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toxic_cornSeries: The Present
Title: Chapter One
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
toxic_corn
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Firefly belongs to Joss Whedon. I own nothing and earn no money from this.
Summary: A mysterious package from Jayne's past will change the course of his future.
Notes: Another AU. This time, I didn't kill the crew. :D Everything is pretty much the same except River and Simon aren't on board the ship. At least, not right away.
CHAPTER ONE
Jayne shifted the sack of supplies to his other shoulder as he made his way through the mob of people in the crowded space station. He was feeling pretty good; on account of his size he'd gotten an even bigger Intimidating Bastard discount than usual and that could be one less thing for Mal to get all tetchy about. Since Badger had dicked them out of their share after that job with the derelict, their fearful leader had been working twice as hard to get them jobs and the strain of it was making him a regular thorn in Jayne's firm backside.
"Heya, Jayne!" Kaylee bounced up beside him. "All the hubbub sure is excitin' ain't it?"
"Yeah, I'm 'bout ready ta wet myself," Jayne muttered, earning him a playful swat on the arm.
"Cheer up, I bet Cap and Zoe's contacts came through for us. 'fore ya know it, we'll be rollin' in coin."
"I'll kick up m' heels 'n dance once I see that coin, li'l Kaylee." Jayne spared her a glance as they continued on. Damn girl would try to find the bright side of anything. How could a body stand to be that cheerful all the time? She had to wanna punch something sometime, right?
"That'd be a sight to see. Jig or just awkward flailing?" Jayne glared over his shoulder at Wash, who'd popped up behind them unnoticed.
"Don't start with me, little man," Jayne warned.
Wash didn't look too concerned, damn his eyes. "It's getting close to rendezvous time. You two headed back to the ship?"
"Uh huh," Kaylee affirmed. "Wash, you think Cap and Zoe got us a job, right?"
Jayne and Wash shared a look. "Sure. It'll be fine."
A few minutes later, they were walking up the ramp to find Inara and the Shepherd already on the ship waiting for them. The two paused in mid-conversation for greetings and pleasantries.
"I got these for you, sweetie," Inara said, holding out a package of hairclips to Kaylee.
"Oh, they're so shiny! Thanks, Inara." Kaylee accepted the gift happily, making the Companion smile.
"Didja get me anything?" Jayne asked, hopefully.
Inara raised an eyebrow at him. "I bought a crate of apples for everyone. In your deluded mind, you can pretend I meant them exclusively for you."
"Well, I'll take it."
"Hey, you're back!" Kaylee called and they all turned to see Mal and Zoe striding up the ramp, their poker faces on. "Any good news?"
"'Fraid not, Kaylee," Mal said. "Think you can get to the engine room? The sooner we leave, the sooner we might find some work."
Looking disappointed, the girl went. Everyone else stood there taking in the news.
"Your business arrangement fell through?" the shepherd asked politely.
"Something like that," Mal said curtly. "Wash, I need you on the bridge. Everybody just... go and do whatever it is you do."
"Excuse me!" A gent in a brown uniform stood on the ramp, clutching a clipboard. "I got a delivery for a Jayne Cobb? Is that one of you ladies?"
Jayne scowled and stepped forward. "That'd be me."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Got an envelope and a box for you, Mr. Cobb. Could you sign this, please?"
"You expectin' something?" Mal asked as Jayne went to sign the forms. A man on a dolly/truck brought a large, metal box on board. "Don't tell me you went and ordered more pieces for that arsenal of yours."
"Might have," Jayne muttered. He accepted the bulky brown envelope the man gave him and frowned when the guy tipped his hat to him.
"Have a good day, Mr. Cobb. Hope you enjoy your post." He hopped onto the dolly/truck and the two deliverymen rode off. Jayne hit the button closing up the ramp and airlock.
"You don't got the money to be orderin' anything this fancy," Mal said, eyes narrowing. "Where'd you get it?"
"Hell, Mal, I only ordered one gun, I don't know what this is all about. Maybe they made a mistake." Jayne opened up the envelope, wondering if there was an explanation inside. He found a folded up piece of paper, a syringe with a pack of needles, and some vials of clear liquid. Yeah, that cleared everything right the hell up. He skimmed the paper. "Says I can only open it when all the little bar thingies on the tiny screen is green and level."
