Blue Blood – Chapter Two No claims of ownership or rights do I make, no money for my labor do I make:) ------------------ Goldie was busy in the engine room, and didn’t realize Zoe was there until she spoke. “We need to talk.” Goldie jumped, the pump casing in his hands hitting the floor with a heavy clang. “You need a bell,” he groused, mentally counting his toes. “You need to be more aware,” Zoe responded, sharper than she’d meant to. Goldie looked at her, frowning. “I guess this ain’t a social call, then,” he said. “We need to talk,” Zoe repeated. “Get some things straight.” “Okay. Such as?” Goldie asked, sitting down. “Such as I’m the Captain. And you’re part of my crew,” she told him, and again her voice sounded harsh to her own ears. “I pretty well got that worked out, after two months,” Goldie said drily. “I may not be the genius River is, but I can get by.” “This. . .thing, between us, it can’t keep going,” Zoe said, ignoring his sarcasm. “What ‘thing’?” Goldie asked, brow creased in thought. “There’s nothing between us, as I’m aware of.” “You know what I mean.” Zoe was standing with her arms folded, her weight on one foot. “No, I don’t know what you mean,” Goldie said, his own arms crossing. “But let me see if I can make it simpler. I’m attracted to you. Powerfully so, I admit. More than any other woman I’ve ever met. And I haven’t been terribly shy about letting you know that. Are you telling me you don’t want me to keep doing that? Is that it?” Zoe studied him carefully for a long time. This wasn’t going well. “It’s not a good idea,” she finally told him, and Goldie fought to keep the disappointment off his face. “Is that the Captain talking, or the woman?” he asked quietly. “Both,” she answered without thinking, instantly regretting it. “Yes, ma’am,” Goldie said, nodding his head. “I will reel in my attraction for you, and just do my job. Is that acceptable?” Zoe was confused. This wasn’t what she’d had in mind, and the conversation had gotten away from her in a hurry. What the hell was wrong with her, anyway? “There’s no need for this to be ugly,” she told him, and he grinned. “I already said ‘yes ma’am’,” he told her. “Would you rather it be ‘yes, Captain’? Or maybe just okay? I’m not going to be ugly, I promise. I just want to make sure where I stand.” Caught by surprise, Zoe felt cornered. She hadn’t meant for all this to happen. She’d just wanted to make it plain that she was Captain, and that any personal attachments had to be kept separate from the Job. But now. . . “Then we’re straight,” she said to cover herself, and turned to go. Goldie watched her leave, feeling a heavy weight crushing him. He had thought they were moving along nicely. He hadn’t pushed her, and she’d responded slowly to him, like at the dinner. What the hell had happened? ----------------- “What’s wrong with you?” Jayne asked when Goldie plopped down nearby as Jayne worked out. “I have no idea,” Goldie answered honestly. “You and Zoe not gettin’ along?” Jayne asked carefully. “Well, I thought we were gettin’ along fine,” Goldie replied. “But a little while ago she walked into the engine room, and pretty much told me she was the captain, I was crew, and that was that.” “She did?” Jayne asked, sitting up from his bench. He had thought that the two of them were getting on fairly well. “What did you do?” “What can I do?” Goldie shot back. “She is the Captain, kid. She’s got the final say. And I think she said it.” “I meant what’d you do to cause her to come and say that in the first place,” Jayne growled, and Goldie looked at him crossly. “Don’t start on me, kid,” he warned. “I ain’t done a blessed thing. Hell, you saw us dancing at the dinner, night before! I thought we were moving along fine. Now this.” “Maybe it’s a woman thing,” Jayne offered, trying to help. “Maybe it’s a Zoe thing,” Goldie said, face hardening a little. “She wouldn’t be the first woman I misjudged. Maybe she ain’t all that, after all. Least not for me.” He shrugged, and stood up. “Well, anyway, whether she is or not, and I really thought she was it, you know? But either way, it don’t matter now. She’s made that pretty plain. You think. . .” he paused, thinking. Finally he looked at Jayne. “Maybe I oughta think about gettin’ off, kid. I mean, honestly, I only took the job to be near her, you know? And if that ain’t gonna happen, then maybe I ought not to stay. Don’t seem right, somehow.” “Don’t make no rash decisions, Goldie,” Jayne warned him. “It’s a good job. They ain’t easy to come by, either.” “I know, but. . .” Goldie trailed off, and shrugged again. “Ah, hell, I’m going to bed, kid. I’m too tired to think straight anyway. Maybe things’ll look better in the morning.” “Always do,” Jayne nodded, wishing he knew what to say. “Night, kid.” “Night, Goldie.” Neither saw Zoe standing on the catwalk above them. She withdrew into the shadows as the two men parted, not wanting them to know she’d overheard. It had shocked her to hear Goldie admit he’d taken the job to be near her. Deep down she’d known that his attraction to her had played a part, but she hadn’t known it was the deciding factor. And what was so wrong with him pursuing a relationship with her? Or her with him? Yes, it was important to keep things straight between them, but Mal and Inara managed just fine. Why wouldn’t she and Goldie be able to do the same thing? As she walked to her bunk, Zoe wondered if she’d just screwed up the chance to find that out. ----------------------

