Five years later
River woke screaming, an anguished cry echoing throughout her brain, visions of monsters who feasted on flesh in the dark, a blonde being ripped from her hands, the scent of leather and dust heavy in her nostrils, a frighten little girl hiding behind a mask, murmurs of Chrislam prayer, instinctively she ran her fingers along the thin white scar on her forearm, it was warm to the touch. There was no Simon to comfort her these days he had long since moved into Kaylee's bunk but it was better that way. She had been doing so well up until a year ago when the nightmares had started again, if her family knew they had come back she would be watched by suspicious eyes, and Simon would poke at her with needles, she shuddered at the thought of more needles.
Sleep would not come easy again she knew, and pulled herself out of bed. Tossing on the first thing her fingers touched, a green silk baby doll dress, she left her bunk and headed toward the engine room, she needed her mother tonight. Silently, she crept toward down the hallways reaching out her senses to locate the members of her family. Simon and Kaylee slept, she wrapped him in the warmth of her sunshine, and Simon pulled her closer and smiled in his sleep. Captain Daddy slept uneasily his dreams were filled with a perfumed woman, always just beyond his reach, while Zoe dreamt of Wash and the child they had never had, but she was at least happy in her dream. Jayne's dream was of a more lurid nature and she quickly pulled herself out of his head, he also dreamt of a perfumed woman but hers was cheap and laced with moonshine.
In the engine room River curled up on Kaylee's hammock and rested one hand on Serenity's beating heart, her mind instantly soothed by her calming rhythm. These dreams were different than the ones she'd had when Simon had first rescued her, they weren't her dreams, and she shouldn't have to carry them, but just like the hundreds of secrets her mind held that did not belong to her either, there was no point in dwelling on the fact, whether she liked it or not they were there.
Things had been easier after the Miranda broad wave, now that the once silent screams had echoed and ripped their way across the 'verse, the Alliance had begun to lose its tentative grip on the Rim Worlds and pulled back to fortify it's strong holds in the Core. They had not wanted a second Unification War and for now it was easier to cut its losses, lay low, and wait. That was the Alliance, a serpent in the grass. Rumors of war had circulated for a year or so after the broad wave but as the Alliance gracefully bowed out the ire of the Rim People had died. However, with the Alliance's absence in the Rim Worlds Reaver attacks were becoming more and more common place and had some Rim Planets begging for assistance from the very government that had brought the plague down upon them. River shook her head at the flawed logical of it.
She often wondered if it had been worth the loss of Wash and Book, even the funny little man called Mr. Universe, not to mention the dozens of friends and contacts they had lost when the Operative struck. If she had kept the weight of their secret to herself they would be alive. Zoe would have never admitted it aloud and tried her best to not even think it but at times it came of its own accord and River could not blame her for it. A tiny light had gone out in Zoe when Wash died and though she had kept his dinosaurs they did not laugh any longer, they were just as silent as the man that had given them life and River thought that just as sad as if Zoe had tossed out of the air lock.
River thought about all these things because she did not want to think on the dreams or the little chips the dreams had made around the walls which sealed off a very particular part of her mind, the part that held her secret, the one she did not mind baring because it belonged only to her. The secret of why Simon would never be able to fix her.
She had read the headlines, the death of famed sociopath Richard B. Riddick escaped convict, murderer, had been blasted across the cortex for weeks. River had locked herself in her bunk and smashed the portable cortex she had made from spare parts. She had cried and Simon had shot her fill of needles and forced pills down her throat, she only managed to pull herself from her own madness when the thoughts of the crew had told her they were planning on taking away her weapons again and not letting her pilot anymore. Her beast may have left this world but she still had a family to look after and she forced herself to focus on that because after all, they did require so much looking after. In the time she was down Mal had been shot twice, Jayne had been stabbed in a bar fight and Kaylee had kicked Simon out of their bunk.
If they knew how bad it all really still was, they would take it all away again. She ran her fingers absently along the scar, thoughts of the one man who had trusted her wholly and completely, the other half of her broken psyche, the one she belonged to invaded her mind, 'how does one belong to a dead man?' She thought to herself. Did that make her half dead? Wasn't she already half dead? So was she all dead now? Nothing remained except the empty shell of a little girl who dreamed of being a ballerina and instead become a criminal and one of the 'verse's most wanted. She let a few tears slide down her cheeks, biting her lips to keep from sobbing aloud as she let the quiet humming of her mother sooth her, and after awhile she drifted off into a restless sleep.
