Dishonesty
Title: Dishonest, sequel to Indeceny
Author: lacesforalady
Series: Decency Series ( Decency)
Rating: R
"Way I see it, Jayne, you're gonna need a preacher for one reason or another."
Mal was a hell of a lot more pissed off than he had been about Ariel. He was studying the barrel of his gun, probably trying to decide whether to shoot Jayne and have it done with.
Zoe was standing behind him, shotgun at the ready.
Simon was with Kaylee and River, and Jayne thanked God for small blessings. He could deal with the Captain and Zoe. The thought of facing Simon scared the shit out of him; he'd seen what the doctor was capable of when River was involved.
Mal finally looked up at Jayne. "I thought were a decent man- no, actually, I didn't. Just never figured on you being this bad. What the hell were you thinking?"
The question was rhetorical, and Jayne couldn't come up with an answer anyways. What he'd done was wrong, wrong in a way he'd never been before.
She just jumped on me, Captain!
Hell, I see a willing bit of trim, I take it.
I love her?
None of those would wash with the Captain, and they weren't entirely truthful, either. And the Captain pretty much knew River's view of the whole thing. He's broken. I fix him. He should have thrown her out of his bunk.
He hadn't noticed anything wrong until the morning, when she wouldn't say anything to him. He asked if the cat had got her tongue. She smiled a little, and stuck her tongue out at him.
Then she turned her back again. Nerves jangling, he asked if she was all right.
"Is it supposed to hurt?" she had asked, voice so quiet he could hardly hear her.
Oh.
Jayne felt worse than ever. If he was going to bed the crazy girl, he ought to have at least made it nice for her. He'd fucked up in all sorts of ways.
She'd turned around, and was looking at him with those big eyes. He'd fucked up. When Jayne Cobb made a mistake, he fixed it as much as he could.
"No, girl. It's not supposed to hurt. You should have said something."
She blinked at him. He smiled at her. "All those brains, and you ain't got the sense to ask me to stop." He pulled her close.
"I'll show you how it's supposed to be," he said softly. She shivered a little, and jumped when he slipped his hand between her legs.
And that, in the end, was what got them caught.
...
Now he was sitting in the mess, staring down the barrel of Mal's pistol. He hoped Book had put that good word in with the Big Man, because it was looking like he needed it.
Mal's next question caught him completely off-guard.
"What are your intentions towards little River?"
Jayne just stared. "River," the Captain elaborated, "seems to think you're going to marry her. Keeps going on about destiny and suchlike. Says she saw it written in the stars."
Jayne had no words.
"Now, I'm of the opinion she went a little further off the deep end than usual, but if you've got honorable intentions towards her, well, that affects the landscape some."
Jayne blinked at him. Marriage? To the Moonbrain? A door slammed in the tense silence.
"I'm guessing you didn't have thoughts on that," Mal said, threateningly. If Jayne knew what was good for him, he'd damn well have thoughts on marrying River, his tone said.
Simon burst in then, angrier than Jayne had ever seen him. Jayne, spurred by some suicidal instinct, stuck his chin out. No way some core-bred pansy was going to intimidate him.
Yep, he was definitely a dead man.
Simon pulled up short when Mal swung his arm so that his pistol was aimed at Simon. Zoe's eyes flicked to the Captain, but she said nothing. Her rifle was still pointed unwaveringly at Jayne.
"Simon, you're not going to kill Jayne and lose the moral high ground." Mal gestured with his pistol, and Simon moved back a bit.
"I'm the only one does any shooting around here. You got anything to say, say it now." Mal looked back to Jayne, pistol still at Simon.
Simon sounded eerily calm. "I was wondering what you were going to do with Jayne," he said, "not that he deserves much. He took advantage of my mentally ill sister." The look in his eyes just about froze Jayne's balls off.
Jayne looked from the Captain to Simon and back again, considering his options.
"You going to let me leave?" he asked, hopefully. He could always find another ship.
Simon was still too calm. "River-- she threatened to leave if you left." His facade broke, just a little. "She thinks you're going to marry her," he said. "I don't like it, she's obviously not thinking straight. But I know my sister. When she thinks something's right- and she's usually very right--" a hint of a smile, now- "she'll stop at nothing to get it."
Oh, ta de ma, he hated Crazy. Well, it was a way out that didn't involve loss of life or limb. And maybe she'd get tired of marriage or something, and he could leave.
If you bow at all, bow low. "I'll marry her," Jayne said, hardly believing it.
Simon spluttered. Mal turned to him. "Now, doc, I know you've got problems with this. We've all got problems with this. But we're making the best of a bad situation, and your sister's happy."
"I don't know if she's fit to get married," Simon said, weakly. "She's-- she's not entirely stable..."
You have to marry me, Simon. I'm in the family way!
Mal looked uncomfortable. "Look, if it were up to me I'd dump Jayne at the next port, but your sister would put up a hell of a fuss. Seems she believes she's meant to marry Jayne." He glanced at Jayne critically, as if he could see what made Jayne husband material.
Jayne couldn't see it, himself, but he'd marry her for now. Mal obviously didn't want to deal with a disappointed pilot. Jayne wondered how much of that had to do with Zoe.
