A/N: The one issue I'm having with this fic is trying to keep it in line with the episodes but still trying to make it interesting and different. I hope I'm managing it so far... It's going to alter more as we go down the line, at least that's the plan!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 4
They were ordered to their respective rooms and bunks, and not a one amongst them argued. Only the Captain, his second, and his pilot were to be on the bridge as they did their best to sail silent and unnoticed past the Reaver ship.
At first, Simon had been confused by the revelation that such creatures were real. In his sheltered life in the Core worlds, he had believed Reavers to be folklore, nothing worse than the monsters of campfire stories. Now to hear that they were not only real but close by, it was terrifying. The look of fear on Jayne's face was enough to convince the young doctor that there genuinely was a reason to be worried. Never before had he seen his sister's protector look so haunted. As to River herself, she was almost frighteningly calm now, as if she either knew they would be okay or was resigned to her fate of pain and death. Simon decided not to think too much about it, but went with his sister and Jayne to their room and was locked in with them. If they must suffer and end their days, let them at least be together when the time came.
Book was across the hall, praying hard, whilst Inara retreated to her shuttle. Whether she planned to make her own escape should the worst happened, nobody was sure, through the Captain was heard encouraging her to do so as they all parted ways. Little Kaylee locked herself into her bunk, and Zoe stood at Wash's side, her hand clasped in his own as he piloted with his free hand. Mal's eyes were trained on the plexiglass in front of him as the Firefly floated by the Reaver ship, inch by inch, feeling like miles. There was a collective holding of breath throughout the entire craft, all afraid, all just waiting. Past the ship, Serenity flew on, and on, and on. Finally they seemed to be clear and Wash checked the scanner before finally letting out a breath.
"They're not following," he said all in a rush. "We're okay."
"Thank God," Zoe muttered, squeezing his hand, feeling Mal's stance untense behind her.
They made it. This time anyway.
"Okay," said Mal. "On to Whitefall, as planned."
"And the passengers?" asked Zoe, turning in time to catch him before he left the bridge.
"Wish I knew, Zoe. Gorram wish I knew."
"She is fine! She wants to be of use!" said River firmly, running after Jayne and away from Simon at the same time. "Had enough of gilded cages, he knows that better than most!"
Which one of them she was speaking to was up for debate, but didn't really matter anyhow. During their forced imprisonment when Serenity passed the Reaver ship, Jayne had thought long and hard about what was to become of them, and put forward the idea to Simon and River that maybe making himself useful would earn them a place aboard the ship. At once, River insisted she wished to do the same, though both the men in her life tried to say she should stay out of the Captain's way. They worried for her safety, River knew, but they were well aware she was capable of taking care of herself if a fight should break out. Of course, she had only battled with the enemy on one occasion and even she wasn't sure how it had come to pass. For River, that was not the point.
"River, what if you got hurt?" asked Simon as he gave chase along the walkway towards the stairs.
"He is doctor, he will mend. Body fixes easier than the mind," she said firmly, grabbing at Jayne when he attempted to hurry away from her.
"Ain't no use goin' on, little woman," he told her as he hit the cargo bay with her still on his heels. "My mind ain't for changin', and the Cap'n is more than like not even gonna want me along anyhow."
"The Captain might if he had a notion what was going on here," said Mal himself, appearing as if from nowhere in front of his passengers. "Somethin' I can help you folks with?"
"Assistance for the cause," said River, pushing herself in front of Jayne, paying no mind to his grumbled protests. "Able-bodied, willing to help."
"You folks got an idea to help my crew make a deal on Whitefall?" asked Mal, finding the thought just a little confusing.
"Been there once before my ownself," said Jayne with a look. "T'ain't altogether hard to get on the wrong side of Patience, and from what I hear, you already done that one time too many."
Mal muttered about his crew speaking out of turn in front of unknowns, and yet he knew it might be useful to have some help on this job. There was really only him and Zoe that were any use with a gun, and this was going to be a tricky situation. A third man would not go amiss, and here was at least one man and one unpredictable young Reader of a woman offering their services. The question was, could he really trust them?
Walking away from Patience, money in hand was always what Mal intended to do in the end. It took a might longer than a person would've hoped to 'convince' her and her gang to be reasonable, but a little teamwork that involved the passengers from aboard Serenity sure did make things run just a little smoother than they might've been. That said, Mal and Zoe had both been shot. Nothing that couldn't be fixed, but it weren't exactly an ideal situation.
"Now brother comes into his own," said River, falling into step beside the captain and Zoe. "Sew up the holes, make like new."
"Might be nice to be good as new, but I doubt the Doc is a miracle worker," said Zoe, rolling her shoulder that ached from another impact, trying not to let a limp show. "You did your part, little one," she told River with a smile.
"Happy to help," she replied, making the best curtsey she could whilst in the process of walking.
"Gotta say, they say forewarned is forearmed," said Mal, "and that does seem to be the truth of it. Knowing who was gonna shoot first and all, couldn't've been more useful to us. Well, 'cept if you was handy with a gun too."
