Title: Broken

Series: Slayers in Space

Author: Sevangel

Disclaimer: Not mine

Rating: PG-13 for some bad words

-

They both start to move when the glass starts to crackle.

"Oh, fuck." Faith mutters as her and River fall through the glass and towards the ground. Luckily, their falls are somewhat broken by the three men they land on.

"That's gonna leave a mark." Faith groans.

"Oh, yeah." River agrees with a whimper.

"River!" Jayne bellows.

"Faith!" Mal yells.

Both men turn to look at each other and then back at the blood covered slayers lying on the ground. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOIN' HERE?"

"Bleeding." Faith answers.

"Hurting." River adds.

The men that were at one time moving purposefully around the greenhouse are now stopped and staring at the two girls that dropped from the ceiling in confusion.

Zoe uses the distraction to flip her legs through her tied wrists.

"Think fast." Faith says, looking directly at Zoe. She pulls a knife out of her boot and tosses it towards the soldier. "Ready, R?"

"No." River answers.

"Good." Faith replies. "Let's go."

Both slayers jump up, though being careful to keep their weight balanced on their right legs. Faith punches the man closest to her while River pushes off the ground with her right leg, spins through the air to kick a man across the face with the same leg, and then lands roughly on it.

"Oh, that was nice." Faith comments.

"Hurt like hell though." River says with a pant.

"Dunk." Faith orders.

River drops down and Faith kicks the man that was trying to sneak up on her, groaning loudly as the force of her kick vibrates up her left leg.

"Fuck." Faith mutters. "Shoulda used the other leg."

River sees a flash of metal out of the corner of her eye, grabs the front of Faith's shirt, and pulls the older slayer to the ground with her.

Zoe cuts through the ropes holding Jayne and Mal and then waits until they cut her loose. Once she pushes the ropes off her wrists, she takes the gun Mal hands her and takes out the man closest to her.

Mal focuses on taking out the man who are now shootin' at them but his mind is mostly on his slayer lyin' on the ground. He sees men droppin' like flies and glances over to see Jayne tickin' em off one by one, not a gorram shot wasted or a pause in between. In the time that he and Zoe took down 4, Jayne had already taken out the other 6.

Jayne pockets Suzy and runs across the room to drop down next to the slayers. Picking Faith up, he hands her back to Mal, despite her protests, and then pulls River onto his lap. "Baby, where you hurt at?"

"Everywhere." River answers with a groan.

Jayne hurriedly runs his hands over her body, checking for wounds. When he touches her right knee, she screeches. He pulls up her skirt and cusses loudly at the condition of her knee. It's swollen to twice the normal size and is a darkish purple color. He glances up when he hears Faith cuss and sees Mal gently touching her right knee.

"Stop touching it." Faith says from between clenched teeth. "It's broken, there's no need to go poking at it."

"Sir, the authorities are coming." Zoe says. "The Tyler boys gave me the cash; they'll take care of everything else but we should go."

Mal stands up and then reaches down to pick Faith up. Holding her against his chest, he starts for the door.

Jayne stands up with River cradled against his chest and follows Mal out of the greenhouse.

Zoe nods back at the Tyler brothers before following her crew.

-

"I'm dead." Wash says a few seconds after River and Faith go plummeting to the ground. "I'm dead. They're going to crush me into nothing. See, Kaylee, I'm going to start out as me and then wham, I'm nothing."

"I'm sure Zoe won't let em kill you." Kaylee assures him as she looks out the open door with wide eyes. "They're gonna be okay, right?"

"I hope so." Wash replies. "Cause if they're not, I really am dead." They hover over the broken glass until they see gunfire. "Kaylee, shut the door, we're landing."

"What bout the alarm?" Kaylee asks as she pulls the door closed.

"Don't care." Wash replies. He flies around the building and spots the other shuttle.

"How we gonna get in, anyways?" Kaylee asks as they land next to the other shuttle.

