Unexpected: Chapter eleven
Title: Unexpected: Chapter eleven
Author: Bookaddict
Characters: Zoe/Jayne, Crew, OCs
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: Firefly and all its characters are the property of Joss Whedon.
Word count: 1203
Comments: This story is a collaborative effort between myself and ceslas. It’s a bit of an unusual pairing for us, so hope you enjoy it. Previous chapters here. Thanks to the awesome cantonheroine for the banner and icon. This chapter took me forever to write; I hope I've advanced the plot some?
He shoulda taken off long ago Jayne thought as he leant against a boulder and watched Serenity take off. He woulda saved himself a boatload of uncomfortableness that way. ‘Cept he’d never been able to leave. Serenity had got like home for him. He’d relaxed his guard and got to trustin’ folk; that was a mistake. ‘Cause obviously they didn’t trust him.
They’d searched for him though, which surprised him mightily after yesterday’s conversation with Zoë. ‘Course they hadn’t found him, when he hid, he stayed hid. He got the feeling the crazy girl probably knew where he was, but for some reason weren’t sayin’ anythin’. He never could figure her out, Zoë neither.
He hadn’t thought she’d bring up Ariel, hadn’t even realised she knew about it. ‘Course he shoulda realised; sooner or later Mal told Zoë everything, Captain and her had few secrets Still she’d never let on she knew and it hurt that she’d told about it now and in front of everyone. He’d really thought she’d started to trust him lately. Well he’d thought it till Nisham came along.
It weren’t that he thought the man guilty, at least not so much. But things had sure been happenin’ since he’d started hangin’ around and Zoë was lettin’ him lead her round; she didn’t even let Mal do that.
How the hell Nisham had talked her into not even visitin’ Badger to get the real whys and wherefores of what was happenin’ Jayne didn’t know. Badger was a twisty one and Zoë knew he were capable of playin’ one side against the other for his own advantage. Jayne figured it’d be worth payin’ the little hun dan a visit, see what he really had to say. Then he’d think on what to do next, how to back up Zoë when she needed it.
************
“We aren’t just gonna leave him there are we?” Kaylee asked anxiously.
Zoë shrugged uncomfortably. “Jayne chose to leave then he’s gone. I’m done looking for him. We’ve got a rendezvous to make.”
“Where’s he gonna go? He ain’t got nowhere to go now his ma’s in that home.” Kaylee blinked back tears. “He belongs here on Serenity with us.”
“Obviously he doesn’t think so, since he’s up and left.” Zoë said reasonably.
Kaylee gave her an exasperated look. “Of course he don’t not with you treatin’ him like he ain’t there.”
Zoë watched her stride away muttering to herself and turned to River. “You got something to say too?”
The pilot shrugged. “You didn’t listen before.” She paced for a minute, not sure whether to speak again. “Left out of the plan, not to be trusted. He has no words to explain; already misses Serenity and his family.”
“Then he shouldn’t have left,” Zoë said coolly. He wasn’t recovered yet, he’d injure himself again; stubborn, prideful man. She didn’t have the time or the inclination to worry over him. “If he could give me one good reason for not trusting Nisham and this plan I’d listen.”
She didn’t want to think about the others’ reaction to her plan. Now that Jayne had pointed it out to her in his usual tactless way, she realised that none of them had liked what she decided. They’d trusted her and her judgement enough to think she could pull it off though, unlike Jayne.
The big man was being even more difficult that usual, but she shouldn’t have mentioned Ariel Zoë thought. Jayne had paid for that piece of stupidity long ago. He’d done real well since Miranda, becoming a good friend and crew member and she’d gone and messed it up.
This was why she preferred following to leading.
************
Jayne sat on a crate in the alley and looked toward the door. It wouldn’t be long now before the little thief came out.
As soon as he was sure Serenity was really gone he’d hopped the fastest ship to Persephone and headed for Badger’s place. Since Jayne knew Badger didn’t think much of him, thought him stupid and all; he hadn’t bothered to go through the front door or announce his presence.
After all their visits to the annoyin’ little guy, Jayne was familiar with the layout of his hideout and Badger’s habits. The man ‘took a stroll’ every afternoon, regular as clockwork.
So he just sat and waited till Badger came out the back way. Glad to see he only had a coupla fellas with him; Jayne stepped out from his hiding place and slammed the first guy head-first into the wall. Reachin’ out a hand he grabbed Badger by the throat and kicked the second thug in the jewels. Tightenin’ his grip on Badger, he kneed the man who was now bending over in the face and dragged the thief into the alley behind him.
