Fic="Snow White"

[walkwithheroes]

Title:

Snow White
Author: walkwithheroes
Summary: Sometimes death isn’t real, sometimes it is just the beginning…
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal, Inara, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Simon, River, Jayne, others  
Pairing: Every couple (M/I, Z/W, K/S, J/R) is mentioned or hinted at, though this is Gen
Warning: None
Spoilers/Timeline: None/AU timeline
Sequel To: Reaver, River, Rayne Series: Takes place in the TMTC or H.E. ‘verse
Disclaimer: I don't own them

 

Sometimes death isn’t real, sometimes it is just the beginning…

April 15, 2551

 

Serenity Ranch hardly ever got post and if they did it was just supplies. That was why it was a surprise when the Post Master himself came riding up to the big house on his mule. The little man looked extremely anxious as he came up to the front door and knocked.

“Hello.” The little man jumped when he noticed Lee Tam-Washburne smiling at him from the right side of the big porch. The pretty woman was covered in grease, but when she smiled, well, she lit up the porch. “Could I help ya?”

“Yes, I got…” he pointed back to his mule. “ya’ll gots ta take it. I could lose my license!”

Lee gave him a confused look. “Take what?”

“That!” He pointed at the mule again. “That coffin!”

“Coffin?!” Before the Post Master could reply, Lee was off the porch and headed the mule. Who would send someone a coffin? Suddenly, an ugly thought filled Lee’s mind. Rayne Cobb had disappeared two years earlier. Could…could the coffin have Rayne’s dead body in it? Looking at the tag, Lee noticed that the coffin had been sent to her mother-in-law, Zoe Washburne.

“Somebody’s gotta take it.” The Post Master told Lee. Lee didn’t respond, she just signed for the coffin, before she rushed off to find someone.

______________________________________________________________________

Lee found Mal Reynolds and Jayne Cobb working in one of the barns and she got them to get the coffin and bring it into the large sitting room of their home. Zoe paid the Post Master and Lee got everyone to come and see what was in the coffin. The whole house hold was gathered moments later.

“Who would send Zoe a coffin?” Derri Reynolds questioned as she gave the silver thing a curious look.

“Cryo-coffin.” Simon Tam corrected. Everyone looked his way and Simon moved nervously under their gazes. “They were just starting to make them when I left Capital City.” He looked over at his nephew. “Matt, did they have them when you studied there?”

Matt nodded, even as he began speaking. “Yeah, they sure did. Cryo-coffins get used when people gotta ship a corpse across the ‘verse. The coffin perseveres the corpse and makes sure it doesn’t start to rot or anything. It’s a lot cheaper and safer then just persevering the body through fluids.”

“That’s very interesting, doctors.” Mal cut in. “But, that still don’t explain why someone would mail Zoe a corpse.” He gave his oldest friend a look. “Any ideas, Zoe?”

“No, sir.” She gave the cryo-coffin an unsure look. “Anyone who we fought with would surely have sent it to both of us.”

Wash and Kaylee were staring down at the buttons on the cryo-coffin, with Inara, Shadow Reynolds, and Jay Cobb looking over their shoulders. “Mayhap, it’s an ol’ friend. From before Cap’n.” Jay suggested.

“No.” Everyone turned around to see that River was standing in the doorway. “It’s not a friend; it‘s family. In every life a little rain must fall.” Jayne gave his wife a worried look. He hadn’t even thought their daughter was in that cryo-coffin.

“Jayne, help me get the lid off.” Mal ordered.

Jayne didn’t have to be told twice, he just walked numbly over to the cryo-coffin and helped Mal try and figure out the buttons. When that didn’t work, both men just kicked the gorram lid off. And that was when they saw---

Dry ice was pouring out of the cryo-coffin and as it cleared everyone in the room got a clear look at the little girl inside. Rayne Cobb lay peacefully inside, her long hair spread around her like waves and her white sundress clinging to her thin body. The little girl looked utterly peaceful and dead; even her arms were crossed over her chest.

The room was completely silent for a long moment and then everyone seemed to react at once. Kaylee gasped and hid her face in Simon’s chest. Lee started to sniff and snuggled into Rex’s arms. Inara muttered: “Run-tse duh FWO-tzoo.” Zoe reached out for Wash’s hand. Derri whispered: “Lao-tyen boo.” Mal moved away from the cryo-coffin, almost as if he just couldn’t stand to be there. Shadow looked dumbly at the cryo-coffin, his hands balled up into fists. Both Jay and Matt looked like they wanted to shot someone. River slowly moved over to stand beside Jayne and the two of them stared down at Rayne’s seemingly life less body.

