![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
toxic_cornSeries: The Present
Title: Chapter Three (3/11)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
toxic_corn
Rating: R
Pairing: River/Jayne
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. More questions than answers this time around, I'm afraid.
Read earlier chapters at the organizational post.
CHAPTER THREE
"But... I don't get it." Kaylee frowned. "If she's Jayne's childhood sweetie, how come she's...."
"Half his age?" Wash supplied, not concerned with being diplomatic.
"It just don't seem possible," Kaylee said apologetically when Jayne glared over his shoulder at them.
After Jayne had calmed River down, he'd scooped her up out of the box and taken her into the infirmary. She'd kicked up a fuss something awful, clawing at him and screaming but he'd managed to get her inside. Kaylee had given the girl some of her extra clothes so now she was dressed, but she refused to give up Jayne's jacket.
Mal stood in the middle of the infirmary, arms folded. "Probably because it isn't. Jayne, who is this girl?"
"I told ya," Jayne snarled. "She's River Tam. I grew up with her on Pomona."
"Jayne, this girl ain't much more than sixteen," Mal snapped, pointing at River. She recoiled, frightened by the gesture.
Jayne rose up, face dangerously dark. "You quit pointin' at her like that. Right the hell now."
Looking guilty, Mal lowered his hand. "Don't you get how impossible that is, Jayne? How do you know she ain't River's daughter? Maybe even yours, too?"
"Because this is her." He turned to her. "Tell 'em your name, apple blossom."
"Wasn't real," she responded. "Numbers, no words, just dark."
Frustrated, Jayne cupped her chin. "Please, pretty girl. They don't think you were ever mine. Tell 'em."
"Jayne, stop it," Inara snapped. "Is there any other way we could determine if this is the girl you remember?"
Mal turned to her in amazement. "You're actually gonna indulge this nonsense?"
"Stranger things have happened," Inara murmured softly.
Jayne thought for a long moment before his face brightened. "She's got a birth mark, high up on her inner left thigh. Looks kinda like a J." Mal moved close and Jayne bristled. "Get the hell away from her!"
"I'll check," Kaylee volunteered. She left her place hovering in the doorway and came forward. Jayne relaxed and backed down from the protective stance he'd taken. Gently, she placed her hand on River's knee. "I'm just gonna look real quick, sweetie, don't be embarrassed, okay?"
River simply looked at her and Kaylee stared hard at the men until they all politely turned their backs, even Jayne, who turned with a disgusted snort. Then she gently eased River's knees apart and looked for the birthmark.
"There it is," Kaylee whispered. She pressed River's knees back together. "Hi there, River."
"That ain't the girl Jayne knew!" Mal exploded. "It... it don't make any gorramn sense at all!"
Kaylee flinched but stuck her chin out. "She's got the mark and she goes all calm when she's around Jayne. It's her, Cap'n."
Wash popped back into the room, having left unnoticed. "I was looking at that box she came in. I think it's a cryogenic chamber."
"A what?" Jayne frowned and stepped closer to River when she started making soft whimpering noises.
"It suspends all bodily functions, growth, or aging while keeping the person alive." Wash looked uneasily from River to Mal. "She may have been in there a long time."
"Why would somebody do that?" Kaylee asked.
"And how?" Inara looked puzzled.
Wash held his hands up in the air. "Don't ask me, I'm not an expert. I didn't even know someone could survive cryogenic freezing longer than a few months. River here would've had to have been frozen nearly twenty years."
"Well, who sent her then?" Mal asked, giving up and grudgingly accepting that the frightened young woman huddled on the counter was River Tam.
Jayne looked at the envelope. "No return address. If we're all through waggin' our jaws, can I give her the meds now?" Without waiting for a response, Jayne consulted the note and checked to see which vial's contents he had to inject her with. "Don't uh... don't rightly know how to do this sort of thing..."
Zoe stepped forward. "Here. I'll do it, Jayne."
Gratefully, Jayne stepped aside and handed Zoe the items. When River started whimpering again, he grabbed her hand. "It's okay, apple blossom. Hurts for a second and then it's all done."
"No!" she cried, ripping away from him. He watched in stunned surprise as she slid off the counter and tried to run from the room, only to be gently caught by the shepherd.
"Child, we're only trying to help you," he said, holding on to her struggling form.
"No! Hurts and promises and lies! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Simon! Simon!!" She thrashed, screaming and crying.
