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toxic_cornSeries: Persephone
Title: Chapter Seven (7/7)
Author: Toxic Corn
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Firefly is owned by Joss Whedon. I own nothing, sadly.
WARNING: This deals with some dark subject matter that may not appeal to everyone. Also, this is an AU where River never went to the Academy and Jayne never joined the Serenity crew. So if you're really into canon, this fic is not for you.
Summary: Jayne has to make a few decisions.
Notes: Written as a gift to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sandwch__zombie. Here's to you, sweetie!
Catch up on earlier chapters at the organizational post.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jayne sat at the bar and thumped his empty bottle down. “Gimmie another.”
The bartender nodded and slid one down. Good man. Must’ve seen him when he walked in and knew he was going to need a few. This place was just around the corner from his apartment and it felt like a second home. Seemed the place to sit and lick his wounds before taking the first transport out of here. Hatchett wasn’t going to be happy to find both River and Jayne gone.
What was he going to do now, anyhow? Maybe it was time to go legit. This kind of work was wearing on him, ever since that job on the firefly. Now River had put a face to all the suffering he'd caused and there was no way he could go back to that.
Gorramn girl. He’d had a headache when he’d woken up. Pissed him the hell off but then she had to go and be sweet and leave some meds out for him. Had to admit though, a girl her size taking out a big guy like him brought about a surge of respect. Maybe a little bit of something else, too.
He pulled out the napkin and stared at it. The ketchup had long since turned brown and was starting to flake a little. Maybe if we’d met under different circumstances... What did that mean? If they’d just met on the street, maybe the two of them could’ve…
Yeah, right. He gulped down half of his drink and set it down. Probably should go a little easy on the alcohol. Hadn’t he heard someplace that if you had a possible concussion you weren’t supposed to go drinking?
What the hell did it matter, anyway? Hatchett was going to find him. And if he didn’t, the girl was like to bring the Feds down on him. She just had to look at them with those big, pretty eyes of hers and say the mean man had taken her away and he’d never see the light of day again. Those eyes could make you do anything.
A warm, female body pressed into his side. Normally, he was all for gettin’ some trim but now wasn’t really the time to be thinkin’ with his John Thomas.
“Listen, girlie, you’d have better luck-” He turned warily to the woman and startled back in surprise. “River?!”
“Quiet!” She grabbed his head and planted a wet, messy kiss on his mouth. Stunned, Jayne didn’t respond and when she pulled back, all he could do was gape at her stupidly.
“We don’t have much time,” she said, urgently. “The federal agents or whomever were working for my father all along. They’ve killed your partner and now they’re coming for you.”
“You kissed me,” Jayne said, slowly blinking.
River gave him a look. “Yes. I find you attractive but mostly I didn’t want to draw any attention to us. Most males and females in here are intimately entwined and I wanted us to fit in.” She suddenly looked worried. “Was it bad?”
“It was kinda quick, maybe you should do it again.” Jayne leaned towards her and she gently pushed him away.
“Later. We have to get you out of here. It didn’t take me long to find you, but I had your name to work with and they don’t. Still, they’re the government and can find out anything. They could come through that door any minute looking for you.”
Jayne frowned. “You’re worried about me?”
“Well, I’m worried for me, too,” River admitted. “They were helping my father in exchange for my attendance at their school.”
“And they’re lookin’ to collect.”
“Affirmative. So leaving now instead of having a panel discussion here would be in our best interests.”
“What’s all this ‘we’ go se?” Jayne asked, shaking her off his arm. “You’re not gonna want me around, girl.”
River stared at him blankly. “I'm not?”
“No! Hell, you’re all young and full o’ promise or whatever.” Jayne shook his head. “You’d just be wastin’ yourself with me.”
“Jayne, we really need to go.” River grabbed his arm. “Please be insecure later.”
“But-”
River sighed. “Jayne, I care for you. And I implied in my note that if we had met under different circumstances, perhaps something could’ve worked out between us. But guess what?” She leaned closer. “These are new circumstances. If you don’t want to be with me, fine. But I’d feel better if I saw you safely on a transport than sitting in this bar pouting to prove a point when the federal marshals show up to take you away.”
Jayne looked at her a moment and then slapped cash on the bar. “Well, what the hell are we doing sittin’ around here for?” Grinning, he took her hand and the two of them slipped through the crowd to the backdoor.
“I don’t got much,” Jayne told her. “But I think I can get us transport on a small ship. Can’t promise it’ll be nice.”
“I have some money,” River said. “Mostly money set aside for me when I came of age. I had to withdraw it bit by bit at different machines on my way here; my father will probably freeze my account when he sees I’ve gone.”
“How much?” Jayne asked, curiously.
“It’s not five hundred thousand,” she said and smiled when he held the door open for her. “But it could get that ship you’ve been dreaming of.”
He reached out and linked their fingers together. “Shiny.”
They were long gone by the time alliance federals stormed the building.
~*~
Four months later...
