Conscious Thought
Author: Kryptonite
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Firefly. Though I wish I could kick Fox executives in the ass.
Summary: What if River wasn't always totally insane? Third person following River mostly.
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River lay on the make-shift bed that Inara had put together, waiting for sleep to come as her mind whirled with thoughts: hers, the ones programmed by the Alliance and those of the other members of the ship.
Inara had told her when she had come back to sleep that they had taken on four new passengers, three men and a woman. River would have found out on her own, as the day wore on. She tossed and turned waiting for the voices to die down so she could get some sleep. But instead of getting quieter they continued to rage as her eyes got heavier and heavier and she finally gave in to the dark abyss of sleep.
As the doorbell rang the woman set down the rolling pin, wiped her flour-covered hands on a towel and went out the door into the hallway to the front door. She just made it to the door when the bell rang again. Opening the front door she stared out at the young man through the glass storm door.
" Can I help you?" She asked, pushing back a strand of her strawberry blonde hair.
" Yes ma'am, I have a package for a Mrs. Winona Richardson?" He asked, holding up a clipboard and squinting at the writing.
" That's me." Winona answered, staring at the man's uniform. It was of a standard delivery service and the truck parked next to the curb solidified his statement. 'So why does this feel so wrong?' She wondered in a panic.
" Well I have a package but I need your signature here." She licked her lips, anxious to keep the glass door between her and the young man.
" Can I see the package first?" He smiled at her and nodded.
" Of course you can ma'am. Just a moment." He jogged over to the back of his truck and pulled out a rather large box, which was apparently just as heavy. As he came back she hurriedly opened the door so he could bring it in and set it on the kitchen table.
" It's from mama. Thank you." She smiled, looking at the label on the box.
" The pleasure's all mine ma'am." At the change in voice Winona turned a confused and fearful look on the man. Next thing she knew she was being thrown into the wall.
" River!" Inara whispered urgently, shaking the girl. River's groggy eyes opened, and the part of her that was still sane knew that she was coming out as the confused, scared and uncontrollable girl. " Sweetie, it was just a nightmare. Was it about the Academy?" Inara asked.
River started shaking her head 'no' and pushing herself into the wall. Inara interpreted the way she was acting as not wanting to talk about the nightmare that had, indeed, been about the Academy, even though River knew it hadn't.
" Go back to sleep honey. It was just a nightmare. Everything will be fine." Inara whispered, just as desperate for some more sleep herself. She wondered how Simon dealt with the nightmares and still looked so refreshed and awake during the day.
River nodded, worming her way out of Inara's grasp and slid back under the blankets, facing the cloth-covered metal walls of the shuttle as a single tear slipped down her cheek. She listened as Inara went back to sleep, lulling herself back into the dark waters by listening to Inara's deep, even breathing.
" The good book says, ye shalt not suffer a witch to live. And what are we doing but letting her live." The dark-haired man argued.
" She's not harming no one." The blonde argued, tossing back his drink.
" She's a witch." The wife of the man shrieked at the knight.
" She's just a little girl living in the middle of nowhere with a sickly, aging father."
" That does not vindicate letting her live." A new deeper voice intoned from the doorway. The knight suddenly snapped to attention, his cup landing on the wood and his feet dropping to the floor.
" Milord." He murmured, his head tilting towards the ground.
" Father, please. She is a witch!" The woman pleaded, falling to her knees at the Bishops' feet.
" And one of your own has allowed her to live time and again." The man added, meaning the local priest.
" Is that so?"
River woke with a jolt, eyes opening to see the darkly covered cloths of Inara's shuttle instead of the comforting silver-grey of her own bunk. " Winona… Elizabeth…" She whispered, trying to block the images of her nightmares.
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A/N: Fifth chapter. I had the idea for the first dream a couple of weeks ago. I also thought it would be nice if Inara had a slightly bigger role than she gets in most stories. Enjoy.