Copper for a Kiss by Lady Cleo
All Disclaimers' Apply
Chapter Three: The Black, Sovereign
2517 Early January.
River held the brush before her like it was a foreign object, fingering the soft bristles, the long wooden handle. She examined it from every possible angle, testing the weight in her hands, bending it and banging it against the side of the bunk to check its durability.
"Stop playin' with it already and put it to use!" Jayne barked from his bunk next to hers. "Ya look like a gorram freak with your hair all over the ruttin' place like that." That off his chest he redirected his attention down to the pistol in his hand, examining this, his latest and newest toy, picked from the body of Fletcher.
River ignored his comment and brought the brush back into view. It was an object and it held a meaning, but with all the voices in her head it was hard to understand what meaning.
"Can't ya do nothin' normal-like, girl?" Jayne's voice shocked River out of the thought and pulled her back to the room. Standing the mercenary crossed their shared quarters and ripped the brush from her hands. Grabbing hold of her shoulders he turned her so she faced the wall and started the long hard process of working out the several hundred knots that had formed in the long waves of brown.
Despite the gruffness of his voice and mannerisms, his touch was soft and unexpectedly warm as they gently worked the brush down the waves of brown, calming the girl. The blackness of space may have kept all the hundreds of voices down to a minimal, but it was Jayne's close proximity that kept the twelve other voices on the ship from interrupting hers.
In the back of her memory she recalled a warm and soft woman that had once held such a brush, held the child called River and combed out the knots. She remembered that the woman had sometimes whispered a lullaby pretending that the child in her arms wasn't a prodigy that could have created a better and more politically correct version…
Rough calloused fingers brushed the base of her neck, shocking the girl out of the memory and back to the quiet present. His finger's left a burning trail of warmth across her skin and forced a thousand tingling sensations into her heart, making it jump and stop. She couldn't understand the sudden rapid thumping of her heart or the chemical reaction to his touch. But before she could clear through the quiet and analyze the thousands of uncontrolled emotions that sprang forth, his fingers left her skin, pulling on her hair gently as he started to braid it.
Jayne finished quickly tying off the braid and tossed the brush back onto the bed. "There, now ya don't look like a freak." He moved back to his side of the bunk and climbed onto his bed, examining his new toy again.
River remained in her place for several seconds, confused by the sudden bombardment of voices once more. It took her a second to register her surroundings and she spun around to stare at the mercenary again, watching as he sighted the wall with the gun, testing the weight in his hand. Quietly standing she padded over to his bunk, watching his actions, intrigued by his careful examination.
Taking note of her lingering presence Jayne looked up from his toy and glared at her. "What the hell ya lookin' at?" She shrugged in response and Jayne turned his attention back to the gun. A thought skipped across his mind for a second and he held the shiny weapon handle towards her, making sure to keep the muzzle pointed away from him, "Here, take it girl."
River's eyes went wide in response and she jumped back as though his words had burned her, "No touching guns." She whispered in a panicked voice and took several more steps away from the weapon.
"Well you sure as hell didn't seem to mind holding one back on that there shuttle." He pulled the weapon away from her and turned his attention back to his toy.
"Blue-" She whispered as if that explained it all. "They wanted her, taught her, and made her- but can't- can't be! Would lose game, lose control and lose girl. Needles would come again and all would be lost and all would be black and red and all would be under the needles. Never escape. No escape. Never free to quantify or calculate. Must do as told, must do as whispered voices say-"
"Gorram it, I get the point. No touching guns." Jayne barked interrupting her tirade. "Don't know what I was thinkin' tryin to give a crazy girl one anyway."
"Take up the shiny bits of metal when crimson threatens to strike." River whispered stepping back over to his side, letting his overwhelming presence clear through the confusion of too many memories.
"Fine, whatever, suppose that just means you can get me outta binds 'an I ain't gotta worry bout you putting a piece of lead through my chest."
"Brain would be rational preference, shuts down the central nervous system and renders victim incapacitated at a more optimal rate."
