Title: Tussle
Series: Crazy's rescue mission
Author: Sevangel
Disclaimer: Not mine
Rating: PG-13
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"You can come in, captain and Zoe." River says. She's sitting on her bed, her back towards the door, meditating.
"How'd ya know it was us?" Mal questions as he walks into her room.
"Heard two people coming down the hall, not talking." River answers. "You two are the only one's comfortable enough with each other to walk in silence."
"Oh." Zoe replies.
"So, what did you need?" River questions as she turns around to face them. "I haven't been alone with anybody but Jayne and Simon, I lock myself into my room at night, and I haven't played any games with Kaylee. Is there another rule that I don't know about?"
"No." Mal replies. "Ya know, ya just made us sound like a bunch paranoid, hundans?"
"Yes." River agrees.
"No need to go agreeing." Mal mutters. "Now, I've been wantin to talk to ya bout what ya told us but then ya went and ran away and got all beat up, so I decided to let ya heal some. Are ya up for a conversation or is it too soon?"
"I'm fine." River replies. "I was fine when you were listening to me and Jayne talk 5 days ago."
"That's good." Mal responds.
"You want to know about the jobs." River states. "If I've killed anybody that you know."
"Yeah." Mal replies.
"There was one person, a general that lives on Shadow.." River starts.
"McGiggins?" Mal questions with a growl.
"Yes."
"He's dead?" Mal asks angrily. "I ain't heard nothin."
"McGiggins, wasn't he the man that talked you into enlisting?" Zoe questions.
"Yeah." Mal answers. "Knew him most of my life, he was a great man."
"He's not dead." River interrupts.
"He's not?" Mal asks.
"No, I refused." River replies. "They couldn't threaten me with other people, he lives alone."
"What'd they do to ya?" Mal asks.
"Physical torture." River answers. "When that didn't work, they started with mental torture, nightmares reliving what I've done."
"Why didn't ya kill him?" Mal questions.
"Didn't know why then, I just wouldn't." River answers. "Now I know, because of you. He was important to you."
"Oh." Mal replies quietly.
"You should warn him though." River says. "The academy might have more agents ready by now so they might send one after him."
"I'll send him a wave later." Mal replies.
"Why didn't you ever escape?" Zoe questions. "If they were taking you to other planets, couldn't you have just escaped?"
"They didn't send me alone." River replies. "Hands of blue were always with me when I left the academy."
"Why didn't they do it?" Mal asks. "Why make ya kill em?"
"Which would you notice and be alarmed of first; 2 large men with blue gloves who almost never speak or a 15 year old girl?" River questions. "Beside, I'm expendable, they aren't. They may want me back but that's only to keep what I know secret, but the men with blue hands, they can't lose them."
"Makes sense." Zoe replies. "Cause I have to say, if I was to see you walking into a room I wouldn't for a second see you as a threat."
"Me either." Mal agrees.
"There weren't any others that you would know." River says. "Most of them were business people that were a threat to the Alliance. The ones that weren't, were people who deserved it; killers, child molesters, and other such criminals."
"Child molesters?" Mal growls. "Ya killed em?"
"Yes." River replies. "Acted as bait and killed them once they caught me."
Mal stares at her, madder by the second. She was just a kid and these government people turned her into a pawn.
"I was their puppet." River corrects. "They pulled the strings and I did what they wanted. I won't do it again; I will kill them first."
"I don't fault ya none for that." Mal replies. "Be libel to kill em myself if'n I ran into them. But that don't matter cause ya ain't gonna see em again."
River just looks at him, an eyebrow raised.
"I mean it, little assassin." Mal says. "Ya're part of my crew which means ya're under my protection. I know ya feel like we don't want ya here no more, which ain't true. So no tryin to escape, dong ma?"
"Time is not right anyways." River replies. "Injuries just finished healing; would have been stupid to try to escape before then."
"Ya ain't gonna try now." Mal orders. "I mean it. We mighta needed time to understand and accept what ya've done but that don't mean we want ya off. And we didn't just rescue ya cause we felt guilty. Ya're part of this crew, this family."
"My father wouldn't help me." River states. "He wouldn't help Simon rescue me because it would have made him look bad. Why are you different?"
