vid and fic: fidelity (raynekid centric)

[toxic_corn]

Title: Fidelity
Author: toxic_corn
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All is Joss's. Nothing save the children is mine.
Summary: River sees children in her future... with Jayne.
Notes: Takes place prior to Songs From A Firefly.

Video: Song by Regina Spektor





River hears them in her head as she tries to sleep, as she walks the ship, as she reads, brushes her hair, eats. They're even louder when she's near Jayne. They want her attention. They want to be born.


The girl pouts and draws and sings. The singing is lovely and sometimes when River feels as if the walls are closing in and everything has sharp edges, the girl's voice wraps around her to comfort and protect her.


The boy seems sadder, like someone has played too carelessly with his heart. He's sixteen at the youngest but his eyes are so much older. Sometimes he comes to mind when the dark seems too dark with disturbing tinges of blue, and she feels she must be stronger in order to protect him. He draws her from herself, makes her become River. The River she'd been before the Academy.


Sometimes it gets confused and she mixes up the present with the future. They're at supper when the girl says impishly, "You were busy following Lady all day. Did you miss me?" The boy doesn't engage her and stares at her stoically. This is too much for the girl to handle since she basks in attention and can't stand to be ignored. Miffed, she gives the boy a rude gesture.


Jayne glares at the girl. "Hey! Quit that right now or no dessert!"


The girl looks betrayed by Jayne's rebuke and gives her brother a resentful look. "I didn't miss you, either."


"He did miss you, he just doesn't know it," River says softly.


"What'd you say, sweetie?" Inara asks. Her voice so close makes River realize that the girl isn't sitting beside her and the disappointment of it is shockingly painful.


River looks up at the crew, all of them staring worriedly. Even Jayne, though he tries to look more occupied with his supper. "It breaks my heart," River murmurs and stands up. "Excuse me."


~*~


Jayne watches River leave the room and knows where she's headed. When she gets all distant lately, she ends up down in the bay, dancing. Jayne shovels the rest of the food down his throat and gets up hastily. "Gonna get some lifting done before bed." He doesn't wait for anyone's response and hurries out, hoping maybe she hasn't gotten too far into her routine yet. He likes when she does those twirls and not just because it makes her skirt flare out around her so he can see her panties.


She hasn't started them yet and he sighs in relief, leaning against the railing. He's there for only a few minutes when Mal settles down next to him. He wonders if the captain knows where his thoughts are and he kinda hopes not. Jayne barely knows it himself.


"Who do you think she was talking about?" Jayne asked. "At dinner. About someone missing somebody."


"Probably no one," Mal says quietly. "Doc says her brain's so tore up, she hardly knows what she's saying."


Jayne doesn't like that and watches the girl leap, her face glowing with joy. "Yeah, probably."


The End

Comments

[katesbe.livejournal.com]

I love this.

I has missed the Raynekids.

[toxic-corn.livejournal.com]

I've missed them, too. Poor Jamey, always being sixteen while Nettie got to be alllll those other ages. Maybe if Adam Baldwin had had pushy stage parents, I could've had more footage of him, lol.

[gilove2dance.livejournal.com]

Holy....YAY! Regina Spektor is AMAZING! Woot woot!

I adore the video. Brilliantly planned out....so well done and the fic was beautiful...I so want to see My Bodyguard but my city's rental stores don't carry it! Tears!

[toxic-corn.livejournal.com]

Awww, thank you! Netflix has My Bodyguard. :)

[gilove2dance.livejournal.com]

OMG!!! Really?! SQUEE! You are my hero!

[gilove2dance.livejournal.com]

Aww...tears once more...it's only for the States...I'm in Canada...sigh

[xenaclone.livejournal.com]

I managed to get a DVD off e-bay. :-). Adam at 17; all arms, legs, eyebrows and curls [hugs him]. And the talent's all there; on screen presence, watchfulness, grace. Ma & Pa Baldwin raised a good 'un.

[mystic_notions]

This is awesome! I love your Raynekids and the whole verse, but I think I may have mentioned that once or twice before.

I really need to see My Bodyguard.

[toxic-corn.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I love them too and this was a lot of fun to make, though a challenge.

[rivertammuvielu.livejournal.com]

I love how both your fic and video interconnect. I also love how you have Jodelle Ferland?, I hope I spelled her name right, as Nettie. I can see her being one of River's children. Also she and Summer are two of my favorite actresses.

[toxic-corn.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I wrote the fic after I made the video lol. Jodelle and Summer really look like they could be related; I'm glad that my friend suggested her for Nettie way back when.

[rivertammuvielu.livejournal.com]

I ended up being introduced to Serenity before Firefly and I can remember searching for the girl playing River in the school scene at the beginning of the movie going, "That's Jodelle Ferland, that's Jodelle," then being disappointed it wasn't. I also did the same thing when I finally watched Safe. When I saw Serenity, I also remember looking up seeing if Jodelle was Summer's little sister because they definitely look so much alike.

[an-ardent-rain.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, both the video and the fic were so good! You do such an excellent job with Rayne!kid fics - it's exactly what it would be like if River and Jayne ever did have kids. A lovely read - and the video was very impressive! :)

[toxic-corn.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it. :)

[hyacinthian.livejournal.com]

Oh Raynekid fic. Perpetually lovely. :)

[toxic-corn.livejournal.com]

Awww, thanks.

[karanina.livejournal.com]

OMG! So cute!!!

I loved the characterisation you gave Jayne and River here. River being mixed up between visions a reality, is something I can see very easily. And I love how Jayne was sorta pining at the end, insisting to himself that River wasn't too broken, cos he likes her.

And the vid was so cute. I esp loved the scene with Nettie learning to shoot a gun! GOOD FIND!!!!

[toxic-corn.livejournal.com]

Thanks! And yeah, that scene with Jodelle holding the gun made me flap excitedly, even though it was Jamey who got his own "learning to hunt" story. Maybe Nettie learned at some point, why not? She's such a daddy's girl, I'm sure Jayne would've been chuffed to teach her.

[sunshineali.livejournal.com]

I just saw this and it was sooooooooo adorable and soooooooo cute. I love Jamie and Nettie! However, it makes me long for more of your Raynekid fics. :)Ali

[toxic-corn.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Well, I have a plot bunny poll (http://toxic-corn.livejournal.com/276888.html) up right now suggesting a story that would be all Nettie's. So that's the only Raynekid thing I got going now.