Here's the new chapter. I know it's longer than the other's just bare with me. It's basically just the Train job with a few tweaks and a little Rayne twist. I do not own anything and no profit was made from this.
The bar was poorly lit in the corner they were sitting in. A belly dancer moved about the room slowly looking every which way for tips. Mal smirked to himself when they stopped in this bar earlier that morning. He sat there quietly with Zoe and Jayne, who was already drunk, playing Chinese checkers.
"Your move." Jayne smirked taking another drink of his beer.
Mal moved the pieces jumping several of Zoe's in the process. She looked at him with a hint of amusement.
"That's a bold move." She laughed quietly to herself.
"I live on the edge." He joked finishing off the last of his drink.
Zoe smirks before picking up her piece and jumping several of Mal's pieces as she makes it to the other side of the board.
"Nice work dumbass." Jayne scoffs as he leans back into his chair.
"I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge, not an ideal location, thinkin' a place in the middle." Mal lies through his teeth; pretending as if he planned it.
"Toast! Toast!" He hears someone behind him yelling. He laughs to himself when no one pays him a bit of attention and continues about their business. "QUIET! SHUT UP!" The bar grows quiet and Mal turns to see a man wobbling next to the bar. He is tall, bald and looks as if he hasn't showered in a week. "I'm, uh, I got words… I'm sayin' this is an a'spicious day." He has his drink raised and he's sloshing it around everywhere. Zoe looks at him as if to say just let it go, but he simply shrugs and returns to listening. "We all know what day it is."
"Suspicious… what day is it?" Jayne leans across the table towards Mal and Mal simply waves him off.
"A glorious day, for all the proud members of the allied planets. Unification day!" The man throws his fist in the air with a proud smirk.
Mal sighs and closes his eyes. He looks to Zoe who looks sit there stoically and then returns his attention to the man at the bar.
"The end of the scumbag independents, the dawn of a new galaxy!" Mal stands up continuing to glare at the man.
"Captain?" Zoe asks with a worried tone.
"Just feel the need for another drink." He begins to walk towards the bar as Zoe keeps a watchful eye on him.
"What month is it?" Jayne asks himself and Zoe rolls her eyes.
Mal walked up to the bar slowly standing next to the smelly drunkard making proclamations. He leans over the bar to get the bartenders attention and begins to order his drink.
"Ching zie lie ee bay Ng-Ka-Pei?" He gives the bartender the order and waits patiently as the man looks at him suspiciously.
"Hey you gonna drink to the Alliance wi' me?" Mal almost gags at the smell of him. "Thirteen years ago today the Alliance sent the browncoats running, pissing their pants." The man then finally get a good look at what Mal is wearing. He narrows his eyes at his jacket and scoffs. "Y'know your coat is kinda a brownish color."
"It was on sale." Mal turns and downs his drink
"You didn't toast? Y'know, I'm thinkin' you're one of them independents." The man sneers at him.
"And I'm thinkin' you weren't burdened with an over abundance of schooling. So why don't we just ignore each other, till we go away?" He turns back around and faces the bar.
"The Independents were a bunch of cowardly inbred pisspots. Should have been killed off of every world spinnin'."He smirks at his insult hoping it would get under Mal's skin.
"Say that to my face." He turns from the bar with a cold glare in his eyes.
"I said, You're a coward and a pisspot. Now what are you gonna do about it?" The man smirks at the fact that he had succeeded at upsetting him.
"Nothin'." Mal smirks at the man. His once hard edged voice has a new light happy air to it. "I just wanted you to ace me so she could get behind you."
He turns around slowly and is met with the ice cold glare of Zoe. She doesn't say anything, but simply rears back her fist and punches the man in the face. Mal smirks as he drops to the ground. "Drunks are so cute." His smile falters as he hears the sound of chairs scraping the floor. They both turn to see the entire bar standing up and glaring at them.
"Oh juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean jan." Mal says quietly to Zoe as she turns around.
"Jayne…" She calls back over her shoulder.
"Hey, I didn't fight in no war. Best of luck, though." He smiles and takes a drink while keeping one foot on the table. Mal rolls his eyes and turns back to the rest of the bar.
