A/N: I know some of this is a lot like the show, but I bring you twists where they feel right... like now ;)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 16
Simon couldn't breathe.
Bad enough that he had woken up in a strange place with a pounding head and a churning stomach, the whole situation was now ten times worse. He could have perhaps overlooked the morning-after symptoms of too much cheap alcohol, thanks to the over-ridingly wonderful feeling of waking with a certain well-formed female mechanic in his arms, but this was different. Just when he and Kaylee were enjoying the closeness, a heinous figure had come crashing in through the door.
Instinct made him stand in front of Kaylee. Adrenaline was probably all that really kept him on his feet. Simon fought to recall the lessons drummed into him by Jayne. How to defend, disarm, even attack. He ought to know how, and to an extent he did, but his muscles and brain would not quite comply. The after-effects of the alcohol slowed him down, and his opponent was stronger and more skilled.
There was a possibility he screamed, though he would hope that was Kaylee rather than himself. By rights, Simon ought to have crumpled like a piece of paper at the hands of the grisled old man who referred to himself as Stitch. He might have if he wasn't goaded by his opponent and worried for Kaylee's safety as much as his own. There was no way he was ever going to really win the battle, but he put up a half decent fight. As Stitch divulged his plans to take down Jayne and all his crew, Simon knew there was something more important here than winning. Practising moves taught by his brother-in-law, Simon got out from the old man's grasp and shoved him as far away as he could.
"Kaylee, go!" he urged her. "Warn the others. Go now!"
"But I can't..." she said, gesturing to Stitch who was ready to attack one more time. "He'll kill you!"
"He won't," Simon promised her. "Please, go and warn my sister!"
His pleading look and the over-riding fear in Kaylee was enough to put her legs in motion. She bolted for the door before Stitch had a chance to regroup, tried not to hear the old man's indignant battle-cry before he launched himself at Simon again. Kaylee didn't know how long he could hold the other guy off, but she trusted that if he said he could handle himself he probably could. Hopefully.
Running for the centre of town, she knew she had a ways to go. In the heat and humidity, it wasn't an easy journey, and the whole way she was blinded by tears and clutched by fear. She hoped rather than believed that Simon was fine, and that everybody else would be okay too.
The crowds in the town square were as large as they were supposed to be for the Captain's plan, but it was an issue to Kaylee now that she really needed to get through, to tell those at the centre of the mass that trouble was coming. She shoved by so many folks, excusing herself around some and cussing at others in desperation when politeness didn't shift them. Losing sense of direction or anything, she just pushed forward as best she could until she broke through the crowd at last.
"Hey, now, little Kaylee," said Mal, grabbing her by the arms as she almost ran right by him. "Mei mei?" he said, trying to meet her blood-shot eyes. "What has you all riled up like this?" he asked in a low voice as beyond them the crowd paid rapt attention to Jayne's inaugural speech.
"Bad things," said River, appearing as if from nowhere. "Very bad."
"She ain't wrong." Kaylee shook her head. "A guy came into the bar. He has Simon. Said he was comin' for Jayne and all of his folks."
Mal looked from her to Jayne on his podium to River's overly wide eyes. Suddenly she staggered back as if hit by a force and Mal wasn't sure which way to turn. If River was feeling something that he couldn't see, that meant her Reader abilities were going into over-drive like they sometimes did. What they could use more right now was her fighting style, especially since this planet was anti-guns in a big ol' way. Mal didn't much like going for his piece out of habit only to remember it weren't there.
"Kaylee," he said, turning to the mechanic. "How long we got?"
"No time," River answered instead, spinning very suddenly to face the other direction, just as a yell went up.
Stitch Hessian was a powerful ugly creature, more so than even Jayne could recall. He told him as much when he spotted the old man dragging Simon to the scene. The boy was a little battered and bruised, but Jayne figured he must've held his own better than he could've six months back. The training had come in useful, but right now Jayne couldn't think of it long. His eyes went around the crowd and then landed on River. Way she was lookin' at him, Jayne was fair certain she put it together already, afore Stitch ever made his rotten speech about that second storey the two of them pulled back in the day. After that, Jayne couldn't look at her no more. His little woman always knew the score with him, had to when she became his wife and all. He never did want her to know the details of what he was in the past, the vagaries worked just fine. Now was different, not the whole truth was bein' told. Jayne didn't care much what the folks of Canton thought about him, but River was a whole other deal.
While Mal and Kaylee checked on Simon, Stitch pulled a rifle on Jayne and revealed his secrets to the crowd. River got lost amongst the other folks, out of Jayne's view which suited him fine. This thing with him and Hessian was only going to end one way. Somebody was gonna die, and Jayne was bound and determined it weren't ever going to be him.
