Like Blood in the Rayne - Chapter 20
Jayne ran straight for River, only faintly hearing Mal calling after him as if from a far away place. What was he yelling? Was it something about a torch? Oh. He felt the weight of the blowtorch in his arms, having run out with it instead of stopping to grab a gun. Fat lot of good it would do him or River when a gun didn’t seem to stop these things. He didn’t care; all he knew was he needed to get to her. He could figure out how to help her when he got there.
Jayne finally clearly saw what River was doing to Kaylee and slowed over the last few yards to a plodding walk. Was he seeing things? She looked like she was…but Kaylee just smiled at him when he reached them like she didn’t have a care in the world and her eyes fluttered closed. She lay still but her breathing continued on, thankfully only a bit labored.
Then River looked up, her chin covered in Kaylee’s blood, and Jayne’s memories flashed forward. ‘Do you trust me?’ She had asked him. Well, he guessed she was about to get a real answer. Sure, she looked mostly like River but those big, pointy teeth went a ways toward breaking the image. Still, he found his feet moving him forward again.
“Jayne, no!” Inara and Mal screamed at him in unison causing Jayne to still once more. He risked a glance back at them and saw them gesturing wildly for him to come back. Was he doing the right thing? Those two never agreed on anything. If everyone thought he was wrong, how could he keep going?
Simon added a pained, “That isn’t really River.” Inara clamped a hand over his mouth to close it, but his muffled protests still drifted around the suddenly all too silent room. Even the Reavers were quiet.
What Simon said struck a spot deep in Jayne’s subconscious. He looked to River again, his mind made up. “Yes, she is.” Jayne Cobb took the final step, the leap of faith, which led him to River as she stood up from where she knelt by Kaylee.
Michelle stopped her attempts to wound Radu and looked as if she meant to go after River instead but Radu caught her and held her still, pinning her arms with his and pressing her back tight against his chest. He sneered. “Now kill him, my beautiful one. Let this be the end of all our suffering at their machinations.”
River threw a frown over her shoulder at the ancient vampire and acted like a petulant child would when talking to a parent. “But, I don’t want to anymore.” She looked at Jayne. “Can we keep them instead? Playthings to torment for ages. I want to make him suffer.” Jayne’s heart plummeted into his stomach and would have stayed there but for one tiny thing. He alone caught the miniscule wink River directed only at him when she spoke.
“No, River girl. You can’t mean that.” Jayne played along seamlessly, injecting as much despair into his voice as he could. He found that, for once, his inherent ability to lie when needed worked squarely to his advantage. Girl wanted a show and he sure as shooting would give her one. “What’s he done to you?” If only he could suss out what she meant for them to do, they might stand a chance.
River moved her eyes to the torch for a split second and back to Jayne’s in a flash, imparting her meaning easily. So that was it, what she wanted. Fully detesting the crawling sensation of having his back turned to a couple dozen Reavers, Jayne tightened his grip on the handle, feeling it slip a bit in his nervously sweaty palms. At least he’d already lit the damn thing getting ready to seal up that door.
Radu pulled Michelle over to River and Jayne while she struggled in his stifling embrace. Michelle attempted to reason with him. “Please, Radu. It’s not meant to be like this. You know it’s not after all this time. Don’t toss me aside. We belong together. Just let me show you.”
River smiled at Michelle, Kaylee’s blood dripping down her chin and giving her a veil of evil to go with her deceptive plan. Jayne repressed a shudder at the thought of what he should do if she truly betrayed them all. River said calmingly, “Sister, I won’t usurp your place.” Turning to Radu again, she asked of him, “Let me turn him, Master. His violence knows no equal. An art he makes in blood. Four minds of power could control all.”
Mal yelled, “The hell you will.” And started out but Jayne raised a hand to stop him.
“Just you stay back there, Mal.” The mercenary argued. “I think I like her ideas.” Jayne leered openly at River, letting everyone see just how much he liked the notion. He only hoped Mal was playing along as well and didn’t think he was really meaning what it looked like he meant, especially given their track record. If Mal really tried to stop him and River, this could go pear shaped real fast.
Having waited for the commotion to die back down, Radu at last agreed with a small nod. “If he is half the monster you told me, this should be interesting.” His assent calmed Michelle considerably, enough for him to let her go though she remained near his side. “Watch, my pretty Michelle. See how much easier it is to change if you’re willing to distance yourself from the petty mortals.”
River slowly advanced on Jayne, the womanly sway of her hips enough to distract everyone else so all their attention focused on her just like what was needed. Granted, it was a bit distracting for Jayne as well, his being in serious want of seeing those hips move a mite closer to his, but he came to his senses when she spoke. “Like needles and pins in doctor’s hands, my Jayne. It won’t hurt, not until I want it to.”