“And this one here,” the salesman said, “is a real beaut. She’s got some miles on her but if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ to getcha all over the black, she’ll be true.”
The salesman glanced at the little wife, who seemed to be the one calling the shots. She and her husband wore their newlywed status like neon signs; he’d been helping her through the shipyard, letting his hands linger on her waist as she beamed up at him. Reminded him of when he and his own wife first got together.
“It’s a firefly,” she said, softly. “Are you all right with that?”
“Yeah, this one’s a later model.” The man looked to the salesman. “Can we take a look inside?”
“Of course. She’s not all prettied up inside, I’m sorry to say.”
“My Rio here’s pretty enough to make up for it.” The man wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders as she smiled sweetly.
The salesman thought of his wife again and figured it’d been too long since he’d brought flowers home. Maybe he’d get some and surprise her. He showed the couple around the ship, sure to point out that there was plenty of space for cargo transport.
When they’d got to the cockpit, Rio asked if she and her husband could have some time to talk about it.
“Sure,” the salesman said and thumbed behind him. “I’ll just be out here when you folks need me.”
They waited a moment before speaking. “I think it’s perfect, Johnny.”
The man made a face. “I don’t think I like that name much.”
“It’s better than a girl’s name,” she said, teasingly.
“Hey,” he growled, but pulled her close to kiss the top of her head. “Think you got the better end of the deal, though. Rio’s a shiny name.”
“We aren’t supposed to be discussing our names,” River reminded him. “What do you think of the ship?”
Jayne looked around. “I think with some work, she could do just fine. And she’s in our price range.”
River clapped her hands excitedly. “Then we’ve found her!” She spun in a circle and beamed at him. “Persephone.”
“Don’t think I like that name much, either.”
“Hades is too dark, Johnny,” she said, sitting down in the pilot’s chair. “No one would trust it.”
“Sounds tougher.”
“Well, Persephone is associated with the concept of re-birth. And we’re starting a new life together.” She held her hand out to him and the sunlight glinted off the gold ring on her finger. “Don’t you find that appropriate?”
Jayne held her hand with his own ringed one and they shared a soft smile. “When the heat’s off of us, I’m gonna marry ya for real, magic hands.”
“I’m holding you to that promise,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. She smiled as he practically melted in front of her.
“Hey, I think we made our decision!” Jayne called over his shoulder.
“Yes, Mr. Hobbes?” the salesman ducked his head in, looking hopeful.
John and Rio Hobbes grinned at him. “We’ll take her.”
THE END
< Chapter Six :
Title: Chapter Seven (7/7)
Author: Toxic Corn
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Firefly is owned by Joss Whedon. I own nothing, sadly.
WARNING: This deals with some dark subject matter that may not appeal to everyone. Also, this is an AU where River never went to the Academy and Jayne never joined the Serenity crew. So if you're really into canon, this fic is not for you.
Summary: Jayne has to make a few decisions.
Notes: Written as a gift to
sandwch__zombie. Here's to you, sweetie!Catch up on earlier chapters at the organizational post.
Jayne sat at the bar and thumped his empty bottle down. “Gimmie another.”
The bartender nodded and slid one down. Good man. Must’ve seen him when he walked in and knew he was going to need a few. This place was just around the corner from his apartment and it felt like a second home. Seemed the place to sit and lick his wounds before taking the first transport out of here. Hatchett wasn’t going to be happy to find both River and Jayne gone.
What was he going to do now, anyhow? Maybe it was time to go legit. This kind of work was wearing on him, ever since that job on the firefly. Now River had put a face to all the suffering he'd caused and there was no way he could go back to that.
Gorramn girl. He’d had a headache when he’d woken up. Pissed him the hell off but then she had to go and be sweet and leave some meds out for him. Had to admit though, a girl her size taking out a big guy like him brought about a surge of respect. Maybe a little bit of something else, too.
He pulled out the napkin and stared at it. The ketchup had long since turned brown and was starting to flake a little. Maybe if we’d met under different circumstances... What did that mean? If they’d just met on the street, maybe the two of them could’ve…
Yeah, right. He gulped down half of his drink and set it down. Probably should go a little easy on the alcohol. Hadn’t he heard someplace that if you had a possible concussion you weren’t supposed to go drinking?
What the hell did it matter, anyway? Hatchett was going to find him. And if he didn’t, the girl was like to bring the Feds down on him. She just had to look at them with those big, pretty eyes of hers and say the mean man had taken her away and he’d never see the light of day again. Those eyes could make you do anything.
A warm, female body pressed into his side. Normally, he was all for gettin’ some trim but now wasn’t really the time to be thinkin’ with his John Thomas.
“Listen, girlie, you’d have better luck-” He turned warily to the woman and startled back in surprise. “River?!”
“Quiet!” She grabbed his head and planted a wet, messy kiss on his mouth. Stunned, Jayne didn’t respond and when she pulled back, all he could do was gape at her stupidly.
