Disclaimer: Joss the Boss, Mutant Enemy, Universal, etc, etc pwn. Bow down.

This story is the sequel to a story back in January of 2007. You can find the story in my firefly fics list under “His Something.” Originally, “His Something” was called “Someone to Watch Over You.” The more the story sat there, the more I felt it needed a sequel, and the more I felt that I had misnamed it. So I renamed the first story and decided to name the second story what the first one was originally. It feels right to me now. I hope you enjoy (:

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The ringing silence that followed the shepherd’s passing was deafening to River. Things seemed to be moving slowly, in fragmented little bursts of time. Mal was angry, the others were talking, and now she stood there alone, mere feet away from the body of the only person that had ever known what was truly inside of her. This was all her fault, and she knew it.

“River,” it was soft, almost as if the wind had spoken her name as it lifted her hair from her shoulders to dance around her face, “River,” This time, the voice was smooth and clear. It was a voice she recognized, a voice she knew very well. Her gaze turned to the dead man at her feet but, unsurprisingly, he did not seem to have moved or miraculously come back to life. “River,” the sound came from behind her.

Whirling around, her mahogany eyes met his wise chocolate colored ones. Her heart lurched at the sight of him standing there. It hurt to know that he was not really there. It hurt to know that he had died for her. Yet still, he was there, whether he be imaginary or not, it was all the same to River. She knew the dead still had things to say long after their bodies had decayed into nothing.

It was different with him, however. She knew exactly what he was going to say to her. Once, she had made him a promise. It was high time to make good on it. “I let you fall. Fell for me.” she whispered, her voice too choked to emerge from her throat.

“I didn’t fall, River. I went down protecting someone very dear to me