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toxic_cornSeries: Songs From a Firefly
Title: Bad Moon Rising
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Big, big, big spoilers for the BDM.
Summary: "So, are we heroes?"
Disclaimer: Joss owns all but I own the kids.
Warning: Not fluffy. If you're angst sensitive then this is the one to sit out.
Note: Lines from this were written by Joss Whedon and did not come from my mind at all. You'll know which ones when you see them. Also, I quote from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The song title is the eerie Rasputina cover rather than the cheery sounding CCR original.
Songs from a Firefly
Bad Moon Rising
Jamey is 14, Nettie is 10
“The hero’s journey,” Shepherd Book began, “is a common narrative device that dates back long, long ago to Earth-That-Was. Can any of you tell me a little about the hero’s journey?”
Vee raised her hand. “There’s always lots of fighting!”
There were smatterings of giggles here and there, except from Nova who heaved an exasperated sigh.
Shepherd Book smiled. “Yes, the hero faces many adversities as a rule. Does anyone have anything else they’d like to add?”
Nova waved her arm in the air.
“Yes, Nova.”
“The hero faces adversities-”
“I already said that!” Vee exclaimed.
“He faces adversities,” Nova repeated loudly, “and learns about himself in the process. By the end of the story, he’s supposed to have changed as a person.”
“Very good.” Shepherd Book picked up a stack of books from the table in front of him. “Jamey, will you please pass these out for me?”
Jamey stood up from his wooden desk and went to the shepherd’s side. “What are they?”
“They’re what I’m expecting you to read for the next few weeks. By next Monday, I want Anna to have read the first chapter, the green group to have the first two chapters read, and the blue group to have read the first five.”
Nettie had been daydreaming all through this but snapped out of her daze when Jamey dropped one of the books onto her desk with excessive force. He frowned warningly at her and moved on to Ben.
She liked school and everything, but she wasn’t as good at it as Jamey or Nova. She wasn’t stupid, she just didn’t have the concentration for it. It took her forever to finish a book; her mind would wander or a turn of phrase would capture her interest and she’d get distracted from the story at hand.
Nettie picked up the book and read the title dubiously. The Hobbit. What the hell was a hobbit?
“I think you’ll like this one,” Shepherd Book said to all of them, but his eye was on Nettie. “It’s about a little hero-”
“As little as me?” Anna interrupted.
“Yes. And there’s a group of thieves and a dragon’s treasure.”
Everyone started chattering in excitement.
Nettie flipped open the book to the introduction and started to read when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.
“What’s that?” Anna had seen it too, and was pointing out at the sky beyond their school tent.
“It’s a ship. Is Cap coming back again so soon?” Nova asked.
The kids all jumped up and left the tent to investigate, Shepherd Book following after them with his hand on Lady’s back.
“That looks like Alliance,” Jamey said nervously.
Nettie’s heart started pounding double time. Had they found Mommy and were now looking for her and her brother as well? Maybe Cap had taken the wrong job and the Alliance had caught wind of his hiding place. Or maybe they were just dropping off supplies?
That last wishful thought shattered when she turned to Shepherd Book and saw the dread in his eyes.
~*~
Zoe pointed at the map on the screen. “This is us, see? And there’s Miranda. All along here, this dead space, is Reaver territory.”
Jayne stiffened. Sure, he wanted to know why this planet no one had heard of was eating at his wife’s brain pan, but Reavers…
“They just float out there, sending out raiding parties,” Wash said.
“Maybe a hundred ships. And more every year.” Zoe gave Mal a significant look. “You go through that you’re signing up to be a banquet.”
Quietly, River’s hand slipped into Jayne’s and he gave it a reassuring squeeze, though he was just as uneasy as everyone else.
“I’m on board with the run and hide scenario – and we are just about…” Wash looked from the monitors to the view outside the window. “Wait,” he breathed.
Outside, Haven was burning.
Jayne rocked back as if he’d been punched and clutched River’s hand tighter.
~*~
“JAMES! SERENITY!”
Bodies were everywhere. Bodies of friends, of the people he’d laughed with and shared meals with. People he’d liked and respected. Jayne refused to believe that his children were among them.
He knew he should check the perimeter, make sure that any purple bellies lurking about got put down but the panic took over his body and all he could do was run around, bellowing for his son and daughter. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea and as if from miles away, he could hear the others calling for their children.
“Doc, it’s the shepherd! Come quick!” Mal’s voice filtered in and Jayne realized he was in the mess tent looking pointlessly under a table. He could see Simon a few feet away.
“DAVID! NOVA! ANNABELLE!”
Jayne grabbed his brother-in-law’s arm and started tugging him towards the direction he’d heard their captain’s voice.
“Let go of me, I have to find my children!” Simon cried.
“We’ll look for ‘em in a sec, the shepherd needs ya. Come on!”
But when they reached the spot near the cannon where Mal held Book’s hand, it was too late. Bless the Doc, he still knelt down to check for sure.
Zoe and Wash ran up next and looked stricken by what they saw.
“He told me where the kids are,” Mal said quietly.
~*~
“Why did you dig a hole in your floor?” Anna looked up at Shepherd Book with troubled eyes.
“Yeah, and how did we manage not to see it all these years?” Vee peered down into the narrow little passage the shepherd had revealed to them.
“There isn’t much time; get inside.”
Jamey leaped down first and helped Nettie in. “What’s happening?”
“They’re looking for Mal. It’s best that they don’t find you.” Shepherd Book gently pushed David who hopped in without further prompting. He grasped Lady’s arm and directed the rest of his instructions to her. “You all keep quiet once you’re in there, do you hear me? No matter what.”
Jamey’s initial confusion and alarm shifted to nauseated fear. Book wouldn’t be joining them. Unconsciously, he clutched Nettie to his chest.
Lady nodded, though she looked plenty scared herself. “Okay, shepherd.” She lowered Anna into the hole and then Nova.
“I have to go now, children.” Shepherd Book smiled sadly. “It’s been a real honor watching you grow up.”
“But I’m not grown up yet!” Anna protested, shrilly. She looked to David as if asking him to back her up on this, but all he did was pull her down into his lap.
Nettie shivered. “Jamey?”
“Shhh.” He stroked her hair with a shaky hand. “It’s going to be okay.”
Vee handed Ben down. “So, what? We’re all supposed to sit down here and rot while you all fight the Alliance? Is that it?”
Shepherd Book had turned away and was halfway to the door. But at the sound of Vee’s voice, he paused. “You can pray.”
Vee swallowed and dropped down among the others, lowering the door after her. Through the narrowing space, they watched the shepherd walk straight and unflinchingly out into the sunlight.
~*~
“Do you really think they’re looking for Cap?” David whispered.
“It’s not unheard of. You know he’s got a funny talent for findin’ trouble,” Lady answered.
“I don’t know.” Jamey sounded doubtful. “That last visit was weird. We didn’t see Ma hardly at all, and when we did she was…”
In the darkness of the hole Nettie couldn’t see anyone clearly, but she could sense her brother’s presence and found it comforting. Especially since he had to go and bring up that. Mommy had always scared her when she had her episodes, but this last one had been the worst. Instead of screaming and hitting out at people, spewing gibberish, she’d looked like one of her old wind-up toys after it had run out of juice. She’d barely looked at them and hardly even moved. Daddy hadn’t left her side and offered up a lame excuse for Mommy’s state that even Anna would’ve seen through.
From what they’d been able to gather from the adults’ murmurings, there’d been a fight, someone named Miranda, and an oaty bar. She’d never liked those things anyway; tasted like overly sweetened cardboard.
“She was what?” Lady asked. “I can’t recollect seeing her at all. But I did hear-”
“Won’t you all please be quiet?!” Nova exclaimed tearfully. “Shepherd Book said“”
“He’s not here to see you suck up, so just save it!” Vee hissed.
“Viola, you’d best not be flappin’ your mouth off,” Lady warned.
“But you’ve seen her! She’s always-”
The end of Vee’s complaint was cut short by gunfire and horrible screaming from above. The cannon that they’d all played around at one time or another started booming in response.
Nettie clapped her hands over her ears and pressed her face into Jamey’s chest, like she was trying to burrow into him and escape the sounds of carnage not that far away.
“Make it stop,” she moaned, not realizing what she was saying.
“I wish I could,” Jamey murmured into her hair. He sounded like he was crying.
But when silence finally fell, it was even worse than all the screaming. At least with the screaming, they knew their friends were alive.
~*~
“He said there was a trap door here,” Mal muttered.
The crew was all gathered in the small kitchen of the house that the shepherd had shared with the children. They watched as Mal counted out the floorboards from the door and then hunker down, picking at the floor to find the opening.
Everyone crowded around, hoping beyond hope that they would be the first to have found the children.
Mal’s scrabbling fingers finally found the hidden door and he threw it up hastily.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the light fell on eight frightened, dirty faces. Anna automatically burst into tears.
“Oh baby, come to Mama,” Kaylee choked, holding her arms out.
David got to his feet unsteadily and shuffled to the edge of the pit, holding up the little sister he’d been cradling. Kaylee snatched her up and cuddled her close, kissing the little girl all over her face.
Quietly, Zoe shut the door so the destruction could remain unseen for now.
Jayne resisted shoving everyone aside and leaping into the hole himself as the older children passed up the littl’uns one by one. The panic screaming through his brain finally shut up when he had Nettie in his arms and his face buried in her hair, breathing in the scent of her baby shampoo.
