Long Road Home – Chapter Six
All disclaimers are still valid, including the 'please don't sue' one :)
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The next morning found Jayne, River and Kaylee gathering the supplies and parts they needed for the journey home. Kaylee was looking for some hard to find items, as well, knowing it was cheaper to get them on Persephone and haul them back, since they were going anyway, than have to order them once back on Argo.
It simplified matters for her greatly that Mal had insisted on getting another Firefly, as she could buy for either ship. They also bought food to stock the pantry, including a few items of real food to celebrate their flight home.
The ship, meanwhile, had been moved to the docks, where it was being fueled and taking on water. The dock manager had assured them that the ship should be ready in no more than two days, sooner if nothing serious was wrong, and agreed to have his men look over the list of 'problems' that River and Kaylee had found.
Once the ship had it's maintenance check, and was declared space worthy by the Dock Master, they could take to the black, and head home.
Though things were going fine, Jayne couldn't shake the memory of River telling him there was a crossroads somewhere ahead. One she couldn't see. It wasn't anything he could put his hands on, exactly, but it was there, none-the-less.
Leaving the two women to window gaze, he promised to meet them at the restaurant across from the hotel for lunch, and meandered down the street to a familiar storefront. As he entered, the large man behind the counter smiled.
"Well, Jayne!" Bennet Dell smiled. "Long time no see! How's things."
"Not bad, Ben," Jayne nodded. "Yourself?"
"Oh couldn't be better, state o' things," Dell assured him.
"State o' things?" Jayne asked carefully. "Been away a spell. What kinda things?"
"Well, we done had some slaver trouble," Dell frowned. "Not here on planet as I know about, but in the black hereabouts. And o' course pirates is always a problem. Really though, it's about normal. What can I do for you, this fine day?"
Jayne wandered slowly around the shop, though he already knew what he wanted. He gave his order quietly to Dell, whose eyebrow's raised as he read it off.
"Quite a list, Jayne," Dell said. "Be a high cost, all's said," he warned. Jayne shrugged.
"Man's gotta have tools," he replied philosophically. "Do what ya can." Jayne's eye was suddenly attracted to a flash in a nearby glass case.
"What's this?" he pointed. 'This' was a very wicked looking dagger, a stiletto actually. Dell took it from the case and passed it over.
"Fine piece that is," Dell nodded in appreciation. "Hand made, with an edge ta bring tears to yer eyes, it has. Got two of 'em, almost identical. Ain't quite alike, mind, as they's hand made, but still awfully fetchin'." Jayne turned the blade carefully in his hands, admiring the skill it took to create such a thing.
"Let's see the other," he ordered, and Dell reached into a cabinet, producing the second blade. He was right, they weren't strictly alike, but close enough that it took a careful inspection to tell it. A broad grin crossed his face.
"How much?" he asked.
"For the pair?" Dell asked. "For you, one twenty platinum," Dell said when Jayne nodded. "Best I can do on them, Jayne. Hard to come by."
"I'll take'em," Jayne declared, paying for the knives and his other supplies.
"Gotta new ship, down on the docks. Firefly, Pier D 37. Have the rest delivered in say, two days? Morning time?"
"I'll see to it," Dell promised. The men shook hands, and Jayne departed. He slipped up the street again, smiling. He had two more stops to make, but they wouldn't take long.
He had a surprise for his Angel.
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While Jayne was running his 'errands', River and Kaylee kept window shopping. Neither was interested in adding to the items they had already purchased, but as Kaylee had put it;
"Ain't no harm in lookin'!" So, they looked. They had walked for most of an hour, and where nearly to the restaurant when River suddenly stiffened, he eyes going blank.
"No, no, no, NO!" she started whispering and ended up yelling. Her hands flew to her temples, and she closed her eyes, as if by not looking she would not see.
"River, honey? What is it?" Kaylee asked in alarm. Usually when River acted this way, there were only two options. She was about to have an episode, or something bad was coming.
"Worse than bad," River whispered, fighting tears. Just then an older couple walked out of the restaurant, right on top of them. They looked at the two girls casually, then abruptly did a double take.
"River?" the woman said softly. "River is that you?" River opened her eyes to see. . .
"Yes, mother," she said, sighing. "Hello, father. Fancy meeting you here, of all places."
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Kaylee was stunned. This was the last thing she could have even imagined, and from the look on River's face, the same was true for her.
"River, what are you doing here?" Gabriel Tam demanded.
"River, are you okay?" Reagan Tam asked at the same time.
"Where's Simon?" Gabriel demanded, ignoring his wife's pleas.
"Sir, please, give her a minute, okay?" Kaylee asked politely. "She's not well."
"And who are you?" the elder Tam turned on Kaylee. "And why is my daughter with you?"
