Since I found Serenity (6/8) - Immortal!Dean - SPN/FF/HL/SV
Title: Since I Found Serenity (6/8)
Author: strangevisitor7
Beta: Pen37
Rated: PG
Prompt: #26 Teammates for crossovers100 my table is here
Fandom: Firefly, Highlander, SPN & SV The rest of the Immortal!Dean Universe can be found here.
Characters: From FF: Mal, Zoe, Wash, River, Jayne, Simon, Inara, Kaylee. From I!D 'Verse: Dean Winchester, Duncan MacLeod, Richie Ryan, Methos, Chloe Sullivan and Sam Winchester.
Spoilers: The story begins in the middle of the Firefly Movie "Serenity". You will be spoiled if you haven't seen it.
Disclaimer: The characters you know and love all belong to their respective creators.
Summary: The crew of Serenity is in the middle of helping River, exposing the Alliance and evading the Reavers when they encounter a survivor on Miranda.
Chapter Summary: Richie makes contact with the crew of Serenity as the rest of the team waits in the wings. The last time Richie talked about his Immortality with mortals he was imprisoned and tortured by the Alliance. The memories of this past threaten to overwhelm him and imperil his mission.
A/N: This story takes place ~ 6 years after chapter 5 of 5 Times Immortal!Dean met Meta!Chloe.
A/N2: Richie's capture and torture by the Alliance is told in The Rescue of Richie Ryan.
Chapter List:
Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8
Chapter 6: Since I Found Serenity
They moved up the ramp and into the cargo bay. Mal stood arms crossed, waiting for Richie to explain.
“Can you close the hatch?” Richie asked.
Mal nodded to Zoe who walked over to press the button. Richie noticed that she stayed there, most likely to be ready if Mal decided to remove their visitor in a hurry. They’d been friends but something about Richie’s behavior had them worried and he couldn’t blame them.
Richie was feeling a little calmer, less exposed, now that they were inside. He faced his former sergeant and was about to continue the conversation when Jayne walked over to stand with his captain.
Jayne had drawn a knife from somewhere and was twirling it suggestively between his hands. “I think we need to be sure he’s like Wash.” he recommended. “Let me cut him, Mal.”
Mal hesitated as if he was debating the proposition. Richie backed away. No one cut on him; not any more. Ever! “Mal, there’s no need to do anything dramatic.” He pleaded as he raised his hands in a calming gesture toward Jayne. He wished Jayne would go away. The big man was disturbing in a way he couldn’t explain. “I admit it. I’m like Wash.”
“But you weren’t on Miranda?”
“It has nothing to do with Miranda.” Well it might, Richie thought but the specifics about demons could wait. He didn’t think they were ready for Immortals are champions for good created by the Powers That Be to fight evil speech yet. Or maybe they were but he sure as hell wasn’t ready to give it.
“Then how?” Mal demanded.
“No one really knows why certain people become Immortal.” Richie admitted. It was the truth. The council had never been able to discern a pattern among those who became Immortal and those who didn’t but they had determined that demonic and other supernatural activity always spiked when lots of new Immortals were found.
“Immortal.” Wash whispered. “Then Simon was right. It’s not just the incredible healing, Sam and I won’t age either.”
Richie kicked himself he hadn’t meant for that to slip just yet but it didn’t seem to matter. It appeared that the entire crew knew what Wash and this Sam guy were. Richie figured it was pointless to continue to obfuscate.
“Look Mal.” Richie began to pace across the cargo bay. He hadn’t completely let go of the panic that had begun outside and he needed to keep moving to keep it at bay. “I want to share what I know with you but you have to understand. I’ve spent my whole life keeping this information secret. If I tell you the truth I have to know that I can trust you.”
“I’m just speculatin’; but it ain’t no accident you’re here.” Mal said in an offhand way. But his eyes were full of suspicion as he watched Richie crisscross the floor.
“I’m sorry but you’re right.” Their guest admitted as he stopped his pacing to stand in front of Mal and Jayne. “I was sent to confirm if Wash was in fact Immortal.” Richie admitted. “My friends and I, it’s what we do. We help the newbies understand what it means to be an Immortal.”