“We don’t have much time,” she said, urgently. “The federal agents or whomever were working for my father all along. They’ve killed your partner and now they’re coming for you.”
“You kissed me,” Jayne said, slowly blinking.
River gave him a look. “Yes. I find you attractive but mostly I didn’t want to draw any attention to us. Most males and females in here are intimately entwined and I wanted us to fit in.” She suddenly looked worried. “Was it bad?”
“It was kinda quick, maybe you should do it again.” Jayne leaned towards her and she gently pushed him away.
“Later. We have to get you out of here. It didn’t take me long to find you, but I had your name to work with and they don’t. Still, they’re the government and can find out anything. They could come through that door any minute looking for you.”
Jayne frowned. “You’re worried about me?”
“Well, I’m worried for me, too,” River admitted. “They were helping my father in exchange for my attendance at their school.”
“And they’re lookin’ to collect.”
“Affirmative. So leaving now instead of having a panel discussion here would be in our best interests.”
“What’s all this ‘we’ go se?” Jayne asked, shaking her off his arm. “You’re not gonna want me around, girl.”
River stared at him blankly. “I'm not?”
“No! Hell, you’re all young and full o’ promise or whatever.” Jayne shook his head. “You’d just be wastin’ yourself with me.”
“Jayne, we really need to go.” River grabbed his arm. “Please be insecure later.”
“But-”
River sighed. “Jayne, I care for you. And I implied in my note that if we had met under different circumstances, perhaps something could’ve worked out between us. But guess what?” She leaned closer. “These are new circumstances. If you don’t want to be with me, fine. But I’d feel better if I saw you safely on a transport than sitting in this bar pouting to prove a point when the federal marshals show up to take you away.”
Jayne looked at her a moment and then slapped cash on the bar. “Well, what the hell are we doing sittin’ around here for?” Grinning, he took her hand and the two of them slipped through the crowd to the backdoor.
“I don’t got much,” Jayne told her. “But I think I can get us transport on a small ship. Can’t promise it’ll be nice.”
“I have some money,” River said. “Mostly money set aside for me when I came of age. I had to withdraw it bit by bit at different machines on my way here; my father will probably freeze my account when he sees I’ve gone.”
“How much?” Jayne asked, curiously.
“It’s not five hundred thousand,” she said and smiled when he held the door open for her. “But it could get that ship you’ve been dreaming of.”
He reached out and linked their fingers together. “Shiny.”
They were long gone by the time alliance federals stormed the building.
Four months later...
“And this one here,” the salesman said, “is a real beaut. She’s got some miles on her but if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ to getcha all over the black, she’ll be true.”
The salesman glanced at the little wife, who seemed to be the one calling the shots. She and her husband wore their newlywed status like neon signs; he’d been helping her through the shipyard, letting his hands linger on her waist as she beamed up at him. Reminded him of when he and his own wife first got together.
“It’s a firefly,” she said, softly. “Are you all right with that?”
“Yeah, this one’s a later model.” The man looked to the salesman. “Can we take a look inside?”
“Of course. She’s not all prettied up inside, I’m sorry to say.”
“My Rio here’s pretty enough to make up for it.” The man wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders as she smiled sweetly.
The salesman thought of his wife again and figured it’d been too long since he’d brought flowers home. Maybe he’d get some and surprise her. He showed the couple around the ship, sure to point out that there was plenty of space for cargo transport.
When they’d got to the cockpit, Rio asked if she and her husband could have some time to talk about it.
“Sure,” the salesman said and thumbed behind him. “I’ll just be out here when you folks need me.”
They waited a moment before speaking. “I think it’s perfect, Johnny.”
The man made a face. “I don’t think I like that name much.”
“It’s better than a girl’s name,” she said, teasingly.
“Hey,” he growled, but pulled her close to kiss the top of her head. “Think you got the better end of the deal, though. Rio’s a shiny name.”
“We aren’t supposed to be discussing our names,” River reminded him. “What do you think of the ship?”
Jayne looked around. “I think with some work, she could do just fine. And she’s in our price range.”
River clapped her hands excitedly. “Then we’ve found her!” She spun in a circle and beamed at him. “Persephone.”
“Don’t think I like that name much, either.”
“Hades is too dark, Johnny,” she said, sitting down in the pilot’s chair. “No one would trust it.”
“Sounds tougher.”
“Well, Persephone is associated with the concept of re-birth. And we’re starting a new life together.” She held her hand out to him and the sunlight glinted off the gold ring on her finger. “Don’t you find that appropriate?”
Jayne held her hand with his own ringed one and they shared a soft smile. “When the heat’s off of us, I’m gonna marry ya for real, magic hands.”
“I’m holding you to that promise,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. She smiled as he practically melted in front of her.
“Hey, I think we made our decision!” Jayne called over his shoulder.
“Yes, Mr. Hobbes?” the salesman ducked his head in, looking hopeful.
John and Rio Hobbes grinned at him. “We’ll take her.”
< Chapter Six :
