Forget and Forgive: Missing Memory (Chapter 2)
Title: Missing Memory (Chapter 2)
Series: Forget and Forgive
Author: just_unravel
Rating: PG
Pairings: Pre-Rayne
Jayne splashed the cold water from the basin onto his face, trying desperately to recall what happened the previous night. The last thing he remembered clearly was asking the bartender for another shot of cheap whiskey after his fourth, and judging from the throbbing in his head, he probably asked for more after that. Concentrating just made the pain worse, so he gave up trying to piece together the missing moments and headed towards the mess for breakfast.
The entire crew greeted him with curious looks as he stomped into the room in his disheveled state, but he ignored them and took his usual place at the table. Unfortunately, his usual place was directly across the one person he could not ignore completely. Or forget. Forget--that sounded familiar, Jayne thought to himself, but quickly brushed it aside. After helping himself to his servings of the food, he haphazardly looked up at her.
River's lips curled into a small smile as his eyes met hers, but it faded away as soon as Jayne quickly diverted his gaze back down to his plate. He was avoiding her, she realized, and it cracked her heart. It did not seem out of malice, though; rather, he seemed to be avoiding her out of loss, like he saw lost her somehow.
"Forgot," she whispered aloud, still studying the mercenary.
"What's that?" Mal inquired at her quiet outburst. River hesitated in her response when she noticed the Captain shifting his attention to Jayne, a frown upon his face. It seemed like he knew there was a connection between her statement and the merc's current grumpy state and he was readying himself to sever anything he found between them. In an instant, she knew--Jayne may have forgotten what happened between them, but it was Mal that forced him to.
River looked back at Jayne, desperately wishing he would look up once more so she could silently convey to him everything she felt for him. Look up! Look up!, she screamed at him in her own mind, but her attempt to reach him failed. She pushed herself away from the table, her chair screeching against the metal floor. All eyes were on her now as she automatically stood up and hurriedly escaped from the mess.
"Mind tellin' me what all that was about?" Mal directed the question towards the man still ignoring his surroundings. "Jayne!"
"How the hell should I know?!" Jayne angrily shouted back. "Ain't suppose to be around her anymore, 'cording to yer new rules and all." With that, he grabbed his plate and stalked off towards his bunk.
"That went well," Mal said with defeat. He found it easy to blame his hired gun for whatever the little albatross was feeling, but he knew it was unfair. The plan was simple enough--warn Jayne about the consequences if he ever decided to pursue a relationship with the young girl and urge him to visit an adult establishment to rid him of any urges that he may displace on the same innocent, young girl. And the merc didn't protest too much since he immediately went out after Serenity hit dirt. It all seemed to go according to plan, but now Mal was asking himself if it was the right way to go about it.
<< Chapter 1 || Chapter 3 >>
Series: Forget and Forgive
Author: just_unravel
Rating: PG
Pairings: Pre-Rayne
Jayne splashed the cold water from the basin onto his face, trying desperately to recall what happened the previous night. The last thing he remembered clearly was asking the bartender for another shot of cheap whiskey after his fourth, and judging from the throbbing in his head, he probably asked for more after that. Concentrating just made the pain worse, so he gave up trying to piece together the missing moments and headed towards the mess for breakfast.
The entire crew greeted him with curious looks as he stomped into the room in his disheveled state, but he ignored them and took his usual place at the table. Unfortunately, his usual place was directly across the one person he could not ignore completely. Or forget. Forget--that sounded familiar, Jayne thought to himself, but quickly brushed it aside. After helping himself to his servings of the food, he haphazardly looked up at her.
River's lips curled into a small smile as his eyes met hers, but it faded away as soon as Jayne quickly diverted his gaze back down to his plate. He was avoiding her, she realized, and it cracked her heart. It did not seem out of malice, though; rather, he seemed to be avoiding her out of loss, like he saw lost her somehow.
"Forgot," she whispered aloud, still studying the mercenary.
"What's that?" Mal inquired at her quiet outburst. River hesitated in her response when she noticed the Captain shifting his attention to Jayne, a frown upon his face. It seemed like he knew there was a connection between her statement and the merc's current grumpy state and he was readying himself to sever anything he found between them. In an instant, she knew--Jayne may have forgotten what happened between them, but it was Mal that forced him to.
River looked back at Jayne, desperately wishing he would look up once more so she could silently convey to him everything she felt for him. Look up! Look up!, she screamed at him in her own mind, but her attempt to reach him failed. She pushed herself away from the table, her chair screeching against the metal floor. All eyes were on her now as she automatically stood up and hurriedly escaped from the mess.
"Mind tellin' me what all that was about?" Mal directed the question towards the man still ignoring his surroundings. "Jayne!"
"How the hell should I know?!" Jayne angrily shouted back. "Ain't suppose to be around her anymore, 'cording to yer new rules and all." With that, he grabbed his plate and stalked off towards his bunk.
"That went well," Mal said with defeat. He found it easy to blame his hired gun for whatever the little albatross was feeling, but he knew it was unfair. The plan was simple enough--warn Jayne about the consequences if he ever decided to pursue a relationship with the young girl and urge him to visit an adult establishment to rid him of any urges that he may displace on the same innocent, young girl. And the merc didn't protest too much since he immediately went out after Serenity hit dirt. It all seemed to go according to plan, but now Mal was asking himself if it was the right way to go about it.
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