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toxic_cornSeries: Mist
Title: Part Four (4/4)
Author: toxic_corn
Pairing: River/Jayne
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Everything is Joss's. Not mine.
Summary: River has this dream...
Notes: Funnily enough, based on a dream I had recently. My subconscious wants Rayne, I guess, so I'm back after not really a break at all.
Previously: Part One Part Two Part Three
Part Four
Jayne’s interaction with River had subtly changed since their last mission. It had been two weeks since they had shared the hotel room, two weeks since the brown cow. And things were different.
No longer did he regard her with suspicion when she entered a room. He didn’t glare at her during meals or ignore her when she spoke and when the captain asked for her advice, he didn’t roll his eyes and snort loudly.
It was as if Jayne finally saw her as a person, complete and whole. But perhaps there was something else going on as well.
One night after her mist dream, River went out to the cargo bay to relax, maybe lay down on Jayne’s weight bench and imagine him there, the sound of his harsh breathing as he mumbled his number of reps flowing into her ears.
She was surprised to find Jayne there already. He sat on the edge of the seat, fingering the scrap of her dress she’d given him. His expression was inscrutable and River wanted to go to him, touch his brow, and learn what was making him look so troubled.
At the height of her longing, Jayne startled her by looking up. She expected him to put the scrap away but he didn’t. He just looked at her for a long moment, expecting her to speak.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. Had to say.
He nodded as if in agreement.
Not knowing what else to do, she backed away and returned to her room, blushing.
She was center stage and he had his spotlight shining on her face. What was she to do now that she was visible?
~*~
The next day was a bad day. She still had those from time to time, though much less often than previously. She would walk the ship on bad days as if in a fog, mind wrapped in cotton, unsure of what was real.
This day was worse than the bad days and River ended up screaming, trying to shake her brain loose of the cotton, the fog. She could hear shouts from the others and she started sobbing in relief. She wasn’t expected to get through this alone; her family was with her. She could feel their hands on her, misunderstanding why she was crying. Then the bite of Simon’s needle and she drifted into unconsciousness.
~*~
River was back in the warm mist. The benign entity was close, much closer than before. When she reached out towards it, the air felt warmer, as if her fingertips were just centimeters from a warm body. If she just moved forward a bit more, reached out a little further…
The longing she felt brought tears to her eyes.
“Please come to me,” she pleaded. “I can’t reach.” As soon as she spoke, she knew the words did no good. It still wasn’t time yet.
“But soon?” she asked, hopefully. Warmth immediately flooded through her being and she laughed at the sensation. Yes. Soon. Very soon.
~*~
She woke by herself in the infirmary.
“Oh I see,” she said softly. “It’s a metaphor.”
Simon appeared in the doorway. “Mei mei how are you feeling?” He asked, going to her side. “You had us all very worried.”
“I’m better,” she assured him and sat up without his assistance. “Where is everyone?”
“They’re upstairs having supper. I wasn’t sure if you’d be hungry when you woke up, but I set some aside for you to eat when you were ready.”
“I’m hungry now,” she said.
Simon helped her up the stairs and though she didn’t say, she felt grateful for the help. The medication had left her a little dizzy, but still hungry. She wondered how long she’d been asleep, wandering through her dream fog.
Everyone looked up from their dinner and conversation when she came into the room. They all greeted her warmly and the captain pulled her chair out for her. One voice alone was silent as the others spoke, updating her on what she had missed while she was away.
River met Jayne’s eyes as Simon set her plate in front of her. “I’ll be ready soon.”
“River? What are you talking about?”
She ignored everyone’s confusion as she continued to stare at Jayne. Their confusion wasn’t relevant; her message wasn’t for them. It only mattered if Jayne understood.
Though his mouth stayed a straight line, his eyes smiled.
THE END
Title: Part Four (4/4)
Author: toxic_corn
Pairing: River/Jayne
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Everything is Joss's. Not mine.
Summary: River has this dream...
Notes: Funnily enough, based on a dream I had recently. My subconscious wants Rayne, I guess, so I'm back after not really a break at all.
