Long Road Home – Chapter Nine
And here again I remind all and sundry that I own no rights of any kind to Firefly, and write only for the joy of writing, and the entertainment of others. :)
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An hour into the black, the new ship was doing well, and River engaged the auto pilot. She immediately crossed to where Jayne reclined in the co-pilot's chair, and crawled into his lap. The big man had taken the time to shower, and change out of his bloody clothes.
"Well, we are on our way, Zhang fu. The long road home."
"That we are, baby girl," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "Feels good to be able to say that."
"Hm mm," she sighed. "It does." She lay in his arms for a while, letting the silence envelop them. Finally she had to know.
"What happened?" she asked simply. He knew what she meant.
"Well, I happened across your pa, talkin' to two o' them Blue Handed freaks," he said quietly. "Listened in on 'em long enough to know he meant you no good. Then, well, I um. . .thing is I didn't see any way to get us clear except. . ." he finally trailed off. She looked up at him, eyes shining.
"You killed the Blue Hands," she said for him.
"Yes, I did," he nodded. "Killed them both, right in front of your old man, baby. Scared the daylights out of him."
"Scared more than that out of him," she snickered, and Jayne had to laugh.
"Yeah, well, me and him had us a sorta talk, brief like," Jayne told her. "And I sorta punched him. A little. Maybe." Jayne was looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Wanted to do more than that," she said, smiling.
"Yes, I did," he admitted.
"Why didn't you?"
"'Fraid you'd be upset," he told her bluntly. "That's the only reason he's still livin' right now, is cause I won't never do anything might hurt you, Angel. Wasn't for that, your ma'd be makin' his arrangements about now."
"So you fought against your nature, your instinct, in order to avoid hurting me?" River asked, wanting to make sure she understood.
"Well, I hadn't thought it out that far, but yeah, I guess that's what happened."
"Love you very much, Sean Michael Ironhorse," River sighed against his chest, using his full real name. "More than words can say."
"I love you too, baby," he hugged her to him. "I ain't got the words, sometimes, to tell you how much. Sometimes all I can do is show you." She raised her head and kissed him.
"Doing a very, very, good job, Zhang fu," she told him with a smile. Suddenly he raised up, and moved her around to sit on one leg.
"About that," he said, reaching into his pocket. "I. . .I been thinking on something for a while now, River." He pulled a small box from his pocket, and River felt her heart swell. He eased her off his knee, and knelt before her, opening the box.
Inside was a small ring, with a rather large stone on it. Not a diamond, she noted, but an emerald, her favorite stone of all. She gasped as she looked at it.
"I feel like we're already joined, River," Jayne told her plainly. "But I want people to know it, and I want it permanent like. I want it more than anything else in the 'verse, save to have you by my side forever." He captured her eyes with his.
"Will you marry me, River Tam?"
A muffled squeal from behind him told Jayne that Kaylee was there, and had heard him. River didn't seem to notice. She looked at him longingly, for so long that Jayne began to worry. Was she gonna tell him no? After all this?
River searched his heart, his mind, his soul, reaching out with her mind. She felt only his love, his devotion, for her. He wasn't fooled, he wasn't blind. He knew what he was asking, what he was getting in her, and didn't want it any other way. He loved her with all he had.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, Sean, I will marry you. Have and hold you, until the day we breathe no more. There will never be another for me." With that she fell into his arms, for once crying tears of joy rather than tears of pain. They had come full circle from that night nearly a year ago.
"Had me worried there for a minute, baby girl," Jayne sighed in relief. She laughed into his broad shoulder.
"Never have to worry, my love," she promised him. "Always yours, forever and ever." He slipped the ring on her finger, happy that he had managed to get the size just right.
"My ai ren knows me well," River giggled, and embraced him again.
"Oh, this is so wonderful," Kaylee could contain herself no longer. "I just knew this would happen!" She ran forward to hug River warmly, then turned to Jayne.
"I knew you had it in ya, ya big lug," she smiled, and kissed his cheek. "I'm gonna bake us a cake! We gotta celebrate!" she said, running back down the passageway to the galley.
Jayne gathered River in his arms, and sat back into the seat. River cuddled atop him, basking in the glow of acceptance, love, and devotion that flowed between them. She had been truthful with her father. She had a good life. One she'd never willingly give up.
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"Mister Tam, I understand you're upset," the local lawman said, looking at him. "But the fact is, you were discovered in an alley way with two dead bodies. Their blood on you. Now, with respect to your position, I still need to know how you came to be there. And, seeing as how, according to every data base I have access to, those two men don't exist, I'd really like to know who they are."
"I've already told you, officer," Gabriel Tam replied. "They were trying to rob me, and someone stopped them. I don't know who he was, I'm afraid. I didn't get a good look at him either. I had already been struck a rather heavy blow to the head, and lost consciousness."
"Mister Tam," the lawman said patiently. "I've seen a lot of things in my job over the years. That area near the docks ain't exactly an area that calls out to someone of your stature. And there are no good Samaritans in that area. So I'm sure you understand when I say I'm finding your story a little hard to explain."
