elysian fields(part 2-elysian fields)

Everything was the same as when he left it. Nothing ever changed here. Hot, dry and dusty. He was coated in dust. Camden was pretty sure it was coating his lungs as well. Farkess had chosen the worst way back to the plantation. It was the kind of thing that amused him. Camden fought the temptation to move his neck. He longed to look at sky. Until they had come and taken him; he had lived all his life on Shadow. He had never really thought of leaving it. Now, after everything that had happened Camden doubted he would ever live planetside again, at least if he had a say. He found himself thinking of Serenity and its recycled air. The way at night there were moments of perfect stillness. He stopped himself. He could not, would not think of those things now. All that mattered now was keeping River and Mal safe. It was all that mattered to him, and all that ever would.

Straightening the infirmary had taken Simon the better part of two hours. He had expected River to come wandering in or for someone to come to him with a complaint about something she had done. No one came. He could think of nothing else to do here. His stomach rumbled, but he resisted the urge to go and get something to eat. He might run into someone and he couldn’t deal with the blame in their eyes, not now. He searched their rooms first, not really expecting to find her there. In all honesty he had a pretty fair idea of where she was, but wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to go after her. He was standing at the hatch to Mal’s quarters trying to work up his nerve when Zoe stepped onto the walkway.

“Leave them be.”

“I need to-“

“Leave them be.”

Simon hesitated for a moment before deciding to go to his own quarters, defeated. Zoe watched him go and then stood there a while to make sure he didn’t come back.

Mal had been laying on his bunk when he heard the noises, muffled conversation above. He glanced over at River, but she hadn’t seemed to notice. She had held Camden’s boot in her lap. Her hand ran