Tick tock… tick tock… There it went again, that ever-constant reminder of her consciousness trying to pull her back into the real world. There is no rest for the wicked.
It had been years since River could remember a single day without the everlasting ticking of her internal clock. It's true that most people have some kind of subconscious effort to keep themselves in proper timing, but River's theoretical clock actually ticked. However, this annoyance was only one reason why she couldn't sleep on this particular night.
A few hours earlier, River had overheard a conversation between the captain and her brother Simon. Mal wanted Simon to completely confine her to her room, she would have no contact with any of the crew except for Simon and would be on medication at all hours;
" I won't have River rompin' about like that again." River heard Mal say in a hoarse whisper. "You here me! She could've killed somebody!"
"I'm sorry Captain. I should have kept a better watch over my medical supplies, I should have…" It was easy to recognize Simon's distinctive voice.
"You should've kept a closer eye on her damn it!"
"It won't happen again, I promise…"
"Of course it ain't gonna happen again, and it ain't gonna happen again because your to keep her on her meds 24/7 and she is to stay in that room o' yours at all times. Are we clear?"
"Perfectly."
As the room returned to its former silence River made her way back to her bunk where she lay down trying to get her thoughts together. She would be as trapped here as she had been in the institution. Why didn't they realize that she was getting better?
Granted she had made her fair share of mistakes while on serenity, and none of these was what would be deemed as little, but she was thinking clearer now, she no longer heard the strange voices of people she knew to be long dead, and most of the time she could speak in a way that her meaning wasn't entirely lost on the crew of Serenity. How could she possibly prove herself if she wasn't given the chance?
There was only one option; she must prove herself tonight. There was no waiting for tomorrow, she just had to find a way to make them understand that even if she wasn't entirely better that she did not need to be caged like an experimental creature.
River wracked her brain to formulate some kind of plan, but what could she possibly do in one night to prove herself to the crew, the captain, and her brother? …Well there was one thing…but she would need a little help.
It was dark, but River could still make out the light breathing coming from the nearby bunk. Simon had given her some pills to help her sleep which she had tucked slyly under her pillow as soon as Simon had turned away. She had done a very convincing job of drifting off to sleep, but that was one of her so-called 'gifts' that she could observe and imitate flawlessly. Just as right now she was carefully observing the rise and fall of her brother's chest with each intake of breath. Once she was completely satisfied that Simon was sound asleep River silently removed herself from her bed and from the room.
The halls of Serenity were soothingly quiet but oddly cold and River clutched her thin cloth dress tighter around her body in an attempt to warm herself. She did realize that it was merely a temperature adjustment used to conserve energy while everyone was sleeping, but it didn't make the cold any more comfortable.
The ship seemed bigger when she was the only one wandering in it, but River was to intent on reaching her destination to notice much. By the time she reached the door she was shaking, although that might have had more to do with the cold than excitement or fear. The door opened quietly, but the room's occupant was a light sleeper.
"Mal?" Inara asked annoyed "What on earth could be going on this early in the morning…" She quieted when she saw that it was River who had entered her shuttle. "River sweetie why aren't you asleep? …Simon would be worried sick if he knew you were out of bed at this hour."
"I need your help." River said quietly. Inara looked as though she might protest but instead she nodded and beckoned River to sit down.
"What do you want me to do?" Inara seemed calm but her voice held the slightest hint of hesitance.
"Captain and Simon want to lock me in my room always, and make me obey with medicine…" Inara nodded for her to continue, She was wise enough to know when River said something, even if it didn't make sense, that it was true. "I need to prove…to prove that I'm getting better, I am getting better…and I need help to prove it."
"And how can I help?"
"Make me normal."
"What do you mean River?"
"Make me normal…Pretty hair, combed and clean, pretty dress, no dirt, no tares, calm with pretty speech and being understood, I need to find my place… to be helpful and needed…useful."
"Well…" Inara said a smile beginning to cross her face "I think I might just be able to help you with that."
Inara began River's transformation with her appearance. She cleaned and combed River's hair before putting it in a pretty and sophisticated updo, she put some natural but pretty makeup on her, and she loaned River one of her more simple dresses. That of course was the easy part, the difficult thing would be to get her to act and talk in an appropriate manner. Of course this took a lot more time and they continued to work until the rest of the crew began to get up for the day.
"I think your ready." Inara said with a smile.
"I can not possibly thank you enough." River stated, as she looked herself over in a mirror. She really was pretty and hopefully now everyone would realize that she wasn't crazy… eccentric maybe but not crazy. Inara had said that wealthy people weren't called strange because people thought if they had that much money they could indulge themselves in whatever they wanted… so they were called eccentric, and River certainly looked wealthy at the moment. The most surprising thing was how well the look fit her… it was like this was the her she was supposed to be.
River thanked Inara once more before leaving the shuttle to see if her plan would work, as she wanted it to. By the time she reached the kitchen she could hear that most of the crewmembers were awake and active. She took a deep breath and walked through the open door. At first nobody even looked up, so she sat down at the table. Kaylee glanced over and smiled.
"Good morning Inara…" River looked up at Kaylee "Huh? …but your not… Oh my God." With Kaylee's sudden outburst everyone finally turned and looked at the cause of the commotion.
"Who the hell are you, and why are you on my ship?" Mal asked sternly, his hand readied near his pistol.
"Don't you see Capin' it's River, she went and got herself all beautified." Kaylee exclaimed excitedly.
"What in the hell are you talkin' about Kaylee, that's not… good heavens it is River." Mal's hand left his pistol and went to hold his head, this was a pretty big shock to wake up to in the morning. If he weren't prone to life threatening situations Mal might have just had a heart attack. Sure River had always been a strange kind of pretty… but now she was… well she certainly looked different. Mal just hoped he wouldn't get another "Special Hell." speech from Shepherd Book.
"Has anyone seen River?" Simon asked frantically as he ran into the kitchen. He looked around at everyone but none of them seemed able to speak and they were all staring up at Inara. "Inara have you seen River?" River turned around to face Simon. He took one good look and realizing whom it was… promptly fainted.