The next three days were full of novelty and some excitement for most of the cast of "Walking Alongside the Tams." Although the elder Tams and the crew of Serenity (sans Jayne) had initially been suspicious of the newcomer to the villa, Mattie quickly won over the other cast members with his intelligence and charm. Before long, everyone on the set had warmed up to the younger Cobb sibling, with his stories of his and Jayne's days growing up on Beowulf, such as the time that "Me and Jayne climbed the tallest tree in town, and this lumbering giant here fell and broke his arm", his proficiency for games (he was one of the few people that could give River a challenge when playing either chess or Chinese checkers, although he had yet to beat the brunette at either game), and his affinity for listening to, and memorizing, the things others said around him. All of these factors, combined with the simple novelty of having someone new to spend time with, made everyone of the cast members quickly warm up to their newest member, who had been all-but cured of his damp lung within forty eight hours of his arrival at the villa.
Ironically, the only one who wasn't having fun during this period of time (other than, occasionally, Inara, who was now starting to throw up occasionally and lose weight as a side effect of her treatments) was Jayne Cobb, since the arrival of his younger brother to the Villa was causing...problems for the mercenary. Oh, Jayne was glad to see his younger brother again, sure enough. And the older brother was thrilled that Mattie had finally been cured of the affliction that had brought his brother nothing but suffering for years, thanks to the doctors Tam. Even if it greatly annoyed the merc that he now owed doctor fancy pants, and his even stuffier and more annoying father, for curing his younger brother's damp lung. But despite all of these recent positive developments, Mattie's presence in the villa had been a cause of frustration for Jayne, and the larger man's jealousy of his younger brother grew as he noticed that even his fellow crew members, especially a certain hazel eyed young woman, now saw fit to spend more of their time around the younger brother than they did around Jayne. And that didn't sit well with the mercenary at all.
Jayne grunted as he thought about his stupid, irrational jealousy of his brother, as the man lifted weights in the villa's gym. The older Cobb brother knew he should have been used to this by now. Mattie had always been the favorite child in the Cobb family, after all (although both ma and pa Cobb had the good graces not to say so out loud). Mattie's wit had earned him praise from his parents, who both believed that the younger brother would go on to do "great things someday", while his status as the youngest male Cobb, and his natural charm, had won him the near constant attention of his elder siblings, and girls in his age-group, respectfully Furthermore, Jayne's brighter, more articulate sibling had always had more friends than the mercenary. But up until now, none of these facts had bothered Jayne much. As far as the mercenary was concerned, people liked Mattie. That was just the way it was, and there was no use worrying about it.
But something about the crew members of Serenity liking Mattie more than they liked Jayne got underneath the mercenary's skin. And no matter how much the mercenary tried to push the ugly thought out of his mind, Mattie's older brother couldn't shake the idea, that just wasn't fair, Jayne had spent months, and in many cases, years, interacting with every member of Serenity's crew. Jayne had pulled jobs for the captain, getting shot up, beaten, stabbed, burned by lasers, temporarily paralyzed by a neck injury, etc., all while watching his fellow crew members backs, and sometimes even saving their lives in the process. He had been the crew's pack mule whenever any jobs required heavy lifting, and he had aided in "aggressive negotiations" with crime bosses and street vendors on more than one occasion, helping insure that Mal and his crew got the most money possible from jobs, and got merchandise at a fair price using the power of his intimidating stature. And yeah, Jayne had been paid to do all of those things.
However, the merc had not been paid to help Kaylee in the engine room when she needed a strong pair of hands, nor to help his fellow crew members reach items in high places that they could have easily gotten themselves with a stepladder Nor had he been paid to do River's chores around the ship whenever the captain had scheduled the young woman to do so on days where the captain's little albatross had been too whimsical in the brain pan to do them herself, and Simon was busy in the infirmary. Sure, Jayne had grumbled about it when River's chores where unloaded onto him for this reason, but the large man had still done them. Even River herself had acknowledged the selflessness of that fact when she had thanked the mercenary once for "doing my shiply duties when I was chasing away shadows."
Unfortunately, Jayne now felt that none of the work he had done on board Serenity on the crew's behalf was even being acknowledged, ever since Mattie had showed up at the villa and the crew had taken a shine to his younger brother. However, under ordinary circumstances, Jayne would have been able to shrug off his irritation at Serenity's crew. After all, Serenity's resident "muscle" was used to blending into the background during negotiations and numerous other events, unless his services were needed, and on occasion, Jayne even liked it that way. It just meant he wouldn't be forced to talk more than he wanted to. But this time was different. Because this time, River Tam had joined the other members of Serenity's crew in ignoring Jayne in favor of socializing with Mattie. And for the first time, since he had met the girl, Jayne realized that had never happened before.
