So sorry for the long delay but I will be much better now since I made some more progress, this story will be completed so I won't leave it hanging. Also, this is a bit more up a rating, I know for sure that it will go up a rating soon but I didn't want to change it for this chapter just a lemon that will be clearly identified in case people want to avoid it.
The details of the plan were left vague for Cassidy's sake, they didn't want to make the situation seem bad—which it was. All she had to know was her part in it all. She would get Jayne inside where he could do the most damage while the rest of them would work from the outside. They get Jayne as long as she can see that Evan is safe. Once he is in reach the attack begins and her job ends with getting Evan to safety as soon as possible. Wash would arrive with Serenity long enough to haul them all out but short enough to not become a target.
The simplicity almost made the plan seem impossible but the confidence the crew eluded convinced Cassidy that it might work. It had to work, Evan needed to grow up like a normal boy, needed to leave behind the legacy of blood from his family…and they all needed to start over again. She didn't care how or when but they would, and she would die to make sure that Evan was never hurt again.
Mal ordered the crew to get some sleep. Of course he didn't explain that he, Jayne, and Zoe would rotate watch to make sure that no one followed them from their fight to the ship. Jayne knew that if Cassidy had any idea about what was being kept from her there would be blood, but captains orders.
It was an amazing thought but Cassidy went to sleep optimistic, if only she had known that her dreams wouldn't be on her side…
She heard the pounding on the front door and rolled over in her sleep, she had always been an impossibly deep sleeper so she was just about to drift off unconcerned when the first scream tore through the haze of sleep. She ran to her bedroom door and opened it just in time to see the blood spilled across the floor and the sound of her mother struggling before she was grabbed from behind. The hand over her mouth pulled her beyond panic to the point where she didn't even recognize her brother's voice at first, "Cassidy! Gorram it Cass it's me" he whispered as she continued to struggle.
She turned in his arms finally comprehending but not understanding why he wasn't trying to help their family. He didn't let up which was a good thing since she probably would have betrayed them both if he had by letting go of the scream right below the surface. He guided her to the window while giving her rushed instructions, "Cassidy go to Jayne, he's staying at the river cabin, he has Evan. You have to protect him Cass. Go get Jayne, send him here. Go, go now!" He yelled as he pushed her into the darkness and rushed back into the house pulling out his gun.
She didn't want to leave him but knew that they needed help and Jayne was the strongest person she knew besides her brother so she did the only thing she could do, she ran and called herself a coward. She saw shadows as she ran and noticed men surrounding her house, they surrounded her not letting her through. One man in particular rode forward and his face she hurt to recognize. Those black sunken eyes, the hair pulled into a thin greasy ponytail across his shoulder and the smile that oozed charm that anyone would believe. Anyone but her—she knew better, she was looking at the devil and she forgot to breathe. His men had her hands behind her back in a second, but when he dismounted and walked towards her she still managed to spit in his face. She felt her teeth crunch as he backhanded her and gave instructions to his men. While they held her down she screamed and fought, but it was never any use. She felt him touch her and wished to god they would skin her alive so she wouldn't have to feel that touch. When he moved above her she closed her eyes and tried to pretend to be elsewhere but then she felt her clothes being pushed aside and he ripped through her and she knew there was no pretending. As he moved above her she bit the inside of her mouth to focus on a different pain but the blood that caused just drew attention to her mouth…She was in hell. They beat her and toyed with her letting her believe that she might have a chance and through her blood-stained vision she saw a horse drag two bodies next to her. A man and baby she recognized instantly. Her scream of despair woke her up.
Cassidy jerked awake completely forgetting where she was. She stared at the wall lost for a moment before comprehending that it was just a dream. She hadn't seen Jayne and Evan dragged dead beside her. It was one of her nightmares evolved over time. Now, two separate true events were woven together to represent a continuous stream when in fact they were separated by years and there was a new ending which terrified her. Vividly she remembered seeing the blood on her families walls and hearing Bryant order her to find Jayne while he went on to fight alone. Later, she knew that he sent her on a hopeless task—there was no way that Jayne could have gotten there in time and Bryant knew that. He found out late that the Divine Right had grown bold and were going directly after his family and sprinted home, he got who he could out but only Cassidy survived. Somehow she slipped through the veritable barricade around the house and made it through the pitch black forest and to the Cobbs. Jayne of course reacted instantly but the damage had been done and the sights and sounds would haunt Cassidy forever apparently.
Then of course, just when she thought that life was becoming normal again, when she thought that she might have a chance of happiness she took her eyes off of Evan for a second and when she turned around he was being held by the same type of monster that destroyed her first family. The son in fact of Marcus Crater a man who was killed by her brother and Jayne and he wanted what he thought was due him, the fortune of Evans inheritance and her. His thought was that Jayne would come when they were ready for him…or needed him which was sooner than they thought. Now here she was essentially doing what they wanted and that thought always chilled her to the bone.
