Author's Note: Ficlet for the LiveJournal ff_friday challenge. Subject: Use these words: "What do you want?" "I want it all. I want everything." "You're not going to get it." Length: 557 words.

On the Cortex

By Trisana McGraw

As he passed by Inara's shuttle on the way to his own bunk, Jayne heard female giggling coming from inside. He rolled his eyes as he imagined Kaylee and Inara having some "girl talk" or whatever it was they did in there. He was about to keep going when he remembered that Mal wanted to talk with Kaylee. So, he slid open the door and stepped inside.

Kaylee and Inara were seated in front of a screen, giggling and talking about something he could really care less about. Kaylee noticed him first, and called, "Hi, Jayne."

"Cap'n wants to talk to you, Kaylee," he said in return, leaning against one of the silk draperies and grinning at Inara, who looked less than pleased to see the hulking mercenary standing in her precious shuttle.

"Okay, okay," Kaylee answered, "just lemme finish watching this with `Nara."

Glancing at the vid screen displaying two men talking, Jayne rolled his eyes. "What's this go se?"

"It's a soap, called As the `Verse Turns –"

"Soap?" Jayne repeated, not comprehending.

Now it was Kaylee's turn to roll her eyes. "A soap opera, silly."

"Whatever," Jayne sighed, not interested. He turned to go when an image on the screen caught his eye. "Hey, who's the chick with the gun?"

"That's Ione," Kaylee answered.

Jayne laughed. "My kinda woman."

"No, we don't like her," Kaylee said. "See, she killed her aging husband so she could inherit his fortune, then ran away with her son-in-law Donatello, who she's been having a secret affair with from the start."

Jayne laughed again. "Smart woman, going straight for the money. I'd take her anytime."

Kaylee shushed him. "Now Donatello's confronting her about the money."

On the screen, Ione pointed a gun at Donatello, who looked both furious and terrified.

"What do you want?" he asked desperately, holding his hands in the air.

"I want it all," Ione said. "I want everything."

"You're not going to get it," he said defiantly, but she only smiled and cocked her gun. He leapt toward her, but a gunshot rang out, and the screen faded to black.

"Oh, no!" Kaylee gasped. "She can't get away with it!"

The announcer on the screen said, "Tune in next week for the shocking conclusion to As the `Verse Turns."

Jayne sighed, bored again. "I'm going. Kaylee, remember to talk to Mal." She nodded absently as he stepped out of the shuttle and shut the door behind him.

Kaylee turned wide eyes on Inara. "Can you believe it? I didn't think she'd actually shoot him. Ooh, I can't wait to see what happens next week!"

"You don't have to," the older woman said with a smile. "These are reruns. The show was cancelled a few years ago, but I taped most of the episodes. So we can watch the next one right now – unless you need to talk with Mal first?"

Kaylee sighed. "I prob'ly should. I'll be right back, `Nara, so don't start them without me."

"I won't," Inara replied with a laugh as Kaylee hurried out of her shuttle.

As she jogged down the halls to the helm, Kaylee wondered what the outcome would be of Ione's betrayal. Shaking her head, she thought, Those rich people don't know nothin'. They never shoulda cancelled a show this good. I don't know what they were thinkin'.