Prompts from ana_grrl
ana_grrl posted a bunch of prompts a few days back and lo and behold, two of them meshed real nicely into a chapter over on ff_roundrobin
>Knows which side his bread is buttered on; Jayne and loyalty.
>"Saved you in the war-" Characters: Mal & Zoe.
So I ran with it, and here it is...if you are interested, the link below will get you to the rest of the chapters.
Tenuous Organizational Post
Title: Tenuous : Chapter Six
Characters: Zoe/Jayne
Rating: PG13
Timeline: Five or so years after the BDM
Disclaimer: Firefly owns me, I own words
Jayne stood at the infirmary door, indecisive. Mal’s body lay covered by a sheet not a few feet away. Even in death he had a power over Jayne. The big mercenary had long ago come to the realization that he had a home here on Serenity. But Mal lying there cold and gone pushed him to see exactly what that meant.
Jayne knew he would stay with Serenity as long as Mal would have him. Now Mal wasn’t the one to make that decision. Jayne was shocked to find himself moving over to stand next to his fallen Captain.
“Well then… you might be expectin’ ...aw, hell, Mal, I don’t know what you expect now.” He shuffled his feet, fussed with the edge of the sheet hanging off the edge of the bed.
“I been here a spell now, not like to leave any time soon. Not what ya thought to hear I imagine. I, uh…well, she needs me now ya see, Serenity, I mean. Who is gonna make sure she stays in the Black?” Jayne was not sure what was drawing him to talk to a dead man. Not usually his way. Conjured it was his long won respect for the man. He figured this was his last chance to talk to Mal, let him knew where he stood, without having to worry about being told to bì zuî by the Captain’s short, clipped tones.
“Ya asked me long time back what I would do if the price was good enough to turn on ya. Would be a real interestin’ day I said. Weren’t a day after that, even Ariel, when I thought to find out. May a been cause you out and asked me straight. Ain’t no one ever done that before.” Jayne chuckled deeply for a moment, “Yeah, my Ma woulda said I knew which side my bread was buttered on I guess.” A crooked smile crossed his face at the memory of his mother, now dead and gone herself. Jayne was getting tired of losing people who mattered. First the Shepherd, then Wash, who despite driving him crazy was a good enough crew mate. Then his Ma, but Mal, that was the hardest.
“I ain’t gonna leave her Mal, I will look out for her best I can…” Jayne promised Mal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zoë was always Mal’s second in command, his balanced center during the War. She had fought hard to find that place in herself again after Wash died. Mal had been the anchor she had drawn herself back to the world by. As the years passed, Jayne clearly became the strength of the boat. His willingness to take a hit, to use his arm and guns for Mal’s jobs and causes after Miranda was surprising to most everyone on Serenity.
Zoë stalked away from the infirmary after being interrupted by Jayne. Her shoulders were set square, eyes looked straight ahead. Inside her stomach was a roiling mass of anxiety. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, drowning out the sound of her boots hitting the decking with a heel-toe roll. Her normal silence while moving about the boat was conspicuously absent. She wanted to make noise, to scream and yell, but she had promised she would fly true all those years ago.
As Serenity neared atmosphere and the inevitable landing and sorting of events with the crew and contacts, Zoë found herself back in the infirmary. Jayne had left wordlessly when she walked in. His eyes were unreadable, but his shoulders were set, prepared for a fight. Zoë was to tired and wrung out to go down that road with the big man. Right then she knew she was too fragile to manage that confrontation.
The sheet draped white and flowed over the bed with Mal protected beneath it. A half-wry smile ghosted across Zoë’s lips. Protected from what?
“Sir, it’s going to be time soon. I missed it…I missed the warning.” She whispered, voice raw. With deft hands, she flipped the sheet back off of Mal’s face. His features were set in an expression of calm, unlike his living mien. She looked at him lying there cold and still. Even during the War when they were shot to hell, starved, and exhausted, his face always showed vibrant life. Sleep couldn’t hide it. But now that was all gone. “I saved you during the War.” Her heart caught as she remembered back. “You saved me after I lost Wash. We evened up, Sir. Woulda been fine if we could of left it like that.” With a last long look at her dead Captain, Sergeant, friend, she pulled the sheet back over his face. “It’s been an honor Malcolm Reynolds.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zoë walked into the galley to see Jayne sitting at the table, cleaning the gun he had with him on the job. His eyes were dry and cold as he examined each part intently. The parts were spread out before him, a can of gun oil and a polishing rag near at hand. He had the trigger mechanism in his hands and he was turning it over and over.
“It shoulda been quicker.” He said flatly.
“Jayne?” Zoë replied.
He started at her voice, he had not expected her there. “The gun, it should a fired quicker. I can’t find out why.”
“Jayne your gun was fine. It fired like it always does.” Zoë answered, her voice slightly pitched down.
Jayne shook his head at her answer, a shaggy bear uncomprehending what he knows to be true. He looked up at her, eyes darkening. “I am sorry Zoë, I shoulda…” His voice caught and he looked back down at the trigger. Zoë didn’t have to see his deep blue eyes filling to know how the mercenary felt. He had left behind exactly that part of himself. He viewed himself and the crew as family, no longer just a ten percent cut.