"Just am." Mal answers. "Your pa must be a big piece of go-se not to try and help ya. So, ya can stop hidin from everyone. Kaylee misses ya and I know your brother does."
"You trust me?" River asks.
"Trust ya not to hurt any of us." Mal agrees. "Don't know if I trust what ya are, don't completely understand it."
"You want to know what I am capable of." River states.
"Yeah, I have to say I do." Mal agrees. "Feel up to a demo?"
"Can't fight you." River says, looking at him worriedly. "Or Zoe."
"Why?" Mal questions.
"I would hurt you." River answers. "Don't want to hurt you."
"How do ya know we won't hurt ya?" Mal growls, feeling insulted. "I'll have ya know, we're both good in a fight."
"I just know." River says. "You and Zoe are both good fighters but I'm better. The only one who I don't have to worry about hurting is Jayne. His bulk and strength puts us on even ground."
"Well, I'm feelin a bit insulted." Mal replies. "How bout ya, Zoe?"
"Yeah, me too." Zoe agrees, not sure how she feels about the smaller girl saying she's a better fighter. "And a bit curious."
"Me too." Mal agrees. "Alright, little assassin, ya think ya can take Jayne, you'll just have to prove it." Mal turns to leave the room, not waiting for Zoe or River.
"Think he wants us to follow." Zoe tells River.
"Yes, he does." River agrees, following Zoe out of the room. "Did I hurt his ego?"
"Little bit." Zoe replies with a grin. They walk quickly into the mess to see Mal fighting with most of the crew.
"Are you out of your mind?" Simon yells. "You want my little sister to fight that ape?"
"Hey." Jayne yells.
"I have to agree, not with the ape thing, well not mostly." Wash says. "She's little; Jayne will break her in half."
"Mal, I don't think this is a good idea." Inara calmly says. "She may have training but Jayne is huge. If you really want to know what she is capable of, why not have her spar with you or Zoe?"
"Cause she won't." Mal growls. "Done said Jayne's the only one she don't have to worry bout hurting."
"She ain't gonna hurt me." Jayne chuckles.
"How do you know that?" River asks the large man.
"Just do, Crazy." Jayne answers.
"Whatever, dummy." River mutters.
"Girl." Jayne growls.
"Boy with a girl's name." River growls back.
"Now them's fightin words." Jayne growls. "Ya really wanna do this?"
"Yes. Captain wants to see too." River answers.
"Ya all healed and everything?" Jayne asks.
"Yes." River answers.
"Doc, she done healin?" Jayne questions Simon.
"Yes." Simon answers shocked that Jayne really cares about that.
"Fine, ya really wanna do this, then change out of that dress." Jayne orders. "I ain't fightin nothin in a dress. And don't put on those ruttin boots; ain't bout to have ya kick me in the balls with em."
River nods and runs out of the mess to change clothes.
"Mal, you can't really let them do this." Book replies. "It's crazy."
"Jayne, no weapons and ya take your boots off too." Jayne orders, ignoring Book. "I just wanna see what's she capable of, don't really hurt her."
"Wasn't gonna." Jayne grunts. "She wants to tussle; been askin me to for last couple days. Never thought ya'd allow it."
"Tussle?" Simon asks. That sounds like she wants to play with Jayne. He's still not sure how he feels about Jayne and River. He's not going to say anything; doesn't want to push her further away, but he doesn't want his sister to get her heart broken. And would Jayne ever see her as anything other than something to sleep with?
"Yeah, fight, but not really." Jayne answers. "Playful-like. Didn't ya guys ever play fight?"
"No." Simon replies. "My parents would have had a heart attack if they ever saw us fight. Much too improper."
"Huh." Jayne grunts, surprised. Him and his siblings were always fightin. Never hurt his sisters or nothin but he'd wrestle with em.
"Jayne, ya need to change?" Mal asks.
"Yeah, I best go put some shorts on." Jayne answers as he stands up and leaves.
"I still have to protest." Simon says as he follows Mal to the bay. "What if he hurts her?"
"He won't." Mal assures him. "He knows better."
When they get to the bay, they find River on the floor, stretching.
"Ya gonna stretch too?" Mal asks Jayne with a smirk.
"I don't bend like that." Jayne mutters, watching as River does the splits and then brings her head down to rest on her knee. "How the hell does she do that?"