“Who are ‘we’?” Mal demanded.
“He’s a Gorram fed. I knew it. Want me ta shoot him, Mal.” Jayne, still held the knife in one hand but his other was ready to draw a weapon.
“Shooting him won’t make a bit of difference if he’s like Wash.” Mal reminded him.
“Yeah but it’ll make me feel a whole lot better if he’s Alliance.” Jayne stepped forward knife held out ready to test his theory.
“I’m not Tong meng.” Richie shouted. “I would never ever be one of those He chu-sheng za-jiao de zang-huo! The Alliance, they’ve imprisoned our kind before. Used us as guinea pigs. They don’t think of us as human..." Richie’s words were coming out slowly through labored breathing.
His vision was blurring and he was gasping for breath as the memories of his imprisonment slammed into him. It was a full blown panic attack. They didn’t happen that often anymore. Usually they came in the form of nightmares and Dean was always there to calm him down. Dean never teased him about it and had admitted to Richie that Sam used to have nightmares too. He really wished that his firend were here now.
As the panic rose, Richie bent over and put his hands on his knees, trying to keep himself from toppling over.
Mal moved instantly and help settle Richie onto a crate. “Jayne, go get Simon,” Mal ordered.
He then grabbed Richie shoulders. “Richie, look at me. You’re safe here. I promise.” Zoe sat next to Richie and took his hand stroking it in a comforting gesture. Together, Mal and Zoe breathed along with Richie trying to help slow the pattern of his hyperventilation.
By the time Simon showed up Richie was breathing normally again. Mal quickly explained what had happened. Simon checked Richie vitals any way.
Mal knelt down in front of the now calm Immortal “They did a real number on you didn’t they?” he guessed.
Richie nodded. “The Alliance 'doctors' were very creative. You’d be surprised what you can do to a person when they can’t die.” He let out a small rueful laugh
Mal’s eyes were sympathetic but his voice cold as he replied, “No, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.” His eyes locked with Simon's. The doctor grimaced in return. Both their minds immediately went to thoughts of River and what she'd endured at the hands of Alliance scientist.
"Not surprised all." Simon echoed quietly
Richie took another cleansing breath and squeezed Zoe’s hand in thanks. “I really am here to help Wash. I’m sorry about all this.” He gestured abstractly at himself.
“Don’t be.” She said as she bumped shoulders with him trying to recapture their playful moments from earlier.
“He’s fine now.” Simon pronounced.
“Thanks Doc,” Mal said.
Simon motioned to Mal and the two stepped out of hearing from Richie who was engaged in conversation with Zoe for the moment. “Stress is a huge trigger for these types of attacks. As long as he feels safe, he’ll be fine.” He whispered.
Mal nodded and indicated that the Doc should hang around.
“Look Richie.” Mal said as he returned, pulling a crate over to sit opposite his old friend. “I want you to know that you can trust me and mine. I would never betray you to the Alliance. You believe that?”
Richie nodded slowly. “I know Mal. I trusted you during the war and I trust you now.”
“Then tell us what you know. I need to understand what’s happened to my crewmen. Zoe deserves to understand what’s happened to her husband.”
It seemed his emotional meltdown had proven to Mal that Richie was one of the good guys. It had Mal begging him for trust and information instead of the other way round. Almost passing out aside, Richie felt good about this whole contact for the first time today. The reluctance he’d felt earlier to speak of Immortals seemed to have evaporated with Mal’s declaration of loyalty and concern. He could do this now and he could bring his friends in and everyone was going to get the exchange of information they needed.
“Of course there’s lot’s to tell. I’m not sure where to begin.”
Mal smiled, slapped Richie’s knee and settled onto his crate. “Let’s start simple. How old are you really?”
“536 years old.”
Mal gave a low whistle. “No wonder you got all Fang pi every time we called you kid.’
“But that would mean he was born on Earth-that-was.” Jayne said. “That ain’t possible.”
