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toxic_cornSeries: Girl Anachronism
Title: Chapter Eight (8/12)
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. This is a really late post, yeah, but this is one time I can be sure to be on the computer so here it is.
Catch up on earlier chapters at the round up post
Chapter Eight
While the doc did what he had to do with Nettie’s blood, everyone else went their separate ways to wait for the news. Feeling suddenly awkward around River, Jayne decided to follow Nettie up to the mess to see if he could take another crack out of getting a word out of her.
He walked in just as Inara was teasing Mal. “The opera has a rich, cultural history, Mal. Its beauty is incomparable to any other thing in this universe.”
“And it’s a big damn bore,” Mal finished. “I hate it.”
“Have you ever attended an opera?” Inara challenged him.
“I’ve never had red-hot pokers jammed in my eye sockets neither but you don’t see me linin’ up in a monkey suit to give it a shot.”
Nettie watched them both in interest. “I’ve attended an opera before!”
“Have you?” Inara smiled at the girl. “How did you like it?”
“It was beautiful!” the little girl’s eyes shone, making Jayne smile a bit from his spot in the doorway.
“Do you remember any of it?” Inara asked.
Nettie grinned. “Well, I didn’t understand it but it sounded a little like…” The girl opened her mouth to sing and Jayne prepared himself for off key shout-singing children her age did during Christmas pageants. Always gave him a damn headache.
But the sound that came out of the girl’s mouth sounded like it came from heaven itself. He used to sing a bit when he was a sprout but he didn’t think he’d ever sounded as good as his daughter did at that moment. Her face glowed brightly as she sang and it was the first time he’d seen the girl look truly happy the whole time she’d been with them. Without thinking, he took a few steps forward, unsure what he was going to do but feeling the need to get closer.
Nettie caught his movement out of the corner of her eye and promptly clammed up.
“You can’t stop there,” Mal protested. “Keep going, it was sounding nice.”
Inara looked from Jayne to Nettie. “Please continue, sweetheart.”
“No, I… I think I’ll go find River and play checkers.” Nettie turned to leave but Jayne was still blocking the stairs leading out of the room. “Excuse me.”
“Sing a bit more ‘n maybe I’ll think of movin’,” Jayne said.
“Jayne.” Mal’s tone could’ve shattered rock. “Move.”
“Why the hell am I the bad guy here?!” Jayne protested. “I thought some kid was tryin’ to pin parentage on me and I fought it like any man would! Why’s that make me a villain, huh?”
Mal didn’t allow himself to react. “Move before I make you move.”
For a moment, Jayne stared at the captain to weigh his options before deciding to shuffle out of the little girl’s way. “Ya sounded pretty,” he muttered as she went by.
‘Thank you,” she said stiffly.
Jayne watched her go and ignoring Inara when she started to speak to him, he decided to spend his time waiting in his bunk for the test results.
~*~
Simon stood outside the infirmary, spotlighted by the others’ attention. “I have the results he said.”
“Yeah, we knowed that part, get on to what they are,” Jayne said through clenched teeth.
“Calm,” River whispered and placed a hand on the middle of his back. Surprisingly, it worked to settle him down some.
“The results are irrefutable,” Simon stated. “Nettie is a Tam-Cobb.”
Jayne pointed at the little girl. “Told ya!” When she didn’t so much as look at him, he lowered his arm, feeling foolish. He muttered to River, “Could use a back pat now,” and immediately received one, though it looked like she was trying her damndest not to smile.
“However…” Simon’s brow creased. “There are some irregularities in Nettie’s blood that are a little concerning.
“Is she sick?” Kaylee asked fearfully. “Nettie, honey? Have you been feeling okay?”
Nettie looked worried herself at this news. “Fine. A little sleepier than I usually am, but…”
“Yeah, seems like all it takes is you sittin’ down and you’re out like a light,” Mal mused.
“Perhaps we should see what’s going on. We still have some equipment left over from when Jayne had his, er…. sleep difficulties. Perhaps we can find the source of her problems.”
Inara placed a gentle hand on Nettie’s shoulder, seeing how frightened the child was by the happenings around her. “Will you be okay with that, Nettie?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Nettie set her jaw and clenched her fists to try to hide her shaking.
“Okay then.” Simon stepped back into the infirmary and beckoned Nettie inside. “Let’s go.”
“Now?” she squeaked.
“No time like the present.”
“Okay, I- Cap?” The child turned to Mal. “Will you hold my hand?”
That stung Jayne a bit and he stared hard down at the ground. River knew a backpat wasn’t going to cut it this time around and looped her arm around his waist.
~*~
“All right, Nettie?” Simon asked.
Nettie squirmed on the table, unnerved by the suction cups on her forehead. “Fine.”
