As Rose gazed into River's eyes with curiosity, someone cleared their throat. River didn't bother to look or stop moving. She already knew that it was the Captain. "River, aren't you supposed to be flying this boat?"
"Autopilot, Captain. At the corner of no-and-where. Manual control would be frivolous and uninteresting. Would rather dance with Rose."
"I don't pay any of my crew to go abouts frolicking on the job. I need your new playmate for septic duty."
Glaring, River retreated to her chair and spun in circles. "If your statement were factual, Captain, I suggest that you speak to the rest of your crew. Simon and Kaylee are not repairing the engine, and Jayne and Zoe are not performing inventory."
"What are they doing?"
"Simon and Kaylee are engaged in sexual intercourse, and Jayne is attempting to overcome Zoe in a gun assembly competition."
Mal huffed and motioned to Rose. "At least we'll be working. C'mon, blondie."
"Excuse me?" Rose grumbled as she followed his boots.
"Blondie. You're blond."
"Fine. I'll call you Captain Suspenders, then. Who even wears suspenders if they're under the age of seventy-five?"
Together, they stormed in an angry silence to take care of the septic tank. He walked her through the disgusting and grueling process of emptying the tank, cleaning the remaining chamber, and resetting the septic cycle. While she went through the reset, Mal relaxed on the sidelines.
"It's nice to be on the other side of this. That smell doesn't wash out quick."
Finally, she had enough. "What the hell is your problem? I have done nothing to you, your crew, or your ship."
"The others might believe that cock-and-bull story, but I won't have the wool pulled over my gorram eyes. You could be anyone and we can't know if you're telling the truth. I don't much care for those odds."
"It isn't a story. It's the truth. Do you think that I broke in? Went out for a walk in the stars without a space suit? Hook me up to a lie detector. I'll answer anything you want, but it won't be whatever it is you want to hear. I need to be here, and I can help. I've done amazing things. Things that you would be amazed to see for yourself. I'm very capable."
"You are. You folded my laundry nice."
She sighed and hit the final button to finish the chore. "I understand that you don't trust people, Captain. River told me what's happened—"
"You don't know anything about that," he snapped with a very intimidating glare. "Hearing and seeing are two very different things. You ought to be smart enough never to mention my crew or my past to me again, got it?"
"I can't believe your arrogance. You're acting like you're the only person who has ever lost the people they've loved. You aren't the only one who knows pain."
"Maybe not, but I can keep it from happening again. I don't know why you're here, but nobody is going to hurt my crew, if I can help it. Not ever again. If you step one little toe out of line, I will toss you out of my airlock so quick your pretty hair won't have time to ruffle. I'm true my word."
The intercom crackled with the sound of River's voice. "River will toss you out the airlock, Captain."
"I hate when she does that," Mal hissed under his breath.
"Heard that," River's voice answered.
Rose began to laugh and Mal's glare deepened. She covered her mouth and cleared her throat. "Sorry. It's just. Your face when she said that. Like you were yelled at by your mum."
"Mum? I don't know what it is, but I don't much like how it sounded."
"Mum? Don't you have mothers in this universe or are all of you born some other way?"
He folded his arms as his blue eyes sharpened. "You're one comment off from making me hate you, blondie."
"If you call me blondie one more time, I'll help River toss you out the airlock."
The Captain was about to scream at her for being obstinate, but something about her determined look frightened him just a tad. "Stay out of my way."
"Gladly."
They stormed off in different directions. Rose was turned around for a moment or two, yet she was able to find her way onto the bridge. River spun in the pilot's chair to greet her and softly applauded. Rose felt an odd blush climb in her neck.
"Good show," River said in a British accent.
Rose sat on the console beside her with a smirk. "That was good. You're full of tricks, aren't you?"
"So are you."
Their eyes locked and Rose felt a shiver. River smiled at her reaction. Pausing, Rose swung her feet into River's lap and grinned. "Tell me more about this reality. You're the only one I can talk to around here."
"Likewise. Means a lot of talking for us."
"I guess so."
Neither minded the idea of spending much more time together.
… … … …
"So, there we are on New Earth, right? Beautiful place. So blue. Huge buildings. We go in there to see the Doctor's old friend and we're met with nuns. Cat nuns. In the wimples and everything. This talking flap of skin, the oldest living human according to her, ends up taking over my head. Then, goes into the Doctor's body. While she's in there, she calls him foxy. I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or run in terror," Rose laughed at the memory.
She sat on the couch outside of the infirmary with River. The reader had her feet in Rose's lap and laughed with her. "Can see it in your head. Cat nuns."
"I know! It was…I don't even know how to describe it."
Jayne had been in the nearby cargo bay and overheard all of it. He popped his head into the room and rolled his eyes. "Great. Now we got two moonbrains in here."
"Belt up," Rose lightheartedly answered. "We're talking."
"Belt up?" Jayne slowly repeated.
"That phrase is synonymous with stop talking now," River explained.
He shook his head. "Bunch of crazy—"
"I can kill you with my brain," River reminded him in a singsong tone.
The big man ran like a startled kitten and Rose howled with giggles. "That was brilliant."
"I am brilliant a majority of the time."