Jayne pulled the torch to the ready, using River’s sexy dance as cover for what he was doing. When she feinted to one side, he took aim and moved forward, touching the white heat against the front of Radu’s jacket first but moving it across him quickly to get the flame to spread and work their way through the cloth to the ancient skin beneath.
Radu went up into flames rapidly, moaning and attempting to slap out the fire that licked its way over his body. The entire Reaver army, apparently only still standing until that point from Radu’s will alone, fell dead to the ground as he burned and his magic lost its power to keep them going despite their enormous injuries. With his final motion, he reached a hand for Michelle, calling her name. She stood still, tears rolling down her cheeks, and watched him burn until he crumbled.
Mal, Inara and Simon ran forward as soon as the vampire’s dust settled. Simon went straight to Kaylee, falling to his knees and reaching out a trembling hand to check for a pulse. Simon heaved a mighty sigh. “Kaylee is still alive. It looks bad for her left arm but I’ll try my best to save it. It’s likely River’s quick thinking to pull the Reavers off Kaylee saved her life.” Maybe the young doctor was suffering a little denial about River’s new condition and the role of doctor to his girl allowed him the time to stall.
Mal and Inara, meanwhile, checked on Zoe. Zoe wasn’t so lucky. Mal wailed and held her dead body, rocking her back and forth, presenting a display of emotion far more intense than anyone present would have found him capable of showing. He babbled. “Zo, you’re not supposed to leave the line. Why do you insist on not following orders right?”
Inara tried to soothe him by stating, “Zoe is where she really wanted to be, with her husband. I’m sure Wash was waiting for her.” But even stately Inara couldn’t say it without her voice cracking and tears streaming steadily down her cheeks. Mal released Zoe and pulled Inara into a tight embrace, the two of them holding each other fast.
Simon studied his sister’s face. “God, River. I’m sorry I doubted you.” Then, his eyes clouded with a new concern. “Is Kaylee going to turn, too?” He squeaked out the question almost inaudibly.
Michelle, wiping her eyes dry when she stopped staring at the pile of dust that was once her lover, said, “She won’t, not as long as she lives past the next dawn after she was bitten.” She walked up to Jayne. “Knew it was a lie the moment she spoke ill of you. Having seen you two together, I knew.” She smiled ruefully. “I know it seems a lot to ask. Immolate me as well? Please. After five hundred years, even if there was a lot of bad, I couldn’t go on without Radu. He was my reason to be, much like River is yours now.”
Jayne still couldn’t say for certain what side the woman had been on but just couldn’t bring him self to do it. “No. You’ll have to be figurin’ a way out on your own terms, I’m afraid. Ain’t torching a girl.”
River gently took the torch from Jayne’s hands and ignored the questioning look he shot her. She asked the other vampire, “Where is the stone?”
Michelle pulled the stone out carefully from a hidden pocket in her dress and placed it in River’s upturned palm, her fingers lingering over its surface for a few seconds as if of their own accord. “Better in your hands, anyway. No long standing influences to make you do the wrong thing with its power.”
River handed the stone in turn to Jayne, who put it in a pocket immediately, not quite wanting to touch it. “He’ll keep it safe.” She vowed just before she raised the torch toward Michelle Morgan.
Alight with the white fire, Michelle looked peaceful and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to River and then smiled as she burned.
River handed the torch back to Jayne, who doused it and laid it on the ground. She looked at her hands, saying, “The blood of before seems as nothing compared what could have been. Washed away. Like blood in the rain.” She held up her hands so Jayne could see them.
Jayne watched her warily because he was very much concerned by her having told Michelle he would keep the stone safe. What about River? “You do know there ain’t no way in hell I’m lighting you on fire, right? Vampire or not.”
River smiled lazily and told Jayne, “That wasn’t the plan. Five hundred years of torment might be bad but spending that long with someone you liked might just be all right. We would have the stone to keep our bloodlust appeased.” She looked pensive. “Huh. Maybe we needed it all along.”
Jayne, realizing everything was going to be just fine is his estimation, asked with a wink, “Who exactly you meanin’ with that ‘we’ of yours?”
River almost looked nervous, as if she thought he might refuse her. “Can still turn you or not, your choice. If you want a crazy vampire girl.”
“Hell, girl, you was already a mind readin’ genius and I went there anyway. How much worse can a vampire be? ‘Sides I think I like a woman who can kick my pigu.” He smirked and pulled her into his arms, kissing her soundly despite the blood on her lips and realizing he’d get used to it. Being a vampire with River might just be all right. “I’m in.”
THE END