In the past, even during one of her crazy spells, River had always showed signs of being aware of Jayne's presence when the mercenary was in the same room with her. Whether the reader did so by talking or "interacting" (Jayne had nightmares about the times that the gifted young woman had slashed his chest with a kitchen knife for months afterward) with the mercenary directly, looking at the the big man (often using her peripherals or glaring straight at Serenity's muscle) or by speaking to him in the third person ("The big man should remember that she can kill him with her brain if he turns coat again"), River had always acknowledged Jayne's presence in one way or another. Even, when Jayne thought about it, on days when the reader was unable, or unwilling, to pay attention to anyone else on the ship. In fact, the mercenary had inadvertently brought River out of many of her breaks from reality in the past, as the mere act of Jayne walking into the room could usually cause River to remember where and when she was. With a few exceptions, after the Alliance had "reactivated" her programming after the maidenhead. True, Jayne had always attributed River's constant awareness of his presence as a sign that she found him untrustworthy, his large form intimidating, and that the young woman's constant attention of his person was simply an act of self-preservation, to make sure that Jayne did not harm her in any way, especially after Ariel. But still, Jayne was now forced to admit that he liked the fact that, even when the animosity between River and himself had been at it's height, the moon-brained girl had never ignored him the way that Jayne's other fellow crew members sometimes did. Until now, that is.
Now, when River wasn't spending time with Kaylee and Inara, or her family members, the bulk of the young woman's attention was now focused on Mattie. More than once, Jayne had entered a room to find the (former?) reader laughing at one of Mattie's joke's ("Oh Mattie, you're so funny!"), listening with rapt attention to the younger brother's stories, beating Mattie's pi gu at one game or another ("Checkmate! I win again! Would you like to play another game?!). She even awkwardly flirted with the younger man with her creepifying smiles and/or batting her eyelashes quickly for such a long time, a person might think the reader was trying to use them as a fan. Half the time that Jayne walked into the room when River was talking to the younger Cobb, the young woman would look briefly in Jayne's direction, then proceed to ignore him unless the mercenary spoke to her directly. Other times, the mercenary wouldn't even be able to get that out of River, and the brunette would ignore him entirely, keeping her attention squarely on the younger Cobb, unless Jayne directly addressed her.
Adding all of these states of affairs was the worrisome fact that River now only spoke to Jayne when the mercenary addressed her first, and even then, usually in short, one or two-word answers, like "Yes. No. Over there." In short, River was now ignoring him, and it looked like Mattie was the cause. And even though the merc could take a lot of things, like fighting pirates or Reavers, or even being locked in a mansion and being forced to share his private thoughts with the the entire 'Verse, there was something about River ignoring Jayne while acting like his youngest brother was the shiniest thing in the 'Verse, that made his blood boil, for reasons that the mercenary really didn't want to think about. Now, after three days of constant aggravation, frustration, and sleepless nights plagued by visions of River making doe eyes at Mattie that wouldn't give the mercenary any peace, even when he was lifting weights in order to try to regain some semblance of calm, Jayne had enough. The large man grimaced as he finished his last rep of extremely heavy weights that morning, and Jayne Cobb got up from the bench as quickly as his sore muscles would allow, as he stomped off towards the room of the woman who had been the primary source of most of his problems for over a week.
Jayne passed a few people on the way to the crazy girl's room. Malcolm and Inara were in the living room, arguing, as usual. "Gorram, Inara! I told you, the wig looks fine!" Jayne had to suppress a snort at how untrue that statement was, as the makeshift wig that Malcolm had made for the ex-companion. when her hair had started failing out, slightly resembled a skunk. But the mercenary feared Malcolm's anger, and Inara's tears, if he spoke his piece on the matter, so the large man said nothing. Nor did he try to interfere when he saw Reagan Tam and Kaylee in a hallway, discussing some matter or other. Jayne only caught a few words of the conversation, something about "...why's he's been so slow to give his approval." Even so, the mercenary noted the dismayed look on the mechanic's face and made a mental note to talk to the girl about whatever the elder Tam had said to the younger woman to put her on the edge of tears. Because Jayne did not hold kindly to anyone who hurt Kaylee, even if it was just the mechanic's feelings. And the mercenary, for all his toughness and bravado, never did like to see a woman cry.
