Bed and Wine: Part 21
Sunday, April 2, 2006
The River Tam Story by River Tam. PG-13
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 3895 RATING: 9.0 (PG13) SERIES: FIREFLY
Bed and Wine: Part 21
By Kaynara
***
The River Tam Story by River Tam
***
AN1: Little experiment. Will return to space reality for the next installment. ;)
AN2: If you haven’t read The Pillow Book of Inara Serra by Phaedra...well, you should. The language is exquisite, and every paragraph breaks your heart.
AN3: Thanks to Grimlock for the consult.
***
I hit him. Crack. Sorry, Jayne.
“Son of a--” One hand covers his eye.
Two steps closer.
“Kiss it better?”
’’Gorrammit, girl.” Looks over shoulder, eyes like a bug’s. Space bugs that bite in the night. Giggles.
“This is just hi-larious, huh? You tryin’ to get me dead?”
“No. Supposed to dodge it.”
“I know that, girl. Don’t you think I know that?”
“I’m better. Stronger now.”
“Guess you are.”
***
Panic. Baby’s hot, too hot. Sticky hot skin.
I sit up. I scream and scream. Lights. Footsteps.
“River?”
“Oh, God. Don’t know what to do! Feed a fever, starve a cold. Or reverse it? Simon!”
“Shh, I’m here. I’m here, River.” He strokes my hair. Feels nice. Safe. Lucky Kaylee.
“Which one do you starve?”
Simon looks confused. Smiles at last.
“Generally starving your child is frowned upon....”
I blink a few times. Now, I’m the confused one. Realize he’s teasing.
“Scared,” I say softly.
“Don’t be scared. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Alone.”
“You are *not* alone.”
“Love you, Simon.”
Surprise. Eyes, nose and mouth all relax.
“I love you too, River.”
“Stay till I fall asleep?” Lips curve. “Won’t try anything smutty.”
Simon groans.
“You do enjoy tormenting me more than anything else in this ‘verse.”
“You’re easy.” Snuggle into his side, head on chest. Simon holds me. Safe.
***
Try to make Kaylee see.
“Dreams. Fire, and flesh. Got scared.”
“Aw, honey.” Kaylee likes to touch, hug. Hugged Captain Daddy when he needed it and didn’t know it. Always giving hugs, sweet Kaylee.
“Needed Simon. Sorry.”
“Sweetie, if I only gotta share him with you, I think I can bear
Cortez sex. Oh so funny!
Simon and Kaylee's convo was just perfect!
Wonderfully written. Going to have to read that Pillow Book fic now.
Don't keep us waiting too long for the next chapter!
Very interesting to see Simon struggling with the child situation and wanting the Alliance to leave them alone.
I loved this line: "He likes to make her feel, knowing so few have." It really describes Mal/Inara well.
Different... first person an' all... it works with River, though, Like Nurmula, I am happy the whole story isn't in first person...
I liked how each scene skipped around from one to the next, flitting in on each of the crew and their thoughts and activities ... and some serious stuff, discussions about the baby, and I loved the pants 'fight'
We gonna see some o' that Cortex Sex next chapter?? *grin*
That was bloody awesome!
I could follow the most of it..it's sooo on target with what (I think?) would be going on in that little witch's head!!!
Bloody brilliant. Can't wait for more.
Cortex sex?? LMAO
~SCE
Got to admit....1st person POV fits River's fractured but healing mind. Plus, the various relationships seem spot on.
And yeah...can't wait to see how Mal takes the idea of trying to 26th century phone sex through the Cortex;)
BEB
And also I have to say that your depiction of how a relationship (or whatever) would develop between Jayne and River is the most realistic one I've seen on this site. Their pairing is an interesting one to me because their characters are so different. I do believe that after the BDM, Jayne would have seen River in a different light. A lot of time would've had to have passed before ANYTHING could grow between them. A lot of writers aren't patient enough to wait for that, but I'm happy to see that you are.
Thanks for crafting such a wonderful tale!! Can't wait for next weekend when you write another!
I thought 1st person was a GREAT way to depict River's brain. So much goes on inside her head that I think she makes a great candidate for 1st person.
Maybe not for this story, obviously, but I think you have the characters' voices so well depicted that you could write an entire story in 1st person from everyone's point of view, like William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. If you haven't read it, you should, it's one of the best crafted books ever written.
Ok - commentary done. Keep up with the writing! :)
Dragon has two daddies... *giggle*
Second, I thought I'd echo everyone else: CORTEX SEX. Heh. *giggles*
Simon/Kaylee - I love the way you write them. I mostly don't like fanon S/K, but you do it really well. They're a little bit complicated, a little bit sweet, very emotional. Their convo here was spot on.
Arguing over pants? Oh. Man. *loves*
Can't wait for the next part.
Your fantastic use of details to flesh out each and every one of the characters is what makes this story real to me. Your evil plot monsters make it unforgettable. I marvel at your skills.
By the way, I didn't too much care for the experiment, but loved your diction, details, and emotions. It was hard for me to follow. At the table scene, I had to go back to the start to catch up with what was happening. It didn't 'taste' like your writing, if you know what I mean. On a positive note, I did feel "inside River's mind" during the Simon/Kaylee and Jayne parts.
More as soon as you can, please. You're still my favorite :)
Wonderful chapter.
And *giggle* Cortex sex
*can't stop hoping that Inara does get pregnant somehow, cause cuteness* (and it's not entirely impossible, right...)
CCke
You have an amazing way with River. It is rare to find someone who manages what must be a difficult task of balancing her voice between the obscure and the stunningly meaningful. Thank you!
i love the way you write river's ability to read - its not intrusive or perverted, it just is what it is. also love the developing river / jayne relationship. and the way you're exploring the river/simon/kaylee relationship - perfect!
“Ain’t gonna be like this. Not tonight. And, in the name of Lucifer, not in Mal’s chair.”
hehehehehehe...
loved river's little talk with wash, so sweet and funny. ‘Help me, Doctor. I dream of large blond men in flowery shirts.’
b
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