![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
toxic_cornSeries: Girl Anachronism
Title: Chapter Five (5/12)
Author: toxic_corn
Pairing: River/Jayne
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Joss Whedon, except for a certain stowaway.
Summary: A mysterious stowaway on Serenity may bring Jayne and River together.
Warning: Takes place after the BDM but has some AU elements to it so if that's not your cup of tea, it'd be best to skip this one.
Notes: I previewed this in my journal back in February and now I'm ready to share it with the public. Hope you like!
Catch up on earlier chapters at the round up post
Chapter Five
"Hi."
Jayne turned his head and saw Nettie standing there, looking at him shyly. He grunted in response and went back to lifting his weights. "Whaddya want?"
"It looks like you could use a spotter."
Before he could stop himself, he snickered at her joke but then scowled. "I ain't some sideshow freak; go gawp at that 'uncle' o' yours if that's what you're lookin' for."
The girl didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, "Simon asked me this morning if I was sure I didn't want a blood test."
He didn't respond, hoping she'd give up soon and walk away. But of course, she kept right on yapping.
"I told him that I didn't want one." She played with one of her braids.
Jayne waited and the girl still wasn't going anywhere. "If you're lookin' for a prize, you're in the wrong place."
"What happened to you?" Nettie blurted, making Jayne freeze. "You've always been mean but you were never mean to me. If, if this is a different universe or something, I'm trying to figure out what's changed? Was your daddy mean to you, too? Did he do something to make you-"
Seeing red, Jayne put the weight back in place and sat up, nostrils flaring. The little girl's eyes widened and she took a few steps back.
"My past ain't none o' yer business," Jayne snapped. "So just shut it."
"B-but if something happened to you, you should-"
"Your ears plugged girl?! I said shut it!" Standing up, he strode over to her and grabbed her arm. "If your parents didn't teach ya to mind grown ups then I guess I'll-"
"Cap!!" the girl screamed, startling him. He'd never heard so much fear and anguish in anyone's voice before. "Cap!!!"
Hurried footsteps from overhead made him look up; the girl's cry had called more than Mal, who looked furious. Kaylee and Inara had come out of the shuttle and River and Simon had come out of the infirmary.
"What in hell's half acre is goin' on here?!" Mal demanded.
Jayne let the girl's arm go and she went running to Mal, jumping up into his arms. "He's not my daddy," she sobbed into his shoulder. "He's not my daddy!"
Mal held the girl close and sent a dangerous look Jayne's way. "We're gonna have a talk later," he said in the quiet tone he used only when he was really, really mad.
"I didn't- Nothin' happened! I just-" Kaylee shot him a disappointed look and followed Mal as he carried the girl away. "She was all..." He trailed off, figuring no one was going to listen to him.
He shouldn't have grabbed her arm so hard. He'd just been so mad. He was never going to forget that horrible look of fear in her eyes.
A light touch on his arm made him look up. He was surprised to find River standing before him, an understanding look on her face.
"Do you see now?" she asked, gently.
Jayne swallowed, not sure what she was talking about. But then he started to really think. He'd been operating under the assumption that the little girl was crazy, maybe another government product like River or something. He never stopped to consider that maybe the girl really believed what she said. And he'd shaken that belief that, come to think of it, hadn't been all that harmful in the first place.
"I think I'm startin' to," Jayne muttered.
~*~
Mal carried the girl to his bunk and gently laid her down on the bed, Kaylee hovering just behind him.
"Kaylee, can you go get somethin' from her bunk that'd be a comfort? Does she got anything like that now?"
Kaylee nodded. "I got her a teddy bear when you and Zoe were off on that job."
"That'll work. Go on and get it." Mal turned back to the crying child curling up in a ball on his bed and pulled the covers over her tiny form. "Shhhh. It's okay now."
"I wanna go home," Nettie moaned.
Mal nodded. "I know. We're gonna work on doin' that, darlin'. For now, you just rest." He looked up and caught a quick glimpse of Kaylee closing the door. "Kaylee's gettin' your bear right now."
"Could you tell me a story?" the girl asked, softly.
He cleared his throat, feeling awkward. "I don't think I know any kid-friendly stories."
"What about one of your poems?" Nettie asked.
"How do you know about-"
"Do the one about the kingdom by the sea. I like that one." She sniffled a little and looked up at him with those big blue eyes of hers that Mal sighed, giving up on denying her.
"'It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea, that there lived a maiden whom you may know by the name of Annabel Lee. And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me.'"
~*~
Kaylee slid the door open and crossed the tiny room to the bed Nettie made neatly every morning and scooped up the bear. She'd named it Kaylee, after her. Poor little thing. Kaylee hugged the bear, thinking about how confusing this had to be for a child. Hell, she was confused by it all and she was a grown up.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Seeing the source, she gasped.
~*~
"'And so all the night-tide, I lay down by the side of my darling - my darling - my life and my bride. In this sepulcher there by the sea. In her tomb by the sounding sea.'" The poem wasn't exactly something Mal would describe as a comforting bed-time lullaby, but it had certainly lulled the girl to sleep.
Kaylee came back in quietly and handed him the bear, which he rested next to the girl's head on the pillow. Standing up, he started to stay something but was brought up short by the somber look on Kaylee's face.
Before he could ask, she handed him a capture.
A much older Jayne and River smiled back at him, Jayne holding Nettie in his arms and laughing as she made faces at the camera and River with her arm around a boy who looked like a miniature version of Jayne, maybe eleven or twelve or so.
Mal looked back up at Kaylee.
"She was tellin' the truth," she said, simply.
****************************
Obviously, the poem isn't really "Mal's." But Nettie associates it with him. We all know Annabel Lee was written by Edgar Allan Poe, so I'm not claiming any credit. I promise! *finishes covering ass*
< Chapter Four : Chapter Six >
Title: Chapter Five (5/12)
Author: toxic_corn
Pairing: River/Jayne
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Joss Whedon, except for a certain stowaway.