"I haven't quite figured that out." Wash replies honestly. "The first part was landing."

"I'm gonna make sure they didn't do nothin' to the other shuttle." Kaylee says as she opens the door.

Wash follows the mechanic out and listens while she mumbles under her breath.

"How's she lookin'?" Wash asks.

"She's fine." Kaylee replies. "Needs a good overhaul but she's been needin' that for a while. Nobody's touched her."

"Guess that's one good thing." Wash says as he turns around. Using his hand as a visor, he looks towards the greenhouse just as the door opens. "They're coming out."

Kaylee jumps out of the shuttle and moves behind Wash. "Oh, god, they're hurt."

"Get that shuttle back to my boat, now." Mal orders angrily.

Kaylee follows Wash back into their shuttle, neither saying a word as they pass the two incredibly pissed off men.

"Stop being an ass." Faith says as Mal carries her into the other shuttle.

Mal glares down at her.

"Fine, that's the way we're gonna play it." Faith replies, leaning back against his chest. "I can be just as pissed as you."

Zoe waits until Jayne is sitting with River on his lap before starting the shuttle. She pilots it expertly and quietly back to Serenity; not a word being said until after she docks with the boat.

"Zoe, tell your husband to get my boat off this rock then I want you in the infirmary." Mal orders.

Zoe opens the shuttle door and walks out. She can hear the engine start and knows Wash must already be up there. She cuts the distance to the bridge in long strides and enters to find her husband and Kaylee sitting worriedly in front of the console.

"Get us off this rock." Zoe orders.

"Can do." Wash replies.

"Kaylee, come with me." Zoe orders.

Kaylee follows the first-mate nervously, hoping that she's not in trouble. As they near the infirmary, she swallows nervously; she hasn't spent much time in here since Simon left. Surprisingly, there haven't been that many injuries lately.

"Gorramit Faith, sit down." Mal's voice echoes out of the infirmary.

"Mal, I'll be fine." Faith says back. "I don't need all this doctoring; you're not even a doctor."

"Your knee is broken." Mal argues as he gently pushes her down beside River. "Zoe, get over here."

"What's going on, sir?" Zoe asks, Kaylee stepping up beside her.

"Their knees are ruttin' broken." Mal replies. "Both of em and the same gorram knee. How that happened, okay I know how it ruttin' happened, but why the same knee I don't know."

"Faith and I have similar builds, weight, strength, and stamina." River says. "We fell from the same spot, the same distance, and landed the same way."

Zoe examines both knees, River's skirt pulled up to above her thighs and Faith's pants cut to reveal her knee. They're both extremely swollen and bruised and she honestly has no idea what to do for them.

"We need to set the bones so they will heal correctly." River says. "Then a temporary cast will need to be made so we don't disturb them until they heal."

"How are we gonna make a cast?" Kaylee asks.

"We can't but there are braces and things in the closet." River replies. "Simon left them."

Kaylee quietly walks over to the closet and opens it to find a decent array of braces and other things she doesn't recognize. She grabs two that look like they'll work and carries them back to the bed. "These work?"

"Yes." River replies. "Just set them down there."

"How are we going to set your knees?" Zoe asks. "Cause we really don't have the equipment for that kinda thing."

"Don't need it." Faith replies. "R, give it to me."

River moves off the table and onto her good leg. She brings her bad leg up to rest on Faith's lap and braces her hands on the counter behind her. "Do it."

Faith places her hands on River's knees and sets the broken bone. River's scream echoes through the infirmary but barely covers Jayne's bellow of outrage.

"WHAT THE RUTTIN' HELL?" Jayne picks River's panting body up and sits her back on the bed.

"My turn." Faith assumes River's old position, and before anybody can stop them, River sets her sister-slayer's broken knee.

Mal grabs Faith's slumping form and puts her down next River.

"Kay, you alright?" Faith asks Kaylee, who is bent over the sink, dry heaving.

"No, that was so disgustin'." Kaylee replies with a groan.

