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Main | Fanfic | New Stories Filling HolesFEEDBACK - Oh Yes Please -You can email me docwho2000@hotmail.com authors: docwho2100 Authors' notes Character thoughts appear between ~ ~ symbols This takes place some time after the Movie Serenity and references events from the movie/ Consensual relationship depicted between adult
women in this story. If you have a problem with that or are under 18
please do not read. Zoe and River have been captured and are being held in a cell together. ----------- "You miss him." River was walking along the edge of the small cell already on her fourth lap. Zoe was sitting in the middle of the room by the pile of stuff left for them when they had been dumped in this cell. Her eyes tracked the restless woman. Hearing the words her face morphed from sadness to anger to one of resignation. "Yes." "He took part of you when he was killed. You gave him parts of you and forgot to take them back before he left." River was counting the rivets in the floor as she walked. Zoe wrinkled her forehead in confusion and fear. Somehow the young physic had gotten to one of the core issues she wrestled with on a daily basis. "You want to plug the empty but then you feel like doing that will make him go away forever." River was staring at a spot on the wall as she watched another time and place unfold. "River, please stop this." Zoe rested her head on her clasped knee not feeling like dealing with the girl's rambles right now. She needed to find out why they had been brought here and what they were going to do to them. "I'm always lonely too. I have holes that hurt too." River replied as she looked at Zoe. Zoe knew even though the young woman's gaze was on her, River really was looking somewhere else in the universe. "I miss him and so many things." She admitted, the distance River showed in her eyes making it easier to talk. "He use to make me laugh." "My brother makes me laugh; he was the only one who could after they took me away from the school." She ran a hand along the floor, her gaze still unfocused on Zoe. "No one wants to touch me. They think I'll hurt them. They might be right." Zoe gasped as River's eyes shifted and suddenly she knew the brunette was looking straight at her, River had pulled back to this place. "Wash was a teddy bear. I mean not just in the way he acted, but he liked to cuddle. I never admitted it but I depended so much on him holding me and wrapping me up at the end of a day." Her voice was a whisper as she was caught in River's intense stare. The words pried from deep in her soul by the woman. "NO one ever cuddled me. I watched others; I've seen my brother and Kaylee…" "You better not let Kaylee know that, she'll either ask for tips, chase you around the bay with a wrench or start to blush and end up installing the wrong gear." Zoe felt able to breathe as River twisted her head and suddenly smiled. A warm smile. A smile Zoe found touched her in the very place the earlier words had been ripped from. "I like to tease my brother and now I tease her too. I'm not very good though." River's brief smile snuffed out and her eyes drifted away again to an unknown place. "I'm not that good either. The captain and I trade barbs but I've never been good at other forms of teasing." "You are good at flirting." Zoe's eyes widened not expecting that reply and she stared hard at the girl but River was still walking through some unseen garden or hall or dark alley. "I don't want to hurt tonight. I want to fill my holes. I know you do not want to heal yours because then you have to admit what you lost." "Stop." Zoe whispered as she felt the dark eyes once again penetrating her mind and being. It unnerved her how River could move between places and thoughts and realities. "I'm sorry." Her eyes roamed over Zoe's face and body taking in the dark woman's body language. "I always fall too deep. That's why no one will ever know me or hold me." River pushed a little ways off her face falling into a deep sadness. "I am tired and did not mean to make the holes bigger. I…" She looked down as a hand was resting on her arm. "It's um cold and they did not give us a lot of blankets. Come on." Blinking rapidly, River somehow had lost track of Zoe's movements as the older woman had arranged the sheets and things left for them by their captors into a bed… a single bed. She was use to losing time and being in one place and then coming back to a changed place, but this time… this time part of her wished she had been there to watch Zoe as she worked and moved and made the bed. She nodded then telling herself she would not wander so much when around Zoe, she wanted to see more of the woman. She continued to sit even as Zoe beckoned to her. "Well, come on. We both are lonely and both could use the comfort. Isn't that what you said?" River wrapped a hand around her knees still reluctant. "Suit yourself, I am not unmaking this." She pulled her boots off and began undoing some buttons to loosen her clothing some. She settled under the covers but held the edge of the blanket open as she noted the girl had watched her the entire time… watched her, not simply looked her way. "Thank you." River said after a moment and slowly crawled to the edge. "I'll try hard not to touch your holes. I promise." Zoe shook her head a wry smile crossing her face. "Thank god Jayne is not here, if he had heard that, I'd never hear the end of it." "Told you, you could flirt." River smiled again as she scooted down. Shaking her head, Zoe arranged the covers and then was surprised as River turned in a graceful, fluid motion and wrapped her arms around Zoe's midsection burying her head in the ex-soldier's chest. Startled, Zoe froze not sure what the girl would do next. After a moment, Zoe realized the girl's breathing was starting to slow. She slowly relaxed and twisted some to accommodate the position River had chosen. "No one ever let me do this. This is wonderful." Her voice was small and almost childlike and yet Zoe felt a deep sense of understanding at River's admission. "Yeah, I like it too. Good night River." River said something in a language Zoe had never heard. After a pause, the girl giggled before repeating her words. "Peace and slumber Zoe, my…. Friend."