“Not gone.” River whispered softly. “Snow White always wakes up with a true love’s kiss.” She glanced around the room. “She’s not gone, just trapped in a coffin of glass.”

“River…” Simon began softly. “I don’t think she’s…” He moved away from Kaylee and went to the cryo-coffin to take his niece’s pulse; there was none. “She has no pulse, mei-mei.”

“But,” Kaylee spoke up. “it was nearly the same with Tracey, ’member?”

“You don’ think she shipped herself back here?” Wash questioned with an unsure glance at the cryo-coffin. “Would she…could she have done it?”

“Girl could ‘a done it.” Jayne thought out loud. “Bu’ she wouldn’ of done it this way. She would ‘a come home proper.”

“Could someone have shipped her back here?” Derri asked. “So, no one would know it was her.”

“That’s yu bun duh.” Jay angrily told the younger woman.

“Wei!” Matt lightly hit his brother’s arm. “There isn’t a need to get snappy.”

“Well, I really don’t-” Inara began, but she was cut off by a very familiar and yet unusual sight.

Rayne Cobb had lurched out of her cryo-coffin. There was a short beat and then the girl started screaming; everyone jumped and even her parents moved back a bit. Screaming, Rayne split out of the side of the cryo-coffin and began crawling backward, until she was against the wall. Breathing hard, Rayne looked around her, wild-eyed and feral. She covered her head with her arms and seemed to be trying to make herself disappear.

“Oh, God.” Rex whispered softly.

Before anyone knew what was happening, River and Jayne were kneeling in front of their youngest. The rest of the room silently watched as Jayne reached out for Rayne, only to have her whimper and try and move farther away from him.

“Rayne…it’s me, yer Pa.” Jayne softly stated.

“Rayne…” That was River and she sounded more afraid then anything else.

Trying to focus, Rayne felt herself start to cry. This wasn’t…where was this? Everyone around her looked so worried, scared, and confused. She couldn’t remember who they all were, but she wanted to tell them that it was going to be okay, even if it were a lie.

“Ray…”

Rayne looked past her parents and at the man who had spoken. He was her…her older brother. That was it! And that meant…this was Serenity Ranch.

“Home. Dwelling. Place of residence.” Her voice sounded small and awfully far away. Urgently, she began whispering: “Daddy? Mo-mommy? Mommy, they…they gave me reasons an...and missions. I’m….they….they took it all out and they put it in and…they want me to…”

Jayne reached out again, and this time Rayne let him wrap her in a hug. “It’s okay, it’s okay, bao bay.”

Something inside both River and Rayne knew that was a lie, but it was alright to let Jayne pretend for the moment.

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

An hour later, after Simon had gave Rayne the once over, he, River, and Jayne, joined everyone else in the living room. Simon was the one who gave the news.

“Rayne was…we’re not sure what happened to her. River can’t, she can’t seem to get into Rayne’s mind. And Rayne isn’t very interested in speaking with us at the moment.” He took a deep breath. “She has new scares and…and she seems to…Rayne…I’m actually not sure what was done to her.”

“They finished.” River softly spoke up. “Two by two got to finish the project and they made a little puzzle. She’s not broken, she’s just …done. She’s what they wanted to make me.”

The room was silent as they all took that new information in. Would Rayne be like River had once been or would she be better or even worse?

“So, where is she?” Matt spoke up.

“I gave her something to help her sleep and Jayne, River, and I have already spoken and we think it’s best if she doesn’t see all of us at once. She’s very scared and confused at the moment and we don’t want to make it worse.” He paused and a look of sadness crossed his face. “Rayne doesn’t actually remember all of us at the moment.”

“But, she will?” Lee asked hopefully. “After a while?”

Simon gave his daughter a little sad smile. “Maybe, we just have to give it a little time. Until farther notice, I’d like her to just be visited by the boys, River, Jayne, and myself. She was awoken eleven days early and I don’t want to put added pressure on her.”

“They made her into me. Made her hear them and suffer.” River told the room sadly.

No one was sure they could completely disagree with that statement.

 

Translations:

Mei-mei=little sister

Run-tse duh FWO-tzoo= Merciful Buddha

Lao-tyen boo= Oh, god, no.

Yu bun duh=stupid

Wei=Hey

Bao-bay=sweat heart

Comments

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I'm glad she's home, too. The next part will be all about Rayne getting her bearings and the reactions of everyone else. Lots of character interaction. :)