"Why was there screaming?" Wash asks as he moves into the infirmary.

"Oh, no big deal." Mal replies sarcastically. "They were just resettin' some broken bones is all. The real question is, WHAT THE RUTTIN' HELL WERE THEY DOIN' THERE?"

"Told you I was going to die." Wash says quietly to Kaylee.

"Stop yelling at Wash." Faith tells Mal. "It's not his fault. We made him."

"You made him?" Mal repeats.

"Yeah, what, don't think we could?" Faith replies. "Hell, I could toss him ten feet up with one hand."

"Still don't explain why you was there." Jayne growls angrily.

"We got bored, decided to drop in and see how the job was going." Faith replies sarcastically.

"That ain't a bit funny, Faith." Mal yells. "You don't go on jobs unless I say so, slayer or not."

"You either." Jayne tells River.

"Being my lover does not make you my boss." River glares up at Jayne. "We've already discussed this."

"But I am." Mal says. "This is my ruttin' boat and my orders are to be followed."

"Oh, sorry, captain Reynolds." Faith replies acidly.

"Don't try and make me feel guilty, Faith." Mal glares. "Ain't gonna work."

"Not one bit." Jayne agrees, looking away from River's pain-filled eyes.

"This is bullshit." Faith growls. "You know, 5 months ago, I would have made Wash land the damn shuttle, went charging into the greenhouse, regardless of alarms and armed men, and kicked some ass without once thinking about the danger. Woulda cared less if I came out alive or not. But I didn't. We didn't mean to fall into the middle of your being held hostage and rescue you; the fucking glass broke."

"We were actually going to develop a somewhat safe plan before attempting to rescue you." River adds. "But did not realize the glass was not strong enough to hold us."

"But hey, feel free to ream us a new one and don't even say hey thanks for getting us the hell out of there." Faith glares up at Mal. "It's no big deal; I'm pretty used to it. Wash, get over here."

Wash walks over Faith and is a bit startled when she spins him around until his back is facing her. Then he has two arms wrapped around his neck and two slayers leaning against his side.

"Where the ruttin' hell are you goin'?" Mal questions.

"To our room." Faith answers. "And in case there's questions, I don't mean yours."

"You still got cuts and bruises need tended to." Mal says from between clenched teeth.

"We're done here." River replies.

Kaylee moves beside River and Zoe moves next to Faith and between them two and Wash, they manage to get the disabled slayers out of the infirmary.

"Gorramit, we'll take em." Jayne growls.

"I think not." River says, leaning her head against Kaylee's shoulder, her eyes closed. "I'm not speaking to you right now."

"You either, Reynolds." Faith adds.

Mal and Jayne watch as their girls are practically carried down the halls, unable to see clearly through the red haze of anger and worry. After a few minutes, they silently move into the mess and crack open a bottle as they wait for somebody to come in. Ten minutes later, their wish is fulfilled when Wash walks into the room, shaking his head at the bottle they're passing back and forth.

"Well?" Mal says.

"Well what?" Wash replies, faking ignorance.

"Where are they?" Jayne says.

"Oh, Kaylee and Zoe are cleaning their wounds and all." Wash replies. "They kicked me out once it was time to start removing clothes." He receives two glares in response. "Not that I wanted to stay or anything." Two more glares. "Pass me that bottle will you? If I'm going to die, I prefer to be drunk beforehand."

-

"You overreacted." Wash says, waving his hand between the two men. "Instead of being calm and collected, you yelled and screamed."

"I don't scream." Mal argues. "I bellow."

"Bellow, scream, yell; its all the same thing for being overly loud and you're both guilty of doing it." Wash replies. "They said they just wanted to get a closer look; it's not their fault the glass broke."

"But you ruttin' drove em there." Jayne says.

"Well, yeah, but Faith made me." Wash replies lamely. "Okay, she didn't actually hurt me but the threat was always there. Besides, my wife was in there too and I have the right to want her to be safe."