His head shot up, "You sure are one eerie-ass girl, girl. But, long as we're on the subject might as well lay down some rules for you!" She titled her head in mild curiosity and he continued. "First off, I'm in ruttin' charge, got it? What I say goes, no questions asked. I say jump you ask how high, got it?"
"Illogical logic. If no questions asked how can girl ask question?"
He seemed stumped by her statement for a second before his glare intensified, "You get my point girly! What I say goes." River returned his glare boldly refusing to be stared down. "You need me girl, and I want ya on my side. So you do as I say and I figure we can help each other. I'll keep you from them gorram needles you keep talkin' bout and you'll make me a whole shit load of credits."
"Mutually beneficial, one plus one makes one: makes girl whole, gives boy what he wants." She agreed. "Will take note and comply with- if outfits girl. Will help him with the sparkle and the glitter, but only if blue are kept away."
Deciding that was a close as a yes as he would ever get from her Jayne continued, "Second, if somethin' better comes along I ain't sticking around to care for your go se."
"Die first." His glare retuned, but she remained unafraid of the larger man. "Time will decay the body before better comes along." She explained and he relaxed an inch.
"We'll see 'bout that girl."
A quiet knock suddenly interrupted the two. "Sovereign's peacekeeper." River supplied with a quick glance in the direction of the door. "Means no harm, has news."
Jayne jumped off the bed and pushed past the girl to pull the door open. Monty peered into the room with a dark frown, "Ya might wanna come see this." That said the Captain turned and headed off towards the cockpit.
Jayne frowned in response and turned back around towards the silent crazy girl, "Come on girl, get, ain't leavin' ya alone. Liable ta hurt yourself and damage my payday." River frowned but moved after Monty as ordered.
The odd group trudged along the quiet hallways, the ship eerily silent, powered down for an artificial night with only the hum of the engines vibrating through the hull. They moved through the galley and into the cockpit where Monty's pilot was setting up the controls for auto pilot. "Go on Derek, show 'em what'cha showed me." The Captain ordered, stepping aside to allow the girl and man better access to the cortex screen.
The pilot shifted in response hitting a couple of buttons as he explained, "Popped up bout fifteen minutes ago on all frequencies. Guessin' they're hoping to catch ya 'fore you get too far out." The pilot leaned back in his chair giving the two a clear view of the screen as the two warrants flashed up.
"I'll be gorramed." Jayne muttered. He recognized his own warrant, having seen a similar one posted on the cortex before after his first run in with McGinnis. However he was unprepared for the alterations. The bottom no longer read 'wanted for Crimes against The Union of Allied Planets', but 'wanted for aiding and abetting in the escape of River Tam.' But that wasn't the kicker. The reward had jumped from a measly five thousand to an unbelievable two hundred thousand. Hell, for that much money he'd turn himself in- if he thought he could get away with it.
River's warrant was no exception. The reward offered for her was of equal standing to his, but unlike his, which clearly stated 'Dead' or alive, hers emphasized only the 'alive' part. Like his picture hers was not very flattering, rather she looked like a dark wraith, her eyes large and round, her face shadowed. She appeared to have been dressed in what he guessed was some kind of hospital gown.
Gorram it, what in ruttin' hell had he gotten himself into? Tagged with a crazy girl and probably chased by whatever the hell freakin' things haunted her. She'd better be worth it, if not he was gonna find a way to cash in on that reward and ditch her skinny ass. Course he had no ruttin' idea of how to do that without getting pinched himself, but that was another thought pushed away for later.
Right now he had bigger problems, like keeping their asses clear until he was decided on the most beneficial course of action. As it was they were currently trapped on a ship with a whole posse of potential bounty hunters. Hell, (with the exception of his mother) anybody would turn Fed friendly with two hundred thousand weighing in the balance. He half expected that even the crazy girl would turn him in for such an amount.
Before another thought could twist its way around his brain a small hand reached out, curving around his arm and gently tugging him in her direction. River smiled up at him, "Whispers are good."
