"This doesn't make any sense." River knelt down, her green eyes widening just a fraction. It had started as a simple observation, but after a bit of trouble, it somehow escalated into a situation that couldn't be explained so easily. River peered over her shoulder; her friend, Jane, was kneeling down and shining her flashlight on strange markings on the desert ground; Erik, Jane's mentor, was looking between Jane, her van, and what was in front of River; Darcy, the intern Jane hired—who really was trying to finish college—was pacing a bit, looking more and more anxious by the second. "Jane, are you even going to come check this out?" River exclaimed.

"I have to get this down before it disappears."

River's lips pursed. "It doesn't look like that's going anywhere," she exclaimed. "Can we talk about this for a moment?" When Jane made no attempt to remove herself from the designs on the ground, River sighed and looked down again. River didn't like it when things didn't make sense, it bothered her. She tried to avoid situations that she couldn't quite understand—she wasn't a fan of deeply analyzing things or things of that nature. But having a friend who happened to be a scientist made questionable situations pop up a lot. But what River found herself in wasn't just some little problem, it was massive. It was enormous. It was...a man.

A man that showed up out of nowhere.

Where in the hell did he come from? River thought anxiously.

Earlier That Day

River was gathering the few belongings she'd taken with her to Jane's apartment. She'd spent most of her morning helping Jane finish up her latest research, and it was by the time early afternoon rolled in that River decided she was about ready to go.

"I'll see you guys later," River exclaimed, waving goodbye to everyone. They all murmured their farewells.

As River made her way to her apartment, she took a moment to really observe everything around her. She'd been living in New Mexico for a little over three years; she'd wanted a change of scenery, something different compared to the little town in Massachusetts she grew up in. River certainly wouldn't have picked another small town, but it was a start on something different.

River let out a sigh. She didn't particularly dislike New Mexico, but she didn't exactly like it either. She'd spent a good amount of money traveling from Massachusetts to where she was at the moment, and until she had enough saved up, she was planning on leaving again. River worked part-time as a waitress at the town's local diner; the owner was pretty nice and seemed to understand that River had other things she needed to do outside of work—some of the time it included Jane's research, other times it included very personal moments that she just couldn't avoid.

Once she reached her apartment building, River made her way up a flight of stairs before unlocking her apartment door and going in.

Most days after River would help Jane with her research, River would find some way to unwind. Sometimes that meant spending an afternoon in her apartment, other times she'd go to the nearest town to go shopping, or she'd spend time in her Spot—a secluded little area River claimed a couple miles outside of town—and just figure out something to keep herself occupied. For River, in that moment, it felt like she was stuck in the middle of wanting to spend time in her apartment and going to her Spot.

I could always spend a little time here and then go, she thought. It wasn't a bad idea. Throwing off her shoes by the front door and placing all the things she brought with her on a nearby table, River plopped herself down on her sofa and turned on the television.

-0-0-0-0-

River spent a better part of an hour and a half in her apartment, going between watching a little TV and reading one of her favorite books. After a while, a feeling of restlessness was clawing its way up River, and she knew that if she stayed in her apartment a moment longer, she'd probably go crazy. That was how it could be for River sometimes; some days she didn't mind not doing anything at all, other days she needed to be constantly on the move. Marking off where she was in her book, River tossed it on the sofa; she hurried to the front door and shoved her feet into her tennis shoes.

Going back down the stairs, River said hello to a few people who lived in the same building as her before making her way through the town's small streets.

The one thing River did like about where she lived was that since it was such a small town, the streets weren't exactly big enough for cars to be driving in. Sometimes a car or two would be seen, but chances were they'd be heading off to the nearest town to be getting supplies that weren't sold where they lived. In Massachusetts, in that little town River grew up in, she could hear cars driving down the streets all the time. It was almost weird not hearing one. But the one thing River appreciated about her hometown was that there were things to do. Not so much in her little New Mexico town.

I can't complain, though, she thought solemnly. I've got a decent place to live, I have an OK job—it could be worse, right?

River let out a soft sigh. She was lucky enough to have just enough money to get a place to live and even luckier to be able to find a job; though she credited her ability to get a job on how small the town was. Either way, she wasn't about to start whining or bemoaning; she'd work with what she had.

As she reached the outskirts of the town, she did a quick look back, just an instinctual part of herself making sure no one followed. As she started walking in the direction of her Spot, she allowed herself a bit of time to just think. Normally, River went to her Spot to get away from Jane or Darcy if either of them were being a little annoying or to just get away from people in general. It was pretty far away and it was quiet. It was about a fifteen minute walk on foot, half the time in a car.

Once she finally made it, River let out a slightly breathless sigh.

Gives me a bit of a workout. River stretched a little, making sure she wouldn't get too sore later from all the walking. I should really exercise more.

River shook her head, brushing some of her coppery brown hair away from her face. After River took a moment to just stretch and get a bit comfortable, she let out a silent breath.

If I'm going to start thinking about working out, I might as well do the next best thing. Looking at her surroundings, River made sure there wasn't anything that could be flammable nearby. She also checked her outfit, making sure there wasn't anything dangling. Holding her hands up in front of her, River watched as they disappeared in crackling flames.

(A/N):

Hello, everyone! Sorry for the late posting, I would've had this done sooner, but I got sidetracked by responsibilities. Just let me know what you think, OK? I'll go a little deeper into River's character as the story progresses. If you've got ideas on anything that you'd think could happen, don't hesitate to review or PM me.

I own nothing in the MCU. All I own are my characters and the studs for my nose piercing.

Leave a review on what you think of this story so far. I know it's only one chapter, but I feel like this story could be a whole lot better if I got to understand your thoughts on it. How would you like to see River develop in this story? I could leave you with that question for now.

Let me know if there's anything I can improve on.

Many blessings,

Indigo Callahan