Jayne pushed this thought to the side, however, when her finally reached River's bedroom door. The mercenary then proceeded to take a deep breath and raised his hand to knock...only to be surprised when the gifted young woman's door opened before Jayne's fist could make contact with wood. The merc was momentarily taken aback by River's disheveled appearance as he noted that she had bags under her eyes, the brunette's hair was disheveled, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. In short, she looked just like her old, crazy self all over again. Before Jayne could dwell on this, however, the subject of his musings started to speak. "Couldn't sleep last night. I was taking a nap. She...I am sorry for my appearance."
Jayne shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I've seen you in worse sorts before." The mercenary gulped, then opened his mouth to speak. "Look, girl...I mean, River. There's something that's been on my mind. That I...er...wanted to talk to you about, and I..." The mercenary shook his head, only just now realizing that he had no plan concerning how to go about having a conversation with River about clearing up the awkwardness between him, River and Mattie, that Jayne was sure was the culprit for his fogged up brain and ornery mood. 'Well, you better say something, Jayne. Because if you just keep babbling like a moon brain, River's going to think that you're just as whimsical in the brain-pan as she used to be!'
Before Jayne could get out another word however, River smiled slightly and beat the mercenary to it as she let the man into her room. "She knows why the man they call Jayne is here. His thoughts are loud today. Woke her up."
Jayne nodded as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "How did you...I mean, I thought after all of those fancy treatments your brother and father were giving you, your...erm, abilities went..."
River shook her head . "My abilities are diminished, but not gone. Not entirely. And she..."
The reader shook her head. "Correct pronoun use is important now. Must remember to use the right ones. I...am still able to hear your thoughts. When they are loud."
Seeing Jayne's nonplussed look, River rolled her eyes and added. "When you are...upset. Or excited. Or anxious...I can still hear your thoughts. As long as the albatross is..."
River shook her head and flicked her right index finger against her forehead. "As long as I am listening for them."
Jayne's eyes widened, but the mercenary didn't allow himself any other non-verbal reaction as he spoke. "Oh, so when a person is ornery, or happy, or worried, you can still hear their thoughts. How much did you..."
River huffed. "He is not listening!"
The brunette paced around her room a few times, and Jayne made sure to stay out of the dangerous young woman's way until she finally stopped still in the middle of the room, looked right at the mercenary, and said. "No. I can only hear your thoughts. And only when I'm listening for them. I can only get vague impressions of other people's thoughts now. Fleeting glimpses of their feelings. But I can still read your thoughts when your moods are intense. If I am listening for them, that is."
Jayne grimaced. The mercenary was torn as to whether he should express surprise, at the revelation that River could read his thoughts, and his thoughts alone, or anger, now that he realized River had been purposely rutting around in his mind. But the brunette in question spoke before Jayne could voice any of these thoughts. "She and he...You and I are connected. Have been since the day you first saw me in that status pod..." River grinned. "I knew what you were thinking when you saw me naked."
The reader shook her head and sighed, but resumed speaking before Jayne could get a word in. "Also remember what you felt right after. Shame. Guilt. That I was too young, too crazy, too dangerous for you to think about me that way. Thought you weren't good enough for me, too. So you avoided me. Tried not to think about me. And when you couldn't...stop thinking of me as a woman, you tried to get rid of me, more than once..."
Jayne looked down at the floor. "River, I'm..."
River frowned. "No interrupting! I need to finish what I'm saying! I already told you I forgave you, Jayne. For betraying me and Simon, for trying to sell me back to the Alliance, for all of it! Even the things he...You don't know. The way your angry thoughts kept bouncing around my head like silver balls in ancient machines, your conflicting emotions when you were around me clouding my thoughts, threatening to swallow her mind whole until she lashed out, making his outside as red as his angry thoughts. "
Jayne's eyes widened after River revealed the reason (although Jayne knew reason probably had very little to do with the matter) that River had slashed his chest almost a year ago, even as the psychic kept speaking with her eyes down. "And she knows he forgave her for that, but she is still sorry. She...I just...I didn't have as much control of my abilities then, and I couldn't handle it when your thoughts towards me became hostile enough to hurt me here." River tapped her forehead, then the portion of her chest which was right over her heart. "And here. Because I couldn't block out your thoughts back then. Even for a minute. Could block out the others for a while, even Simon's thoughts, sometimes, but never yours. So she hurt him. Made things worse. Made him angry. Made him try to send her away. And that made her sad and angry at him."
Jayne just stood there, looking like a deer in the headlights when the waterworks started. But River kept right on talking through her sobs. "I'm sorry I invaded your thoughts. Went inside your head, where I wasn't wanted. But I can still feel it when you are sad or angry. Even when I don't want to. And I needed to know why you were upset. I just...I had to know what was causing it. so I could know how to make you stop feeling bad."