Despite her faith in the thoughts of their shipmates Jayne didn't trust the situation, too many people had fought to backstab him this week and too many had suddenly found an interest in turning him over to the grey suits. He turned back towards the Captain with a hard glare. "There a reason you're showin' us this."
Monty glared at the man response, "Figured if I had a bounty that size on my head I would like ta know bout it. Like I said before, we ain't looking for any Feds, so unless you're planning on turnin' yourself in you ain't gonna be havin' any problem from this end." Regardless of the Captain's words Jayne got an unsettling feeling in his stomach.
River tugged violently on his arm again, almost upsetting the larger man's balance. Having procured his attention she glared up at Jayne and hissed, "Whispers and voices good!" She placed particular emphases on the last word as though he hadn't understood it the first time around.
Pulling his arm away from her grip Jayne returned her angry look with an equally strong one. "Got ya the first time, girl." He turned away from her back towards the Captain. "Don't mind her, girl's crazy." He didn't flinch when the large combat boot delivered a bruising kick to his ankle.
Grabbing River by her shoulders he pushed her out of the cockpit, nodding his thanks to Monty before shoving River back towards the bunk. Jayne steered her through the ship quickly, his larger and heavy boots echoing as she padded silently along the hallways. Coming to a halt before their bunk door he watched as she pulled it open and slipped into the room before following after her.
Closing the door behind him Jayne stormed past River and reached for her duffel. Digging out the white nightgown she'd picked out he tossed it over towards her. "Get changed for bed," and turned in the opposite direction, giving her a semblance of privacy. "That there reward, it might change things a bit-" Jayne started to say.
"Things are set in motion." River answered back; quickly stripping to her skivvies she pulled the nightgown over her head and climbed up onto her bunk. "Gravity has acted, no power in the 'Verse is strong enough to provide counterforce." She explained, watching as he slowly turned back around.
Jayne shrugged off her words and moved over to his bunk, kicking off his boots but leaving his clothes on. "We'll see about that girl." He muttered and climbed up onto the bunk. Keeping the gun close he closed his eyes, though there was little doubt in his mind that sleep was unattainable, too many thoughts were flying across his mind, trying to force their way into focus.
The sound of bare feet hitting the floor forced him away from his thoughts and he looked up in time to spot River crossing the room. She approached him cautiously and reached out with her fingers, smiling as she touched his forehead, pressing her fingers down against his forehead. "Sleep." She whispered calmly. Despite the fact that his body wanted to rebel Jayne found his muscles relaxing as his eyes lolled shut, sleep drawing him down into the blackness of oblivion.
The scream woke Jayne from a dark and peaceful sleep, the first he'd had in nearly a year. And for a second he was confused, reaching out for a weapon, glancing about the dark bunk. But the confusion faded quickly when he glanced over at River, her hands shielding her head, body racked by violent sobs.
Jayne set the pistol down and climbed off the bed, taking the three steps over to hers. Wearily he reached out towards her as though she might attack. River screamed in response and Jayne jumped, clamping his hand over her mouth he pressed her body against the wall. She went slack at his touch, tearful eyes finally focusing on him, "Ain't no reason to be screaming, liable to give people the wrong impression, girl." Jayne declared, his gaze narrowing down on her. "Now, I reckon the reason you were screamin' was cause of that thing or them people that was chasin' us on Ariel. And I don't reckon that you can control 'em dreams, but you sure as hell can control that voice of yours."
"You can wakeup weeping and cryin' all you like, but there ain't no reason to scream, got it? You ain't goin' back to wherever the hell you've been long as you stick by my side. I ain't gonna let 'em find you or take you away if'n you keep your ruttin' end of the bargain." He waited a second watching as she seemed to digest his words. "Now, I'm gonna take my hand off, girl, and you're gonna get back under them covers and close them eyes and sleep off whatever bad dreams ya had, got it." She slowly nodded and Jayne pulled away from her.