"Yeah, I gathered that much. I like it. You don't have to ask me what I'm talking about. Everyone here acts like I'm speaking some other language."
"Should learn French. Make it even harder for them. Like a secret club."
"RT Club. I like the sound of that."
The two women had been nearly inseparable for three days. River now stayed in her room at night since Rose was across the hall. Often, they sat up with tea and talking with little sleep at all. Most of the crew had come around.
Kaylee was, of course, fond of Rose. Simon was fond of Rose for entertaining River. Zoe had no emotions about the situation whatsoever. Jayne was still mad that Rose rejected his come-ons. The Captain was the only one who wanted Rose gone. And badly.
River would let that happen over her dead body. Which, she calculated, would be highly unlikely given her superior skills and agility. He'd be out the airlock before he could throw a punch. Not that she would really do that to the Captain. Broken bones were another story.
That night, the women retired to their separate rooms. Rose fell into a deep sleep and began to dream of the day she lost the Doctor. She saw everything that they shared, everywhere they had been, and anywhere but the ship of Serenity. Her family was so far from her that they even felt distant in her dream. Then, she saw nothing but blackness and the unshed tears in her Doctor's eyes.
She woke with a small scream. Now, the repercussions of her decision and the gravity of her current situation had finally caught up to her. She wondered what her parents were doing, if her little brother had learned any new words, and where Mickey and his new love were exploring this time. She always wondered what disaster the Doctor had averted at that very moment, and she questioned if she would still belong there with him.
Officially shaken, Rose automatically went to her door. There was a moment of indecision, but she crossed the hall to hover outside of River's room. She must have raised a knuckle to knock four or five times, yet she couldn't seem to do it. After all, she didn't want to bother River or wake her.
But, she knocked anyway. She didn't want to be on her own.
River opened the door as if she didn't know that Rose was there. Yet, she knew that Rose would knock before Rose had even woken or awkwardly stood at her door for minutes on end.
"Bad dream," Rose explained in a shaky voice.
River wrapped her in a hug, as she knew exactly what Rose had seen. The contact eased Rose's pain, but she still felt tears in her eyes. When she was awake with River, laughing and talking, she could hide from the past and her predicament. Sometimes, she still wanted to get back to her reality. The fact that it was not remotely possible hurt more than she could admit.
Luckily for Rose, her new best mate was able to see through her smile unlike anyone else could.
"Hush," River hummed. "It's okay. Things happen. Always for a reason."
"Doesn't make it hurt any less."
"Never said it did."
They pulled apart and looked at one another for a moment. River wiped a tear from Rose's jaw and gently cupped her chin. Her smile was purposely goofy just to get a laugh out of Rose, and it caused a full blown giggle attack.
"Follow. Tea fixes everything," River stated and took Rose's hand in hers. "British. You and your tea."
"Oi, if you had British tea on this ship instead of all this Chinese stuff, everyone would be much happier."
River smiled. "Improbable."
"Well, improbable things happen all the time."
"They do."
When River glanced at her, Rose wished that she had River's gift. Sometimes, she wasn't sure what swirled under the reader's surface. Yet, she reckoned that her mind had to be a beautiful place. Everything else about that girl was. Of course, River smirked when got wind of that thought.
"Shut up," Rose fondly flustered.
"Didn't say anything."
"Didn't have to."
"You're not a reader."
"Maybe not, but I know you genius types. I can read your eyes."
She has big brown eyes like the Doctor, Rose thought to herself, and a brain to match.
"Incorrect theorem," River informed her upon entering the kitchen. "Similarities, yes. Equality in overall intellect. Familiarity with technologies. Exceptional gift for discovering trouble. Dangerous histories with dark tendencies. Hearts that do not wish to cause harm, yet often do. Semblance ends there. He is sane. River is not."
"I ran with that man for years, and I promise you that he was completely mental."
"Not the same kind of mental as me."
"It shouldn't be. You're you. He's him."
"Can you make that distinction?"
"What?"
"Think I'm so much like him that I can replace him. Can't replace him. No one can. But, can't hold onto it. Can't keep searching, Rose Tyler. Have to stop. Keep facts separate from sentiment. The present from memories. He wants you to be happy. Waiting won't make you happy. It'd be inconsequential. Letting go won't happen overnight. Will hurt. Hurt a lot. Will come out for the better. Oolong?"
Rose's dry throat swallowed, as it felt like she had sandpaper for dinner. She nodded at River's choice of tea and sat heavily at the table. She began to accost herself for trying that watch. If she had waited for the men in lab coats to look at it, maybe they could have figured out to calibrate it. But, no. No, she had to charge off without any real thought. If she—
"If you think if one more time, I will leave you with the Captain all day," River spoke over the sound of pouring tea.
The time traveler rolled her eyes. "Always in my head."
"Beautiful place to be."
River held out the tea cup and Rose took it from her. Their fingers touched for a brief second, which caused Rose to quickly withdraw. She wasn't sure why she had reacted in such a way, especially since there was a slight blush on her cheeks. It had to be the way that River looked at her. The young albatross had those eyes, but Rose realized that they weren't like the Doctor's. They were something else.
She wasn't sure what they were exactly, but she knew that she'd find out.