Richie flinched ever so slightly as the big man spoke, but Mal noticed.
“Jayne maybe you should leave. “ Mal said. Richie was comforted by Mal’s protective reaction.
“It’s ok Mal. As long as Jayne doesn’t threaten to cut me again, I think we’re good.” Richie joked. “But to answer you question. I really was.”
“And you’ll always look like a kid?” Zoe asked.
“And don’t I hate that sometimes.” He admitted ruefully. “But my first death happened when I was nineteen, so my body is frozen at that age. Wash won’t age either and as I mentioned before we are very hard to kill.”
“That’s why you were always volunteerin’ to take the suicide runs.” Mal said.
Richie smiled sheepishly, “Not really suicide if you can’t die. Besides it saved your sorry Hou-zi de pi-gu many times.”
“Not that often.” Mal laughed. “Sure explains how you never got hurt, though.”
“I’m gonna live forever. I really won’t age?” Wash asked.
Richie nodded, “Or father children I’m afraid.” He watched a sad look pass between Zoe and Wash. He understood their pain. Many Immortals regretted that they could never have children of their own.
“I was wonderin’, where’s the other guy?” Richie asked interrupting the silence that was stretching around Zoe and Wash. “I should be sharing this information with him too.”
“Wash, go find Sam and bring him to the galley. When he and River get to hiding you’re the only one who can find them.” Mal said.
Wash broke out of his musings. “Right Mal, that’s me; the Sam finder.” He laughed, pointed to his head and exited the cargo bay.
Mal stood. “Let’s move this discussion to the galley. It’ll be more comfortable.”
“You ok to walk, Richie?” Zoe asked as she helped him up. She had finally let go of his hand when he reached his feet.
“Oh yeah. Fast healer, remember.”
She smiled and Richie followed her up the stairs, with Mal close behind.
**********************
Sam was sitting on the floor of one the many hidden storage compartments in the belly of the ship with River next to him. He liked relaxing away from the pandemonium that was life on Serenity. With Simon and Kaylee spending more time together since the fight against the Reavers, River had often been his shadow and he found her silent companionship very comforting.
Simon had encouraged the friendship and was convinced that something about Sam helped River focus her thoughts. Sam wondered if his own psychic gift might be the reason. He hadn’t had a vision since he’d woken up on Miranda but he felt a kinship with River and her unique intuitive abilities.
“You miss him.” It wasn’t a question.
Sam smiled. River had said things that confirmed she knew he had been born on Earth-that-was but her wondrous talent to read people had offered no explanation as to how he’d come to be on Miranda or what it might mean. Until Sam figured out how he’d gotten to the future, they’d reached the unspoken agreement that his past was their little secret.
“Dean? Yeah. It’s strange to think he’s been dead for centuries.”
River cocked her head in a way that always reminded Sam of a small bird. “Two as one. Love and protection, like Simon and me.”
Sam nodded and leaned back against the wall. Simon’s sacrifice and fierce protection of River reminded him so much of Dean. He hadn’t realized how much that kind of attention had made him feel safe every day. Without Dean, Sam felt like a piece was missing and he didn’t like to think about what might have happened to Dean after his disappearance five hundred years ago. “We were all we had.”
“You’ll be complete again.” She said.
Sam looked at her wondering if this was a prediction or simply her way of trying to comfort him. He was about to ask what she’d meant when they were interrupted.
“Wash is coming.” Sam said. He stood and helped River to her feet.
Wash popped his head into the compartment. “Captain’s called a meeting. Sent me to find you.”
Sam smiled. “Remind me never to place hide-n-seek with you, Wash.”
Wash looked confused and Sam shook his head. “Nevermind.”
“Another one.” River said as she read Wash.
“That’s right.” He laughed. “How does she do that?” He shrugged. Like everyone else on Serenity, Wash accepted River’s pronouncements as fact. Even if sometimes it could be a little unnerving. “Immortal named Richie Ryan showed up. Friend of the Captain and Zoe’s. And get this; he says he’s over 500 years old.”
