Notes: Here we are again. I'm getting addicted to toying with Jayne and River. I need an evil-laugh. Thanks again for the reviews, the suggestions are very much needed/appreciated.
............
Malcolm emerged from the shuttle and stared out at the moonlit expanse. There were no trees, no plants, no animals except for the multitude of insects. Ugly bastards.
"I hate the desert. Why's it always got to be desert?" The captain sighed. What he wouldn't give for a nice forest. And cute, fuzzy animals.
"Best get to work, sir. It'll take a while to dig up the goods. Needs to be done before daybreak," Zoë stated as she walked up to stand beside him, glancing at the view in front of them.
"Yeah, or we'll all roast to death in this gorram desert!"
Mal seriously considered stomping his feet. His life was just not going how he wanted it to. Here he was, digging up old lady's inheritance in the middle of the desert. And, to top it off, Inara refused to come back. Course, she probably wouldn't have helped dig, snobby thing that she was, but he gave her a tyen-sah order! Infuriating woman never obeyed him. Was it too much to ask for her to get her ass back on board? Why she'd rather waste her time on seedy strangers she'd never see again then on him... He stopped this train of thought. Too complicated. So, instead, he kicked a rock and watched it tumble down the hill. He was definitely cranky.
Wash tromped out of the shuttle dragging a passel of shovels. Dropping them at his wife's feet, he stood looking out at the barren wilderness.
"Argh, me mateys. Where's me gold?" Wash cackled out the corner of his mouth while doing his best pirate impression.
"Should be just under the rock..." began Kaylee, who had emerged from the shuttle with Simon and Book.
"Which rock?" Simon hissed. "There are thousands. Tens of thousands. It's like finding a needle in a haystack! Why did we come to this fei-oo planet? This is a piss job, Captain."
"Hey now, I'm in complete agreement with you. But unless you want to start privately financing our little endeavors, we're going to have to dig this shee-niou stuff up. Dong ma?" the captain retorted, in a much better mood now that Simon was pissed as well.
"So, Kaylee," Malcolm continued frowning at the stone-littered field, "which of these delightful rocks do we dig under?"
Kaylee smiled angelically at her captain. "The one with the 'M' on it, silly." She pointed in the opposite direction of where they had all been looking at a huge, red 'M' painted on the biggest boulder in the valley.
"Oh," Mal and Simon said in unison.
...........
Jayne and River had been walking back towards Serenity for the better part of an hour. The gang of thieves wouldn't let the stop or slow their pace. River was exhausted. Most of the time on the ship she was knocked out from Simon's drugs, so she wasn't used to all the exercise. The rope around her wrists was chafing, rubbing red welts into her skin. She trudged carefully in front of Jayne, her legs about to give out.
"Jayne," she murmured. He looked down at her.
"Hmm?"
"My feet hurt."
"Should've kept your shoes on." River ignored the stab.
"My legs hurt, too."
"Yeah, so do mine."
"Jayne..." she asked petulantly, "please carry me." She was probably tired, he thought. She just wanted to rest; it wasn't a ploy to get her hands on him again. Jayne wondered if he was disappointed by this.
"Yeah, sure. C'mere."
He took a few strides to stand directly behind her then looped his bound hands over her head. She turned in his arms to face his chest as he lifted her up. She placed her arms around his neck. And when she tightly locked her legs around his waist, Jayne nearly collapsed from the sensation. Tyen, it felt right. He barely kept himself from burying his head in her neck. She was small, light. But her legs were strong. Her skin was soft. She smelled just right, like pears, or apples, something fresh and alive.
River leaned her cheek against Jayne's shoulder and watched the bandits following behind him. She stared straight at the men's eyes... she wasn't afraid of them. Not now. They were nothing compared to him.
"That man wants to know why I married you."
"I'm kind of wondering that myself."
"He never got married. He drinks too much."
"Yeah? Think you can get anything useful from his head?" Jayne took it in stride that she knew so much about the man. He figured it was easier to accept than to think about too deeply.
"He only has four shots left in his gun. He's nervous. He's tried of walking around. He thinks you have very large muscles. He didn't like his dinner last night. He..."
"Yeah, okay. Sorry I asked. Let me know if he's going to shoot us."
The gentle rocking rhythm from Jayne's silent steps across the rocky desert soon lulled River to sleep. Her sleeve had slipped down, leaving her shoulder bare. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the dark red fabric. Jayne lifted his chin to let her head fit next to his neck more closely. Her arms had gone limp, but her bound hands kept them around his neck. He had been stripped of his weapon, kidnapped, tied up, and was about to be robbed of the ship he flew on, but he had never been more content in his life.
As they came up out of another canyon, Jayne stopped as he saw Serenity down in the valley, illuminated by the moonlight. Sure was an ugly old ship, he thought. Still, he had his own bunk. And kitchen privileges. He wasn't going to let them have it. Just had to figure out a way to keep them from it.
The business end of a gun rammed into his back and forced him to keep moving. The line of bandits started down the hill towards a low opening in the rocks. He'd have to bend over to get in, and that would knock River out of his arms. Better wake her up.
"Hey, wake up," he whispered to her. She didn't stir.
"Girl, open your eyes," he said a little louder. Still nothing. He jostled her in his arms.
"Come on, baby." Frustrated, Jayne bent his head and nipped her bare shoulder. River's eyes fluttered and she let out a soft moan that stopped Jayne dead in his tracks. She sure was sexy for a half-asleep crazy girl. River, still waking, lifted herself up his chest, turned her head towards Jayne's face and slowly licked his jaw line.
This time, he did fall. He dropped to his knees abruptly, with fire in his gut and his mouth hanging open. The drop quickly woke up River, whose eyes completely opened as she was dropped to her feet. She stood, looking down at Jayne. He was still on his hands and knees, his forehead in River's stomach trying to catch his breath. He tried to pull away from her, but his tied hands were still around her legs. He looked up at her with a strange expression on his face, half fear, half reverence. She quirked an eyebrow at him, but before she got a chance to say anything, a bandit, annoyed at the pause in progression and embarrassed by what he assumed to be their outward displays of affection, took his gun and rammed the butt of it into Jayne's back.
"Get up! Move!" he ordered.
Jayne, still out of sorts, didn't even notice the blow. He was still staring at the girl in front of him, trying to sort out what his body and mind were quickly deciding for him. River, growing anxious at his lack of movement and the increased agitation she felt around her, grabbed at his shirt to pull him up.
"Jayne, be good," she repeated. He stood, trying not to look at her. He lifted his arms from around her back and put them obediently in front of himself. River turned and walked toward the cave. Jayne silently followed.
............
Malcolm emerged from the shuttle and stared out at the moonlit expanse. There were no trees, no plants, no animals except for the multitude of insects. Ugly bastards.
"I hate the desert. Why's it always got to be desert?" The captain sighed. What he wouldn't give for a nice forest. And cute, fuzzy animals.
"Best get to work, sir. It'll take a while to dig up the goods. Needs to be done before daybreak," Zoë stated as she walked up to stand beside him, glancing at the view in front of them.
"Yeah, or we'll all roast to death in this gorram desert!"
Mal seriously considered stomping his feet. His life was just not going how he wanted it to. Here he was, digging up old lady's inheritance in the middle of the desert. And, to top it off, Inara refused to come back. Course, she probably wouldn't have helped dig, snobby thing that she was, but he gave her a tyen-sah order! Infuriating woman never obeyed him. Was it too much to ask for her to get her ass back on board? Why she'd rather waste her time on seedy strangers she'd never see again then on him... He stopped this train of thought. Too complicated. So, instead, he kicked a rock and watched it tumble down the hill. He was definitely cranky.
Wash tromped out of the shuttle dragging a passel of shovels. Dropping them at his wife's feet, he stood looking out at the barren wilderness.
"Argh, me mateys. Where's me gold?" Wash cackled out the corner of his mouth while doing his best pirate impression.
"Should be just under the rock..." began Kaylee, who had emerged from the shuttle with Simon and Book.
"Which rock?" Simon hissed. "There are thousands. Tens of thousands. It's like finding a needle in a haystack! Why did we come to this fei-oo planet? This is a piss job, Captain."
"Hey now, I'm in complete agreement with you. But unless you want to start privately financing our little endeavors, we're going to have to dig this shee-niou stuff up. Dong ma?" the captain retorted, in a much better mood now that Simon was pissed as well.
"So, Kaylee," Malcolm continued frowning at the stone-littered field, "which of these delightful rocks do we dig under?"
Kaylee smiled angelically at her captain. "The one with the 'M' on it, silly." She pointed in the opposite direction of where they had all been looking at a huge, red 'M' painted on the biggest boulder in the valley.
"Oh," Mal and Simon said in unison.
...........
Jayne and River had been walking back towards Serenity for the better part of an hour. The gang of thieves wouldn't let the stop or slow their pace. River was exhausted. Most of the time on the ship she was knocked out from Simon's drugs, so she wasn't used to all the exercise. The rope around her wrists was chafing, rubbing red welts into her skin. She trudged carefully in front of Jayne, her legs about to give out.
"Jayne," she murmured. He looked down at her.
"Hmm?"
"My feet hurt."
"Should've kept your shoes on." River ignored the stab.
"My legs hurt, too."
"Yeah, so do mine."
"Jayne..." she asked petulantly, "please carry me." She was probably tired, he thought. She just wanted to rest; it wasn't a ploy to get her hands on him again. Jayne wondered if he was disappointed by this.
"Yeah, sure. C'mere."
He took a few strides to stand directly behind her then looped his bound hands over her head. She turned in his arms to face his chest as he lifted her up. She placed her arms around his neck. And when she tightly locked her legs around his waist, Jayne nearly collapsed from the sensation. Tyen, it felt right. He barely kept himself from burying his head in her neck. She was small, light. But her legs were strong. Her skin was soft. She smelled just right, like pears, or apples, something fresh and alive.
River leaned her cheek against Jayne's shoulder and watched the bandits following behind him. She stared straight at the men's eyes... she wasn't afraid of them. Not now. They were nothing compared to him.
"That man wants to know why I married you."
"I'm kind of wondering that myself."
"He never got married. He drinks too much."
"Yeah? Think you can get anything useful from his head?" Jayne took it in stride that she knew so much about the man. He figured it was easier to accept than to think about too deeply.
"He only has four shots left in his gun. He's nervous. He's tried of walking around. He thinks you have very large muscles. He didn't like his dinner last night. He..."
"Yeah, okay. Sorry I asked. Let me know if he's going to shoot us."
The gentle rocking rhythm from Jayne's silent steps across the rocky desert soon lulled River to sleep. Her sleeve had slipped down, leaving her shoulder bare. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the dark red fabric. Jayne lifted his chin to let her head fit next to his neck more closely. Her arms had gone limp, but her bound hands kept them around his neck. He had been stripped of his weapon, kidnapped, tied up, and was about to be robbed of the ship he flew on, but he had never been more content in his life.
As they came up out of another canyon, Jayne stopped as he saw Serenity down in the valley, illuminated by the moonlight. Sure was an ugly old ship, he thought. Still, he had his own bunk. And kitchen privileges. He wasn't going to let them have it. Just had to figure out a way to keep them from it.
The business end of a gun rammed into his back and forced him to keep moving. The line of bandits started down the hill towards a low opening in the rocks. He'd have to bend over to get in, and that would knock River out of his arms. Better wake her up.
"Hey, wake up," he whispered to her. She didn't stir.
"Girl, open your eyes," he said a little louder. Still nothing. He jostled her in his arms.
"Come on, baby." Frustrated, Jayne bent his head and nipped her bare shoulder. River's eyes fluttered and she let out a soft moan that stopped Jayne dead in his tracks. She sure was sexy for a half-asleep crazy girl. River, still waking, lifted herself up his chest, turned her head towards Jayne's face and slowly licked his jaw line.
This time, he did fall. He dropped to his knees abruptly, with fire in his gut and his mouth hanging open. The drop quickly woke up River, whose eyes completely opened as she was dropped to her feet. She stood, looking down at Jayne. He was still on his hands and knees, his forehead in River's stomach trying to catch his breath. He tried to pull away from her, but his tied hands were still around her legs. He looked up at her with a strange expression on his face, half fear, half reverence. She quirked an eyebrow at him, but before she got a chance to say anything, a bandit, annoyed at the pause in progression and embarrassed by what he assumed to be their outward displays of affection, took his gun and rammed the butt of it into Jayne's back.
"Get up! Move!" he ordered.
Jayne, still out of sorts, didn't even notice the blow. He was still staring at the girl in front of him, trying to sort out what his body and mind were quickly deciding for him. River, growing anxious at his lack of movement and the increased agitation she felt around her, grabbed at his shirt to pull him up.
"Jayne, be good," she repeated. He stood, trying not to look at her. He lifted his arms from around her back and put them obediently in front of himself. River turned and walked toward the cave. Jayne silently followed.