Jayne shook his head. "Look, girl..." At the angry look the brunette gave him, Jayne sighed and amended his words. "River. The past is in the past, and there's no use worrying none about it. Also, I'm a gorram grown Pi gu man! I don't need you worrying none over what I'm thinking, or feeling, or whatever. If it bothers you when I get upset, I'll try to take it down a notch, but I can't make no promises on that score. As far as any..." Jayne gulped. "Thoughts I may have had about you that you don't like, especially in my bunk, and when I'm dreaming...I meant no offense to you, but a man should be able to think what he likes in the privacy of his own..."
River's tears turned to laughter then, causing Jayne to snarl. "What?!What's so gorram funny?! I don't find this here situation the least bit humor..."
River dried her eyes quickly, then looked right at Jayne with a serious look in her eye. "You are such a boob! What made you think your nocturnal fantasies about me were unwanted?!"
Jayne's jaw did, slightly, drop then. "What?!"
River shook her head. "The girl thought of him when she slept too. Sometimes before she slept as well, on nights the weapon could remember she was woman, and she could get away from her overbearing watch dog for five minutes..."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jayne couldn't suppress a short bit of laughter at that particular description of one Simon Tam, and River rewarded the mercenary's chuckle with a small smirk before she continued speaking. While she resumed pacing around the room. "She dreamt of him...I mean, I dreamt of you, too. Sometimes, without meaning too, she slipped into his dreams too, but only when...you were already dreaming of me."
Jayne slowly started backing away towards the door, but the man quickly realized this move had been anticipated when he noticed that River had stopped her pacing right in front of said bedroom door, and that the young woman was now grinning like the loon she apparently still was as she looked at Jayne. The large man growled. "You had no business rutting around in my dreams..."
River shook her head. "You're still not listening. I said I didn't do it on purpose. Involuntary."
The anger in Jayne's eyed died, and was replaced by nervousness as the mercenary scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. You did say that, didn't you? Still, there was stuff in there that a chil...someone as...you know, proper, as yourself shouldn't have had to see. And you shouldn't be thinking of me like that, either. I know what kind of man I am..."
River shook her head rapidly. "I'm not proper. And you don't know who you are. You still think you are the man who dropped Stitch out of that transport on Higgins' Moon. The same man who betrayed me and Simon on Ariel. A man who would sell out his best friends for money. And you are wrong."
The reader looked meaningfully at Jayne. "The man they call Jayne isn't that man any more. He's learned from his mistakes. Changed. He wouldn't betray me, or anyone else on his crew, ever again. Nor would he turn his back on his friends. Not for all the money in the 'Verse. He proved that on Miranda, then again on Mr. Universe's satellite. I trust him."
Jayne snarled. "Then you're a fool. You can't trust anyone in this 'Verse who ain't your family. My pa told me that when I only stood up to his knee."
River glared defiantly back at Jayne, but then relented with a shrug. "Your father's words are true. But you know as well as I do that family doesn't end in blood. That's why you trust the captain, and Kaylee. And that's why I trust everyone of Serenity's crew, including you. We've all been through fire and flood together, and came back closer, stronger for it."
This time, it was Jayne who looked away from River. "I can't argue with that. And I guess after you saved my Pi gu at Mr. Universe's place from all them Reavers...I trust you too. And I guess your right when you figure that I wouldn't sell you or Simon out again, or Kaylee, or the captain. But you still got no business thinking of a hwen dan like me, like...well, like them core boys you should rightfully be ogling at."
River smirked. "Those ja hwo couldn't handle her. They aren't strong enough, or stubborn enough, like you are. Besides, I...I liked the dreams we've shared together. But she...I would like to know whether it feels as good in real life..."
Jayne backed away from River, and the large man was now terrified of the dainty young woman slowly taking steps for his person, although this was a completely different type of fear than what the merc was used to feeling towards the brunette's person. "I...What are you talking about?"
River smiled. "Oh, he knows what she is referring to. Rutting. Fooling around. Doing the gorram thing. Coitus. You know..."
The psychic's grin widened in triumph once Jayne had backed himself against her bed just as River was concluding her thought. "Sex."
Jayne tried to sidestep to River's right, but the young woman followed his movements. So the mercenary feinted to the brunette's left...only to be find River, still smiling, moving in tandem with him, so she still stood in front of the large man when he had stopped moving. "What are you doing?!"