"I'll marry her," he said, again.
Author: lacesforalady
Series: Decency Series ( Decency)
Rating: R
"Way I see it, Jayne, you're gonna need a preacher for one reason or another."
Mal was a hell of a lot more pissed off than he had been about Ariel. He was studying the barrel of his gun, probably trying to decide whether to shoot Jayne and have it done with.
Zoe was standing behind him, shotgun at the ready.
Simon was with Kaylee and River, and Jayne thanked God for small blessings. He could deal with the Captain and Zoe. The thought of facing Simon scared the shit out of him; he'd seen what the doctor was capable of when River was involved.
Mal finally looked up at Jayne. "I thought were a decent man- no, actually, I didn't. Just never figured on you being this bad. What the hell were you thinking?"
The question was rhetorical, and Jayne couldn't come up with an answer anyways. What he'd done was wrong, wrong in a way he'd never been before.
She just jumped on me, Captain!
Hell, I see a willing bit of trim, I take it.
I love her?
None of those would wash with the Captain, and they weren't entirely truthful, either. And the Captain pretty much knew River's view of the whole thing. He's broken. I fix him. He should have thrown her out of his bunk.
He hadn't noticed anything wrong until the morning, when she wouldn't say anything to him. He asked if the cat had got her tongue. She smiled a little, and stuck her tongue out at him.
Then she turned her back again. Nerves jangling, he asked if she was all right.
"Is it supposed to hurt?" she had asked, voice so quiet he could hardly hear her.
Oh.
Jayne felt worse than ever. If he was going to bed the crazy girl, he ought to have at least made it nice for her. He'd fucked up in all sorts of ways.
She'd turned around, and was looking at him with those big eyes. He'd fucked up. When Jayne Cobb made a mistake, he fixed it as much as he could.
"No, girl. It's not supposed to hurt. You should have said something."
She blinked at him. He smiled at her. "All those brains, and you ain't got the sense to ask me to stop." He pulled her close.
"I'll show you how it's supposed to be," he said softly. She shivered a little, and jumped when he slipped his hand between her legs.
And that, in the end, was what got them caught.
...
Now he was sitting in the mess, staring down the barrel of Mal's pistol. He hoped Book had put that good word in with the Big Man, because it was looking like he needed it.
Mal's next question caught him completely off-guard.
"What are your intentions towards little River?"
Jayne just stared. "River," the Captain elaborated, "seems to think you're going to marry her. Keeps going on about destiny and suchlike. Says she saw it written in the stars."
Jayne had no words.
"Now, I'm of the opinion she went a little further off the deep end than usual, but if you've got honorable intentions towards her, well, that affects the landscape some."
Jayne blinked at him. Marriage? To the Moonbrain? A door slammed in the tense silence.
"I'm guessing you didn't have thoughts on that," Mal said, threateningly. If Jayne knew what was good for him, he'd damn well have thoughts on marrying River, his tone said.
Simon burst in then, angrier than Jayne had ever seen him. Jayne, spurred by some suicidal instinct, stuck his chin out. No way some core-bred pansy was going to intimidate him.
Yep, he was definitely a dead man.
Simon pulled up short when Mal swung his arm so that his pistol was aimed at Simon. Zoe's eyes flicked to the Captain, but she said nothing. Her rifle was still pointed unwaveringly at Jayne.
"Simon, you're not going to kill Jayne and lose the moral high ground." Mal gestured with his pistol, and Simon moved back a bit.
"I'm the only one does any shooting around here. You got anything to say, say it now." Mal looked back to Jayne, pistol still at Simon.
Simon sounded eerily calm. "I was wondering what you were going to do with Jayne," he said, "not that he deserves much. He took advantage of my mentally ill sister." The look in his eyes just about froze Jayne's balls off.
Jayne looked from the Captain to Simon and back again, considering his options.
"You going to let me leave?" he asked, hopefully. He could always find another ship.
Simon was still too calm. "River-- she threatened to leave if you left." His facade broke, just a little. "She thinks you're going to marry her," he said. "I don't like it, she's obviously not thinking straight. But I know my sister. When she thinks something's right- and she's usually very right--" a hint of a smile, now- "she'll stop at nothing to get it."
Oh, ta de ma, he hated Crazy. Well, it was a way out that didn't involve loss of life or limb. And maybe she'd get tired of marriage or something, and he could leave.
If you bow at all, bow low. "I'll marry her," Jayne said, hardly believing it.
Simon spluttered. Mal turned to him. "Now, doc, I know you've got problems with this. We've all got problems with this. But we're making the best of a bad situation, and your sister's happy."
"I don't know if she's fit to get married," Simon said, weakly. "She's-- she's not entirely stable..."
You have to marry me, Simon. I'm in the family way!
Mal looked uncomfortable. "Look, if it were up to me I'd dump Jayne at the next port, but your sister would put up a hell of a fuss. Seems she believes she's meant to marry Jayne." He glanced at Jayne critically, as if he could see what made Jayne husband material.
Jayne couldn't see it, himself, but he'd marry her for now. Mal obviously didn't want to deal with a disappointed pilot. Jayne wondered how much of that had to do with Zoe.
"I'll marry her," he said, again.