A/N: I think it'll be obvious-that when I'm describing Jayne with the more grammatically correct 'fancy' descriptions, I'm writing from River's perspective. Also-timing wise, this is several months post BDM and Simon has found a particular medication that works most of the time only very recently.
River was on a mission. Only Jayne knew though and he wasn't about to say anything to the rest of the crew; she'd read it off him. As she clung to ceiling, she considered her actions. Simon's meds had helped her. Made her mind clearer, helped her in knowing what she was saying. Even poor Jayne understood what she was saying most of the time. Except when her brainpan was fried. Which was still too often for everyone's taste.
Almost time. She turned her head, shifted her right hand and her left foot, feeling how the metal vibrated in a certain way, indicating that someone, in this case, the right someone was coming her way. She forced her muscles to obey her, to become still, like stone.
Jayne turned the corner, all sweatified from working out, waves of exhaustion pummeling her. River wrinkled her nose. He looked better in red, in the color of life, but that did not translate to her having to like the smell of it, after all.
"Moonbrain," he said laconically, rubbing the back of his neck as he passed under her, "work on findin' a better hidin' spot. No way you could have surprised me there."
River let her feet hang down and dropped noiselessly to the metal grating below. "The girl was-I" she self corrected knowing just how much everyone preferred that she not use the third person, "was silent and still like stone, impossible to have seen me," she finished defiantly, trailing after Jayne, rather like one of those silly little lapdogs she had always seen when she was little.
Jayne snorted. "Impossible an' yet, I jus' did it. He turned back to face her, having reached the galley.
"But that was the-I was covert! Never a better hiding spot," River said in confusion. "I must intuit that you are precognitive," River raised her head in defiance, staring at Jayne who just looked back in puzzlement.
"What's that mean?" he asked.
River rolled her eyes, "Intuit is to understand or work out by instinct."
"Well why couldn't you just say that instead?" Jayne grumbled. "And I ain't done that by intutting or whatever. Just always make sure to look everywhere, even up when I'm walkin'" Jayne said with a shrug of his shoulders.
River twisted her mouth, pouting. "Well then, how am I supposed to surprise you?" she asked. "I might have elevated intelligence, but that was my premiere effort!"
"Try an' use that brain o' yours. I done tol' ya, you will be able to surprise me," Jayne said as he headed back towards his bunk, meaning to shower.
"Well, how am I to know what it is if you won't tell me?" She asked.
"Moonbrain, I don't know what it is, but I'm fair certain I ain't seen everythin' yet. You can surprise me, I'm sure," Jayne said, a certain amount of frustration rolling off him towards River who took a step back, feeling it.
"Ok," River said quietly and turned, floating off to find her brother. Jayne shook his head and let himself down into his bunk. She'd been tryin' to surprise him these last few weeks. He put up with it as it would help her in their jobs, bein' able to sneak up on someone an' surprise them. Now she weren't quite as space cadet as she were in the past, it was a might easier to put up with her.
An' she hadn't done nothing to hurt no one in over a year. Jayne was almost developin' a fondness for her. For her skills, at least, which came in handy. In the savin' his own hide business. Didn't go beyond that. Even now the doc was 'bout ready to shoot him dead just for partnerin' with the tiny moonbrain-not that he could.
***
"River?" Simon's quiet voice echoed through the ship easily. Sighing, River crawled out from one of the hidey holes in the cargo hold; she realized while crawling out that she had been mistaken, this would not have surprised Jayne in the least. And it took far too much time to get out of even with her superior flexible body.
No, she would have to use her knowledge of this ship and think of another way. She stood and lightly padded up the stairs, where Simon was just coming into the cargo hold.
"There you are, River," Simon said, relief evident in his voice.
River rolled her eyes. "Finite number of locations you could find me," She said, pouting.
Simon took her arm and steered her back down, towards the med bay.
"No-don't-" River protested.
"River, your meds," Simon prompted as they walked towards the med bay.
"Oh, right, time is ephemeral," River said, still dragging her feet as they entered the austere room. At Simon's blank look, she clarified. "I forgot."
"River, you know that if you don't feel safe, we can move on," Simon said as he carefully injected her medicine.
"Safety first," River said, flicking at an invisible speck of dust. "Must always be safe. No fun," she said, rolling her eyes.
Simon shook his head. "Meimei, you can have plenty of fun while being safe. I worry about you," he said.
"I'm safe, Simon. Know when the projectiles will be fired and where they will be directed. Can save big men and strong woman," River said. It was always hardest to make herself understood right as she was being given the new drug. It would take another half hour for the medicine to start helping her again. No more trying to surprise Jayne then.
"What do you mean, River?" Simon asked, confused.
River paused, trying to wrap her brain around making her words clearer. "Keep you from your job," she said shortly. "No bursts of red, no holes in clothing, healthy partners," she said, frowning.