River's smile widened, and only now did Jayne realize that this grin seemed natural and unforced as its owner spoke. "What he suggested. I want you, and flirting like Inara and Kaylee told me to wasn't working. So I'm just going to take you."
Jayne felt trapped as River's lips darted towards his own, and the mercenary wrestled with his conscience in vain as he told himself he should be pushing River away from him. Running like hell. Something other than just standing here and letting the confused, innocent-minded girl in front of him kiss him, then have her way with him. But somehow, looking into River's hazel eyes, feeling her lips so agonizingly close to his own, Jayne couldn't force himself to move an inch. So instead, the mercenary said the first thing that came to his mind. "What about Mattie? Won't he be upset by this?!"
River rolled her eyes and laughed. "I was flirting with him to make you jealous. And he went along with it because I asked him to when he first arrived. Your brother is a friend, but he talks to much for my liking, he doesn't take losing at games well, and his thoughts are drawn out, winding. Not like yours. Your thoughts are...simpler."
Jayne snorted. "Thanks for that." The mercenary did step around River then, and he was halfway to the door before River darted ahead of him, stopping the large man in his tracks. River rolled her eyes. "She does not mean he is stupid. His...your thoughts are usually more straightforward about where you are, what you are doing. Not bogged down in past or future. Not cluttered with introspection."
At the nonplussed look on Jayne's face, River rolled her eyes and clarified. "Most people are wrapped up in thinking about themselves a lot. But not you. You only think about what you are doing at the moment. What the mission calls for. And your immediate needs. Rest. Hunger. Thirst..."
River's smile widened as she started walking towards Jayne again, and the mercenary was once more backing away when the brunette added. "And sex. She is willing to help him with that one. But she will take no coin from him, and she will not leave him alone in a cold bed when they are done. She is not a doxy. She wants to be his mate."
Jayne throat felt dangerously dry. "Um...River? Why are you being so forward all the sudden and talking like you're moon-brained again, anyhow?"
River sighed deeply. "Why does he not listen and waste so much time when they should be rutting?! Like she...I said, your thoughts are louder than normal. Winding. Complicated. We...You are tied in knots because you want me and think you can't have me. But he can. Girl became woman after Miranda, and she is willing to be his partner. To give him what he wants, but doesn't allow himself to hope for. His reluctance and guilt are unnecessary, only muddling both their minds. His dark thoughts are like lead, weighing the Albatross down..."
Something about the sad look in River's eyes made Jayne stop backing away from her, and the brunette ran her hand across Jayne's beard for several seconds before the muscular man could bring himself to pull away. "She wants to free him.. to free herself."
Jayne quickly, but gently snatched River's hand and lowered it to her side, although the mercenary was well aware he was only able to do so because River allowed it. "If your thoughts are confused, we shouldn't do this. Hell, we shouldn't do this at all, if you don't want Zoe or the captain shooting me, or your brother dissecting me alive the next time I end up on his operating table."
River shook her head. "She would never allow..."
Jayne spoke over the young woman. "And even if they didn't, what kind of Feh Feh Pi Goh would I be if I took advantage of you when you're still moon-brained, huh? As soon as your treatments are done, and you're all shiny and sane, you'll see that..."
River raised her right eyebrow. "She...I will not be continuing treatment. I told my father and Simon this morning."
The brunette lowered her eyes towards the floor. "They are both still upset with her. Say she will regress without additional implants. Go crazy again. But she...I would not let them continue. It's my brain. My choice."
Jayne shook his head. "What? What would you go and do a gorram thing like that for? Do you want to be crazy again?!"
River shook her head. "No. But she...I want to be whole. Without her wings, the albatross can't fly like she was meant to..." Seeing Jayne's face, River sighed and clarified. "You were right when you implied I was...less now than I once was. "
Jayne shook his head. "I didn't know what I was saying, River. I was just creeped out that you were flirting and acting like a normal girl rather than your old, creepifying self. That don't mean I didn't want you to be sane or nothing. So don't do a fool thing like stopping your treatments on my account."
River shook her head. "She is not doing this for him, only pointing out that he was right about her being better before. She stopped treatments for herself. I didn't want to be confined to my own space, I cannot read the thoughts and intentions of others, and I am liable to misread situations. And without my gifts, I am stuck in the present, past and future are unclear. She knows this is dangerous, although she is not longer sure why. Besides, Simon said that Alliance programming is already wiped clean, and I am likely to keep a small portion of my cognitive gains from treatment, with a 78% probability of regaining my old abilities over time, if I end treatments now."