"Dance." Simon answers. "She's always loved to dance; her body is used to it."
"She's very limber." Inara adds as River does the straddles and leans forward to rest her chest against the ground.
"Yeah." Jayne grunts, his shorts growing a little tight.
"Are you ready yet Jayne?" River asks.
"Yeah." Jayne answers. "Let's get this over with."
The crew moves into the bay, Mal and Jayne going to where River is now standing and the rest of the crew taking seats on crates or the steps.
"Alright, little assassin, this ain't a real fight." Mal says. "I just wanna see what ya can do, don't want nobody gettin hurt. If Jayne starts to get too rough, say somethin and we'll stop, dong ma?"
"You aren't worried about him?" River questions.
"Jayne can take a hit." Mal says. "Remember to yell if it gets too rough."
"Alright." River agrees, rolling her eyes.
Mal sits down next to Zoe and they wait for the fight to start.
"We don't gotta do this." Jayne tells River. "They can't…." He's cut off when River's foot hits him across the face. Jayne stares at her and she cocks an eyebrow.
"You going to fight back?" River asks.
Jayne throws a light punch at her face that she dodges, spinning around to kick him in the ass. He stumbles forward slightly and kicks out at her legs. She falls and then rolls over to jump back up, a huge grin on her face. She kicks at his face again and this time he catches her foot before it hits him. He smirks at her and then runs his finger lightly down the bottom of her bare foot.
"No tickling." River growls between giggles. He continues to tickle her foot and she kicks her other foot at him, bending backwards to rest her hands on the ground. Jayne's startled enough at her position that he drops her foot and she flips over to land on her feet.
"Now that's cheatin." Jayne growls. "I can't do all that flippy stuff."
"Too bad." River says sweetly. She punches him in the gut and he groans before swiping at her side. She drops down on one hand and kicks a foot up to hit him in the face. She bounces to her feet and takes the punch he was aiming at her ass to her face.
"Crazy, ya okay?" Jayne questions. "Didn't mean to hit ya in the face."
"Fine." River answers with a grin. "You're finally getting into it."
Jayne gives her a wolfish grin and then attacks. Then they're going at it, fist and legs flying at each other.
"Should we be stopping them?" Zoe asks Mal. "Looks to be getting a bit intense."
"She knows to say something if it gets too rough." Mal replies and then he winces when River takes a hit in the stomach and kicks Jayne in the throat. "Maybe I should stop em." He stands up to stop them, when Jayne manages to get a hold of River, wrapping his arms around her chest, her back to his front.
"Let's see ya flip outa this?" Jayne pants in River's ear.
"Don't need to flip." River replies. She reaches back with one hand and cups his cock, squeezing gently.
"Them ain't kosherized rules." Jayne groans into her ear. She just tightens her hand a little and begins to pump. Jayne's eyes close and the next thing he knows, he's being flipped over her shoulder to land roughly on floor.
"Told you." River smirks above him.
Jayne reaches out with his hand and pulls on her ankle. She falls with a grunt, landing on his chest. He rolls them over until he's straddling her body, her arms held above her head, his hands holding her wrists.
They stare at each other, both panting heavily, not noticing the crew moving to surround them.
"Jayne. Jayne. Jayne." Mal yells. "Gorramit, Jayne, let her up."
"Huh?" Jayne grunts. He glances over his shoulder and then roughly stands up, pulling her with him.
"Mei-mei, are you okay?" Simon questions worriedly.
"I'm shiny." River replies. "A little sweaty."
"Me too." Jayne agrees. "I'm gonna take a shower."
"Not if I beat you." River says, running towards the exit.
"Hey, I called it first." Jayne yells after her. "Gorramit, ya're gonna take all the warm water."
"Not taking a warm shower." River says.
"Oh." Jayne grunts, plannin on takin a cold one himself.
"The captain is always complaining about us wasting water." River says, turning around to look at him. "We could always share."
Jayne's jaw drops.
"River." Mal yells.
"Just wanted to help preserve water." River states.
"Just go take your shower." Mal orders. She turns back around and walks out of the bay.
"Jayne, you okay?" Zoe questions the still open-mouthed merc.
Jayne turns to look at her before growling out, "I'll be in my bunk." He's gone before anybody can say anything.
"Now that was entertainment." Wash comments.