Zoë needed to think, to figure out what would happen on Serenity, home to all of them.
>Knows which side his bread is buttered on; Jayne and loyalty.
>"Saved you in the war-" Characters: Mal & Zoe.
So I ran with it, and here it is...if you are interested, the link below will get you to the rest of the chapters.
Tenuous Organizational Post
Title: Tenuous : Chapter Six
Characters: Zoe/Jayne
Rating: PG13
Timeline: Five or so years after the BDM
Disclaimer: Firefly owns me, I own words
Jayne stood at the infirmary door, indecisive. Mal’s body lay covered by a sheet not a few feet away. Even in death he had a power over Jayne. The big mercenary had long ago come to the realization that he had a home here on Serenity. But Mal lying there cold and gone pushed him to see exactly what that meant.
Jayne knew he would stay with Serenity as long as Mal would have him. Now Mal wasn’t the one to make that decision. Jayne was shocked to find himself moving over to stand next to his fallen Captain.
“Well then… you might be expectin’ ...aw, hell, Mal, I don’t know what you expect now.” He shuffled his feet, fussed with the edge of the sheet hanging off the edge of the bed.
“I been here a spell now, not like to leave any time soon. Not what ya thought to hear I imagine. I, uh…well, she needs me now ya see, Serenity, I mean. Who is gonna make sure she stays in the Black?” Jayne was not sure what was drawing him to talk to a dead man. Not usually his way. Conjured it was his long won respect for the man. He figured this was his last chance to talk to Mal, let him knew where he stood, without having to worry about being told to bì zuî by the Captain’s short, clipped tones.
“Ya asked me long time back what I would do if the price was good enough to turn on ya. Would be a real interestin’ day I said. Weren’t a day after that, even Ariel, when I thought to find out. May a been cause you out and asked me straight. Ain’t no one ever done that before.” Jayne chuckled deeply for a moment, “Yeah, my Ma woulda said I knew which side my bread was buttered on I guess.” A crooked smile crossed his face at the memory of his mother, now dead and gone herself. Jayne was getting tired of losing people who mattered. First the Shepherd, then Wash, who despite driving him crazy was a good enough crew mate. Then his Ma, but Mal, that was the hardest.
“I ain’t gonna leave her Mal, I will look out for her best I can…” Jayne promised Mal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zoë was always Mal’s second in command, his balanced center during the War. She had fought hard to find that place in herself again after Wash died. Mal had been the anchor she had drawn herself back to the world by. As the years passed, Jayne clearly became the strength of the boat. His willingness to take a hit, to use his arm and guns for Mal’s jobs and causes after Miranda was surprising to most everyone on Serenity.
Zoë stalked away from the infirmary after being interrupted by Jayne. Her shoulders were set square, eyes looked straight ahead. Inside her stomach was a roiling mass of anxiety. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, drowning out the sound of her boots hitting the decking with a heel-toe roll. Her normal silence while moving about the boat was conspicuously absent. She wanted to make noise, to scream and yell, but she had promised she would fly true all those years ago.
As Serenity neared atmosphere and the inevitable landing and sorting of events with the crew and contacts, Zoë found herself back in the infirmary. Jayne had left wordlessly when she walked in. His eyes were unreadable, but his shoulders were set, prepared for a fight. Zoë was to tired and wrung out to go down that road with the big man. Right then she knew she was too fragile to manage that confrontation.
The sheet draped white and flowed over the bed with Mal protected beneath it. A half-wry smile ghosted across Zoë’s lips. Protected from what?
“Sir, it’s going to be time soon. I missed it…I missed the warning.” She whispered, voice raw. With deft hands, she flipped the sheet back off of Mal’s face. His features were set in an expression of calm, unlike his living mien. She looked at him lying there cold and still. Even during the War when they were shot to hell, starved, and exhausted, his face always showed vibrant life. Sleep couldn’t hide it. But now that was all gone. “I saved you during the War.” Her heart caught as she remembered back. “You saved me after I lost Wash. We evened up, Sir. Woulda been fine if we could of left it like that.” With a last long look at her dead Captain, Sergeant, friend, she pulled the sheet back over his face. “It’s been an honor Malcolm Reynolds.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zoë walked into the galley to see Jayne sitting at the table, cleaning the gun he had with him on the job. His eyes were dry and cold as he examined each part intently. The parts were spread out before him, a can of gun oil and a polishing rag near at hand. He had the trigger mechanism in his hands and he was turning it over and over.
“It shoulda been quicker.” He said flatly.
“Jayne?” Zoë replied.
He started at her voice, he had not expected her there. “The gun, it should a fired quicker. I can’t find out why.”
“Jayne your gun was fine. It fired like it always does.” Zoë answered, her voice slightly pitched down.
Jayne shook his head at her answer, a shaggy bear uncomprehending what he knows to be true. He looked up at her, eyes darkening. “I am sorry Zoë, I shoulda…” His voice caught and he looked back down at the trigger. Zoë didn’t have to see his deep blue eyes filling to know how the mercenary felt. He had left behind exactly that part of himself. He viewed himself and the crew as family, no longer just a ten percent cut.
Zoë needed to think, to figure out what would happen on Serenity, home to all of them.