"Stop it!" River shouted. "Leave her alone, she's my friend!" Both Tam's looked at their daughter in something approaching shock.
"River, I don't know how you got here, but you're coming with us," Gabriel Tam declared suddenly. "Where are your things? And where is your brother!"
"I'm not going with you, Father," River said quietly. "I have a good life, one I enjoy very much. I won't give it up so you can take me back. And Simon won't go back either. We both have a good life. Just be happy for us, and let us be."
"I'm your father, don't you dare talk to me that way!" Gabriel Tam shouted, grabbing River's arm. Kaylee half expected to see her beat the man down, but she merely recoiled in fear.
"Sir, you really hadn't oughta do that," Kaylee said quietly.
"You keep out of this, you, you. . .rim trash," he snarled in reply. He shook River's arm again.
"I asked you where your brother was!" Kaylee was about to try again, when she happened to look over Gabriel Tam's shoulder. Her face went pale at what she saw.
"Mr. Tam, you really need to let go of River. Right now," she added, taking a step back.
"You mind your own damn. . ." His tirade was cut short when an iron grip descended on his neck.
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Jayne had been almost back to the restaurant, humming happily about the small boxes in his pocket. He'd really outdone himself, he thought smugly. Now if he could just keep River from reading it, he'd have a really nice surprise for her when he. . .
He stopped short. He saw River and Kaylee just ahead, with an older couple. Suddenly the man reached out and grabbed River by the arm, and shook her.
Jayne's mind went ice cold as he stepped forward, coming up behind the man who had just grabbed and shook his Angel! Fury was boiling in him.
He reached the (dead man) just as he went to shake River's arm again, yelling at her in fury. Jayne's hands grabbed her attacker by the back of the neck and the waist of his trousers, and lifted.
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Gabriel Tam felt himself lifted from the ground as if he were nothing, and then he was being shaken violently. His mind wasn't fast enough to comprehend that everyone he met wasn't intimidated by his height, or his position.
"I tried to tell you," Kaylee said, shaking her head sadly. She went to River who had collapsed on the ground, trembling.
"Sweetie, you okay?" River was shaking so bad Kaylee was afraid she was having a seizure. She looked up and saw Jayne.
"Jayne," her voice was weak. He didn't hear. Couldn't hear through his fury.
"Jayne, stop!" she tried again. She knew he was about to kill her father, could feel it in him.
"SEAN!" she screamed, using all her strength to do so. Jayne looked at her, on the ground, and dropped her father like a stone, running to her. Behind him Gabriel Tam lay on the ground, out cold.
"Baby, you okay?" he asked softly, his rage gone in an instant.
"Take me home," she sobbed. "Please, Sean, take me home."
Jayne lifted her from the ground as gently as a feather, holding her close to him.
He looked at the woman, not knowing who she was, and snarled;
"Tell him, when he wakes up, if I ever see him touch my wife again, I'll kill him." With that he was gone, heading for the hotel. Kaylee looked at the man on the ground, then at Reagan Tam.
"I tried to tell him, Mrs. Tam," she said again, then followed her friends.
Behind them, Reagan Tam looked after them in shock.
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Once back to the hotel, Jayne carried River straight to their room. He placed her gently on the bed. As he stood, she grabbed him.
"Stay with me," she pleaded. "Don't leave me!" He sat down beside her.
"Angel, I'll never leave you," he whispered softly. "I'm right here." Kaylee walked in just then. He turned to her.
"What was that all about?" he asked quietly.
"You just met our future in-laws, Jayne," Kaylee told him softly. "Them was Simon and River's parents." Jayne's face went red.
"And him manhandlin' her like that?" he demanded hotly. Kaylee just nodded, knowing trying to calm him wouldn't do any good.
"He was wantin' to take River back, and askin' bout Simon, Jayne," Kaylee told him, and was relieved to see his face return to normal. "You got to be thinkin' straight, here Jayne, cause we may be in a heap o' trouble."
"No, we ain't," Jayne assured her. "Get your things packed, and get ready to go," he told her. "We're going to the ship. Tonight." Kaylee nodded and went to get her stuff packed. Jayne turned back to River.
"Baby, are you okay?" he asked, his hand rubbing slowly along her side.
"No," she sobbed. "So much hate, anger. Hurt me." Jayne felt like he had been kicked by a horse.
"Baby, I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I never meant to hurt you. I saw him shakin' you like that and just went. . ."
"Not you, Sean," she assured him. "My father. Hates. Anger. Cost him his son, his progeny. Cost him status by being an outlaw. Hates me for it. Wants to regain what he can by taking me back." She looked at him desperately. "Don't let him take me, Sean. Please, please don't."
Jayne lifted the girl to his chest, and she felt like a rag doll as she sobbed into his neck. He held her, rocking gently back and forth, softly reassuring her. Inside a dark corner of his mind, though, he locked the image of Gabriel Tam away, keeping it safe for another time. Another place.
