Chapter 4- They're here

Summary: Two by two…hands of blue

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"No."

"But Cap'in-"

"Sh!" Mal gestured to River's sleeping form.

"I don't feel right lettin' you stay.

"Kaylee, go out and have fun."

"He won't have fun and then I can't have fun. He'll be too worried 'bout her!"

"Get him drunk then. I don't care. Just go. Everyone else is. Hell, even Shepherd is goin' out to the bars!"

"Simon won't let you stay."

"Send him in and I'll convince him if you have to! She's just sleepin'. I can handle that."

"Okay, okay fine. I'll go convince him it'll be shiny…"

"You're good at that, mei mei. Have a drink for me."

"Will do, Cap'in."

Kaylee hugged him and then left him alone with River.

"Didn't have to give up your night for me, Captain."

"How long have you been awake?" he smirked.

"Long enough."

"A bar is a bar. I can always get drunk another night."

She felt the fireflies again. He joined her on the bed, his closeness only fueling the sensations.

"Thank you," she murmured into the stillness of the room.

"It ain't a big deal, darlin'."

"It is…to me."

He swallowed hard and directed his gaze elsewhere. Sometimes the little witch's eyes were a little too much to take head on.

"Everyone is gone now. Simon left. Kaylee made him go."

"That's little Kaylee for you."

River smirked and glanced at her stack of drawings. He followed her eyes to them and then looked at her bandaged hands. He felt something odd tugging at him when he recalled the bloody mess that they had been.

"Had to," she whispered. "Had to show you."

"But I haven't even looked at 'em yet."

"Not the right time. You'll know when. It's important."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I ain't followin' you."

"I can't quantify it. They just are and you'll know."

He sighed. River-speak was sometimes a mite hard to figure out.

-Squeak-

Her eyes drifted to the corner of the room where she saw her sitting on the swing. She turned to her older self with wide eyes.

"Time to go, River. They're here."

Mal jumped. River suddenly screamed and ran out of the room. He followed her into the infirmary. She had broken through the glass with her arm and was clawing at the anesthetics. He pulled her into his arms.

"If you needed somethin' for pain, you could of just asked!"

She shook her head with big tears pouring down her cheeks. "They're here."

"Here?"

"Here now…"

Her eyes darted upwards and then she closed them completely. He caught her before she fell.

"River? River?" he repeated over and over again as he set her on the table gingerly. He cupped her face and gently shook her. "Wake up, darlin'. Wake up."

"I'm not going," she cried as her eyes flew open.

"River, what do you need me to do?"

"Screams everywhere. So much blood."

"Little one, I need you to tell me what I have to do. Is someone on the ship?"

"They want me to come home."

"Sweetheart," he said forcefully. For some reason, that always got her attention.

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"They're on the ship."

He cursed and started to leave. She held his hand.

"No, don't. They have armor."

"And I don't have my gun."

"No touching guns."

"No, that rule don't apply to a criminal such as myself."

"They're upstairs. Can't get to your bunk without getting caught."

"Then I'll get one from the cargo bay. Don't move. Don't do anything."

He looked at her bleeding arm. One of the cuts looked a little too close to her wrist. He quickly grabbed the bandages and wrapped her arm.

"Don't move," he repeated.

"I ain't goin' no place…" she quoted. He grinned and then left for the cargo bay.

He got a gun off of the mule and ran back to the infirmary. She was still seated there with unshed tears glistening in her big brown eyes.

"Where are they? Can you tell?" he asked.

"They're on their way. Searching. Their men are everywhere outside. Poised for attack. Waiting."

"Where's our best bet?"

"Right here."

"Are you sure? If we get boxed in-"

"Already are. Nowhere to run."

"The shuttles?"

"Inara has hers, the other is being searched."

"Gorramit."

He peered outside of the doorway. So far, the coast was clear. He heard pots and pans hitting the ground upstairs. Everyone else was gone. Someone else was definitely on his ship.

"I'm not going," she said softly. The tears had finally escaped. He wandered over to her and took her hand.

"You won't go anywhere. We gotta keep our wits about us."

"I don't want to feel when it happens."

"What happens?"

"They take me."

"That ain't gonna happen."

She shushed him. They heard footsteps.

"Stay back," he whispered.

Two men in suits with blue gloves appeared in Mal's sight. They looked like they had simply walked out of her drawing. River saw them too. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming.

Mal fired a few bullets at them. They easily dodged and looked at him with an amused—as much as they could be amused—expression on their faces.

The shorter of the two kicked the gun out of his hand. It skidded across the floor and under the couch. Mal threw a punch. It connected with one of their jaws. The other hit him and he stumbled back.

River had stayed back like he told her to, but that was all of the motivation she needed to join the fight. She stood up and gracefully moved to the doorframe beside her captain. The hands of blue gave her a faint smile.

"River Tam," they said together.

"We've come a long way to get you."

"And to take you home."

She wasted no time. Mal watched her fight. It looked more like dancing than fighting. They blocked her every move. She knew that they wouldn't use the phrase, not yet. They were enjoying her too much for that. After everything they had been through to find her, they wanted to take pleasure in breaking her. She knew it, and that made her fight even harder.

Mal waited for the opportunity to help her. He joined in only to be punched again.

"You shouldn't have ran, River Tam."

"We were going to find you eventually."

"Don't worry. You won't feel the pain this time."

River kicked the one that spoke last right in the jaw. He wiped the trail of blood off of his lip.

"Don't lie to a reader," she snapped.

He smirked at her and the fighting continued. Mal steadied himself and took one of them on. The blue hands looked scrawny, but they had one hell of a punch. He could taste the blood in his mouth and more drained in from his nose. He hit the ground after the blue hand kicked him in the chest.

The other grabbed River and covered her ears with his hands. She saw the stick come out of the shorter one's sleeve. She kicked it out of his hand and was rewarded with a slap across the face.

She flipped out of his grasp and helped Mal stand. The one on the left grabbed her while the other dove for the special little stick. She struggled against his grasp, but he held on. She watched Mal take another punch. The blue hand was getting ready to open it.

"You both can't live through it."

"Stop!" River shouted. "I'll go."

Mal looked at her in shock. "What?"

The blue hands smiled at her.

"Let him live and I'll go," she said, masking the fear in her voice.

"Let's go home, River Tam…" the one in front of Mal nodded.

Mal punched him. He didn't even move. He punched back and Mal fell down again. He looked up at her. "River-"

She shook her head no. "Time to go."

Mal tried to fight back, but a well placed shoe across the face knocked him out cold. She squirmed out of his arms and crouched beside him. She took his pulse.

"He's alive," one of them said coolly.

She ran her hand down his face with tears running down her own. "Had to. Couldn't let you die," she whispered into his ear. She kissed him on the cheek and stared the two monsters down.

"You won't even remember his name," one of them said.

"Some things you never forget," she responded softly. They said the phrase and her world disappeared.

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