Riddick dropped his duffel at the foot of the bed in the shabby hotel he was staying in. "Lights out," he said wearily pulling his goggles off and dropping onto the bed, letting his head fall into his hands, elbows propped on his knees. Five years, five years of searching, killing, dodging the ruttin' Alliance and The Company and every other gorram merc with greedy hands and gou shi (shit) for brains, following one fake trail after another, always one step behind or one second to late, and then there was the ruttin' Miranda broad wave as if the Mo ming qi miao(Ridiculously strange, illogical or nonsensical) girl didn't have enough mercs on her trail she needed to paint a gorram bull's eye on it as well. He had to gut more than a few mother fuckers he'd come across that had eyes on their girl.
And then there had been Johns, hun dan (bastard) didn't know when to quit, well least he was rottin' away now one less Fei fei pi gu (baboon's ass) bottom feeding around the 'verse. He hated the fact those monsters still haunted his dreams, as it turns out there were things worse than him out there, at least they'd taken down the blue eyed devil for him. He snorted at the thought. He'd wasted time taking on the Holy Man and the kid, he should have never gone back to them, nothing was more important than getting their River back, but oddly enough it was River that made him go back. Jack was no older than River had been when the hun dans (bastards) had taken her, seeing Caroline die, picturing their River as Jack that had made him go back. Had he known he'd be stuck hauling their pig gus (asses) round the 'verse for six months he might have thought twice, Johns had cost him enough time as it was.
She was Their River, and there was no peace without her, without her he was more beast than man and his control was slipping every day. He had lost it nearly completely before the crash of the HG, something brought him back, maybe saving the kid, maybe not. He wasn't completely sure but for the last year or so the man had begun to resurface, but now he was drowning in the sand again without her. He felt the void like a physical ache the beast whined in sympathy he felt it too.
Instinctively, he traced the thin scar along his right arm, it was warm to the touch, the beast purred. He could feel her blood coursing through his veins, the foreign fluid in his body should have felt like an invasion but they took comfort from it.
An old contact on Persephone had lead him to the back water planet he now found himself on, at least that pig gu (as) of a captain she was flying with had enough sense to keep her outta the core worlds. He promised himself though if he ever caught the hun dan (bastard) alone they'd exchange a few not so friendly words over him dragging their girl straight through Reaver space and into a fleet of Alliance ships. The beast growled impatiently, he had gotten here a day ahead of Serenity's expected arrival, they were so close to her now, the phantom smell of her scent tingled his nostrils, tomorrow morning she would be back where she belonged, with them, and god help any man who ever tried to take her from them again. He laid back against the bed, closing his eyes and stretching out his senses checking for danger before he caught a few hours' worth of sleep.
Something prickled the back of his mind, footsteps, outside below his window; another five sets down below inside, moving up the stairs. The air became heavy and thick with tension; he stilled his breathing and slowed his heart rate, reaching by reflex for the shiv on his waist. A crash came from the window, broken glass flying across the bed. A silver canister clattered against the floor and began spewing a cloud of smoke.
"Ruttin' hell."
" 'Tross, how long 'til we break atmo?" Mal asked in between bites of the protein mash Kaylee had somehow managed to coax into something almost tasty, almost.
"Four hours, twenty-seven minutes, and ten seconds," River answered absently pushing her protein idly around her plate, something was not right and her recent lack of sleep was not helping at all. Dark circles had formed around her eyes making her look even more pale than usual and the crew's incessant worry over whether or not she was truly better was irksome at best and absolutely maddening at worst, plus it was giving her a headache. Five years and they still didn't trust her not to go shiv happy all over their pig gus (asses). Except maybe Kaylee and yet this morning even her blind optimism was annoying.
"Mei-mei, are you alright?" Simon asked worry lines creasing his forehead, "I could up the meds at night if they've stopped working, or give you a shot to help you get some rest."
"No, Simon. No. More. Needles." She spoke slowly but without leaving any doubt as to her feelings on the subject matter, dropping her fork she rubbed her fingers against her forehead.
