Title: Being ignored
Series: Crazy's rescue plan
Author: Sevangel
Disclaimer: Not mine
Rating: PG-13
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"Is everybody okay?" Simon questions as he moves into the bay.
"Yeah." Mal replies as he jumps out of the mule.
"Coulda been close though." Jayne comments. "If'n your sister hadn't told me to kill the guy in red first. She was right; I wanted to shoot the other guy first since he had the bigger gun, but I remembered what she said. Red guy's bullet missed Mal's head by bout an inch and that's only cause I shot him and he was fallin as he shot at Mal."
"Oh." Simon replies.
"How's your sister?" Mal questions.
"Sleeping." Simon answers.
"Is that safe?" Zoe questions. "She's been mostly sleepin since we got her out of that jail and that was 2 days ago."
"I'm not sure." Simon replies. "I think she's just sleeping to avoid me. When she is awake, the only thing she wants is to know when she can go back to her room. If I try to talk to her about what happened, she just ignores me and goes back to sleep."
"Is it safe for her to be movin?" Mal asks.
"Her internal bleeding stopped and she is starting to heal." Simon answers. "But I don't think it'll be easy for her; she shouldn't walk. Her knee is still swollen and putting any amount of pressure on it will be extremely painful."
"Mmm." Mal comments. He still wants to talk to River but is going to let her heal some before doing so. "Dinner ready?"
"Kaylee and Wash are finishing it." Simon answers. "Actually, Wash isn't helping, Kaylee won't let him."
"You'll be grateful bout that." Zoe replies. "Ain't ya noticed yet that we never let Wash cook?"
"Now that you mention it, I've never seen Wash make more than a cup of tea." Simon comments. "So, he can't cook?"
"Nope." Jayne drawls. "Not one bit."
Mal leads the group out of the bay. As he turns the corner leading to the mess, he sees River limping slowly down the hall. "What the hell?" Mal mutters. He speeds up and reaches out to grab her shoulder. The next thing he knows, he being held against the wall, River's foot against his throat.
"Captain?" River whispers as she realizes who it is. She moves her foot off his throat and her injured leg gives out. She starts to fall when Mal reaches out and grabs her arms to keep her steady. "Sorry, didn't realize it was you."
"Ya shouldn't be walkin bout." Mal growls. "You're gonna hurt yourself more."
River pushes his arms off her and starts to limp into the mess.
"Mei-mei, you shouldn't be walking around." Simon says as he follows the rest of the crew into the mess. River doesn't respond; she just starts to walk towards the stove.
"Crazy, whadda ya doin?" Jayne questions as he drops down into a chair.
"I'm hungry." River answers. "Getting food."
"I'm almost done with dinner." Kaylee replies. "If ya'll sit down, I'll bring ya a plate."
River nods and limps over to drop down in the chair next to Jayne.
"River, why didn't ya say ya was hungry?" Mal asks. "We woulda brought ya somethin."
River just shrugs her shoulders and winces as it pulls on her ribs.
"Mei-mei, are you okay?" Simon questions.
"Fine." River answers.
Simon looks at her for a second and then sits down with a deep sigh. She won't look at him or really talk to him.
"Here ya go." Kaylee says as she sets a plate in front of River. She then passes the rest of the plates out before sitting down herself.
The room is silent as they start eating. River finishes first and looks around the table before speaking. "You should turn me in." River suggests.
Mal swallows the food in this mouth before responding. "Shenme?"
"You should turn me in." River repeats. "The reward would keep you going for the next couple of years."
"Mei-mei." Simon protests.
"We ain't turning ya in." Mal growls. "Ya best get that idea out of your head right now."
"Why would you even suggest that?" Book questions. "If you were to go back, they would just make you go back to being an assassin."
"That's not part of the plan." River replies. "I won't be their weapon again."
"Would they even give you the choice?" Zoe questions. "You done said they had ways to force you before."
"No, they would try to make me." River agrees. "But that's not relevant."
"How's it not relevant?" Mal questions. She doesn't answer.
"Whadda ya plannin?" Jayne questions River. "Ya got a plan. Ya wouldn't go back to that place……..wait one gorram second, you're thinkin bout takin it down, ain't ya?"
"Taking it down?" Mal asks. "How would ya do that?"
"Kill them." River answers evenly. "Make sure they can't do it to someone else."
"You couldn't really kill everyone in that academy, could you?" Wash asks.
"No." River answers. "But I could take out enough of them before they kill me."
