Chap. Next-

Kaylee stepped between them and reached out to lay her hand flat against Jayne’s chest. The familiarity of that touch and Jayne’s antagonistic tone was more than Simon could bear suddenly. “No,” He said in an icy disdainful voice, “no problem.” And turned to go. Kaylee looked as though she had been struck. “Simon, wait-” She reached out towards his retreating back. A loud snort from Jayne, “Aw, let ‘em go, Kaylee. He’s naught but a spoiled, pansy-assed fool, anyways.” He didn’t bother to keep his voice down and Simon stiffened and paused in his retreat. In the same instant, Kaylee rounded on Jayne. “Why do you always have to pick at him so?” She demanded, “What did he ever do to you?” Her face was pale and her jaw set. She stepped closer. She was angry at Jayne now, when just a few moments before she had been touching him. Simon turned around too and was watching. Trapped by Kaylee’s fury and the docs watching eyes, Jayne felt a moment of panic and something near to despair. It was all the docs fault, Jayne thought. Coming around, always in the way, never giving the two of them a moment alone. Simon all stiff and shiny who couldn’t make her happy even if he cared to try. Kaylee’s question rang in his head, ‘what did he ever do to you?’. Simon’s curious eyes. It all seemed familiar. ‘What did I ever do to you? –‘Civilized conversation.’ – ‘Stiff shiny ways.” – “Who don’t I deserve?’ Something wasn’t right. Jayne’s eyes fell to Simon’s pale face. It all clicked. “You!” he roared. The doc’s eyes went wide with fear- and recognition. Then he ran. Mal was crossing the common area when he saw his doctor, chased by his muscle, followed lastly by his mechanic come tearing through from the cargo bay. Kaylee was shouting something after the two men but Jayne and Simon both seemed to be conserving their breath for the running. The captain watched the chase blankly for a second. The doc was fast, Mal’d give him that but Jayne was determined and it wasn’t like there was anywhere they could go really, ‘cept in circles. Then he realized what he was seeing. The captain caught up with the three in the mess. Simon had made a mistake and Jayne had him pinned down with nowhere to go but the bridge. The mess table was between them and Simon was looking positively panicked. What’d the doc do this time, Mal wondered. Whatever it was he couldn’t have the crew murderin’ each other. Nothing would ever get done that way. “What in the fiery depths of Hell is going on?” The captain demanded. Simon and Kaylee looked up at him in genuine relief but not Jayne. He took the opportunity made by the doctor’s distraction to jump the table and grab the younger man by the throat. Vaguely the big man could hear desperate voices in the background but he ignored them. He couldn’t comprehend anything but his own rage at that moment. He slammed Simon down against the table heedless of Kaylee or Mal’s protests. It wasn’t until Mal pressed the barrel of his gun against Jayne’s cheek that he stopped squeezing the throat under his hands. “Let him the hell up, gorram it!” The captain roared. Jayne had stopped squeezing but he still had Simon pinned. The big man heard the distinctive rising sound of the gun powering up, “Don’t make me shoot you, you ruttin’ great idjiot!” The captain snapped. Jayne glared down at Simon. This isn’t over, his eyes promised but he let go and stepped back reluctantly. He caught sight of Kaylee’s face and felt a horrible sinking feeling in his gut. The captain cuffed him sharply across the back of the head suddenly and Jayne winced. “You, sit down!” He pointed to a chair. Adrenaline and rage still pouring through his system, Jayne considered his options. He turned toward Mal . . . and noticed Kaylee’s wide frightened eyes again. Shoulders sagging he sank down into the seat. Mal turned to the doctor. “You, over there!” The captain pointed to another chair on the opposite side of the table from Jayne. The doctor opened his mouth to protest and in two fierce strides the captain had grabbed him roughly by the front of his shirt and swung him bodily into the chair. “I said sit!” Simon slammed into the seat with enough force to send the chair sliding back several inches with a horrible grating squeak. He glared resentfully up at Mal and rubbed his neck with a sullen gesture. Mal gave the doc and the merc an equal dose of his murderous glare. “I am sick and tired of this go se!” “Captain, he-” Simon