"River, sweetie, Simon's only trying to help, somethin' to sleep, that's all." Kaylee offered trying as usual to be the voice of reason between the warring brother and sister.
"The girl is fine!" She snapped.
Zoe remained silent but studied her closely, Jayne snorted into his cup and in turn refocused the crew's attention on him, as every pair of eye's including River's glared at him. "What?" He asked a bit or protein clinging to his lower lip.
River stood up quickly knocking her chair backwards, she took a breath before speaking, struggling to order her words through the torrent of emotions flying through the mess, "The girl… I am fine," She ran a frustrated hand through her tangle of waist length brown hair, "Jayne, two minutes and, forty-five seconds into atmo, duck." At the blank looks of her family she let out an angry sigh and stomped barefooted up to the cockpit.
After the hatch had slammed shut behind her Mal looked at Simon, "She good to fly?" he asked, his gaze wandering back up to the closed hatch.
"I don't know, I think so. She hasn't been sleeping and when she does she goes on and on about fury and darkness, something about monsters." He let out a frustrated sigh, tossing down his own fork. "I wish I knew, she had nightmares about being trapped in the blackness and chains when I first rescued her, but they went away with the meds, I thought she was getting better, especially since Miranda, but this last year she seems to be regressing. I don't know what else to try."
"Found her this morning in the engine room, she's been sleepin' in there a lot lately, says she needs her mother to feel safe." Kaylee said, concern biting at the edges of her voice, "I think she means Serenity is like her mother, which I guess to River makes sense since she ain't really got a good real one. Sorry Simon." She rubbed his shoulder apologetically.
"No Kaylee, it's alright it's the truth."
"Girl's moonbrained is all," Jayne said with a mouthful of protein, "mean sure she's got her lucid moments but the Alliance done hacked at her brain, ain't nothin' fixin' that."
"I don't know what's scarier the fact you know what the word lucid means or that you may actually be right." Simon dropped his head into his hands, running his fingers through his hair.
Jayne scowled and got up tossing his plate in the sink, "Hang around feng le (insane) little girls long enough and smart ass hun dan(bastard) docs bound to get some of that moonbrained language stuck." He muttered before stomping off into the cargo bay to lift weights.
"Bit tetchy this morning." Mal commented.
"Been awhile since we've been dirt side, bound to make anybody a mite tetchy, Sir," Zoe answered finishing off her coffee and getting up to start the dishes since it was her turn. "Girl's been through hell Mal, damn sure Miranda ain't the only weight she's carryin' around."
"Doc?" Mal asked.
"Captain, she's never going to be well again, but can she fly? Yes, for now, if it gets worse?" He shrugged, "Who knows how far she'll slide?"
"Well, we take care of our own, Lil 'tross is always lookin' out for us, for now we all keep a close eye on her, she shows signs she's itchy for another Maidenhead use the safe word."
"The girl is a reader; she does not have to be in the room to hear your conversations." A small voice came from behind them and every head jerked up to its source. "You do not trust her," she sobbed, rubbing her hands viciously across her face and through her hair, "she would not hurt her family, she is sorry she is broken, she has been trying to be a normal girl. She is trying to be River again, your thoughts are all black and swirling, you fear the girl again!" River's quiet sobs had become hysterical by the time she was through ranting.
"Mei-mei, it's not," Simon stood to go to her but before he could reach her she bolted out the opposite door, a trail of russet brown silk flowing behind her.
Mal swore. "Ruttin hell."
"River, Ai ya! (Aah!)Simon's panicked voice echoed through the cargo bay.
"Mei-Mei, please, please come down, you're scarin' us up there!" Kaylee pleaded as she and Simon slowly approached River from either side of the walkway which dangled above the cargo bay. River was using the thin railing as a balance beam turning cartwheels and back flips across the six inch beam as easily as if she was on solid ground. Since the argument of the morning and Mal's almost crash as he tried to land Serenity himself River had begun slipping further and further away. She had been right about telling Jayne to duck, had she not Jayne would probably be lying unconscious in the infirmary still instead of loading their not so legal cargo into the hidden compartments. Simon had thought it was a promising sign, he had been wrong.
"Ain't fallen before Doc, no reason to think moony will any time soon, best just leave her be 'til she feels like comin' down." Jayne huffed as he stowed another crate, he'd been feeling a mite charitable to the moonbrain seein' as she saved him from spendin' their time dirt side strapped to an infirmary bed.
