Chapter Text
Mal has been edgy all day. The cargo they have, just adding to it. Jayne himself feels a tad itchy. “We go to Patience, Works out of Whitefall, one of the Athenian moons. It's possible she's in need of what we got. And government trace won't scare her,“ Mal tells Zoë and Jayne.
They reach the ship. He is standing by the airlock ramp as he says, “We don't get paid for this, we won't have enough money to fuel the ship, let alone keep her in repair. She'll be dead in the water anyhow. We just gotta keep our heads down and do the job.”
A box is being loaded on by Wash on a dolly among a few other things, a clearly special, futuristic-looking dark blue box with many dials and readouts. A young, clearly affluent man wearing a dark suit and round glasses seems to be looking directly at Mal, then glances over to the box, “Please be careful with that.“
“Mal, this is Simon. This is our captain,” Kayee introduces them. Kaylee turns around and goes back inside.
Mal approaches Simon, he looks down at him, grabs his face and kisses him. Mal breaks the kiss, Simon pulls him in for another kiss. Mal smiles at the man in his arms. “Welcome aboard, Doctor Reynolds.”
Simon takes his hand and looks at Zoë, “Good to see you again, Zoë.”
Jayne steps forward, “She’s in there. I can feel her,” he says motioning at the box. “
You must be Jayne then,” Simon says and Jayne nods. He heard about the man but never met him before. He only met Zoë and Wash over the years.
-
Mal tells the new passengers the rules before they head to their sleeping quarters. He shows Simon their bunk, “I got a room for River too, the next one to her is free, you can stay there when she needs ya.”
Simon looks around, he can see their wedding picture on Mal’s nightstand. He smiles when he sees one of River’s paintings on the wall. “So Jayne is not what I expected. He doesn’t seem like much, yet somehow River’s mind connected with his.”
“He’s a mercenary, only cares about money, violence and sex. Come to think of it, he hasn’t been to a whorehouse since he told me about River. Huh,” Mal tells him.
Simon lies down on the bed, “What will you tell the others?”
“Jayne, Zoë and Wash know. Other’s don’t need to know for now. Want to get the goods off my ship first,” he joins Simon on the bed, “When will she wake up?” Mal asks.
Simon stretches, answering, “Three days from now..”
“So we have some time to ourselves,” Mal states.
Simon nods and pulls Mal to him, kissing him hard. He missed his husband. They decided it was best not to have any contact with each other while Simon rescued his sister. When Mal got the message Simon succeeded and to meet him here, he was relieved.
They quickly remove their clothes, their hands running over their bodies, “I need you in me Mal,” Simon pleads.
Mal nods and grabs the oil, coats his fingers and quickly opens Simon up. He puts a generous amount of oil on his cock and pushes inside his husband, “Love you Simon,”
Both moan at the feeling of being connected again.
Mal bottoms out and kisses Simon, “Love you too, Mal. Move, please,” Mal does and pumps in and out of him while he grabs Simon’s cock and strokes him in time with his thrusts. “Faster, Mal.” He obliges and pistons into him faster and hitting his prostate, “God yes, just like that love,” Simon babbles. Mal hitches Simon’s leg higher to get in deeper, “Fuck me Mal, harder.”
Mal grunts and hammers into him, he watches Simon jerk himself off, “Wanna see you come Simon.”
Simon groans as he feels his orgasm approach, “Gonna cum,” he speeds up his movements and spills over his hand. Mal feels him cum and thrust a few more times before he empties inside his lover.
Mal collapses on top of Simon, “Missed you.”
Simon holds him close, “Missed you too. Been too many months since we last saw each other.”
Mal nods, “How's it feel to be a fugitive?”
Simon snorts, “Better now that I’m with you.” Mal kisses him and slips out, Simon winces at the loss of contact. “Hasn’t really set in yet. I am just glad I got her out. I might be freaking out later,” he adds.
Mal is used to this life, Simon isn’t and it will be a big adjustment. Sure Simon traveled with them but he never stayed more than a week. They clean up and put on some clothes and get some shut eye.
