Chapter 7

AN-Thank you to everyone who reviews and adds the story to their alerts and such! And an extra big shout out to RionaEire who gives the greatest feedback and has a brilliant mind! Soon, my friend, soon!

Virgin? My wifeis a VIRGIN?!

Was. Was a. And I…

Oh God. Da xiang bao zha shi de la du zi. How the hell did I get myself into this mess? How'm I supposed to handle this one?!

Jayne was in full panic mode. The girls had gone along before him, weavin' just a little. But now he was alone and he thanked all that was holy for it. He had a desperate need to think. And damnit, he didn't so much like thinkin'. Jayne was a man of action! Not a man o'…snivelin' alone in hiding somewhere.

What should he do though? For all that he'd kill a man for nothin', Jayne wasn't all bad. He had…some sense of right an' wrong. Right?

I mean, I picked this girl up, an' married her. And I took her as mine own. …Shit! Not even just that I rutted with her! I…deflowered her! And she's countin' on me to protect 'er. Sooo… so I should…do right by 'er. Right. Shit! What the hell am I thinkin'?!

He'd made it down to his regular workout spot and sat down heavily on his old padded bench. He dropped his head in his hands and let out an explosive sigh.

There was no denyin' he wanted the girl. He'd never really wanted a wife…' least, not yet. But, if he had to have one…? Well, he'd never really wanted a virgin. He'd prefer a Hu li jing who knew what she was doin' and what she wanted. An' it'd be nice if she were from a world like his. Could cook for him, and bandage up his bullet wounds.

But maybe…maybe as a husband, it was his duty to teach her about…ruttin'. He frowned to himself. And maybe he was supposed to help her find what she liked. Maybe it was his job not only to keep her safe, but to show her the 'verse. An' maybe, hell, maybe he should cook for her. She was a tiny little thing. Maybe her growth was stunted 'cause those damn rich core-folk didn't want to risk her fattenin' up. And, far as he could remember, she didn't run from a fight. When that Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi Niska's men had come for her...

Well of course they'd run at first. No sense getting' in a fight if'n there was more fun to be had elsewheres. But when they'd been cornered just outside her hotel, and he'd pushed her behind him to take care of the weak tenderfoots Niska thought were killers…Well, she hadn't run then when she could've gone up the stairs and barricaded herself, or called the patrol. No, she stayed by his side, even took a long, thin knife from her boot in case she had to fight herself.

So maybe…just maybe, she'd be a good wife for him.

But that wasn't of no importance. Even if he could drag her down int' his world…he wouldn't make a good husband. And shit, what if she got pregnant?! He couldn't be a father! Didn't know the first thing about runts! The only experience he had was with Matty, and he'd left home before Matty was even born…No, Madisyn needed someone…well, she needed someone strong to protect her now, and someone smart enough and old enough to teach her 'bout the 'verse…but…later…later she'd need someone who she could take out to stupid fancy society…things. And someone who could help her with their children.

Ta ma de! The idea of someone else havin' babes with her-! Just the thought an' Jayne felt ready to kill something.

Ok, sooo maybe we'll not think on that. Yeah, she won't be havin' no kids with nobody. She won't be layin' with any man. She'll…hell maybe the Shepherd can hook 'er up with a place at that abbey…

But even as he thought it, he felt bad. Madi deserved to have a strong, loving man keep her bed warm. She was too beautiful and funny not to have children. She needed to pass that on. The 'verse'd be a sad place without her life an' light in it.

Shit, Jayne sighed again and prepared to stand. Soon lunch'd be done and Mal'd make everyone go out huntin' for him if'n he didn't show. You're not gettin' nowhere, Jayne. Best admit you're humped.

Jayne thought through the souls on the boat, real quick like. Who could help him the most? 'Nara knew the most 'bout relationships and such. Shepherd could probably help him get his head straight too.

Ugh! he shuddered. Maybe not the Shepherd.

………….

"You know," Madi raised her voice to be heard over the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen, from her place at the table "I have a feeling that I'm either going to be a drunk with a perma-hangover for the rest of my life," she spoke in a conversational manner before groaning and letting her head fall on her folded arms and groaning "or I'm never gonna drink again!"

"Now, that's something I like to hear!" Shepherd book came into the Mess just as the last part came out.

"Heya Shepherd!" Kaylee smiled.

