Here in Spirit (Part 7)
Feb. 15th, 2006 12:50 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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firefly_fanficTitle: Here In Spirt(Part 7)
Author: GateHobbit
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Everyone
Pairing: Canon
Summary: Mal plans to help Zoe. The problem being 'Mal plans...'
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, Being Honest, and Seeking Comfort
Serenity shuddered as Mal began entered atmo over Dresden. He was intensely focused on the controls, wishing he had enlisted for flight training during the War. If he had, he wouldn’t be in this situation right now. He bit down on his bottom lip as he pulled on the yoke to bring the nose up as they broke atmo, failing to notice the entry of both River and Zoe.
“Sir? We havin’ engine trouble or something you ain’t told me?”
“Some personal business is all,” Mal said tersely. He had never before lied to Zoe, and he hated how it made his innards feel.
“Personal, perhaps. Not concerning your own person, however.” River slid lithely into the co-pilot’s seat, checking switches and lights with almost eerie detachment.
Zoe looked out the viewscreen at the rolling green hills, freckled with white and brown livestock. “If a job’s what you’re after, you might look to a world populated with somethin’ other than cows. You know where I am if’n you decide to tell me what you’re up to.” Having said her piece, she retreated.
Mal sighed heavily as he set the ship down. She sounded hurt, and she had every right to be. He had informed her about every move the ship made, or usually asked her for her thoughts, since they went in on the venture together. It was a point of respect for her and the role that she played not only on the ship, but in his life. She was his sister, his best friend. But when she retreated without so much as a sour look for being left out of the loop, he knew she wasn’t the best friend he used to know.
That confirmed the decision he had been mulling over for days.
----------
“Aaw, Cap’n, Serenity needs some new fuel lines somethin’ fierce. Get ‘em at a good price here, too!”
Mal continued down the stairs with Kaylee hurrying after him. “Not this time, little Kaylee. Got a job to do and it ain’t gonna be pleasant-like.”
“Which’s why you oughta be takin’ me,” Jayne argued, not far behind the mechanic. Amelia was hanging ready at his side. “Gonna get yourself killed, and ain’t a soul on this crew lookin’ forward to more a’that.”
Mal was impressed by the insight Jayne was displaying. “Ain’t that kinda job,” he retorted. Never having broken stride, he hit the unlock switch for the small door in the hatch and left, ending all arguments.
Walking a fair stretch, he came to a stairway made of rough-hewn planks and followed it down a hill to a door cut into the sloping grass. Underneath the serene landscape, the noise of a busy bar drifted out. He walked into the dimly lit sod-house, aptly named in his opinion. Many of the men inside were sodden with more liquor than was good for them. The few who still had their wits about them were seated at a table under a clay lamp, and that was where he sat. “Hear tell one of you’s a handy pilot,” he remarked.
----------
“Don’t expect much of a welcome,” Mal warned the boy, for a boy he was. A smudge marked his upper lip, but didn’t look much different than the grease marks Kaylee sported. The boy simply nodded. Mal couldn’t decide whether it was because he was insecure, or because he squeaked like a stuck hamster when he did. Didn’t much matter, he supposed. He came with good recommendations, and he hoped his age would help the crew adjust to him better. Finding a pilot who was much older than Erikk would have felt too much like he was trying to replace Wash.
Mal breathed a sigh of relief as they crested the hill and found nobody waiting there. He didn’t want to be confronted about his decision before Erikk was even on the ship. He was very likely to lose in a scenario like that. His relief was suddenly disrupted by a hand digging into his shoulder and whirling him around. A slender hand wrapped around his right wrist as he reached for his gun, and he found himself staring River in the face.
“No touching guns,” she hissed in a mocking tone. There was raw anger in her brown eyes, and Mal found it more than a little unsettling. He did as she said and let his arm drop. “Serenity is a ship, not a puppet theater to make you feel as though you are in control,” River continued. “It is impolite to invade the thoughts of another, and so I did not see your ill-conceived plan. Even without reading, however, I can tell when there are two where one should be. And there should only be one in that pilot’s seat, captain. Overfill the vessel and some must spill out.”