“What the hell?” Badger croaked when Jayne finally released his grip. “Have you gone mad? Where’s Reynolds?”
“Don’t ya know?” Jayne smiled coldly pushin’ him up against a wall and drawin’ his knife. “I coulda swore a guy called Fredericks probably told ya?”
“Fredericks?” Badger echoed hoarsely. “Don’t know no-one called Fredericks.”
“Funny. He said he knew ya, was selling information to ya the way he tells it.” Jayne paused and rested the tip of his knife against Badger’s aching throat. “Information ‘bout Serenity and us; I don’t take kind to that. Prefer to be left alone.”
“Oh that Fredericks,” Badger smiled winningly. “He just sent me the info, weren’t like I asked for it or nothin’.”
“No?” Jayne mocked and pressed his knife into the skin hard enough to break it. “Ya just paid him outta the kindness of yer heart.”
“He’s from the old country, there ain’t many of us out here you know.” Badger was sweating now, and trying to look down at his wounds without moving his head.
“Look I ain’t Mal and don’t hold with yer word games. Tell me what I want to know or I’ll slit yer throat and go talk to someone else.”
Badger shuddered. He’d always thought Cobb a mite unstable and had a healthy respect for the man’s readiness to shoot or knife his enemies without provocation.
“I was just the middle man! I didn’t even take a gander at the info, just passed it on.”
“And…” Jayne encouraged. “Ya got a name?”
“Wing, Atherton Wing.”
Jayne frowned trying to remember where he’d heard the name before. “Who?”
“The fella Reynolds got in the sword fight with, remember that?”
“Sure,” Jayne nodded and moved the knife away from Badger’s throat. From the coupla things Mal had said, the Wing guy was pretty crazy. He couldn’t figure what the fella might be up to, but Zoe would know. He’d have to tell her…
“Can I go now?” Badger’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Nope,” the big mercenary grinned coldly at him. “Yer gonna take me to that fancy boat of yours and lend it to me.”
“My boat,” Badger gaped at him. “How’d ya know about that?”
“I ain’t as stupid as ya think, ya know,” Jayne stood to Badger’s side and prodded him with the knife. “Of course ya got some way to escape if ya need it. Now start walkin’.”
Author: Bookaddict
Characters: Zoe/Jayne, Crew, OCs
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: Firefly and all its characters are the property of Joss Whedon.
Word count: 1203
Comments: This story is a collaborative effort between myself and ceslas. It’s a bit of an unusual pairing for us, so hope you enjoy it. Previous chapters here. Thanks to the awesome cantonheroine for the banner and icon. This chapter took me forever to write; I hope I've advanced the plot some?
He shoulda taken off long ago Jayne thought as he leant against a boulder and watched Serenity take off. He woulda saved himself a boatload of uncomfortableness that way. ‘Cept he’d never been able to leave. Serenity had got like home for him. He’d relaxed his guard and got to trustin’ folk; that was a mistake. ‘Cause obviously they didn’t trust him.
They’d searched for him though, which surprised him mightily after yesterday’s conversation with Zoë. ‘Course they hadn’t found him, when he hid, he stayed hid. He got the feeling the crazy girl probably knew where he was, but for some reason weren’t sayin’ anythin’. He never could figure her out, Zoë neither.
He hadn’t thought she’d bring up Ariel, hadn’t even realised she knew about it. ‘Course he shoulda realised; sooner or later Mal told Zoë everything, Captain and her had few secrets Still she’d never let on she knew and it hurt that she’d told about it now and in front of everyone. He’d really thought she’d started to trust him lately. Well he’d thought it till Nisham came along.
It weren’t that he thought the man guilty, at least not so much. But things had sure been happenin’ since he’d started hangin’ around and Zoë was lettin’ him lead her round; she didn’t even let Mal do that.
How the hell Nisham had talked her into not even visitin’ Badger to get the real whys and wherefores of what was happenin’ Jayne didn’t know. Badger was a twisty one and Zoë knew he were capable of playin’ one side against the other for his own advantage. Jayne figured it’d be worth payin’ the little hun dan a visit, see what he really had to say. Then he’d think on what to do next, how to back up Zoë when she needed it.
************
“We aren’t just gonna leave him there are we?” Kaylee asked anxiously.
Zoë shrugged uncomfortably. “Jayne chose to leave then he’s gone. I’m done looking for him. We’ve got a rendezvous to make.”
