Title: My Womb Is A Ship
Author:
all_you_wantedPairing: None
Fandom: Firefly
Rating: PG
Challenge:
wtf27 1/27
Prompt: #3; Transformation (inanimate)
Disclaimer: I own nothing, please don’t sue.
A/N: First attempt at writing in the Jossverse. Hope my Firefly voice sounds right.
Spoilers: For Serenity and Objects in Space.
Summary: River is the gorram ship again
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The soft giggles float over the spacecraft. It’s as creepy as it is infectious.
“Simon!” I roar for the ship’s good doctor. This business with his sister and my boat have got to stop.
“Yes Captain.” He’s come from the passenger quarters and I see Kaylee following close behind him. Trying to straighten up her coveralls. That is a conversation I will have to have later. After this business with his sister is done.
“You wanna tell me how your sister turned herself into my gorram ship? Again?” The giggles start again and it is really beginning to damage my calm.
“River,” Simon is walking around the cargo hold, gently stepping. Like maybe she is actually the ship and if he steps to hard he might break her. “Where are you?”
“I’m here.” Her voice bounces all over the place. Coming out of every speaker.
“I’ve joined with Serenity. We have reached an agreement and have become one.”
“Well at least that’s one less mouth to feed.” Jayne has come up from his bunk and is carrying Vera around like its his baby. I see Zoe stick her head out from the cockpit.
“You wanna tell me why you decided to join with my ship?” I motion to the two of them to split up and find her. She can’t be far. Probably in one of the smuggling holds. With a remote speaker.
“Serenity is lonely and sad. She wants to be more than she is. She wants to be a mother. We’ve decided to join. She will be the womb and I will be the spirit.”
“That is just freaky.” Jayne’s gripping Vera tighter.
“No offense little lady but most of us already have mothers. A ship can’t be a mother. It’s a ship and nothing more.”
“You’re wrong!” River’s voice is getting to that scary place and I’m hoping Zoe or Jayne find her soon. “Serenity is a home. A womb is a home. She just wants to nurture us and take care of us. Make it like it was before. She wants to heal us.”
I’m sick of this. “You gonna do anything about this?” I ask her brother.
“I was taught to respect my mother.” He says back to me with that glib smirk on his face. I would really like to knock that off of him and would if I wouldn’t have a very upset mechanic to have to deal with.
“She watches us night after night. Day after day. She feels our pains and joys. We are her children. She sees Zoe cry herself to sleep at night. Knows the fears deep in Jayne’s heart. Wants to know her place in the world just like Inara. She can feel the love growing between Simon and Kaylee. She even prays for you, Captain.”
“I don’t need no one praying over me. Especially not my ship.”
“She misses.... We miss our family and friends so much. We just want the healing to begin. For things to go back to feeling the way they were before.” I can see Kaylee starting to tear up out the corner of my eye. This is just what I need now. An emotional mechanic.
“Kaylee.” I whisper over to her. “You got any ideas where she might be?” I can see the light go on in her head, and she wipes away her tears with a old grease rag.
“Captain, I was showing her around the under belly yesterday. Showing her different ways of wiring the Nav Stat with...” I cut her off before she started getting all technical on me.
“Let’s us go look there. Simon stay here and talk with your sister. The mothership.”
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