5 January 2003
Fandom: Firefly
Vague spoilers for "Safe"

Summary: River and Simon have a vivid fantasy life.

Disclaimer: I'm not responsible.
Disclaimer 2: Joss is God.
Disclaimer 3: If this makes you go blind, I'm not responsible for that, either.

Notes:
One Li is a little more than 1/3 of a mile.

Simon swears here in Cantonese rather than Mandarin.  Fault to me.  Credit to The Alternative Cantonese Dictionary.

Written for Te as her Christmas present.





"We crashed."

"What?"

"We crashed. The rest of our crew is dead. It's just you and me. The rebels are going to find us."

"Why did we crash?"

"We ran out of fuel. We were sabotaged at the last refuelling station. Heads will roll for this."

"Only if they find out."

"Which they won't unless we live. So we've got to. For obvious reasons as well. But we'll have to pass through rebel lines, first."

"How far is it?"

"Fifty Li. We'll get there tomorrow. It's raining."

"How well-equipped are we?"

"We have one big raincoat, and two pairs of boots. Rations for one day, or two if we march hungry. I think I could."

"Then I will too."

"Thank you, Simon."

"Anything for you. Except cannibalism, if it can possibly be helped."

"Our crew were contaminated in the crash. Cannibalism's out of the question."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. We'll walk close together, so we can both take advantage of the raincoat."

"Is it raining?"

"It's snowing. But it's not very cold. There's something in the air that makes water crystallize at higher temperatures.  About ten degrees celcius."

"Sounds pretty."

"It's not very practical. The snow crunches under our feet so we can't sneak by the rebels. They'll see us for sure."

"How far away are they now?"

"One thousand seventy-three metres. They'll hear us if you yell."

"What are we going to do, then, mei mei?"

"I'm going to pretend to be your wife."

That's very sensible. I suppose we're in disguise?"

"We're obviously settler-farmers. We're poor, and we've been dislocated by the war. I'm injured."

"River..."

Blood on his trousers, almost invisible on the black.

"There. That wasn't hard."

"Dui! River!"

"It was necessary. They're coming. Bandage me."

"I'll have to clean it first. I'd like to disinfect it, too. Yau mo gau hai cho possessed you to cut yourself?"

"Hush. Be surprised. They're here."

"I'll be very convincing, I'm sure. Hold still while I clean this. Hello, Leftenant."

"He wants to know who you are."

"Michael Hone. And my wife Amy. The Alliance bombers destroyed our farm."

"You don't have the hands of a farmer."

"I wasn't very good at it."

"Your wife is hurt."

"I'm trying to help her."

"You're good at that."

"I try."

"You have to come with us, Mr Hone. We need a medic."

"I won't serve the rebels!"

"The Alliance destroyed your farm. Why should you be loyal to them?"

"I..."

"You're a doctor."

"I'm only learning..."

"If you're a doctor, you can't refuse. We need you."

"That isn't fair."

"Of course it isn't. And someday we'll tell you about the works of Boris Pasternak and doctors who run into opposing armies. Come on.

"We have to go with them, Simon."

"There's a way out."

"I can't see one. Go with them for now."

"Alright. We're walking. To their camp."

"It's in the shelter of some supply cannisters. They have food stolen from the farms we saw burned out."

"Then they know it wasn't the Alliance who burned our farm."

"They don't care. They need a doctor worse than they need to check our facts. There are people here with no hands, Simon."

"River, don't."

"There are people here with no feet. Some missing parts of their faces. We did this."

"I feel awful."

"But you can help them."

"If I had the supplies..."

"You have your hands. I'll help you."

"It takes all day."

"And most of the night. And in the meantime some of the people die. And it gets warmer, and now it is raining. Which makes us colder. At the end of the night, when everyone's either treated or dead, they give us bad coffee and a place to sleep."

"How does your hand feel?"

"It throbs a bit. I deliberately missed the tendons and major veins."

"I'd still like to take it to a hospital."

"We don't have one right now. You have to lie down with me and rest. Everyone's watching us. They'll kill us if they think we're spies."

"So we lie down. I'm so tired."

"We're both wrapped in our big raincoat. They're watching us. There are men watching me."

"I'd never let them hurt you."

"There are women here who wouldn't say anything if they did."

"I'd never let them."

"They don't believe I'm your wife."

"Why?"

"They don't think we act like married people. Some of them have bayonets."

"I'll never let them hurt you. I can make them believe it."

Her mouth sugar-wet against the edge of his lip.

"They're not coming any closer. They're still watching."

"Never let them take you away."

"Do you remember the night I took you dancing?"

"On Eris Port. Yes. We were both very glamourous."

"You looked at me like this. I'll make them believe it."

"Simon ..."

"Shhhh, mei mei. Trust me. You know I love you."

"I love you. They're watching us."

"I won't let them watch you. I'm going to lie between them and you."

"I'm cold."

"You know I love you."

"Your skin is cold."

"I'm scared."

"They have bayonets. We hurt them. They'll hurt us. Every time they see our skin they wonder why we don't look like them."

"If I wrap us up in the raincoat..."

"... they won't see as much. And they'll believe it."

"Like we've done this before. In the field. On our farm where we lived before they burned us out. They made us refugees and corralled us in this gorram mud pit and took away everything but you."

"It hurts when you do that."

"Only for a second, sweetheart."

"I know. We can make them believe this."

"I'll be careful. Never let your back touch the ground."

"We're cold. And they're watching. But we're going to win."

"Of course we are."

Her whimpers against his cheek like animals moving.

"They're going away. It's late and they've been up all night, and even the ones with bayonets believe I'm your wife."

"My wife. We've had this other life and we'll never tell them. Do you hurt?"

"I'm alright. I want to get out of here. Just lie with me until they're asleep and then we can sneak past their perimeter guards."

"Do they see us?"

"Not one of them."

"How far is it to the city?"

"Twenty Li more. The rebels hold it, but there are free agents who fly out of the port. We can get home from there."

"Nothing between here and there?"

"Not so much as a dinosaur."

"We're okay."

"We are. And you're going to be surprised. You think that everyone will know what we've done, but it's not something they can tell just from looking at us."




jane
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