“All right. Just relax and fall asleep. Nothing here will harm you. You’re safe.”
Holding tight to Mal’s hand, Nettie stayed wide awake. “Cap? Another poem?”
“You already heard my best one,” he gently teased, ignoring the interested look the doctor gave him.
“But I can’t relax,” Nettie said, sounding a little distressed. “I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know!” she exclaimed miserably.
“If I had words to make a day for you, I’d sing you a morning golden and new.” Everyone in the room turned in surprise at the figure in the doorway. Jayne ignored the two grown men and focused on the little girl, continuing to sing. “I would make this day last for all time and give you a night deep in moonshine.”
Nettie relaxed and closed her eyes. Before dropping off to sleep, a little tear slid down her cheek.
~*~
“So what was that?” Mal asked outside.
Jayne hunched his shoulders. “Something my pa used to sing to me when I was little is all. Used to calm me down some.”
“That was real sweet,” Kaylee said admiringly.
“Surprisingly, yes, it was,” Inara agreed.
Jayne’s ears turned red. “Can we quit talkin’ ‘bout how sweet I am.”
“I for one agree with that plan,” Mal said.
Looking over at River, Jayne caught before everyone else when she stopped laughing along with the others and her eyes went slightly out of focus.
“You all right?” he asked her, reaching for her arm.
“Going back to her own world,” she whispered, seemingly speaking to herself.
“What are you-?”
An alarmed shout roused everyone’s attention and they looked into the infirmary to see Simon run from the machinery out of sight to where Nettie lay. Jayne was the first one in and stopped in his tracks at what he saw.
Nettie lay where they’d left her on the examining table and yet… she wasn’t there. She appeared to be a clearish shade of gray. Like she was fading.
“Nettie!” Jayne shouted.
The child stirred and the color started to seep into her skin and hair once more. She blinked awake and stared at all the adults crowded together staring at her.
“What?” she asked, frowning.
Mal folded his arms. “You’re gonna tell us everything that happened the day you disappeared.”
~*~
“Some wacky chemical?” Mal muttered. “That don’t… Can they do that?”
“If the government can turn a young genius into an assassin, I wouldn’t put anything past them,” Simon answered.
Mal shook his head, pacing. “I don’t like this.”
Everyone, save Nettie and River, was gathered in the mess talking over this latest development.
“I don’t like it,” Jayne said, flatly.
“No one does,” Zoe said.
“The Alliance can do a lot of damage with that kinda weapon,” Mal said grimly.
“Who says it’s a weapon?” Kaylee asked. “Maybe they’re gonna use it so folks can go to alternate worlds and settle. Free up some space here.”
“Maybe,” Zoe said, sharing a look with Mal and not looking completely convinced.
“What concerns me is the side-effects,” Simon said. “The subject could have an adverse reaction. I mean, this chemical actually changed Nettie. Her body’s fighting the substance, however. I think that’s what’s happening when she falls asleep.”
“So it’s okay for her to fall asleep?” Kaylee asked. “Maybe it’ll take her home!”
“Or maybe it’ll transport her somewhere a hell of a lot worse than where she is now. She fell asleep in that warehouse and woke up in it. What if she falls asleep in the infirmary and wakes up in space because the ship in her time ain’t there to be around her? That’s… that’s all kinds of messed up right there.” Mal rubbed his forehead where a headache was forming.
Jayne kicked the chair across from him. “Then what the hell do we do?! The kid needs to sleep!”
Mal sighed. “We put her on watch. Let her sleep and if she turns any grayer and really starts disappearin’, we wake her up. River’s got first shift. Who wants next?”
“Me.” Jayne stood up. “I’ll go and check on ‘em right now.”
“Okay.” As Jayne left the room, Mal asked, “Who wants to be next?”
~*~
Jayne quietly opened the door and slipped inside without making a sound. “How is she?” he whispered.
River looked up from staring intently into Nettie’s face. “Fine. She hasn’t turned gray yet. She isn’t in her REM cycle either, so maybe that has something to do with it.”
“Why don’t you go to sleep, too.” Jayne sat down on the floor. “I’ll watch over you.”
“But it’s my turn,” River protested.
Jayne shook his head, looking at the little girl. “No. It’s mine.”
Studying him a moment, River nodded and lay down, draping an arm across Nettie’s chest. The girl moaned in her sleep and turned to face Jayne, murmuring.
“Thank you, Jayne.”
“Hey. Gotta keep my girls safe.”
River’s eyes glittered before she closed them, cuddling her pseudo-daughter closer. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and Jayne felt damn proud to have been the one to put it there.
**************
Slight shout out to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
icebreather's awesome Sleep Study series. Also, yes, the song Jayne sings was used in Babe. I don't know, I can see him as liking it. It's soothing and mentions moonshine after all. ;)
**************
< Chapter Seven : Chapter Nine >
Title: Chapter Eight (8/12)
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. This is a really late post, yeah, but this is one time I can be sure to be on the computer so here it is.
