Author: Pen
Recipient: maglette
Rating: G
Fandoms: Battlestar Galactica/Firefly
Author's Note: For Multiverse 2007. With thanks to Fahye.
In a dingy bar on some backwater planet, Kara leans back, her hand wrapped around a glass of the local brew. She grins, pushes the glass slightly towards Lee; it's a little bit invitation, but it's mostly a challenge, and she knows it's one she'll win.
"It's called Mudder's Milk, Kara," he protests, his nose crinkled in disgust. Kara bites her thumb at him.
"It's as good a name as any," Kara replies. She throws back her head and sculls the brew, and it stings like hell going down, like all local brews do.
Lee pulls a face, and Kara laughs.
"Try it, Lee," she says, pokes out her tongue. "It's good."
He grimaces, and she laughs again.
There's a commotion by the door, and she looks around, pauses mid laugh. A scrawny girl of a thing in a sprawl of fighters, and Kara watches, bemused, as the girl keeps fighting, fighting like a machine. She fights and fights, but the men keep circling, keep coming, and Kara stands.
She leaps in, fists firm, and after Kara takes down a guy or two the girl strikes at her, strong and unyielding, catching her on the jaw.
"Kara," she hears Lee say, exasperated and affectionate, but before he can wade into the fray Kara feints, and strikes, and the girl falls to the ground.
"You're good," Kara says aloud, as Lee rushes to her side and checks for a pulse; checks for movement; checks for friends and family.
"But not quite good enough," Kara murmurs, and it's true.
In the raptor, the girl screams. Does not wake.
Kara wonders.
The girl tosses, turns. She flexes her fingers, poised to strike, and curls away though Kara only thought of moving towards her. She babbles a mad language, words Kara's never heard and words Kara thinks perhaps are familiar, Geminese, perhaps, or an ancient form of Caprican. She twists her hair around her hands, long and knotted, and Kara watches her, hates the mystery of some random girl on the floor of this raptor, trying to take her out in a fight.
Midway between the planet and Galactica, the girl awakens, meets Kara's gaze with clear eyes.
She tilts her head to one side. "Starbuck," she says, thoughtfully, pressing her tongue to her teeth. "It suits you."
Kara catches her breath; fears this girl, though all the girl has spoken is Kara's handle. She thinks about turning the raptor around; thinks about locking the girl up in the hold of Galactica; thinks about Cylons, and their prophecies. "You've heard of me," Kara says, instead.
The girl nods her head. "But not with my ears," she says, and frowns.
Kara frowns back. "Do you have a name?" she asks.
"Sometimes," the girl replies. "Most of the time."
Kara huffs, exasperated. "And what is it?"
"Depends who's asking." She rises until she's crouching on her hands and knees. "I didn't pick my name, Starbuck," she says, "though you picked your own, and you ask me what mine is?"
Kara frowns again. "Yes."
"River," the girl says, "Though Simon did always wish our parents had named me 'Pond.'"
River stands, slides her hand up the wall. "This is a beautiful ship," River says. "Not as beautiful as Serenity, but that doesn't mean you can't love her." River pauses as if she's listening, and looks across at Kara, the disappointment clear on her face. "She loves you more than the reptiles ever will, and she doesn't even need your son."
What? Kara thinks, and she backs away as River steps towards her. She matches River's face with every face she's ever seen; wonders if she's seen her before, on another planet, on another ship, in another body.
She thinks of stars, and inlets, and tight blonde curls; thinks of his solemn grin, even as he was flung out to space. "Have you come from Leoben?" Kara asks.
"The Prophet is not real, Starbuck," River says. "He does not even know your real name." River presses her cheek against the wall, closes her eyes. The silence drags out like the space between them, like the absence of understanding. "Serenity will be here in a moment," she says, and from the front, Lee calls.
"Kara, we're being hailed," Lee says, and River opens her eyes.
"Listen to the Sun," she says as Kara heads for the front. "He cannot lie."
Kara ignores River, pulls on the headphones.
"A Firefly," Kara breathes, and Lee grins at her.
"Dock her, Kara," he says. She can feel the affection in his words and she nudges him, like he's her best friend. "You can admire her from inside, then."
"They're never as beautiful close up," Kara replies.
"She can hear you! Don't be so mean," River calls, and Kara frowns.
They're greeted by an old Browncoat and the ship's doctor. "Now you be getting back here, young lady," the Browncoat scolds, and River sticks her tongue out but does what he says, dances down onto the deck and round behind him. "And you ain't to go wandering again 'til I say you can, is that understood?"
"Captain," River replies, and salutes. The old Browncoat shakes his head, turns back to Kara and Lee.
"It's a mighty fine thing you've done for us, bringing our wandering daughter home again, and we'd offer you a beer but we've got none, so we'd be thanking you and seeing you on your way."
Behind him, River shakes her head like she's scolding him, and he waves her further into the Firefly, as if she needs protecting, as if he's never seen her fight. She wonders, for a moment, if perhaps he hasn't, but he glances across at Kara a little too quickly when she steps forward, and she knows that he knows.
"Glad to help," Lee replies, oblivious, and steps back like he's preparing to go. Kara steps forward again, and the browncoat watches her, eyes sharp.
"Sir," Kara says, "How long have you known River?"
"Long enough to see she's just like you or I," the browncoat says, like maybe he knows the word she's trying not to say, and ushers them off his ship.
Their release is smooth, and they hurtle off towards Galactica, and when Lee tries to speak, Kara doesn't know what to say.
Later, she walks through Galactica's corridors; sees a curl of hair in the distance and the flash of brown as she turns, and when she has a moment she looks for the ship on the Galactica's logs.
She finds no trace of a Firefly.
She is not wholly surprised.