(no subject)
Title: Valley of Nightmares
Author: Emily (me)
Summary: Mal has a nightmare.
Rating: PG - nothing too bad
Characters: Mal, River and mentions of Book, Simon, Kaylee, Wash, Zoe and Mr Universe
Pairing: Mal/River (gen)
Warning: Slight mentions of character death
Spoilers/Timeline: Post - BDM
Disclaimer: Obviously not mine, or there would have been a lot more kissing.
Mal stood in the middle of a rocky valley, stretched between two infinite mountains. The sky was full of emptiness, and shot with a thousand colours he had no names for. The place, though it seemed so beautiful, had been the place of nightmares just a few years before. For him, it still was.
As he looked down, the ground for miles around became carpeted with bodies. He knew every face, every name, every story. Among those he knew should be there, however terrible and wrong that sounded, there were a few souls he knew shouldn’t.
Mr Universe, lying a few metres ahead of him, had his eyes wide open, staring up at the sky, still watching the ‘Verse go by.
Book, in a surprisingly clean, grey, uniform was near Mal’s left foot. One hand was clasping a bible to his chest, the other a complicated laser pistol, designed to end lives.
Wash was further away, his brightly coloured shirt soaked in blood, but with a happy smile on his face, and a black string tied around his wrist.
Even as he watched, Inara’s body became prominent among the others, one of her own arrows imbedded in her chest. Her dress, as scarlet as the blood that still leaked from the wound, was in shreds.
Zoe’s body was near her husband’s, though Mal hardly recognised her, her face was so torn up. The blood was caked thick on her face like makeup. One hand clutched at the black string around her neck.
Jayne was lying just beyond Book. Though he was missing an arm, he looked otherwise intact. Vera was lying across his chest, her barrel pointing under his chin, and his one hand was caressing her trigger.
Mal almost cried out at the nest thing he saw. His mei-mei, Kaylee, and the Doc were lying in a lover’s embrace, a Reaver’s scythe through both of them. Kaylee’s head was thrown back, her face distorted in pain and fear. Simon’s head was resting on Kaylee’s chest; eyes clenched shut and mouth wide in a silent scream.
Mal looked around at the faces, noticing that one was thankfully absent. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing the bodies to disappear. A hand slipped into his, and re-opening his eyes, he looked round.
“River, bao bei, Whatcha doin’ here?”
“She won’t let you kill her.”
“Shén?”
“She won’t let you kill her. Won’t be another scar on your heart.”
“Stop readin’ my mind, darlin’.”
River shook her head. “Everyone can see her scars. Knows how she’s been torn apart and stitched together too many times.” She stepped around him, light as a dancer on her bare feet, and laid one hand over his heart. “They forget you’ve been broken too.” She looked away, at the bodies, and then back at him. “You think that you lost your faith here, but she doesn’t believe you. Gotta have love to let Serenity fly. Gotta have faith to love. Love the Black. Love freedom. Love her...”
She stretched up onto the tips of her toes, hand moving from his chest to tangle in his hair. Her lips brushed his in the sweetest of chaste kisses. Mal’s free arm wrapped around her waist as she pulled back, holding her close to his body. He brought their joined hands up to his mouth, kissing hers.
“Duì bù qì, little albatross.” He looked over her shoulder at the valley. Nothing but rocks and sky remained. “Wake up now?”
River smiled warmly. “She will stay a while so you can watch her sleep. Wo ai ni.”
Kissing her dreaming head one last time, Mal woke up. Serenity the Valley faded from his view, and the Serenity the Ship came back into focus. He looked down at the petite form of his soul-mate clasped in his arms and smiled.
“You’ll never know how much wo ai ni.”
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mei-mei = little sister
bao bei = precious
shen? = what?
dui bu qi = I'm sorry
wo ai ni = I love you
Author: Emily (me)
Summary: Mal has a nightmare.
Rating: PG - nothing too bad
Characters: Mal, River and mentions of Book, Simon, Kaylee, Wash, Zoe and Mr Universe
Pairing: Mal/River (gen)
Warning: Slight mentions of character death
Spoilers/Timeline: Post - BDM
Disclaimer: Obviously not mine, or there would have been a lot more kissing.
Mal stood in the middle of a rocky valley, stretched between two infinite mountains. The sky was full of emptiness, and shot with a thousand colours he had no names for. The place, though it seemed so beautiful, had been the place of nightmares just a few years before. For him, it still was.
As he looked down, the ground for miles around became carpeted with bodies. He knew every face, every name, every story. Among those he knew should be there, however terrible and wrong that sounded, there were a few souls he knew shouldn’t.
Mr Universe, lying a few metres ahead of him, had his eyes wide open, staring up at the sky, still watching the ‘Verse go by.
Book, in a surprisingly clean, grey, uniform was near Mal’s left foot. One hand was clasping a bible to his chest, the other a complicated laser pistol, designed to end lives.
Wash was further away, his brightly coloured shirt soaked in blood, but with a happy smile on his face, and a black string tied around his wrist.
Even as he watched, Inara’s body became prominent among the others, one of her own arrows imbedded in her chest. Her dress, as scarlet as the blood that still leaked from the wound, was in shreds.
Zoe’s body was near her husband’s, though Mal hardly recognised her, her face was so torn up. The blood was caked thick on her face like makeup. One hand clutched at the black string around her neck.
Jayne was lying just beyond Book. Though he was missing an arm, he looked otherwise intact. Vera was lying across his chest, her barrel pointing under his chin, and his one hand was caressing her trigger.
Mal almost cried out at the nest thing he saw. His mei-mei, Kaylee, and the Doc were lying in a lover’s embrace, a Reaver’s scythe through both of them. Kaylee’s head was thrown back, her face distorted in pain and fear. Simon’s head was resting on Kaylee’s chest; eyes clenched shut and mouth wide in a silent scream.
Mal looked around at the faces, noticing that one was thankfully absent. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing the bodies to disappear. A hand slipped into his, and re-opening his eyes, he looked round.
“River, bao bei, Whatcha doin’ here?”
“She won’t let you kill her.”
“Shén?”
“She won’t let you kill her. Won’t be another scar on your heart.”
“Stop readin’ my mind, darlin’.”
River shook her head. “Everyone can see her scars. Knows how she’s been torn apart and stitched together too many times.” She stepped around him, light as a dancer on her bare feet, and laid one hand over his heart. “They forget you’ve been broken too.” She looked away, at the bodies, and then back at him. “You think that you lost your faith here, but she doesn’t believe you. Gotta have love to let Serenity fly. Gotta have faith to love. Love the Black. Love freedom. Love her...”
She stretched up onto the tips of her toes, hand moving from his chest to tangle in his hair. Her lips brushed his in the sweetest of chaste kisses. Mal’s free arm wrapped around her waist as she pulled back, holding her close to his body. He brought their joined hands up to his mouth, kissing hers.
“Duì bù qì, little albatross.” He looked over her shoulder at the valley. Nothing but rocks and sky remained. “Wake up now?”
River smiled warmly. “She will stay a while so you can watch her sleep. Wo ai ni.”
Kissing her dreaming head one last time, Mal woke up. Serenity the Valley faded from his view, and the Serenity the Ship came back into focus. He looked down at the petite form of his soul-mate clasped in his arms and smiled.
“You’ll never know how much wo ai ni.”
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mei-mei = little sister
bao bei = precious
shen? = what?
dui bu qi = I'm sorry
wo ai ni = I love you