tried to interrupt but Mal turned on him. “I don’t care! I am not a ruttin’ school marm!” He glared at Jayne in equal measure just to be fair. “My tolerance has just run out. You don’t have to like each other but you do have to do your jobs and you will obey my orders the first time they are given!” His hand lashed out suddenly and sent a bowl flying to crash into the mess wall. Kaylee, Simon, and Jayne all jumped. The captain took a deep unsteady breath and crossed his arms against his chest. “If it wasn’t for the fact that this boat needs both of you hoo duns, I’d put you both out the airlock and be done with it! But seeing as you are occasionally necessary I’m gonna give you one chance- you’ll sit in this room until you come to an understanding that won’t disturb what little peace and quiet I get-” Two mouths opened in protest the captain ignored, “- or I will shot you both! Do you understand me?” Nobody moved. “I said, ‘Do you understand me?’.” Mal roared. Simon and Jayne both grumbled a vague affirmative. “And don’t think one of you can kill the other and come out victorious. One of you dies and I’ll shoot the other. Both of you come out of this room alive or neither of you do.” The two men nodded again. “Good.” Mal walked over to the bridge door and pulled it shut sharply in Wash’s eager curious face. When the captain turned, he seemed to catch sight of Kaylee for the first time. “Why aren’t you in the engine room?” He shouted. Alarmed the mechanic turned and fled. He strode over to the other door. “I’ll have no more of this foolishness on my boat.” The captain growled for good measure as he slammed the door. The echo’s of the bang reverberated in the abruptly quiet air. The mercenary and the doctor sat in resentful silence for nearly an hour. They shifted restlessly in their chairs but neither spoke or moved or even attempted to get up. Finally Simon spoke, “I won’t tell her.” Jayne snorted loudly, “Yeah, like I should trust you.” He said sarcastically. “What would I say to her, ‘I strapped Jayne down and pumped him full of drugs so I could ask him a series of personally invasive questions- in direct violation of my oath as a doctor by the way- and it turns out he’s got feelings for you. What do you think of that, huh?’?” Simon sighed and rubbed his face wearily. “Do you think she’d approve of that?” “She’d forgive you just about anything.” Jayne said resentfully. “Not that.” Simon said with certainty. “So what do we do?” Jayne demanded, “I ain’t gonna pretend it never happened. We got a score to settle.” The other man nodded and stared down at the floor for a minute. “A score.” He said musingly as Jayne glared. “A gamble.” He looked up a Jayne, “What about a wager?” “A wager?” “For Kaylee, for a chance with Kaylee. Over the course of a month, we both do our best to-” He groped for the word, “to woo her. Whoever is farther along at the end of the month is the winner and the loser gives it up, forever.” He could see that Jayne wasn’t buying it. “What don’t think you’re man enough?” The doctor asked mockingly. Jayne’s expression went murderously flat, “I am ten times the man you are.” He didn’t growl or hiss or shout. It was said in a low expressionless voice that gave Simon the chills and he wondered for a second if maybe he was going to die today no matter what the captain had threatened. Jayne moved on though, “How am I supposed ta woo-” He said the word with a contemptuous twist of lips, “- Kaylee with you poppin’ up every five seconds and ruining the mood?” “I won’t.” Simon said promptly, “We both promise not to interfere with the others pursuit. For one month, we do what everyone suggests- we stay out of each other’s way- and we let Kaylee herself decide.” The doctor sat back confidently and waited for Jayne’s reply. But he wasn’t so sure on the inside. Kaylee’s behavior lately made him wonder a little about who she would choose. If Jayne agreed, however, he would have one whole month to convince her he was the better choice. Meanwhile, the man ape was thinking over his proposal. “How do we decide who’s ‘further along’?” Jayne asked coldly. “I think that will be obvious to both of us.” Jayne grunted sourly but nodded, “One month, starting now and we let Kaylee decide.” “We let Kaylee decide.”

-----------------------------------------------

This story will be continued under the name ‘Game of Hearts’ here in the Romance forum. Thanks for all the love!