BOOK ONE: The Beginning
Chapter Five: E is for Eighteen
AUTHOR: Mnemosyne
Disclaimer: No son mios!
SUMMARY: Immediately post-Serenity. The alphabet of hope, redemption, and loss. River/Jayne.
RATING: R for the series, PG-13 this chapter
SPOILERS: Through the film, Serenity.
NOTES:
This is a bit of a lighter chapter compared to the past. I want this story to cover the gamut of emotional range, and this is the perfect opportunity to inject a bit of levity into the parade. :D I hope you enjoy
E is for eighteen, the number of candles on River's birthday cake three weeks later as everyone crowded into the common room to celebrate. The atmosphere was far more festive than was necessary, as if Jayne's snarled comments from weeks earlier about everyone's dark mood affecting River's sanity had hit the close-knit crew hard in the gut, and now they wanted to make up for it. It seemed to be working, as River laughed and smiled and clapped her hands at each new surprise. There was a triple-decker cake from Kaylee, and a new silk dress from Inara; a pair of expensive looking new boots from Mal, and a delicate golden necklace from Simon, with the letter R worked in fine gold filigree inside a heart-shaped pendant.
Zoe's gift had the whole crew close to tears. It was a simple package on the outside, but when River tugged open the tissue paper inside, she revealed a box full of plastic dinosaurs.
"Every time I look at them, I remember he's not here," the older woman said, in a voice that betrayed no emotion. It didn't need to; her eyes said it all. "I'm sorry, River, if I've hurt you. I never wanted that to happen." She gave the girl a small smile. "Wash wouldn't want it, either. He'd say I shouldn't distract the pilot."
River's eyes were shining as she carefully folded the tissue back into the box, turned to the second-in command, and folded the woman in a huge, fierce hug. "He's not gone," she whispered, voice hoarse with tears. "He's here. Everywhere here. He dances with me sometimes, when the night is too dark. I like it, even when he steps on my feet."
Zoe laughed; a short, staccato burst of breath. "He wasn't the most graceful dancer," she admitted, hugging the slender girl in return.
That just left Jayne. He shifted uncomfortably as everyone's eyes turned in his direction. "What?" he grumbled. "I spend every waking minute with the gorram girl. That's gift enough, ain't it?"
"Jayne," Kaylee chided gently, poking him in the shin with her boot. "It's her birthday. Eighteen and all. You gotta give her something."
"Yeah, and the gift of your company ain't necessarily a gift, if you catch my meaning," Mal said.
Jayne glowered at the captain, and crossed his arms over his stomach, slouching in his chair. "Well I don't got anything to give her," he grumbled. Then, as an afterthought, he waved a hand at River. "Sorry."
River's answering smile was so completely unexpected, it made Jayne even more uncomfortable. "Dibsies!" she crowed, leaping up from her seat and scampering around the table to stand at his elbow.
Jayne glared up at her. "Dibsies?" he said. "The hell does that mean, girl?"
"What I ask for, you must give."
"Oh, hell no." Jayne sat up straighter, shaking his head and looking at the rest of the crew for backup. "Jayne don't play that kind of game, girl."
"Aw, come on, Jayne," Kaylee said, beaming. "You owe her!"
"I don't owe her nothin'!"
"I reckon you do, Jayne," Mal mused from his place at the head of the table. He was grinning. Jayne wanted to punch his teeth in.
"It's only fair, Jayne," Inara added in her mild, soothing, gorram frustrating way.
"She's gonna go and ask for Vera or somethin'!" he exclaimed, near panic.
"No she won't," Simon said. "You won't ask for any weapons, will you, River?"
River shook her head. She hadn't taken her eyes off Jayne since this whole thing had started. "No touching guns," she said.
"That's right," Mal said. "Now since you don't own much more'n guns and your whorin' shirt, Jayne, and she can't have the first and won't want the second, I suggest you see what the little albatross is after afore you go on complainin'."
Jayne glowered at the table in general, then turned his attention back to River. "Fine," he said. "Whaddaya want?"
"A kiss."
That set a series of things in motion.
The first was an exclamation of revulsion and disgust from Simon, whose look of abject horror was so hilarious Jayne couldn't help but grin.
The second was everyone else around the table leaping into a maelstrom of reasons why a kiss was not a good idea.