“You okay?” Jayne whispered to her.
“The shepherd left us.” Nettie’s voice was muffled, her face pressed into Jayne’s neck.
Jayne rubbed her back. “I know he did. Damn smart of ‘im, makin’ this little hideaway in case everything went to hell.”
Jamey raised his head from River’s shoulder and looked at Jayne with such sorrowful eyes that Jayne wished the Operative was right in front of him so he could rip his sanctimonious head off his gorram shoulders and pitch it across the room. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
When Jayne didn’t respond, Nettie started to sniffle. Powerless and utterly furious with the fact, Jayne held her tighter.
Mal cleared his throat. “Let’s get these kids back on the ship. We got a lot o’ work to do and no time to do it.”
Kaylee looked trouble. “But Cap’n, they can’t see what’s outside. It…”
“Lady, c’mere.”
Reluctantly, Lady pulled out of Wash’s arms and stopped in front of Mal. With a flick of his wrist, Mal had a bandana in his hand and tied it around the girl’s head. He waved his hand in front of her eyes.
“See my hand?”
“No, Cap.”
Mal looked at the others. “Start makin’ blindfolds. We’ll each take a kid and lead ‘em into the infirmary. Then I want you all outside for orders.”
Jayne wrapped his own bandana around Nettie’s head and River tore some fabric off the end of her dress for Jamey. Everyone else did much the same and then each took a child by the hand, with the exception of Kaylee, who refused to let Anna on her feet, and then Mal opened the door.
The smell hit the kids instantly.
“Is something on fire?” Nettie asked.
~*~
Cap waited until everyone had their blindfold off before speaking. It was a tight squeeze getting everyone into the infirmary but they managed it, and Cap had even grabbed some extra chairs for them to use. Now every single child looked at him in silence, no words, no more tears. Nettie didn’t think she could cry any more, maybe not for the rest of her life. However long that may be.
“All of you stay in here,” Cap said without preamble. He started to tick off the rest of his points on one hand. “No runnin’ out to the cargo bay to see what we’re up to, no going to the mess, no playing in the cockpit. No one is to leave this room. Are we all clear on this?”
“Yes, Cap,” everyone recited dully.
Nettie had never seen him look so hardened before. It was scary. It must’ve been scaring everyone else because no one was asking any of the questions running through her own mind. What happened? Why are they after us? What’s going to happen to all of our stuff?
When Cap slid the doors shut and his footsteps had faded away, Lady finally spoke up. “Jamey, you were sayin’ something about your ma. What was it?”
Nettie turned to look at Jamey as he leaned against one of the counters. He stood up straight once everyone’s eyes were on him.
“She was… somethin’ was off last time we saw her. I think somethin’ happened to her. They did something.” Jamey folded his arms, not looking at anyone.
“Who’s ‘they’?” Anna asked, looking up to David.
“The Alliance,” Nova said. “I heard something about Auntie River maybe killing some people. Did… did the Alliance make her do that?”
Nettie was offended by her cousin’s uncertain tone. “If Mommy killed anybody, of course someone made her do it! She doesn’t just run around killing people, she’s not-”
“Not what?” Vee interrupted. “Not crazy?”
Embarrassed, Nettie knew she couldn’t deny anything. “She’s not crazy like that.”
“Really. Did you know that your ma once attacked your pa with a knife?”
Shouldn’t she be feeling more surprised than this? She certainly was surprised at having this bit of news blurted out by Vee Washburn but the image of Mommy going at Daddy… Well, sometimes she just wasn’t herself during an episode.
Lady gave her sister a sharp look. “Viola, I thought we had an agreement ‘bout us not repeatin’ that ever again.”
Nettie saw Jamey was even more surprised than she was. “You’re makin’ that up,” he accused Vee.
“Like hell I am!” Vee protested. “Your crazy mother has a history of attacking folk for no reason so it don’t-”
“That’s not true!” Ben protested. “Jayne sold Simon and River to the Alliance later on, so it ain’t like he was some innocent guy out on the -”
“He did what?!” Nettie cried. She just about had it with these stupid rumors, and clenched her fists so tight that her fingernails cut into her palms. “No he didn’t!”
Jamey leveled a cold stare on the Washburn kids. “Where’d you hear this lo se?
“What does this have to do with anything?!” Nova exclaimed. “Shepherd Book is dead. Our home’s destroyed. The Alliance is after us. Who gives a frilly hell if Aunt River and Uncle Jayne did whatever one hundred years ago? We should be trying to figure out what’s going on now!”
Vee glared at her. “It matters because their crazy mother,” she pointed accusingly at Nettie and Jamey, “is going to get us all killed! She’s who they’re after and they don’t care who they kill so long as they get her. We’re better off just dropping them all on some moon and finding us a new home base.”
A horrible silence settled on the group as Vee’s words sunk in. Already, she was looking like she wished she could take some of them back.
Jamey pushed off the counter and stalked over to Vee’s perch on the counter across the room. For a moment, Nettie thought he was going to smack the girl but instead he stood over her for a long moment. Then he bent down to look her in the eyes.
“If you ever say anything like that in front of me again, I will make you sorry. That’s a solemn vow.”
“Me too,” Nettie added, folding her arms.
“Me three,” Anna said, not wanting to be left out.
The other Tam children glared at Vee as well, their father was also a fugitive after all, making the girl blush in shame. She glanced at her own brother and sister for support but Lady refused to look at her and Ben looked embarrassed to have any relation to her at all.
“Hey. You guys, this is counterproductive.” David frowned, a facial expression alien to his usually sunny features. “We’re all that’s left of Haven. We need to pull together or we ain’t gonna make it through all this.” He gave Lady a pleading look.
Seeing her leadership was needed, Lady nodded. “David’s right. Let’s save the finger pointing for later. We don’t want to say anything we’re just gonna regret.”
Nettie gave Vee one last glare before nodding along with the others.
“So what’s the plan then, fearless leader?” The words were sarcastic but instead of sounding combative, Vee just sounded tired.
Lady sighed heavily and rubbed at her eyes. “We do what Cap said and wait here ‘til we can leave.”
“I hope that’s soon,” Anna said, looking embarrassed. “Because I have to pee and I don’t want ya’ll watching.”
~*~
After Anna used the toilet and made sure everyone had their backs turned, there was no more discussion. Jamey finally got tired of standing and slumped down into one of the chairs Cap had brought in with them a few hours ago. Too bad they hadn’t been sent to their rooms. He could be reading a book or taking a nap. Snorting softly, he saw that Anna and Nova had managed to doze off where they sat.
Just then the doors opened and Uncle Simon stepped in, carrying his medical bag. “Is everyone all right?”
“We’re fine,” Lady answered. “What’s going on?”
“Are you sure?” Uncle Simon set his bag on the counter, ignoring the question. “You’ve all suffered a terrible shock. Maybe you sustained an injury and just haven’t-”
“Diddy.” David shifted the sleeping Anna in his lap and she blinked herself awake. “Lady asked you a question.”
Uncle Simon looked around at all of them. Jamey was suddenly surprised at how old he looked. Yeah, he knew his uncle was old, like, in his forties. But he’d never really looked it before. Uncle Simon wrapped an arm around Nova who had gone to stand by his side.
“We’re leaving now,” he said quietly. “You can all go to your rooms.”
No one moved.
“Do I have to ask you again, Dr. Tam?” Lady sounded authoritative, like she was the adult and Simon was the child.
“Things are… really bad,” Uncle Simon admitted.
“We get that much,” Jamey said, raising an eyebrow at the understatement.
Taking a deep breath, Uncle Simon seemed to debate with himself for a minute, like he was wondering how much he should tell them. Finally, he started to speak. “Well, the people who were holding River have found her. They placed a subliminal code in a commercial-”
“The oaty bar one?” Nettie asked.
“You hear more than we ever realize, don’t you?” Uncle Simon said, looking surprised.
“Little pitchers.” Anna tugged on one ear.
Smiling a moment, Simon returned to what he was saying. “The code set off something in River. It made her act out and it opened up a memory or something in her head. About a planet called Miranda.”
Nova frowned. “Miranda? I’ve never heard of it.”
Vee feigned shock. “There’s something you don’t know?”
“No one’s heard of it,” Uncle Simon said, quickly to stave off an argument. “We think River knows something the Alliance doesn’t want leaking out to the public.”
“So we’re going there to find out what it is?” Lady prompted.
“Yes.” Uncle Simon nodded. “For now, though, I think you should all try to get some sleep. Mal gathered some of your things together so there should be changes of clothes and other stuff in your rooms.”
Jamey wasn’t entirely sure he was going to be able to sleep and he saw his own doubt reflected on the faces of the others. But they all still filed out of the room and to the dorms. He was halfway up the ladder when Nettie cried out.
“What?!” He looked down at her in surprise.
“We forgot William!” Nettie said. Her face crumbled.
“All the death that’s happened today and you’re worried about a gorram cat?” Jamey grumbled. “Nice priorities there, mei mei.”
Nettie shook her head. “I’m sad for everybody. Shepherd Book, Miss Mara, Jeb, Sanchez…” She slid her door open. “But I actually forgot about William. That makes it worse somehow.”
Jamey went up the ladder the rest of the way and saw a black garbage sack in the middle of the floor with stuff shoved haphazardly into it. He saw a shirt that he knew for a fact was David’s. Stepping off the ladder into his room, he slid the door shut once he was safely inside and kicked the bag across the floor so it was out of the way.
