A/N: This chapter is dedicated to supercode, who has kept me on my toes this week and made me take this story even more seriously than I was before. Now, time for a little twist in the plot...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 17
When River threw herself in harm's way to save her husband's life, she did a whole lot more than ensure his life weren't lost. In the melee that came after, that involved Jayne layin' waste to his old partner, Stitch, Mal and his crew were also able to finish out their job at Canton. A little help from Inara's client got them off that gorram moon, free and clear, and all was right with the 'verse.
Mal was more than a little grateful to his passengers-turned-crew. They sure had done him a good turn on more than one occasion and it made him glad they picked 'em up. Just when he thought they couldn't improve any of their helpfulness, River went and did it again, though in some unpleasant circumstances.
The screaming started up in the middle of the night-cycle when most were sleeping in their beds. There was no calming little River down for a good while, and Jayne and Simon was sharing looks that meant a needle was going to end up in the poor girl again. Nobody wanted that, but she really did seem to be off-kilter enough to be dangerous for a while. At long last she calmed some, though the rattling and rambling never ceased. Talk of fire, of pain, nobody entirely knew what to make of it. In time, when she got her thoughts in order, picked out the fact from the fiction and the sense from the crazy, she was able to explain.
"Engine trouble," she said, looking to Kaylee. "Cold and dark and lost," she added, eyes more on Zoe now, which made little sense to anyone.
"We got problems with the engine, mei mei?" Mal asked his mechanic.
"Nothin' to worry on that I know of," she told him, shaking her head. "Only thing botherin' me is that crappy compression coil. That gives out we're looking at a whole heap of trouble."
"How big a heap?"
"Couldn't say it much clearer than River here," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "We could be dead in the water, no way of workin' around it," she told him plain.
"I say we get us a new one of those compression things right now," said Jayne, arm still around River's shoulders where it belonged at such a time as this one. "If'n River here says we need it, she ain't ever wrong."
"I have to agree." Simon nodded. "Though of course, as the Captain, it's your decison."
"Well, ain't it mighty fine to have such a thing noted," said Mal with a look. "Yes, I am the Captain, but I have a crew here for a reason. Things come up need seein' to, I expect to be told or asked, whatever is the necessary," he explained. "Now, we need us a compression coil, we'll see about gettin' one. Mightn't be so easy on the coin we ain't got, but we'll make it work, somehow."
"If it is to keep Serenity afloat," said Inara softly. "I'm sure the funds will be found."
Mal looked at her sharply, some angry tirade on his lips, but it died there. He had clearly thought she was telling him how to run his boat, but no. She might just be offering him the funds he needed to repair his ship. Well, to that he couldn't exactly take offence. Actually, he probably could, but he didn't.
Closest planet that could maybe have what they needed turned out to be Beaumonde, and Wash set a course to get 'em there. 'Twas also the pilot himself that a got wind of the fact Simon's birthday was right around the corner when the latest Alliance authority notices came over the Cortex. The very day they landed planet-side was the one that marked the doc's anniversary of birth, and though enough funds had already been spent on the much-needed engine part, it was impossible to refuse Kaylee's pleas for some kind of celebration for her fella.
The Maidenhead was a crook's paradise, nobody was likely to take note of the fugees amongst Mal's crew. Just in case, they stuck to a table in a dark corner and kept the noise down as they all got themselves a drink and wished Simon many happy returns. Kaylee even brought along a protein-based cake she'd conjured up, with vaguely chocolately icing. Sure'n the doc turned eleven different shades of red, especially when Kaylee made a point of kissing him in front of other folk.
That was a new development. Far as the rest of the crew knew, kissing was as much as the pair had done yet, though Kaylee was all kinds of willin' for more. Jayne had made a couple of leery comments about the nature of their relationship, and both times River had socked him hard for the trouble. Still, she looked all kinds of pleased for her brother. 'Twas a nice thing to see, the little woman as happy as all that. Her nightmare about the engine trouble notwithstanding, she had been better of late. Calmer, more like a normal person, if anybody aboard ought to be accused of such a thing. Mal liked to see it.
"You alright there, little one?" he asked when she suddenly rose from her seat.
"Too much liquid," she said bluntly, though she smiled still. "Back before you know it!"
She hurried away like a child in a game. Mal smiled and shook his head, looking to Jayne.
"That woman of yours is a wonder of a person."
"Ain't that the truth?" he agreed, taking a long drink from his glass. "Seems to me bein' aboard your boat does her good."
"Was just thinkin' the self-same thing."
"Certainly, River has a calmness about her lately," Simon agreed from his side of the table. "It pleases me to see it. I don't know..."