"Fine. Let's do this." He says getting into a ready stance. It doesn't take long for a few men to throw him out the force field window. He lands hard and it nearly knocks the wind out of him. He takes a deep breath and brings his communicator to his mouth. "Wash, we've got some local color happening. Your grand entrance would not go amiss." Just as he finishes his call he sees Zoe pushing two men out the front door. She kicks one towards Mal and then throws the other into one of the stone pillars in the front of the bar.
Mal Lands a solid punch knocking the man to the ground, but he quickly rebounds and get a solid shot in on Mal as well. He looks over to Zoe who is holding her own against a man several inches larger than herself. He gets in a few more punches before he looks around and realizes Jayne still isn't fighting with them.
"Is Jayne even awake?" He yells to Zoe who pays him no mind as she throws some sand in a man's face before knocking him to the ground. Mal turns when he hears a scuffle at the bar's front door and turns to see Jayne pushing two men out the front door with a bar stool while another one is following him trying to throw punches. He sends an elbow back into the mans face and then knocks the other two men to the ground. There a few more punches thrown before the original man that Zoe punched walks out a followed by the rest of the men from the bar.
"Woah, woah… haha." Mal looks down the steep cliff and turns back to the group. He turns to see the man level a pistol at his head and then the rest of his lackeys do the same.
"Hey, them ain't kosherized rules." Jayne yells glaring at the man.
"There's just an acre of you fellas." He turns to Zoe. "This is why we lost, you know. Superior numbers." He smirks at Zoe.
"Thanks for the re-enactment, sir." She groans out and turns when she hears the guns in front of them cocking.
"I'm thinkin' somebody needs to put you down, dog. What do you think?" He smirks thinking he's won.
"I'm thinkin' we'll rise again." He smiles as Serenity rises up over the cliff sending dust everywhere.
"EVERYMAN THERE GO BACK INSIDE, OR WE WILL BLOW A NEW CRATER IN THIS LITTLE MOON." Mal smirks at Wash's words over the speaker. The men give them one last glare before turning around and slowly walking back into the bar. Just inside the ramp Jayne starts laughing.
"Damn Yokels can't even tell a transport ship ain't got no guns on it." He smirks over to Zoe and Mal who smile back at their little inside joke. And step just inside the cargo doors. "blow a new crater in this moon." Jayne laughs as he makes his way up to the mess where he knows River is waiting for him. Mal and Zoe quickly follow. Everyone is gathered around in the mess looking at them with grins on their faces.
"My thanks Wash, nice save as always." He smiles at the pilot before his eyes trail over to River and Jayne. She's leaning back in the little common space with her feet up on Jayne's lap. He has a hand on her thigh. He decides to keep his mouth shut. He knows that if River didn't like it she would and very well could do something about it.
"A pleasure." Wash smirks and takes a bow.
"So was there a terrible brawl?" Kaylee asks excitedly.
"oddly enough there was." Zoe raises an eyebrow as she turns to look at Mal. Wash turns to laugh at Mal
"Are you getting my wife into trouble?" He laughs wrapping his arms around Zoe's mid section. Jayne and River exchange an amused glance.
"Wha? I didn't start it. Just wanted a quiet drink." Mal hollered to no one in particular. Jayne and River smirked at each other and rolled their eyes.
"Funny sir, how you always seemed to find yourself in an Alliance-friendly bar come U-day, looking for a quiet drink." She dead paned sitting down at the table.
"See, this is another sign of your tragic space dementia, a paranoid and crotchety. Makes it hard" he smirked to show everyone he was joking. Kaylee laughs as Jayne and River roll their eyes one more time.
"Would you two stop that! It's creepy."
"Did we at least make contact?" Wash asked after clearing his throat to get Mal's attention. Mal pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and smiled triumphantly.
"Ladies and menfolk, we have ourselves a job." Zoe grabs it and smirks as she reads over the details. "take us out of the world, Wash, got some crime to be done." River looked up excitedly as she crossed the floor towards Mal.
