Radio Nowhere, Chapter Sixteen
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firefly_fanfic
Title: Radio Nowhere
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Fourteen years in the future, River takes a turn towards the more-crazy, leaving Serenity's crew to care for her daughter.
Series: Chapter 16
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: Post-BDM, except with two very important changes.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been, never will be. The title comes from a Bruce Springsteen song.
Chapters 1-15
Radio Nowhere
Simon looked up from his dinner as Mal and Zoë strode into the galley. The captain had an odd look on his face, one Simon wasn’t sure he liked.
Mal pulled out the chair across from Simon and sat down. “When was the last time y’ heard anythin’ ‘bout yer parents?” he asked without much prelude.
The rice in Simon’s mouth congealed. “What?”
“Yer parents. When was the last time y’ heard anythin’ ‘bout them?”
“What?”
“I ain’t gonna repeat it ‘gain, Doc, you heard me the first two times.”
“I haven’t… it’s been years. Not since… well, Beck was little. Five or six. Why do you ask?”
Mal’s expression was grim. “D’ y’ know where they are?”
“Where they are?”
“I ain’t got time fer you t’ be a mynah bird, Doc. Just answer th’ question.”
Simon shook his head as though he couldn’t believe the captain. “Yes, I know where they are. What difference does it make?”
Mal pursed his lips together. Zoë took over, saying, “We think Beck’s seen them.”
“What? When? How?”
Zoë handed Simon the sheet from the imprinter. “These are th’ two men River killed on Saskatoon.”
Simon scanned the sheet. “They were from Osiris?”
“Well, they sure as hell weren’t from Saskatoon,” Mal answered.
“They could have been from anywhere,” Simon pointed out.
Zoë tapped the sheet. “They had credentials in their pockets from the Osiris Bureau of Private Investigators. All private investigators on Core planets have t’ be certified.”
“And you think my parents sent these two men after River?”
Zoë and the captain shared a silent moment of eye contact. Then the captain nodded slightly, and Zoë said, “No. We think they were after Beck.”
Kaylee spoke up from her end of the table. “What would they want with Beck? An’ how would they know where she was?”
“Private investigators are usually good at their jobs,” Mal said tersely. “If’n they ain't, they ain't investigators fer long.”
“My parents have no interest in Beck,” Simon said, looking up from the imprinter sheet.
“They weren’t interested in her when she was six,” Inara said gently. “Is it possible they’ve changed their minds?”
“Unless their goal is to report Beck to the authorities, I can’t think of another reason they’d come after her. My father… he told me he was embarrassed by Beck and her… deformities. And my mother couldn’t even look at Beck without crying.”
“Would they take her from us if they thought River was going t’ harm her?” Kaylee asked, her voice almost a whisper.
“No. No way,” Simon said. “No.”
“Just ‘cause you don’t want it t’ happen doesn’t mean it’s not happening, Doc,” Zoë said.
Kaylee pursed her lips. “We ain’t gonna let them take her.”
“O’ course we ain’t,” Mal said, “but they don’t know that yet. Our best bet is t’ get back t’ Saskatoon an’ find the rest o’ these bastards.”
Kaylee looked down the table to Simon. “Maybe we should… maybe we should ask Beck if she knows who sent th’ men.”
“We already asked her,” Mal pointed out, “and she lied t’ us.”
“Why would she lie to us?” Inara asked.
“Well, either she’s got somethin’ t’ hide… or she’s protectin’ her ma. And Beck loves her ma more’n breathin’, so I’m guessin’ it’s the second.”
“Momma, wake up,” Beck whispered.
Her voice tripped down River’s spine, tiny bouncing balls ringing against her vertebrae. Beck watched as her mother’s eyes opened. “What is it?” River wanted to know.
“We have to go. Now.”
“Nowhere to go, pretty girl.”
There was a knock on the bunk door. “River? You in there?”
“Go,” Beck urged.
“Just Uncle Mal,” River said.
“No!”
“Beck, being unreasonable,” River said. She squirmed from under Beck, laying her daughter down on the bed. “Have to answer the door.”
“Momma!” Beck shrieked. “No!”
She sucked in her breath, trying to trip the apnea monitor, trying to get her mother’s attention. But it was a moot point, for even as she did so, the vent recognized the breath-holding spell and forced a breath into Beck.
River slid the door open. “Captain, sleeping. Well, was,” she said.
“We’d like to talk to Beck,” Mal said flatly.
“Momma, no!”
“Beck, being unreasonable,” River repeated.
Mal furrowed his brow, watching the exchange between the little girl trapped in her twisted body, whose lips had not moved a centimeter, and her mother, who responded just as easily as if her daughter had spoken aloud. “Doc, let’s take her down t’ the galley.”
River put her hands on her hips. “No.”
“We need t’ ask her some questions, River,” Zoë said.
“No.”
Simon took River’s arm, pulling her into the hallway. “Let the Captain ask his questions.”
She met his gaze, steely-eyed. “Beck… is… mine.”
“River, mei-mei, you don’t…”
“Kaylee, tell him no,” River said firmly. “Pretty girl sleeps. No questions.”
With that, she slammed the door closed, nearly taking out Mal’s fingers and Simon’s feet. As the door slid home, she threw the lock, delighting in its sturdy click. She heard a yelp from the other side of the door and somehow felt satisfied.
River turned back to Beck. The wild look in her daughter’s eyes was still there. “Shh, shh, pretty girl. No questions. Nobody hurts.”
“River, open this door!” Simon yelled from the hallway.
“Pretty girl sleeps! No questions!” she hollered back.
River climbed back into the bed, snuggling up to Beck, brushing her hair away from her scared eyes. “Shh, pretty girl. Momma loves.”
From the other side of the door, Jayne said, “Can we force it open?”
There was silence, and then Mal sighed. “No. We’re just gonna have t’ wait ‘til she’s ready t’ talk t’ us.”
Beck rolled her head, pressing it against her mother. “If you wake up and I’m gone,” she whispered, “please know that I only did it because I love you.”
River wrapped her arms around Beck. “Only reason to do things, pretty girl.”
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Fourteen years in the future, River takes a turn towards the more-crazy, leaving Serenity's crew to care for her daughter.
Series: Chapter 16
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: Post-BDM, except with two very important changes.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been, never will be. The title comes from a Bruce Springsteen song.
Chapters 1-15
Radio Nowhere
Simon looked up from his dinner as Mal and Zoë strode into the galley. The captain had an odd look on his face, one Simon wasn’t sure he liked.
Mal pulled out the chair across from Simon and sat down. “When was the last time y’ heard anythin’ ‘bout yer parents?” he asked without much prelude.
The rice in Simon’s mouth congealed. “What?”
“Yer parents. When was the last time y’ heard anythin’ ‘bout them?”
“What?”
“I ain’t gonna repeat it ‘gain, Doc, you heard me the first two times.”
“I haven’t… it’s been years. Not since… well, Beck was little. Five or six. Why do you ask?”
Mal’s expression was grim. “D’ y’ know where they are?”
“Where they are?”
“I ain’t got time fer you t’ be a mynah bird, Doc. Just answer th’ question.”
Simon shook his head as though he couldn’t believe the captain. “Yes, I know where they are. What difference does it make?”
Mal pursed his lips together. Zoë took over, saying, “We think Beck’s seen them.”
“What? When? How?”
Zoë handed Simon the sheet from the imprinter. “These are th’ two men River killed on Saskatoon.”
Simon scanned the sheet. “They were from Osiris?”
“Well, they sure as hell weren’t from Saskatoon,” Mal answered.
“They could have been from anywhere,” Simon pointed out.
Zoë tapped the sheet. “They had credentials in their pockets from the Osiris Bureau of Private Investigators. All private investigators on Core planets have t’ be certified.”
“And you think my parents sent these two men after River?”
Zoë and the captain shared a silent moment of eye contact. Then the captain nodded slightly, and Zoë said, “No. We think they were after Beck.”
Kaylee spoke up from her end of the table. “What would they want with Beck? An’ how would they know where she was?”