His words faded away then as the noise of a scuffle reached his ears. All eyes turned to see what was going down, wondering if there was some fight they could jump into, or that maybe they should avoid.
"Da shiong la se la ch'wohn tian!" Jayne cursed colourfully when he realised what was actually happening.
"Is that River?" asked Wash, eyes wide as a couple of a moons.
"I'd say so," his wife agreed, though she was as shocked as anyone to see it.
River wasn't being attacked as they maybe first reckoned. If anythin' she was the one starting a ruckus. One man after another came to take her on and she sent them almost literally flying. Jayne weren't sure whether to be all kinds of turned on or worried for the little woman's safety. Sure didn't look like she needed no help, but folks was all startin' to notice was was happening now. That couldn't be good.
Simon said something that nobody really heard, chair scraping against the floor as he scrambled to his feet. Jayne took that as a sign to move his own ass too. No way was Simon tough enough to stop his sister right now. This was a job for the both of them, no doubt.
Running into the fray, Jyane got a shock when River didn't react kindly to his grabbing her nor talking nice in her ear. She attacked him just as she had every other man that got into her path.
"C'mon, bao bei. It's me!" he told her, forcing her to meet his eyes.
Didn't do him no good. River looked right through him, never saw a gorram thing as she turned fast to deliver a kick to his abdomen. Jayne didn't go down, spun behind her and pulled her arms tight to her sides, yelling for Simon to do what had to be done. He plunged the syringe into her arm, and in a moment River was a limp doll in her husband's arms.
"Let's get outta here!" Mal yelled from the door, the crew having cleared a path for them all to take.
Jayne scooped River up and ran, Simon on his tail.
They were gone from the bar afore anyone had a chance to stop 'em, and off planet before they could be properly chased down.
"What in the gorram hell happened in there?" asked Jayne some time later.
He and Simon were the only ones in the infirmary now, save for River who slept on. None of 'em wanted to all be back here like this so soon. Only saving grace was that River hadn't bust her stitches from the Canton caper in this fight.
Somethin' weren't right and Jayne and Simon both knew it. For all that River had flipped out before, she never was this bad, and for no real reason that any of 'em could come up with.
"I wish I knew what to say," said Simon, shaking his head as he stared as his little sister. "There's so much we don't know, so much missing information, it's impossible to know where to begin. The various symptoms River exhibits are treatable in the short-term. Drugs that calm her or ease the severity of her psychotic breaks. Certainly being aboard Serenity, being with you, it all helps her to be more grounded, to be more... normal," he said when no other better word came to mind. "But none of this can fix what was done to her in that place. I'm not sure if anything ever can."
Jayne didn't much like hearing the doc talk that way. Not that he looked at River and saw someone that needed fixing exactly. He loved her, flaws and all, 'specially since most of the troubles she had weren't her fault anyhow. Sure'n he'd like for her to be happier, more in control of herself, because that was what River wanted for herownself. Seemed maybe that'd be tougher to see to than they ever thought before.
"Thought she was doin' better." Jayne sighed. "We was sayin' as much, right when..."
He slammed his fist into his open hand, frustrated more than anythin' by this whole mess. If'n Simon had no clues on how to fix the screwed up parts of River's brain and such, he hadn't an idea who could.
"She was doing better," Simon confirmed. "She is. It's almost as if... as if something in that bar triggered her. This behaviour, I know we've seen it before, but it was as if it was different, a stronger force taking her over."
"Like she was under some kind of spell or somethin'," Jayne agreed. "I got right in her face and she looked clean through me. Never seen her that far gone, not ever. Never wanna see it again," he said, shuddering some.
Simon understood exactly how he felt. It was awful to see River in such a state of mind as that, and to have to put that needle into her arm again. He had some idea what the drugs did to her, what too many shots might cause eventually, but it had to be better than the alternative. River could have been killed in that bar, or could have killed herself, something he was sure her already pained mind could never cope with. It was getting harder every day to live with the fact that he couldn't help her, that possibly no-one could. Now there was just one more question to add to an ever-growing list with no answers.
"It was my birthday," he said softly.
Jayne shook his head and looked away. Twas supposed to be a happy day, that was for sure. River had on a dress Inara had helped her make up outta one of the Companion's older pieces of fancy something. She was proud as punch to show it off in the Maidenhead and walked in on Jayne's arm like a lady going to some real fancy shindig. Shame it had to end like this.
"We'll figure it out, doc," he said eventually. "Far as I see it, ain't got no other choice."
Simon knew Jayne had a point. They could not go on like this forever. Answers had to be found, somehow. He just wished he knew exactly how.
To Be Continued...