A/N: So I was doing lots of writing for Buffy and Angel and got a pang of the guilt. I remembered all of my reviewers who wanted a sequel or follow-up to the fic 'Darkness' and felt like I should do them justice... So reaverattack and jjmjmay, this is for making me feel bad for not originally writing more. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Um.. Again? I'll recycle an old favourite, then. They ain't mine, the verse ain't mine and I gain no profit from writing but the satisfaction and the warm fuzzy glow of good reviews. All hail Joss and such
Distribution: Please do, I'll love you forever, just keep my name on it.
She can no longer tell the difference between the realms of sleep and life, both lay so blurred in the darkness that she doesn't remember who is supposed to be dead and who remains alive.
Tonight but one remains. The one who never fades.
Heads are ripped off and torn skin is worn like coats. Screams burrowed into a brain like rats, gnawing at her ears and eyes and filling her with blistering blood of long dead friends and family.
Both ends of the hallway lead her straight to Hell.
Reaver screams and moans and wails are unending in the darkness where she hides in shadow until the dawning of first light.
She sends the nightmare retreating as she creeps back inside. This might be the only place where the monsters can't reach her. The only place where she can be safe.
In a world where all else becomes bathed in blood and death, one always stands. He stands so she can hold him tight and wish life and Hell away.
The life she craved so desperately, awash with friends and family torn away in nightly terror. That life she had and held so close is gone in an instant when she sits and hides and watches the rest of the world tear apart. Supposed to be their hero, and River lets them die.
She knows now, there was never anywhere for her to run.
The game is a lie.
So every night she wanders in, tears spilling over onto pale skin, to the one place where the darkness shies away. She collapses into strong arms which keep her upright when she falls. She breathes in the scent of him, the one that forever keeps her safe.
Her brain whispers that she's broken, but her heart says those in love can't break.
He makes a promise that the dark can't hurt her, that he'll shoot it all away.
She wishes it were that simple.
But he is the one who always survives. Maybe because he was always fighting, not just the darkness but his heart and his soul. Always felt so strong about her, lost somewhere between love and hate.
Arms encircle a tiny waist and pull her closer, like she might just slip away. And maybe she will. His grip ever tight as they weather the storm of nightmares and tears.
Small lips brush ever-soft against his as her eyes flutter shut. She smiles. This is the only thing she knows is real. This is the light that casts the shadow. One can't fathom darkness is the absence of light.
In Jayne's arms she doesn't dream.
She doesn't need to.