He fluffed his pillow and flopped down onto his bed fully clothed, even with his shoes on. It felt strange, not having William curled up on the pillow next to his head. The thought had just barely crossed his mind when the tears started coursing down his face.
~*~
She’d taken two steps down the ramp and already Nettie hated Miranda. She wished that she could’ve stayed in her room but the adults had been worried about leaving them behind in the event that Reavers, for whatever reason, had followed them. Better to stay in a group, for as the old saying goes, there’s safety in numbers.
Daddy had ordered Jamey to stay close to her and he was now dragging her along as she gazed around uneasily. It was way too quiet and creepifying.
Then they had to go and start finding bodies. At first, Jamey had covered her eyes but she’d impatiently tugged his hand away. She had a feeling they’d be seeing even more corpses from here on out and she may as well get used to it now.
The adults were debating over what had caused the deaths but Nettie’s eyes were on Mommy, who was starting to get upset. So she wasn’t nearly as surprised as everyone else when Mommy finally snapped and started screaming in the middle of the street, imploring God to make her a stone.
Make me one too, while you’re at it, Nettie thought, hiding slightly behind Jamey.
“Let’s find the beacon,” Wash said softly.
It was coming from a downed Alliance Research Vessel, ripped to shreds. Nettie started to hang back but Jamey impatiently tugged her forwards. At least there weren’t any bodies here.
Inside, no one really seemed sure of what they were to do. Only Mommy strode forwards in determination and turned on the recording. Everyone stared in horror as the holographic image of the doctor explained that the Alliance had created Reavers. When Jamey covered her eyes as the Reavers ripped the doctor apart, Nettie didn’t shake his hand off.
The parents all got the kids out of there as fast as they could, all of them clearly shaken by what they’d seen. Nearly everyone was crying.
“Nettie?”
She drew her face back from where she’d had it pressed into Daddy’s stomach and faced Mommy. With a start of surprise, she realized that Mommy looked different. Even on her good days, she’d always looked a little distant and was easily distracted. But now she looked so much more aware, like having the secret of Miranda out in the open had freed something in her mind.
“Hi, Mommy.” Nettie wasn’t sure why she said that, but it must have been the right thing because Mommy’s face lit up.
“Come here, my heart,” she said, opening her arms wide.
Nettie ran to her and nearly bowled her over with the power of her embrace. They both started to laugh and cry and Mommy kept stroking her hair.
“You’re such a good girl, Serenity,” Mommy whispered. “I’ve never meant to scare you.”
“You don’t scare me,” Nettie lied. She blushed when Mommy gave her her Yeah, right look. “This place scares me.”
“Me too,” Mommy agreed. “Let’s go back to the ship then.”
They both smiled and linked their hands together.
~*~
“A year from now, ten, they’ll swing back to the belief that they can make people better. And I do not hold to that. So no more running. I aim to misbehave.” Mal had never looked so straight and tall, so determined.
Jayne could see everyone else had been moved by all they’d seen and decided to speak for everyone. “Shepherd Book used to tell me: if you can’t do something smart, do something right.” He took a sip from his jar of hooch – you needed a drink after all he’d seen- and frowned a little. “But maybe we shouldn’t take the kids into-”
“No.” A determined voice from the doorway made them all turn. Jamey stepped inside, followed by Lady, David, Nova, Nettie, Vee, Ben, and Anna. All of them had the same determined looks on their faces as everyone at the table. “This sounds like a damn fine adventure and a good cause to boot. We’re not missing this. They involved all of us the instant that they thought attacking our home was a good idea. We’ll follow your lead, Cap.”
It made Jayne grin to see his son like this. He was going to be a damn fine man when he grew up if he kept along this way. One more sip of the bottle and he slid it over to his brother in law, who looked pleased with his kids as well.
Simon picked the bottle up. “Do we have a plan?”
~*~
Some plan. Things never went smooth. Sliding through puddles of puke and still feeling a little sick, the kids unstrapped themselves from their beds, picked up the weapons they’d been given and followed the adults off the ship. Again, and even more so than before, it was too dangerous to leave them behind.
Nettie stuck close to Jamey and Nova as they ran into Mr. Universe’s facility. Daddy, Cap, and Zoe started discussing how all this would play out.
“We need to draw them til it’s done. This is the place. We’ll buy you the time.” Zoe was all business.
Cap nodded and waved his hand to Anna, who darted to his side and placed her little hand in his. Uncle Simon and Aunt Kaylee didn’t want her fighting, so Cap was taking her up to Mr. Universe’s head quarters.
“Move these crates back there for cover,” Daddy ordered, pointing with his gun, Lux. “And make sure they ain’t filled with anything goes boom.”
Everyone moved to do so except Ben who looked around in a panic. “Wait, Dad! Where’s Dad?!”
Nettie looked around and sure enough, there was no Wash. A feeling of dread curled up in the pit of her stomach. Followed by a rush of relief that her own father had made it through. It was hard to say which emotion was worse.
“He ain’t coming, baby,” Zoe said gently. She looked up from her gun, eyes sad.
This bit of news made everyone’s shoulders droop. The Washburns stared at their mother in frozen horror, Vee in particular looked disbelieving.
“Move the gorram crates!” Daddy growled. “Come on!”
They all snapped to, but Lady, Vee, and Ben took a little longer to shake off their shock and then they were hauling and stacking crates as well. It wasn’t until the horrible screaming from outside started that they stopped.
“Tell me you brought ‘em,” Cap said fervently, much to the kids’ confusion.
Grinning, Daddy held up a grenade and threw it down the hallway. Nettie breathed a little easier and noticed Nova sigh in relief as Reaver bits flew through the air.
But there were still more. There were always more Reavers.
Nettie hunkered down behind the crates with Jamey on her right and Nova on her left. She barely heard Cap and Zoe conferring, her mind boggling over the sheer number of the enemy. There was no way they were getting out of this alive. Not unless the shepherd had put in a good word for them with the Man Upstairs.
“Okay, Nettie?” Her brother’s tone was flat as he kept his gaze and his gun trained on the door, where any minute the Reavers would come spilling in.
She got set to lie but changed her mind. Why make one of her last acts in this ‘verse be lying to her brother? “My tummy hurts. I hate this.”
Surprisingly, he smiled. “So do I. But hey, hero’s journey, remember?”
Nettie looked at the gun in her hand. It looked so out of place there, like a bible in Cap’s hands or a tea cup in Daddy’s. A sudden wave of bitterness engulfed her, nearly choking her with its intensity. She shouldn’t be here. None of them should, not even Vee. They were supposed to be on Haven, having their arithmetic lesson.
“I don’t feel like much of a hero,” she admitted.
Jamey turned and looked at her, considering. “None of the real ones do, I think.”
She thought of those people on Miranda, who had let themselves die. All because some government abused its power in trying to control the population. All those people dead, the rest monsters. That needed to be avenged, at least recognized. Who else was going to do it?
“No,” Nettie agreed. “They do what they need to do.”
~*~
“Oh no!”
Anna stared in surprise at all the broken screens and computer equipment in front of her. Mr. Universe loved his equipment more than Lenore. When he saw this, he was going to have a… what was that word Daddy used when she got into Momma’s makeup? Contraption? Connection?
Cap had dropped her hand when he saw the broken mess but then he suddenly covered her eyes.
“Cap, I can’t see,” Anna complained, trying to pull his hand away.
“I don’t think you wanna see this, darlin’,” Cap said.
“See what?”
“Just keep your eyes covered, okay?”
“Where are you going?!” Panic took over. She didn’t want to be here when Mr. Universe had his contraption. Yelling scared her.
“Not far. Just keep your eyes covered.”
Cap was smart and he didn’t tell you to do things unless he had a good reason, so Anna kept her eyes covered.
“Mal. Guy killed me, Mal.”
Mr. Universe!
She dropped her hands to the sides and saw her friend curled up on the couch in Lenore’s lap, the way she curled up in Momma’s when the other kids wouldn’t let her play with them. It was safe to guess that he knew about the mess, then.
“He killed me with a sword. How weird is that?”
Anna came to stand by Cap’s side. She reached out a hand and petted Mr. Universe’s hair as he gave some instructions to where the backup generator was. Cap touched Mr. Universe, too. It suddenly occurred to her that they’d never actually met Mr. Universe in real life. It was sad that they had to meet him like this, all dead and stuff.
“They can never stop… the signal.” Lenore powered down, end of message.
“I need to get to that generator. Anna, go hide in the bedroom. Can you do that?”
“The bad men who did this are gonna come back, aren’t they.” She looked up at Cap, feeling like she wanted to cry.
“That’s what I think. Now, go on and hide. I don’t want them finding you. I’ll try to get back jackrabbit quick, okay?”
“Okay.” Anna nodded. She followed Cap’s pointing finger to a door across the room and ran to it.
The bedroom was painted red and black but she didn’t really pay much notice and crawled under the bed. Her knee hit something cool and slippery. Curious, she looked to see what it was. Ewwie. Magazines of ladies showing their boobies. Why would anyone do that? Mommy said that they weren’t really ladies if they-
Something in the other room clattered. The bad men. The bad men were back. She held her breath and thought herself small and invisible. I’m not really here, I’m floating in space counting the stars, not here not here not here not here…
Hey, she’d won countless games of hide and seek with her “mantra” as Shepherd Book had called it. It wasn’t going to fail her now.
All the same, she hoped Cap hurried with that transmission.