"Shepherd Book." Inara blushed but nodded politely.

"Preacher man." River joined in as she stepped over the threshold on the other side of the room.

"Good afternoon, ladies." Book smiled and nodded and clearly pushed the image of most of the women present, drunk and disheveled out of his mind as he sat down next to the slumped figure that was Madisyn Cobb.

"How're you feeling my dear?" His voice was warm and soft. But he had that annoying tone of someone talking to a sick child who doesn't know anything.

Madi grunted in reply as the Mess started to fill; Simon and Zoe coming in from the back followed closely by Jayne, Wash and Mal from the front.

The grunt was rather loud. Book looked taken aback, Wash laughed and Zoe's mouth raised up at the corner. Simon looked confused. Jayne scanned the room quickly and Mal looked from his muscle to his newest passenger.

"Huh." He paused for a moment before striding forward, presumably to get a drink. "Guess she's more like you than first thought."

…….

Lunch was hell for Madi. Everyone was talking so loudly. And banging the dishes about. Plus there was no way in all the 'verse she would eat any time soon.

"Could the beans be passed?" River's voice was soft and floated dreamily over Madi.

"Yeah. Sure." Madi tried not to grunt again (or vomit) as she picked up the pot and put it down again in front of her old friend.

"Ge Simon says that beans are good. But he also says gas is good. I just like the taste. But not when Jayne burns them." She gave a fierce frown. The kind only a kid could pull out.

Everyone looked kind of confused for a minute, but the crew looked pretty used to it.

"Oh!" Simon looked like a light bulb went off in his head. "Do you mean the time back on Persephone, River?"

The girl gave a quick nod while spooning beans onto her plate. After the fourth heaping scoop, Simon had to intervene.

"Well, if Mal hadn't come in followed by half a dozen armed mercs, then I could'a been at the stove to stir 'em. 'Sides, normally I'm not that bad." Jayne defended (and was actually backed up by a few crew members; Wash even exclaimed over something he'd created in the past) but he tried hard not to look at Madi while she had her eyes on him. Of course, she kept noticing him looking away every time she looked at him.

She wanted to scream but was pretty sure her head would actually explode if she did. This is not shaping up well Madisyn Mor…Cobb. Ugh. And why does he keep looking at me!! He's such a child!

Oh, you know you're being just as big a child as is he Madi.

Shut up! Am not!

See?

Bi Zui! I'm not a child! He is! And it's his fault if he's all….Ching soh, Huai dan…-y. He's the one that pulled me out of my quiet little…existence… her anger started to fade. Here she was in the middle of space, safe at last but with a sense of adventure to keep her occupied. It wasn't really his fault if he revved her up so badly. And it's not his fault if he doesn't like you. She wanted to cry. Maybe…just avoid him. Giving up isn't so bad. Just forget him.

Besides, she tried to bolster herself, you don't really want him, you just want…a warm body…someone to look out for you and…pick you up when you start to trip and hold you in his strong arms… broken memories from the night they met swam through her mind's eyes. Someone to make you smile when they make goofy faces over their drinks…someone who won't mind terribly when you beat the hell out of them at cards…someone who'll sooth you when you panic…someone who'll smile down on you when he lays you down…who'll put his forehead to yours and tell you how much you mean to him when he….no, not Jayne…definitely not him. Just…someone…incredibly like him.

Damn.

………

Madi managed to duck out of the Mess after lunch without the Shepherd coming up to her again. It seemed that while Kaylee was on cooking duty, Jayne and Book were dishes for the week. I wonder if I'll get assigned a job? She mused idly while scurrying down to her cabin.

Once there she started up the little screen that connected her to the cortex and began sorting out which planets Serenity was flying past. Where would be the best place to set down? Not too controlled by Alliance, but far enough from the border planets that Niska could easily control.

Nothing looked too good anymore. Beaumonde had been good. Not too big, but certainly not too little either. Enough Alliance influence to keep the big dogs quiet but working. She could cheat there if she had to, and run when need be, while still staying planet-side. And Niska had a harder time getting to her there. Or at least he had. Now his men lay dead and broken on her doorstep, but she remembered a couple still breathing and at least one running. Niska probably knew exactly who she was with now.

And while Jayne had said he would take care of her and that he'd dealt with Niska before…she didn't want to put his life on Niska's list as well. But where else could she go. After Beaumonde (and a small part of her admitted, after Jayne Cobb) none of the other planets or moons looked appetizing.