"The-man-called-Jayne is welcome!" River shouted down from the railing as she started to twirl impossibly fast for someone with such little room to move.
Simon glared at Jayne and slowly continued toward his sister popping the cap off the syringe in his pocket.
"Mei-mei please!" Kaylee cried, "Ain't no good at all if you splatter yourself 'cross the bay."
"Do not rain sunshine, you'll tarnish your yellow and make it run blue." River called out in a sing song voice.
Suddenly, River froze in mid spin nearly losing her balance, she grabbed at the wire for support.
"River!" Simon and Kaylee yelled in unison, even Jayne stopped working and looked up, hoping he wouldn't have to clean up the mess if loony did splattered herself across the cargo bay floor.
River remained frozen; her face a ghostly pale, a single tear fell from the corner of her eye. "He's alive." It was a barely audible whisper.
"Mei-mei?" Simon asked carefully stepping closer prepared to physical remove her from the rail if necessary, "Please mei-mei let me give you something to calm you down."
River read her brother's intention and she could not allow it, her beast was alive and he needed her. She tried to make Simon understand, "The beast has been searching for his mate, he's never forgotten, he never forgot the girl! He needs her now, she must go and rescue him! Wild things cannot be caged and chained!" She cried out in frustration, in her panic she was unable to make her words mean her thoughts.
"River, I don't understand, you need to come down and let me give you something, and then once you're calm again we can talk." Simon removed the needle from his pocket.
"No!" River shrieked and leapt down from the railing.
"River!" Simon and Kaylee cried out in unison both diving for her and catching only air.
River turned a perfect somersault in mid air, landing noiselessly on a large metal crate, before hoping down to the cargo bay floor.
"Now moonbrain," Jayne approached her hands up and palms out to show he was unarmed, "Let the Doc help you, ain't got time for this, got a job to do." He took a step closer. "Cap's liable to be mite pissed he comes back and you're carryin' on."
River took a moment to assess the situation, her brother with the needle, Kaylee, and Jayne all slowly circling her. She dropped into a crouch and swung her leg out knocking Jayne's feet out from underneath him and laying him out on his back, the biggest threat neutralized she leapt up and fled the cargo bay out into the sunshine of the busy space port before Jayne had time to realize yet again, the ninety pound girl had laid him out. Swearing quite inventively he pushed himself up of the ground and went barreling after her. River ignored the shouting of her family and disappeared into the crowd.
He was here, somewhere in the city her beast was chained and she ran as fast as she could, cutting her feet on the ground as she twisted through back alleyways. She didn't think, she didn't need to her body acted purely on instinct as she followed the thread of Riddick's thoughts, with every step the pull of the string became stronger, the years of its absence no longer relevant, the call of his mind silencing all others. Her mind cleared and for the first time in years, since their separation she was able to distinguish her thoughts and feelings from those around her and her only thoughts surrounded him. Finally, she halted in front of a rundown hotel.
"Riddick." Her voice was a mere whisper, his name tasting familiar on her tongue though it had been five years since she'd allowed herself to speak it aloud.
The beast growled only mildly satisfied he had managed to take out six of the nine man team Toombs had come at him with before getting hit with the shock gun, forty thousand volts was enough to put anyone down, 'Fuckers getting smarter' he thought to himself. Hun dan (bastard) was sittin' pretty lounged across the bed waiting on back up, he'd learned from the last time and wasn't about to transport Riddick without it. Chains be damned, Riddick was one gorram dangerous fucker, and he wasn't looking for a scar to match the one he'd left last time along the left side of his face.
"Riddick." He heard the whisper as if it was a scream, his heart stopped beating for a moment as the beast perked up, and he closed his eyes behind the blindfold stretching out his senses reaching desperately for the touch of her mind. 'She is here! Our River is here!' He practically screamed to his beast who lashed out against the chains in anticipation. Riddick took a breath to steady himself and on the exhale he pushed his thoughts out to his dark haired angel.
"River?" He thought with absolute reverence.
"The girl has found you!" Her thoughts screamed with joy.
Riddick felt as if he could rip through his chains, the empty void he had felt these last five years vanished, it didn't heal, it simply disappeared as if it had never existed.
