Can't Stop Fighting 5 - Nightmares
Can’t Stop Fighting 5 - Nightmares
Author: Rhiannon - rhian_morwenna
Summary: Liam/Angel and Simon help River with her nightmares
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 736
Characters: Liam O’Connor/Angel, Simon, River
Genre: Drama, Crossover
Pairing: none (honest!)
Warning: adult themes
Spoilers/Timeline: Post BDM
Sequel To: Can’t Stop Fighting 4 - In Transit
Series: Can’t Stop Fighting - Big Damn Table here - Previous Chapters: Can’t Stop Fighting, Persephone, Family, In Transit
Disclaimer: Don’t own the characters, or else I wouldn’t be doing this.
Xie-xie again to lvs2read and pesha - for the feedback and feeding my addiction. The layout of Serenity can be found here - http://www.fireflywiki.org/img/serenity-map.jpg - along with everything else in the ‘verse . Mouseover for translations. If they don't work for you, translations are at the end. As always, feedback is very shiny!
Posted to afterserenity, ff_fanfic, and ff_with_fangs.
Angel lay on his bunk staring at the ceiling, trying to adjust to ship time, when he heard a strangled whimper come from one of the other passenger dorms. He listened quietly, trying to determine where the sound was coming from. The only sound from the room next to his own was Simon’s deep breathing. He heard the sound again from across the hall: River’s room.
Angel left his room to stand outside River’s, listening. Simon had warned him about River’s nightmares, especially since he had been given the third room in the corridor of the passenger quarters that had been dubbed “The Tam Wing.”
“Nooo! Please…” she sobbed.
Angel opened the door to her room. He saw her curled up against the wall, her arms thrashing about. He hurried to her bed, sat down beside her, and tried scooping her into his embrace while ignoring her flailing arms.
“Shh, nian-qing de, shh,” Angel murmured. “Everything’s fine, wake up for me.”
“Wo xiang bian shi tou!” she cried still asleep, pounding her fists into Angel.
“Sun-nu, wake up, it’s just a dream,” he said as he shook her more forcefully. “Please wake up, mei-mei.”
Simon hurried into the room as River opened her eyes and looked at who was embracing her her.
“Ge-ge?” she whispered.
“I’m here, mei-mei,” Simon said as he sat down next to them, stroking her hair while Angel continued to hold her.
“Simon?” She looked from him back to Angel. “Tian-shi?”
“Yes, it’s Liam,” he told her softly, “You’re safe now. It was all a dream.”
Angel looked at Simon questioningly. Hold her, Simon mouthed silently. He nodded, and held River tighter against him. She started to relax, resting her head on his bare chest.
“River, mei-mei, can you tell me what happened?” Simon asked.
“Blood. River is blood, running deep. Blood of others. Blood of River,” she looked up at Angel. “Make the blood stop,” she pleaded.
“We’re both here, mei-mei, you’re safe,” Simon said softly, leaning toward them to kiss River on the temple.
“Stay with me, take the pain away,” she pleaded. “Ge-ge, Tian-shi, stay with me. You chased it away.”
“Chased what away, River? What did you see?” Angel asked gently.
“A…a wild dog. It chased me, trying to eat me. There was a cliff, I was trapped. There were more animals, a ram and a huge deer. They…they ripped me apart, River became blood. No escape,” she sobbed.
“It was just a dream, mei-mei,” Angel soothed, although his expression betrayed his calm voice.
The three of them sat together quietly for several minutes. Angel and Simon both stroked her hair, soothing her.
“Please stay with me tonight, both of you. Keep nightmare blood away.”
“I’ll stay, mei-mei, although this bed isn’t big enough for all three of us,” Simon said.
“Yes it is, you just don’t know, silly,” River said as she slipped out of their embrace. “Get out of bed.”
She stood at the edge of the bed, reached under and hit a button. The edge of the bed slid out, expanding the size so it would accommodate three people sleeping very close together. She reached into a storage compartment underneath and produced a pad. She slipped it under the sheet, expanding the mattress to the size of the new frame. She crawled back into bed and wedged herself between Angel and Simon under the blankets.
“Liam, you don’t have to stay. I stay with River on bad nights, but you don’t have to,” Simon said quietly.
“If it helps, I’ll stay.”
“Thank you, ge-ge,” River reached up and squeezed Angel’s hand.
Angel slipped under the blankets against the wall while Simon turned the light off and climbed under the blankets himself. River draped her arm across Angel’s chest.
“So cold,” she murmured.
“I’m room temperature. I don’t generate any body heat. It’s a part of being what I am.”
“Let me keep you warm,” River said. She moved to lie on top of Angel, his bulk easily supporting her slight frame. Angel stiffened slightly as she covered him with her body, then relaxed as she nestled her head on his shoulder, the tension melting from her body. Simon slid over closer to the two of them, draping his arm over them both. Angel drifted off to sleep, enjoying the warmth of two bodies. For the first time in many nights, all three slept without nightmares.