"Well, like ya said, this ain't relevant." Mal replies. "Cause ya ain't goin back, dong ma?"
River stares him in the eyes for a few seconds before pushing her chair back and standing up.
Simon stands up and tries to grab her arms to help her.
"Don't." River growls, pushing his hands off her. "I don't need your help."
"Mei-mei." Simon whispers, hurt by her tone.
She starts to walk away from the table when her knee gives out and she falls backwards onto Jayne lap. Jayne grunts with the unexpected weight and looks down at her. "Ya okay, Crazy?"
"Will you please help me to my room?" River asks Jayne.
Jayne looks down at her for a few seconds, his eyebrow raised. "A'right." Jayne grunts, standing up and cradling her against his chest. She wraps her arms around his neck and lays her head on his shoulder as he carries her out of the mess.
"You could do it." River whispers.
"Do what, Crazy?" Jayne grunts down.
"Turn me in." River answers.
"Ain't gonna happen." Jayne growls.
"You did it before." River reminds him.
"I know." Jayne replies. "It was a mistake, one I ain't makin again."
"You feel guilty." River observes. "It's okay; I forgave you a long time ago."
"Why?" Jayne questions.
"I struck out at you and you hit me back." River explains. "You reacted the same way I would of, the same way I did when Mal grabbed my shoulder. You protected yourself. The rest was greed, not important."
"Oh." Jayne mutters. She's right. He didn't really mean to hit her; it was just his natural reaction to being attacked. He walks into her room and sits her on the bed.
"Will you hand me that pad of paper?" River questions, pointing across the room.
Jayne grabs the pad and the pencils next to it and drops them down in front of her.
"Thank you." River says.
"Don't worry bout it." Jayne grunts as he leaves her room.
-
"What was that?" Wash questions after watching Jayne carry River out of the room. "I've never heard River speak to Simon that way."
"She never has." Simon whispers. "We've fought, just normal sibling fights but she's never spoken to me that way."
"She's pissed." Zoe replies.
"And hurt." Inara adds. "She's mad at all of us."
"Doc, ya know her best, what's it goin to take for her to get over this?" Mal questions.
"I don't know." Simon answers. "Like I said, we just had normal fights. She's never not spoken to me. I was the one who would ignore her."
"I think we should just give her time." Book suggests.
"And I think ya best disconnect the cortex connection in the spare shuttle." Jayne says as he comes back into the mess. "Not that it'll really stop her but it might slow her down."
"Why?" Mal asks.
"Cause she done just told me to turn her in." Jayne answers. "She wants off this boat and I'm thinkin she's gonna do what she can to make that happen."
"Wash, rewire the cortex in the shuttle." Mal orders. "If someone tries to use it, I wanna know bout it, dong ma?"
"Okay." Wash says. "Kaylee, ya wanna help me rewire it."
"Sure." Kaylee agrees.
"Inara, keep your shuttle locked when you're not in it." Mal orders.
"Alright." Inara agrees.
"What are we gonna do?" Kaylee asks. "I don't want her to go."
"She ain't leavin." Mal replies. "We'll just have to make sure she knows that."
-
River finishes eating dinner and walks over to the sink to wash her plate. She dries it off and puts it into the cabinet before leaving the mess, not saying a word to anybody.
"She still ain't talkin to ya?" Mal questions Simon.
"She'll let me examine her and answer any questions I ask, but she won't talk to me besides that." Simon answers, feeling miserable. "She hasn't really talked to me since we rescued her, almost 2 weeks ago."
"Kaylee, she talkin to you?" Mal questions.
"No." Kaylee answers. "I asked her if she wanted to play jacks and all she would say is 'no more games'."
"She's still mad." Zoe replies.
"She ain't mad, not no more." Jayne comments. "She just thinks the only reason ya rescued her was cause ya'll felt guilty and cause Mal's got that 'leave no man behind' code he lives by."
"How do you know that?" Simon questions.
"I read her mind." Jayne says sarcastically. "How the ruttin hell do ya think I know that; she ruttin told me."
"When did she talk to ya?" Mal questions his merc.
"Bout every night for the past week and half." Jayne grunts, taking a bite of his food.
"What?" Mal yells. "Somethin been goin on that I should know bout."
"No." Jayne growls.
"Where are you talking to her at?" Simon asks.
"Sometimes she comes down to the bay when I'm liftin and she'll talk to me." Jayne answers. "Sometimes we clean my guns and we've played cards a couple times."