~*~
The battle was in full swing. So far, Jamey had shot three Reavers down and winged twelve. He’d never been good at the shooting thing. Even his trick of not aiming hadn’t helped him much.
Things couldn’t be any worse. Ma was in the corner screaming from all the Reaver thoughts invading her mind, Zoe got her back sliced open early on, Pop just took a hit to his bicep, and-
Sudden, blinding pain in his arm. He stared dumbly down at it.
“I been shot,” he said.
“Oh, Jamey!” Nova started to reach for him but fell forwards and smacked her jaw a good one on the crate, biting into her tongue. Blood spilled down her mouth.
Then one of the Reavers threw a knife and it got Vee right in the face. She went down screaming in fury and pain.
When Aunt Kaylee reached to both of the girls, she got a gazillion blowdarts in the neck for her efforts.
“Fall back!” Zoe screamed. “Everyone, fall back!”
She didn’t need to say it a third time. Anyone not injured dragged anyone having a hard time moving well behind the blast doors. Inara slapped at the controls and the blast doors closed, leaving an opening about four by four feet.
“That should keep ‘em out,” David said, sounding slightly hysterical. A bullet had winged off of his scalp and he was pressing his sleeve to the injury, trying to stop the bleeding.
Pop threw his last grenade through the opening. “Well, that might for awhile,” he said, giving David a grim smile.
“Can… close ‘em from outside,” Aunt Kaylee said, as the others set her down on a stack of crates.
Zoe shook her head. “No one’s coming back from that.” She tried to get up, failed. “How much ammo do we have?”
“We got three full cartridges and my swingin’…” Pop paused and looked at the girls guiltily. Even in though it was entirely inappropriate, Jamey laughed a little. “That’s all.”
Inara was by the lift doors, hitting the buttons. “The lift isn’t working.”
Nova and Uncle Simon were doing their best to attend to everyone’s wounds. Jamey hissed as Nova prodded at his arm.
“I think the bullet lodged into the bone,” she said, musingly.
“Then ya think you can stop jabbin’ at it then?!” Jamey hissed, tears stinging his eyes.
“I’m losin’ some feeling here,” Aunt Kaylee announced.
Uncle Simon went to her side and stopped her half-hearted movements. “Lie still,” he said, gently. “I’m going to give you something to counteract the-” He felt behind him as if looking for something, then his eyes widened. Standing up, he looked out the opening. “My bag!”
BOOM
Just like that, Uncle Simon was knocked backwards by the blast to his stomach.
“Daddy!” Nova cried. She dropped Jamey’s arm and ran to her father’s side. “Oh god, oh god, oh god!”
Inara took over the situation and started applying pressure to Uncle Simon’s wound.
“My bag. Need… adrenaline… and a shot of calaphar for Kaylee. I can’t… River?”
Ma knelt by Uncle Simon’s side, eyes wide. “No…”
Just then, the Reavers started coming at them again. Pop was already firing again, and Jamey lifted his own weapon along with Aunt Kaylee’s abandoned one. Nettie was on Pop’s other side, also firing. The three of them were so wrapped up in what they were doing they nearly missed the worst development yet.
Ma went dashing to the opening, full damn speed.
“River!” Pop bellowed. “Gorramit, ya moonbrain, you come back here right now!”
But she leapt through the opening. The doors started to close but just before the opening got too small, she tossed Uncle Simon’s bag through.
She had her arms outstretched for them when the Reavers pulled her away.
~*~
Daddy and Jamey were crying. Before Mommy ran, Nettie had looked away from the oncoming Reavers and had seen her stand up, shoulders squared. My turn, she’d read on her mother’s lips. Just before dashing, she’d tipped a wink Nettie’s way.
It didn’t seem likely, but Mommy was going to survive. She didn’t know how she knew but that little wink had communicated a lot. She trusted her mother to make it through, a new feeling that made her giddy. So Nettie held Daddy with one arm and stroked Jamey’s back with the other as they cried manly tears. They didn’t make much sound but wiped their eyes frequently and sniffed every once in awhile.
She watched as Nova gave Uncle Simon and Aunt Kaylee their necessary shots and then set to work sewing up Vee’s cut face.
“Ow, watch it!” Vee exclaimed. “It hurts!”
“I’m sticking a needle through your epidermis, of course it hurts,” Nova replied matter of factly.
“Yeah, but you don’t gotta… Ain’t there anything for pain in that little bag?” Vee looked hopeful and then winced as Nova continued the stitching.
“There is. But I think it’s better to save it for the more gravely injured of our party, don’t you think?” Nova’s tone should’ve been cold but actually sounded gentle. “Besides, you don’t want everyone to think you can’t handle a little pain, do you?”
Vee scowled at the logic and Nettie giggled a little. But then she looked at her father and brother and sobered up.
Daddy took a deep breath. “You think Mal got the word out?” he asked Zoe, gruffly.
Zoe lay on her stomach not far away from them, holding Ben’s hand. “He got through,” she said and it looked like she believed it. “I know he got through.”
“Ow!”
“Hold still, we’re not close to done yet!”
“Am I at least gonna have a scar when I’m through with this?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Shiny.”
The lift hummed to life and the doors opened, revealing a horribly battered Cap with a worried looking Anna dogging his heels. Nearly everyone gasped at the sight of him.
“It’s done,” Cap said, grimly. He looked around the room, noting a particularly important person’s absence and frowned. “Report?”
No one even knew how to tell him what had happened. Just when Zoe was about to respond, the blast doors opened. There, dripping with sweat and blood amongst a pile of dead Reavers was Mommy.
Nettie grinned. I knew it!
“That’s my girl,” Daddy whispered, sagging with relief.
~*~
In the end, the Operative let them go. It was the least he could do, all things considered. It took some time to get Serenity ready for flight again, but the crew had fifteen pairs of capable hands so they were ready sooner than expected.
Everyone’s wounds healed with time, the outside before the inside. They all took one step towards inner wellbeing when they buried Mr. Universe, Shepherd Book, and Wash. They got to say goodbye and cry out as much of their hurt as possible. There always would be a little hurt inside, but at least with the three of them buried, they could let go of their crazy hopes that Wash would bound into the mess declaring all was shiny, or Shepherd Book would suddenly call and ask if they were completing their assignments, or Mr. Universe would send a new cartoon and perform his duties of Grand Duke of the Cartoon Club.
Now, it was time to go. Jamey stood in the cargo bay, staring out at the rain, waiting for Cap to return with the last of the repair equipment so he could store it away. He could distantly hear the sounds of bunk tag but he hadn’t wanted to join it. It felt silly now for some reason. Nettie, Nova, and Vee entered the room just then.
“Hey, Jamey,” Nettie said. “We were just talkin’.”
“How ‘bout that?” Jamey raised his eyebrows.
Rolling her eyes, Nettie continued. “We were wondering… are we heroes now?”
“Because we just faced a buttload of ‘versities,” Vee said.
“And there was a lot of fighting,” Nova added.
Jamey smiled at the oddly agreeable pair. It sure was weird to see them finishing each other’s thoughts instead of sniping, but it was definitely something he could get used to. “And we’ve all changed as people?”
Vee and Nova exchanged embarrassed looks.
“Well, I say hell yeah, we’re heroes,” Jamey answered, slinging an arm around Nettie’s shoulders. She seemed surprised by the gesture but grinned up at him. “At least we damn well better be or the ‘verse is even more unfair than I thought it was.”
Cap returned and unfortunately, the Operative was with him. All four children stiffened at the sight of him, and Nova stepped protectively in front of Vee. Cap and the Operative spoke for a few moments and then Cap turned and gestured them over.
“What the hell does that bastard want?” Nettie growled as they joined their captain on the ramp.
The Operative smiled sadly at them. “It appears as though you’re all leaving very soon.”
No one answered him, just looked at him distrustfully.
“Well. Since you’re leaving, I thought you would want this.” From his pocket, he pulled out a skinny undersized black cat.
“Mrow,” William greeted them.
Jamey cried out. “William!” He gathered his pet into his arms and squeezed William tight until he grunted. The poor cat was missing both ears and had only one eye. “Where’d you find ‘im?”
“On your ship, actually. He must’ve climbed aboard unnoticed. I took the liberty of nursing him back to health.”
William was purring loudly and didn’t even seem aware of his injuries. One more survivor of Haven’s burning, all the more miraculous since he hadn’t been hidden in some underground bunker.
Was he supposed to thank the man? It felt strange, somehow. Hey, you’ve killed two of our own, but since you saved my cat – who we probably would’ve found anyway if you hadn’t swiped him – we’re square now?
The Operative seemed to understand Jamey’s dilemma and nodded once slowly. He took that to mean that they could leave, so they all turned and went back to the dorms.
Jamey settled William on the bed and pulled William’s favorite shirt of Jamey’s around the cat, cooing. But it was manly cooing and if anyone ever mentioned it to him, he’d simply deny it ever happening. Or say he was just clearing his throat.
“Jamey!” Anna called.
He slid his door open and peered down at his little cousin. “What?”
“Come on, we’re just starting!”
After checking that William was comfortable, Jamey climbed down the ladder and joined the others (minus Ben, who was up in the cockpit, acting as the new co-pilot) in Anna’s room. He sat down on the floor next to Lady and David and looked expectantly at the girls sitting in a row on Anna’s bed.
“Ready?” Nettie asked. She cracked open the singed book in her hands and cleared her throat. “Chapter One: An Unexpected Party. In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…”
END
**********
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katsqueaks made some fan art for this chapter a jillion years ago. You can see it here.
