Title: Love Hurts
Series Title: Love …
Author: Jayneswoman
Rating: NC17
Fandom: Firefly
Word Count: 1351
Summary: Jayne and River and Maggie
Warning: Full of Jayne goodness. Beware if you don’t enjoy non-canon pairings.
Disclaimer: Joss is Boss. I’m just borrowing his characters for fun!!
Authors Note: Thanks to
![](/stc/fck/editor/plugins/livejournal/userinfo.gif)
bookaddict43 for betaing.
And troy_gal - Thanks for the plot bunny. This fanfics for you!
Previous Chapters Here *************************
Love Hurts
None one had seen Tom since the commotion at the ball.
Simon knew that the Captain and Book had confronted him about his behaviour towards Maggie, and that Jayne had thrown his ten credits worth in too. So he had no idea what state Tom would be in.
With Shepherd Book close behind, Simon opened the door to the guest quarters. “Tom? It’s Simon. I’ve come to see how you’re doing.”
“Lao tian ye!” Book gasped as he saw Tom’s injuries.
Simon turned, “Can you help me get him to the infirmary?”
Book nodded.
Once in the infirmary, Simon cut away his clothes and examined his injuries. He gave Tom a smoother before cleaning his wounds and dressing them.
When Tom was more comfortable, he said to Book, “You’d better fetch Maggie. I’ll go and tell the Captain.”
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Book found Maggie and Jayne sitting together joking and laughing while he cleaned his guns. They seemed very comfortable in each others company.
Book cleared his throat and said, “I’d like a word with you, Maggie, in private.”
Jayne looked up and growled, “Ain’t nothing’ ya can say ta her, ya can’t say in front of me.”
“Well, it’s about Tom,” the Shepherd began, with a grim look on his face.
Maggie saw and put her hand on Book’s arm, “Can you give us a minute?”
He nodded. “Come to the infirmary when you’re ready.”
“Maggie?” Jayne frowned.
“Jayne, I saw Tom’s face the morning after the ball.”
“I just wanted ta show him ya can’t treat women like that.”
“By hitting him?”
“Made me feel a whole lot better,” he smirked. “I couldn’t stand ta see him hurtin’ ya like that.”
“I’m guessing his injuries are pretty bad, judging by the Shepherd’s face.”
“I’m guessin’ ya don’t agree with the way I handled it.”
“Not if he’s beaten black and blue.”
“I’m sorry, bao-bei.”
“Don’t bao-bei me. The person you need to apologise to is in the infirmary.”
“I did it ta protect ya.”
Maggie looked sadly up at him. “I don’t need protecting like that.”
Jayne sighed, Maggie looked so disappointed in him. He never wanted her to look like that at him again.
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Maggie gasped when she saw Tom’s injuries. “How serious is it?” she asked Simon.
“He’s been beaten up badly. He has extensive bruising across his upper body, a black eye, a broken nose, a dislocated jaw, a broken hand and several broken ribs, but there is no damage to internal organs, and no broken bones in his arms or legs.”
“How could he?” Maggie eyes filled with tears.
“Jayne threatens, beats up and even kills people for a living. Don’t think for one minute that this is even one of the worst beatings he’s ever given. I really think that this was Jayne going easy on the guy. He just wanted to shake him up a little.”
“This is Jayne taking it easy?”
“He’s our hired gun. What do you think he does when he has ‘a little talk’ with someone to ‘change their mind’?”
“Well, I’m glad I’ve seen what Jayne can do. I just need to decide if I can be with a man who’s capable of doing this.”
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“Captain?”
“Doc. What can I do fer ya?”
“Book and I have just taken Tom to the infirmary.”
“Zhe shen me ta ma de! Was it Jayne?”
“Book seems to think so. He’s gone to tell Maggie.”
“I need to see her, and Jayne too.”
“Come down and see for yourself.”
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When they got to the infirmary Maggie was sitting by Tom’s bed, holding his hand.
Mal held his breath when he saw Tom’s injuries. It wasn’t the worst beating Jayne had ever given, but it looked painful.
“What’s the damage?” he asked the Doc.
“He had broken ribs and a broken nose, and a dislocated jaw but the rest is mainly bruising. His face is bruised and swollen but the eye itself isn’t damaged, just the cartilage of the nose; and the bruising on his torso hasn’t damaged any internal organs.”
“So he let him off lightly. I’ve seen a man put in the hospital fer months after Jayne has worked him over.”
“The bruising will hurt, and his hand is broken. I expect Tom tried to hit Jayne back. That will hurt like di yu.”
Maggie sobbed, still holding onto Tom’s hand.
Mal went over to where she was sitting and put a hand on her shoulder. “Maggie, I know this looks real bad, but can I talk to you a moment?”
Maggie looked up at him with tears in her eyes and nodded. Mal led her out into the corridor.
“Jayne is real tough. He’s had to fight his way off his home planet and into work, so’s he can send money to support his mother and brothers and sisters back home on Kerry. His father drank himself to death, and Jayne had to put up with his beatings so’s the rest of his family wouldn’t have to. When he lets himself care about someone, he is prepared to do anything to protect them. You might not like what he’s done, but know that this means he really cares about you.”
Tears poured down Maggie’s face. “I not sure I want to be with someone who can do this to another human being.”
Mal saw Jayne coming along the walkway towards them. “Don’t judge him too quick. Let him explain himself first.”
“Maggie?” Jayne said, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
“Jayne.” They stood together at the window of the infirmary looking at Tom lying there.
“Dui bu qi, Maggie. I mean I’m sorry, please forgive me.”
Maggie looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
He caressed her cheek and wiped away the tears with his thumb.
“I’m starting to really care about you, Jayne, but how can I love you when I know that you could do this to someone else I care about?”
“Ya still love him,” Jayne hung his head in shame. How could he have done this to her?
“Of course I do. He’s one of my best friends. We grew up together just down the street from each other. We’ve been friends my whole life.”
Jayne’s heart ached as he listened to what she had to say next.
“I fell in love with him when I was a teenager. He never noticed me until he left to join the army and fight in the war. When he came back he told me he missed me, and asked me to marry him. I said yes and hoped it would work.”
Jayne was ready to walk away and leave her with the love of her life when she said, “It didn’t work. I’ll never stop caring about him, but I just can’t marry him.”
Maggie paused and looked into Jayne’s deep blue eyes. “You helped me see that,” she said, stroking his cheek.
“Bao-bei, forgive me,” he whispered, burying his face in the soft skin of her neck.
She ran her fingers through his hair, “You don’t need to protect me. I can fight my own battles.”
He looked into her warm brown eyes. “I know ya can stand on yer own two feet. But I can’t stand by and watch ya gettin’ hurt.”
“Sometimes you have to; a person needs to fight their own battles to keep some self-respect.”
“Just let me stand by ya side,” he pleaded.
She sighed and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I want to, but I don’t know if I can…”
Jayne rested his forehead against hers. “Shi yu yuan wei,” he whispered, “Things don’t always turn out the way you want.”
Tears rolled down Maggie’s face, “I need time to sort out how I feel.”
“Now time we got a lot of in the black,” he said with a sad smile, wiping away her tears. “Wo ai lian ni,” Jayne whispered in her ear.
“What does that mean?” Maggie asked.
Jayne blushed. “Jiu er jiu zhi. That means all in good time. I’ll tell ya some day.”
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To be continued…
Next Chapter:
What's Love got to do With it