Thinking fast, Jayne moved all of an inch to make his attack but never got the chance. He heard the gun cock and then the rest happened like slow motion, as if that bullet come flying through molasses toward him. At the same time, Jayne just knew he didn't have the time to move. Turned out he didn't have to. River flew through the air like a bird on angel's wings, and then fell to the dirt with a thud.
"S'posed to be the smart one outta the two o' us. Gorram stupid-ass thing you did, jumpin' in front of that bullet to save my worthless hide," said Jayne crossly, unlikely tears in his eyes even now.
"She did the math," said River, her own eyes closed against the harsh light of the infirmary. "No danger."
Jayne wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time when she said that. No gorram danger, that was a real joke, but he didn't doubt his bao bei meant what she said. She did the math alright, knew just exactly when and how to jump in and save him, literal like. Stich's bullet had struck her, but not flesh and bone. The bowie knife that had been Jayne's own more years that he could recall was often strapped to River when they were planet-side, and even when Jayne woulda liked to have that knife for his ownself since he couldn't carry a gun, he let his little woman keep her prized possession that had been her own so long now. Saved her life today. Saved Jayne's too. No doubt about it, today's events had been a damn miracle. No other way to describe it.
"This is math?" said Jayne, looking at the blade sat on the counter top, bent outta shape as it was. "Ai ya, bao bei, reckon I shoulda paid more mind to my cipherin' in school!"
River smiled a sleepy smile.
"Loves him just as he is."
Her voice was a whisper, her body tired and aching. Jayne didn't wonder at it. Sure'n she timed it right, had that bullet bounce clean off the blade tied to her waist, but she was still hurt. The impact still stung, the shrapnel didn't all get deflected. Make no mistake, River was injured, but she weren't dead. Stitch was no longer for the world, but they was all still here, this crew, this family.
"Sleep on, crazy little woman," said Jayne, laying the gentlest of hands on River's head a second or two.
He already tried yellin' at her for risking herself for his worthless self. Tried thanking her too, but nothin' came out right. All Jayne could do for the rest of his life was be as much for River as she was to him, if'n that were even possible.
Never thought to be so tied up with another person like this. Love 'n' marriage, weren't things Jayne ever thought to have in his life, and a person like her, beautiful and sexy and smart and all, throwing herself in harm's way just to save him. A miracle, 'twas the only word Jayne had for her.
From the window, Simon watched the scene, his mei mei sleeping again with Jayne watching over her. Stalwart and true as ever, he guarded his sleeping beauty. They made an odd fairytale, but Simon supposed none of those old myths and legends from Earth-That-Was ever really made any sense. It didn't mean the love was any the less true.
"It's been quite a couple of days," he said to himself, turning to move away.
"Ain't that the truth?" replied Kaylee, having overheard. "'S River doin' okay?"
"She is." Simon nodded. "I don't think I could convince Jayne to leave her side even if I wanted to, but she'll be just fine, given time to heal."
"That's good to know."
Kaylee smiled and meant what she said, but her expression wasn't all it should be. Her hand came up to Simon's face, fingers barely grazing the marks that Stitch Hessian had made. Simon knew he took a beating, but he barely felt the pain until long after the battle was over. Even then, he fought through to work on River and ensure her survival first. Only in the last hour or so had he got himself cleaned up and found he needed a shot of something to quiet the pain in too many points of his body.
"I can't... Ain't sure whatever possessed ya to take on that animal," said Kaylee shakily.
"He wanted to hurt you... and Jayne and River," he added quickly. "I couldn't let that happen. At the very least I had to try to stop him. I wasn't so much of a help as I would've liked," he said, turning his face away.
"I think you were awful brave," she said definitely. "Simon..."
He shook his head, wouldn't even look at her at first. Kaylee wondered what was on his mind. She meant to ask, but before she could he looked like maybe he was going to tell her anyway. He sure seemed to be thinking about it a lot, and then just when he seemed like he had the words, he said nothing at all. He stepped in closer to Kaylee, one hand at the back of her head as he pulled her closer and laid his lips on hers. She weren't so dumb as to miss her chance, even if she was surprised by him. Kaylee made sure to put all she had been holdin' back too long into that kiss, and when it was over, she was smiling wide as anyone ever had.
"Well, Doctor Tam," she said, breathing a little too fast. "You sure that's appropriate behaviour?" she teased him.
That made him smile too, even as he blushed terribly at the realisation of what he had done.
"I think perhaps that today taught me something about wasting time," he said, holding her close still. "Perhaps life is too short to take things quite as slowly as we have been."
"Can't argue with that." Kaylee grinned, tilting her head with a question in her eyes.
Simon didn't need asking twice and kissed her again.
To Be Continued...