Catch up on earlier chapters at the round up post
While the doc did what he had to do with Nettie’s blood, everyone else went their separate ways to wait for the news. Feeling suddenly awkward around River, Jayne decided to follow Nettie up to the mess to see if he could take another crack out of getting a word out of her.
He walked in just as Inara was teasing Mal. “The opera has a rich, cultural history, Mal. Its beauty is incomparable to any other thing in this universe.”
“And it’s a big damn bore,” Mal finished. “I hate it.”
“Have you ever attended an opera?” Inara challenged him.
“I’ve never had red-hot pokers jammed in my eye sockets neither but you don’t see me linin’ up in a monkey suit to give it a shot.”
Nettie watched them both in interest. “I’ve attended an opera before!”
“Have you?” Inara smiled at the girl. “How did you like it?”
“It was beautiful!” the little girl’s eyes shone, making Jayne smile a bit from his spot in the doorway.
“Do you remember any of it?” Inara asked.
Nettie grinned. “Well, I didn’t understand it but it sounded a little like…” The girl opened her mouth to sing and Jayne prepared himself for off key shout-singing children her age did during Christmas pageants. Always gave him a damn headache.
But the sound that came out of the girl’s mouth sounded like it came from heaven itself. He used to sing a bit when he was a sprout but he didn’t think he’d ever sounded as good as his daughter did at that moment. Her face glowed brightly as she sang and it was the first time he’d seen the girl look truly happy the whole time she’d been with them. Without thinking, he took a few steps forward, unsure what he was going to do but feeling the need to get closer.
Nettie caught his movement out of the corner of her eye and promptly clammed up.
“You can’t stop there,” Mal protested. “Keep going, it was sounding nice.”
Inara looked from Jayne to Nettie. “Please continue, sweetheart.”
“No, I… I think I’ll go find River and play checkers.” Nettie turned to leave but Jayne was still blocking the stairs leading out of the room. “Excuse me.”
“Sing a bit more ‘n maybe I’ll think of movin’,” Jayne said.
“Jayne.” Mal’s tone could’ve shattered rock. “Move.”
“Why the hell am I the bad guy here?!” Jayne protested. “I thought some kid was tryin’ to pin parentage on me and I fought it like any man would! Why’s that make me a villain, huh?”
Mal didn’t allow himself to react. “Move before I make you move.”
For a moment, Jayne stared at the captain to weigh his options before deciding to shuffle out of the little girl’s way. “Ya sounded pretty,” he muttered as she went by.
‘Thank you,” she said stiffly.
Jayne watched her go and ignoring Inara when she started to speak to him, he decided to spend his time waiting in his bunk for the test results.
Simon stood outside the infirmary, spotlighted by the others’ attention. “I have the results he said.”
“Yeah, we knowed that part, get on to what they are,” Jayne said through clenched teeth.
“Calm,” River whispered and placed a hand on the middle of his back. Surprisingly, it worked to settle him down some.
“The results are irrefutable,” Simon stated. “Nettie is a Tam-Cobb.”
Jayne pointed at the little girl. “Told ya!” When she didn’t so much as look at him, he lowered his arm, feeling foolish. He muttered to River, “Could use a back pat now,” and immediately received one, though it looked like she was trying her damndest not to smile.
“However…” Simon’s brow creased. “There are some irregularities in Nettie’s blood that are a little concerning.
“Is she sick?” Kaylee asked fearfully. “Nettie, honey? Have you been feeling okay?”
Nettie looked worried herself at this news. “Fine. A little sleepier than I usually am, but…”
“Yeah, seems like all it takes is you sittin’ down and you’re out like a light,” Mal mused.
“Perhaps we should see what’s going on. We still have some equipment left over from when Jayne had his, er…. sleep difficulties. Perhaps we can find the source of her problems.”
Inara placed a gentle hand on Nettie’s shoulder, seeing how frightened the child was by the happenings around her. “Will you be okay with that, Nettie?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Nettie set her jaw and clenched her fists to try to hide her shaking.
“Okay then.” Simon stepped back into the infirmary and beckoned Nettie inside. “Let’s go.”
“Now?” she squeaked.
“No time like the present.”
“Okay, I- Cap?” The child turned to Mal. “Will you hold my hand?”
That stung Jayne a bit and he stared hard down at the ground. River knew a backpat wasn’t going to cut it this time around and looped her arm around his waist.
“All right, Nettie?” Simon asked.
Nettie squirmed on the table, unnerved by the suction cups on her forehead. “Fine.”
“All right. Just relax and fall asleep. Nothing here will harm you. You’re safe.”
