’ our precious foodstuffs as a swimming pool for his little toys.”
“More than just his memories, sir. Heck, River don’t even know how it happened. She said it’s probably a mix’a things. Because they were so close, space wise and friendship wise. ‘Cause the way he died was so… lao tian ye, Mal! She says she’s got his thoughts, or consciousness or somethin’ in her head, and I believe her. And you know how I feel ‘bout believin’ things. Cautious-like.”
Mal propped his elbows on the table, face in his hands. He felt for Zoë, he really did. He couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if it had been Ina… the point was, his entire crew was going batshit. Wash had been crazy what with the talking to dinosaurs and all, River had come that way, Kaylee had turned that way when Simon came aboard, Simon had caught it from her, and Jayne was saner than the rest but still told his guns he’d take ‘em places if they dressed up nice. Zoë had always been the anchor, the voice of reason. He looked up at her. Her eyes didn’t look like the dark side of a moon anymore, like they had since Wash died. He didn’t want to take this away from her if it made her feel better, but she was just settin’ herself up to hurt worse later and he couldn’t let that happen. She did everything she knew how to help him get over the darkness the war had left in his own soul, and the heck iffen he wasn’t gonna do the same for her.
“Zoë.” He tried to make his voice gentle and steadying. “He was never outta your sight between the time we took him out of that chair and the time we laid him to rest. You know well as I do that his brain was in his head when we did.”
Zoë fixed him with the kind of look she sometimes gave Jayne. The kind of look that said that she was not going to argue the subject. She was right and you could hold to that or leave it.
“Mal, you know me better than anyone on this ship. Even before Wash… died, I couldn’t have said for sure whether it was you or him. Point is, you know if I believe something, it’s for a damned good reason and there’s no use saying otherwise. Now, River’s gone off to bed. When she wakes up, we’ll see about proof. For now, you’ll just have to take my word.”
Well, she certainly sounded like his normal, sane, trustworthy first mate. Mal decided, more because he trusted her than because he’d seen and heard crazier things, to give her the benefit of the doubt. It was well past time for them to both be getting some much-needed rest anyway. He reached for her empty teacup and got up to rinse it.
“We’ll see about tomorrow when it rolls around,” he replied over his shoulder, “But for tonight, I’ll walk you to your bunk.” Even with his back to her, he could tell she was opening her mouth to protest. “I can make that an order,” he warned.
~*~
Inara was awoken by the sound of quiet footsteps on the catwalks. She could tell they were River’s by the lack of boots, though bare footsteps shouldn’t have woken her. She hadn’t been sleeping so well since Miranda, however, with thoughts of death, and Kaylee and Simon, and Mal, and Operatives tearing at her mind. She reached for a slim, metal canister and pulled out a stick of jasmine and honeysuckle scented incense. The aroma usually put her at ease, and she reached for her little wooden match box with the gold elephant on top.
She was glad she had left in a rush and forgotten such trinkets. Well, if she was being honest, the ‘forgetting’ had been the rush. Just moments before Jayne was to come and take her belongings planetside, she had unpacked a few items that she treasured and placed them back around the shuttle. She hoped that she would miss them enough to come back for them one day, knowing she wouldn’t be able to leave Serenity twice. She also hoped the odds and ends would keep Mal from renting out her shuttle. When she had returned and decided to stay, however, the trinkets had nothing to do with it. And, Mal had promised to stop on Sihnon as soon as they could to retrieve her things. In the meantime, she could make do with the items in her trunk.
She realized with irritation that she had also forgotten to re-stock the little match box. She reached for a large, silver silk shawl to wrap around her blue nightdress. As she rounded the corner onto the main corridor, she heard more footsteps. She saw that these footsteps belonged to Mal; and Zoë whose shoulder his arm was wrapped securely around. She had the interesting experience of attempting to smile and frown at once. She was happy that he was taking care of Zoë, a woman who rarely allowed herself to be comforted. She was also happy that Mal was showing the sensitivity she knew he had to have to keep Serenity and her crew in the sky. Jealousy tinged her joy, however. Somehow Mal had trouble finding that sensitivity when he spoke to her.
After they had both descended into their respective bunks and sealed the hatches, she continued towards the mess for a box of matches.