-
Mal is eating, “This is good stuff, Preacher.”
“I’m gonna take a plate to Wash,” Zoë says.
“It's not much I had a garden at the Abbey, thought I should bring what I could,” he shares.
“It's very kind of you to share with all of us,” Simon tells him.
“Well, it won't last, and they're never the same when they're frozen. The important thing is the spices. A man can live on packaged food from here till Judgment Day if he's got enough Marjoram,” Book continues.
Mal watches Jayne pass the tomatoes to Dobson. There is something about that guy that sets Mal’s teeth on edge. They continue to eat, chattering among themselves.
-
Mal and Simon are back in their bunk when Wash tells Mal to come to the bridge, “Signal. Somebody went on the Cortex, hailed the nearest Alliance Cruiser.”
“Tell me you scrambled it,” Mal asks.
“All to Hell, but I don't know how much got through. Alliance got a pin in us for sure. We got a mole on board,” Wash informs him.
Mal curses, “Dobson, he’s the only one that make sense. Preacher don’t seem to be the type.”
“What about Jayne?” Wash asks.
Mal shakes his head, “Could have sold out Simon before he even got here.”
-
Simon is in the cargo bay looking at the box when Mal approaches him, “We got a problem. Someone hailed the Alliance. My guess is Dobson.”
“You’re right,” Book says.
Both men turn to him, and both Mal and Simon realize Book is looking behind them. Slowly, they turn the other way, and understand Book's meaning. Dobson holds a gun on Mal. ”Drop that firearm, Captain Reynolds.” A beat and Mal does, Dobson moves the gun to point it at Simon, “Simon Tam, you are bound by law to stand down.”
Mal takes a moment to realize the man is after Simon, shit they are here for River and not the goods. Dobson tries to take Simon, Book tries to talk him down, Mal tries to get his gun when the situation escalates and Dobson shoots Kaylee who just came into the bay.
A lot of things happen at once, Kaylee slumps to the ground as Simon rushes to her, Mal dives for his weapon, Jayne draws his, Dobson swings to fire at Mal and Book is in Dobson's face, a brutal jab in the throat as he grabs his gun-hand whip-quick, twists and pulls the gun out, cracking Dobson across the face with it in the same motion and Dobson is down In seconds.
“Kaylee!” Inara yells. She is on the upper level, having come out of her shuttle at the sound of the shot. She races to Kaylee, as does Mal, seeing that Dobson is no longer a threat. Jayne comes toward Dobson with a purpose, gun in hand, and Book turns to face him, “Get out of the way,” Jayne tells him.
“You're not killing this man. He’s not a threat,” Book implores.
“Move. I'm not joking with you, Preacher.”
“Jayne!” Zoë's got her gun out, pointed at Jayne, ”Just tie him up. Do it!” A moment, and Jayne holsters his piece, moves to get some duct tape, complaining about not being allowed to kill the guy.
Simon is checking on Kaylee, “She is going into shock. We need to get her to the infirmary.”
Wash, through the com. ”Captain, we've been hailed by a Cruiser. Ordered to stay on course and dock for prisoner transfer.”
Mal and Simon look at each other. “We run,” Simon tells Mal who nods. “Zoë tell Wash to change course.”
-
Simon is operating on Kaylee, Mal and Inara are helping him, “I can’t do anything more until she stabilizes.”
“Will she..” Mal asks.
Simon looks at him, “Can't say yet.”
Inara looks at them both, “I wanna know what's going on here.”
Mal looks at Simon who nods. He sighs, “Fine, tell everyone to meet in the cargo bay.”
Inara leaves, Simon checks Kaylee’s vitals, he feels guilty. This is his fault. Mal knows the look on his face, “This ain’t your fault. Don’t go on blaming yourself for this.”
Simon puts his tools away, “If I wasn’t here, you and your crew wouldn’t be in danger.”
Mal pulls him into his arms, “If you wasn’t here, you’d probably be dead and River back with those assholes. My crew knows the risks being on this ship. Ain’t the first time someone got shot and won’t be the last. Lil’ Kaylee will tell you it wasn’t your fault when she wakes up.” Mal kisses Simon softly before they meet the others.
