Kayli: Thanks, hope to keep you interested until the end!
Captain-Rogue-River: I really hope that a lot of my readers don't assume that they have to read parts they don't care for which is why I labeled it. I included it because I felt like it was an important part of their story but don't feel obligated at all. I'm glad you enjoyed what you did read! Evan is around 3 years old but is left vague since I haven't defined exact time periods. I would love to read your story just let me know!
Thanks everyone for patience! The next chapter is the last one unless I decide to put up the epilogue so I hope you stay with me!
Jayne slowly woke in the early morning and smiled as he felt his wife snuggled against his side. Taking his time, he took in the view and marveled at his luck. He moved one of her curls to behind her ear and studied her porcelain profile. Jayne has been known to be called many things but 'husband' was never one of them and it gave him a weird feeling to call himself one…but at the same time he wanted to be Cassidy's husband and in that moment, realizing he wanted to wake up like this everyday, his mind was made up.
Jayne moved his hand softly down her back with one thought in mind, but paused and was startled when he felt a small ridge forming a line down her back…and another one. Moving so as not to wake her, Jayne eased the covers off her back so he could see clearly. His mood quickly turned black.
Scars crisscrossed her back and Jayne knew the harsh jagged lines to only be formed from a whip. Not wasting a second, Jayne studied the rest of his wife's body that had been partially hidden in the dark of the night. The thin pale scars on numerous parts of her body told the rest of her story…the part that she left out…one cause of her nightmares. Only her back was scarred by a whip, but that didn't relieve Jayne for he knew the rest of the scars were only smooth because they were caused by something much sharper. Jaynes hands were shaking with fury…they had done this to her. Trying to control his rage so as not to yell Jayne quickly got up and got dressed, extremely thankful for Cassidy's deep sleep, he was through waiting around. It was time for the bastard to pay.
He walked down the corridor, used the intercom to tell Mal to hurry and get ready and armed himself while he waited. Mal didn't take long after hearing the tone in Jayne's voice, after joining him he asked, "are you sure you're up for this?"
Jayne didn't think that question deserved an answer and so he just glared at Mal and began to walk towards the exit. That in itself alarmed Mal…after yesterday he had hoped that Jayne would be in a considerably better mood today. Not delaying a second longer Mal put his gun in his holster and followed his merc.
Little did Jayne know that as he left Serenity his wife was cursing him from the room below. Cassidy woke up and was shocked to find herself alone. She went through the whole gambit of emotions but mostly: shocked, hurt, and angry. How dare he? Here she poured her heart out to him and shared everything and he didn't even have the decency to stay with her? Cassidy took a deep breath and told herself to calm down, it was Jayne after all, maybe he just didn't know that you're not supposed to treat your wife that way. Especially not after sharing your first night together, didn't he know that he was supposed to hold her tight and tell her pretty things that made no sense? Oh she knew that wasn't like Jayne…but he could have at least woken her before he left. Reclining back done on the bed Cassidy mused how loving Jayne was easy…liking him at the moment was the hard part.
Turning her head Cassidy took in Jaynes scent and blushed from her memory of last night. He was so gentle and caring and…thoroughly satisfying. She couldn't help but smile at that thought, she couldn't remember when she had last felt so clean and…not linked to the ugliness of her past. She had never been with a man before they had raped her, and sometimes that thought hurt more than the memory of the actual action. Before last night she never knew it could be that way and she felt confident in assuming that her nightmares would now be replaced with much better night-images. She found happiness in knowing that here, with her son and husband, was where she could finally heal.
Lord she felt well loved. That thought stopped her…she knew she loved Jayne but she could only hope that he felt the same. He cared for her sure, but love? Should she even hope for such a thing? Deciding to take her victories one at a time Cassidy got up to get dressed and make breakfast for Evan knowing, with confidence, that the rest of the crew would never let Jayne go off and do something stupid…not after he was just beginning to heal.