"So does this job entail me following along?" She gave him her best sad little girl smile and Mal chuckled.
"Well I'm not sure on the specifics of the job, but I suppose you can come to the meeting place. Listen to the details on how to barter." He smiled sweetly.
"Learn the family business." She sing songed and then she ran from the room. Jayne stood up to follow her and was stopped by Mal.
"She's got a lot on her plate Jayne, don't make it any worse." He frowned.
"We're just friends Mal. Calm down." He laughed and then followed her out of the room.
"Did you believe any of that?" Mal asked Zoe.
"Sir?" She turned away from Wash to face Mal.
"About Jayne and River being just friends?" He asked a little irritated that she wasn't listening.
"No." She shrugged and then grabbed Wash's hand to lead him away. "But I don't figure it's any of our business. She's an adult."
Kaylee always liked sitting with Inara in her room. It smelled wonderful and she always felt so glamorous while Inara played with her hair. So she tried to spend most of her time in there when she wasn't working on the engine or playing a game with River. So after the Captain's meeting about the job she wandered into the room and asked if Inara would put her hair up. They sat in silence for a few moments before Inara asked Kaylee a question.
"Have you noticed Jayne and River lately?" She said running the brush through Kaylee's hair one more time.
"What you mean the non-stop flirting? Or the fact that they both like to roll their eyes at the captain?" Kaylee giggled and handed Inara a hair tie.
"I was talking about the flirting, but tell me more about undermining the Captain." She smiled.
"Oh anytime the Captain does or says something... well Captainy… they look at each other and roll their eyes." Inara laughed.
"So Have you ever had to service a really hideous client? With boils and the like?" Kaylee shivered at the thought of sleeping with someone she didn't think was good looking.
"A companion chooses her own clients, that's Guild law. But physical appearance doesn't matter so terribly. You look for a compatibility of spirit. There's an energy about a person that's difficult to hide, you try to feel that-" She was cut off when Mal walked in to the room and interrupts her.
"And then you try to feel the energy of their credit account. It has sort of an aura." He laughed at his own joke.
"What did I say about barging into my shuttle?" She huffed.
"That it was manly and impulsive." He raised an eyebrow at her while looking at her wall coverings.
"Yes, precisely. Only the exact phrase I used was "don't"." She shot him a hate filled glare.
"Well, you're holding my mechanic in thrall. And Kaylee, What the hell's goin' on in the engine room? Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?" He turned his attention to the young mechanic.
"I had to rewire the grav thrust because somebody won't replace that crappy compression coil." She glared back at him.
"Well get the place squared away. It's dangerous in there, and I ain't paying you to get your hair played at." He watches with amusement as Kaylee gets up and storms out.
"Kuh ooh duh lao bao jurn" Kaylee calls over her shoulder.
"We work before we play!" He yelled back satisfied that she didn't say anything back. "We got a job." He said
"Congratulations. This job wouldn't e on a decently civilized planet where I could screen some respectable clients perhaps?" She began to clean up her tea things.
"Respectable clients, it seems a contradiction." He says flatly.
"Don't start." She shoots him a glare.
"There's umm… we haven't gotten a location yet. We'll be landing on the Skyplex in a bit. Run by a fellow Niska." He sits down on her chair.
"Never heard of him." She shrugs.
"Well I have. While we're there, you'll stay confined to the ship." His tone tells her she shouldn't argue, but something about Mal just sets her off.
"Afraid to be seen with a companion?" She says flatly.
"Not this man has a very unlovely rep. I'm not sure you'd be safe." He says rubbing the back of his neck.
"oh, but River would?" She raises an eyebrow at him.
"Listen we've all seen how River can handle herself and if for some reason she needed help you really think that Jayne or I would let anything happen to her?" She shook her head. "Besides as River would say she's gotta learn the family business sometime." He turned to walk out the door, but paused just before he left. "You think you have time to do my hair?" he smirked at Inara.
"Out." She pointed and then turned around.
