Disclaimer: The wonderful Firefly characters and the good ship Serenity all belong to Joss Whedon, or Mutant Enemy, or 20th Century Fox, or whoever actually owns them, and that person or entity is definitely not me. Written for amusement purposes only. No copyright infringement intended or implied.
Any original characters are mine, I suppose, unless any of the above mentioned would like use of them. Fair is fair.
Rating: M, for rough language and strong sensual content. No minors, please.
Chapter Two
"Torrid." River smiled at Simon. "I believe that's what you're describing."
"Hmm – six letter word for parching heat. That would work…" he mused, using a stylus to fill in the blocks of his crossword puzzle. "Fits in with 'rogue' for eighteen down, and 'runnel' for nineteen down."
Kaylee, munching on a slice of toast, looked over at the word pad and shook her head in mild bemusement.
"Never could much see the fun in those."
Jayne, sitting at the other end of the table across from Zoë, grunted his agreement.
"Torrid can also mean burning, ardent, extremely passionate…" River continued innocently, her wide brown eyes flickering at Jayne as he took a drink of his tea. She watched him freeze for a second, and then smother a grin. See, Jayne, crossword puzzles can be fun, she chuckled inwardly.
"Yes," Simon looked at her from under his eyebrows. "Thank you for the vocab lesson."
Jayne had inspired River's most recent vocabulary lessons: Torrid. Passionate. Carnal. Sensuous. Fervid. Erotic. He'd done more than refresh her vocabulary…he'd given her concrete examples. River contemplated the past six weeks with satisfaction…the secret hours she had spent with Jayne had been among the happiest, most exciting and most fulfilling of her life.
That first night, she'd been there before the specified time, concerned that there had been some miscommunication, anxious that he might think she had changed her mind. He'd been early himself, bearing sheets, a pillow, and a blanket. When River entered the shuttle she'd seen that he must have come back at some time during the day and swept up and dusted and prepped one of the built-in beds of the shuttle, larger and more stable than the camp bed and with additional privacy in its small nook just outside the tiny piloting area.
River remembered how gauche and young she'd felt, how her face had reddened painfully as she'd watched him matter-of-factly make up the bed, her freshly washed hair still damp and feeling cool against her heated skin in the chilly air of the shuttle. He'd showered and changed, also. She recalled the slightly caustic tang of his soap in the air as he'd moved around – that old-fashioned stuff he picked up wherever he saw it, perhaps nostalgic for his childhood. River's horrible self-consciousness had persisted, making her wonder if she could bear it. She'd been torn between desire and the desire to escape, convinced that her original misgivings were not unwarranted. And then, his task completed, he'd turned to her. Not gloating, not greedy, not smug, not anything she had feared. He'd reached out and stroked one hand through the silky richness of her hair, and she'd been able to hear one word in his mind: beautiful. Everything in her had quieted at his touch, and after that it had been easy, and warm, and filled with wonder.
They would meet almost every night. A meaningful look, a glancing touch, a consciously projected midnight would be enough to let her know he would be waiting in the shuttle for her. River often pondered why they continued to come together there…their meetings would certainly be less complicated, and much less likely to be discovered, if they just slipped into each other's bunks during the night. It was especially dangerous now that Kaylee, heavily pregnant and very restless, and a correspondingly nervous Simon, had begun sleeping in one of the passenger dorms in close proximity to the infirmary – and, consequently, the catwalks to the shuttles. River wondered if Jayne preferred the shuttle because it was a confined, neutral territory, limiting personal intimacy while encouraging physical intimacy.
And they were physically intimate, intensely, shockingly so. On some nights their passion was white-hot: demanding, urgent, sweaty and thrilling, as Jayne taught her how to please him and took her to unimagined heights of pleasure in return. On other nights they came together without haste, coupling with an almost dream-like fluidity that made River ache as she clasped his shuddering, sated body to her heart. These were the occasions when he was the most receptive to lying quietly with her. Their hushed laughter and desultory conversations about everything from the gender of Baby Tam to the details of upcoming jobs were the small tendrils that began to weave them together, a subtle process that would alter their relationship from one of mere sex partners to that of lovers.
Two days ago she had taken ill in the night, her head thundering, the dimmest light entering her brain bringing nausea and stabbing pains. Still, she had stumbled to the shuttle, weaving feebly through the dark, convincing herself it was only common courtesy that she excuse herself in person. In reality, she was too insecure to miss even one encounter, secretly afraid that perhaps in her absence he would feel relief, and realize that he had grown weary of her.
Jayne had taken one look at her, and swearing, laid her down on the bed, ranting at her under his breath for being all kinds of stupid even as he'd tucked the covers under her chin and raided the medkit for water and pain relievers. He'd questioned her brusquely about her symptoms, and, after he'd discovered that she hadn't eaten anything at all that day, he'd gone to the kitchen and brought back tea and dumplings. When she'd queasily refused the food he'd fed her small mouthfuls, firmly insisting that it would make her feel better, and he'd been right. Afterwards he'd taken her onto his lap, and with a surprisingly light touch, stroked the tension from her neck and temples, easing her into a restful sleep. She'd awakened only when he had roused her with a reluctant shake, telling her that it was almost time for Serenity to power up for the day cycle, and that she needed to get back to her bunk before the ship's crew started to stir.
