Title: A World After Miranda
By: Isabelle
Pairing: River/OC
Rating: M
Timeline: About four months after Miranda
Summary: It wasn't exactly a lie...
A/N: My first fan fiction, and it stars an original character. So please be nice, and if you are a River/Jane shipper, you should probably stop reading and go do something else. It will be a multi-chapter fic so if you like please say!
A boy walks onto a ship. He thinks he is a man but he is only 21. He is a 21 year old boy running, from the world he was born to, the life he was meant to have, and the people who killed his first love. The boy is named Will, tall with grey eyes that look as though they should belong to someone much older, and dark hair cut short. Handsome faces though do not last long on the border with out people looking out for them. He had spent weeks after he left home looking for work, then he got news that a firefly class ship needed a pilot. He was the only one who would take the job since the previous pilot was killed. Will thought to himself, a ship is a ship, as long as I get to fly who care? As long as I don't have to go back, why not get as far away as possible. As soon as he crossed the threshold he was greeted by a bouncing, brunette in a jump suit twirling a parasol.
"Well hi there!" She says with a high cheerful voice, "You must be the new pilot that the captain interviewed. Come on you have to meet everyone."
"Hang on Kaylee, the boy still needs to pass one more test." A voice called as the captain he had talked to emerged with a small smile on his face.
"Oops, right!" Kaylee said with a giggle. Will's insides started to turn, not knowing what kind of tests they might have in store. "Don't worry, you just need the o.k. by are current pilot."
"I thought he was…" Will said quietly, trailing off when he saw the look on both Kaylee and the Captains face.
"He is, but me and River have been keeping her up in the air since then," The captain said with a grimace. "But since my first mate is unable to do anymore petty thievery, River is needed to go on jobs now too."
"Oh, O.K." Will said trying not to sound worried. He wondered to himself however, what on earth they were doing to people working on this ship. He knew from reputation they were far from reputable, but now he knew of two people that were now out of commission on this ship.
"Captain you go get the others, I'll take, wait what's your name?" Kaylee questioned, as she dragged me across the cargo pit and up one of the flights of stares.
"Will," He said with exasperation. What was with this crew?
"Shiny, don't worry about the captain, just a little gun shy," Kaylee assured as she dragged him up yet another flight of stairs, " We just got to make sure you aren't alliance or nothing. And Zoë, the first mate, is not dead. She's pregnant." Her normally cheerful face darkened, "Wash, the pilot and her husband, died before she found out. She is strong though, I think the baby and her will be O.K. Oh here we are let me go get River!"
All Will could think, as Kaylee skipped away to double doors that he guessed where the cockpit, she can talk fast, and that the people on this ship are strange. Not like most smuggling ships he had seen on his way to Persephone. It was rare to have one woman there, let alone three, and a child on the way. As he waited patiently, he sat down in a chair in the kitchen, and looked around. To entertain himself he imagined what River looked like. Since she was apparently a fighter and a pilot, he guessed she was Mal's age, maybe on the heavy side, and really tall. I mean for a woman to protect herself she needs to be intimidating right? Just as he thought that a girl emerged from the double doors, in a loose purple cotton dress and black combat boots. She looked like she was made of skin and bone, he was sure she could not tip the scale of 100 soaking wet. With long brown hair down to her back, and piercing eyes, she seamed to see right through him. Suddenly he changed his mind, a girl who was younger then him, and a good foot shorter than him could be intimidating. Still, she looked so young, maybe eighteen at the most, how could she possibly be a pilot or a fighter?
"Hello." She spoke with a resonating calm, and yet there was something off, something he could not place. "You don't belong here. No, you were someone of higher company or goodness coated badness. Then a girl came. She wasn't bad; she was good, in a bad world or bad people with no love in their soul. The people of blue killed with their hands. You left, you ran. Like you did when you were a boy, and ran from a life of love, to a world of thieves, is that wrong? The calculations are never wrong, but their never right. Sums and letters are just sums and letters. The world does not stop for it. So was I right?"
"I…I…" Will had no idea how to answer that. "I don't understand…"
River, then looked annoyed and gave him a dirty look, "I just asked are you lying, or is it true you worked for the alliance until they killed your border moon girlfriend. Then you ran away to Persephone, and then you came here. Don't worry; I don't like to go poking around peoples heads. I will try to stay out of yours. The sun will come, the rest are waiting."
And he stood there stunned, as a tiny girl walked away, and when she reached the door frame she looked over her shoulder. She really was stunning wasn't she. Scary though, that look in her eyes was going to get him in trouble wasn't it. Though the look on her face was terrifying, she was so small, fragile, anemic even he for the life of him could not figure out how she could be a fighter.
" Come on, don't just stand there, " Her face softened, and she smiled. " You look like a fish when your face hangs open like that. And its sweet to worry, but I can take care of myself."