River and Jayne laughed as they heard Inara yell at Mal to get out of her shuttle. Mal smiled at the two and continued on his way towards the bridge. River smirked at Jayne before he began another lifting set. She sat next to him diligently reading a physics a book. When he sat up in between sets and cleared his throat River knew he had something on his mind.
"yes Jayne?" She smiled sweetly at him.
"I don't think you should go into Niska's skyplex." He said looking at the ground.
"I think I'll be fine Jayne. I can handle myself." She rolled her eyes and continued her reading.
"Please Riv. I just… I don't think it's safe." He begged.
"Calm down Jayne. I'll be fine." She didn't even look up from her book as she waved off his concerns. He dropped the subject, but told himself he would stick close to her.
The skyplex was enormous and it put River off a little that they had to walk for so long to get to Niska's office. Jayne was nervous for a completely different reason, All the men were staring and River and Zoe as f they had never seen a woman before; which made for a scary situation. One of his henchmen led them to a door and River grabbed Jayne's hand when they saw the very large man that opened it. He smirked down at her and squeezed her hand to let her know everything was okay. The man glared at them and refused to move until they heard a voice call out from behind him.
"He's fine. Crow, they can come in." The man sneered at all of them as they walked passed. River stood silently by Jayne as they all came face to face with an old man. "And Malcolm Reynolds is which?" He asked looking between the two men.
"I'm captain Reynolds." Mal stepped forward. "This is my first mate Zoe, this is Jayne." River knew why he left her out, but it probably drew more attention to her.
"And who is this lovely little creature hanging onto … Jayne is it?" He smiled at her, but the smile made River a little more nervous. She did her best to put on a brave front, but remained glued to Jayne's hand.
"That is my daughter River." He said non chalantly.
"Very nice. I am Adelai Niska. You have seen Crow. He likes to stand at the door and say Boo!" Niska laughed a little.
"we got word you might have a job for us." Mal tried to break the tension by getting straight to business.
'Yes! Yes, an exciting job. A train has, eh, something I need. You have worked a train before?" He looked to Ma for an answer, but River was more concerned with why he wouldn't tell them what they were suppose to steal.
"We did a few." Mal said calmly.
"Are you going to ask me what it is I need?" he was almost tickled by the lack of question that Mal and the rest of the group didn't ask.
"As a rule." Mal raised an eyebrow "no."
"Yes. Good! You have a reputation! Malcolm Reynolds gets it done is the talk." Niska said excitedly.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Mal was concerned with how long this was taking.
"You know what is reputation? Is people talking . Is gossip. I also have reputation." He flashed a grin at River. "And not so pleasant I think you know." He turned to look at Mal. "Crow?" The large man swings open the door behind Niska to reveal a man hanging by his feet. He had obviously been tortured badly before his heart had finally stopped breathing. River squeezed Jayne's hand tighter.
"Now for you, my reputation is not from gossip. You see this man. Eh, he does not do the job. I show what I do him, and now reputation for you is fact, is solid. You do the train job for me, then you are solid. No more gossip." He said staring Mal down.
"Right." Mal nodded showing he understood. River stared at the hanging body and then turned to look at Niska. She didn't see how someone could do something so horrible.
"Oooh. You do not like I kill this man." He gives River a pouty face.
"oh, no. I'm sure he was a… very bad… person." She turns away and stands next to Jayne.
"My wife's' nephew. At dinner, I'm getting earful. There is no way out of that." He smiles at River. "So, oh! The train job. Come here!" He waves Mal over to a display that has the train set up on it.
"Here, in fifth car, two boxes. Alliance goods. You don't mind taking from Alliance I think. From your Reputation?" Mal shrugs and Niska continues. "You get on train at Hancock, headed for Paradiso. You take boxes off, before you reach Paradiso, and deliver to Crow here." He points to another spot on the display to show the rendezvous point. "Half money now, Crow give you other half money at rendezvous point. Anything goes wrong, then, your reputation, only gossip, and things between us, not so solid. Yes?" He then turns to smirk at River and she feels a chill run through her. She finally breaths a sigh of relief when she finally stepped foot onto Serenity.
"I knew you shouldn't have come" Jayne slams his hand against the wall when they walk back in.