Chinese used
nian-qing de - young one
Wo xiang bian shi tou - I wish to become stone
sun-nu - granddaughter (son’s daughter)
mei-mei - little sister
ge-ge - big brother (term of endearment)
tian-shi - angel
Author: Rhiannon - rhian_morwenna
Summary: Liam/Angel and Simon help River with her nightmares
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 736
Characters: Liam O’Connor/Angel, Simon, River
Genre: Drama, Crossover
Pairing: none (honest!)
Warning: adult themes
Spoilers/Timeline: Post BDM
Sequel To: Can’t Stop Fighting 4 - In Transit
Series: Can’t Stop Fighting - Big Damn Table here - Previous Chapters: Can’t Stop Fighting, Persephone, Family, In Transit
Disclaimer: Don’t own the characters, or else I wouldn’t be doing this.
Xie-xie again to lvs2read and pesha - for the feedback and feeding my addiction. The layout of Serenity can be found here - http://www.fireflywiki.org/img/serenity-map.jpg - along with everything else in the ‘verse . Mouseover for translations. If they don't work for you, translations are at the end. As always, feedback is very shiny!
Posted to afterserenity, ff_fanfic, and ff_with_fangs.
Angel lay on his bunk staring at the ceiling, trying to adjust to ship time, when he heard a strangled whimper come from one of the other passenger dorms. He listened quietly, trying to determine where the sound was coming from. The only sound from the room next to his own was Simon’s deep breathing. He heard the sound again from across the hall: River’s room.
Angel left his room to stand outside River’s, listening. Simon had warned him about River’s nightmares, especially since he had been given the third room in the corridor of the passenger quarters that had been dubbed “The Tam Wing.”
“Nooo! Please…” she sobbed.
Angel opened the door to her room. He saw her curled up against the wall, her arms thrashing about. He hurried to her bed, sat down beside her, and tried scooping her into his embrace while ignoring her flailing arms.
“Shh, nian-qing de, shh,” Angel murmured. “Everything’s fine, wake up for me.”
“Wo xiang bian shi tou!” she cried still asleep, pounding her fists into Angel.
“Sun-nu, wake up, it’s just a dream,” he said as he shook her more forcefully. “Please wake up, mei-mei.”
Simon hurried into the room as River opened her eyes and looked at who was embracing her her.
“Ge-ge?” she whispered.
“I’m here, mei-mei,” Simon said as he sat down next to them, stroking her hair while Angel continued to hold her.
“Simon?” She looked from him back to Angel. “Tian-shi?”
“Yes, it’s Liam,” he told her softly, “You’re safe now. It was all a dream.”
Angel looked at Simon questioningly. Hold her, Simon mouthed silently. He nodded, and held River tighter against him. She started to relax, resting her head on his bare chest.
“River, mei-mei, can you tell me what happened?” Simon asked.
“Blood. River is blood, running deep. Blood of others. Blood of River,” she looked up at Angel. “Make the blood stop,” she pleaded.
“We’re both here, mei-mei, you’re safe,” Simon said softly, leaning toward them to kiss River on the temple.
“Stay with me, take the pain away,” she pleaded. “Ge-ge, Tian-shi, stay with me. You chased it away.”
“Chased what away, River? What did you see?” Angel asked gently.
“A…a wild dog. It chased me, trying to eat me. There was a cliff, I was trapped. There were more animals, a ram and a huge deer. They…they ripped me apart, River became blood. No escape,” she sobbed.
“It was just a dream, mei-mei,” Angel soothed, although his expression betrayed his calm voice.
The three of them sat together quietly for several minutes. Angel and Simon both stroked her hair, soothing her.
“Please stay with me tonight, both of you. Keep nightmare blood away.”
“I’ll stay, mei-mei, although this bed isn’t big enough for all three of us,” Simon said.
“Yes it is, you just don’t know, silly,” River said as she slipped out of their embrace. “Get out of bed.”
She stood at the edge of the bed, reached under and hit a button. The edge of the bed slid out, expanding the size so it would accommodate three people sleeping very close together. She reached into a storage compartment underneath and produced a pad. She slipped it under the sheet, expanding the mattress to the size of the new frame. She crawled back into bed and wedged herself between Angel and Simon under the blankets.
“Liam, you don’t have to stay. I stay with River on bad nights, but you don’t have to,” Simon said quietly.
“If it helps, I’ll stay.”
“Thank you, ge-ge,” River reached up and squeezed Angel’s hand.
Angel slipped under the blankets against the wall while Simon turned the light off and climbed under the blankets himself. River draped her arm across Angel’s chest.
“So cold,” she murmured.
“I’m room temperature. I don’t generate any body heat. It’s a part of being what I am.”
“Let me keep you warm,” River said. She moved to lie on top of Angel, his bulk easily supporting her slight frame. Angel stiffened slightly as she covered him with her body, then relaxed as she nestled her head on his shoulder, the tension melting from her body. Simon slid over closer to the two of them, draping his arm over them both. Angel drifted off to sleep, enjoying the warmth of two bodies. For the first time in many nights, all three slept without nightmares.
Chinese used
nian-qing de - young one
Wo xiang bian shi tou - I wish to become stone
sun-nu - granddaughter (son’s daughter)
mei-mei - little sister
ge-ge - big brother (term of endearment)
tian-shi - angel