River shuddered at the very idea of handling such a weapon. She was not to be used for the shooting and killing of things, though she had a horrible sense of foreboding where such things were concerned. Though she knew she would be useful in a fist fight, and had been before, River left the shooting to Jayne.
"Never a bad thing findin' out my trigger finger still holds true," said the man himself as he joined them.
"Glad for your help there, Cobb." Mal nodded once. "T'was thinkin'-"
His thought remained unfinished as the comms in all their ears buzzed at the same moment, then Wash's voice could be heard, sounding more than a little agitated.
"Guys, get back here, now!" he told them fast. "It's those gorram Reavers, they followed us!"
There was cursing aplenty as the group suffered a moment's collective panic, then began running at top speed, back towards Serenity.
River, as well as those around her, wondered why she had not known, but then she had been distracted by the terror of thinking too much about guns. She was unsure why they frightened her so much, but a darkness bubbled up from deep inside at the very thought of holding such a weapon in her hands. It was distraction enough that she had not felt the ungodly presence that was chasing down their new home. For this moment, she could think of nothing but running across the hot sand, constantly calculating the distance back to Serenity, and whether or not they would make it. Even with her advanced mind crunching the numbers, she couldn't quite be sure of their fate.
"Here's something you can't do."
Wash was grinning in spite of the serious situation, calm as anyone ever could be as he yelled to Kaylee, and Serenity's engines spun on their axis. Pulling a Crazy Ivan was their only real chance of escape and thankfully the manoeuvre went off without a hitch. Whooping and hollering of the joyful kind echoed through the ship as the Reavers own vessel was caught up in the largest possible back draft. Serenity flew freely off into the black, and they were safe again.
"Looks like we got away clean," said Jayne with a sigh of relief, pulling a strangely serious looking River into his lap. "C'mon now, bao bei. Ain't gotta worry no more."
"Always worry. Never ending!" she told him, getting up and rushing from the room.
She nearly bowled over Simon coming the other way, and though he called to ask her what was wrong she didn't stop.
"She can be alone for five minutes!" she insisted, storming away and out of sight.
Simon considered going after her but instead looked to Jayne for an explanation.
"Ain't no use asking me, Doc," he told him, shaking his head. "I guess for all the smarts and such your sister has, she's still a woman. Still got the same tendency to moods and such."
"Yes, I suppose so," said Simon thoughtfully. "Um, I wonder if now might be a good time to speak to the Captain about our fate?" he asked Jayne then. "We seem to have escaped being left on Whitefall, but whether we are still headed on to Beaumonde is unclear."
"Might be best you go make arrangements, Doc," said Jayne, scratching his bearded chin. "Ain't so good with words my ownself. Like as not to say somethin' I shouldn't and get us kicked off this here ship. Reckon River wouldn't mind stayin' a good while, if'n the Captain'd take us."
"Yes, I think you might be right, and it might be for the best," Simon agreed. "If we are constantly moving, there is more chance of us staying out of reach of those that would try to take River away, presuming no more bugs find themselves attached to the ship."
"Might ask the Cap'n about that in your mighty fine talk you need to have," Jayne advised. "If the Alliance got any idea we're here, can only end bad."
Simon nodded that he understood and then headed off in search of the Captain.
Jayne took a deep breath and decided maybe he ought to go after River, not that he had an idea what to say to her when he found her. Meant well and good what he said to Simon about all women having their moods sometimes, but there never would be anyone quite like his baobei.
A quick search of the ship and he soon found her back towards the engine room. The mechanic must've abandoned her post a while, because River was curled up in the hammock that Jayne would guess was Kaylee's own. She rocked back and forth with her eyes closed, and yet the second Jayne approached, she knew.
"She knows she is a bother to him," she said sharply, still looking calm and peaceful in spite of her tone. "He doesn't understand."
"Can't say as I ever expect to understand womenfolk anyhow," Jayne shrugged, leaning in the doorway watching her. "Just 'cause you and me is... what you and me is, don't make me any better at havin' a gorram clue how to talk to ya all the time."
She smiled at that. "Not all his fault."
That made Jayne feel better if nothing else, and they both knew it. River felt the waves of both love and relief radiate from him and cover her. It helped her to feel better too.
"Your brother's gone to see the Cap'n. Ask him about us stayin' aboard an' all of that," he said then. "You want that, don'tcha?"
River's eyes opened and a wide smile curved her lips. She leapt from the hammock with the grace of a cat and the finesse of the finest ballerina, throwing her arms around Jayne's neck.
"She is happy, Man-Called-Jayne," she promised him. "She struggles, but... but I am happy, wherever, if with you."
It was a rare moment when she managed to say just exactly what she meant using the correct words. Her mind got so jumbled, River often felt she was speaking for someone else rather than herself, but that only made the moments of clarity so much more special, not just for her, but for Jayne too.
"Gonna be alright, little woman," he told her, pulling her closer and kissing her lips. "Gonna be alright."
To Be Continued...