There would be a Reckoning for him. Oh yes, there would be an evening of the Balance for Gabriel Tam's sins.
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As soon as River had recovered enough, the pair hurriedly packed their things. They checked out of the hotel, letting the clerks know that they were taking a transport on to Ariel, where they would be visiting several ship dealers in search of a new ship.
Having planted this false lead, they made their way carefully to the docks, and went aboard the ship. Jayne carried River to the passenger dorms, and put her to bed. After assuring her that he would be back, he checked with Kaylee.
"Give me some good news, mei mei," he told her. Kaylee had been checking on the ship's status.
"Ship's ready, Jayne," Kaylee assured him. "Tanks flushed and filled, work all done. That tippin' thing really get's results," she grinned. "Even the port inspection's been signed off on. We could leave right now, we had to," she added.
"Gotta take care o' somethin' first, though," Jayne told her. He went swiftly to his own things, and Kaylee was shocked to see him arming up.
"Jayne, don't go do nothin'. . .just don't do nothin', okay," Kaylee stammered.
"I got supplies ordered, won't be delivered til day after tomorrow. I need to go get'em. You get her ready to fly. Maybe River can get us into the black by the time I get back." Kaylee nodded, and headed for the engine room.
"Kaylee," Jayne called. She stopped and looked back.
"You lock this ship up tight, soon's I leave," he ordered, handing one of several new com units he'd purchased. "I'll call you when I get close. Don't open up for nobody, no matter what. Far as anyone knows, ain't nobody on this ship."
"Jayne, is she gonna be okay?" Kaylee asked softly.
"For his sake, she'd better be," Jayne said grimly. And then he was gone.
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For once, good fortune seemed to follow Jayne. He'd gone no more than a hundred yards when he saw a familiar figure.
"Monty," he called, and the man looked up in surprise.
"Well, howdy, Jayne," Monty grinned. "Didn't know you all was. . ."
"We ain't," Jayne cut him off. "I came here with Kaylee to pick up somethin' for Mal. I may have some trouble comin'."
"Need help?" Monty asked at once. Jayne shook his head.
"Don't think so, but I need a favor. Little problem from earlier may raise it's head in a few minutes. If'n the Feds march me down here, I'd take it as a kindness, you tell'em I work for you, 'stead o' Mal. And that I ain't been off the boat til now."
"I can do that," Monty nodded. "Most of my crew's in town anyhow."
"Thanks, Monty," Jayne nodded. "Help you sometime, hear?"
"Just tell Mal to wave me once in a while," Monty laughed.
"Will do," Jayne promised, and struck out to Dell's.
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"Back already, Jayne?" Ben looked up. "I was just finishing up that order o' yours."
"Need it now, Ben, 'stead o' later like I thought."
"Sure thing, here it all is," he pointed to several boxes and sacks. Jayne bit back a curse, having forgotten how much he'd ordered.
"You got someway to haul this to the docks for me, Ben," Jayne asked. "I'll pay ya," he added.
"Ain't no call for that," Ben shook his head. "Be there in. . .forty-five minutes good enough?"
"That'll be fine, Ben," Jayne grinned, an idea coming to mind. "That'll be just fine."
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"Where is Jayne?" Kaylee jumped at the voice. She turned to see River standing in the doorway of the engine room.
"You scared the go se outta me!" Kaylee exclaimed. "He went to get some stuff he'd planned on having delivered here 'fore we left. Turns out the big tip he slipped the Dockmaster worked pretty good. She's ready to fly right now. Jayne says soon's he gets back, and you can fly, we're gone."
"He went out alone?" River asked, alarmed.
"Well, yeah," Kaylee nodded.
"I should be with him," River told her, panic rising.
"No, sweetie, you hadn't," Kaylee said quietly. "Was you and him ta run into your pa again, I'm thinkin' it likely your pa might not survive the experience. Jayne was awful mad at how he was treatin' ya."
"I know," River said, shivering at the memory of Jayne's anger.
"Well, how 'bout you get up to the bridge, if you feel able, and get set to take us outta the world?"
"Yes," River nodded. "I will."
Kaylee watched her go, still worried over her. But the best thing now was to put space between her and her folks. With that, she turned back to her work.
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For the third time in less than an hour, Jayne found himself lucky. He had started back up the street, watching for signs that the Tams had gotten a search up for River. He paused at each alley way, making sure no one was waiting in ambush, then moved ahead.
Four alley's up from Dell's, he took a quick look into the alley, and froze.
There stood Gabriel Tam. Talking to two of the Blue Hands. And their backs were to him.
Jayne smiled ferally, and reached for his knife. Then he reached into his boot and drew another. It was time to put this problem to bed for good.
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