Seeing the uncertain look in Jayne's eyes, River quickly added. "This is her choice. The man they call Jayne does not need to feel guilty, or hesitate in acting on his urges with her. She is as sane as she is ever going to get, and she chooses him of her own free will..."
Something about the fiery look in River's eyes rendered Jayne powerless to River's charms this time, as they reader's lips ascended towards his own, and all the mercenary could say in protest was, "you know I don't kiss girls on the mouth" even as his lips prepared to do just that. But the attempt at osculation was interrupted by a loud sound originating somewhere in the distance.
BOOOM!
Jayne's mind immediately snapped into combat mode, and all of his anxiety and confusion melted away as the mercenary prepared to do what he did best. After wordlessly leading River to his own room, the man quickly backed away from River and turned towards the bed, tipping the mattress off his bed and reaching under the posts as he did so. "That was an explosion! It sounded like it came from one of the walls at the edge of the compound. Something about this gorram TV show must be severely pissing some people off! Can you get a read on who those Wang Ba Da might be!?"
River shook her head as her eyes widened to an almost unnatural extent. "No. I'm sorry. My abilities are still severely diminished and..."
Jayne shrugged, ignoring sounds of gunfire and the cast's bodyguards' screams. "It probably don't make a difference no how. There are people out there who want to kill us, probably, and if we want to fight back, we need weapons. Starting with this one..." The mercenary dug through his pack, brushing past multiple personal items, including some letters from his ma, his banjo, a half-finished wood carving, and his lucky hat, before he finally found the item he was looking for a pulled out a large, jagged hunting knife with a grin on his face. "I knew it was a good idea to pay off one of Niska's goons to let me keep this. Course' I was hoping that I would only be needing it for wood carving, but..."
Jayne's eyes widened as River pulled out a smaller blade, with a sleeker design and a sharper tip, from her dress, then smiled. "It is best to be prepared. She agrees. Feared they would come for her again. She wanted to be ready this time."
Jayne mentally screened out the sounds of some of the camera crew and bodyguards; screaming, and even Malcolm Reynolds screaming out, "What's going on?!" and "We need to get out of here!" as he waited by the door, listening for an opportune moment to sneak out of his room. "How did you sneak that knife in anyhow? I know that brother of yours usually don't let you handle money, and they searched us mighty thoroughly before Niska's men let us on the ship bound for the villa."
River grinned, but the fiery look in her eyes made Jayne shudder in all kinds of different ways, as the young woman whispered back. "The girl still has her secrets."
The psychic quietly strode towards the bedroom door, only stopping when Jayne raised his arm to stop her advance. The hazel-eyed woman rolled her eyes. "I don't think they are in this hall now. Niska's men are good shots, and dedicated to their profession. Perhaps the last one standing killed the remaining hostiles in the hallway before succumbing to his wounds."
Jayne looked incredulously at River. "How would you know a gorram thing like that?! I thought you said you were barely a reader right now?!"
River frowned. "Barely a reader means she is still a reader. I can't hear the thoughts, or feel the feelings, of most people anymore. But I can still sense the presence of people nearby. There is no one on the the other side of that door. For now."
Jayne nodded, pulling his arm away from River before he opened the door to the hallway, only allowing the brunette to follow after he saw for himself that there was no one on the other side. No one alive, that is. River forced the bile in her throat back, even as Jayne relieved several of the corpses, composed of both a handful of Niska's bodyguards, and half a dozen other dead bodies wearing black body armor, of some of their weapons. Jayne quickly noted the absence of any film crew corpses, but rationalized that they must have been in another part of the house, or had already escaped.
Under other circumstances, the mercenary would have been jubilant when he discovered that one of Niska's men had an assault rifle, and several rounds of ammunition for said rifle, and he might have even hollered with joy when he found that one of the black armored individuals had several grenades on his person that he had evidently never gotten the chance to use. But given the seriousness of the situation, Jayne Cobb only allowed himself a small smile before he turned back to River, who was still starring in horror at all the dead bodies around her. "Are you going to be alright, little one? Maybe you should try to hide somewhere until all of this blows over. After all, you don't got that Alliance brainwashing in your head to help you fight no more and..."
Jayne stopped mid sentence to raise his gun at the dark-armored individual who had just rounded the corner and walked into the hallway behind River, but the brunette whirled around faster than the merc could blink and stabbed the hostile right in the throat, then grabbed the dying man's assault rifle out of his hand before the man chocking on his own blood could even hit the floor. River shook her head, then looked directly at Jayne. "She can still handle herself. Muscle remembers what mind has forgotten. And her ears still work fine."
