"Don't forget, Jayne. Some stories are fiction."
Jayne woke startled and sweaty.
Gorram dream. Been hauntin' him near 2 years.
Now that he thought of it, tomorrow would be two years to the day that Moony done said those words to him. Two years that, for sure, he woulda called "fiction" with all that done changed.
Some stories are fiction. More he thought on it, the more he put her words together with his reality. Made a man wonder if he were livin' a fiction or if what he heard 'bout her life weren't true. Maybe she meant that the kiss didn't mean nothin'. Hell, coulda' been that she'd just tellin' him to educate himself with more book learning. Then there was the best answer; that the girl was plum crazy in the brainpan and it didn't mean nothin' at all.
'Bout a year ago, he asked Simon (all sneaky like, of course) what he thought she meant and even Mr. Top Who-Gives-A-Shit Percent couldn't figure it out. Since then, Jayne gave up the hope that her words would ever make sense. Course that didn't stop his own brainpan from turnin' it over and over, even when he was asleep.
"Damn, Moony," he whispered while rubbing his face. He weren't goin' to fall back asleep and he knew it. He knew where he'd eventually wake up in the morning and pushed himself up to get with the going. No sense in fighting it. Been doing the same drill at least once a week for two long years. Fifty-two times two…five plus five…eh, whatever that figured to be.
He threw on a shirt and boots and headed to the only place that made one lick a' sense on nights like these. The girl's bunk.
MEANWHILE ON OSIRIS
Some nights were harder than others. Sometimes the fictions became too intertwined with reality. Some strings got pulled too taut. Other strings got too thin. Tonight was one of those nights.
River sat in her plush bed, focusing on the thin strings winding slowly around the axis of her finger. One hair, two hair, round and round. One hair, her hair, twirling in the black. No. Not the black. Not in peace. The story, the lies, the ties that bind. Binding, binding, bound. Bound to be right. Bound to go home. One hair, two hair…
The chirp of an incoming wave snapped her back to her bed. She reached over and instantly smiled at the face on the screen.
"Kaylee! I've missed you! How are you? How is Simon? And Mal? Tell me everything!"
Kaylee's laughter pierced the quiet of the bedroom, bringing with it echoes of the life she left behind on Serenity.
"Hey, Riv! We all been missin' you somethin' fierce but I reckon you knew that already. I done tell ya' the same thing every time! How was the party? I've been dying to hear!"
River smiled at her sister-in-law. Kaylee had been her primary point of contact with Serenity for over a year, ever since her and Simon had first become engaged.
(Of course, that had been one of her first script re-writes, as she referred to them. She tackled that one soon after her departure. It was simple really. She "reminded" her father of his traditional and legal duty to bestow the Tam family fortune to its male heir by the time of the heir's 25th birthday. Of course, the family fortune included their grandmother's diamond ring, which now sat prettily on Kaylee's left hand.)
"Oh, that. It was fine. Real fancy, I guess," River shrugged. "It served its purpose."
Kaylee looked mildly disappointed at the lack of details or enthusiasm but recovered quickly. "Any cute boys there, Riv?"
River flashed her signature snear and was rewarded with a sisterly giggle.
"Ain't suppose you were even lookin', huh?"
Kaylee seemed to look around a bit, cautious of who might be around to overhear.
"He still ain't sleeping good," she whispered. "I know you said it wouldn't do no good but I still think you ought to talk to him. Jayne's missin' ya' more than most."
River frowned at the news. She had long regretted her final good-bye scene with Jayne. Not for herself, but for him. She had miscalculated how confounded he'd be by her departure. She predicted he'd be momentarily perturbed, then confused, then settle into acceptance of her absence. She had no idea his confusion would last nearly two years.
"Kaylee, we've talked about this," River tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. One hair, two hair, ties that bind, a voice whispered. "I don't think me talking to him is a good idea but perhaps you could give him a message from me?"
Kaylee perked up immediately at the prospect. "Sure, sure. I'll tell him first thing, in private, of course."
River hadn't planned this. It was an improvisation to be sure but she couldn't River stomach the thought of someone on Serenity in pain, especially pain that she herself had caused. She needed something concise but meaningful…and encouraging. Riddles and half-truths would only confuse and frustrate Jayne further.
"River? The message?"
"Oh, right," River stammered. "Tell him this…exactly this. 'Next time I see you, Man With a Girl's Name, don't walk away.'"
Kaylee giggled a nervous laugh. "Are you sure? You know he hates it when you say that."
River smiled, knowing it sounded silly. Kaylee didn't realize that it had become a pet name of sort. She didn't understand. None of them did.
"Just tell him," River assured her friend. "I should probably get some sleep. Can I wave you next week?"
"Sure, we can talk more about the wedding. Mal's 'bout wound himself tight as a top, way he's spinning 'round making all the arrangements his own self!"
River laughed at the visual that created. Mal and Inara's engagement pleased her to no end and looked forward to any news of the upcoming nuptials. Apparently, Inara was happy to allow Mal to plan the details, as long as he promised not to get shot in return.
"I look forward to it. Thanks for calling, Kaylee. Tell everyone I say hello."
Kaylee made her usual cheery farewells and the room dropped back into silence.
The message to Jayne was a new string with an end and happy endings were in progress. She needed a bit more time.
Absently, her fingers found their way into her hair again.
One hair, two hair, round and round.