River sat there for a second, gazing up at him with tearful eyes, her chest heaving as she fought to swallow each breath. Something flashed through her eyes and before he could understand it she launched herself at him, tackling him at an amazing speed and sending them both backwards onto his bunk.
Jayne reacted without thinking, his arms coming up to push her away, but she maneuvered fast and before he could make sense of it she had her faced pressed into the crook of his neck as her body wrapped around his, the sobs racking her small frame. He lay there on the bed, the small girl pressed closely to his body, her tears soaking into his t-shirt. It took him a good two seconds to fully comprehend the situation.
"Gorram it girl, what the hell you think you're doin', I ain't no ruttin' teddy bear." Shifting slightly Jayne grabbed a hold of her arms in an attempt to pry them from his neck, but that only succeeded in making her sob harder. Curving his hands around her shoulders he pushed and pulled at her body, but she tightened her grip painfully, her long nails digging into his flesh. "Gorramit girl… get off!" He barked attempting to sit up, but she kept him pinned down using a strength that he would've never guessed her little body could've possessed.
Deciding to take another approach Jayne forced his body to calm down and took a deep breath. If he could get her to relax then he could easily pry her off, better yet hopefully she would fall asleep and then he could toss her back onto her own bed. Closing his eyes he forced his mind to forget his situation and focus on more pleasant things, like guns, whores and getting paid.
His hands came up to rests along her back, unconsciously tracing down her muscles in much the same manner his mother had once done when singing her unruly son to sleep. River's sobs abruptly died down to quiet sniffles and her grip on him relaxed ever so slightly. He felt her eyes flutter against his neck as she shifted slightly, making herself more comfortable. His own hands slowly relaxed against her back as River's breathing evened. And before either one knew it, both had drifted off to sleep.
It was a nice feeling, Jayne decided, being stuck in a state of half sleep. His mind slowly ambling to consciousness, his body perfectly relaxed for the first time in years, limbs still heavy with sleep. Within the scope of his mind the lingering remains off dreams drifted through his memory, slowly fading away to obscurity.
A finger suddenly darted up to trace along the curve of his chin, pulling Jayne abruptly from the half sleep that lingered over him. His eyes fluttered open and he lifted his head, gazing down at the dark head of hair for a second before it moved, lifting to reveal a pair of dark shinning eyes. Jayne growled low in his throat, his hands flying up from where they rested along her back to push her forcibly from his body. "Get, girl."
River smiled and quickly complied untangling her limbs from his. She clambered down off the bed and moved over to her own, snuggling back into the covers as she watched him.
Jayne slowly sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he shook off the lingering grogginess. "Don't expect that ta ever happen again." He muttered darkly. Suddenly discontented and frustrated he climbed off the bed pulled on his boots. "Get dressed and come on up for breakfast." He ordered as he stormed out of the bunk, slamming the door shut behind him.
He was confused by his own sudden reversal of moods and the quite frustration that had snuck up on him with no apparent cause. He hated the way his body seemed to suddenly itch beneath the skin as though missing something vital. But he pushed off the thoughts and weird feelings as he headed straight for the fresh smell of coffee and stomped his way into the galley.
Jayne ignored the curios expression of Monty and poured himself a cup, taking a long sip of the caffeinated brimstone. The coffee gushed down his throat, burning away the unexplainable frustration and any nagging sensation of lacking as he turned back around. Moving over to the table Jayne took a seat across from the Captain, who sat at the table sipping from his own beverage of choice.
Breakfast had apparently already come and gone as the table remained littered with warm leftovers. "Where's the little lady?" Monty questioned watching as the mercenary quickly began piling food onto a plate.
"Trailin' behind." Jayne muttered before proceeding to shovel food into his mouth.
Monty frowned watching the mercenary quickly work through the contents of his plate. "What'cha planning on doin' in Athens? Ain't liable to be much work with a reward that big on your head." He pointed out before taking another sip of his beverage.