" I have to side with Jayne on this Little one." Zoe said sadly.
"I have no clue what you're talking about. It went fine. We do the job we get paid that's it." Mal said rolling his eyes. "She's fine." River smirks at Jayne before following Mal out of the room.
"You think he has any idea?" Jayne asks astonished at the Captain's stupidity
"That if this goes wrong Niska will be going after River and not Mal?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.
"Yea." Jayne kicks his weight bench
"I don't know, but I'm thinking that I might just enlighten him." Zoe said storming out of the cargo bay towards the bridge. She saw Mal talking over the job with Wash, River was no where to be seen. She heard Jayne storm in behind her.
"Captain, we need to have a talk." Zoe says stoically.
"About how I just put River in a whole heap of danger. I know, but do you really think River needs that hanging over her head." He says quietly. He turns his attention to Jayne. "If something goes wrong and Zoe and I get pinched I expect you to take care of her Jayne." Mal says with a straight face. Jayne simply nods and walks out of the room, still upset.
Mal and Zoe boarded the train with no problems. As far as anyone knew they were just a married couple on their way to go find work in Paradiso.
"How long till we hit Paradiso?" Mal whispered leaning over the seat towards Zoe.
"another twenty minutes. We should be in the foothills in five." She nods
"Best get to work." He says as they both stand up
"He's a psycho you know. NIska." She does her best to remain calm.
"He's not the first psycho to hire us, nor the last. You think that's commentary on us?" Mal tries to make a joke, but Zoe doesn't laugh.
"I just have an image in my head of a guy hanging from the ceiling." Zoe tried and fails to blink the image away.
"I've got an image of it not being me or River. Let's do the thing." He nods as they exit the car. As they enter the new car they both come to a screeching halt as they are faced with twenty feds. "Hi." He smiles. As they move through the car they both do their best to not make eye contact.
"Sir, is there some information we might maybe be lacking as to why there's an entire fedsquad sitting on this train?" She says when they make it to the next car.
"Doesn't concern us." He brushes it off.
"It kinda concerns me." She is astonished by the way he simply ignores them.
"I mean they're not protecting the goods. If they were, they wouldn't be letting people past 'em" He tried to reason with her.
"you don't think that changes the situation a bit?" She continues the argument.
"I surely do." He pauses to smile at her. "Makes it more fun."
"Sir? I think you have a problem with your brain being missing." She smirks
"Come one. We stick to the plan. We get the goods, we're back on Serenity before the train even reaches Paradiso, only now we do it under the noses of twenty trained Alliance Feds. And that makes 'em look all manner of stupid. Hell, this job I would pull for free." He grins at the thought of making the Alliance look like a bunch of idiots.
"Can I have your share?" She asks through a quiet laugh.
"No."
"If you die, can I have your share?"
"Yes."
"Hey Kaylee." River walks into the cargo Bay where Kaylee is getting the harness ready for Jayne.
"Hey River!" Kaylee is the only person she knows that can remain calm and happy during a heist.
"So what's the plan then?" River watches her carefully.
"We fly over the train car. The Captain and Zoe sneak in, we lower Jayne onto the car, and they bundle up they booty, and we haul 'em all back up. Easy as lyin'" Kaylee grins.
"And they've done this before?" River gives her a questioning look.
"Hell, no." Kaylee says laughing "But I think it's gonna work. The Captain's jen duh sh tyen tsai when it comes to plans."
"Funny I heard he gets shot a lot." River smiles. "Is there anything I can do?" They both turn to see Jayne stomping into the hold.
"Stayin' the hell outta everyone's way." He said a little harsher than he should have. River shrugs into herself.
"There's no call to be snappy Jayne." Kaylee says shocked that Jayne had actually yelled at River.
"You about to jump on a movin' train?" He glares at Kaylee. "Captain ain't around. I'm in charge."
"Since when?" Kaylee asks.
Jayne turns around to see River staring at him like he just slapped her. He realized that maybe he spoke to her a little too harshly and he sighs and places his hands on her shoulders.