“I ain’t dumping any of the crew to make room for this boy,” Mal argued.
River gave him a disdainful look. “Not yet. You’ll create surface tension first, and at one wobble she’ll be over. Your replacement will cost you a pilot with more experience and more ties to this family.”
“You’re all related?” Erikk asked, completely perplexed. River stared him down.
“The puppet ought not to talk without the ventriliquist’s will,” she told him. He shut up, more out of confusion than understanding.
“River,” Mal entreated, “That pilot was family. But he’s dead now, and Zoe’s still keeping a seat warm for him. Sooner we fill that seat, sooner she accepts he’s gone.”
“Pasting a different face in the frame isn’t going to heal her,” River snapped. “The picture hasn’t faded yet, and she’ll hate you for covering it up!”
Mal stood, stunned. He didn’t want Zoe to hate him. He didn’t want her to be haunted like him, either. Where was Inara with her good advice now? She had told him to help Zoe move on, and he thought that’s what he was doing. He could sure use some explaining on how she intended him to do that. But right now, all he had was a very angry girl staring him straight in the face, and an awkward boy looking in bewilderment at that girl.
After what seemed to Mal like an eternity, River’s expression suddenly softened. “Take your ill-gotten gain onboard, captain, like always. Won’t be the first time you’ve taken something on you shouldn’t have.” She sashayed towards the hatch, casting an appraising glance at Erikk. He squirmed uncomfortably.
‘Least she gave up,’ Mal thought with relief. ‘Ain’t gonna question her mood swings if’n they’re swingin’ in my favor. Boy better get used to her, though.’
----------
Jayne regretted unloading Amelia and putting her back on his wall when River stormed into the common room like a fearsome little hurricane, thundering in her oversized combat boots. She stopped her stomping when she looked up and saw him sitting there. The devious look she gave him had him feeling all kinds of unsettled.
“Jayne!” she exclaimed menacingly, “I need your help with something.”
“Cai bu shi, you little feng le xian nu!”
New Chinese phrase: xian nu means ‘fairy’
Author: GateHobbit
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Everyone
Pairing: Canon
Summary: Mal plans to help Zoe. The problem being 'Mal plans...'
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, Being Honest, and Seeking Comfort
Serenity shuddered as Mal began entered atmo over Dresden. He was intensely focused on the controls, wishing he had enlisted for flight training during the War. If he had, he wouldn’t be in this situation right now. He bit down on his bottom lip as he pulled on the yoke to bring the nose up as they broke atmo, failing to notice the entry of both River and Zoe.
“Sir? We havin’ engine trouble or something you ain’t told me?”
“Some personal business is all,” Mal said tersely. He had never before lied to Zoe, and he hated how it made his innards feel.
“Personal, perhaps. Not concerning your own person, however.” River slid lithely into the co-pilot’s seat, checking switches and lights with almost eerie detachment.
Zoe looked out the viewscreen at the rolling green hills, freckled with white and brown livestock. “If a job’s what you’re after, you might look to a world populated with somethin’ other than cows. You know where I am if’n you decide to tell me what you’re up to.” Having said her piece, she retreated.
Mal sighed heavily as he set the ship down. She sounded hurt, and she had every right to be. He had informed her about every move the ship made, or usually asked her for her thoughts, since they went in on the venture together. It was a point of respect for her and the role that she played not only on the ship, but in his life. She was his sister, his best friend. But when she retreated without so much as a sour look for being left out of the loop, he knew she wasn’t the best friend he used to know.
That confirmed the decision he had been mulling over for days.
----------
“Aaw, Cap’n, Serenity needs some new fuel lines somethin’ fierce. Get ‘em at a good price here, too!”
Mal continued down the stairs with Kaylee hurrying after him. “Not this time, little Kaylee. Got a job to do and it ain’t gonna be pleasant-like.”
“Which’s why you oughta be takin’ me,” Jayne argued, not far behind the mechanic. Amelia was hanging ready at his side. “Gonna get yourself killed, and ain’t a soul on this crew lookin’ forward to more a’that.”