Mal was thinking much the same thing at the moment but while he might ponder his own sanity he never questioned how Jayne always knew where they were going or how to get answers. He knew Jayne had a past and Mal used those skills of Jayne's to his advantage…but still, at moments like that, when Mal saw the dingy bar come into view Mal had to wonder. Just what was Jayne tracking that led them to that place?
Jayne knew that the person he was hunting wasn't one to disappear into the mist, someone here would have to know something, heard anything. The second he barged into the building he spoke loud and clear, "I'm looking for a man who led the Divine Right and anyone else who calls themselves part of that group." Jayne scanned his audience as he spoke and found his target almost instantly…a man trying to disappear into the back.
Jayne nodded at Mal to cover the door and his back as he pushed forward throwing chairs and tables out of his way. It only took a second for him to intercept the man before he got to an exit. He reached over and grabbed his shoulder turning him to face him, "seems like you're in a hurry to leave little man." Jayne didn't have to work to be intimidating but the rage was still flowing hot and he wanted to beat the first person who gave him reason to and it showed.
Everyone could tell that the man was terrified, he threw his hands in the air as a gesture of surrender but Jayne wanted answers not gestures. Grabbing the man by the front of his shirt he lifted him up and shoved him into the wall behind him, "I have creative ways of making you talk," he growled at him.
The small mans eyes grew wide and he began to stutter, "I ddon't know anything." Jayne could tell just from looking at him that he wasn't involved in any of the real dirty work, he was too timid and scared out of his mind. He used that to his advantage.
"You're actions are telling," Jayne said as he eased his grip just a tiny bit to give the man room to breath, "I can either make you pay for the lives he's destroyed or you can point me in the right direction." When the man hesitated Jayne lost his tiny bit of control. "Where did he go?!" Jayne punctuated each word with a fierce shake, he wasn't going to lose the trail now…he was too close.
"I dunno," the man finally blurted out, "came in drunk out of his wits, we try not to cause trouble," the man offered as some kind of excuse while he tried to remember the incident earlier that day, "said something about finding out about a firefly." He was happy to be able to offer that much information at least but his mood quickly turned when he saw the expression that came over his captives face.
Jayne suddenly found himself to be the terrified one as he completely lost his grip and the man fell to the floor. "Mal!" he yelled as he turned and began to run. Mal saw his expression and knew it was bad, without a word he fell into stride beside him and they ran as fast as they could back to Serenity while Jayne told him what he found out.
"We left the whole gorram crew with them Jayne, he won't be able to do anything." Mal was trying to be reassuring but he knew he was failing for the simple reason that he didn't know this man the way Jayne and his family did.
Jayne heard the words but he didn't take time to pause for hope. He didn't feel the pain in his chest or even his boots hitting the ground, all he knew was that nothing, and he meant nothing, was going to stop him now. He lost Cassidy and Evan once and there was no way in hell he was going to lose them again. As he saw her imagine in his mind he found new energy…he couldn't lose her and that thought alone was what made him admit to himself the one thing that he had been pushing to the back of his mind. That despite every excuse he had come up with and every failure on his part…he loved her. Finally acknowledging that renewed his purpose and he found strength to sprint ahead, he focused on how he would tell her to keep his mind off of the ugly possibility that he might not get the chance to.
Cassidy had settled Evan at the table in the kitchen and left to find Kaylee who had wanted to eat with them. Wash explained that she left to do some close foraging and was in hearing range so she went to go call for her. Cassidy said good morning to all the crew she passed trying not to notice certain missing members and walked alone to unlock the airlock. She took one step around the corner and quite literally ran into the man of her nightmares. He gripped her shoulders until they ached while Cassidy's mind raced…all she had to do was make a single loud noise and the crew would hear…but so would Evan and, since he was the closest, he would get there first. She would die before letting him get to the door behind her and to Evan. Unable to think fast enough she saw him grin: he had her.