“Private investigators are usually good at their jobs,” Mal said tersely. “If’n they ain't, they ain't investigators fer long.”
“My parents have no interest in Beck,” Simon said, looking up from the imprinter sheet.
“They weren’t interested in her when she was six,” Inara said gently. “Is it possible they’ve changed their minds?”
“Unless their goal is to report Beck to the authorities, I can’t think of another reason they’d come after her. My father… he told me he was embarrassed by Beck and her… deformities. And my mother couldn’t even look at Beck without crying.”
“Would they take her from us if they thought River was going t’ harm her?” Kaylee asked, her voice almost a whisper.
“No. No way,” Simon said. “No.”
“Just ‘cause you don’t want it t’ happen doesn’t mean it’s not happening, Doc,” Zoë said.
Kaylee pursed her lips. “We ain’t gonna let them take her.”
“O’ course we ain’t,” Mal said, “but they don’t know that yet. Our best bet is t’ get back t’ Saskatoon an’ find the rest o’ these bastards.”
Kaylee looked down the table to Simon. “Maybe we should… maybe we should ask Beck if she knows who sent th’ men.”
“We already asked her,” Mal pointed out, “and she lied t’ us.”
“Why would she lie to us?” Inara asked.
“Well, either she’s got somethin’ t’ hide… or she’s protectin’ her ma. And Beck loves her ma more’n breathin’, so I’m guessin’ it’s the second.”
“Momma, wake up,” Beck whispered.
Her voice tripped down River’s spine, tiny bouncing balls ringing against her vertebrae. Beck watched as her mother’s eyes opened. “What is it?” River wanted to know.
“We have to go. Now.”
“Nowhere to go, pretty girl.”
There was a knock on the bunk door. “River? You in there?”
“Go,” Beck urged.
“Just Uncle Mal,” River said.
“No!”
“Beck, being unreasonable,” River said. She squirmed from under Beck, laying her daughter down on the bed. “Have to answer the door.”
“Momma!” Beck shrieked. “No!”
She sucked in her breath, trying to trip the apnea monitor, trying to get her mother’s attention. But it was a moot point, for even as she did so, the vent recognized the breath-holding spell and forced a breath into Beck.
River slid the door open. “Captain, sleeping. Well, was,” she said.
“We’d like to talk to Beck,” Mal said flatly.
“Momma, no!”
“Beck, being unreasonable,” River repeated.
Mal furrowed his brow, watching the exchange between the little girl trapped in her twisted body, whose lips had not moved a centimeter, and her mother, who responded just as easily as if her daughter had spoken aloud. “Doc, let’s take her down t’ the galley.”
River put her hands on her hips. “No.”
“We need t’ ask her some questions, River,” Zoë said.
“No.”
Simon took River’s arm, pulling her into the hallway. “Let the Captain ask his questions.”
She met his gaze, steely-eyed. “Beck… is… mine.”
“River, mei-mei, you don’t…”
“Kaylee, tell him no,” River said firmly. “Pretty girl sleeps. No questions.”
With that, she slammed the door closed, nearly taking out Mal’s fingers and Simon’s feet. As the door slid home, she threw the lock, delighting in its sturdy click. She heard a yelp from the other side of the door and somehow felt satisfied.
River turned back to Beck. The wild look in her daughter’s eyes was still there. “Shh, shh, pretty girl. No questions. Nobody hurts.”
“River, open this door!” Simon yelled from the hallway.
“Pretty girl sleeps! No questions!” she hollered back.
River climbed back into the bed, snuggling up to Beck, brushing her hair away from her scared eyes. “Shh, pretty girl. Momma loves.”
From the other side of the door, Jayne said, “Can we force it open?”
There was silence, and then Mal sighed. “No. We’re just gonna have t’ wait ‘til she’s ready t’ talk t’ us.”
Beck rolled her head, pressing it against her mother. “If you wake up and I’m gone,” she whispered, “please know that I only did it because I love you.”
River wrapped her arms around Beck. “Only reason to do things, pretty girl.”