-
A short while later everyone is gathered around the box, Simon looks at them, “My sister is in that box. I took her from the Alliance and now they want her back. I will tell you more later.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Mal tells everyone.
“We’re with you, Sir.” Zoë says.
“She’s waking up,” Jayne tells Simon who quickly checks the box, “This is too soon. She shouldn’t wake up for days. Mal help me.”
They open the crate, River lies there naked, Jayne comes over with a blanket and puts it over her. A few moments later, she wakes up with a scream. “River,” Simon says.
She looks wildly around, before her eyes land on Simon, “Simon?” Simon nods, she realizes she is free and begins to cry, as does he. She pulls the blanket closer around her, “Simon... They talk to me, they want me to... to talk…”
Simon rubs a comforting hand on her back, “They're gone... they're gone and we're safe now, we're safe and I'm here.”
Inara is back with some clothes for her, River quickly dresses and sits down on the crate. Mal kneels beside her, his voice low, “Hey River, remember me?”
She nods and goes to hug him, “She missed you. Brother missed you too,” she whispers into his ear. River looks at Jayne and runs to him and hugs him, “Thank you. You saved her from losing herself fully.”
Jayne pats her on the head, not knowing what else to do. He’s finally meeting the person who’s been in his head for over a year. She keeps a tight hold on, “She wants you to hug her back.” Jayne does and River lets out a sigh of relief, “She feels safe now.”
Simon watches them and his curiosity is piqued as to why Jayne. What about this man-ape calls to her? He will keep a close eye on Jayne. She is still his young 17 year old sister and no one is gonna take advantage of her, no matter what connection they have.
They move to the dining room where Simon continues his story, “I'm very smart. Went to the best Medacad on Osiris, top three percent of my class, finished my internship in eight months. Gifted. Is the term. So when I tell you that my little sister makes me look like an idiot child, I want you to understand my full meaning. River was more than gifted. She was.... a gift. Everything she did, music, Maths, theoretical physics,even dance,there was nothing that didn't come as naturally to her as breathing does to us. She could be a real brat about it, too. She used to tell me…I mean, she's a kid. You know? Like everyone else, except she understands. So much. There was a school... a, uh, government-sponsored academy, we'd never even heard of it but it had the most exciting program, the most challenging... we could have sent her anywhere, we had the money... but she wanted to go. She wanted to learn. She was fourteen.I got a few letters at first, then I didn't hear from her for months. Finally I got a letter that made no sense. She talked about things that never happened, jokes we never... it was code. I couldn't even figure... I talked to professors, spent a week trying to work it. It just said… "They're hurting us. Get me out.” Around the same time Mal called me and told me Jayne spoke to her. From what I understand when they were experimenting on her, she reached out to his mind. Don’t ask me how.”
“They was torturing her. Could feel it sometimes. Told me I keep her sane. Was able to relay messages from Simon to her and the other way around.”
“How did you get her out?” Kaylee asks.
“Money. And luck, for two years I couldn't get near her, but I was contacted by some men, some underground movement. They said she was in danger, that the government was playing with her brain. If I funded them they could sneak her out in cryo.”
Inara asks “Will she be all right?”
Simon shrugs, ”Don't know if she'll be all right. I don't know what they did to her, or why. I just have to keep her safe.”
Mal puts a hand on his shoulder, “We will. Plan was for them to stay with us. They are safer in the black moving around then staying on some planet. In the meantime we finish the job. Can’t do much until the Fed wakes up.”
They look at River who is asleep in Jayne’s lap, him running his hand through her hair, “Now this is just right unsettling,” Zoë deadpans.
-
A little later, Mal’s voice rings through the coms, “We're passing another ship. Looks to be Reavers. From the size, probably a raiding party. Could be they're headed somewhere particular, could be they've already hit someone and they're full up. So everybody stay calm. We're holding course. They should pass us in a minute, we'll see what they do.”