The others crowded around the box and Mal found the screen in question. "Green and level. You gonna open it up?"
"Suppose so." Jayne stuffed the envelope under his arm and nudged the shepherd out of the way. After a moment of fumbling, he found the little lever and lifted the lid.
Everyone peered inside and gasped.
"Jayne," Mal said tightly. "You'd better explain and you'd better explain right quick."
Inside, curled up in a fetal position was an unconscious teenage girl. A naked unconscious teenage girl. Jayne stopped admiring her bare flesh a moment to look at her face and his jaw dropped.
"Jayne," Mal repeated.
"It- it's not ruttin' possible," Jayne whispered. "She can't..."
The girl stirred and then suddenly popped up with a scream of alarm. Her wide eyes looked wildly around, not seeming to make sense of anything she saw.
"It's okay, River, you're fine," Jayne said, quickly, reaching out to her. He blanched when she recoiled, crying. "Hey, hey, hey. C'mon now. It's me; Jayne. Dontcha remember your Jayne?" He crouched down and this time when he touched her she stayed in place, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Not real," she croaked, shivering. "Was away. Dark. Sharp. You call and call but they're never the right words!"
"Shhh." Jayne shucked off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. "C'mon now, apple blossom."
The endearment worked to calm her down a little. "Lost words."
"Yeah," he agreed, not knowing what the hell she was talking about. He picked up the envelope from where he'd discarded it, unfolding the note again to see the next instructions. He had to give her an injection from one of the little bottles, apparently.
"Jayne, if you don't explain in two seconds so help me-" Mal paused in mid-threat when Jayne turned his face towards him and he saw the bleak look in the merc's eyes.
"This here," Jayne said quietly, "is River Tam."
"Oh." Mal absorbed that, nodding. "Who?"
: Chapter Two >
Title: Chapter One
Author:
toxic_cornRating: R
Disclaimer: Firefly belongs to Joss Whedon. I own nothing and earn no money from this.
Summary: A mysterious package from Jayne's past will change the course of his future.
Notes: Another AU. This time, I didn't kill the crew. :D Everything is pretty much the same except River and Simon aren't on board the ship. At least, not right away.
Jayne shifted the sack of supplies to his other shoulder as he made his way through the mob of people in the crowded space station. He was feeling pretty good; on account of his size he'd gotten an even bigger Intimidating Bastard discount than usual and that could be one less thing for Mal to get all tetchy about. Since Badger had dicked them out of their share after that job with the derelict, their fearful leader had been working twice as hard to get them jobs and the strain of it was making him a regular thorn in Jayne's firm backside.
"Heya, Jayne!" Kaylee bounced up beside him. "All the hubbub sure is excitin' ain't it?"
"Yeah, I'm 'bout ready ta wet myself," Jayne muttered, earning him a playful swat on the arm.
"Cheer up, I bet Cap and Zoe's contacts came through for us. 'fore ya know it, we'll be rollin' in coin."
"I'll kick up m' heels 'n dance once I see that coin, li'l Kaylee." Jayne spared her a glance as they continued on. Damn girl would try to find the bright side of anything. How could a body stand to be that cheerful all the time? She had to wanna punch something sometime, right?
"That'd be a sight to see. Jig or just awkward flailing?" Jayne glared over his shoulder at Wash, who'd popped up behind them unnoticed.
"Don't start with me, little man," Jayne warned.
Wash didn't look too concerned, damn his eyes. "It's getting close to rendezvous time. You two headed back to the ship?"
"Uh huh," Kaylee affirmed. "Wash, you think Cap and Zoe got us a job, right?"
Jayne and Wash shared a look. "Sure. It'll be fine."
A few minutes later, they were walking up the ramp to find Inara and the Shepherd already on the ship waiting for them. The two paused in mid-conversation for greetings and pleasantries.
"I got these for you, sweetie," Inara said, holding out a package of hairclips to Kaylee.
