Author's Note: Firefly drabble for the LiveJournal multifandom1000 challenge. August 2's subject: faith. Set after the events of "Objects in Space," but not as an actual coda for that episode. Length: 555 words.
Lucky Ones
By Trisana McGraw
"Well hello there," Mal murmured as River skipped into the galley. His tone was friendly, but he kept one eye on her as she moved around, her head tilted ever-so-slightly so that a chunk of her long, dark hair fell into her face. She wasn't reaching for any of the knives -- though they'd been locked into a drawer, he wouldn't put it past her to find them -- or mutilating the food packets; in fact, she'd be acting almost normal if she weren't swaying with each step.
She seated herself on the table and fixed him with saucer-wide eyes. Mal met her gaze calmly; she wasn't intimidated, however, and continued staring at him unblinkingly. Finally he surrendered it to her and flicked his gaze away, on the verge of laughing at the fact that he'd had a staring contest with a seventeen-year-old.
When he looked back, there was a ghost of a smile on her pale lips. "Book says that you don't fix faith, it fixes you."
"Does he?" Mal responded coolly, no longer quite as amused at the turn this conversation was taking.
"But yours didn't fix you; it left you broken."
He wasn't sure if she were asking him or telling him. Chances were, with those psychic powers they'd suddenly discovered she had, she was taking a stroll through his mind. And he didn't like it one bit. He'd placed his hands on the table; now he saw that they were clenched so hard that the veins stood out. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Book was wrong, then," came her singsong voice, sounding more worried than the all-knowing tone she'd had a moment ago. Mal opened his eyes and looked up at her. Her forehead was creased, and her mouth had turned down in a slight frown, making her look even more like a confused child.
So the genius didn't know everything after all. Mal's lips twisted into a smile, albeit a bitter one. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"I'm already broken," River whispered, and in her eyes Mal saw a little girl -- How old had Simon said she was when she went to the Academy? Fourteen? -- huddled and alone, vulnerable. "I trust Simon more than anything. I love him. He's supposed to fix me, make me like I was."
She didn't want her faith to bring her crashing down. Mal knew that realistically she could end up with the same fate as him, or worse; as least he had Zoƫ and Serenity. But he forgot that under all those scars she was just a little kid who still believed in childish ideals. He didn't want to be the cruel one to take those away. "You've got nothing to worry about, kiddo," he said, patting her leg. "You're one of the lucky ones; you've got a smart brother who'll take care of you. Just see what he did with the bounty hunter." A smile brightened her face, and he couldn't help but mirror it. "You can rely on him."
The smile faded all too quickly, to be replaced by sadness darkening her eyes. She'd seen through his act; of course, it was that damn mind-reading. She hopped off the table and stood watching him a few moments longer, with something that looked uncomfortably like pity. "Everyone makes mistakes."