"Just like I'm finding it hard to explain two dead men who don't exist, both with their throats torn out, and their bodies carved up better'n most butchers could manage. Interesting word choice, on that carving, by the way," he added, throwing down several pictures.
Gabriel Tam looked at the photos of the crime scene, and blanched. He hadn't seen the bodies, as they had been covered up when the paramedics had managed to bring him around.
The lawman hadn't been exaggerating. The two former Blue Sun agents had been dissected as well as any surgeon could have managed. Except for their chest area, where two cryptic messages had been. . .carved.
Never try again, was spelled out crudely on one, while the other proclaimed, she isn't yours. He gulped. There was no doubt in his still petrified mind that the very large and intimidating man who claimed to be his daughter's husband had done this. It didn't appear that he was intimidated at all by the Blue Gloved ones.
"Dear God," he managed to mumble. The lawman watched him closely. He'd been an investigator for a number of years, and was good at his job. As he noted Gabriel Tam's reaction to the dead men, and their condition, he reached the conclusion that Tam had nothing to do with their demise. He was still lying about who they were, and possibly about who killed them, though he doubted that.
But he hadn't known this. Which meant he still had a killer on the loose.
Or maybe not, he decided. Ships came and went dozens of times a day. Whoever had done this could have been aboard any of the vessels outbound between the time of the killings and the discovery of the bodies, which was about three hours, according to the coroner.
"Mister Tam," the lawman finally took the pictures back. "You're free to go, for now. I'd appreciate it if you stayed on planet for the next couple of days, while I conduct my investigation. I'm sure you understand the need for a thorough and detailed examination of what happened."
"Certainly," he nodded. He rose, and allowed the officer at the door to show him out.
As he made his way back to his hotel, Gabriel Tam reached a decision. Blue Sun could keep looking for River if they wished. But he was through. He never wanted to meet his unknown son-in-law again. Ever.
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In the local coroner's office, two men in blue suits were examining the bodies of their late comrades. They felt no sadness, no remorse, for their loss. Rather they sought clues as to what and who had caused their demise.
"Excellent work," one nodded in approval. "Familiar looking, perhaps?"
"You refer to the war, I suspect," the other nodded. "Yes, the similarities are quite remarkable. Doubtful that it is the same."
"Both auricles missing from the victims, precision knife work, identification trophies taken. This is the work of the same man."
"Unlikely," the second demurred. "His work has not been seen in some time. Years in fact. It is more likely to be the work of someone trained in the same way. Note the messages left for us." He indicated the carved areas of the two victim's chests.
"It seems that her protector knows of us," the first noted. "He has strength and skill. Shows no fear of us. Likely to be difficult to apprehend. Also, both subject's whereabouts remain unknown. As does the location of the sibling who effected her escape."
"The father will know nothing of value," the second observed.
"He has served his purpose then?" the first inquired. "You suggest termination?"
"No," the second answered after careful thought. "He may yet be useful. We should not rush to dispose of possible resources. We should maintain our surveillance of him, and the mother. Possible leads could develop."
"And these?" the first indicated their fallen comrades.
"There must be no trace," the second nodded, reaching into his pocket. "None at all."
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The investigator looked at the flames licking from the police station, his face creased in thought. He didn't believe in coincidences. Never had.
"Excuse me, officer?" He turned to see two men, both dressed entirely in blue, right down to matching gloves. They looked oddly like. . .
"Could we have a word with you?" the larger one asked. "We have some information we'd like to share with you."
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When the investigator who had been working on the case involving Gabriel Tam didn't turn up after a week, the judiciary released him to leave the planet. There was no evidence to hold him on, as the bodies, case notes, photos, everything involved in the case in fact, had been destroyed. With no case, there was no need for witnesses.
He and his wife were on the first ship off planet they could book passage on. Gabriel Tam never even looked back.
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Well into the black, Jayne entered the cargo bay, and stood listening. River and Kaylee were both asleep. He made his way to the front of the bay, where the dumping lock sat. He opened the panel, and removed a small sack from his bag. Inside were two sets of ears, and two pairs of blue gloved hands.
He eased the sack into the lock, the closed it back. He rose, and went to the control panel, cycling the lock, venting it's contents into space. Satisfied, he sat down on a crate and thought about the day's events.
Jayne knew he was a savage at heart, and likely always would be. He tended to see things in very clear lines. Friends and family were to be protected at all costs. Enemies were to be destroyed with the same passion. There was no such thing as compromise, middle ground, so far as he was concerned.
But River was like a balm to his soul. He had wanted to kill Gabriel Tam. Wanted it in a way that he'd rarely wanted anything of that sort. But he had not, because of her. He had resisted that urge, that instinct, because of her presence. He didn't know how she did it, or really care. It was enough for him that she loved him.
The Blue Hands were another matter. For them he would never hold back. If they took his message to heart, fine. So much the better. He and River could live in peace.
If they didn't? Well, if they didn't, he'd proven they weren't beyond his reach. They might be above the Alliance Law, but they were not above his.
No one was above the Law of the Knife.
Jayne stood once more, and made his way back to the bridge. His watch was only half over.