Track Six < Notorious : Track Eight > The Soft Goodbye
Title: Bad Moon Rising
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Big, big, big spoilers for the BDM.
Summary: "So, are we heroes?"
Disclaimer: Joss owns all but I own the kids.
Warning: Not fluffy. If you're angst sensitive then this is the one to sit out.
Note: Lines from this were written by Joss Whedon and did not come from my mind at all. You'll know which ones when you see them. Also, I quote from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The song title is the eerie Rasputina cover rather than the cheery sounding CCR original.
Songs from a Firefly
Bad Moon Rising
Jamey is 14, Nettie is 10
“The hero’s journey,” Shepherd Book began, “is a common narrative device that dates back long, long ago to Earth-That-Was. Can any of you tell me a little about the hero’s journey?”
Vee raised her hand. “There’s always lots of fighting!”
There were smatterings of giggles here and there, except from Nova who heaved an exasperated sigh.
Shepherd Book smiled. “Yes, the hero faces many adversities as a rule. Does anyone have anything else they’d like to add?”
Nova waved her arm in the air.
“Yes, Nova.”
“The hero faces adversities-”
“I already said that!” Vee exclaimed.
“He faces adversities,” Nova repeated loudly, “and learns about himself in the process. By the end of the story, he’s supposed to have changed as a person.”
“Very good.” Shepherd Book picked up a stack of books from the table in front of him. “Jamey, will you please pass these out for me?”
Jamey stood up from his wooden desk and went to the shepherd’s side. “What are they?”
“They’re what I’m expecting you to read for the next few weeks. By next Monday, I want Anna to have read the first chapter, the green group to have the first two chapters read, and the blue group to have read the first five.”
Nettie had been daydreaming all through this but snapped out of her daze when Jamey dropped one of the books onto her desk with excessive force. He frowned warningly at her and moved on to Ben.
She liked school and everything, but she wasn’t as good at it as Jamey or Nova. She wasn’t stupid, she just didn’t have the concentration for it. It took her forever to finish a book; her mind would wander or a turn of phrase would capture her interest and she’d get distracted from the story at hand.
Nettie picked up the book and read the title dubiously. The Hobbit. What the hell was a hobbit?
“I think you’ll like this one,” Shepherd Book said to all of them, but his eye was on Nettie. “It’s about a little hero-”
“As little as me?” Anna interrupted.
“Yes. And there’s a group of thieves and a dragon’s treasure.”
Everyone started chattering in excitement.
Nettie flipped open the book to the introduction and started to read when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.
“What’s that?” Anna had seen it too, and was pointing out at the sky beyond their school tent.
“It’s a ship. Is Cap coming back again so soon?” Nova asked.
The kids all jumped up and left the tent to investigate, Shepherd Book following after them with his hand on Lady’s back.
“That looks like Alliance,” Jamey said nervously.
Nettie’s heart started pounding double time. Had they found Mommy and were now looking for her and her brother as well? Maybe Cap had taken the wrong job and the Alliance had caught wind of his hiding place. Or maybe they were just dropping off supplies?
That last wishful thought shattered when she turned to Shepherd Book and saw the dread in his eyes.
Zoe pointed at the map on the screen. “This is us, see? And there’s Miranda. All along here, this dead space, is Reaver territory.”
Jayne stiffened. Sure, he wanted to know why this planet no one had heard of was eating at his wife’s brain pan, but Reavers…
“They just float out there, sending out raiding parties,” Wash said.
“Maybe a hundred ships. And more every year.” Zoe gave Mal a significant look. “You go through that you’re signing up to be a banquet.”
Quietly, River’s hand slipped into Jayne’s and he gave it a reassuring squeeze, though he was just as uneasy as everyone else.
“I’m on board with the run and hide scenario – and we are just about…” Wash looked from the monitors to the view outside the window. “Wait,” he breathed.
Outside, Haven was burning.
Jayne rocked back as if he’d been punched and clutched River’s hand tighter.
“JAMES! SERENITY!”
Bodies were everywhere. Bodies of friends, of the people he’d laughed with and shared meals with. People he’d liked and respected. Jayne refused to believe that his children were among them.
He knew he should check the perimeter, make sure that any purple bellies lurking about got put down but the panic took over his body and all he could do was run around, bellowing for his son and daughter. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea and as if from miles away, he could hear the others calling for their children.
“Doc, it’s the shepherd! Come quick!” Mal’s voice filtered in and Jayne realized he was in the mess tent looking pointlessly under a table. He could see Simon a few feet away.
“DAVID! NOVA! ANNABELLE!”
Jayne grabbed his brother-in-law’s arm and started tugging him towards the direction he’d heard their captain’s voice.
“Let go of me, I have to find my children!” Simon cried.
“We’ll look for ‘em in a sec, the shepherd needs ya. Come on!”
But when they reached the spot near the cannon where Mal held Book’s hand, it was too late. Bless the Doc, he still knelt down to check for sure.
Zoe and Wash ran up next and looked stricken by what they saw.
“He told me where the kids are,” Mal said quietly.
“Why did you dig a hole in your floor?” Anna looked up at Shepherd Book with troubled eyes.
“Yeah, and how did we manage not to see it all these years?” Vee peered down into the narrow little passage the shepherd had revealed to them.
“There isn’t much time; get inside.”
Jamey leaped down first and helped Nettie in. “What’s happening?”
“They’re looking for Mal. It’s best that they don’t find you.” Shepherd Book gently pushed David who hopped in without further prompting. He grasped Lady’s arm and directed the rest of his instructions to her. “You all keep quiet once you’re in there, do you hear me? No matter what.”
Jamey’s initial confusion and alarm shifted to nauseated fear. Book wouldn’t be joining them. Unconsciously, he clutched Nettie to his chest.
Lady nodded, though she looked plenty scared herself. “Okay, shepherd.” She lowered Anna into the hole and then Nova.
“I have to go now, children.” Shepherd Book smiled sadly. “It’s been a real honor watching you grow up.”
“But I’m not grown up yet!” Anna protested, shrilly. She looked to David as if asking him to back her up on this, but all he did was pull her down into his lap.
Nettie shivered. “Jamey?”
“Shhh.” He stroked her hair with a shaky hand. “It’s going to be okay.”
Vee handed Ben down. “So, what? We’re all supposed to sit down here and rot while you all fight the Alliance? Is that it?”
Shepherd Book had turned away and was halfway to the door. But at the sound of Vee’s voice, he paused. “You can pray.”
Vee swallowed and dropped down among the others, lowering the door after her. Through the narrowing space, they watched the shepherd walk straight and unflinchingly out into the sunlight.
“Do you really think they’re looking for Cap?” David whispered.
“It’s not unheard of. You know he’s got a funny talent for findin’ trouble,” Lady answered.
“I don’t know.” Jamey sounded doubtful. “That last visit was weird. We didn’t see Ma hardly at all, and when we did she was…”
In the darkness of the hole Nettie couldn’t see anyone clearly, but she could sense her brother’s presence and found it comforting. Especially since he had to go and bring up that. Mommy had always scared her when she had her episodes, but this last one had been the worst. Instead of screaming and hitting out at people, spewing gibberish, she’d looked like one of her old wind-up toys after it had run out of juice. She’d barely looked at them and hardly even moved. Daddy hadn’t left her side and offered up a lame excuse for Mommy’s state that even Anna would’ve seen through.
From what they’d been able to gather from the adults’ murmurings, there’d been a fight, someone named Miranda, and an oaty bar. She’d never liked those things anyway; tasted like overly sweetened cardboard.
“She was what?” Lady asked. “I can’t recollect seeing her at all. But I did hear-”
“Won’t you all please be quiet?!” Nova exclaimed tearfully. “Shepherd Book said“”
“He’s not here to see you suck up, so just save it!” Vee hissed.
“Viola, you’d best not be flappin’ your mouth off,” Lady warned.
“But you’ve seen her! She’s always-”
The end of Vee’s complaint was cut short by gunfire and horrible screaming from above. The cannon that they’d all played around at one time or another started booming in response.
Nettie clapped her hands over her ears and pressed her face into Jamey’s chest, like she was trying to burrow into him and escape the sounds of carnage not that far away.
“Make it stop,” she moaned, not realizing what she was saying.
“I wish I could,” Jamey murmured into her hair. He sounded like he was crying.
But when silence finally fell, it was even worse than all the screaming. At least with the screaming, they knew their friends were alive.
“He said there was a trap door here,” Mal muttered.
The crew was all gathered in the small kitchen of the house that the shepherd had shared with the children. They watched as Mal counted out the floorboards from the door and then hunker down, picking at the floor to find the opening.
Everyone crowded around, hoping beyond hope that they would be the first to have found the children.
Mal’s scrabbling fingers finally found the hidden door and he threw it up hastily.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the light fell on eight frightened, dirty faces. Anna automatically burst into tears.
“Oh baby, come to Mama,” Kaylee choked, holding her arms out.
David got to his feet unsteadily and shuffled to the edge of the pit, holding up the little sister he’d been cradling. Kaylee snatched her up and cuddled her close, kissing the little girl all over her face.
Quietly, Zoe shut the door so the destruction could remain unseen for now.
Jayne resisted shoving everyone aside and leaping into the hole himself as the older children passed up the littl’uns one by one. The panic screaming through his brain finally shut up when he had Nettie in his arms and his face buried in her hair, breathing in the scent of her baby shampoo.
“You okay?” Jayne whispered to her.