"Oh, they're so shiny! Thanks, Inara." Kaylee accepted the gift happily, making the Companion smile.
"Didja get me anything?" Jayne asked, hopefully.
Inara raised an eyebrow at him. "I bought a crate of apples for everyone. In your deluded mind, you can pretend I meant them exclusively for you."
"Well, I'll take it."
"Hey, you're back!" Kaylee called and they all turned to see Mal and Zoe striding up the ramp, their poker faces on. "Any good news?"
"'Fraid not, Kaylee," Mal said. "Think you can get to the engine room? The sooner we leave, the sooner we might find some work."
Looking disappointed, the girl went. Everyone else stood there taking in the news.
"Your business arrangement fell through?" the shepherd asked politely.
"Something like that," Mal said curtly. "Wash, I need you on the bridge. Everybody just... go and do whatever it is you do."
"Excuse me!" A gent in a brown uniform stood on the ramp, clutching a clipboard. "I got a delivery for a Jayne Cobb? Is that one of you ladies?"
Jayne scowled and stepped forward. "That'd be me."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Got an envelope and a box for you, Mr. Cobb. Could you sign this, please?"
"You expectin' something?" Mal asked as Jayne went to sign the forms. A man on a dolly/truck brought a large, metal box on board. "Don't tell me you went and ordered more pieces for that arsenal of yours."
"Might have," Jayne muttered. He accepted the bulky brown envelope the man gave him and frowned when the guy tipped his hat to him.
"Have a good day, Mr. Cobb. Hope you enjoy your post." He hopped onto the dolly/truck and the two deliverymen rode off. Jayne hit the button closing up the ramp and airlock.
"You don't got the money to be orderin' anything this fancy," Mal said, eyes narrowing. "Where'd you get it?"
"Hell, Mal, I only ordered one gun, I don't know what this is all about. Maybe they made a mistake." Jayne opened up the envelope, wondering if there was an explanation inside. He found a folded up piece of paper, a syringe with a pack of needles, and some vials of clear liquid. Yeah, that cleared everything right the hell up. He skimmed the paper. "Says I can only open it when all the little bar thingies on the tiny screen is green and level."
The others crowded around the box and Mal found the screen in question. "Green and level. You gonna open it up?"
"Suppose so." Jayne stuffed the envelope under his arm and nudged the shepherd out of the way. After a moment of fumbling, he found the little lever and lifted the lid.
Everyone peered inside and gasped.
"Jayne," Mal said tightly. "You'd better explain and you'd better explain right quick."
Inside, curled up in a fetal position was an unconscious teenage girl. A naked unconscious teenage girl. Jayne stopped admiring her bare flesh a moment to look at her face and his jaw dropped.
"Jayne," Mal repeated.
"It- it's not ruttin' possible," Jayne whispered. "She can't..."
The girl stirred and then suddenly popped up with a scream of alarm. Her wide eyes looked wildly around, not seeming to make sense of anything she saw.
"It's okay, River, you're fine," Jayne said, quickly, reaching out to her. He blanched when she recoiled, crying. "Hey, hey, hey. C'mon now. It's me; Jayne. Dontcha remember your Jayne?" He crouched down and this time when he touched her she stayed in place, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Not real," she croaked, shivering. "Was away. Dark. Sharp. You call and call but they're never the right words!"
"Shhh." Jayne shucked off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. "C'mon now, apple blossom."
The endearment worked to calm her down a little. "Lost words."
"Yeah," he agreed, not knowing what the hell she was talking about. He picked up the envelope from where he'd discarded it, unfolding the note again to see the next instructions. He had to give her an injection from one of the little bottles, apparently.
"Jayne, if you don't explain in two seconds so help me-" Mal paused in mid-threat when Jayne turned his face towards him and he saw the bleak look in the merc's eyes.
"This here," Jayne said quietly, "is River Tam."
"Oh." Mal absorbed that, nodding. "Who?"
: Chapter Two >
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-01-12 05:46 am (UTC)I get a computer at work occasionally, and that's always to compensate being stuck on the phones. The receptionist was away yesterday and today. I'll bet she's off monday too.