Simon cocked his head to the side, pausing, as he knew he could understand her if he tried. "Oh, River, you mean you know when someone will fire a gun at Mal, Jayne, or Zoë?" he asked, mildly surprised.
"Yes," River said with a bright smile towards him.
"That's what I been tryin' to tell ya, Doc," Mal said, ducking into the infirmary. "Morning, lil' albatross," the captain said with a wry grin. "River here's gone and made herself indispensable."
Simon frowned. "Surely you could make do without her," he said responding in exactly the way he always had to River's participation in the heists.
"You know very well, I can't. If River weren't there, Jayne and I'd both be dead at least five times over and Zoë would be dead three times over," Mal responded, in the way he always responded. "Now, don't that seem unfair how Zoë seems not to be killed as often," he mused.
"Completely," Simon said dryly with an arch of his brow. "I'm going to find Kaylee. Please don't give me details on what you'll be doing. I assure you I don't want to know," her brother said as he headed out of the bay. River hopped down from the examining table and floated out the door only to be stopped by Mal's voice.
"Lil' albatross, you going to be here with us for our heist later today?" Mal asked.
"Blood flows one way and will eventually reach the brain," River said with a smile. "You shall have your bird," she said as she pranced back to her room, intent on plotting how she could surprise Jayne.
***
River had failed the big dark man. She had failed and failed and failed. She tried distracting herself, reminding herself that she couldn't keep track of everyone's thoughts at every moment. But it was her job to know when someone was touching a gun. Was going to use it. But it was so fast. Still failure!
She bit down on her lip, as they skidded into the cargo hold, voices shouting. All she could feel was anxiety and pain from everyone, no space for herself but her own anxiety made space anyways. Her was too crowded. She didn't know what she was saying and somewhere in there, Jayne was disgusted with her sudden inability to make sense.
She got out of the mule and ran farther into the ship. Distance. Distance would be good, she'd never make sense if she had to stay near the rest of them and deal with their fear too. She found herself automatically dropping into one of the crew's quarters, mind still tangled up in it's own thoughts, now that she was far enough away to shut the others' out.
It was her fault, all her fault. Jayne had been shot and because Mal and Zoë were suddenly panic stricken, something they never had been before about Jayne, she couldn't focus on whether or not it was a serious injury. All she picked up from Jayne was pain and anger.
She should have realized that man had a gun, was intending to use it. But he had just arrived and she had been busy, trying to make sure some of the patrons of the establishment were disengaged, as it were. She'd looked up, recognizing the warmth in her mind that warned of a new entity to discover the man already had a gun and was aiming it-at Jayne. She'd shrieked his name, he had looked in her direction and then stumbled backwards, hit by the gun before diving under cover. Or, really, falling.
She paced, calming herself. It had been high and he could still-mostly-move on his own. Statistics of survival, with best care, which he had, were high. Nothing to worry herself over. She curled herself into a ball, wishing that she could be like she had been before the academy. Some small voice pointed out that she was, in fact, getting somewhat better if she was able to realize this, but she was focused on other issues, like Jayne getting shot. She closed her fist around the fitted sheet, concentrating on breathing.
Over time, it slowed and River's mind became fuzzier and less concerned. Her hand loosened and she fell into dreaming.
***
"What in the gorram world are ya doin' in my bed, moonbrain?" a rough voice woke her and River blinked, rather stupidly. She looked up to find Jayne, a little worse for the wear, standing over her looking rather befuddled and-surprised.
"I surprised you?" River said, sitting up. "I-I never thought-I didn't even know I was in your room," she cocked her head to the side considering him. "I suppose I must surprise me when I surprise you," she said.
Jayne growled. "You're gorram right, you surprised me, you're in my bed. Where I mean to sleep, preferably now."
River gracefully stood, still studying Jayne carefully. She hadn't intended to surprise him, hadn't meant to be in his bed, in his room. "I apologize, I wasn't thinking," River said, frowning.
"You, not thinking?" Jayne snorted. "Just gorram get out, alright?" he said, sounding weary and somehow, not angry.
"No more surprised," River said, as she scrambled up the ladder. "Unintentionally succeeded. Feel better," she added as an afterthought.
Jayne was already lying on his back, eyes closed. He merely grunted in response. She closed the hatch on his door and wandered back towards the med bay and her room, to check on Simon. Simon was cleaning up in the med bay.
"Oh, there you are, River. Are you alright? You're not hurt?" Simon asked hurrying over to her.
"No, not hurt. Just, I didn't know what I was thinking," she said, rubbing her left wrist with her right hand.
"Oh, meimei, all those emotions?" Simon asked.
"I escaped, now it's better," River said, staring around the med bay, twitchy and wanting to get out. She hated the med bay in its austere plainness. Reminded her too much of her time in the academy.
"Meimei, why don't you go take a nap?" Simon suggested.
"A nap would be welcomed," River said and wandered out the door, still processing the after effect of Jayne's shooting.