“Where’s he gonna go? He ain’t got nowhere to go now his ma’s in that home.” Kaylee blinked back tears. “He belongs here on Serenity with us.”
“Obviously he doesn’t think so, since he’s up and left.” Zoë said reasonably.
Kaylee gave her an exasperated look. “Of course he don’t not with you treatin’ him like he ain’t there.”
Zoë watched her stride away muttering to herself and turned to River. “You got something to say too?”
The pilot shrugged. “You didn’t listen before.” She paced for a minute, not sure whether to speak again. “Left out of the plan, not to be trusted. He has no words to explain; already misses Serenity and his family.”
“Then he shouldn’t have left,” Zoë said coolly. He wasn’t recovered yet, he’d injure himself again; stubborn, prideful man. She didn’t have the time or the inclination to worry over him. “If he could give me one good reason for not trusting Nisham and this plan I’d listen.”
She didn’t want to think about the others’ reaction to her plan. Now that Jayne had pointed it out to her in his usual tactless way, she realised that none of them had liked what she decided. They’d trusted her and her judgement enough to think she could pull it off though, unlike Jayne.
The big man was being even more difficult that usual, but she shouldn’t have mentioned Ariel Zoë thought. Jayne had paid for that piece of stupidity long ago. He’d done real well since Miranda, becoming a good friend and crew member and she’d gone and messed it up.
This was why she preferred following to leading.
************
Jayne sat on a crate in the alley and looked toward the door. It wouldn’t be long now before the little thief came out.
As soon as he was sure Serenity was really gone he’d hopped the fastest ship to Persephone and headed for Badger’s place. Since Jayne knew Badger didn’t think much of him, thought him stupid and all; he hadn’t bothered to go through the front door or announce his presence.
After all their visits to the annoyin’ little guy, Jayne was familiar with the layout of his hideout and Badger’s habits. The man ‘took a stroll’ every afternoon, regular as clockwork.
So he just sat and waited till Badger came out the back way. Glad to see he only had a coupla fellas with him; Jayne stepped out from his hiding place and slammed the first guy head-first into the wall. Reachin’ out a hand he grabbed Badger by the throat and kicked the second thug in the jewels. Tightenin’ his grip on Badger, he kneed the man who was now bending over in the face and dragged the thief into the alley behind him.
“What the hell?” Badger croaked when Jayne finally released his grip. “Have you gone mad? Where’s Reynolds?”
“Don’t ya know?” Jayne smiled coldly pushin’ him up against a wall and drawin’ his knife. “I coulda swore a guy called Fredericks probably told ya?”
“Fredericks?” Badger echoed hoarsely. “Don’t know no-one called Fredericks.”
“Funny. He said he knew ya, was selling information to ya the way he tells it.” Jayne paused and rested the tip of his knife against Badger’s aching throat. “Information ‘bout Serenity and us; I don’t take kind to that. Prefer to be left alone.”
“Oh that Fredericks,” Badger smiled winningly. “He just sent me the info, weren’t like I asked for it or nothin’.”
“No?” Jayne mocked and pressed his knife into the skin hard enough to break it. “Ya just paid him outta the kindness of yer heart.”
“He’s from the old country, there ain’t many of us out here you know.” Badger was sweating now, and trying to look down at his wounds without moving his head.
“Look I ain’t Mal and don’t hold with yer word games. Tell me what I want to know or I’ll slit yer throat and go talk to someone else.”
Badger shuddered. He’d always thought Cobb a mite unstable and had a healthy respect for the man’s readiness to shoot or knife his enemies without provocation.
“I was just the middle man! I didn’t even take a gander at the info, just passed it on.”
“And…” Jayne encouraged. “Ya got a name?”
“Wing, Atherton Wing.”
Jayne frowned trying to remember where he’d heard the name before. “Who?”
“The fella Reynolds got in the sword fight with, remember that?”
“Sure,” Jayne nodded and moved the knife away from Badger’s throat. From the coupla things Mal had said, the Wing guy was pretty crazy. He couldn’t figure what the fella might be up to, but Zoe would know. He’d have to tell her…
“Can I go now?” Badger’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Nope,” the big mercenary grinned coldly at him. “Yer gonna take me to that fancy boat of yours and lend it to me.”
“My boat,” Badger gaped at him. “How’d ya know about that?”
“I ain’t as stupid as ya think, ya know,” Jayne stood to Badger’s side and prodded him with the knife. “Of course ya got some way to escape if ya need it. Now start walkin’.”