"Look, I'm sorry, just promise me you'll stay in your room until I call fer ya?" She nods, but walks out of the hold silently.
"Don't think I've ever seen ya be so rude to her Jayne." Kaylee raised an eyebrow at him.
"Told Mal I'd keep her safe and that's what I intend on doin'" He doesn't even bother to look at Kaylee as he pulls his hat on. "Don't let her help with anything Dong Ma?" Kaylee nods and double checks his harness. "Time for some thrillin' heroics." Jayne drops down onto the train and quickly makes his way over to the opening Mal had made for him. Just as they get the cargo secure to go up one of the Fed enters and sets off the smoke trap that Mal and Zoe had set. The fed panics and fire off a few shots hitting Jayne in the leg.
"Go! Go now!" Jayne yells into the com causing Kaylee to pull the cargo up. As the cargo hits the cargo hold floor Jayne collapses to the floor. River hearing the commotion comes running out and runs to make sure Jayne is okay.
"Where are the others?" Kaylee yells.
"AH! They shot my gorram leg." Jayne ignores the question. River helps him up and they slowly make their way to the infirmary.
The train had come to a complete stop and luckily Zoe and Mal had not been seen. They look around and see the town, much like most towns out on the rim is mostly made up of people jut struggling to survive. They listen in on the conversation between the Sheriff and a fed.
"Our man didn't get a look." The fed said sadly.
"Well, Jesus, can somebody find out what they took?" H looks out and spots someone useful in the crowd. "Handy! Keep those people together." The deputy wanders over to the Sheriff with a sad look in his eye.
"It's the medicine, sir. All of the supplies." He kicks the ramp linking the train to the ground.
"The stole the gorram medicine?" He looks around at the crown milling about the train. "we've been waitin'… All of it?" He runs a hand through his hair.
"Every ounce." The deputy nods. Mal and Zoe look at the towns people and notice for the first time most are coughing or look in general like they are sick.
"God help us." The Sheriff sighs and wanders off.
"Son of a bitch." Mal says looking at an obviously upset Zoe.
Jayne is sitting on the table wincing every time River adds another stitch. He is obviously pissed and getting antsier by the second.
"Gorram it, let's get us moving." He tries to stand, but River pushes him back on the bed.
"I'm not finished." She says through her teeth.
"Why are you parked here?" He yells at Wash completely ignoring River. "This ain't the go tsao de rendezvous spot."
"It is now." Wash say with annoyed look.
"That's cause people are waitin', they ain't partial to waitin'" He grips the side of the bed.
"Let 'em read a magazine. We don't make the sale until Mal and Zoe are back on the boat." He says sarcastically, but Jayne can tell he's being completely serious.
"These are stone killers, little man. They ain't cuddly like me." He ignores River's eye roll and continues to glare at Wash.
"I'm not flying anywhere without my wife." Wash continues to stand his ground.
"She'll be okay." Kaylee says nervously. "She's with the Captain."
"There, you see? Everybody wins." He says trying to stand up. As he tries to put his leg down he screams in pain. "Riv. I need something to quiet this pain." She nods and begins mixing something together.
"Now I'm in ruttin' charge here, and I'm tellin' you how it works. We don't get the goods to Niska on time and there's a good chance he's gonna be coming after Riv." She goes stiff beside him. "I ain't gonna let that happen." He whispers to her.
"Is this Adelai Niska you're talking about?" Shepherd asks from the doorway. Jayne winces as River sticks him with the needle.
"Now how would a Shepherd know a name like that?" Jayne raises an eyebrow when he asks the question.
"As I've heard it, he made a deal with the Captain. If the Captain's not there to finish it, if Niska finds out their being held, and may speak as to who hired him; for little River's sake I think we're better off being a little late.
"So what are you doing in Paradiso?" The Sheriff asks Mal and Zoe as they sit in front of him.
"Just got married. Lookin' for work." Mal says calmly.
"you a miner by trade? Either of you?" The sheriff asks skeptically
"Not really." Mal shrugs.
"hm. You don't see many choose this life weren't born to it."
"well, work is real scarce for a couple just starting out." Zoe says trying to diffuse the situation.
