Becoming Sleepers (9/14)
Title: Ten (Crying) (9/14)
Series Title: Becoming Sleepers
Rating: R
Title: Ten (Crying) (9/14)
Series Title: Becoming Sleepers
Author: Cricket
Disclaimer: I’m just playing with Joss’ toys, but I promise to put them back when I’m done.
Rating: R for graphic (Reaver) violence and language
Notes: This is based on stormwolf-dawn7’s Sleepers (alt.version). Even if you decide to skip my story I highly encourage you to read (or re-read) hers.
River opened the second box and found herself looking into the crystal blue eyes of an infant. The baby was wrapped in a soft blanket that matched the color of his eyes perfectly. She felt the man’s overwhelming sense of awe at the little life in front of him and how his heart swelled up with pride. He was a new father and he promised himself that he would protect this child until the day he died and maybe even after that if he could find a way.
The next part of the memory wasn’t as serene as the first had been as River was assaulted with the baby’s harsh wails. The noise grated on the man’s nerves but he continued to rock and sway with the baby in his arms. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours for the past week and he felt like he was dead on his feet. Whispering soft comforting words of nonsense, he prayed that the child would fall asleep soon and he would be able to get some much needed rest. Finally, the baby’s cries quieted down and the man looked into his little face to confirm that, indeed, the baby was asleep. He gave a great sigh of relief and carefully set him down in his crib. He tiptoed towards the door as quietly as his body would allow, lest he wake the slumbering child.
The memory faded and a new one popped into its place. The baby was larger than he had been in the last memory but still had the same bright blue eyes and pudgy cheeks. He was crawling across a manicured lawn looking intently at bugs that crawled along with him. The man was lying on his stomach a few feet away, resting his weight on his strong forearms as he watched his adventuresome son. The baby gurgled at the insect’s antics but quickly grew bored after a few minutes and crawled back towards his father. Balancing precariously on one pudgy arm, he reached out his other hand and grasped the man’s nose. The man exhaled a great puff of breath through his nose and the baby giggled excitedly. River didn’t have to see the man’s face to know that a broad smile was spread across it.
In stark contrast to the warm sunny day the previous memory had detailed, the new memory was dark and cold. The baby was once again crying loudly but the noise came from another room. The man strode heavily down a darkened hallway and slammed open a door to reveal a bedroom. Gray light filtered through the drawn blinds and made it difficult for River to see what was going on. A figure was lying on the large bed that took up the far half of the room. As the man approached she could see the woman’s blonde hair peeking up under the bedclothes. He ripped the blankets off of her, demanding that she deal with the screaming child but her only response was to open her eyes slowly and look up at him before seemingly going back to sleep.
He growled in frustration and stamped back across the room, making sure to slam the door as loudly as he could. His thoughts were wild and so very angry that River was afraid of seeing what was going to happen. Walking quickly down the hall he paused only to tear the picture frames off the walls and hurl them in any direction he could. Their smiling faces were scattered across the carpet as the frames hit the walls. The baby’s shrieks amplified at the sound of breaking glass and the man howled with rage at the increasing volume. He turned towards the baby’s room and wrenched open the door.
Three large steps and he was looking down into the wailing baby’s crib. His face was red and puffy from the crying and his breath hiccupped in his throat when he saw his father’s face appear above him. The man gripped the blue pillow with the happy little sailboats on it that matched the sheets his son was lying on. With an animalistic snarl he placed the pillow over the baby’s face and pressed down.
River pulled herself out of the memory before she had to feel the child’s body go still underneath the man’s hands. Still shaking she heaved herself out of his mind altogether in an effort to distance herself as quickly as possible from the horrible memory. She opened her eyes and once again saw the gray ceiling tiles of her Academy room. Fresh tears traced down her face over the ones that had dried there earlier as she sobbed for the dead child.
As her crying subsided she heard a ragged intake of breath from the Reaver’s cage. She turned her head and saw the Reaver doubled over, his body shaking with tremors as mournful sounds fell through his lips. He lifted his head to swipe at the tears coursing down his cheeks with the palms of his hands and River saw the pain in his eyes.
