Disclaimer: Not mine, Joss owns the 'verse, I just frolic here. Beta'd by Wylouloucoyote and Chazzer.

Part 3: I Just Want Back Into Your Head

"Cane was sent to kill a member of parliament three days ago," River started. She was in the mess at the head of the table. Everyone gathered around her to hear the reason they'd be helping the stranger in the sickbay. "He failed; he'll be punished if he goes back."

"Tell the gorram genius not to go back," Jayne snorted. "Just get him off this boat."

"Jayne, I'll be giving the orders around here," Mal glared. "But, yeah, get him off the boat. Don't need the feds on our tail."

River rolled her eyes. "He needs our help. Cane needs to retrieve something from the nearest Fed Station."

"No!" Jayne and Mal hollered at the same time.

"He'll pay, a lot," River added after rolling her eyes for the second time in three minutes. "There are files that contain his DNA coding, Cane needs them. The Alliance tried to clone him and he doesn't want it happening again."

"First off, no," Mal stated. "Second, it's a trap; third…" he paused. "Well, ain't got a third."

"I got a third, how 'bout no again," Jayne butted in. "How 'bout this guy held a gun to your head and got blood all over your favorite shirt!"

"It's your favorite shirt," River answered evenly. "I don't have the attachment to it, you do."

"Back to the problem," Zoë interjected. "Do we take the job or not? I have to agree with the Captain, it seems like a trap."

"If you don't want the job, I'll do it myself," River said, she knew that at least Jayne would want to help if it meant her life would be at risk. "I intend to help him."

"You can't go breakin' an' entering at a Fed Station!" Jayne stood up. "Ain't no ruttin' way! 'Cause listen here genius, that's kinda the point of a trap! Then they take ya back to that Academy and slice on your brain s'more." He was angry, he hadn't been that angry with her ever. Even before Miranda, he merely exhibited his indifference. Now he was burning a hole in her mind's walls and making it very hard to concentrate.

Of course, Jayne knew what he was doing and he was doing it on purpose. He didn't trust this guy and he wasn't going to let River trust him.

"Alright, we'll do it," Mal conceded.

"Why for?" Jayne countered.

"You just gave us the best reason to do it, can't send her in there," Mal explained. "If it's a trap, we aren't gonna have our brains cut on, but she will."

Jayne stood catching his breath from his rant and gave Mal his meanest bad guy face. Damn, if the man weren't right though. He pivoted on his heel and headed toward the infirmary.

"Jayne, that ain't the way to your bunk," Mal stated.

"Nope, somebody's got to keep an eye on this hun dan," Jayne yelled over his shoulder.

Jayne sat on the counter of the infirmary watching Cane breathe and thinking all the ways he could have killed him by now. River walked in and broke him from his cataloging.

"Are you coming to bed?" she asked meekly.

"Probably not," he answered curtly. "Guy could wake up and take over the ship or some such."

"Simon drugged him," River said. "I think you can sleep."

"Yeah? Well, Simon doped me one time and I still shot a feller in the leg."

"Alright," River's shoulders slumped. "Well, good night," she went to kiss him. He let her, but didn't return the gesture.

About an hour into his vigil Cane began to stir. Jayne hoped he'd try something stupid, so he could shoot him.

"Can I have some water?" Cane asked, groggily.

"Why don't you get it yourself?" Jayne asked.

"Um, because I had two bullets removed from my stomach today," Cane answered in that patronizing tone he only spoke to Jayne in.

"Ain't that dandy?" Jayne countered. "Wish I coulda put 'em there."

"You would have missed," Cane told him.

"Not likely," Jayne snorted.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"How long do you think it will take her to get bored of you?" Cane jabbed.

"How long 'til you do something stupid so's I can shoot ya?" Jayne responded. He knew this kid was just trying to get him riled up.

"What are you, twice her age?"

"Easier to please a lady when you been 'round long enough to learn all the tricks," Jayne smirked.

"She's the best," Cane started. "Or, she would have been, if she stayed. They could have made her sane again."

"They made her in-sane in the first place!" Jayne raised his voice, but not too loud, people were sleeping.

"How did she overcome the madness?" Cane asked him. "Last time I saw her, she couldn't hold a coherent conversation."

"None of your gorram business, junior. How'd you like it when they cut up your brain?"

"Once the training was complete," Cane said. "I rather enjoyed having the heightened senses, the ability to process faster. It made me more efficient."

"More like a killin' machine on a leash," Jayne mocked.

"I'm not a machine," Cane glared. "Nor am I on a leash."

Jayne laughed. "Guess we can be sure you ain't one o' them operatives."

"How would you know that?"

"Mal said you can't make 'em mad," Jayne explained. "I been talkin' to ya less than ten minutes already got ya all flustered, junior."

"I am not flustered and I could be an operative, I've had the best training the Alliance gives," Cane boasted.

"I thought that that school only took geniuses, how'd you get in?" Jayne chuckled at Cane's reddening face.

The machines Cane was hooked up to started beeping. Simon would be in soon. As fun as it had been to rib the guy, Jayne felt guilty about Simon having to come in. He needed all the sleep he could get with that little Fuss making a scene all the time. Sure enough a minute later Simon was in checking Cane's vitals and looking all doctor-y.

"Jayne, you can go to bed," Simon told him. "You're just aggravating him."

"Somebody needs to watch him," Jayne reminded.

"I'll do it," Simon volunteered. "Fuss will be up soon, she's teething."

"Alright," Jayne said warily. "Ya want a gun?"

"No, I think I got it," Simon told him, rubbing his eyes. "Check on River, I think I saw a bruise forming on her neck."

"Yeah, right," Jayne walked out, heading for his bunk and the girl he was not very happy with.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jayne unlaced his boots and tossed them on the floor. Turning to look at River he saw she lay sprawled across the bed. It had taken her a long time to sleep like that. When she first came on board she would curl up in a ball and sleep. She still slept that way when she started sleeping in his bunk almost three years before. It wasn't until they had become a couple that River had started to stretch out. Jayne took it as a sign she was really comfortable and felt safe.

He wanted to make her safe. She never made it easy. Loving to go on jobs, trusting people she shouldn't, it made Jayne's job to protect her that much harder.

Brushing her hair off her neck, he noticed a bruise obviously caused by a hand. River trusted a man who would hurt her, but Jayne didn't and he wouldn't. Anger curled in his belly at the thought of Cane; the emotion coursed through him burning in his chest. It must have been strong because River turned and looked at him wide eyed.

"I trusted you," she whispered. "You tried to turn us in, but I forgave you."

"That's different," Jayne replied. He wasn't at all surprised that she had caught his thoughts. She'd told him when his emotions were strong enough they broke through her mind's walls. It didn't happen often, but it did still happen.

"Took you years to trust me again," Jayne continued. "This guy says he needs help and you're ready to risk your hide, why's he deserve it?"

"Just does," River told him. "Trust me."

"Normally, that'd mean somethin', but not today. I feel it in my bones, guy's bad news."

"Read him, just fear, no malice, no anger, just fear," she said.

"Yeah, well why'd he get all riled up when I baited him earlier?" Jayne asked.

"Jayne, most people find you irritating," River sat up and scooted closer to him. "Please, trust me, stop being angry," she pleaded.

"Go to sleep little witch," Jayne told her.