"The beast has been caged but the girl has no desire to visit him at the zoo."
Riddick smirked, he didn't realize how much he had missed the way she spoke and thought in riddles and metaphors. "So how's 'bout you slipping us the key?"
"Three men." She spoke through his mind, it wasn't a question he knew she was merely stating a fact.
"Was nine."
She could hear the smugness in his thoughts and couldn't resist teasing him just a bit, "And yet you are still chained."
Riddick growled at her through his thoughts but there was no malice in it, River mentally rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look River-girl, you get your scrawny pig gu (ass) up here and break your beast out."
River didn't bother to respond; instead she leapt up the fire escape moving silently to the fifth floor and eased her way into the window at the end of the hall.
"Room 508," he thought to her, "Big Boss man lounging on the bed, armed, one shock gun capable of forty thousand volts, one hit stuns the second kills, two pistols, one shouldered, the other hip holster, favors the one on his hip, shiv on his hip, my shiv by the way," he growled in his thoughts, "shiv in his boot, cocky hun dan too, gave him a nice souvenir our last run in, five inch scar runs down his left cheek. Second merc, pickin' his nails with a shiv, sitting in a chair, watching some horror flick on the cortex, four pistols on this one, paranoid little shit, one non lethal stun baton, packs a punch, last one leaning against the wall watching the vid over the other one's shoulder, he's got a baton too, one boot shiv, one rifle with armor piercing rounds, three grenades and one flash bomb on his belt, he's got a traq gun too, nothing to consider, your immune to the shit he's got, his side arm drifts ¼ inch to the right, he hasn't got the hang of it. I'm at your nine coming through the door metal pipe runs in from the floorboard straight up into the ceiling, heavy duty chain single length legs and arms wrapped around the pole sitting up blindfolded, got an itch on my nose hoping you can fix that." River rolled her eyes. "My duffel's at the foot of bed, couple of spare shivs, some cred chips, change of clothes, nothing I can't live without."
River listened intently as Riddick went over the important particulars mentally forming a layout of the room.
"No, the window's to the left not the right." Riddick corrected her as he watched the map draw itself in her mind. "Toombs is starting to doze, the standing merc is walking towards me. Duffel zips from the left." He watched the map reformulate itself and he smirked as she let him in on her plan.
"What in the gorram hell is so funny?" The merc demanded snapping out his stun baton.
Riddick didn't answer instead his smirk grew as he lifted his face towards the sound of the man's voice. He snarled when the baton contacted with his chin, the sound cutting off into a dangerous laugh, "My girl's gonna put that through your eye."
"Is that so?" The merc laughed delivering a solid kick to Riddick's ribs.
"Mathis!" Toombs barked, "Anyone ever tell you it's not smart to poke dangerous animals? Don't rattle the dogs cage ain't been paid yet." Toombs jumped at the sound of a soft knock on the door.
"Gettin' a mite tetchy in your old age Toombs?" Riddick smirked, his beast pacing in anticipation. There was no doubt in their minds that their girl would get them out, River basked in the unfamiliar feeling of trust even after all these years. She had nothing like that on Serenity.
The knock came again slightly louder. "Well?" Toombs snapped at Mathis and he jumped to look through the peephole. The other merc had set down his cortex but didn't bother to stand. 'Sloppy.' Riddick thought.
"It's a girl boss, all kinds of shiny too, tiny thing."
Riddick growled possessively in unison with his beast without realizing a sound had left his lips.
River giggled at him through her mind.
"Not funny girl," he continued to growl.
"The girl has grown up while the beast was away, is used to such thoughts, no longer offend."
Riddick did not like the idea of some skinny ass punk sniffing around their girl grown up or not, no one touches what was theirs, would have to speak to her brother on that account.
"Well now." Toombs smirked smoothing out his hair and shouldering Mathis out of the way and taking a look for himself he let out a low whistle.
Riddick struggled against his chains his beast roaring.
"What's that Dickey boy caught a whiff of something you won't be tasting for a good long time did ya?" He laughed as Riddick snarled in response.
Still laughing Toombs swung the door open.
"First mistake," Riddick whispered as Toombs went down, River's bare foot scraped and bleeding had connected solidly with his throat, he hit the ground gasping for air.
