Okay, sorry this is short and for the delay, summer got away from me and school has been no better. Hopefully over break I can get past my writers block and actually get this cranked out. also if you have any ideas on what I could do with this story I'd be grateful! :)
not mine, Joss is boss.
Jayne awoke in an instant, for a second unsure of where he was; only thing that kept him from jumping up was the familiar weight of River lying against his chest. He opened his eyes to see the dim lights of the infirmary's night cycle. All around the boat was quite, the gentle humming of then engines rumbled through the floors and assured him of where he was. He glanced down at River as she shifted in her sleep, letting out a little moan when her ribs protested even a slight movement. Jayne slowly began to rub her back while with his right hand he carefully moved her hair out of her face.
As the couple lay there, River began to mumble in her sleep. Her mumbling became more and more insistent.
"Little kitten set the trap, little kitten going snap.
Purring, purring all around, never let the trumpet sound.
Keep the kitten happy -small, release the lion release the squall."
With a gasp, River sat up with a scream, begging to get out. Jayne, already on edge from her dreams, reacted immediately. With a movement that should have been too fast for a man with such bulk, he swung up from the chair and grabbed her around the waist.
"Easy bao bai, jus' a gorram dream. Nothin' but you little moon brain playin' tricks." He tried to keep his voice quiet to sooth her, get her to go back to sleep. But River was having none of it.
"Must release me! Need my freedom, need to get out, need to fly!" River's voice rose as she went into hysterics.
"Riv, you gotta calm down, can't go screamin' and wakin' the crew." Jayne struggled with holding on to her, the hazards of having an assassin for a bride meant that every move had to be able to defend as much as restrain. Even with all her injuries, River was rapidly becoming too much for him to handle alone. Trying to keep his grip on his wife and shuffle over to the ships com was a feat in and of its self. When he did finally make it, sporting a shiny black eye for his troubles, Jayne didn't even bother just calling Simon. His massive forearm smashed down on the controls, causing his voice to be sent to all reaches of the ship.
"Doc! Your sister's goin' off'n er nut 'gain! Get down here!" Jayne bellowed into the com, barely pausing for breath before he continued to say things to River. Seconds later Simon came stumbling through the door way while trying to get his shirt on; in the process he put his head through the sleeve. Jayne filed it away for blackmail at a later date, choosing instead to focus on the immediate problem.
As Simon righted himself and moved to grab the smoothers, Mal came flying in to the infirmary in nothing but his boxers and a hastily buckled holster- sans the gun.
"What's goin' on?" he panted out while absentmindedly running a hand through his tussled hair.
"She's dreamin' 'gain, Captain. Jus started shoutin' 'bout some lion."
"Why is't always the animals with her? Never somthin' we can use, like a gorram name would be nice." Mal threw his hands in the air in exasperation. Jayne glared at him from behind River's head, just daring him to continue with that train of thought.
The tension slowly drained from the room as the smoothers hit River's bloodstream and she began to settle back down on the bed. Simon slumped against the counter, a look of shock on his face. Mal was also looking a little lost, a faraway look in his eye as his mind took him back to those few days before Miranda and how Lil' Tross had spouted off gibberish then too.
The ghosts of long thought dead fears and worries had reared up their heads again. As the men stood there, lost in their own worlds, River softly sang in her sleep.
"Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead."