Notes: Hiya... I'm doing a happy dance from all the nice reviews. :) Still working on my violent pov shifts... hope this is better. No smooches in this chapter, though. Thanks for reading!
.................................................
Serenity's shuttle landed in a cloud of dust beside the old woman's hovel. The crew inside waited for Mal to leave, to go get the Juggernaut's information from Mrs. McGee. But he just sat, looking nervous.
"What's the matter, Captain?" asked a worried Kaylee.
"Uh, I think we should wait in here, till she comes out. Don't want to go in that house again," he complained.
Kaylee's demeanor changed from concern to indignation.
"Well, if she's so bad she ain't coming in my shuttle!"
"Hey, it's MY shuttle, remember?" he returned.
Book shook his head. "Captain, it's your clients that help you pay for this shuttle. You should try to show compassion for the elderly, especially a widow like herself."
Mal stared back at the shepherd. "Fine." He sighed like a true martyr. "But I think there's someone who needs a sermon in compassion for the elderly more than me. Wash, you're the pilot. It'd make more sense for you to get the directions."
With that, he opened the shuttle doors, and shoved Wash out.
"Hey! Wait! Crap." He was mad. Damn Mal always throwing his weight around. He rubbed his sore shoulder.
Wash gingerly started towards the wooden clapboard building. Pulling a pair of gloves from his back pocket, he shoved the cloth fingers up his nose. Thus prepared, he knocked on the door. When the cragged face of Mrs. McGee peered out, he bowed low.
"Got the gold. Directions please," Wash blurted out. The woman looked at him sideways, but held out the coordinates of the ship. Snapping up the directions, Wash bolted back towards the shuttle and started banging on the doors. Realizing Mrs. McGee was still watching from her doorway he turned, smiled and curtsied, then resumed banging on the shuttle, shouting for Mal and Zoë.
Meanwhile, the crew was comfortably playing poker in the shuttle, ignoring Wash, and using his dinosaurs for chips.
..................................
River was curled up in sleep, breathing easily. Jayne sat by her feet, waiting for the bandits to enter the cell. He had heard them stirring for a while now, and knew that they would be barging in at any moment. He rose to a crouch and bounced on the balls of his feet, tossing his knife in his hand. He glanced down at River, and was immediately distracted. The curve of her breast pressed through the fabric of her dress. Her hem was hiked up to the tops of her thighs. Damn, he was mad about her legs. He reached down and took hold of her ankle, then ran the tips of his fingers up her leg, careful not to wake her. Her legs were so soft, and curvy, and womanly and all that is good in the world. He let out a puff of breath, shaking his head at his own foolishness. He took his hands off her and went back to concentrating on the task at hand: killing him some bad'uns.
After ten minutes or so, Jayne heard the voices coming closer to their door. He knew they'd be entering soon. Quietly, he reached out a hand to rouse River, gently stroking her cheek.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Hey," she returned, just as quietly.
He glanced at the door, where the voices were harshly murmuring. River nodded and crawled to the opposite side of the cave, where the bandits would see her immediately upon opening the steel door. She lay out on the ground, her back to the cave opening, and feigned sleep. Jayne stayed where he was, ready to attack.
A heavy, metallic clink sounded, followed by an ominous creaking as the door swung open. Two men in faded brown cowboy hats walked into the room, their boots scuffing up dust and swinging their guns at their sides. The moment they started toward River, Jayne leapt from behind the door, knife slicing through the air. Quickly he slit their throats. Unfortunately, there was a third man waiting outside the cell. He had been preparing to activate the vid screen in the central room. His voice rose in a wordless cry of alarm as he lifted his six-shooter and knocked out two shots.
Both bullets ricocheted off the door. Jayne threw his knife at the man from behind the door, dropping him. Jayne snatched one of the dead men's revolvers. Two more bandits came to check out the commotion. Jayne returned their fire, killing both men in one shot each. Four bullets left.
He rolled out of the cell and shut the door on River, trying to hide her from the rest. Two men came running at him, knocking him down. He fought them off, shooting each one, when a third man smashed him in the head, dropping him to the ground. Momentarily stunned, he grunted as he felt the sudden cold burn from a knife jabbed into his side. Damn jerk was stabbing him! It was Jake, the leader. He kicked Jayne, knocking him to his belly in the dirt. Jayne felt another stab. He still had his gun and two bullets, he rolled onto his back, ignoring the pain, and prepared to shoot his attacker.
River huddled in the dark cell, waiting for Jayne to come back for her. The noises of pain, of death, frightened her, crowded her mind. Suddenly, she heard him. Someone hurt him! She jumped to her feet and threw open the door, walking into the middle of the fight. She saw the tall man stabbing Jayne. So much blood!
"Jayne..." she moaned, as she started towards him. She would help him. She watched as the man thrust his knife into the skin, the muscle, the flesh of Jayne's back. She was almost beside him when two men grabbed her arms and wrenched her away. The man on her left lifted a knife to her throat, preparing to kill her. She watched silently as Jayne rolled, pointing his gun at his attacker's head.
Just before he pulled the trigger on his last two bullets, out of the corner of his eye Jayne saw a flash of red. Turning his head, he saw River, knife at her neck, staring at him wordlessly. Without thinking, he shot his gun, instantly killing her captors. As their bodies smashed to the floor, he smiled at her, dropping his now useless weapon, ignoring the repeated stabs at his abdomen.
River watched as Jayne's blood left, ran away from his body. Stop. Stop. She had to stop it. She picked up the knife that had just been held to her throat, watching the light reflect off the clean, metal blade, and threw it into Jake's neck. He flopped like a fish on the sandy floor, spilling more blood than Jayne.
She ignored him. She ran up to Jayne, pulled him up by his arm.
"Hey, nice throw, you're a good wife," he muttered weakly then collapsed to the floor.
"Three times, turn around, around, now we're bound," River whispered in a singsong voice.
She tried to ignore the sight of Jayne's blood, keep from focusing on the streams that seemed to flood the cave. She grabbed his feet, and began pulling him out of the cave, slowly, jerkily. As she passed the vid screen, it flickered to life. The face of an old woman appeared. With her tangled white hair fanning out around her head, she shouted into the screen.
"Jake? Where are you, boy? Jacob! Captain Malcolm just left. Where are you, you damned fool?"
River stopped and stared at the screen. "Bitch," she muttered. As she continued dragging Jayne out of the cave, the screen exploded in a shower of sparks.
Standing in the early morning sunlight, River looked around. She could see Serenity, she was so close. Jayne was so heavy! But... she wasn't alone. Someone was close. They would help... she left Jayne and trotted off, returning seconds later with a pale grey horse in tow.
"Horse, we need help. Carry him please." The horse blinked at her with large dark eyes, and stood unmoving. It still had a saddle on. The bandits had been preparing to ride off on horseback.
River bent over Jayne, she was getting more anxious, more panicky, and he was leaving so quickly!
"Jayne," she spoke in a wavering voice. "Jayne, wake up, stand up, you haven't eaten your cake yet!" She was close to tears.
Slowly, his eyes blinked open. "Can't see you, girl. What's wrong?"
"Rise up, soldier," River said, "Up to heaven!" She jerked him up by the arm.
"Ta ma duh! That hurt!" he croaked, but he stood, shakily. Somehow, between the failing strength of the once great mercenary and the frantic shoving of a panicking girl, Jayne found himself on top of the horse, dizzy, but upright. River leapt up behind him, tucking her skirt between her legs.
"Horse, take us home please."
The horse obligingly started picking its way down the canyon towards the valley where Serenity loomed.
Jayne was losing blood fast. River felt her dress begin to dampen. His blood was blending in with her red dress. She watched the scarlet stains grow, run down her leg, trickle off her feet. Jayne slumped over the neck of the horse.
"No!" River cried, wrapping her arms around his torso, holding onto him. He was precariously balanced, but she wouldn't let him go. Her stomach pressed against the wounds in his back. The stab in his belly poured blood over her arms. She pressed her face against his back. And waited. Counting his shallow breaths. Measuring the pints of blood that flowed.
.................................................
Serenity's shuttle landed in a cloud of dust beside the old woman's hovel. The crew inside waited for Mal to leave, to go get the Juggernaut's information from Mrs. McGee. But he just sat, looking nervous.
"What's the matter, Captain?" asked a worried Kaylee.
"Uh, I think we should wait in here, till she comes out. Don't want to go in that house again," he complained.
Kaylee's demeanor changed from concern to indignation.
"Well, if she's so bad she ain't coming in my shuttle!"
"Hey, it's MY shuttle, remember?" he returned.
Book shook his head. "Captain, it's your clients that help you pay for this shuttle. You should try to show compassion for the elderly, especially a widow like herself."
Mal stared back at the shepherd. "Fine." He sighed like a true martyr. "But I think there's someone who needs a sermon in compassion for the elderly more than me. Wash, you're the pilot. It'd make more sense for you to get the directions."
With that, he opened the shuttle doors, and shoved Wash out.
"Hey! Wait! Crap." He was mad. Damn Mal always throwing his weight around. He rubbed his sore shoulder.
Wash gingerly started towards the wooden clapboard building. Pulling a pair of gloves from his back pocket, he shoved the cloth fingers up his nose. Thus prepared, he knocked on the door. When the cragged face of Mrs. McGee peered out, he bowed low.
"Got the gold. Directions please," Wash blurted out. The woman looked at him sideways, but held out the coordinates of the ship. Snapping up the directions, Wash bolted back towards the shuttle and started banging on the doors. Realizing Mrs. McGee was still watching from her doorway he turned, smiled and curtsied, then resumed banging on the shuttle, shouting for Mal and Zoë.
Meanwhile, the crew was comfortably playing poker in the shuttle, ignoring Wash, and using his dinosaurs for chips.
..................................
River was curled up in sleep, breathing easily. Jayne sat by her feet, waiting for the bandits to enter the cell. He had heard them stirring for a while now, and knew that they would be barging in at any moment. He rose to a crouch and bounced on the balls of his feet, tossing his knife in his hand. He glanced down at River, and was immediately distracted. The curve of her breast pressed through the fabric of her dress. Her hem was hiked up to the tops of her thighs. Damn, he was mad about her legs. He reached down and took hold of her ankle, then ran the tips of his fingers up her leg, careful not to wake her. Her legs were so soft, and curvy, and womanly and all that is good in the world. He let out a puff of breath, shaking his head at his own foolishness. He took his hands off her and went back to concentrating on the task at hand: killing him some bad'uns.
After ten minutes or so, Jayne heard the voices coming closer to their door. He knew they'd be entering soon. Quietly, he reached out a hand to rouse River, gently stroking her cheek.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Hey," she returned, just as quietly.
He glanced at the door, where the voices were harshly murmuring. River nodded and crawled to the opposite side of the cave, where the bandits would see her immediately upon opening the steel door. She lay out on the ground, her back to the cave opening, and feigned sleep. Jayne stayed where he was, ready to attack.
A heavy, metallic clink sounded, followed by an ominous creaking as the door swung open. Two men in faded brown cowboy hats walked into the room, their boots scuffing up dust and swinging their guns at their sides. The moment they started toward River, Jayne leapt from behind the door, knife slicing through the air. Quickly he slit their throats. Unfortunately, there was a third man waiting outside the cell. He had been preparing to activate the vid screen in the central room. His voice rose in a wordless cry of alarm as he lifted his six-shooter and knocked out two shots.
Both bullets ricocheted off the door. Jayne threw his knife at the man from behind the door, dropping him. Jayne snatched one of the dead men's revolvers. Two more bandits came to check out the commotion. Jayne returned their fire, killing both men in one shot each. Four bullets left.
He rolled out of the cell and shut the door on River, trying to hide her from the rest. Two men came running at him, knocking him down. He fought them off, shooting each one, when a third man smashed him in the head, dropping him to the ground. Momentarily stunned, he grunted as he felt the sudden cold burn from a knife jabbed into his side. Damn jerk was stabbing him! It was Jake, the leader. He kicked Jayne, knocking him to his belly in the dirt. Jayne felt another stab. He still had his gun and two bullets, he rolled onto his back, ignoring the pain, and prepared to shoot his attacker.
River huddled in the dark cell, waiting for Jayne to come back for her. The noises of pain, of death, frightened her, crowded her mind. Suddenly, she heard him. Someone hurt him! She jumped to her feet and threw open the door, walking into the middle of the fight. She saw the tall man stabbing Jayne. So much blood!
"Jayne..." she moaned, as she started towards him. She would help him. She watched as the man thrust his knife into the skin, the muscle, the flesh of Jayne's back. She was almost beside him when two men grabbed her arms and wrenched her away. The man on her left lifted a knife to her throat, preparing to kill her. She watched silently as Jayne rolled, pointing his gun at his attacker's head.
Just before he pulled the trigger on his last two bullets, out of the corner of his eye Jayne saw a flash of red. Turning his head, he saw River, knife at her neck, staring at him wordlessly. Without thinking, he shot his gun, instantly killing her captors. As their bodies smashed to the floor, he smiled at her, dropping his now useless weapon, ignoring the repeated stabs at his abdomen.
River watched as Jayne's blood left, ran away from his body. Stop. Stop. She had to stop it. She picked up the knife that had just been held to her throat, watching the light reflect off the clean, metal blade, and threw it into Jake's neck. He flopped like a fish on the sandy floor, spilling more blood than Jayne.
She ignored him. She ran up to Jayne, pulled him up by his arm.
"Hey, nice throw, you're a good wife," he muttered weakly then collapsed to the floor.
"Three times, turn around, around, now we're bound," River whispered in a singsong voice.
She tried to ignore the sight of Jayne's blood, keep from focusing on the streams that seemed to flood the cave. She grabbed his feet, and began pulling him out of the cave, slowly, jerkily. As she passed the vid screen, it flickered to life. The face of an old woman appeared. With her tangled white hair fanning out around her head, she shouted into the screen.
"Jake? Where are you, boy? Jacob! Captain Malcolm just left. Where are you, you damned fool?"
River stopped and stared at the screen. "Bitch," she muttered. As she continued dragging Jayne out of the cave, the screen exploded in a shower of sparks.
Standing in the early morning sunlight, River looked around. She could see Serenity, she was so close. Jayne was so heavy! But... she wasn't alone. Someone was close. They would help... she left Jayne and trotted off, returning seconds later with a pale grey horse in tow.
"Horse, we need help. Carry him please." The horse blinked at her with large dark eyes, and stood unmoving. It still had a saddle on. The bandits had been preparing to ride off on horseback.
River bent over Jayne, she was getting more anxious, more panicky, and he was leaving so quickly!
"Jayne," she spoke in a wavering voice. "Jayne, wake up, stand up, you haven't eaten your cake yet!" She was close to tears.
Slowly, his eyes blinked open. "Can't see you, girl. What's wrong?"
"Rise up, soldier," River said, "Up to heaven!" She jerked him up by the arm.
"Ta ma duh! That hurt!" he croaked, but he stood, shakily. Somehow, between the failing strength of the once great mercenary and the frantic shoving of a panicking girl, Jayne found himself on top of the horse, dizzy, but upright. River leapt up behind him, tucking her skirt between her legs.
"Horse, take us home please."
The horse obligingly started picking its way down the canyon towards the valley where Serenity loomed.
Jayne was losing blood fast. River felt her dress begin to dampen. His blood was blending in with her red dress. She watched the scarlet stains grow, run down her leg, trickle off her feet. Jayne slumped over the neck of the horse.
"No!" River cried, wrapping her arms around his torso, holding onto him. He was precariously balanced, but she wouldn't let him go. Her stomach pressed against the wounds in his back. The stab in his belly poured blood over her arms. She pressed her face against his back. And waited. Counting his shallow breaths. Measuring the pints of blood that flowed.