Sam was impressed, “Wow.” Someone who remembered Earth the way he did. He needed to meet this guy.
Author: strangevisitor7
Beta: Pen37
Rated: PG
Prompt: #26 Teammates for crossovers100 my table is here
Fandom: Firefly, Highlander, SPN & SV The rest of the Immortal!Dean Universe can be found here.
Characters: From FF: Mal, Zoe, Wash, River, Jayne, Simon, Inara, Kaylee. From I!D 'Verse: Dean Winchester, Duncan MacLeod, Richie Ryan, Methos, Chloe Sullivan and Sam Winchester.
Spoilers: The story begins in the middle of the Firefly Movie "Serenity". You will be spoiled if you haven't seen it.
Disclaimer: The characters you know and love all belong to their respective creators.
Summary: The crew of Serenity is in the middle of helping River, exposing the Alliance and evading the Reavers when they encounter a survivor on Miranda.
Chapter Summary: Richie makes contact with the crew of Serenity as the rest of the team waits in the wings. The last time Richie talked about his Immortality with mortals he was imprisoned and tortured by the Alliance. The memories of this past threaten to overwhelm him and imperil his mission.
A/N: This story takes place ~ 6 years after chapter 5 of 5 Times Immortal!Dean met Meta!Chloe.
A/N2: Richie's capture and torture by the Alliance is told in The Rescue of Richie Ryan.
Chapter List:
Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8
Chapter 6: Since I Found Serenity
They moved up the ramp and into the cargo bay. Mal stood arms crossed, waiting for Richie to explain.
“Can you close the hatch?” Richie asked.
Mal nodded to Zoe who walked over to press the button. Richie noticed that she stayed there, most likely to be ready if Mal decided to remove their visitor in a hurry. They’d been friends but something about Richie’s behavior had them worried and he couldn’t blame them.
Richie was feeling a little calmer, less exposed, now that they were inside. He faced his former sergeant and was about to continue the conversation when Jayne walked over to stand with his captain.
Jayne had drawn a knife from somewhere and was twirling it suggestively between his hands. “I think we need to be sure he’s like Wash.” he recommended. “Let me cut him, Mal.”
Mal hesitated as if he was debating the proposition. Richie backed away. No one cut on him; not any more. Ever! “Mal, there’s no need to do anything dramatic.” He pleaded as he raised his hands in a calming gesture toward Jayne. He wished Jayne would go away. The big man was disturbing in a way he couldn’t explain. “I admit it. I’m like Wash.”
“But you weren’t on Miranda?”
“It has nothing to do with Miranda.” Well it might, Richie thought but the specifics about demons could wait. He didn’t think they were ready for Immortals are champions for good created by the Powers That Be to fight evil speech yet. Or maybe they were but he sure as hell wasn’t ready to give it.
“Then how?” Mal demanded.
“No one really knows why certain people become Immortal.” Richie admitted. It was the truth. The council had never been able to discern a pattern among those who became Immortal and those who didn’t but they had determined that demonic and other supernatural activity always spiked when lots of new Immortals were found.
“Immortal.” Wash whispered. “Then Simon was right. It’s not just the incredible healing, Sam and I won’t age either.”
Richie kicked himself he hadn’t meant for that to slip just yet but it didn’t seem to matter. It appeared that the entire crew knew what Wash and this Sam guy were. Richie figured it was pointless to continue to obfuscate.
“Look Mal.” Richie began to pace across the cargo bay. He hadn’t completely let go of the panic that had begun outside and he needed to keep moving to keep it at bay. “I want to share what I know with you but you have to understand. I’ve spent my whole life keeping this information secret. If I tell you the truth I have to know that I can trust you.”
“I’m just speculatin’; but it ain’t no accident you’re here.” Mal said in an offhand way. But his eyes were full of suspicion as he watched Richie crisscross the floor.
“I’m sorry but you’re right.” Their guest admitted as he stopped his pacing to stand in front of Mal and Jayne. “I was sent to confirm if Wash was in fact Immortal.” Richie admitted. “My friends and I, it’s what we do. We help the newbies understand what it means to be an Immortal.”
