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Beta'd by Wylouloucoyote and Chazzer!

Part 2: Encircle Me, I Need To Be Taken Down

Two weeks earlier

"So, then, while he's saying it, I flicked the lights!" River had to stop speaking and catch her breath, she was laughing so hard. "Poor Simon went running out of the bathroom so fast he tripped over the maid standing outside the door."

Jayne was wiping tears out of his eyes. "Always was an easy mark, huh?" He continued to guffaw as they walked to the side of the ship.

"Best part? The maid's name was Mary!" River added, holding her hands over her mouth. Jayne nearly toppled over from the belly laugh he let rip. He steadied himself on the side of the ship.

Jayne heard her whimper and turned quickly, his demeanor changed. A young man held River against his chest, a gun pressed into the side of her head. He must have snuck up on them while they were enjoying the joke at Simon's expense.

Jayne narrowed his eyes at the young man. "Boy, I don't think you picked a good target."

"I know exactly what I did. I need you to help me," he told River. Jayne growled at the way the man's lips came very close to her neck.

"She ain't gonna help ya, more likely, she's gonna kick your pi gu," Jayne sniped. "Once I'm through with you, of course."

River just stared at Jayne, tears in her eyes. She always did pick bad times to go helpless. "Overtaken by emotions, strong, painful, brother," River spoke softly.

"Brother, what?" Jayne asked, a bit confused. "Now ain't the time to be talkin' 'bout Simon, girlie." River mostly made sense these days. Jayne liked to think it had something to do with the two of them being an item. He was pretty good at deciphering any residual crazy talk. Maybe she was just scared and that's why she wasn't making sense.

"She wasn't talking about Simon," the young man told him with a condescending glare. "Where did you find this guy, Tam?"

"Hey, now! I, what?" Jayne paused. "Let her go and I won't let her rip your balls off," he snarled; River's tears were starting to fall and he was getting irritated.

"Tam, you're going to help me with a few things and then I will be on my way," the man told her.

"Let me go," River said. "We'll help you, Cane." Jayne made a face, but River shook her head. The man pushed her out of his arms and into Jayne's.

"I'll kill him if you don't help me," the young man, apparently Cane, threatened. "I need medical help. Let's hope that brother of yours is as good as you always said he was."

"He is, 'ceptin' we ain't gonna help you," Jayne argued, holding River close to his chest.

"Have to help," River's voice was muffled from her face being pressed against Jayne. "Help our family."

"You will have to explain that ta me, wo de ma! You bleedin' girl?" he asked, looking down at her back and seeing her blouse was covered in dark blood.

"No," Cane said, again with that condescending tone. "You idiot, I am." Pointing the gun at the two of them he motioned them back towards the ship's doors. "Let's go meet Dr. Tam."

Jayne helped River up and they walked back into the bay. Cane followed behind them, limping. Simon started up the stairs on the catwalk, but stopped when he saw River and Jayne coming in. He started for them, but was stopped by Cane and his gun.

"Who are you?" Simon asked holding his hands up.

"Corbin Cane," he answered much more politely than he had spoken to Jayne. "Pleased to meet you Dr. Tam, can you please remove a bullet or two for me?"

"I would prefer if you would lower the gun pointed at my sister," Simon replied coolly. "Then I can see to your injuries."

Lowering the gun, Cane leaned against a crate in the cargo bay and looked to Simon. "Two bullets in the lower quadrant, one may have nicked my liver."

"Can you walk?" Simon asked. "Or should I have Jayne carry you?"

"I ain't carryin' that ta ma de anywhere!" Jayne hollered. "Held a gun to your sister's head, I'm still wonderin' why she agreed to help him."

"I'll walk," Cane interrupted Jayne's tirade. "Not sure where he's been, probably more germs on him than-"

"Stop!" River yelled, exasperated. "Simon, fix him. I'll explain later."

Simon helped Cane into the infirmary as the rest of the crew came into the bay. Exchanging looks amongst themselves, Mal was the one to ask, "we got company? I didn't say nothin' 'bout pickin' up strays, ya'll were supposed to get the hoses cleaned up and come back on so we can get off this dirt ball!"