Mal was impressed by the insight Jayne was displaying. “Ain’t that kinda job,” he retorted. Never having broken stride, he hit the unlock switch for the small door in the hatch and left, ending all arguments.
Walking a fair stretch, he came to a stairway made of rough-hewn planks and followed it down a hill to a door cut into the sloping grass. Underneath the serene landscape, the noise of a busy bar drifted out. He walked into the dimly lit sod-house, aptly named in his opinion. Many of the men inside were sodden with more liquor than was good for them. The few who still had their wits about them were seated at a table under a clay lamp, and that was where he sat. “Hear tell one of you’s a handy pilot,” he remarked.
----------
“Don’t expect much of a welcome,” Mal warned the boy, for a boy he was. A smudge marked his upper lip, but didn’t look much different than the grease marks Kaylee sported. The boy simply nodded. Mal couldn’t decide whether it was because he was insecure, or because he squeaked like a stuck hamster when he did. Didn’t much matter, he supposed. He came with good recommendations, and he hoped his age would help the crew adjust to him better. Finding a pilot who was much older than Erikk would have felt too much like he was trying to replace Wash.
Mal breathed a sigh of relief as they crested the hill and found nobody waiting there. He didn’t want to be confronted about his decision before Erikk was even on the ship. He was very likely to lose in a scenario like that. His relief was suddenly disrupted by a hand digging into his shoulder and whirling him around. A slender hand wrapped around his right wrist as he reached for his gun, and he found himself staring River in the face.
“No touching guns,” she hissed in a mocking tone. There was raw anger in her brown eyes, and Mal found it more than a little unsettling. He did as she said and let his arm drop. “Serenity is a ship, not a puppet theater to make you feel as though you are in control,” River continued. “It is impolite to invade the thoughts of another, and so I did not see your ill-conceived plan. Even without reading, however, I can tell when there are two where one should be. And there should only be one in that pilot’s seat, captain. Overfill the vessel and some must spill out.”
“I ain’t dumping any of the crew to make room for this boy,” Mal argued.
River gave him a disdainful look. “Not yet. You’ll create surface tension first, and at one wobble she’ll be over. Your replacement will cost you a pilot with more experience and more ties to this family.”
“You’re all related?” Erikk asked, completely perplexed. River stared him down.
“The puppet ought not to talk without the ventriliquist’s will,” she told him. He shut up, more out of confusion than understanding.
“River,” Mal entreated, “That pilot was family. But he’s dead now, and Zoe’s still keeping a seat warm for him. Sooner we fill that seat, sooner she accepts he’s gone.”
“Pasting a different face in the frame isn’t going to heal her,” River snapped. “The picture hasn’t faded yet, and she’ll hate you for covering it up!”
Mal stood, stunned. He didn’t want Zoe to hate him. He didn’t want her to be haunted like him, either. Where was Inara with her good advice now? She had told him to help Zoe move on, and he thought that’s what he was doing. He could sure use some explaining on how she intended him to do that. But right now, all he had was a very angry girl staring him straight in the face, and an awkward boy looking in bewilderment at that girl.
After what seemed to Mal like an eternity, River’s expression suddenly softened. “Take your ill-gotten gain onboard, captain, like always. Won’t be the first time you’ve taken something on you shouldn’t have.” She sashayed towards the hatch, casting an appraising glance at Erikk. He squirmed uncomfortably.
‘Least she gave up,’ Mal thought with relief. ‘Ain’t gonna question her mood swings if’n they’re swingin’ in my favor. Boy better get used to her, though.’
----------
Jayne regretted unloading Amelia and putting her back on his wall when River stormed into the common room like a fearsome little hurricane, thundering in her oversized combat boots. She stopped her stomping when she looked up and saw him sitting there. The devious look she gave him had him feeling all kinds of unsettled.
“Jayne!” she exclaimed menacingly, “I need your help with something.”
“Cai bu shi, you little feng le xian nu!”
New Chinese phrase: xian nu means ‘fairy’