Holding tight to Mal’s hand, Nettie stayed wide awake. “Cap? Another poem?”
“You already heard my best one,” he gently teased, ignoring the interested look the doctor gave him.
“But I can’t relax,” Nettie said, sounding a little distressed. “I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know!” she exclaimed miserably.
“If I had words to make a day for you, I’d sing you a morning golden and new.” Everyone in the room turned in surprise at the figure in the doorway. Jayne ignored the two grown men and focused on the little girl, continuing to sing. “I would make this day last for all time and give you a night deep in moonshine.”
Nettie relaxed and closed her eyes. Before dropping off to sleep, a little tear slid down her cheek.
“So what was that?” Mal asked outside.
Jayne hunched his shoulders. “Something my pa used to sing to me when I was little is all. Used to calm me down some.”
“That was real sweet,” Kaylee said admiringly.
“Surprisingly, yes, it was,” Inara agreed.
Jayne’s ears turned red. “Can we quit talkin’ ‘bout how sweet I am.”
“I for one agree with that plan,” Mal said.
Looking over at River, Jayne caught before everyone else when she stopped laughing along with the others and her eyes went slightly out of focus.
“You all right?” he asked her, reaching for her arm.
“Going back to her own world,” she whispered, seemingly speaking to herself.
“What are you-?”
An alarmed shout roused everyone’s attention and they looked into the infirmary to see Simon run from the machinery out of sight to where Nettie lay. Jayne was the first one in and stopped in his tracks at what he saw.
Nettie lay where they’d left her on the examining table and yet… she wasn’t there. She appeared to be a clearish shade of gray. Like she was fading.
“Nettie!” Jayne shouted.
The child stirred and the color started to seep into her skin and hair once more. She blinked awake and stared at all the adults crowded together staring at her.
“What?” she asked, frowning.
Mal folded his arms. “You’re gonna tell us everything that happened the day you disappeared.”
“Some wacky chemical?” Mal muttered. “That don’t… Can they do that?”
“If the government can turn a young genius into an assassin, I wouldn’t put anything past them,” Simon answered.
Mal shook his head, pacing. “I don’t like this.”
Everyone, save Nettie and River, was gathered in the mess talking over this latest development.
“I don’t like it,” Jayne said, flatly.
“No one does,” Zoe said.
“The Alliance can do a lot of damage with that kinda weapon,” Mal said grimly.
“Who says it’s a weapon?” Kaylee asked. “Maybe they’re gonna use it so folks can go to alternate worlds and settle. Free up some space here.”
“Maybe,” Zoe said, sharing a look with Mal and not looking completely convinced.
“What concerns me is the side-effects,” Simon said. “The subject could have an adverse reaction. I mean, this chemical actually changed Nettie. Her body’s fighting the substance, however. I think that’s what’s happening when she falls asleep.”
“So it’s okay for her to fall asleep?” Kaylee asked. “Maybe it’ll take her home!”
“Or maybe it’ll transport her somewhere a hell of a lot worse than where she is now. She fell asleep in that warehouse and woke up in it. What if she falls asleep in the infirmary and wakes up in space because the ship in her time ain’t there to be around her? That’s… that’s all kinds of messed up right there.” Mal rubbed his forehead where a headache was forming.
Jayne kicked the chair across from him. “Then what the hell do we do?! The kid needs to sleep!”
Mal sighed. “We put her on watch. Let her sleep and if she turns any grayer and really starts disappearin’, we wake her up. River’s got first shift. Who wants next?”
“Me.” Jayne stood up. “I’ll go and check on ‘em right now.”
“Okay.” As Jayne left the room, Mal asked, “Who wants to be next?”
Jayne quietly opened the door and slipped inside without making a sound. “How is she?” he whispered.
River looked up from staring intently into Nettie’s face. “Fine. She hasn’t turned gray yet. She isn’t in her REM cycle either, so maybe that has something to do with it.”
“Why don’t you go to sleep, too.” Jayne sat down on the floor. “I’ll watch over you.”
“But it’s my turn,” River protested.
Jayne shook his head, looking at the little girl. “No. It’s mine.”
Studying him a moment, River nodded and lay down, draping an arm across Nettie’s chest. The girl moaned in her sleep and turned to face Jayne, murmuring.
“Thank you, Jayne.”
“Hey. Gotta keep my girls safe.”
River’s eyes glittered before she closed them, cuddling her pseudo-daughter closer. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and Jayne felt damn proud to have been the one to put it there.
**************
Slight shout out to
icebreather's awesome Sleep Study series. Also, yes, the song Jayne sings was used in Babe. I don't know, I can see him as liking it. It's soothing and mentions moonshine after all. ;)**************
< Chapter Seven : Chapter Nine >
