Title: Stop in the Name of Love (before you break my heart) Series Title: Love … Author: Humbug Rating: PG13 Fandom: Firefly Word Count: 1011 Summary: Jayne and River and Maggie Warning: Full of Jayne goodness. Beware if you don’t enjoy non-canon pairings. Disclaimer: Joss is Boss. I’m just borrowing his characters for fun!!

Authors Note: Thanks to bookaddict for betaing.

And troy_gal - Thanks for the plot bunny. This fanfics for you!

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xie-xie = thanks mei-mei = little sister hun dan = bastard pi hua = crap/ nonsense

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Stop in the Name of Love (before you break my heart)

“River, can you feel other people’s emotions, their desires?” Inara asked.

“Like waves, can’t escape. Have to ride out the storm.”

“River, if anything happens and you feel overwhelmed like you did today, come and find me and we can talk together like this in my shuttle, away from all the feelings of others.”

River looked up and smiled. “Xie–xie, Inara.”

“Mei-mei, it will get better, I promise. You will meet another man and fall in love again, probably many more times, until one day you will meet your perfect match. You will laugh and cry together, but mostly you will just feel right together. Comfortable. He will ask you to marry him, and he will make you very happy.”

River sighed, “She will not be able to bear it if Jayne loves Maggie. She will do anything to stop it, and make him see that she is his perfect match, not Maggie.”

That was when Inara realised they had a real problem on their hands. She was sure he hadn’t meant for it to happen, but their resident reader, their little albatross, the whole boat’s mei-mei had fallen in love with Jayne Cobb, mercenary, Mama’s boy, womaniser, and all around hard ass.

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Inara found the Captain on the bridge, talking to Wash and Shepherd Book. “Mal, we have a problem.”

“What is it this time?” he sighed.

“Not about us,” she whispered. “It’s River.”

“You found out what the matter is?”

She nodded, “And it’s a bigger problem than any of us imagined.”

“Spill.”

“I think that Simon should hear too.”

Wash picked up the ship’s comm. “Simon, come to the bridge now. Captain wants you.”

“What’s all this about, Inara?” Book asked.

“It’s River. You know her little crush on Jayne?”

Mal closed his eyes and rubbed his hand across his face, “I don’t want to even think where this is going.”

Simon came rushing onto the bridge. “You wanted to see me Captain?”

“Inara’s found out what’s upsetting River.”

“What is it?”

“River’s in love with Jayne,” Inara explained.

“What? That son of a …”

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence in front of our mercenary,” warned Mal, “He’s real touchy about people insulting his Mama.”

“How could he let this happen?”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to make her fall in love with him,” Book said.

“When I get my hands on him,” Simon threatened.

“The thing is that Jayne is interested in ‘someone else’ now,” Inara explained, “that’s why River is so upset.”

“And I think we can guess who that ‘someone’ is –Maggie,” said Mal.

“So he led my mei-mei on.”

“No Simon, I really think he liked her,” explained Inara, “but now he likes someone else, and River knows because she can read his mind. I doubt it had even gotten physical between River and Jayne, beyond maybe a kiss.”

“That hun dan, kissing my little sister.”

“Calm down, son,” The Shepherd intervened, “violence won’t get us anywhere.”

“But it will certainly make me feel a lot better,” Simon smirked.

Wash laughed, “Jayne Cobb, the Casanova of Serenity.”

“You’re not helping, Wash,” frowned Mal.

“Just pointing out how ridiculous this whole situation is. Jayne Cobb, mercenary, tough guy, only visits whores, don’t kiss ‘em on the mouth, breaking little River’s heart. He’s all your parents could have hoped for in her first boyfriend.”

Simon was getting more and more angry and upset.

Inara tried to diffuse the situation. “Simon, River thinks it’s all over now. That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” she continued, “The last thing she said to me. It’s got me more than a little worried. She said that she will not be able to bear it if Jayne loves Maggie, and that she’ll anything to stop it, and make him see that She is his perfect Match, not Maggie.’ Can you see, Simon, why I’m so worried?”

“Well, we can all see that Tom is treating Maggie badly, and that Maggie is enjoying Jayne’s flirting,” said Mal.

Inara frowned. “I’m afraid that River will hurt Maggie. Especially if she ends her engagement, which I’m pretty sure Maggie is going to do. I know I wouldn’t stand for any man treating me like Tom does Maggie, no better than a piece of pi hua.”

“The question is, what are we going to do about it?” asked the Captain.

“I think the first thing is to tell Jayne,” suggested Shepherd Book.

“I nominate you,” joked Mal.

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Book found Jayne in the cargo bay getting ready to work out. “Jayne, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Spot me? Ya can tell me whilst I’m liftin’ weights.”

“Alright,” the Shepherd agreed.

“Spit it out. My Mama always says better out than in.”

“Jayne, it’s River.”

“She sure is actin’ crazy again. I thought she was gettin’ better.”

“I think it’s got something to do with you.”

“What have I done? Nothin’ that’s what, I tell ya.”

“I think that’s the problem. It’s what you’re not doing that’s upsettin’ River.”

Jayne put the weights back on the rest and sat up. “Ya mean?”

Book nodded.

Jayne sat in shock with his mouth open wide, “But I never.”

“I know. But the heart wants what the heart wants. You can’t change that.”

“Don’t I know it,” said Jayne wryly.

“So River was right. You really like this woman.”

“Shhh, Book, I don’t want the whole gorram ship ta hear.”

“River told Inara that she couldn’t bear it if you love Maggie. That she will do anything to stop you from loving Maggie, and to show you that River is the perfect match for you.”

“Ruttin’ hell, she’s crazier than I thought.”

“The question is, what are you going to do now?”

“Any ideas? ‘Cause I sure am outta them.”

“Have you ever read the works of Yeats?”

Jayne shook his head.

“He wrote, ‘Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’ Be careful, or you will break that poor girl’s heart.”

Jayne knew Book was right, and it weighed heavy on his heart.

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To be continued