Jayne is in his room, Jayne pulls down a decorative blanket to reveal an arsenal on his wall. He is silent and serious. He looks to his bed, River is lying under his covers. She screamed like a banshee when her brother took her from him earlier. Wouldn’t stop until she was back with him. Jayne shakes his head and wonders what he got himself into. Girl sure makes him itchy.
The ship passes them. Mal and Jayne go to talk to the Fed. “I'm in a tricky position, I guess you know. On one side I got mindless savages as like to kill me as fart, and on the other I got the Law. Honestly not sure which I like less. I got to know how close the Alliance is, exactly how much you told them 'fore Wash scrambled your call. So I've given Jayne here the job of finding out.” Mal leaves the two and goes to check on Kaylee.
She has woken, is woozy and quiet. ”Hey... Hey little Kaylee, what's the news?”
“I'm shiny, Captain. A-okay. Can't feel much below my belly, though. And I'm... it's gettin' cold.”
Mal moves to get her another blanket, lays it on her all the while hiding his feelings at hearing that, “You just gotta rest. Something on this boat's gonna break down real soon, and who else I got to fix it?”
“Don't worry none... Doc fixed me up pretty. He's nice,” she mumbles.
Mal chuckles, “That he is. Now get some more rest.”
-
Simon is in Inara’s shuttle, she is handing him some packets. “Thanks, this will help.”
“Kaylee is very dear to all of us,” she tells him.
He nods, “I know, Mal told me some about her. I'm sorry. For my part in what happened. I've never... I don't know how to..“
“You're lost in the woods. We all are. Even the captain. The only difference is, he likes it that way.” she shares.
She is about to ask Simon how he knows Mal, when the devil himself comes in, “No the difference is, the woods are the only place I can see a clear path.”
“What are you doing on my shuttle?” Inara asks.
He stares at her, “It's my shuttle. You rent it.”
“Then when I'm behind on the rent, you can enter unasked,” she shoots back.
Mal turns to Simon, “See what I have to deal with on my own ship?” he looks at her, “Thought you were leaving, anyhow Inara.”
She gets up and faces him, “Well I guess that depends on you.”
Mal rolls his eyes, “Just here to fetch the doctor then you can go back to your whoring.” Mal takes the packets from Simon who follows him out.
“You don’t like her much do you?” Simon asks.
“I just don’t understand her choice of work. It must be lonely and sad pretending to care for someone for a time and then move on to the next client never finding real love. Like the one we have,” he replies.
“She must have had her reasons for her choice of work. She takes great pleasure in it,” Simon says.
Mal snorts, “Might be so and having her gives us some credibility but don’t mean I gotta like it. Like to needle her on though, have to get my fun somewhere here in the black.”
Simon shakes his head, “You’re impossible.
“Yet you love me and even married me,” Mal reminds him and kisses him.
-
Dobson managed to get free and he has River now at gunpoint. Simon runs out, sees Dobson with River below, his grip on her loose right now as he looks around him, heading for the closed airlock. Simon jumps right down on top of him. The two men go tumbling, two guns go flying and both men lie there in extreme pain, unable to get up and get the guns. River backs into a corner, wild with terror.
-
The job took a turn for the worse. Patience turned on them as expected. After they gain the upper hand, Mal walks toward her, shoots the horse and it collapses half onto her. He comes up to her and sticks his gun in her face. ”I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regards to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job,” he takes the money back, “I get paid. And that's all.”
Jayne runs up to him, holding out a walkie-phone. ”Mal! It's Wash! We got a ship coming in. They followed us. The Gorramn Reavers followed us!” Mal curses, this day couldn’t get any worse.
-
Dobson lunges for his gun and Simon throws himself on top of him. They can both barely stand from their crash before. They struggle in ugly fashion, until Dobson gets an elbow free and jerks it into Simon's face. He gets free enough to crawl for the weapon, but Simon rolls around and grabs the other one, points it at Dobson. ”Don't move!”
Wash yells over the coms ”REAVERS! Reavers incoming and headed straight for us. We are in the air in one minute!”
