Survival Guide Chapter Six

A Jayne Kaylee Story By Belasera NC-17, kiddies

A vague disclaimer is nobody’s friend: All recognizable characters, etc. belong not to me, but to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox, and no money is being made here. The story, however, is mine. Archiving: Sure, just tell me where it is so I can send my baby care packages with funny hats. This is my very first attempt at fan-fiction, and will be a multi chapter story. It is already outlined, but I would appreciate any and all feedback, positive and negative, to help me flesh out the story as well as my meager capabilities allow. This is brought to you without beta, folks. ……………………………………………………………………………………… “Aw, Gorramit Zoe! Mal, she shot me!” “Yeah, she’s a good woman.” Jayne’s bloody hand slipped from the railing as he tried to stand, and Mal went to support him. “Get your humpin’ hand off me.” “Ya can’t fight us all, Jayne. And we’ve got it in our heads to keep your sorry ass on board. Probably you can thank Kaylee for that, she seems to think you somethin’ special. So stop wastin’ that time we ain’t got, and let Simon dig that bullet outa you.” With a surly scowl, Jayne let Mal help him to sickbay. “And Simon’s gonna dope you some, don’t fuss. Won’t have you creepin’ off while we’re busy not noticin’.” “I’ll watch him.” Kaylee moved to Jayne’s side, and Mal nodded. “Just for a minute though, then I need you in the engine room getting’ Serenity ready to do…well, anything we might need of her.” Kaylee nodded. “You just give us a job, cap, we won’t let you down.” “I know ya won’t.” The crew hurried off, each anxious to do something, anything, to save their lives. Simon got to work on Jayne’s leg while Kaylee held his hand. Jayne avoided her face, watching the doctor work instead. Simon glanced up to meet Kaylee’s eyes with a slight smile. “I’m not here.” She smiled back and squeezed Jayne’s hand. “Please look at me.” Jayne shook his head stubbornly. “Is it really like you said, you all empty feelin’?” He turned his head slowly to face her, his eyes searching hers. After a moment, he turned away from her again. “What? You think you’re gonna fill me up? Coupl’a thrusts don’t make you my lover, Kaylee.” She pulled her hand away from his, and walked out of the infirmary without looking back. Simon watched her go before pulling the bullet from Jayne’s thigh with a jerk. “Fuck, Doc!” Simon frowned down at him. “You were unfair to her.” ”Yeah, well don’t see that it matters now, we gonna die anyway.” “I just thought that maybe you’d want to spend your last hours with the only person on this ship who actually thinks you’re human. But you took care of that, didn’t you?” “Just shut the hell up and fix my leg.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Okay, Wash give me some good news.” The captain stood at the helm, staring out at a broad field of asteroids. “You thinkin’ maybe we can lose ‘em in there?” “No, they’d outmaneuver us even if we didn’t kill ourselves tryin’. I’m not that good, sorry, cap. But, I’ve done what I could to hide our signature. They should be finding it harder to track us. I’m thinkin’ maybe we can hide in there. If I can get us close enough, we should be able to sit for a spell on one of those rocks. Powered down, might be they’ll have trouble locating us. It’s real slim, but it’s all we got.” Mal nodded. “Get to work on that, I’ll tell the others.”