"Hoses still need to be detached," Jayne told Mal, still cradling River in his arms. "Can you watch her Kaylee?" When Kaylee nodded, Jayne released River and guided her to Kaylee. "I'll be right back."

"What happened?" Mal asked as Jayne came back in.

"Qingwa cao de liumang held girlie at gunpoint, apparently they know each other. So, she agreed to help him," Jayne explained. "That's all the story I know, best look to her for more."

"Jayne, ya think that can wait?" Kaylee asked. "I think she's bleedin'."

"Ain't her blood," Jayne answered. "Already made sure. Now, girlie, I'm hankerin' to know why we're helpin' that hun dan that had ya by the throat, and where ya know him from. Guessin' from the looks on all the folks in this room, I ain't the only one wantin' to know." Walking toward her while he spoke he took her from Kaylee and folded her into his arms. Jayne knew that this was going to be one of those times he'd have to hold her while she told the story.

"We help family," River started. "Cane was a student at the academy. But he has no Simon, nobody rescued him."

Mal nodded for her to continue, but Jayne interjected, "S'why you called him brother? Went to the same, crazy, Blue Hand run school? Why ain't he crazy then?"

"Jayne!" Kaylee screeched. "River ain't all that crazy anymore, so why's everybody from the Academy got to be feng le?"

"Valid question Kaylee," Mal defended. "But I bet we'll get the answer if we all bi zui and let albatross tell the story."

All eyes turned back to River, Jayne and Kaylee both looking sheepish.

"Never left the Academy, fixed his brain," River added. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before she continued. Jayne rubbed her back gently, hoping to help. "Cane isn't psychic like River, but the only thing I feel from him is fear. Trained him to block a reader."

"Wait, the Academy didn't make him psychic?" Zoë asked.

"Jayne?" River turned to him. "Tell them for me?"

"You sure?" Jayne asked in response.

"Yes, I'm going to talk to Simon." Mal started to ask, but River stopped him. "Captain, can't explain what I don't know. I'll talk to Simon, then get the ship ready to go, have to take him with us, only thing to do." With that she left to find Simon.

The rest of the room turned back to Jayne. He blew air out of his mouth and rolled his head back and forth.

"Well," Mal prodded. "Out with it!"

"River…" he stopped again to think. "She was already psychic. That ruttin' place just made it so she couldn't control it. Them Blue Hands thought that they could make it stronger, that's why they did some o' that cuttin' in her head. Made it stronger all right, that's why she was so crazy-like when she came outta the cryo-box. Between Miranda and the years she's had to get used to it, she can control it now, like she did when she was a kid."

Jayne surveyed the faces around him. Didn't look quite as shocked as he thought they would. "Ya gotta know, she hates it, bein' able to do what she does. Get's her thoughts all mixed up with other people's if she ain't careful. Said it was much easier before. She'd only get a snatch of what her ma was thinkin' or if Simon was lying to a maid or some such."

"Okay, but what's all this got to do with this fella we got in our sickbay?" Mal asked, a bit peeved they hadn't really gotten to the problem at hand. "Only comfort this bedtime story gives me is that that Cane guy ain't gonna read my mind."

"Don't know Cap't," Jayne answered, "I hate it much as you do."

As River pulled the ship into the Black, Mal approached her.

"Don't like this, don't like takin' on passengers," he told her. "Especially the variety that we seem to attract. I only have room for one Alliance trained assassin on my boat, so unless you plan on giving up your spot, we need to get rid of this guy."

"Simon will be done with him soon," River explained. "Then I can find out what he needs and we can help him."

"I think your brother patchin' his hurt helps enough," Mal said. "I say we dump him when we get to the drop-off. What if he's still working for them?"

"Could be, but he's afraid," she answered.

Mal ran his hands through his hair, "that is not the answer I was hoping for. Ya know we don't need the Alliance bearing down on us."

"Government is meant to bear down on citizens," River said. "Nature of the beast."

"Xie xie, for the reminder," he sighed. "This guy's your responsibility. I don't need him muckin' things up. And you better tell Jayne he doesn't have to stand guard on him while he's under."

"Just being protective of his family," River replied with a sad smile. "Won't hurt anyone to be cautious."