Firefly and Serenity are the copyrighted property of Mutant Enemy Productions and 20th Century Studios, Inc. This fiction item is intended for entertainment purposes only. While all characters, settings, and plot elements associated with the original work are the property of the copyright holders and/or other creators as indicated, any original characters, settings, and plot elements are the property of this item's author. No compensation has been received or will be accepted, and no copyright infringement is intended or should be implied.
Originally written around 2009. This version has been revised and expanded.
Mice Don't Dance
Inara found her in the cargo bay, huddled underneath a set of stairs. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and her entire body was shaking.
"River? Is everything all right?"
The girl raised her head, revealing clear and focused eyes. "I want it to be."
"But it isn't. Is it?"
She sighed, a slight release of her breath. "No. The…they reminded me of…" she took a longer, gulping breath. "When the cat's away, the mice can play. But some of the mice are rats and rats are so much stronger and larger than the mice, so they —"
"River."
She was rocking herself back and forth by now. "The mice keep running around terrified, because they can't find their cage."
Inara thought about that for a moment. "But the mice want to go back into their cage, right? You're saying that you can't stop thinking about all the memories?"
"Mm-hmm." River looked as though Inara had just solved the quantum mind problem.
Inara gave the situation a little more thought, wondering what might work. She pursed her lips slightly, watching River trying to self-soothe. The child was trying to cope; she just didn't know how.
Well, maybe she could help with that.
Angling her head, she asked, "Do the mice ever dance?"
River stopped rocking to give her an are you kidding? look. "Mice don't dance."
"You do. Will you show me?"
"How to dance?" River's arms and legs relaxed slightly. "You know how to dance. I've seen you with the captain."
"Socially, yes. But I never learned ballet. I can recognize some of the dances, but I don't know how to do them."
At that, River uncurled completely. "You know some of them?"
"What they look like, yes."
Standing up, the girl moved out into the cargo bay, assuming second position and beginning a series of steps. Inara laughed delightedly and called out the name. Returning the laugh, River smoothly segued into another one. "What's this one, Inara? And this?"
Five or six increasingly-complicated dances later, Inara shook her head and admitted defeat. "All right. You've finally found one I can't name."
River stopped, coming down squarely on her heels. "That's the Dying Swan."
"I'll remember that. How are you feeling?"
Raising an eyebrow at the apparent non sequitur, River considered for a second. Then, a look of astonishment crossed her face. "The mice went into their cages!"
"Good!"
"You knew. Didn't you? That the mice would run away if I danced." River paused. "Distress tolerance. Distraction. You were thinking about coping skills."
Inara chuckled ruefully. "It worked, didn't it?"
"It did! But now I have to go check the nav settings."
"River?" Inara called as the girl began to scamper off. "Why don't you try that the next time the mice get out of their cages?"
She was rewarded with one of River's most brilliant smiles and a nod before she exited the cargo bay.
"That was really well done," came a voice from another direction.
Inara turned to see Simon leaning against the doorway from the passenger dorm, a capped hypogun in his hand.
"How did you know about distress tolerance?" he asked. "Are you trained?"
"Yes, actually." Inara crossed behind him into the lounge and settled on one of the couches. "Being a companion is about more than physical relief and care. It's also about mental and emotional state. Psychological techniques can be useful."
Simon sat down on the other end of the couch. "I hadn't thought of it that way."
"Many companions have advanced degrees in counseling or a similar field." She paused. "I have mine from New ZhejiangUniversity on Sihnon."
His eyes widened. "Wow. That's a good school. But why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"River's problems weren't just psychological."
"They aren't now, either."
"But the physical issues are more under control, and she has answers to a lot of her questions." That had been one of the few good things that came from their discovery of Miranda. "That makes an enormous difference. I'm also not a licensed counselor."
Simon considered. "She trusts you, though."
"Yes." Then her gaze sharpened. "Simon, you're not asking me to counsel her, are you? That's both unethical and inappropriate!"
"No. No, I wouldn't ask that." He looked faintly embarrassed. "I just…if you think something will help, will you let me or her know?" He turned the hypo over in his hands. "Doping her all the time causes as many problems as it solves."
Startled, she looked closer at him. She'd privately come to that conclusion quite some time ago, but had never suspected he might share it.
He interpreted her expression correctly. "It's what I know how to do. And I can't just do nothing. Learning about her suppressed memories helped but that's not the end of her trauma. They used her and abused her that way for years." His hands were shaking. "I feel so helpless, even after Miranda."
She laid a hand on his arm. "Loving your sister isn't nothing. It's as important as any technique I might know."
"Yeah." His lips twitched. "I suppose."
"I don't suppose. I know."
He nodded, but his eyes were still wary. "If she needs professional help, please tell me. Until then, will you help when you can?"
"I'd be honored," said Inara sincerely. "And right now I think being on Serenity, with its routines, and around us with all our normal personalities — well, mostly normal," she amended, thinking of Mal and Jayne, "is probably better than trying to force her into some sort of treatment program. Besides, it was a treat to see her dancing. She really is beautiful when it comes to ballet."
This time, Simon smiled. "Yes," he said. "She is."
