Floating

Disclaimer: I don't own Firefly.


River drifted out of her bunk, the minds in the spaceport buzzing like angry bees behind the fragile film that separated the girl that was her from everyone else. It was stronger now, since Miranda and the bloody genocide that had been weighing on her mind without her ever knowing had been revealed it had become a much simpler matter to block out all the thoughts that didn't belong to her without the help of Simon's brain muzzing narcotic cocktails.

She glided into Wash's seat.

It didn't matter that she was the new pilot on Serenity, as far as anyone and everyone was concerned the seat was Wash's and River agreed. Something of him lingered on the bridge, not a ghost, ghosts were fictional constructions that could not be quantified, more like a faint imprint of his mind. Zoe liked to come here sometimes too because she could feel it, the presence, in her gut rather than her mind.

River stared out at the twinkling lights far below that looked a little like stars if she tilted her head 56.4 degrees to the left and crossed her eyes. More than anything she wanted to get back out into the Black and just float in the nothingness with only the familiar minds of the crew to brush against hers.

"Whatcha doin' up s'late Albatross?" yawned Mal.

The Captain was barefoot with his shirt half-way buttoned incorrectly, his sand coloured hair sticking up at odd angles, and his eyes fogged with sleep.

"Couldn't sleep with all the pressing," she explained.

"General populous being damn noisy little buggers?"

"Not their fault,"

"S'not yours either," Mal countered flopping into the co-pilot's seat.

"Hands of Blue," nodded River, "They broke my wall, crashed it down, couldn't put it up again, not enough blocks,"

"After Miranda though, you got a lot better,"

River cocked her head at the Captain. He saw much more than anyone gave him credit for.

"They were attacking from both sides, inside and outside, now it's just the one side and I'm making new blocks. The wall is up but it wobbles when they all push and I have to stay awake to hold it up,"

"Sounds like work,"

"I like the Black better,"

"How's that, when it's all of us cooped up and crowding you in?"

"No pushing and shoving, little nudges, soft, safe, and the rest is just…floating," she said with a wistful sigh and a soft smile.

"Well, that's alright then," grinned Mal.

He put an arm around her and pulled her close, and he pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her head. River closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of his touch, and without meaning to she let Mal slip and slide through the many cracks and holes in her wall until he was within her and around her, and miraculously there was silence. She sank into the deep calm waters in the middle of all the chaos of the minds around her, safely cradled and sheltered from the storm of thoughts that raged around them. There was peace lightly underscored with a permeating sleepy contentment. River's smile widened.

She was floating.


AN: Just a short fluffy little drabble about my two favourite Firefly characters. Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to drop a review on the way out!