"How come there's so many sick?" Mal finally asks the obvious question.
"Bowden's malady. Know what it is?" He says looking at their fake names on the tickets.
"Affliction of the bone and muscle. Degenerative." Zoe nods.
"Yea turns out everyone gets it here. Hell, I got it, I ain't never set foot in a mine." He says panicking.
"But it's treatable?" Zoe's voice remains cool and calm as always.
"Yes, but our shipment just got stolen. Which is why you won't be seeing a parade in town today." He frowns.
"Thought I saw Alliance on that train." Mal smirks.
"yea, but they left for their own camp while ago. Alliance ain't much use out here on the border planets." The Sheriff was seething.
Jayne limps up the stairs to the bridge where Wash and River are sitting. Everyone else is following him.
River glares at him, but she knows that she can't really be mad at him. He's just trying to protect her.
"That's it! We've waited long enough. Let's get this bird in the air." He says sternly.
"No rutting way." Wash stands up to defy him.
"You really should sit down." River says to Jayne, but he simply shrugs her off.
"You can't just leave the Captain and Zoe here." Kaylee says behind him.
"They ain't comin', we can't walk in there and get 'em, so they're done. Now let's fire it up." He makes a move towards Wash.
"Everyone strap in, we're taking off." He says over his shoulder to the others.
"We're not!" Wash steps closer to Jayne, almost challenging him.
"We have to make sure River's safe! I promised the Captain." He turns to look at River. "lets go."
"listen to me." Wash says holding his hands up.
"You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with until you understand who's in ruttin' command here. Now we're finishing this deal, and then maybe we'll come back for those morons who got themselves caught." He begins to breathe heavily "you can't change that by getting all…" His voice starts to drop in tone. "Bendy."
"All what?" Wash asks not understanding what Jayne says.
"You've got the light… from the console… keep you, lift you up. They shine like…" He reaches out to grab something that isn't there. "…little angels…" Jayne collapses forward and the crew just stares for a minute.
"Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?" Wash looks to River for answers.
"I told him to sit down." She smirked.
"You doped him?" Kaylee almost smiles at River's guts.
"It was suppose to kick in a good deal sooner. Let's figure out a plan and got get my father." She smiles at the rest of the crew.
"I like you more and more each day River girl." Wash smiles and sits back down in the pilots seat.
"So. How do we get the others?" Book looks around to see if anyone has an idea.
"Jayne was right about them not making contact. Chances are, they got pinched getting off that train." Wash says still smiling at River.
"We can't just wait and pull them out." Kaylee suggests.
"Someone respectable might be able to." Book looks over at Inara who looks up and realizes that everyone is staring at her.
Inara looks around the Sheriff's station and spots Mal sitting there with Zoe. She walks over quickly to glare at him.
"What the hell?" Mal says shocked to see Inara in a place like this. Inara pulls back and punches him.
"Don't you dare speak to me." She then turns to the sheriff. "Sheriff, I want this man bound by law at once. That's assuming he hasn't been already?"
"No one's been bound yet." He looks between the group confused.
"Thank go you stopped them." She places a hand to her chest and turns back around to look at Mal. "Sis you honestly think you could access my accounts and I wouldn't find you? And Zoe, what would your husband say if he knew you were here?"
"I… I was weak." Zoe fakes a look of Shame and looks at the ground.
"So I take it they ain't newlyweds?" The Sheriff smirks.
"Hardly. Malcolm's my indentured man, with three years left on his debt. I imagine we'll have to add another six months after this little adventure." She glares back at Mal. She then notices all the men staring at her.
"You'll have to pardon them. Don't think a one of em's ever seen a registered Companion before." He apologizes for the men.
"I apologize for my manner." She smiles at him.
"Oh, not a bit." He waves it off.
"Should I contact my ship? Do you need to hold them very much longer?" She asks trying her best to sound respectful
"Looks to me like we're about done here. I, uh. We had some unrelated trouble. His story had a kind of an order to it." He says proud of himself that he smelt the funny business.
