BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - DRAMA

VALERIEBEAN

Valley of the Shadow - Ch 2
Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Post-BDM, some unexpected turns have left the crew traveling through enemy territory without a guide. … Dowload the full PDF here… A.N.: Post-BDM, sequel to ‘Three Strand Cord’…Ch 2: River mourns for Cappy, and Mal threatens to toss himself out an airlock. Pairings: M/I, S/K


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 2924    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

CHAPTER 2

Evening meshed into morning without sleep. Past, present, future. As morning waned, the ship continued, not noticing her. No footsteps outside her door. River turned the needle over in her hand, watching as the pale, green liquid in the syringe lolled and resettled. She shouldn’t have been working air into the meds, but she had no intention of taking them anyway. Four years, it had taken for Simon to find just the right mix to keep her lucid, allow her to eat, be a normal girl. Only when she woke up, she was no longer a girl, but a woman. Through the years, it became harder and harder to find a vein willing to be pricked. The needle tracks up both arms made her feel like a drug addict and she didn’t like that. The meds were harsh, but necessary. She would die young, but not before she lost a few limbs from long-term use of the brutal chemicals. A tear fell down her cheek as she pressed the blunt end of the syringe to her lips, just to remind herself that she had sensation. Her hands trembled from withdrawal. She hadn’t taken her meds since Cappy died. Mal knew she was taking Cappy’s death hard, but he didn’t know she had stopped her meds. No one did. They didn’t care. Didn’t look in on her. Did they even remember she was here? In a dream-like trance, River floated through the halls of Serenity to her favorite listening spot – the catwalk underneath the galley. If she stood on the rails and tilted her head just so, she could hear them whispering. Hear what was said and what wasn’t. Her paisley dress hanging over her food-starved body, River light-footed through the cargo bay, up the stairs, to the catwalk. With practiced grace, her bare feet stepped up to the cold rail… but they were harshly rejected. River stumbled backwards, shaken from her trance, her toe scratched and bleeding. She looked for her attacker and saw the chicken wire tacked to the railing. Mal and Inara had installed it to keep Emma from falling through. Rubbing her nose with the back of her hand, River shuffled her memory into the present. Had it really been so long since she’d just listened? Her muscles shaking involuntarily, she climbed to the top rail, seeking a new position – a new balance. Why was the galley empty at lunch time? The children were eating, Zoë watched hungrily, but the galley was otherwise empty. Why empty? Her mind searched the ship for the rest of the crew, but without her meds, the world was confusion. The past and future collided. Book, Wash, Jayne, and Cappy were simultaneously dead and alive. Suddenly, her knee gave out and River slipped off the rail, falling hard on the catwalk grating. She heard the bone in her wrist crack on impact, but she didn’t feel. Her ear to the ground, she closed her eyes and listened to the ship. For her, this position was as normal as any. The crew would step over her without a second glance. And soon, she would melt into the deck plates.

*~*

“French takes thirty percent?” Zoë asked Mal as they leaned against the kitchen counter, watching their children eat. “Thirty percent. We need two hundred platinum to break even, so we can’t let him push us past forty-three.” “He ain’t pushin’ us past twenty-five,” Zoë replied sternly. “Still wish we’d picked up food stock on Santo,” Mal mulled. “Weren’t expecting that side-trip to Angel. Not to mention takin’ on an extra mouth to feed. Doc don’t eat much, but he makes his dent.” “Sir, we have enough to make it to Persephone.” “Only just. God forbid another delay. I won’t leave my family a day without food.” The two watched as Jackson showed Emma how to build a castle with her potatoes. Jackson sculpted with his fingers and chopsticks, while Emma stood on her chair, meticulously cleaning her fingernails with a napkin. “I’m sure Emma would survive.” “Ain’t worried about Emma,” Mal agreed. “But I will toss myself out the airlock before I spend a day on this boat with a hungry pregnant woman.” Zoë smiled and turned back to watching the children, wondering if she should chastise Jackson for playing with his food, or admire his craftsmanship. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounding of the proximity alert. Mal rolled his eyes. “That sounds like a delay,” he complained. “Shall I toss you out the airlock now, sir?”

*~*

Go to Chapter 3

COMMENTS

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 12:12 AM

AMDOBELL


Loved the dialogue between Mal and Zoe. Hate that River is hurting so much and thinks nobody cares. That her medication while making her lucid will shorten her life. How depressing. I can't believe that Simon couldn't up with a better solution than that. Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me

Monday, April 9, 2007 11:32 AM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


It's probably a concern for more than a few people, Alison...trading years off a life-span and parts of one's body for lucidity or functionality. It's frigging depressing that River's been forced into this scenario by what the Alliance did to her....but sadly realistic. I really just hope someone manages to break into River's funk and help her start dealing with all the emotional overload she's struggling through...

Still...this is a wonderful chapter here, valeriebean! The voices were spot-on and the ways the characters with explored through internal monologues and cracking dialogue? Thought I was reading something Joss had written;)

BEB


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