Mathis was caught off guard by the sight of a ninety pound girl and the angle at which she had kicked his boss catching a sight of her undergarments.
"Dirty thoughts," River scowled.
"Second mistake," Riddick whispered gleefully as River landed a spinning kick directly to the merc's jaw, reaching down she yanked the stun baton from his holster and gripping it with both hands as he tried to recovered she shoved it through his eye socket. It hadn't been a part of her original plan but her beast had promised it and they always kept their promises.
It was an unnecessary movement though and the effort she wasted trying to rip the stick back out left her exposed, the third merc got a lucky shot clipping the underside of her bicep. Blood rushed from the wound as she felt the searing white metal burn through her flesh.
The smell of their River's blood had Riddick lashing out uselessly against his chains, the beast wild with rage. "Third ruttin mistake!" He snarled out.
River spun around her eyes wild as the beast's rage poured out into her mind, in one single motion she ripped the pistol from Toombs shoulder holster and fired, the merc fell a small circle of blood pouring out dead center of his forehead. Then, without hesitation she turned on Toombs who bent over on all fours now was still gasping for air and pressed the cold metal of his own gun against the back of his head.
"Bullet in the brainpan. Squish." River fired, blood and bits of brain spraying her arms and face.
The room was silent for a moment as River slowly leveled her gaze with the blindfolded one of Riddick. She yanked the key and Riddick's goggles from Toomb's side pocket kicking him over with her bare foot and crossed the room. Slowly she knelt in front of Riddick and pushed the blindfold up. He purred at the first contact of skin he'd had from her in five years. Despite the chains the beast was content.
Their eyes locked her large green meeting his silver blue and not for the first time Riddick wished desperately he could see the color of her eyes. He knew they were green because she had told him they were the shade of pine needles; they were the taste of spinach. It was how River explained color to him and because he had held pine needles in his hand before, they were hardy and smelled of sap and the earth, and he had tasted spinach, sharp and slightly acidic, he knew the color of her eyes, but still every part of him wished he could see them.
River unlocked the padlock and within a second she was engulfed in his massive arms, he buried his face in her hair and neck drinking in her scent like a man taking his first sip of water after a journey through the desert. River purred in utter contentment, she was whole once more.
"Never again Bao bei, (treasured one, darling) never again." Riddick whispered into her hair.
River felt his mind wrap around hers like a cocoon, interlocking with her own, morphing her into something beautiful and worthy. The smell of her blood still running freely pulled Riddick back into the real world and gingerly he removed her arms from around his neck and lifted her right arm inspecting the damage. It was nothing serious, the bullet had grazed her but nicked a vein, a few stitches and she would be as good as new. He lifted her up off the ground and onto the bed, leaving her side briefly to kick the door closed completely and throw the lock.
He tore a piece of sheet off the bed and tightly wrapped the wound. "Gotta get you stitched up River girl." He rumbled licking clean a line of blood that had run down her arm, the beast purred in appreciation.
"Simon will repair her." Riddick knew Simon was her brother and a doc, in his search for her he had familiarized himself with the particulars of Serenity and her crew.
"You." Riddick corrected, "Simon will repair you." He was going to have to do something about the third person references; he had almost completely broke her of the habit before they were separated.
"The girl," she paused correcting herself, "I will be well, I am complete again. The ballerina has her beast, her Big Bad." The nickname was new, but it felt right having plucked it from the surface of his memories.
"Where are your gorram shoes?" Riddick demanded suddenly taking in her cut and bloodied feet. He was growling again more from concern than anger as he got up and hunted down a wash cloth from the bathroom and filled a glass with water.
"The girl has proper foot wear needed to feel Serenity beneath her feet." River giggled as she watched Riddick careful wash her feet, wiping gently over the few cuts she had sustained.
"Not funny girl." He rumbled getting up and digging through his duffel he found a pair of socks and tugged them onto her feet, they reached her knees. "Need to kick on River-girl, can't be leaving bodies around hotel rooms." He said getting up to relieve the dead mercs of their weapons and any spare cred chips they had on them. When he was finished he walked back over to the bed and grunted jerking his head up. River giggled again and jumped up onto his back and without a backward glance Riddick picked up his duffel and left the hotel via the Fire Escape River had climbed up. The world was right and whole once more.