"We woulda gotten out." Mal says stubbornly.

"We woulda?" Jayne questions.

"Okay, maybe we woulda." Mal replies. "But still don't make it right."

"Not saying it does." Wash says. "I'm just saying you both overreacted."

"They tend to do that." Zoe comments from the doorway.

"How are they?" Mal and Jayne jump to their feet and look anxiously at the soldier.

"Before or after Faith asked me to and I'm quoting, 'hit me over the head until I pass out'?" Zoe replies. "Oh, and River said if I held a pillow over her face for 4 minutes and 27 seconds, she would pass out."

Mal and Jayne both drop back down into their chairs.

"You didn't, did you, wifey?" Wash asks.

"Of course not." Zoe replies. "Me and Kaylee cleaned up their cuts as best we could, cause frankly they weren't wanting to do anything besides pass out, and then I gave em both a heavy pain reliever. They're sleeping it off."

"In their old room?" Jayne asks.

"Yes." Zoe answers. "It's not like me and Kaylee could carry them and they can't walk so they're sleeping in there."

"Where's Kaylee?" Mal asks.

"Her and Faith are sleeping in her old bed, guess it's a good thing it's decently big and River is sleeping in her old bed." Zoe answers. "And if that's all, I think I'm going to bed too. Husband, you coming?"

"Just need to put her in sleep-mode." Wash replies as he stand up to follow his wife.

"Night." Zoe says.

"Night." Mal and Jayne reply aimlessly, both of them staring off into nothing.

"Well, looks like we done screwed up." Mal says a few minutes later.

Jayne sighs in agreement. "Looks like."

-

"Simon Tam, what are you doing back?" Professor Black questions. "Last I heard you were a surgeon on Capital City."

"Yes." Simon agrees.

"Then you want to tell me why a successful surgeon is back in school?"

"I just felt the need for some refresher courses." Simon replies.

"Let me take a look at that." Black says as he takes the course selections out of Simon's hand. He reads through it and then looks up at Simon with a confused look. "You're a surgeon."

"Yes, we've discussed this already." Simon replies.

"Why would a surgeon be taking general physician classes?" Black asks, completely confused. "And these, are you planning on going into pediatrics or gynocology?"

"No." Simon answers. "As I said, I just wanted to take some refresher courses. Is it going to be a problem?"

"Not at all." Black replies. "How long?"

"Just a few classes." Simon says. "I've been doing a lot of reading and research, I just lack the actual hands on practice."

"We have a group getting ready to intern at a local hospital." Black replies. "It's not going to be what you're used to, it's a free clinic and supplies aren't the greatest…"

"That's perfect." Simon interrupts. "When?"

"They start today but if that's too soon…"

"I have my things with me." Simon once again interrupts. "Where to?"

"Follow me." Black orders.

Simon follows his old professor and for the first time in months, feels a little peace. He's finding his path again and it feels good.

-

"We're just going to look." Mal says.

"Just to make sure they're okay." Jayne agrees.

"Right." Mal replies.

"Right." Jayne parrots.

Mal slides the door to the girl's room open and turns the light on. Not one of the girls sleeping in the room so much as moves. He walks quietly over to the bed Faith and Kaylee are lying on and looks down, his anger fading at the pain-heavy look on her face.

Jayne walks into the bathroom and turns the light on there before walking back out and turning the overhead light off. Then he gently moves River closer to the wall and lies down next to her. She automatically curls into his body, her hurt leg resting on a pillow at the foot of the bed. He kisses her forehead and looks up to see Mal watching him.

"We both knew we was comin' in here to sleep with them." Jayne defends. "Hell, don't think I can sleep without her."

"Yeah." Mal agrees as he kicks off his boots. He leans over Faith to gently push Kaylee against the wall and then moves in between the two girls. He wraps an arm around Faith's stomach and rests his head beside hers. Then he drops a kiss on her forehead and makes sure her hurt leg is resting comfortably before closing his eyes. "Me either."

-