"River, stop it!" Mal shouted. "Zoe, give her the shot."
Kaylee looked horrified. "But Cap'n, she's-"
"I bet that medicine's supposed to calm her down when she goes all wooly. Probably a side effect or something from the freezing, right Wash?"
Wash gave him a look. "Didn't I say I'm not an expert?"
The shepherd and Mal got Jayne's coat off of River as she kept trying to break away and held her down for Zoe to give her the injection in her arm. She'd calmed down a little and held still as the needle went into her arm, but she pouted and stuck her tongue out at it.
"Okay." Mal released her, leaving her to rest on the examining chair. "I'm guessing she'll sleep in awhile. Kaylee, could you set up one of the guest dorms for her?"
Still shaken by what she'd seen, Kaylee just nodded and stumbled from the room.
"The poor thing," Inara said, softly. She crossed the room to stand by River, stroking the girl's hair. "Whatever she's been through, it must have been horrible."
"Yeah, I doubt anyone waking up from being stuffed in a frozen box would be a ray of sunshine." Wash cracked a weak half smile.
"When was the last time you saw this girl, Jayne?" Mal turned and was surprised to see the merc was gone. "Where did he go?"
~*~
Jayne sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall. River Tam had been the brightest, most brilliant girl in the entire 'verse. Now she was that shrieking, flailing wreck down in the infirmary and damn it all to ruttin' hell if that wasn't the most unfair circumstance he'd ever had the misfortune to witness.
When she disappeared from his life, he figured she'd found someone else. Someone smarter and richer. That stuff had never mattered to River before, but people changed. Sometimes, he would think about her and he always pictured her married to the smart rich fella, working as a fancy scientist on Osiris, and living in a big ol' mansion raising two kids. That thought had always hurt him but in recent years he'd gotten numb to it. Now he knew that that wasn't what happened and rage was making his hands shake. That possible future for her had hurt him but at least she would've been safe, happy.
Not bathshit crazy spouting nonsense and lashing out at them that's just tryin' to help her, including him who'd loved her above all else in the entire fucking verse!!
With a roar, Jayne jumped up and started throwing anything he could get his hands on.
< Chapter Two : Chapter Four >
Title: Chapter Three (3/11)
Author:
toxic_cornRating: R
Pairing: River/Jayne
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. More questions than answers this time around, I'm afraid.
Read earlier chapters at the organizational post.
"But... I don't get it." Kaylee frowned. "If she's Jayne's childhood sweetie, how come she's...."
"Half his age?" Wash supplied, not concerned with being diplomatic.
"It just don't seem possible," Kaylee said apologetically when Jayne glared over his shoulder at them.
After Jayne had calmed River down, he'd scooped her up out of the box and taken her into the infirmary. She'd kicked up a fuss something awful, clawing at him and screaming but he'd managed to get her inside. Kaylee had given the girl some of her extra clothes so now she was dressed, but she refused to give up Jayne's jacket.
Mal stood in the middle of the infirmary, arms folded. "Probably because it isn't. Jayne, who is this girl?"
"I told ya," Jayne snarled. "She's River Tam. I grew up with her on Pomona."
"Jayne, this girl ain't much more than sixteen," Mal snapped, pointing at River. She recoiled, frightened by the gesture.
Jayne rose up, face dangerously dark. "You quit pointin' at her like that. Right the hell now."
Looking guilty, Mal lowered his hand. "Don't you get how impossible that is, Jayne? How do you know she ain't River's daughter? Maybe even yours, too?"
"Because this is her." He turned to her. "Tell 'em your name, apple blossom."
"Wasn't real," she responded. "Numbers, no words, just dark."
Frustrated, Jayne cupped her chin. "Please, pretty girl. They don't think you were ever mine. Tell 'em."
"Jayne, stop it," Inara snapped. "Is there any other way we could determine if this is the girl you remember?"
Mal turned to her in amazement. "You're actually gonna indulge this nonsense?"
"Stranger things have happened," Inara murmured softly.
Jayne thought for a long moment before his face brightened. "She's got a birth mark, high up on her inner left thigh. Looks kinda like a J." Mal moved close and Jayne bristled. "Get the hell away from her!"
"I'll check," Kaylee volunteered. She left her place hovering in the doorway and came forward. Jayne relaxed and backed down from the protective stance he'd taken. Gently, she placed her hand on River's knee. "I'm just gonna look real quick, sweetie, don't be embarrassed, okay?"