" I do not doubt that," Will whispered under his breath as he followed River hurrying down the stairs to the cargo bay. There standing in a semi circle was Kaylee with someone on her arm, he looked like someone back in the core, with his general demeanor, but there was kindness there too. Next to them was a women who was starting to show, he hair was pulled back and curly, but there was such sadness there in her eyes. Across from them was a scary looking man who was large and carrying several automated weapons. Besides the captain, he was the only one who looked as though they were criminals. As he reached the bay, river had already reached the others and went and whispered something to Mal and went to stand by Kaylee and the man on her arm. As he reached the circle a women descended the stairs. She most definitely was not from the boarder with her long dark hair and golden skin, she was probably one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen and as he glanced at Mal, he could tell he agreed. It was easy to see by the way they looked at each other, that there was something there. She waved at Kaylee and went to stand next to Zoë.
" Well now that we are all here," Mal spoke to the group, " This is Will the new pilot. The angry one with the gun is Jane, my first mate Zoë" he drawled pointing at the sad women who was pregnant. " Then the guy hanging off of Kaylee is Doctor Tam. And of course this is Inara," He smiled at the women with the dark hair and beautiful skin. Yep there is definitely something there. Then he turned back to the group and addressed the crew, "We have a job in Ezra, they have been having some problems with a local crew that has been burning down villages left and right,"
"They are going to pay us, right captain," The man mal had said name was Jane called out. " I didn't want to join the rutting peace corps. I wanted to get paid."
"The government there has offered a reward to any one who can bring these folks some justice." Mal said rolling his eyes.
"Shiny captain," Kaylee said, with a smile on her face. " I'll go make sure Serenity is up for the trip."
"I am going to go with Jane," River called over her shoulder as she followed the man with the annoyed look on his face. " He has kindly offered to lend me a gun or two, until after this job is over and I can get a few of my own with my cut."
Will heard Jane muttering to himself about how if he did not then she would blab to Inara about seeing her taking a sponge bath. Will thinks that he is starting to like this girl. Inara had started to go back up the stairs, he still didn't understand how she could be on a ship like this. She reminded him of the girls he grew up with, in there beautiful dresses and perfect hair. None of the girls on the boarder were like that. Zoë and Simon left with Zoë heading in another direction talking about an ultra sound. The only ones left were Mal and Will.
" Come on I will show you where you will be doing your job," Mal said, as he walked up towards the kitchen, as they reached the doorway to the pilot station and he turned to Will. "Now lets get something straight, you are not part of my crew. You don't get to be part of my team without proving it to me. Now River has told me that you are one of us, and that you hate the Alliance as much as the rest of us do. Now I don't now how that is possible, especially since River has the most to hate out of all of us. So I am making a decision to trust you. But if you hurt my crew, then you will be tossed out of a moving ship. Alright? This should be fun."
Will thought nothing about this crew could surprise him, but what shocked him more than anything is that River had something against the Alliance more then him. He found himself infinitely curious about a girl who looked no older then seventeen could hate a government that much, and how someone who is under 100 pounds could be a threat or could fight anyone. And as Mal is showing him the ins and outs of the ship all he could think of is the girl in the purple dress, and how he desperately wants to know her story.
XXXX
"Oh goram falling apart ship," Will swore, he had cut himself opening a drawer in his room. His hand was gashed pretty bad and it looked like it needed stitches. He remembered the day before after the 'pep talk' from the captain the animated Kaylee had shown him around the ship, and filled him in on a few key facts about the crew as she showed him the room he was staying in, the engine room, and the medical bay. She mentioned during one anecdote after another that River and Doctor Tam ( who she called Simon) where brother and sister, and that Inara was a companion who traveled with them sometimes, depending on weather or not Inara and mal were fighting. Will had smiled to himself, he knew that there was something there. They were practically having eye sex in front of everyone. But the important part of that tour was the medical bay. He hoped he wouldn't get lost trying to find the it. He left his room and walked to the medical bay with a peace of cotton wrapped around his hand. When he reached the bay door he heard River and Simon talking, he tapped the door. And Simon shouted to come in. Simon was rearranging medicine in a cabinet looking for something while river sat next to him on the counter. She was wearing a different dress, dark blue this time, but she was still wearing the same black combat boots. She gave him a piercing look and then she looked away back to Simon.
"He's trying to be polite, Simon," she said quietly to the hurried doctor, " But he cut his hand pretty badly and he needs stitches."
"Alright," He said as he grabbed a syringe, " Will was it, just one second let me just treat River it will only take a moment."
With that he put the needle in her arm. And then gave her three pills and a glass of water, then he turned to him.
" Alright why don't you just sit down there," Simon enunciating every syllable. He then looked over at River who handed him an empty glass. She hoped off of the counter and walked towards the sliding door. She then spun around to face both of them, though Simon had his back turned, getting the materials he would need to stitch up Will, and then she smiled.
" The world turns right side again," She laughed, and twirled a perfect pirouette, just like the dancers his mother took him to see when he was younger, and she was in combat boots. Was there nothing she was bad at? She was so pretty, and so young. He needed to be careful their. After what had happened with Iris. No he had to be careful, and he looked down at his hands, one of which was bleeding badly. As Simon started stitching up his hand, will blurted out something he shouldn't have.
" What is her story, River I mean." Will sputtered, wishing he had said nothing at all. Instead of telling him none of his business, or giving him a dirty look Simon merely looked slightly bemused. Then he smiled.
" My sister can answer for herself," Simon assured Will, " Ask her yourself, because I cant do her story justice. There were done, try not to cut yourself on anything else alright?"