~*~
Simon folded his book closed, and rubbed his eyes. River had been doing better since Miranda, despite the issue of her belief that she had Wash’s mind inside her own. She didn’t have so many fits and she wasn’t violent… except when she felt compelled to throw syringes of smoothers across the med-bay. Zoë also seemed to be keeping an eye out for his mei-mei, so if she didn’t want to sleep yet, at least in her own quarters, he could try to accept that. But, if he was being honest, acceptance would consist of a restless hour or two of sleep, and then an early rising to find out where River was and if she was feeling well.
Simon set his book aside, and reached under his bed. He pulled out a small teddy bear that Kaylee had given him as a “Finally Having Sex” present. He laughed aloud every time he though of it. She certainly was a unique girl. Kaylee had bought the bear on impulse shortly after he and River came aboard. It smelled like her- engine grease and floral-scented laundry soap. It even had a smear of grease across its nose.
“Dirty but cute; the unbalanced equation is perfect according to his particular school of mathematics.” River stated.
Startled, Simon shoved the bear behind his back and blushed furiously. “Mei-mei, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. Besides, it’s late. You should be in bed.”
Ignoring him, River walked over from the doorway and sat on Simon’s bed. Reaching behind him, she grabbed the bear and held it in front of her. “Small, bright smile, soft but tough, greasy, smells like flowers in the wash. Like a copy for when the original cannot share his bed.”
“River!” Simon exclaimed, his face looking for all the world like ripe apples. He took the bear back and shoved it under his pillow.
She stood up and patted his cheek before skipping out the door.
“Goodnight, silly Simon,” River called back to him, “See you tomorrow.”
Author: GateHobbit
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Zoe, Mal, River, Simon, Inara, Wash
Pairing: Canon
Summary: There's a lot of honesty going around. (Sorry this chapter is so late, i was out of state for most of my winter break and couldn't get to a computer.)
Warnings: MAJOR BDM spoilers.
Disclaimer: Like action figures. Not the real thing, but fun to play with.
Cross-posted to
washfic and zoe_washEarlier Chapters: Dead of Night, Two Butterflies, Joyful Noise, Dinosuar Soup
Mal stared at Zoë from his place across the table, where River had been sitting before he sent her off to bed. He was wearing his ‘I’m the captain, so don’t screw with me’ face. Zoë sighed.
“I’m tellin’ you, you ain’t gonna believe this. Sir.”
“What with a girl on board as took down an entire bar on account of an Oaty Bar commercial, I conjure I’d be open to believe quite a bit.”
“Well, keep that in mind when I tell you what I’m ‘bout to, then.”
“You get to tellin’ and we’ll see.”
Zoë leveled a stern glare at the captain to show that she would explain but she wasn’t going to like it, and he probably wasn’t either.
“I ‘spose you recall how River ended up with the Miranda memories in her head. We know the Alliance didn’t put ‘em there, just sorta happened. Somehow, she got Wash’s memories, too…”
“That’s odd,” Mal interrupted, “Seein’ as I don’t ever remember him usin’ our precious foodstuffs as a swimming pool for his little toys.”
“More than just his memories, sir. Heck, River don’t even know how it happened. She said it’s probably a mix’a things. Because they were so close, space wise and friendship wise. ‘Cause the way he died was so… lao tian ye, Mal! She says she’s got his thoughts, or consciousness or somethin’ in her head, and I believe her. And you know how I feel ‘bout believin’ things. Cautious-like.”
Mal propped his elbows on the table, face in his hands. He felt for Zoë, he really did. He couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if it had been Ina… the point was, his entire crew was going batshit. Wash had been crazy what with the talking to dinosaurs and all, River had come that way, Kaylee had turned that way when Simon came aboard, Simon had caught it from her, and Jayne was saner than the rest but still told his guns he’d take ‘em places if they dressed up nice. Zoë had always been the anchor, the voice of reason. He looked up at her. Her eyes didn’t look like the dark side of a moon anymore, like they had since Wash died. He didn’t want to take this away from her if it made her feel better, but she was just settin’ herself up to hurt worse later and he couldn’t let that happen. She did everything she knew how to help him get over the darkness the war had left in his own soul, and the heck iffen he wasn’t gonna do the same for her.
“Zoë.” He tried to make his voice gentle and steadying. “He was never outta your sight between the time we took him out of that chair and the time we laid him to rest. You know well as I do that his brain was in his head when we did.”
Zoë fixed him with the kind of look she sometimes gave Jayne. The kind of look that said that she was not going to argue the subject. She was right and you could hold to that or leave it.