"Why haven't ya said anything?" Mal asks through clenched teeth. "Ya know we've all been worried bout her."
"Nobody asked me." Jayne answers. "Which is kinda stupid seein how's I'm the only one who didn't betray her."
"What do you guys talk about?" Book asks.
"Different stuff. She knows the name of every ruttin gun on this boat." Jayne says fondly.
"You talk about weapons?" Simon questions.
"Yeah." Jayne answers.
"That it?" Mal asks.
"Sometimes we'd talk bout my old jobs." Jayne replies. "Sometimes, she'd talk bout her jobs and the academy. Just different stuff."
"She talked to you about the academy?" Simon questions.
"Yeah, why?" Jayne replies.
"She would never talk about it." Simon whispers. "What'd she say?"
"I ain't telling ya that." Jayne growls. "She told me cause she knows I won't say nothin, same way I know she won't say nothin bout what I told her."
"But, she's my sister and my patient." Simon protests.
"If she wants ya to know, she'll tell ya." Jayne growls. "Till then, don't go askin me." He finishes his food and leaves the mess.
"Simon, ya okay?" Kaylee asks.
"Sure." Simon replies. "My sister trusts Jayne more than me. Why wouldn't I be okay?"
Kaylee pats his hand, trying to comfort him.
Simon smiles sadly at her. He's losing his sister and it's his own gorram fault.
-
"Your gorram brother wants to know what they done to ya." Jayne tells River as he lifts weights.
"I know." River replies, not looking up from her drawing. She's leaning against the weight bench, her head level with Jayne's thighs. "Not going to tell him though."
"Why not?" Jayne grunts. "Ya told me."
"I trust you not to freak out." River replies. "If they knew half of what I've told you, they would start looking at me like they think I'm…."
"A big freak." Jayne offers.
"Hey." River protests.
"Just jokin." Jayne says. "Ya ain't a big freak, you're a little freak."
River turns her head and bites him on the thigh.
"Ow, gorramit." Jayne growls. "Why ya always bitin me for?"
"Don't know." River answers. "Why do you enjoy it?"
"Who said I enjoyed it?" Jayne growls.
"Your man parts did." River answers.
"You're gonna drive me nuts, ya know that?" Jayne growls, setting the bar on its holder and sitting up.
"Mmm." River murmurs. "If you're going to eavesdrop, captain and Simon, you should learn to be a little quieter about it."
"What?" Jayne yells. He glances around the room and sees the entire crew standing quietly on the catwalks. "How long have then be up there?"
"Five minutes or so." River answers. "You didn't hear them?"
"Not over all your chatter." Jayne growls.
"Are you sure you're not losing your hearing in your old age?" River teases.
"Bite me, Crazy." Jayne growls.
River leans over and bites him on the thigh, again.
"Gorramit, Crazy." Jayne yells.
"You told me to do it." River points out.
"Since when do ya listen to anybody?" Jayne growls.
"You're right." River says. "I apologize for biting you, twice."
"Whatever, Crazy." Jayne growls.
"Are they flirting?" Wash questions, watching River and Jayne bicker.
"Yes, I think they are." Inara answers.
Simon watches them, unsure about what he feels. He should probably be pissed at the idea of Jayne being anything with his sister but at least she's talking to someone, feeling comfortable with someone.
"Doc, ya okay?" Mal questions. He's waitin for Simon to react before reacting himself.
"I'm not sure." Simon replies. "I think I need time to absorb this."
"Sounds fair." Mal says.
"I'm going to go to bed, think on the situation." Simon tells the crew. "Kaylee, you want to walk with me?"
"Okay." Kaylee answers.
"Good idea." Mal replies. "I'm headin to my bunk, see ya all in the morning."
"They're not going to say anything?" Wash asks his wife in disbelief.
"Guess not." Zoe answers. "Come on, husband, let's go to bed."
"I'm confused, wifey." Wash says as they walk down the hall. "When did the captain become so level headed? When he caught me flirting with you, he broke my nose."
"Not sure, husband." Zoe replies as she follows him.
"Shepard, would you like to have some tea?" Inara questions.
"That sounds lovely." Book replies, taking Inara's arm and following her to her shuttle.
"They're just leavin us alone?" Jayne grunts, watching as the crew walks away.
"Yes." River replies, feeling a bit shocked herself.
"They just done saw ya bite me twice." Jayne says. "And heard ya say I liked it and that my man parts liked it, and they still left us alone?"
"Appears so." River replies.
"Think they're on drugs?"
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