“The shepherd left us.” Nettie’s voice was muffled, her face pressed into Jayne’s neck.
Jayne rubbed her back. “I know he did. Damn smart of ‘im, makin’ this little hideaway in case everything went to hell.”
Jamey raised his head from River’s shoulder and looked at Jayne with such sorrowful eyes that Jayne wished the Operative was right in front of him so he could rip his sanctimonious head off his gorram shoulders and pitch it across the room. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
When Jayne didn’t respond, Nettie started to sniffle. Powerless and utterly furious with the fact, Jayne held her tighter.
Mal cleared his throat. “Let’s get these kids back on the ship. We got a lot o’ work to do and no time to do it.”
Kaylee looked trouble. “But Cap’n, they can’t see what’s outside. It…”
“Lady, c’mere.”
Reluctantly, Lady pulled out of Wash’s arms and stopped in front of Mal. With a flick of his wrist, Mal had a bandana in his hand and tied it around the girl’s head. He waved his hand in front of her eyes.
“See my hand?”
“No, Cap.”
Mal looked at the others. “Start makin’ blindfolds. We’ll each take a kid and lead ‘em into the infirmary. Then I want you all outside for orders.”
Jayne wrapped his own bandana around Nettie’s head and River tore some fabric off the end of her dress for Jamey. Everyone else did much the same and then each took a child by the hand, with the exception of Kaylee, who refused to let Anna on her feet, and then Mal opened the door.
The smell hit the kids instantly.
“Is something on fire?” Nettie asked.
Cap waited until everyone had their blindfold off before speaking. It was a tight squeeze getting everyone into the infirmary but they managed it, and Cap had even grabbed some extra chairs for them to use. Now every single child looked at him in silence, no words, no more tears. Nettie didn’t think she could cry any more, maybe not for the rest of her life. However long that may be.
“All of you stay in here,” Cap said without preamble. He started to tick off the rest of his points on one hand. “No runnin’ out to the cargo bay to see what we’re up to, no going to the mess, no playing in the cockpit. No one is to leave this room. Are we all clear on this?”
“Yes, Cap,” everyone recited dully.
Nettie had never seen him look so hardened before. It was scary. It must’ve been scaring everyone else because no one was asking any of the questions running through her own mind. What happened? Why are they after us? What’s going to happen to all of our stuff?
When Cap slid the doors shut and his footsteps had faded away, Lady finally spoke up. “Jamey, you were sayin’ something about your ma. What was it?”
Nettie turned to look at Jamey as he leaned against one of the counters. He stood up straight once everyone’s eyes were on him.
“She was… somethin’ was off last time we saw her. I think somethin’ happened to her. They did something.” Jamey folded his arms, not looking at anyone.
“Who’s ‘they’?” Anna asked, looking up to David.
“The Alliance,” Nova said. “I heard something about Auntie River maybe killing some people. Did… did the Alliance make her do that?”
Nettie was offended by her cousin’s uncertain tone. “If Mommy killed anybody, of course someone made her do it! She doesn’t just run around killing people, she’s not-”
“Not what?” Vee interrupted. “Not crazy?”
Embarrassed, Nettie knew she couldn’t deny anything. “She’s not crazy like that.”
“Really. Did you know that your ma once attacked your pa with a knife?”
Shouldn’t she be feeling more surprised than this? She certainly was surprised at having this bit of news blurted out by Vee Washburn but the image of Mommy going at Daddy… Well, sometimes she just wasn’t herself during an episode.
Lady gave her sister a sharp look. “Viola, I thought we had an agreement ‘bout us not repeatin’ that ever again.”
Nettie saw Jamey was even more surprised than she was. “You’re makin’ that up,” he accused Vee.
“Like hell I am!” Vee protested. “Your crazy mother has a history of attacking folk for no reason so it don’t-”
“That’s not true!” Ben protested. “Jayne sold Simon and River to the Alliance later on, so it ain’t like he was some innocent guy out on the -”
“He did what?!” Nettie cried. She just about had it with these stupid rumors, and clenched her fists so tight that her fingernails cut into her palms. “No he didn’t!”
Jamey leveled a cold stare on the Washburn kids. “Where’d you hear this lo se?
“What does this have to do with anything?!” Nova exclaimed. “Shepherd Book is dead. Our home’s destroyed. The Alliance is after us. Who gives a frilly hell if Aunt River and Uncle Jayne did whatever one hundred years ago? We should be trying to figure out what’s going on now!”
Vee glared at her. “It matters because their crazy mother,” she pointed accusingly at Nettie and Jamey, “is going to get us all killed! She’s who they’re after and they don’t care who they kill so long as they get her. We’re better off just dropping them all on some moon and finding us a new home base.”
A horrible silence settled on the group as Vee’s words sunk in. Already, she was looking like she wished she could take some of them back.
Jamey pushed off the counter and stalked over to Vee’s perch on the counter across the room. For a moment, Nettie thought he was going to smack the girl but instead he stood over her for a long moment. Then he bent down to look her in the eyes.
“If you ever say anything like that in front of me again, I will make you sorry. That’s a solemn vow.”
“Me too,” Nettie added, folding her arms.
“Me three,” Anna said, not wanting to be left out.
The other Tam children glared at Vee as well, their father was also a fugitive after all, making the girl blush in shame. She glanced at her own brother and sister for support but Lady refused to look at her and Ben looked embarrassed to have any relation to her at all.
“Hey. You guys, this is counterproductive.” David frowned, a facial expression alien to his usually sunny features. “We’re all that’s left of Haven. We need to pull together or we ain’t gonna make it through all this.” He gave Lady a pleading look.
Seeing her leadership was needed, Lady nodded. “David’s right. Let’s save the finger pointing for later. We don’t want to say anything we’re just gonna regret.”
Nettie gave Vee one last glare before nodding along with the others.
“So what’s the plan then, fearless leader?” The words were sarcastic but instead of sounding combative, Vee just sounded tired.
Lady sighed heavily and rubbed at her eyes. “We do what Cap said and wait here ‘til we can leave.”
“I hope that’s soon,” Anna said, looking embarrassed. “Because I have to pee and I don’t want ya’ll watching.”
After Anna used the toilet and made sure everyone had their backs turned, there was no more discussion. Jamey finally got tired of standing and slumped down into one of the chairs Cap had brought in with them a few hours ago. Too bad they hadn’t been sent to their rooms. He could be reading a book or taking a nap. Snorting softly, he saw that Anna and Nova had managed to doze off where they sat.
Just then the doors opened and Uncle Simon stepped in, carrying his medical bag. “Is everyone all right?”
“We’re fine,” Lady answered. “What’s going on?”
“Are you sure?” Uncle Simon set his bag on the counter, ignoring the question. “You’ve all suffered a terrible shock. Maybe you sustained an injury and just haven’t-”
“Diddy.” David shifted the sleeping Anna in his lap and she blinked herself awake. “Lady asked you a question.”
Uncle Simon looked around at all of them. Jamey was suddenly surprised at how old he looked. Yeah, he knew his uncle was old, like, in his forties. But he’d never really looked it before. Uncle Simon wrapped an arm around Nova who had gone to stand by his side.
“We’re leaving now,” he said quietly. “You can all go to your rooms.”
No one moved.
“Do I have to ask you again, Dr. Tam?” Lady sounded authoritative, like she was the adult and Simon was the child.
“Things are… really bad,” Uncle Simon admitted.
“We get that much,” Jamey said, raising an eyebrow at the understatement.
Taking a deep breath, Uncle Simon seemed to debate with himself for a minute, like he was wondering how much he should tell them. Finally, he started to speak. “Well, the people who were holding River have found her. They placed a subliminal code in a commercial-”
“The oaty bar one?” Nettie asked.
“You hear more than we ever realize, don’t you?” Uncle Simon said, looking surprised.
“Little pitchers.” Anna tugged on one ear.
Smiling a moment, Simon returned to what he was saying. “The code set off something in River. It made her act out and it opened up a memory or something in her head. About a planet called Miranda.”
Nova frowned. “Miranda? I’ve never heard of it.”
Vee feigned shock. “There’s something you don’t know?”
“No one’s heard of it,” Uncle Simon said, quickly to stave off an argument. “We think River knows something the Alliance doesn’t want leaking out to the public.”
“So we’re going there to find out what it is?” Lady prompted.
“Yes.” Uncle Simon nodded. “For now, though, I think you should all try to get some sleep. Mal gathered some of your things together so there should be changes of clothes and other stuff in your rooms.”
Jamey wasn’t entirely sure he was going to be able to sleep and he saw his own doubt reflected on the faces of the others. But they all still filed out of the room and to the dorms. He was halfway up the ladder when Nettie cried out.
“What?!” He looked down at her in surprise.
“We forgot William!” Nettie said. Her face crumbled.
“All the death that’s happened today and you’re worried about a gorram cat?” Jamey grumbled. “Nice priorities there, mei mei.”
Nettie shook her head. “I’m sad for everybody. Shepherd Book, Miss Mara, Jeb, Sanchez…” She slid her door open. “But I actually forgot about William. That makes it worse somehow.”
Jamey went up the ladder the rest of the way and saw a black garbage sack in the middle of the floor with stuff shoved haphazardly into it. He saw a shirt that he knew for a fact was David’s. Stepping off the ladder into his room, he slid the door shut once he was safely inside and kicked the bag across the floor so it was out of the way.
He fluffed his pillow and flopped down onto his bed fully clothed, even with his shoes on. It felt strange, not having William curled up on the pillow next to his head. The thought had just barely crossed his mind when the tears started coursing down his face.