Seeing that it was taking all of River's strength just to hold the unusually large assault rifle in her hands properly, Jayne picked up several more ammo clips for the brunette's new gun and strapped them on his own person. "Okay. But you follow my lead. Mattie's safe in the infirmary, sleeping off his last round of post-treatment for his damp lung, but we need to get to the others. Mal probably already has a plan to get us the hell out of here. Or Zoe." The muscular man nodded towards River's new gun. "Do you know how to use that thing?"
Just as that last word had left Jayne's mouth, two more black armored hostiles entered the hallway, one behind River, and the other behind Jayne. The two goons never knew what hit them as the mercenary and the reader quickly fired rounds into the heads of the black armored individuals behind each other. River's face was a stoic mask after that, but Jayne could have sworn that the psychic was somehow smirking at him with her eyes before the mercenary said. "Alright then. Follow me."
River nodded wordlessly before she and Jayne walked down the eerily silent hallway, checking every one of the rooms for living occupants as they did so. At first, Jayne was confused when he realized that all of the rooms were empty and disheveled, until River silently pointed to the bodies of several of the dead mercenaries in this section of the hallway. The mercenary quickly realized what River was pointing out to him, or rather, the lack of something that the reader was pointing out. None of the corpses from either mercenary team had weapons on them anymore, and many of them were no longer wearing body armor as well. "I get it. Mal and the others were here, but they decided to leave after another firefight broke out, taking some of the fools' weapons and armor with them."
River nodded. "They probably went to the rendezvous point. They will be waiting for us there with Mattie."
"I can't believe they would just leave use like this! And.."
Jayne stopped talking when he saw the stairway leading down to the main living area of the estate, noting that many bodies, both Niska's men and the black clad mercenaries, were scattered all the way down. Jayne's eyes widened when he noticed two trails of blood that began near the bottom of the stairway, which continued all the way to the now open front door of the mansion. River and Jayne exchanged a knowing look, and it was clear that both of them had realized that their friends and family members had left the mansion while running (and most likely, gunning) for their lives, and at least two of their number had been injured. "Oh hell, let's just get to the infirmary!"
River nodded before she and Jayne walked right down the stairs and out of the mansion, completely bypassing the discarded weapons they couldn't carry, and the sets of body armor that the mercenary and the psychic were too big and too small, respectfully, to wear as they set off toward the agreed upon meeting point if, as Malcolm Reynolds had so eloquently put it over a week ago. "The go se hits the fan!" Unfortunately, the mercs in black did not make this easy for them.
Although the mercenary and the psychic were able to avoid the half dozen hostiles at the front door, as River wordlessly pointed to a side entrance instead, and she and Jayne were able to slip out of the mansion relatively unnoticed, they ran into more opponents on the way to the Villa. However, it was clear that none of them were on River or Jayne's level. Especially when they were helping each other.
Somehow, Jayne noted, even though he and River had never fought together before, or hell, done much of anything together before arriving at the Villa, working towards the infirmary with the crazy girl came surprisingly easy for him. Other than a single misstep, when River had somehow failed to notice a couple of guards that the mercenary heard coming around the corner, and Jayne had to hold the young woman back so she wouldn't walk right in front of them, the reader didn't miss a beat. Having wordlessly decided (for Jayne had been sure to think this loud enough for River to hear him) to avoid engaging hostiles whenever possible until they knew their enemies numbers, the tracker and the psychic used their respective skills to avoid as many skirmishes as possible, And they were largely successful at doing so, despite the fact that the two crew members had counted at least twenty bogies on their way to the infirmary. However, since their unknown enemies forces were scattered all over the villa, Jayne and River had been forced to undergo one gunfight just before reaching the medical building, as well as the shuttle pad that was right on top of said building
After spotting the half dozen hostiles around the infirmary at the same time, Jayne motioned towards his left, then nodded his head towards the right. River half smiled in understanding as she quickly gunned down the closest enemy to her right just a fraction of a second faster than Jayne did the same to the closest enemy to his left. However, it was Jayne who spotted the small object that another hostile had thrown down between him and River, and the tracker quickly jumped into an unoccupied building while shouting "Grenade!"
BOOM!
Jayne sighed in relief when he poked his head out of the now-broken building window, and saw River walk out from behind a set of steel shipping containers while simultaneously shooting all of the remaining hostiles until they fell down, using a grenade that Jayne gave her to finish off the last two with a loud BOOM! After he had quickly exited the abandoned building with his gun drawn, then looked around for possible hostiles, the mercenary lowered his weapon and turned to River. "Good job."
