OK Folks, It’s Jaylee. It’s a ruttin’ Jaylee Epic. Not your cuppa? Keep on walkin’.

Disclaimer: Not mine, no pay.

Thanks: To Jacqui, Josh and to Rion, my own personal BDH. You guys are the greatest.

Rating: PG-17, violence

Remarks:

Set after “Objects in Space”. Inara has departed from Serenity and the crew has been through a rough stretch. Click on my name to read the backstory. They’re all backstory.

Feedback: Love your comments, folks! It only takes a minute and is genuinely appreciated. What did you like? What doesn’t work? You can post below or email to Lumenea@aol.com

Leaps of Faith

Chapter Twenty

At his sister’s cry, the doctor turns to see what has so alarmed her. The opening to the alley has been blocked by a trio of street thugs. Rough and cocky, they are dressed in dirty, garish, cast off clothing and it’s obvious they aren’t a welcoming party.

Before Simon can react, two of the thugs grab his arms and wrench them up behind him as the third shifts past to slip an arm around River’s throat and muffle her mouth with his hand. Her head flings back and her eyes are wide with terror.

Simon struggles but risks dislocating his shoulders if he continues. The biggest of the gang, a greasy, heavy-set sort, sneers, “Well, well, now – lookit wha’ we got us here. Looks like a couple a fancy folk.” He smiles an ugly smile and licks his lips lewdly at River. “Whazza matter, love. ‘E too cheap ta take you sommers comfy afore he tups ya?”

“Shut your filthy mouth, you shiong-muh duh duang-ren, and let us go! She’s my sister, you piece of go se!” Simon jerks and strains against the thugs.

“Shaddup, you rich bastard.“ Greasy slugs the doctor hard in the mouth. The blow knocks Simon’s head back, splitting his lip and splattering his shirt with a bright gush of blood. River thrashes against her captor, her screams stifled by the thug behind her.

Greasy paws through Simon’s pockets, stuffing the contents into his own. His foul, feral stink is almost enough to make Simon gag.

“See, folk like you – you’s easy marks. Might as well wear a sign sayin’, ‘Rob Me’.” He finds the bundle of bills Mal gave Simon to purchase the medical supplies and smiles nastily.

“Ah then, there’s a good lad, I knowed you’d cough up summat fat.” The thug kisses the folded money and buries it inside his coat. “Now what about that sweet liddle ji bai there tha’s supposed ta be your sister?”

Greasy eyes River up and down and licks his lips again repulsively. “Ah, she’s a yummy piece…”

In an instant, the girl stomps violently on the instep of the man holding her wrists and bites down as hard as she can on the filthy palm that covers her mouth. He howls and lets go just long enough for River to shriek, “Simon, help me!”

++++

Through the bustle of the crowded street, Jayne hears a voice he knows rising in a scream.

“Gorram! That’s River!” the merc blurts out.

He tracks on the cry that follows and notices the opening to the alley. As quickly as his leg allows, he slips up to the building’s corner, using the storefront as cover.

He can see Simon struggling with a couple of street toughs, his mouth bruised and bloodied. He can’t see River, but there must also be someone restraining the moon-brain girl, so there’s at least three of ‘em. He doesn’t see any guns, but that doesn’t rule out knives, and the trick is how to spring the two of ‘em without someone gettin’ badly injured.

The merc still needs the cane in his left hand for stability and his right is occupied by the bottle of whisky. This certainly limits his options for intervention. He looks regretfully at the whisky and thinks, Oh ruttin’ hell.

With a quick step, he’s up behind Greasy and swings the whisky down with all his strength. The bottle shatters, knocking the thug face first onto the gravel, out cold. In one fluid movement, he drops the remains and draws Cassie. Within the confines of the brick-walled alley, the sharp ‘ca-chick’ of the cocking gun echoes in the sudden silence.

Greasy’s boys haven’t counted on a one-man rescue party and the big man with the pistol grabs their attention, fast.

“Guess you boys picked the wrong folks to go messin’ with, “ Jayne growls loudly. “Git the hell outta here before I shoot ya both!”

Faced with the towering man pointing a cocked gun in their direction, the two remaining toughs haul tail, scrambling out the far end of the alley as fast as they can go.

Simon dives for his sobbing, shaken sister, gathering her into his protective arms. “Are you alright, Mei-mei?” He turns to speak to Jayne over his shoulder. “That one, the despicable one – he robbed me and took the money the captain designated for medical supplies. You’ll find it in his pocket, along with my watch and other personal items.”

The puzzled doctor thinks, First he’s selling us out to the Feds, then he’s rescuing us. Who know’s what’s next?

River gently touches her brother’s split lip. “Oh Simon - poor mouth. You bit off more than you could chew. I told you that you were easy!”

“Girl’s got that part right, at least.” The merc holsters his firearm and barks at Simon, “What th’ hell were you thinkin’, doc, comin’ into an unfamiliar town all dressed up fancy and conspicuous like that? Yer gorram lucky this piece a go se didn’t cut yer throat – or hers.”

Jayne glances down at the unconscious thug. “Man’s gonna wake up with one hell of a headache,” he snickers and begins to rummage through Greasy’s pockets, retrieving Simon’s things, and pocketing anything else he thinks will be useful. Nothin’ like robbin’ a robber’, he thinks. The merc hands Simon back his wallet, watch, and other effects, then pulls the folded bills from the unconscious thug’s coat pocket.

“Guess you’ll have to make your purchase another day, doc. Right now, I figure we just need to get you and yer sister back to the ship. That mouth’s gonna need some stitchin’.”

With his arm still ‘round River’s shoulders, Simon turns to face his rescuer and extends his hand. “I guess we owe you our sincere thanks, Jayne. I never expected you to come along and put those hoodlums to route like that.”

Jayne looks at Simon’s proffered handshake and remarks, “Actually, doc, what you owe me’s a decent bottle a whisky, but I’m willin’ to wait on it for now.” He takes the offered hand. “You saved my ass; now I’ve saved your’n.”

Simon winces as River uses his handkerchief to gently blot the drying blood from his badly split and swollen lip. “The striking force of a human fist can readily rupture tissue. Got all your teeth?” she asks, as the doctor manages a weak smile.

“She really is a genius, ain’t she?“ Jayne chuckles. “Let’s get you folk back to the ship now.” The big mercenary leads them out of the alley, stepping over Greasy’s unconscious bulk, and they make their way back through the crowded street, out of Brandemere and down the dirt path back to where Serenity is docked.

(To be continued...)