"Yes, it's not the only thing about him that does." She smirks at Mal "Thanks you, very much Sheriff." She turns back to Mal and Zoe "Come along."
"That's one hell f a lady. Her files were all in order?" His eyes follow her out the door.
"I ran 'em twice " He nods
"Hmm. Let's get started with the rest, then." He shrugs and turns back to face the rest of the passengers from the train.
River can tell Mal's upset when he storms into the Cargo bay with Inara and Zoe on his heels. He sees Jayne on the stairs and gives River a questioning look.
"He's heavy and we couldn't carry him back to his room." She shrugs and looks to him for instructions.
"Captain, I've got the engine runnin, we're good to go." Wash says
"We're not going. We're takin' the cargo back." Mal says.
"Back? Whadda mean back? I waited for you guys!" Jayne slurs in his semi-conscious state.
"What are you talking about? What about Niska?" Wash asks nervously.
"There's others need this more." Mal grunts trying to move the cargo to Inara's shuttle. "we'll just have to explain to Niska the job went south. We'll give him back the money."
"Now's your chance." River mumbles nervously moving closer to Inara who wraps her arms around the young girl.
They all turn to see Crow walking up the ramp with a few more of Niska's men.
"You didn't make the rendezvous." He complains.
"Ran into a few complications." Mal shrugs.
"You were thinking of takin Mr. Niska's money and his property, maybe." He says menacingly.
"Ah, neither actually." Mal says tossing Crow the bag of money Niska had given him.
"I don't understand." Crow looks confused.
"We changed our minds." Mal Says
"There is no mind changing."
"look we'll just call it even." Mal says putting up his hands.
"There is no even." Crow shakes his head.
"Is that right?" Mal smirks, but quickly yells when Crow throws a knife into his shoulder. Zoe exchanges shots with a few men. Wash seizing his opportunity to help took out a few men with the mule. As Mal tries his best to fight off Crow he hears a shot ring out and Crow falls to the ground holding his knee which has been shot. Mal turns to see Jayne pointing a gun in his general direction.
"Nice shot." Mal smirks.
"I was aiming for his head." Jayne slurs which causes Mal to panic.
Mal and Zoe finish unloading the medicine on the edge of town. He looks everything over, double checking that everything is there and moves to go back to the mule.
"we'll notify the sheriff when we're in deep, deep space." Mal says looking at Zoe.
"Why not tell him in person?" The sheriff walks towards them with several men guns at the ready. "Everything here?" he looks to Mal who nods. "you were truthful back in town. These are tough times. If a man can get a job, he might not look too close at what that job is. But a man learns all the details of a situation like ours, well, then he has a choice." He says lowering his weapon as the men behind him begin to load up the medicine.
"I don't believe he does." Mal said with a serious look on his face. The Sheriff nods to him and then walks away with his men.
Mal looks at Crow who is in front of him hands tied behind his back. He looks as defiant as ever.
"Keep the money." Crow spits "Use it to buy a funeral. It doesn't matter where you go, or how far you fly. I will hunt you down, and the last thing you see before you die." He looks up to see River helping Jayne up from the stairs. "Is me taking off with your pretty little daughter."
"Darn." Mal says kicking Crow into the engine intakes. They wait for the crunching sounds to stop before Zoe drags another one of Niska's men over.
"Now This is all the money…" Mal starts.
"Oh, I'm good. I speak for everyone. I'm right there with you." The henchmen says quickly causing Mal to smile.
Mal winces as River stitches up his shoulder.
"You should have let me do this sooner." She scolds him like a child.
"I have had plenty worse it's just." He winces again. "OUCH!"
"Sorry" River grimaces, but continues.
"That was pretty fast thinkin' doping up Jayne." He smiles thinking that at least River got that from him. "Can't say he's gonna be to happy when he fully wakes up."
"Well he can't ever stay mad at me." She smirks finishing up. "Besides if you think he'll be mad about that just wait until the morning."
"Why what's happening in the morning?" Mal panicked.
"You'll see." She laughed to herself.
"You know your mother use to do that and it's just as unsettlin' now as it was then." He yells at her, but he can't wipe the smile off his face.
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