“Who are ‘we’?” Mal demanded.
“He’s a Gorram fed. I knew it. Want me ta shoot him, Mal.” Jayne, still held the knife in one hand but his other was ready to draw a weapon.
“Shooting him won’t make a bit of difference if he’s like Wash.” Mal reminded him.
“Yeah but it’ll make me feel a whole lot better if he’s Alliance.” Jayne stepped forward knife held out ready to test his theory.
“I’m not Tong meng.” Richie shouted. “I would never ever be one of those He chu-sheng za-jiao de zang-huo! The Alliance, they’ve imprisoned our kind before. Used us as guinea pigs. They don’t think of us as human..." Richie’s words were coming out slowly through labored breathing.
His vision was blurring and he was gasping for breath as the memories of his imprisonment slammed into him. It was a full blown panic attack. They didn’t happen that often anymore. Usually they came in the form of nightmares and Dean was always there to calm him down. Dean never teased him about it and had admitted to Richie that Sam used to have nightmares too. He really wished that his firend were here now.
As the panic rose, Richie bent over and put his hands on his knees, trying to keep himself from toppling over.
Mal moved instantly and help settle Richie onto a crate. “Jayne, go get Simon,” Mal ordered.
He then grabbed Richie shoulders. “Richie, look at me. You’re safe here. I promise.” Zoe sat next to Richie and took his hand stroking it in a comforting gesture. Together, Mal and Zoe breathed along with Richie trying to help slow the pattern of his hyperventilation.
By the time Simon showed up Richie was breathing normally again. Mal quickly explained what had happened. Simon checked Richie vitals any way.
Mal knelt down in front of the now calm Immortal “They did a real number on you didn’t they?” he guessed.
Richie nodded. “The Alliance 'doctors' were very creative. You’d be surprised what you can do to a person when they can’t die.” He let out a small rueful laugh
Mal’s eyes were sympathetic but his voice cold as he replied, “No, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.” His eyes locked with Simon's. The doctor grimaced in return. Both their minds immediately went to thoughts of River and what she'd endured at the hands of Alliance scientist.
"Not surprised all." Simon echoed quietly
Richie took another cleansing breath and squeezed Zoe’s hand in thanks. “I really am here to help Wash. I’m sorry about all this.” He gestured abstractly at himself.
“Don’t be.” She said as she bumped shoulders with him trying to recapture their playful moments from earlier.
“He’s fine now.” Simon pronounced.
“Thanks Doc,” Mal said.
Simon motioned to Mal and the two stepped out of hearing from Richie who was engaged in conversation with Zoe for the moment. “Stress is a huge trigger for these types of attacks. As long as he feels safe, he’ll be fine.” He whispered.
Mal nodded and indicated that the Doc should hang around.
“Look Richie.” Mal said as he returned, pulling a crate over to sit opposite his old friend. “I want you to know that you can trust me and mine. I would never betray you to the Alliance. You believe that?”
Richie nodded slowly. “I know Mal. I trusted you during the war and I trust you now.”
“Then tell us what you know. I need to understand what’s happened to my crewmen. Zoe deserves to understand what’s happened to her husband.”
It seemed his emotional meltdown had proven to Mal that Richie was one of the good guys. It had Mal begging him for trust and information instead of the other way round. Almost passing out aside, Richie felt good about this whole contact for the first time today. The reluctance he’d felt earlier to speak of Immortals seemed to have evaporated with Mal’s declaration of loyalty and concern. He could do this now and he could bring his friends in and everyone was going to get the exchange of information they needed.
“Of course there’s lot’s to tell. I’m not sure where to begin.”
Mal smiled, slapped Richie’s knee and settled onto his crate. “Let’s start simple. How old are you really?”
“536 years old.”
Mal gave a low whistle. “No wonder you got all Fang pi every time we called you kid.’
“But that would mean he was born on Earth-that-was.” Jayne said. “That ain’t possible.”
Richie flinched ever so slightly as the big man spoke, but Mal noticed.
