Disclaimer: I do not own Firefly or Serenity and am gaining no profit by writing this story.
I was surprised with the response, so this came out quick. I hope it answers some of your questions. For everyone to know, I'm not just reversing the roles. They each will play their own roles and have their own personalities and reactions based on their circumstances. This is an AU, after all, I'm not going to just follow the plot. And for all you reviewers, if I do start falling into that, flame me!
TS
One second strange people had been putting him into a cryo-chamber, reciting phrases only River could have known to calm him, the next he was here. Where here was he didn't know, exactly. Firefly class ship, Serenity. And there were people, lots of people he didn't know looking at him, staring at him. He'd never been good in front of people. That was River's place.
The person closest to him was holding a gun, and a sudden, primal, fight or flight instinct overwhelmed him. In seconds he was no longer in the chamber, wedging himself in the corner farthest from the people as possible.
Then the noise erupted. The drugs from the cryo-system were fading fast, the only thing that kept him peaceful as he slept and now awoke. He clamped his hands over his ears, because it was just so loud…
"Simon." Hands pulled at his wrists, soft –upper class, no manual work done– small –short, most likely petite– and slender –most often a characteristic of a woman. But that didn't help him at all. Had the repercussions for striking out not been burned into his memory, he would have hit the person touching him.
"Simon, look at me Simon." Who was Simon? Why was this girl calling for Simon when she held him? "Simon, it's River. It's okay now Simon, your sister's here. It's going to be okay."
"River?" He knew that name. It pulled at his memory, nagged at him. He knew River.
"That's right Simon, it's me." Oh, what did they do to you? Simon, please be okay. He knew the name of River, knew it as sister. Letters came to mind, messages he'd tried to write in code but he hadn't been able to think strait. Knew after he sent them that he'd done them wrong, that his sister would never figure it out. The one last hope in him dying as no rescue came.
But it had come. They had come and saved him and spoke to him like River, and she was here, now, right before him. He opened his eyes.
There she was. Dark hair curled expertly around her face, red lips pouting with worry, shining eyes watching him, waiting for his reaction. Intelligence like his gleamed in those eyes, preparing herself for the worst possible outcomes. Insanity, brain damage, permanent ailments. His brain supplied those scenarios automatically, letting him know what River was likely thinking.
"That's right, Simon. How do you feel?" How did he feel? How did he feel? How did she think he felt? He felt horrible, and he was cold, and he couldn't think strait, and it was so noisy – and he was free. Self doubt hit him like a space ship. What if he was wrong? What if he wasn't free?
What if they still had him?