The crew sat at the dining table, listening soberly to their captain explain the situation. “I gotta tell you, it’s likely that they’re gonna find us. But Serenity is ours, and we’ve defended her before. We’ll do it again if we have to, even if it’s the last time. If we die, we’re gonna die at home. Go do what you have to, people.” Mal walked from the dining room, towards the cargo bay, and everyone dispersed except for Book, who sat still with his hands folded in front of him. “Shepard?” Kaylee asked. “Just doing what I can, Kaylee. Go on and do what you need to.” Kaylee followed Simon to sickbay and caught him before he reached the doors. “Simon, I need to talk to you.” She glanced into sickbay, where Jayne lay staring at the wall. “Yes, Kaylee?” She stared at him hard for a second. “I need you to dope him, I need you to knock Jayne out.” Simon stared at her in confusion. “Why? Kaylee, he’s fine, he has painkillers.” “No, Simon. Reavers are comin’. They’re gonna find us, and board us and…and I won’t let that happen to him again. Nobody should have to face them twice.” Simon’s face softened as he looked at her. “After what he said to you…” “Don’t matter what was said. Can’t help what he is to me, Simon, and I don’t even want to try. He needs me, he needs this to be over.” Simon nodded. “I’ll do it, but, Kaylee…it might be that they are after him specifically. They may take him anyway.” “They won’t have the chance.” With trembling hands, Kaylee pulled a pistol from her overalls. “I’ll kill him myself before they touch him again.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Simon walked from the infirmary, where Jayne now lay peacefully sleeping. Simon couldn’t help but envy him. His troubles were over. Simon caught sight of River in the cargo bay and felt his heart plummet. He thought of doping her, as well. It would be the kindest thing. River turned to look at him. “I’m not tired, Simon.” “I know, mei mei, but terrible things are going to happen.” River grinned and looked up, towards the catwalk. “Makes sense, needing a balance and wonderful things already happened. When love is faithful like God and fierce like Kaylee and, oh…passionate.” Simon followed her gaze to the catwalk where Mal and Inara were caught in an embrace that was, indeed, passionate.” River took Simon’s hand in hers. “And it’s mighty. Let terror come. It’s gonna be funny.” Simon raised his eyebrows at her, but she just grinned. All right, then.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Terror was indeed coming. The crew sans Jayne and Kaylee, who refused to leave his side, stood silent at the helm. Their dread was upon them. “Captain, they’re right below the asteroid. They’re on us, sir, we’re humped.” Mal stared straight ahead, Inara pulled close to his side. “Shepard, a prayer would not be amiss.” Book looked sharply at Mal, then bent his head in prayer. River gasped, and grabbed Book’s arm. “You’re right. Like David.” “What is she talking about?” Mal asked the Shepard. “I was thinking about David and Goliath.” “Right!” River laughed. “Figurative rock, only real this time, and no kingship at stake only lives, but still a sound idea.” She began to work the controls of Serenity with a surety that Mal found disconcerting, and in less than a minute Serenity was humming with power. Wash stared in confusion. “Uh, Mal?” “Let her, it can’t hurt. And she is all geniusey and such…but, whoa, what are ya doin’?” “Throwing a rock.” River answered as she fired the gravity boosters as hard as they would go. The hull of Serenity shook as she went tumbling out of control through space. Wash desperately tried to control the spinning, eventually stilling the ship. “Wuo de ma! Why did you do that, we could have gone to pieces.” Mal stood staring out the helm, with a smile on his face. “Yeah, but we didn’t and they did.” Wash looked up to see in the distance the reaver ship, a huge section of its hull smashed off by the asteroid. They all watched in amazement as the ship was torn to pieces. Simon grabbed river into a hug. “Oh, mei mei…” Mal went to her, and kissed her lightly on her forehead. “Thank you, that was…Wash, why didn’t you think of that?” Wash shook his head. “Because it was genius, and I’m only crazy.”

…………………………………………………………………………………….

It was into the wee hours of morning according to the ship’s clock when Jayne dropped into Kaylee’s bunk, gingerly on account of his wounded leg. Kaylee got up off her bed, startled at the sight of him. “You’re awake.” “Yep, for a while now. Been talking to the doc’.” “Oh yeah?” Jayne folded his arms across his chest and glared at her, real mean like. “Yeah. Heard you were gonna shoot me.” He almost lost it at the sight of her stricken face, almost started laughin’. “Jayne, bao bai, let me explain…” He did grin then, and stepped towards her. “Aw, Kaylee, you don’t need to explain. Simon told me what you said.” His grin faltered and he swallowed nervously. “Kaylee, I’m sorry ‘bout what I said, before. About …well, what we been doin’, it’s…it don’t have to be love if you don’t want it…but I never had anybody think so much of me way you do, makes me want to love you, real hard.” Kaylee wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest, wetting his shirt with her tears. “It’s love for me, Jayne.” She missed the relief that washed across his face, but not his arms going around her, squeezing her close to him. “Kinda figured that. I mean, no ones ever promised to kill me before” Kaylee laughed. “I find that hard to believe.” “Aw, you know what I meant.” She turned her head up and kissed him fiercely. “Just glad I didn’t have to do it.” “Well, I reckon it’s the thought that counts.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

fini Thanks to everyone who has read Survival Guide, writing it has been a blast! Special thanks to Werzbowski, for reviewing every time!