< Previous: chapter 8: Twelve (White) | Next: chapter 10: Eight (Comfort)>
Series Title: Becoming Sleepers
Rating: R
Title: Ten (Crying) (9/14)
Series Title: Becoming Sleepers
Author: Cricket
Disclaimer: I’m just playing with Joss’ toys, but I promise to put them back when I’m done.
Rating: R for graphic (Reaver) violence and language
Notes: This is based on stormwolf-dawn7’s Sleepers (alt.version). Even if you decide to skip my story I highly encourage you to read (or re-read) hers.
River opened the second box and found herself looking into the crystal blue eyes of an infant. The baby was wrapped in a soft blanket that matched the color of his eyes perfectly. She felt the man’s overwhelming sense of awe at the little life in front of him and how his heart swelled up with pride. He was a new father and he promised himself that he would protect this child until the day he died and maybe even after that if he could find a way.
The next part of the memory wasn’t as serene as the first had been as River was assaulted with the baby’s harsh wails. The noise grated on the man’s nerves but he continued to rock and sway with the baby in his arms. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours for the past week and he felt like he was dead on his feet. Whispering soft comforting words of nonsense, he prayed that the child would fall asleep soon and he would be able to get some much needed rest. Finally, the baby’s cries quieted down and the man looked into his little face to confirm that, indeed, the baby was asleep. He gave a great sigh of relief and carefully set him down in his crib. He tiptoed towards the door as quietly as his body would allow, lest he wake the slumbering child.
The memory faded and a new one popped into its place. The baby was larger than he had been in the last memory but still had the same bright blue eyes and pudgy cheeks. He was crawling across a manicured lawn looking intently at bugs that crawled along with him. The man was lying on his stomach a few feet away, resting his weight on his strong forearms as he watched his adventuresome son. The baby gurgled at the insect’s antics but quickly grew bored after a few minutes and crawled back towards his father. Balancing precariously on one pudgy arm, he reached out his other hand and grasped the man’s nose. The man exhaled a great puff of breath through his nose and the baby giggled excitedly. River didn’t have to see the man’s face to know that a broad smile was spread across it.
In stark contrast to the warm sunny day the previous memory had detailed, the new memory was dark and cold. The baby was once again crying loudly but the noise came from another room. The man strode heavily down a darkened hallway and slammed open a door to reveal a bedroom. Gray light filtered through the drawn blinds and made it difficult for River to see what was going on. A figure was lying on the large bed that took up the far half of the room. As the man approached she could see the woman’s blonde hair peeking up under the bedclothes. He ripped the blankets off of her, demanding that she deal with the screaming child but her only response was to open her eyes slowly and look up at him before seemingly going back to sleep.
He growled in frustration and stamped back across the room, making sure to slam the door as loudly as he could. His thoughts were wild and so very angry that River was afraid of seeing what was going to happen. Walking quickly down the hall he paused only to tear the picture frames off the walls and hurl them in any direction he could. Their smiling faces were scattered across the carpet as the frames hit the walls. The baby’s shrieks amplified at the sound of breaking glass and the man howled with rage at the increasing volume. He turned towards the baby’s room and wrenched open the door.
Three large steps and he was looking down into the wailing baby’s crib. His face was red and puffy from the crying and his breath hiccupped in his throat when he saw his father’s face appear above him. The man gripped the blue pillow with the happy little sailboats on it that matched the sheets his son was lying on. With an animalistic snarl he placed the pillow over the baby’s face and pressed down.
River pulled herself out of the memory before she had to feel the child’s body go still underneath the man’s hands. Still shaking she heaved herself out of his mind altogether in an effort to distance herself as quickly as possible from the horrible memory. She opened her eyes and once again saw the gray ceiling tiles of her Academy room. Fresh tears traced down her face over the ones that had dried there earlier as she sobbed for the dead child.
As her crying subsided she heard a ragged intake of breath from the Reaver’s cage. She turned her head and saw the Reaver doubled over, his body shaking with tremors as mournful sounds fell through his lips. He lifted his head to swipe at the tears coursing down his cheeks with the palms of his hands and River saw the pain in his eyes.
< Previous: chapter 8: Twelve (White) | Next: chapter 10: Eight (Comfort)>