Previously: Part One Part Two Part Three
Part Four
Jayne’s interaction with River had subtly changed since their last mission. It had been two weeks since they had shared the hotel room, two weeks since the brown cow. And things were different.
No longer did he regard her with suspicion when she entered a room. He didn’t glare at her during meals or ignore her when she spoke and when the captain asked for her advice, he didn’t roll his eyes and snort loudly.
It was as if Jayne finally saw her as a person, complete and whole. But perhaps there was something else going on as well.
One night after her mist dream, River went out to the cargo bay to relax, maybe lay down on Jayne’s weight bench and imagine him there, the sound of his harsh breathing as he mumbled his number of reps flowing into her ears.
She was surprised to find Jayne there already. He sat on the edge of the seat, fingering the scrap of her dress she’d given him. His expression was inscrutable and River wanted to go to him, touch his brow, and learn what was making him look so troubled.
At the height of her longing, Jayne startled her by looking up. She expected him to put the scrap away but he didn’t. He just looked at her for a long moment, expecting her to speak.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. Had to say.
He nodded as if in agreement.
Not knowing what else to do, she backed away and returned to her room, blushing.
She was center stage and he had his spotlight shining on her face. What was she to do now that she was visible?
The next day was a bad day. She still had those from time to time, though much less often than previously. She would walk the ship on bad days as if in a fog, mind wrapped in cotton, unsure of what was real.
This day was worse than the bad days and River ended up screaming, trying to shake her brain loose of the cotton, the fog. She could hear shouts from the others and she started sobbing in relief. She wasn’t expected to get through this alone; her family was with her. She could feel their hands on her, misunderstanding why she was crying. Then the bite of Simon’s needle and she drifted into unconsciousness.
River was back in the warm mist. The benign entity was close, much closer than before. When she reached out towards it, the air felt warmer, as if her fingertips were just centimeters from a warm body. If she just moved forward a bit more, reached out a little further…
The longing she felt brought tears to her eyes.
“Please come to me,” she pleaded. “I can’t reach.” As soon as she spoke, she knew the words did no good. It still wasn’t time yet.
“But soon?” she asked, hopefully. Warmth immediately flooded through her being and she laughed at the sensation. Yes. Soon. Very soon.
She woke by herself in the infirmary.
“Oh I see,” she said softly. “It’s a metaphor.”
Simon appeared in the doorway. “Mei mei how are you feeling?” He asked, going to her side. “You had us all very worried.”
“I’m better,” she assured him and sat up without his assistance. “Where is everyone?”
“They’re upstairs having supper. I wasn’t sure if you’d be hungry when you woke up, but I set some aside for you to eat when you were ready.”
“I’m hungry now,” she said.
Simon helped her up the stairs and though she didn’t say, she felt grateful for the help. The medication had left her a little dizzy, but still hungry. She wondered how long she’d been asleep, wandering through her dream fog.
Everyone looked up from their dinner and conversation when she came into the room. They all greeted her warmly and the captain pulled her chair out for her. One voice alone was silent as the others spoke, updating her on what she had missed while she was away.
River met Jayne’s eyes as Simon set her plate in front of her. “I’ll be ready soon.”
“River? What are you talking about?”
She ignored everyone’s confusion as she continued to stare at Jayne. Their confusion wasn’t relevant; her message wasn’t for them. It only mattered if Jayne understood.
Though his mouth stayed a straight line, his eyes smiled.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
MIST
Date: 2007-09-21 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-21 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-21 01:10 am (UTC)I look forward to your next story.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-21 02:05 am (UTC)Re: MIST
Date: 2007-09-21 02:15 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2007-09-21 02:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-22 07:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-22 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-26 04:08 am (UTC)I always appreciate the metaphoric approach to River and here you do it very well.
I add my cheer to Jayne being a man, not a monster, not a saint, but a man. His rough edges are excellent- the fingering of the fabric, the bold glance that sends River to her room. Nice...
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Date: 2007-09-26 09:03 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2009-10-05 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-05 11:00 pm (UTC)