Cassidy realized she was still shaking when she tried to get a drink of water and it sloshed down the front of her. She thought about taking a shower but knew that she would just scrape her skin raw from trying to wash the memories away and it never helped anyways. Why couldn't she dream of her happy memories? She closed her eyes trying to think but that devils face flashed in the darkness and she knew she would get no sleep tonight…unless. Taking a deep breath Cassidy admitted that she would probably only get sleep if she acted like a five year old and leaned on protection offered by a certain mans reassurance, a man who could scare the dreams away. The one living person who knew almost as much as her about the events that shaped her nightmares.
Without thinking she left her room and walked to Jaynes door, she didn't knock but climbed right down. Jayne was awake the second his door opened. He had just finished his watch and had just drifted to sleep when he heard the door open. Watching silently he saw Cassidy climb down the ladder and hesitate at the bottom. Pretending to still be asleep he waited to see what she would do.
"Jayne?" God Cassidy you never should have come, you're acting like a baby she thought.
The tremble in her voice betrayed her and he sat up, "what's wrong Cass?"
"How did Marcus Crater die?" She could read his confused face even through the darkness, "I need to know that it wasn't an easy death and I need to know that there's one man I never have to worry about coming back." She slowly advanced into the room so that she could see his face when he answered; she needed to see that he understood.
"Bryant told you he's dead, don't you believe him?"
"Bryants dead and I never would have believed that was possible but Marcus's relations killed him and now I need your confirmation."
"Marcus got what was coming for him Cassidy and his son will too, there's no way both will ever come back to hurt you again." When she got close enough he saw how white her hands were from her grip, "They can't hurt you anymore Cass I won't let them," then an even scarier thought occurred to him, "you do know that I'll protect you right…that this time I won't get it wrong?"
"Of course Jayne, I never doubted that."
"Then why are you scared?"
"You can't protect me in my dreams, but there they can still haunt me." As she admitted what she considered to be a weakness tears started to stream down her cheeks, too late she tried to wipe them away but she couldn't control herself. Jayne hated more than anything that these memories had the ability to make her cry, nothing used to be able to but here she was for the second time in a matter of days and he was just as lost as before. He might not be able to stop her nightmares but he could try.
"Well I've been known to scare away some monsters in my day with Evan and some sisters maybe I'll be just as effective with you." He knew she didn't understand what he was saying by her expression and continued, "come on Cass lets go to sleep." He said it as he pulled open the blankets for her to climb in. She was incredibly touched by the gesture and remembered how she would sometimes see Evan snuggled up against Jayne after he had had a nightmare. Unsure about what to do since sleeping with her husband was definitely not something she imagined happening when she debated going to his room. Now that he mentioned it though, it was unbelievably appealing to her.
Not wanting to ruin his sleep while at the same time wanting to take him up on his offer she made up a simple excuse. "You take up the whole bed," which was true.
"You'll take up barely any of it," which was also true.
Her heart made the decision before her mind could talk her out of it and was in the middle of climbing in when Jayne interrupted her, "uh huh, you get the side against the wall Cass."
"Why?"
He didn't feel like explaining that it was in case anyone ever breached Serenity again that they would have to get through him before getting to her, "because I broke in this side already!" He snapped.
Carefully laying down she positioned herself more and more against the wall until she felt a sharp jab in her back and yelped. Turning around she pulled away the curtain that she thought was purely decorative but then discovered his arsenal hidden behind it. "What is this Jayne?" She asked, astonished.
"That's where my favorites go," he said like she should have known.
It didn't take long to notice how Cassidy was trying to push herself into the wall. Jayne knew he took up a lot of space but that wasn't the point, it couldn't have been comfortable with all his guns stabbing her in the back. Without another thought, he laid down, found a comfortable position, threw his arm around Cassidy and hauled her up against him. He knew he was causing all sorts of trouble for himself but he didn't care, damn she smelled good. How in the middle of all this mess did she still manage to smell like vanilla? He smiled in the darkness when he felt her stiffness relax away and she even inched closer to him and tucked her head under his chin.
Cassidy thought that she never felt more comfortable in her life. His smell alone comforted her. It was so familiar, he smelled like the little forest by their home where she used to wander and where, on the other side, he lived. His smell was utterly Jayne. She was addicted to the feeling and tried to move more into his embrace. Feeling his arms tighten around her she rested her head on his arm and an alarming thought came to mind: she wanted to stay like this forever. She knew she couldn't, she didn't have the right. That was such a sad thought that she began to sing a lullaby in her head to distract herself enough to fall asleep.
Meanwhile, Jayne was reciting all the names of all the guns in his collection and their specifics to keep his mind off of how well his wife fit against him. Needless to say sleep was a welcome distraction for both of them.