“Mal, you know me better than anyone on this ship. Even before Wash… died, I couldn’t have said for sure whether it was you or him. Point is, you know if I believe something, it’s for a damned good reason and there’s no use saying otherwise. Now, River’s gone off to bed. When she wakes up, we’ll see about proof. For now, you’ll just have to take my word.”
Well, she certainly sounded like his normal, sane, trustworthy first mate. Mal decided, more because he trusted her than because he’d seen and heard crazier things, to give her the benefit of the doubt. It was well past time for them to both be getting some much-needed rest anyway. He reached for her empty teacup and got up to rinse it.
“We’ll see about tomorrow when it rolls around,” he replied over his shoulder, “But for tonight, I’ll walk you to your bunk.” Even with his back to her, he could tell she was opening her mouth to protest. “I can make that an order,” he warned.
~*~
Inara was awoken by the sound of quiet footsteps on the catwalks. She could tell they were River’s by the lack of boots, though bare footsteps shouldn’t have woken her. She hadn’t been sleeping so well since Miranda, however, with thoughts of death, and Kaylee and Simon, and Mal, and Operatives tearing at her mind. She reached for a slim, metal canister and pulled out a stick of jasmine and honeysuckle scented incense. The aroma usually put her at ease, and she reached for her little wooden match box with the gold elephant on top.
She was glad she had left in a rush and forgotten such trinkets. Well, if she was being honest, the ‘forgetting’ had been the rush. Just moments before Jayne was to come and take her belongings planetside, she had unpacked a few items that she treasured and placed them back around the shuttle. She hoped that she would miss them enough to come back for them one day, knowing she wouldn’t be able to leave Serenity twice. She also hoped the odds and ends would keep Mal from renting out her shuttle. When she had returned and decided to stay, however, the trinkets had nothing to do with it. And, Mal had promised to stop on Sihnon as soon as they could to retrieve her things. In the meantime, she could make do with the items in her trunk.
She realized with irritation that she had also forgotten to re-stock the little match box. She reached for a large, silver silk shawl to wrap around her blue nightdress. As she rounded the corner onto the main corridor, she heard more footsteps. She saw that these footsteps belonged to Mal; and Zoë whose shoulder his arm was wrapped securely around. She had the interesting experience of attempting to smile and frown at once. She was happy that he was taking care of Zoë, a woman who rarely allowed herself to be comforted. She was also happy that Mal was showing the sensitivity she knew he had to have to keep Serenity and her crew in the sky. Jealousy tinged her joy, however. Somehow Mal had trouble finding that sensitivity when he spoke to her.
After they had both descended into their respective bunks and sealed the hatches, she continued towards the mess for a box of matches.
~*~
Simon folded his book closed, and rubbed his eyes. River had been doing better since Miranda, despite the issue of her belief that she had Wash’s mind inside her own. She didn’t have so many fits and she wasn’t violent… except when she felt compelled to throw syringes of smoothers across the med-bay. Zoë also seemed to be keeping an eye out for his mei-mei, so if she didn’t want to sleep yet, at least in her own quarters, he could try to accept that. But, if he was being honest, acceptance would consist of a restless hour or two of sleep, and then an early rising to find out where River was and if she was feeling well.
Simon set his book aside, and reached under his bed. He pulled out a small teddy bear that Kaylee had given him as a “Finally Having Sex” present. He laughed aloud every time he though of it. She certainly was a unique girl. Kaylee had bought the bear on impulse shortly after he and River came aboard. It smelled like her- engine grease and floral-scented laundry soap. It even had a smear of grease across its nose.
“Dirty but cute; the unbalanced equation is perfect according to his particular school of mathematics.” River stated.
Startled, Simon shoved the bear behind his back and blushed furiously. “Mei-mei, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. Besides, it’s late. You should be in bed.”
Ignoring him, River walked over from the doorway and sat on Simon’s bed. Reaching behind him, she grabbed the bear and held it in front of her. “Small, bright smile, soft but tough, greasy, smells like flowers in the wash. Like a copy for when the original cannot share his bed.”
“River!” Simon exclaimed, his face looking for all the world like ripe apples. He took the bear back and shoved it under his pillow.
She stood up and patted his cheek before skipping out the door.
“Goodnight, silly Simon,” River called back to him, “See you tomorrow.”