River simply looked at her and Kaylee stared hard at the men until they all politely turned their backs, even Jayne, who turned with a disgusted snort. Then she gently eased River's knees apart and looked for the birthmark.
"There it is," Kaylee whispered. She pressed River's knees back together. "Hi there, River."
"That ain't the girl Jayne knew!" Mal exploded. "It... it don't make any gorramn sense at all!"
Kaylee flinched but stuck her chin out. "She's got the mark and she goes all calm when she's around Jayne. It's her, Cap'n."
Wash popped back into the room, having left unnoticed. "I was looking at that box she came in. I think it's a cryogenic chamber."
"A what?" Jayne frowned and stepped closer to River when she started making soft whimpering noises.
"It suspends all bodily functions, growth, or aging while keeping the person alive." Wash looked uneasily from River to Mal. "She may have been in there a long time."
"Why would somebody do that?" Kaylee asked.
"And how?" Inara looked puzzled.
Wash held his hands up in the air. "Don't ask me, I'm not an expert. I didn't even know someone could survive cryogenic freezing longer than a few months. River here would've had to have been frozen nearly twenty years."
"Well, who sent her then?" Mal asked, giving up and grudgingly accepting that the frightened young woman huddled on the counter was River Tam.
Jayne looked at the envelope. "No return address. If we're all through waggin' our jaws, can I give her the meds now?" Without waiting for a response, Jayne consulted the note and checked to see which vial's contents he had to inject her with. "Don't uh... don't rightly know how to do this sort of thing..."
Zoe stepped forward. "Here. I'll do it, Jayne."
Gratefully, Jayne stepped aside and handed Zoe the items. When River started whimpering again, he grabbed her hand. "It's okay, apple blossom. Hurts for a second and then it's all done."
"No!" she cried, ripping away from him. He watched in stunned surprise as she slid off the counter and tried to run from the room, only to be gently caught by the shepherd.
"Child, we're only trying to help you," he said, holding on to her struggling form.
"No! Hurts and promises and lies! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Simon! Simon!!" She thrashed, screaming and crying.
"River, stop it!" Mal shouted. "Zoe, give her the shot."
Kaylee looked horrified. "But Cap'n, she's-"
"I bet that medicine's supposed to calm her down when she goes all wooly. Probably a side effect or something from the freezing, right Wash?"
Wash gave him a look. "Didn't I say I'm not an expert?"
The shepherd and Mal got Jayne's coat off of River as she kept trying to break away and held her down for Zoe to give her the injection in her arm. She'd calmed down a little and held still as the needle went into her arm, but she pouted and stuck her tongue out at it.
"Okay." Mal released her, leaving her to rest on the examining chair. "I'm guessing she'll sleep in awhile. Kaylee, could you set up one of the guest dorms for her?"
Still shaken by what she'd seen, Kaylee just nodded and stumbled from the room.
"The poor thing," Inara said, softly. She crossed the room to stand by River, stroking the girl's hair. "Whatever she's been through, it must have been horrible."
"Yeah, I doubt anyone waking up from being stuffed in a frozen box would be a ray of sunshine." Wash cracked a weak half smile.
"When was the last time you saw this girl, Jayne?" Mal turned and was surprised to see the merc was gone. "Where did he go?"
Jayne sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall. River Tam had been the brightest, most brilliant girl in the entire 'verse. Now she was that shrieking, flailing wreck down in the infirmary and damn it all to ruttin' hell if that wasn't the most unfair circumstance he'd ever had the misfortune to witness.
When she disappeared from his life, he figured she'd found someone else. Someone smarter and richer. That stuff had never mattered to River before, but people changed. Sometimes, he would think about her and he always pictured her married to the smart rich fella, working as a fancy scientist on Osiris, and living in a big ol' mansion raising two kids. That thought had always hurt him but in recent years he'd gotten numb to it. Now he knew that that wasn't what happened and rage was making his hands shake. That possible future for her had hurt him but at least she would've been safe, happy.
Not bathshit crazy spouting nonsense and lashing out at them that's just tryin' to help her, including him who'd loved her above all else in the entire fucking verse!!
With a roar, Jayne jumped up and started throwing anything he could get his hands on.
< Chapter Two : Chapter Four >