She’d taken two steps down the ramp and already Nettie hated Miranda. She wished that she could’ve stayed in her room but the adults had been worried about leaving them behind in the event that Reavers, for whatever reason, had followed them. Better to stay in a group, for as the old saying goes, there’s safety in numbers.
Daddy had ordered Jamey to stay close to her and he was now dragging her along as she gazed around uneasily. It was way too quiet and creepifying.
Then they had to go and start finding bodies. At first, Jamey had covered her eyes but she’d impatiently tugged his hand away. She had a feeling they’d be seeing even more corpses from here on out and she may as well get used to it now.
The adults were debating over what had caused the deaths but Nettie’s eyes were on Mommy, who was starting to get upset. So she wasn’t nearly as surprised as everyone else when Mommy finally snapped and started screaming in the middle of the street, imploring God to make her a stone.
Make me one too, while you’re at it, Nettie thought, hiding slightly behind Jamey.
“Let’s find the beacon,” Wash said softly.
It was coming from a downed Alliance Research Vessel, ripped to shreds. Nettie started to hang back but Jamey impatiently tugged her forwards. At least there weren’t any bodies here.
Inside, no one really seemed sure of what they were to do. Only Mommy strode forwards in determination and turned on the recording. Everyone stared in horror as the holographic image of the doctor explained that the Alliance had created Reavers. When Jamey covered her eyes as the Reavers ripped the doctor apart, Nettie didn’t shake his hand off.
The parents all got the kids out of there as fast as they could, all of them clearly shaken by what they’d seen. Nearly everyone was crying.
“Nettie?”
She drew her face back from where she’d had it pressed into Daddy’s stomach and faced Mommy. With a start of surprise, she realized that Mommy looked different. Even on her good days, she’d always looked a little distant and was easily distracted. But now she looked so much more aware, like having the secret of Miranda out in the open had freed something in her mind.
“Hi, Mommy.” Nettie wasn’t sure why she said that, but it must have been the right thing because Mommy’s face lit up.
“Come here, my heart,” she said, opening her arms wide.
Nettie ran to her and nearly bowled her over with the power of her embrace. They both started to laugh and cry and Mommy kept stroking her hair.
“You’re such a good girl, Serenity,” Mommy whispered. “I’ve never meant to scare you.”
“You don’t scare me,” Nettie lied. She blushed when Mommy gave her her Yeah, right look. “This place scares me.”
“Me too,” Mommy agreed. “Let’s go back to the ship then.”
They both smiled and linked their hands together.
“A year from now, ten, they’ll swing back to the belief that they can make people better. And I do not hold to that. So no more running. I aim to misbehave.” Mal had never looked so straight and tall, so determined.
Jayne could see everyone else had been moved by all they’d seen and decided to speak for everyone. “Shepherd Book used to tell me: if you can’t do something smart, do something right.” He took a sip from his jar of hooch – you needed a drink after all he’d seen- and frowned a little. “But maybe we shouldn’t take the kids into-”
“No.” A determined voice from the doorway made them all turn. Jamey stepped inside, followed by Lady, David, Nova, Nettie, Vee, Ben, and Anna. All of them had the same determined looks on their faces as everyone at the table. “This sounds like a damn fine adventure and a good cause to boot. We’re not missing this. They involved all of us the instant that they thought attacking our home was a good idea. We’ll follow your lead, Cap.”
It made Jayne grin to see his son like this. He was going to be a damn fine man when he grew up if he kept along this way. One more sip of the bottle and he slid it over to his brother in law, who looked pleased with his kids as well.
Simon picked the bottle up. “Do we have a plan?”
Some plan. Things never went smooth. Sliding through puddles of puke and still feeling a little sick, the kids unstrapped themselves from their beds, picked up the weapons they’d been given and followed the adults off the ship. Again, and even more so than before, it was too dangerous to leave them behind.
Nettie stuck close to Jamey and Nova as they ran into Mr. Universe’s facility. Daddy, Cap, and Zoe started discussing how all this would play out.
“We need to draw them til it’s done. This is the place. We’ll buy you the time.” Zoe was all business.
Cap nodded and waved his hand to Anna, who darted to his side and placed her little hand in his. Uncle Simon and Aunt Kaylee didn’t want her fighting, so Cap was taking her up to Mr. Universe’s head quarters.
“Move these crates back there for cover,” Daddy ordered, pointing with his gun, Lux. “And make sure they ain’t filled with anything goes boom.”
Everyone moved to do so except Ben who looked around in a panic. “Wait, Dad! Where’s Dad?!”
Nettie looked around and sure enough, there was no Wash. A feeling of dread curled up in the pit of her stomach. Followed by a rush of relief that her own father had made it through. It was hard to say which emotion was worse.
“He ain’t coming, baby,” Zoe said gently. She looked up from her gun, eyes sad.
This bit of news made everyone’s shoulders droop. The Washburns stared at their mother in frozen horror, Vee in particular looked disbelieving.
“Move the gorram crates!” Daddy growled. “Come on!”
They all snapped to, but Lady, Vee, and Ben took a little longer to shake off their shock and then they were hauling and stacking crates as well. It wasn’t until the horrible screaming from outside started that they stopped.
“Tell me you brought ‘em,” Cap said fervently, much to the kids’ confusion.
Grinning, Daddy held up a grenade and threw it down the hallway. Nettie breathed a little easier and noticed Nova sigh in relief as Reaver bits flew through the air.
But there were still more. There were always more Reavers.
Nettie hunkered down behind the crates with Jamey on her right and Nova on her left. She barely heard Cap and Zoe conferring, her mind boggling over the sheer number of the enemy. There was no way they were getting out of this alive. Not unless the shepherd had put in a good word for them with the Man Upstairs.
“Okay, Nettie?” Her brother’s tone was flat as he kept his gaze and his gun trained on the door, where any minute the Reavers would come spilling in.
She got set to lie but changed her mind. Why make one of her last acts in this ‘verse be lying to her brother? “My tummy hurts. I hate this.”
Surprisingly, he smiled. “So do I. But hey, hero’s journey, remember?”
Nettie looked at the gun in her hand. It looked so out of place there, like a bible in Cap’s hands or a tea cup in Daddy’s. A sudden wave of bitterness engulfed her, nearly choking her with its intensity. She shouldn’t be here. None of them should, not even Vee. They were supposed to be on Haven, having their arithmetic lesson.
“I don’t feel like much of a hero,” she admitted.
Jamey turned and looked at her, considering. “None of the real ones do, I think.”
She thought of those people on Miranda, who had let themselves die. All because some government abused its power in trying to control the population. All those people dead, the rest monsters. That needed to be avenged, at least recognized. Who else was going to do it?
“No,” Nettie agreed. “They do what they need to do.”
“Oh no!”
Anna stared in surprise at all the broken screens and computer equipment in front of her. Mr. Universe loved his equipment more than Lenore. When he saw this, he was going to have a… what was that word Daddy used when she got into Momma’s makeup? Contraption? Connection?
Cap had dropped her hand when he saw the broken mess but then he suddenly covered her eyes.
“Cap, I can’t see,” Anna complained, trying to pull his hand away.
“I don’t think you wanna see this, darlin’,” Cap said.
“See what?”
“Just keep your eyes covered, okay?”
“Where are you going?!” Panic took over. She didn’t want to be here when Mr. Universe had his contraption. Yelling scared her.
“Not far. Just keep your eyes covered.”
Cap was smart and he didn’t tell you to do things unless he had a good reason, so Anna kept her eyes covered.
“Mal. Guy killed me, Mal.”
Mr. Universe!
She dropped her hands to the sides and saw her friend curled up on the couch in Lenore’s lap, the way she curled up in Momma’s when the other kids wouldn’t let her play with them. It was safe to guess that he knew about the mess, then.
“He killed me with a sword. How weird is that?”
Anna came to stand by Cap’s side. She reached out a hand and petted Mr. Universe’s hair as he gave some instructions to where the backup generator was. Cap touched Mr. Universe, too. It suddenly occurred to her that they’d never actually met Mr. Universe in real life. It was sad that they had to meet him like this, all dead and stuff.
“They can never stop… the signal.” Lenore powered down, end of message.
“I need to get to that generator. Anna, go hide in the bedroom. Can you do that?”
“The bad men who did this are gonna come back, aren’t they.” She looked up at Cap, feeling like she wanted to cry.
“That’s what I think. Now, go on and hide. I don’t want them finding you. I’ll try to get back jackrabbit quick, okay?”
“Okay.” Anna nodded. She followed Cap’s pointing finger to a door across the room and ran to it.
The bedroom was painted red and black but she didn’t really pay much notice and crawled under the bed. Her knee hit something cool and slippery. Curious, she looked to see what it was. Ewwie. Magazines of ladies showing their boobies. Why would anyone do that? Mommy said that they weren’t really ladies if they-
Something in the other room clattered. The bad men. The bad men were back. She held her breath and thought herself small and invisible. I’m not really here, I’m floating in space counting the stars, not here not here not here not here…
Hey, she’d won countless games of hide and seek with her “mantra” as Shepherd Book had called it. It wasn’t going to fail her now.
All the same, she hoped Cap hurried with that transmission.
The battle was in full swing. So far, Jamey had shot three Reavers down and winged twelve. He’d never been good at the shooting thing. Even his trick of not aiming hadn’t helped him much.