Jayne lay back on the bed, his hair still wet from the shower. River smiled softly and collapsed on top of him, wrapping herself to him. “What’s bothering you?” she asked, tickling him lightly. “I think Zoe pretty much told Goldie to take a hike a little earlier,” he told her, and River sat up at that. “What? Why?” “Don’t know,” Jayne told her, looking up at his beautiful little woman. “He don’t neither. Said she just told him she was the captain, he was crew, and it wasn’t a good idea.” “Had to be more to it than that,” River mused thoughtfully. “I thought they were getting along so well.” “So did I. So did he,” Jayne told her. “I don’t know what happened. And honestly? I don’t think Goldie does either. He’s confused. And hurt, I think. He told me he may leave, now. Said he only took the job to be near Zoe.” “He can’t leave,” River said at once, and Jayne frowned. “Why? What. . .have you seen something? River?” “No, only a sense,” River admitted. “But he’s needed here. With us. He must stay.” “Well, I think I talked him into waiting on making a decision like that,” Jayne told her. “I’ll talk to him again in the morning.” “Must convince him, Sean,” River lay her head on his massive chest. “I don’t know why, wish I did. But he mustn’t leave.” “I’ll talk him into staying, somehow.” “Good,” she murmured, sighing contentedly. With Jayne’s arms wrapped around her, River drifted off to sleep. Jayne lay awake long afterward, listening to her breathe. And wondering why she was so insistent that Goldie needed to stay. Whatever it was, he decided just as sleep claimed him, it couldn’t be good. ------------------ “Morning.” Goldie looked up to see Zoe walking into the galley. He nodded, but didn’t smile. “Morning, Captain,” he replied, going back to his food before Zoe grimaced. She should have expected that. “I told you, it’s just Zoe when it’s only crew.” He looked up at her, blank faced. “I’d prefer Captain, if you don’t mind,” he said gently. “Easier that way.” “Okay,” she nodded, not knowing what else to say. How had she messed everything up so badly? And why couldn’t she conquer her pride enough to just admit that she’d not meant for their conversation to go that way? Of course, it might not matter if she did. “Morning all,” Jayne said as he and River walked in. “Morning, kid,” Goldie smiled. “River.” “Morning, Golden One,” River smiled, and Goldie chuckled. Jayne rolled his eyes. “That’s all we need,” he groused good naturedly. “Now he’ll have the big head.” “Will not,” Goldie retorted playfully. “Already got it,” he added with a cackle, and everyone laughed, including Zoe. “Make it worse, then,” Jayne laughed, filling his plate and digging in. “We’ll be arriving on time, River?” Zoe asked, feeling the need to say something, which was unusual for her. “Yes, Captain,” River smiled. “Perhaps even a little ahead of schedule. If nothing happens,” she added. “Good. We may stay over this trip. That suit everyone?” A chorus of yeses met that, and she forced a smile. “I thought so. Well, we’ll see. Meantime, we all got work to do, so let’s be about it.” As the crew broke up, she almost called out to Goldie. Almost. But she didn’t, and cursed her own stubbornness. “You cannot hide forever, Zoe,” River said sadly, and Zoe looked at her sharply. “No peekin’,” she admonished. River looked at her sadly. “Didn’t need to peek,” she told the older woman. “Just wonder why, that’s all. Not my business, and I won’t ask. But I can’t help wondering.” With that the little assassin went toward the bridge, and her own duties. Zoe watched her go. She didn’t know how to tell River she wondered too. ---------------------- “I think when we hit Astra, I’m going, kid,” Goldie told Jayne later that day. “I just can’t stick around, now.” “Need to stay on, at least for a while, Goldie,” Jayne urged. “Oughta at least get through the winter with us afore taking out somewhere else.” “Nah,” Goldie shook his head. “I can get work. Truth is I got enough put by to go a year or more without working at all. Like I said, only took this job on account of Zoe. Well, and seeing you working with’em. Figured they was all right or you wouldn’t be here.” “Save your money, and stick with us, Goldie,” Jayne kept on it. “River says you need to be here. I don’t know how she knows things, but she does. And she ain’t often wrong. Hell, she ain’t never wrong, not since I knowed her. And she says we need you.” “What the hell you need me for?” Goldie asked in confusion. “Between you and her, there ain’t a thing I can do for you.” “I don’t know, but she’s sure of it,” Jayne told him. “So sure that it really upset her when I told her you was thinking of going.” Goldie considered that. “She’s a reader, too, ain’t she?” he asked, and Jayne nodded reluctantly. “I thought so,” Goldie went on. “Had me an aunt, she could see, you know. Stuff that was coming. She was a reader. Never knowed her to be wrong, neither.” He was clearly thinking on that. Finally he looked at Jayne. “Okay, kid. Tell your little woman that I’ll stay on a while longer, if she feels that strongly about it. But if this is just some kinda. . .” “It ain’t,” Jayne didn’t huff. “She ain’t like that. If she just wanted you to stay, she’d say that. This was different.” “Good enough, then,” Goldie nodded. “I’ll hang around a while longer.” “Good.” ------------------- “Our contact on the moon assures us that the ship is en route.” “Excellent,” the lead agent replied. “Our preparations are made, are they not?” “They are,” his comrade nodded. “We are ready.” “Then all we need do is be patient.”