“Jayne maybe you should leave. “ Mal said. Richie was comforted by Mal’s protective reaction.
“It’s ok Mal. As long as Jayne doesn’t threaten to cut me again, I think we’re good.” Richie joked. “But to answer you question. I really was.”
“And you’ll always look like a kid?” Zoe asked.
“And don’t I hate that sometimes.” He admitted ruefully. “But my first death happened when I was nineteen, so my body is frozen at that age. Wash won’t age either and as I mentioned before we are very hard to kill.”
“That’s why you were always volunteerin’ to take the suicide runs.” Mal said.
Richie smiled sheepishly, “Not really suicide if you can’t die. Besides it saved your sorry Hou-zi de pi-gu many times.”
“Not that often.” Mal laughed. “Sure explains how you never got hurt, though.”
“I’m gonna live forever. I really won’t age?” Wash asked.
Richie nodded, “Or father children I’m afraid.” He watched a sad look pass between Zoe and Wash. He understood their pain. Many Immortals regretted that they could never have children of their own.
“I was wonderin’, where’s the other guy?” Richie asked interrupting the silence that was stretching around Zoe and Wash. “I should be sharing this information with him too.”
“Wash, go find Sam and bring him to the galley. When he and River get to hiding you’re the only one who can find them.” Mal said.
Wash broke out of his musings. “Right Mal, that’s me; the Sam finder.” He laughed, pointed to his head and exited the cargo bay.
Mal stood. “Let’s move this discussion to the galley. It’ll be more comfortable.”
“You ok to walk, Richie?” Zoe asked as she helped him up. She had finally let go of his hand when he reached his feet.
“Oh yeah. Fast healer, remember.”
She smiled and Richie followed her up the stairs, with Mal close behind.
**********************
Sam was sitting on the floor of one the many hidden storage compartments in the belly of the ship with River next to him. He liked relaxing away from the pandemonium that was life on Serenity. With Simon and Kaylee spending more time together since the fight against the Reavers, River had often been his shadow and he found her silent companionship very comforting.
Simon had encouraged the friendship and was convinced that something about Sam helped River focus her thoughts. Sam wondered if his own psychic gift might be the reason. He hadn’t had a vision since he’d woken up on Miranda but he felt a kinship with River and her unique intuitive abilities.
“You miss him.” It wasn’t a question.
Sam smiled. River had said things that confirmed she knew he had been born on Earth-that-was but her wondrous talent to read people had offered no explanation as to how he’d come to be on Miranda or what it might mean. Until Sam figured out how he’d gotten to the future, they’d reached the unspoken agreement that his past was their little secret.
“Dean? Yeah. It’s strange to think he’s been dead for centuries.”
River cocked her head in a way that always reminded Sam of a small bird. “Two as one. Love and protection, like Simon and me.”
Sam nodded and leaned back against the wall. Simon’s sacrifice and fierce protection of River reminded him so much of Dean. He hadn’t realized how much that kind of attention had made him feel safe every day. Without Dean, Sam felt like a piece was missing and he didn’t like to think about what might have happened to Dean after his disappearance five hundred years ago. “We were all we had.”
“You’ll be complete again.” She said.
Sam looked at her wondering if this was a prediction or simply her way of trying to comfort him. He was about to ask what she’d meant when they were interrupted.
“Wash is coming.” Sam said. He stood and helped River to her feet.
Wash popped his head into the compartment. “Captain’s called a meeting. Sent me to find you.”
Sam smiled. “Remind me never to place hide-n-seek with you, Wash.”
Wash looked confused and Sam shook his head. “Nevermind.”
“Another one.” River said as she read Wash.
“That’s right.” He laughed. “How does she do that?” He shrugged. Like everyone else on Serenity, Wash accepted River’s pronouncements as fact. Even if sometimes it could be a little unnerving. “Immortal named Richie Ryan showed up. Friend of the Captain and Zoe’s. And get this; he says he’s over 500 years old.”
Sam was impressed, “Wow.” Someone who remembered Earth the way he did. He needed to meet this guy.