Things couldn’t be any worse. Ma was in the corner screaming from all the Reaver thoughts invading her mind, Zoe got her back sliced open early on, Pop just took a hit to his bicep, and-
Sudden, blinding pain in his arm. He stared dumbly down at it.
“I been shot,” he said.
“Oh, Jamey!” Nova started to reach for him but fell forwards and smacked her jaw a good one on the crate, biting into her tongue. Blood spilled down her mouth.
Then one of the Reavers threw a knife and it got Vee right in the face. She went down screaming in fury and pain.
When Aunt Kaylee reached to both of the girls, she got a gazillion blowdarts in the neck for her efforts.
“Fall back!” Zoe screamed. “Everyone, fall back!”
She didn’t need to say it a third time. Anyone not injured dragged anyone having a hard time moving well behind the blast doors. Inara slapped at the controls and the blast doors closed, leaving an opening about four by four feet.
“That should keep ‘em out,” David said, sounding slightly hysterical. A bullet had winged off of his scalp and he was pressing his sleeve to the injury, trying to stop the bleeding.
Pop threw his last grenade through the opening. “Well, that might for awhile,” he said, giving David a grim smile.
“Can… close ‘em from outside,” Aunt Kaylee said, as the others set her down on a stack of crates.
Zoe shook her head. “No one’s coming back from that.” She tried to get up, failed. “How much ammo do we have?”
“We got three full cartridges and my swingin’…” Pop paused and looked at the girls guiltily. Even in though it was entirely inappropriate, Jamey laughed a little. “That’s all.”
Inara was by the lift doors, hitting the buttons. “The lift isn’t working.”
Nova and Uncle Simon were doing their best to attend to everyone’s wounds. Jamey hissed as Nova prodded at his arm.
“I think the bullet lodged into the bone,” she said, musingly.
“Then ya think you can stop jabbin’ at it then?!” Jamey hissed, tears stinging his eyes.
“I’m losin’ some feeling here,” Aunt Kaylee announced.
Uncle Simon went to her side and stopped her half-hearted movements. “Lie still,” he said, gently. “I’m going to give you something to counteract the-” He felt behind him as if looking for something, then his eyes widened. Standing up, he looked out the opening. “My bag!”
BOOM
Just like that, Uncle Simon was knocked backwards by the blast to his stomach.
“Daddy!” Nova cried. She dropped Jamey’s arm and ran to her father’s side. “Oh god, oh god, oh god!”
Inara took over the situation and started applying pressure to Uncle Simon’s wound.
“My bag. Need… adrenaline… and a shot of calaphar for Kaylee. I can’t… River?”
Ma knelt by Uncle Simon’s side, eyes wide. “No…”
Just then, the Reavers started coming at them again. Pop was already firing again, and Jamey lifted his own weapon along with Aunt Kaylee’s abandoned one. Nettie was on Pop’s other side, also firing. The three of them were so wrapped up in what they were doing they nearly missed the worst development yet.
Ma went dashing to the opening, full damn speed.
“River!” Pop bellowed. “Gorramit, ya moonbrain, you come back here right now!”
But she leapt through the opening. The doors started to close but just before the opening got too small, she tossed Uncle Simon’s bag through.
She had her arms outstretched for them when the Reavers pulled her away.
Daddy and Jamey were crying. Before Mommy ran, Nettie had looked away from the oncoming Reavers and had seen her stand up, shoulders squared. My turn, she’d read on her mother’s lips. Just before dashing, she’d tipped a wink Nettie’s way.
It didn’t seem likely, but Mommy was going to survive. She didn’t know how she knew but that little wink had communicated a lot. She trusted her mother to make it through, a new feeling that made her giddy. So Nettie held Daddy with one arm and stroked Jamey’s back with the other as they cried manly tears. They didn’t make much sound but wiped their eyes frequently and sniffed every once in awhile.
She watched as Nova gave Uncle Simon and Aunt Kaylee their necessary shots and then set to work sewing up Vee’s cut face.
“Ow, watch it!” Vee exclaimed. “It hurts!”
“I’m sticking a needle through your epidermis, of course it hurts,” Nova replied matter of factly.
“Yeah, but you don’t gotta… Ain’t there anything for pain in that little bag?” Vee looked hopeful and then winced as Nova continued the stitching.
“There is. But I think it’s better to save it for the more gravely injured of our party, don’t you think?” Nova’s tone should’ve been cold but actually sounded gentle. “Besides, you don’t want everyone to think you can’t handle a little pain, do you?”
Vee scowled at the logic and Nettie giggled a little. But then she looked at her father and brother and sobered up.
Daddy took a deep breath. “You think Mal got the word out?” he asked Zoe, gruffly.
Zoe lay on her stomach not far away from them, holding Ben’s hand. “He got through,” she said and it looked like she believed it. “I know he got through.”
“Ow!”
“Hold still, we’re not close to done yet!”
“Am I at least gonna have a scar when I’m through with this?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Shiny.”
The lift hummed to life and the doors opened, revealing a horribly battered Cap with a worried looking Anna dogging his heels. Nearly everyone gasped at the sight of him.
“It’s done,” Cap said, grimly. He looked around the room, noting a particularly important person’s absence and frowned. “Report?”
No one even knew how to tell him what had happened. Just when Zoe was about to respond, the blast doors opened. There, dripping with sweat and blood amongst a pile of dead Reavers was Mommy.
Nettie grinned. I knew it!
“That’s my girl,” Daddy whispered, sagging with relief.
In the end, the Operative let them go. It was the least he could do, all things considered. It took some time to get Serenity ready for flight again, but the crew had fifteen pairs of capable hands so they were ready sooner than expected.
Everyone’s wounds healed with time, the outside before the inside. They all took one step towards inner wellbeing when they buried Mr. Universe, Shepherd Book, and Wash. They got to say goodbye and cry out as much of their hurt as possible. There always would be a little hurt inside, but at least with the three of them buried, they could let go of their crazy hopes that Wash would bound into the mess declaring all was shiny, or Shepherd Book would suddenly call and ask if they were completing their assignments, or Mr. Universe would send a new cartoon and perform his duties of Grand Duke of the Cartoon Club.
Now, it was time to go. Jamey stood in the cargo bay, staring out at the rain, waiting for Cap to return with the last of the repair equipment so he could store it away. He could distantly hear the sounds of bunk tag but he hadn’t wanted to join it. It felt silly now for some reason. Nettie, Nova, and Vee entered the room just then.
“Hey, Jamey,” Nettie said. “We were just talkin’.”
“How ‘bout that?” Jamey raised his eyebrows.
Rolling her eyes, Nettie continued. “We were wondering… are we heroes now?”
“Because we just faced a buttload of ‘versities,” Vee said.
“And there was a lot of fighting,” Nova added.
Jamey smiled at the oddly agreeable pair. It sure was weird to see them finishing each other’s thoughts instead of sniping, but it was definitely something he could get used to. “And we’ve all changed as people?”
Vee and Nova exchanged embarrassed looks.
“Well, I say hell yeah, we’re heroes,” Jamey answered, slinging an arm around Nettie’s shoulders. She seemed surprised by the gesture but grinned up at him. “At least we damn well better be or the ‘verse is even more unfair than I thought it was.”
Cap returned and unfortunately, the Operative was with him. All four children stiffened at the sight of him, and Nova stepped protectively in front of Vee. Cap and the Operative spoke for a few moments and then Cap turned and gestured them over.
“What the hell does that bastard want?” Nettie growled as they joined their captain on the ramp.
The Operative smiled sadly at them. “It appears as though you’re all leaving very soon.”
No one answered him, just looked at him distrustfully.
“Well. Since you’re leaving, I thought you would want this.” From his pocket, he pulled out a skinny undersized black cat.
“Mrow,” William greeted them.
Jamey cried out. “William!” He gathered his pet into his arms and squeezed William tight until he grunted. The poor cat was missing both ears and had only one eye. “Where’d you find ‘im?”
“On your ship, actually. He must’ve climbed aboard unnoticed. I took the liberty of nursing him back to health.”
William was purring loudly and didn’t even seem aware of his injuries. One more survivor of Haven’s burning, all the more miraculous since he hadn’t been hidden in some underground bunker.
Was he supposed to thank the man? It felt strange, somehow. Hey, you’ve killed two of our own, but since you saved my cat – who we probably would’ve found anyway if you hadn’t swiped him – we’re square now?
The Operative seemed to understand Jamey’s dilemma and nodded once slowly. He took that to mean that they could leave, so they all turned and went back to the dorms.
Jamey settled William on the bed and pulled William’s favorite shirt of Jamey’s around the cat, cooing. But it was manly cooing and if anyone ever mentioned it to him, he’d simply deny it ever happening. Or say he was just clearing his throat.
“Jamey!” Anna called.
He slid his door open and peered down at his little cousin. “What?”
“Come on, we’re just starting!”
After checking that William was comfortable, Jamey climbed down the ladder and joined the others (minus Ben, who was up in the cockpit, acting as the new co-pilot) in Anna’s room. He sat down on the floor next to Lady and David and looked expectantly at the girls sitting in a row on Anna’s bed.
“Ready?” Nettie asked. She cracked open the singed book in her hands and cleared her throat. “Chapter One: An Unexpected Party. In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…”
END
**********
katsqueaks made some fan art for this chapter a jillion years ago. You can see it here.Track Six < Notorious : Track Eight > The Soft Goodbye
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Date: 2006-08-13 03:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-13 06:41 pm (UTC)