TITLE: "TRUSTING" AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL FANDOM: "FIREFLY" PAIRING: Jayne RATING: G. STATUS: SEQUEL to "TOUCHING" ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where. FEEDBACK: Welcomed. EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "Jayne reflects as the winding up of the job brings him full circle." The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Firefly' are the property and gift of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. No infringement of copyright is intended.

"TRUSTING"

"Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

"Why didn't you betray me, Jayne?"

The mercenary pauses a beat. Watching the Captain and knowing bluffing won't do it. Somehow he knows Mal would just see through him. "Money wasn't good enough."

The Captain looks away from the controls to meet Jayne's eyes. "What happens when it is?"

A far away look drifts through Jayne's eyes but he is still looking at Mal. Still in the Here and Now. Calculating. "Well... that'll be an interestin' day."

It should not have been reassuring but somehow it is. The Captain relaxes and lets the man go. He knows there are times when Zoe really can't understand why he kept the mercenary but she trusts him so goes along with it, one wary eye on the big man just in case. Over time that eye has drifted. They have got comfortable around him and that's just the way Jayne likes it. Then came Ariel and everything shifted again. Mal took care of it. Almost spaced the big lug for what he did but when Jayne had begged him to make up something and not tell the others what he did, something in the Captain hoped it pointed to a road back. Rocky maybe but leading away from that damnable abyss. So Mal had relented and let the man live. Even kept him aboard his boat, seeing in Jayne the sharp ruthless tool he would sometimes need out in the Black yet even more conscious of the need to be careful around him. Never to trust Jayne so completely he lets down his guard and gets himself cut. That there was the problem.

Six years. Gorrammit, six years of Jayne earning his trust. His friendship. Affection even. And it had come down to this. It hurt. More than it had any right to. Zoe had been correct. He should never have trusted the mercenary. A man who had shot his former employer simply because Mal had offered him more money. The Captain bit back a curse, the blood leaking from his gut and staining his trouser legs as he tried to control his fall to the ground. Zoe and Book were on their way back to Serenity with the mule. Last load having been dropped off. All that remained was the pay off. Jayne had insisted on staying with Mal. Just to make sure nobody pulled anything when it came to handing over the coin. It had reassured the Captain at the time. Right up until their contact had said, "Didn't you know, Captain? Your man already has the money."

The sudden sick feeling to his gut was nothing compared to the great yawning disappointment that seared his heart just as Jayne's gun cocked, the bullet fired before Mal could turn and clear his gun out of its' holster. Familiarity had made him too trusting. The familiar but deadly bite of steel would remedy that. Rutting hell, in the land of fools why did he have to be gorram King?

* * * * *

Jayne would have felt a twinge of regret but that purse of coin in his pocket was such a sweet distraction. Enough to get him off world and set up anywhere he rutting well wanted. No more kow-towing to Mal or watching his mouth at table, having to share chores and make nice to the crazy girl and her pathetic brother. Was a good doctor though, had to give the man that. As he dispassionately watched Mal fall to his knees then keel forward in a widening pool of blood he could not quite believe how stupid a smart man could be. He had told Mal once it was always about the money. Nothing personal. Had the man any kind of sense he would'a just vented him outta the ship when they hit atmo after the Ariel job. But that wasn't Malcolm Reynolds' style. Jayne almost smiled to himself, smug about how easily he had read the man. Forcefully ignoring the painful empty feeling beginning to seep into the space where a heart should have been.

The need now was to get off this ruttin' planet before the rest of the crew found out what he had done. Looking up he was not surprised to find himself alone. Jayne didn't stomp straight off as he would once have done. He paused to consider what Malcolm Reynolds would have done and with a tug of a smile nodded to himself and began to rearrange the body just so, lifting the Captain's hip a few inches off the dirt so he could dip his hand in the blood. Stepping back he moved around, looked up at the sun and how the shadows fell then carefully flicked his hand to reveal a distinct pattern. Anything to indicate the shot had come from another direction. Then he messed up the scene some and took a switch to carefully brush over his shoeprints as he backtracked until he hit solid ground. Losing the switch in some bushes he gave his handiwork one last look then turned and walked briskly away. Not gonna look back. No regrets. Man who held on to regrets and such had no place expecting to survive in the Black.

* * * * *