Summary: A mysterious stowaway on Serenity may bring Jayne and River together.
Warning: Takes place after the BDM but has some AU elements to it so if that's not your cup of tea, it'd be best to skip this one.
Notes: I previewed this in my journal back in February and now I'm ready to share it with the public. Hope you like!
Catch up on earlier chapters at the round up post
"Hi."
Jayne turned his head and saw Nettie standing there, looking at him shyly. He grunted in response and went back to lifting his weights. "Whaddya want?"
"It looks like you could use a spotter."
Before he could stop himself, he snickered at her joke but then scowled. "I ain't some sideshow freak; go gawp at that 'uncle' o' yours if that's what you're lookin' for."
The girl didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, "Simon asked me this morning if I was sure I didn't want a blood test."
He didn't respond, hoping she'd give up soon and walk away. But of course, she kept right on yapping.
"I told him that I didn't want one." She played with one of her braids.
Jayne waited and the girl still wasn't going anywhere. "If you're lookin' for a prize, you're in the wrong place."
"What happened to you?" Nettie blurted, making Jayne freeze. "You've always been mean but you were never mean to me. If, if this is a different universe or something, I'm trying to figure out what's changed? Was your daddy mean to you, too? Did he do something to make you-"
Seeing red, Jayne put the weight back in place and sat up, nostrils flaring. The little girl's eyes widened and she took a few steps back.
"My past ain't none o' yer business," Jayne snapped. "So just shut it."
"B-but if something happened to you, you should-"
"Your ears plugged girl?! I said shut it!" Standing up, he strode over to her and grabbed her arm. "If your parents didn't teach ya to mind grown ups then I guess I'll-"
"Cap!!" the girl screamed, startling him. He'd never heard so much fear and anguish in anyone's voice before. "Cap!!!"
Hurried footsteps from overhead made him look up; the girl's cry had called more than Mal, who looked furious. Kaylee and Inara had come out of the shuttle and River and Simon had come out of the infirmary.
"What in hell's half acre is goin' on here?!" Mal demanded.
Jayne let the girl's arm go and she went running to Mal, jumping up into his arms. "He's not my daddy," she sobbed into his shoulder. "He's not my daddy!"
Mal held the girl close and sent a dangerous look Jayne's way. "We're gonna have a talk later," he said in the quiet tone he used only when he was really, really mad.
"I didn't- Nothin' happened! I just-" Kaylee shot him a disappointed look and followed Mal as he carried the girl away. "She was all..." He trailed off, figuring no one was going to listen to him.
He shouldn't have grabbed her arm so hard. He'd just been so mad. He was never going to forget that horrible look of fear in her eyes.
A light touch on his arm made him look up. He was surprised to find River standing before him, an understanding look on her face.
"Do you see now?" she asked, gently.
Jayne swallowed, not sure what she was talking about. But then he started to really think. He'd been operating under the assumption that the little girl was crazy, maybe another government product like River or something. He never stopped to consider that maybe the girl really believed what she said. And he'd shaken that belief that, come to think of it, hadn't been all that harmful in the first place.
"I think I'm startin' to," Jayne muttered.
Mal carried the girl to his bunk and gently laid her down on the bed, Kaylee hovering just behind him.
"Kaylee, can you go get somethin' from her bunk that'd be a comfort? Does she got anything like that now?"
Kaylee nodded. "I got her a teddy bear when you and Zoe were off on that job."
"That'll work. Go on and get it." Mal turned back to the crying child curling up in a ball on his bed and pulled the covers over her tiny form. "Shhhh. It's okay now."
"I wanna go home," Nettie moaned.
Mal nodded. "I know. We're gonna work on doin' that, darlin'. For now, you just rest." He looked up and caught a quick glimpse of Kaylee closing the door. "Kaylee's gettin' your bear right now."
"Could you tell me a story?" the girl asked, softly.
He cleared his throat, feeling awkward. "I don't think I know any kid-friendly stories."
"What about one of your poems?" Nettie asked.
"How do you know about-"
"Do the one about the kingdom by the sea. I like that one." She sniffled a little and looked up at him with those big blue eyes of hers that Mal sighed, giving up on denying her.
"'It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea, that there lived a maiden whom you may know by the name of Annabel Lee. And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me.'"
Kaylee slid the door open and crossed the tiny room to the bed Nettie made neatly every morning and scooped up the bear. She'd named it Kaylee, after her. Poor little thing. Kaylee hugged the bear, thinking about how confusing this had to be for a child. Hell, she was confused by it all and she was a grown up.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Seeing the source, she gasped.
"'And so all the night-tide, I lay down by the side of my darling - my darling - my life and my bride. In this sepulcher there by the sea. In her tomb by the sounding sea.'" The poem wasn't exactly something Mal would describe as a comforting bed-time lullaby, but it had certainly lulled the girl to sleep.
Kaylee came back in quietly and handed him the bear, which he rested next to the girl's head on the pillow. Standing up, he started to stay something but was brought up short by the somber look on Kaylee's face.
Before he could ask, she handed him a capture.
A much older Jayne and River smiled back at him, Jayne holding Nettie in his arms and laughing as she made faces at the camera and River with her arm around a boy who looked like a miniature version of Jayne, maybe eleven or twelve or so.
Mal looked back up at Kaylee.
"She was tellin' the truth," she said, simply.
****************************
Obviously, the poem isn't really "Mal's." But Nettie associates it with him. We all know Annabel Lee was written by Edgar Allan Poe, so I'm not claiming any credit. I promise! *finishes covering ass*
< Chapter Four : Chapter Six >