Inara comes out of her chamber, sees the action below. Simon holds the gun on Dobson. His hand shakes. Dobson looks at him, “You gonna do that? You gonna kill a Lawman in cold blood? I know what you did for your sister and I understand. It doesn't make you a killer. I don't wanna hurt anybody. I have a job to do. To uphold the Law. That's what we're talking about here. There's nowhere you can take her that the law won't find. Nobody's gonna hurt her... unless you hurt me. It's your call.”
Simon doesn't know what to do. He looks over at River, Dobson moves and Simon shoots him in the shoulder. Dobson looks surprised, just then the airlock starts to open, the noise and motion distracting Simon long enough for Dobson to grab his gun and fire, missing but sending Simon diving for cover as Dobson grabs River and puts himself behind her, gun to her head, “Didn’t think you had in ya to shoot a cop.”
-
The three pull up on their horses, jump off, Mal striding in as the others shoo the horses off. Mal walks in behind Simon, “Anybody makes so much as a..” Dobson is cut off when Mal shoots him in the face. He flies back, letting go of River and dead before he lands. Jayne and Mal get rid of the body. Simon heads to River to check on her.
Wash is trying to dodge The Reavers, Mal heads to Inara, “I want you to get in your shuttle. Get the others and be ready to go.”
“We can't just leave you here,” she tells him.
“We get boarded, you take off, head for town. We might be able to stop them from following,” he adds.
“They'll kill you,” she whispers.
Mal sighs, “Inara, just do it please. I won’t let Simon lose River after he just found her. Please, just go.” He throws her, he never said please before. Insults yes but this is so out of character for him. She nods and does as told.
-
They manage to escape this time. Mal tells everyone that they are safe. Mal watches Zoë and Wash leave and Mal throws himself down into the pilot's seat, lets out a breath he's been holding for, oh, about two days and starts flying. Simon and River soon join him. Jayne enters a few minutes after, “The Lawman said they'd keep looking for her. Something about her brain being all special. Important to the Alliance brass. He tried to offer me money to sell you out.”
“Tell me you didn’t,” Mal begs.
Jayne rolls his eyes, “She and I, we are connected. Even if I did, she’d know and you’d kill me. Like to stay alive,” he tells them.
River moves to him and hugs him. She turns towards her brothers, “She wishes to stay with him. He keeps the bad thoughts away.”
“River, what are you saying?” Mal asks.
“She wants to share his bunk with him. His mind is calm to her,” she replies.
“Lookit, girlie can’t you do that from your own bed?” Jayne asks, he feels mighty uncomfortable.
“Not the same. Contact helps,” she pouts.
Simon pinches the bridge of his nose, “As much as I am not comfortable with this but if it helps River get some sleep it might be best she stays with you for now.” Jayne looks at Simon like he’s mad. Simon continues, “Look, let's talk about it tomorrow, it’s been a long day and we all need rest.”
Jayne nods, resigned and makes his way to his bunk with River following. Simon looks at Mal, “Let me look at your wound and then let’s go to bed.” Mal nods, they stop at the infirmary to clean and bandage Mal’s injury.
Mal checks Simon for any injuries too. They had to their bunk. Simon is sitting on the bed, his head hangs low, Mal sits next to and rubs his neck, “It don’t seem like it now but it will be okay. We’re together and we’ll make sure they don’t take her back and we’ll help her.”
Simon sighs, “It’s just hitting me now, you know? I gave up everything to save her and now we are fugitives. Our lives will be different from here on out. My life’s gotten suddenly more dangerous. I’m just glad to have you. I couldn’t have gone through all this without you.”
Mal kisses him, “Let’s just sleep, we both need it and we’ll talk about the rest tomorrow.”
Jayne is lying in his bed when River enters his bunk. She took a shower and she is wearing one of his shirts and some pants too big for her. She makes his way over to him and slips under the cover and snuggles into him, “He is so warm.”
Jayne grunts and he reluctantly puts his arms around her and holds her, “Why me?”
River shrugs, “She does not know. But she is glad for the connection. Gave her hope, kept her from falling apart, from losing herself.” She places a kiss on his cheek and soon falls asleep. Jayne keeps watching her before sleep claims him too.