River just smiled and nodded. However, the smug look on the young woman's face vanished when an angry look came across Jayne's face, and the man raised his hunting knife towards her. River's confusion was short lived, however, as she dove to the left and landed on all fours as gracefully as a cat...while Jayne simultaneously threw his knife at a seven foot tall, black armored individual with a machete who had dared to sneak behind River
"AAAAH!" The armored individual let out one last scream as he fell to the ground, Jayne's hunting knife still sticking out of his left eye. The forward momentum that the aggressor had built up trying to lunge at River with his weapon was not canceled out by Jayne's attack, so the attacker was still falling forward after receiving his severe wound. As a consequence, Jayne and River's attacker landed face first onto the ground with a loud thud, driving the blade deeper into the hole in his skull where his eye used to be, right into his brain. In short, the attacker was dead the second he hit the ground.
River sighed after she rose to her bare feet, then attempted to retrieve Jayne's knife, and Jane smiled as he noted that River had certainly gotten over her disgust at the sight of freshly dead bodies in a hurry. Serenity's "public relations officer" chuckled. "Don't bother, moon-brain. The knife went in at a weird angle. You aren't ever going to get Brutus there out of that Hwen Dan's thick skull."
River huffed as she let the knife go, silently conceding Jayne's point before she whispered. "Brutus. According to history, that was the name of a public official on earth-that was who killed Caesar, a local ruler he had sworn his allegiance to, for the sin of overthrowing the republic he had born into, and turning it into his own personal kingdom. And he did it with a knife. A strange name for a mercenaries blade. A strange male name."
Jayne shrugged. "Hell, I didn't know all that history or nothing. I just heard it was the name of some guy who stabbed a tyrant in the back a long time ago. Seemed like the kind of guy I would buy a beer for, you know? And the name sounded like a cunning title for a blade...all of which I've given male names, by the way. Now, if we're done jawing about like little girls at a slumber party, can we please get to the infirmary before we both end up dead?"
River glared at Jayne as he passed her, handing her a new clip of ammo for her assault rifle as he did so, but followed the large man's lead as they slowly walked the rest of the way to the infirmary. When the young woman and her fellow crew-member were finally in sight of the small, two story medical center, the latter allowed himself to relax a little bit as he whispered to River. "So...whatever happened to that Brutus guy anyway?"
River looked at Jayne's curious eyes, so full of mirth, and she was briefly temped to lie to the mercenary. But, knowing that Jayne didn't appreciate being coddled, the psychic opted for brutal honesty instead. "Caesar's nephew and his generals hunted down Brutus and his fellow conspirators. They died, badly. And for centuries, the name Brutus became synonymous with betrayal."
Jayne gulped. "Okay. Maybe that wasn't such a good name for a knife..."
BANG!
Jayne felt the blood gushing out of the hole in his stomach, and the man's right hand felt the red, sticky substance that was slowly covering his shirt, several seconds before his nerve endings registered any pain from the bullet wound. But when the pain came, it was excruciating, and the large mercenary couldn't focus on anything else, including River's screaming, as the brunette launched herself forward just in time to slow Jayne's descent to ground enough that he didn't hit his head and die on impact. Nor did Jayne register the presence of a familiar sandy blonde vixen and her smoking gun as he tried and failed to hold back screams of agony. And the mercenary didn't hear the blonde woman speak directly to the brunette holding Jayne's head in her hands as River struggled to hold back tears. "Nice to finally meet you, River Tam. You can call me Saffron, like your crew of morons did. I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me..."
AN: Once again, I would like to thank all of my readers who are still reading this story, especially those of you who have given me input on this tale using reviews and/or PM. A special thanks goes out to bjq, Wicked. Onna, and galwidanatitud for reviewing my last chapter! Your encouragement and input is much appreciated!
A couple points to mention here. I would like to note that the historical references concerning Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger here are not 100% historically accurate. But considering the spotty record keeping of the history of earth-that was that is made evident throughout the Firefly series, I thought it would make sense that this would be the version of the "Assassination of Julius Caesar" story that was passed down throughout the 'Verse. Also, some of you may have noticed that I have moved away from my earlier negative evaluation of Rayne, but that is no guarantee to my readers that Rayne will be the end game of this story. Especially if Jayne dies. Take that as you will.
And, as always, an extra special thanks goes out to my beta-reader, without whom, I wouldn't have the confidence to publish any stories on this site! Your help is both necessary, and appreciated!
Until next time, I am...
...supercode
P.S. Sorry about the cliffhanger. Or am I...?