"Ok so we are set on the next job then?" Mal asked looking around. There were nods from most or at least no counters. Simon turned to his sister. "There is one thing, River have you been sleep-walking again?" The crew had been shuffling to leave but everyone in the room froze at this seemingly innocent question. They still were wary of the young woman and what she could do. "No, things have been silent. No walking during other times." River replied as she tilted her head down, her hair falling forward to hide her face some. She sought escape as she had promised the older woman not to say anything. She wondered idly what the Sproughts on Gravous 9 were doing right now. "River, I checked on you a couple times in the last week and you were not in your bed." Simon hated doing this, calling his sister out. But he had promised the Captain to let him know. That had been part of the deal to allow him and his sister to remain on the ship so he could search for a way to heal River fully. "What's going on here? If she's getting all freaked again." Jayne sat up watching River. He still felt spooked around her, especially after that Reaver incident. "No dreams, no walking." River muttered as she counted the specks of dirt on the floor. "River, we're just worried about you and if you need something... where were you?" She wrapped an arm around her knee and shook her head. "Listen here, if you are taking a little side trip or one of your flight of fancies." Mal began but stopped as Inara laid a hand on his arm. "Captain," Zoe said not wanting to put any more pressure on the girl. She'd been silent knowing they'd blow things out of proportion and she was still unsure about things her self. "It's okay River, your brother just needs to know if maybes something got to you when they took you." Kaylee smiled at River but could not tell if the woman had heard her or even responded. "You're a smile for my brother. He smiles inside now too." River replied having picked up on the care. She knew her brother still worried too much but at least the mechanic took away some of the worry. The worry that River caused her brother. She rocked a little then wishing she would not cause so many people to worry. She could feel it now, all the tense stickiness clinging to these people, except... River could tell one person was tense but not because of her but... but... River cocked her head following that particular tendril... some one was tense for her. Concern was for her not because of her. She felt her nostrils flare in surprise as she was not use to picking that up from others. She found she only caught parts of that from her brother. "I understand the need to roam. I get that roaming lust in my blood too. But we need to save the roaming for times when it is appropriate." Mal began once again. He'd seen so many changes in the young woman, but he knew there was a lot still hidden. Layers of people as Inara liked to remind him. Layers that took time to peel away. Jayne started talking again as did Simon and then Kaylee started. Zoe called out "Captain" again but found the chatter still going. She could see River was closing up tighter as she strove not to reveal anything. Sighing, Zoe put her fingers to her lips and whistled bringing the room to silence once again. "Captain, she's been with me." Six pairs of eyes swiveled to stare at Zoe. She could read the emotions in most of the faces and wondered if her time around the young psychic had anything to do with that. Maybe she just was getting better at picking up on things. "Excuse me?" Mal replied. "She's not been walking around, she's been with me." Zoe replied in a casual voice. She focused on Jayne and could see the words still had not quite penetrated to the small brain core of his. Maybe she would be lucky and they wouldn't. Simon's next question however locked in the fact the concept would make it to Jayne's awareness soon enough. "She's been just stopping by to talk? I mean I noticed she's been gone sometimes for a very long time and..." Zoe cut him off, no sense in playing around. Others might go for the double meaning and hedging the table, but she appreciated all the cards on the table and knew she'd better put hers there too. "No, she's been sleeping with me in my room." Now there are many meanings and definitions for the word sleep. And Zoe was willing to lay odds that almost everyone in the room had gone for the meaning of sleep that would cause the most trouble. Watching the faces morph in response to her statement, she realized that if she'd bet on the troublesome definition of sleep she'd almost assuredly be walking away with all of the chips. "Sleeping... together?" Mal said rubbing at his ear. "Alright!" Kaylee whispered almost squealing. Inara said nothing but looked between the two women, a smile on her face. "You're what?" Simon spluttered looking at his sister. River said nothing, her head snapping up to focus first on her brother and then on Zoe as the swirl in emotions flowing through the room overwhelmed her. "Can I watch?" Jayne started and was immediately hit in the face by Inara. "It's not like that. She just..." Zoe started. Although the last few nights she'd been wondering about her definition of sleeping together. "She lost her teddy bear and I'm safe." River proclaimed glad the ex-solider had broken the silence. She had not wanted to hurt the woman anymore. "Oh god, I've gotta say something." Jayne was hit again in the face this time by Simon. "Hey now." Jayne lunged but was held back by Mal. Kaylee came up and grabbed Simon pulling him away. "Simon, making a spectacle is only going to give him more to play with." "It's..." Zoe tapered off. "It just is and she's not been sneaking into anything or getting into anything, alright." Zoe stood and glared at each of her shipmates. "I'm just filling some of her hole..." Zoe's hand covered River's mouth cutting off the brunette's words. "Aww come on, let her finish, I'm going to have incomplete fantasies tonight." Jayne complained as he took a step back making sure no one was within striking range. "Your thoughts are very complete." River said suddenly looking right at Jayne and taking a step toward him. Jayne frowned and took a step back. "Very, very complete and... that position would be very hard to keep up for the length of time you dwell on it. I am sure you could not keep it up for that long." River turned then and felt a smile cross her face as she looked at Zoe. In turn Zoe took one look at Jayne's face which was turning a delightful shade of purple as he spluttered and could not help it as she burst out laughing. Damn it felt good to laugh, it had been so long. Mal looked startled as he watched his second in command and the psychic both double over laughing. The two people on his ship he'd never expected to hear laughing and yet here they were. He felt a smile twitch across his lips and decided as long as the ship was still flying in one piece and the job was not in jeopardy, the captain did not need to know. Now a friend needing to know, that was a different matter. And he'd corner Zoe later, probably when they went planetside to collect the fee. Yes he'd take the long route to the meeting point as he had a lot of questions and had been careful these last few months not to say much of anything. But maybe it was finally time for a good talk with a friend, not a solider or shipmate, his friend. contact: docwho2000@hotmail.com page last modified - August 25, 2006 graphics from www.eosdev.com |