Yesterday – was it only yesterday? – as she'd watched him yawn, hollow-eyed, through his chores, the consequence of sitting up with her much of the night, River had felt such a rush of tenderness that she'd been shaken. With a thundering heart, she finally admitted to herself that she loved him, desperately, and had been in love with him for some time. What he felt for her was unclear. Desire, she read easily, and quite frequently, admiration for her skills or intelligence. Sometimes she would hear him call to her in his mind as moved inside her, faintly, as if seeking some kind of response from her…but those instances were rare, and most of the time he was still guarded around her, wary. It was true that he had been kind to her when she was unwell, but he wasn't a completely heartless monster, after all…he probably would have done something for any member of the crew, except maybe Simon. River suddenly pictured Jayne holding a sleeping Mal in his arms all night, and suppressed a giggle. Not likely. Perhaps she had some reason to hope, after all.
Last night there had been a reluctant agreement that they both needed rest, their first break from one another in almost two weeks, and even with that brief separation, River already missed him. She had spent hours last night trying to think of something special she could do for him to show how much she had appreciated his concern for her. She was impatient for this day to be over, and insanely eager to be alone with him once again. She sighed. It was unfortunate that it was only just past eight on a Sunday morning, local time, and they had crime to commit today.
She looked up as the captain came down the steps from the crew quarters, rubbing his hands together with a satisfied look.
"Just got a wave from that surveyor who checked out the shuttle a couple a weeks ago. Wants another look at it. Thinks he's might take it," he proclaimed brightly.
River's eyes widened and immediately went to Jayne's, a strange feeling of dismay filling her. A stranger…in their shuttle. What would they do without the shuttle? Jayne looked back at her with a blank expression, and raised his eyebrows briefly, the equivalent of a shrug. That's that, he seemed to be saying. River's brow furrowed slightly. The news didn't seem to have the same dampening effect on him as it did on her.
"Rent'll come in handy, sir," Zoë nodded.
"Certainly will…we're gonna meet him on Khyphon-Beta, two days time. He's visitin' his sister there and it's not but a hop step out of our way. You hear that, albatross? When we get back from the job we'll need to get right back in the air." Mal looked at River inquiringly.
"Yes, Captain," River answered in a distracted voice. She didn't want to hear any more about the aggravating surveyor. Jayne's colorless reaction to the information was puzzling and worrying her.
"That Tom guy, right?" Kaylee asked interestedly. "Tall, blond?"
"Yeah, Tom Lin, that's the one." The captain confirmed.
"He seemed real nice." Kaylee smiled slyly at River, prodding her sister-in-law with a teasing elbow. The mechanic's thoughts came through with clarity: that Tom would be perfect for River, all smart and handsome. Maybe havin' a guy like that actually on board will finally get her interested in datin'…she'll be twenty real soon and she ain't never even had a boyfriend… "And he was real cute, too."
"I didn't meet him," River responded dismissively. She and Zoë and Jayne had been off-ship, purchasing supplies, when the surveyor had come to view the shuttle.
"We had quite a long conversation. He mentioned that he took his engineering degree at New Harvard – full scholarship," Simon informed his sister, obviously impressed. "I'm not sure how we got on the subject, but his mother's family is related to the Cosgroves of Osiris City…do you remember them, River?"
"Vaguely," River answered, watching as Jayne gulped down the rest of his tea, dropped the mug onto the table with a thud, and shoved his chair out abruptly.
"Gonna prep the mule," he announced to no one in particular, and left.
"Ain't your maid, Jayne," Zoë called after him, looking down at his dirty dishes in annoyance.
River stood, picking up her own bowl and chopsticks, and moving around the table to collect Jayne's things on the way to the kitchen.
"And you ain't either, River." The first mate frowned, rising and following her. "Let him chip out that dried egg on his own time."
"I don't mind." River shrugged with a little smile. It was a small enough thing, after all, considering what he had done for her the other night.
"You're just encouragin' him to take advantage," Zoë tsked. "It ain't likely he's ever gonna do the same for you, unless he conjures it'll get him somethin' better."
River slowed for a second. Zoë's observation brought forth disquieting thoughts, all the more so because it was consistent with Jayne's character. Maybe he had only been so nice to her the other night because he figured it was the price he had to pay for free, convenient sex… a little spear of hurt went through her…she didn't want to believe that.
"The captain go over the details a the job?" Zoë asked, shaking her head in disapproval as River began to clean Jayne's dishes.
"Yes…" River nodded. "Sounds simple enough…the owner gives us the access codes, we empty the company safe, place incendiary devices in strategic positions, and burn the office and factory down. We take the contents of the safe, and return to Serenity. The owner applies for the insurance credits, mission accomplished."
"This is our first job for Fanty and Mingo since…" Zoë trailed off, a faraway look in her eyes.
"Since before Miranda," River finished quietly, keeping her eyes on the task at hand. Zoë was thinking about Wash, and a little bit of her sorrow, buried deep, but still keenly felt, leaked around the edges of her steely mind.
"They can throw a lotta work our way if this thing goes smooth." Zoë said after a moment. "I wish I was gonna be there."
River wiped the dishes and reached up to put them away.
"Simon needs someone to be here with him in the event that Kaylee goes into labor, and your field medicine experience may be helpful. After the baby is born, we will revert to our standard procedures."
"Still, I got a bad feeling about this…you done here? Then come to my bunk with me for a minute…there's something I want you to have."
River nodded, looking at Zoë curiously.
"Just in case. It's something that might come in handy if things get…complicated." Zoë gave a half-amused sigh.
"Zoë," River protested as they left the kitchen, "I see no reason why it should become complicated."
Zoë shot her a dry look. "Remember who you're workin' for, little one.'