"But you can't just stay here." She shut off the screen and tossed herself down onto her bed. Staring at the ceiling she tried to sort everything out. Make a list. She urged herself. It'll help, it will.

Okay, so…1) The captain of the ship I'm aboard wants me off.

2) I'm married to one of the ship's crewmembers.

3) We don't know each other. Don't love each other. Should get divorced.

4)…uh, 4…Okay. I like him. I really do. He makes me hot and he makes me feel safe and comfortable and…Ok, I just like him.

5) Even though he's shown some interest, he doesn't appear to actually want me back.

6)…Oh yeah. I have a crazy mad man after me. One whom my aforementioned 'husband' promised to protect me from but,

7) the captain's commanded I get off the ship, Jayne can't come with we without giving up his life, and I won't ask that. Therefore

8) Jayne and I must divorce. But that means

9) Jayne can't protect me. And I can never rejoin polite society. …not that I really want to.

10) this all leads to…

"Nothing! I just keep going in circles!" She wanted to shout but knew that anyone else in this end of the ship would hear her. Then they'd come running and want to know what it was…ugh, no thank you.

"It there really anything I can do?" She asked herself. But she already knew she was stuck. There wasn't any direction she could go without someone else budging on something. Unless it was setting down on some random planet without ever seeing Jayne again…

For all he pisses you off that thought should make you happy! But it doesn't.

…..

It'd been a few days since Madisyn had woken up next to Jayne on Serenity. And Jayne thanked his lucky stars that he'd managed to avoid her since, what he wanted to call, the 'Nightmare Incident'. The crew'd picked up some cargo on Silverhold and were headed to drop it off on Tree Hills and that's all he wanted to focus on. Too bad this job didn't look to be as consumin' as it could. Changin' things now'd be a bad idea, when you change the normal route, things turn sour. He cautioned himself.

Of course there were some things he'd changed…

He tried a hell of a lot harder to avoid anyone else. But especially the damned Shepherd. And 'nara. He knew as soon as he had a spare moment with the Companion he'd spill his guts and ask her what the hell he was s'possed to do about his girl trouble.

He'd also started making sure his clothes were clean. He didn't care if they gave off an odd funk for the rest of his shipmates…but he didn't want Madi to think he was an animal…

Which is probably why he'd taken down the pictures that'd been stuck up by his bunk. Madisyn didn't seem to notice them the few times she'd been in his cabin, but he didn't want her to see 'em and think he was a pig. 'Course all men like to look at pictures of pretty ladies, but if there was any chance that a pretty lady like Madisyn would come to his cabin again…well then, he didn't want her to be put out of a good mood because of 'em.

"God," Jayne sighed, he was again alone in his room. He'd just come from another meal-which meant he'd been sittin' not feet from the source of all his problems as of late. Not that he minded. He could smell her when she walked by. And damn if she didn't smell right nice. He was still warrin' with himself o'er what to do 'bout her.

You could either go to Inara and ask her the best way to make her like yeh.

Or you could just keep avoiding her until Niska comes to be dead.

And who knows how long that'll be! He felt awful disgusted with himself. But it wasn't his fault! Not really anyway.

But hell it wasn't the girl's fault she turned him on. It was his fault he was takin' his frustrations out on those around him, particularly her. He'd not said a civil word to his own wife since the 'Nightmare Incident' and on a ship 's small as Serenity…he knew how harsh that could be after a while.

Like chafing.

And he felt bad for it.

Maybe I should try to be nicer to her? Maybe make friends like. That couldn't be so bad right? Yeah, we kin be friends, an' then this'll all sort itself out.

He smiled and got up from his bunk to go see where the rest of the crew was.

Wonder if she likes hoop ball?

……….

AN-Sorry this took a little longer than I'd thought. But I'm free tomorrow and I've already started chapter eight soooo, I hope to have that up soon. This chapter kinda just petered out but I hope you enjoy it anyway. It's a whole lot of thinking, which is probably what the next chapter will be made up of as well. But Soon! We'll get into a little bit of action. And then hopefully everything will move more quickly from there.

Please drop me a note, tell me what you think, how you feel, what you predict, etc. Reviews keep me going and make me very happy :)

Much Love,

Ceilidh