Jayne snorted, "Always work for my kind, whither there's a ruttin' rep or a reward hanging over my head. Just means ya gotta watch your back, and with the crazy girl I ain't gotta worry bout that too much." Jayne looked up from his plate for a second, "What's it to you, anyways?" Monty shrugged off the question. "Oughtta mind your own business. I can take care of myself and the ruttin' little girl."
The Captain opened his mouth as though to comment when the sound of combat boots hitting grating called both their attentions over to the doorway. River moved up into the galley slowly, her glazed eyes running around the room quickly, a smile lighting over her face as she spotted her partner. Her gaze didn't linger but continued past him, inspecting the galley as she moved forward
"Sit your skinny ass down and get somethin' ta eat!" Jayne ordered, but River ignored him and moved past the table towards the kitchen area, inspecting the cabinets and items gathered on the counters as though they called to her.
Monty laughed gruffly, "Sure the hell looks like ya got a great handle on her." Jayne ignored the comment and the girl. "How you reckon you're gonna hide a crazy girl when the reward for ya both would make any man a fortune."
"Gotta catch us unawares first." Jayne answered back, "And that ain't gonna happen, not so long as I got me a mind reading genius. Crazy or not, she's already proved mighty useful. So long as I keep her around, figure that reward ain't gonna be no problem, lessin' of course she has one of them sane thoughts and decides I ain't worth the keep."
"What do you figure will happen then?"
River paused before a couple of empty can sitting on the counters, the trash left over from the morning's breakfast. Reaching out she tentatively touched one, picking it up and starring down at the bright blue label plastered on the side of the can.
"Reckon that will be a might interestin' day, but it ain't liable ta happen cuz she's crazier then- crazy- people come." Jayne finished lamely.
"These are the ones that take you." She whispered, her grip tightening on the can she violently threw it to the ground, the pitch of her voicing raising in panic as she reached for another. "They're the ones reaching and doing." She yelled frantically tearing at the empty cans, tossing one across the room towards the table, "They're the ones-"
"What in hell is she doing?" Monty questioned.
Jayne ignored the larger man and pushed his chair back jumping to his feet and dashing across the room. He grabbed the girl and pulled her roughly to his chest, one arm wrapping around her upper torso as the other wrapped around her stomach effectively locking her to his chest. "Gorram it woman, shut up and be still."
"Everywhere- and the hands go everywhere- when you brush your teeth and-" She continued to mutter, but her body visibly relaxed into his going slack against his chest, her head rolling back to rest against his shoulder. "And nobody said anything- and then they come." She whispered her voice trailing off softly.
"Ain't no reason to be throwing no fit," Jayne hissed into her ear. "That there is a bad habit for a fugitive, you do that in public and your liable ta get yourself hauled off. And I ain't gonna take the time ta rescue you." Jayne growled, "You calm now?" He questioned, staring down at the long waves of brown.
River nodded her head and Jayne slowly relaxed his grip on her body. Grabbing her by the shoulders he quietly steered her over to the table and forced her into a chair. "Now eat."
River glared up at him stubbornly, but Jayne refused to budge on the matter. Dropping down into a chair he quickly shoveled food onto a plate and dropped it in front of her. Forcing the fork into her hand, he very nearly started shoving food into her face before River complied, grimacing she forced down the first mouthful.
Ignoring the bemused stare of Monty, Jayne hovered over River like a warden, his steel gaze watching her force each mouthful down.
What in ruttin hell had he gotten himself into?
Note: The timeline used is based off of Edgar Governo's, which you can find a link for off my homepage which is listed on the author's profile. Sorry this was so short, but I had great difficulty with getting this one to flow properly. The next one should be longer. As always a thousand thanks to Twitchy Louie for being my beta and putting up with my sometimes very troublesome and bothersome personage...
To the reviewers: Ah the expected question of Serenity and Simon. The answer is: not for a couple more chapters. I want to get a relationship established between River and Jayne before I bring in the complications of Serenity and Simon. Right now it's slated round the ninth chapter (out of twenty two outlined. Trust me- it'll be worth the wait.) There may be some chance encounters with Serenity's crew along the way.
Thanks for pointing those two things out Allison.