"Now, little albatross, that ain't what I thought-"
"River, maybe you should think first-"
"Honey, Jayne's a grown man-"
"Oh, River... sweetie, maybe you oughta listen to your brother-"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
River ignored them all as she smiled dreamily at Jayne. "A kiss, Jayne," she repeated.
Jayne shifted in his seat, his momentary thrill at causing Simon trauma quickly fading. "What're you on about, Crazy," he muttered, trying to move away from her.
She followed, doggedly staying by his shoulder. "He watches her sleep," she said. "The princess in her enchanted tower. It is the prerogative of the warrior prince to kiss the girl and awaken her."
"There will be NO awakening of any kind between that ape and my sister!" Simon proclaimed.
"Thanks, Doc, I think I got that," Jayne growled, glaring at the doctor across the table before turning his eyes back in River's direction. "Girl, you're crazier'n a bagful of rabbits, you know that? Ain't no way I'm kissin' you, so jus' think up somethin' else."
"No. Kiss."
"Gorrammit, feng le girl, I said NO."
"I am owed a gift of my choosing. I choose this."
Everyone else had fallen silent by now, obviously aware that River wasn't paying any attention to them. Simon was still sputtering with incoherent rage; Kaylee had a hand on his shoulder, simultaneously soothing and holding him down.
"Why you gotta go and do this?" Jayne barked, feeling like the walls were closing in on him. "You know it ain't right. Don't care if you're of age and all now, it still ain't right!"
"I am not asking for sex." Simon let out a choked wail at that. "I am asking for a kiss."
"Kisses ain't like sex," Jayne muttered.
"They are less messy." Another groan from Simon.
"Don't matter. They's more..." Jayne struggled to find the word.
"Intimate?" River supplied.
Jayne glared at her. "Don't go finishin' my sentences."
"Why not? You weren't."
"Listen, smart aleck crazy girl, I don't kiss women, and I sure as hell don't kiss loony moonbrain little girls who weigh less than I spit. Dong ma?"
"I weigh more than you spit."
"Mebbe by an ounce."
"You are a cheater."
Jayne felt his mood darken further. "Hey now, I ain't no cheater."
"You owe me a gift, yet you refuse payment." She gave him a disapproving glare. "I am disappointed in you."
Jayne sat up straighter. "Don't go tryin' to guilt me into this, girl," he growled. "Only woman's ever been able to do that's my momma, and she ain't here."
"I will write her a letter, telling her that her son has been a very bad boy. "
"Like hell you will."
"Cheater, cheater, couldn't beat her, had to run and call for teacher."
"Shut it!"
"Liar, liar, pants on fire, got tangled in his liar wire."
"Gorrammit!" Jayne stood up, towering over her with all the animalistic fury he could gather. "You want a kiss? Huh? That it? I'll kiss ya. I'll kiss ya, you little witch!"
Fisting his hand in her hair, he bent down and mashed his lips against hers.
That set a series of things in motion.
The first was a strangled cry of revulsion and disgust from Simon, but that was expected and Jayne ignored it.
The second was River's hand coming up to cup his cheek. It was such a gentle touch compared to the ferocity of the kiss that it took Jayne aback. He almost pulled away, but quick as a dart her hand flew to the back of his head, holding him in place as her small, inexperienced mouth suddenly took over the kiss, and now she was kissing him.
Gorram...
Either she was the quickest study in the history of kissing ? a possibility ? or she'd been researching the subject ? another possibility ? because the things she was doing with her tongue had his head in a whirl. Her lips were immeasurably soft, like something out of storybooks, and she tasted a bit like mint. He found himself opening his mouth wider, trying to taste a bit more of her, dipping his tongue into her mouth to see if her teeth tasted the same as her lips...
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought the world crashing back down on Jayne's shoulders. "You two 'bout finished?" Mal asked drily. "Cuz some of us have a powerful urge to keep down our lunch."
With a superhuman effort Jayne dragged himself away from River's mouth, stumbling backwards in his rush to get away. River didn't move, just let her eyes drift open to watch him, a dreamy smile on her kiss-swollen lips.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo," she murmured. "Time to wake up."
Jayne stared at her.
Then, fast as lightning, the moment was broken. River twirled around to face the rest of the table, who all looked as shocked as Jayne himself. "Who wants cake!" she crowed.
Only if it tastes like mint, Jayne found himself thinking, and quickly stomped the thought into the ground before she could hear.
TBC...