BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - ROMANCE

NAILANI

The Circular Irony Part 8
Thursday, January 11, 2007

After the BDM. Zayne, M/I, S/K, R/OC pairing. Taking place after the events of “The Bravest Thing” and “The Welcoming Committee”. When Mal gets a job on Persephone he realizes he’s transporting a new generation of Browncoats, who have their own special person straight out of the Alliance Academy. Meanwhile Zoe and Jayne work out their working relationship and River gets a new creep-a-fying boyfriend.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 1663    RATING: 7    SERIES: FIREFLY

The Circular Irony Part 8 by Nailani Williams

Disclaimer: No Copyright Infringement intended so Joss do the dance of joy!

Summary: After the BDM. Zayne, M/I, S/K, R/OC pairing. Taking place after the events of “The Bravest Thing” and “The Welcoming Committee”. When Mal gets a job on Persephone he realizes he’s transporting a new generation of Browncoats, who have their own special person straight out of the Alliance Academy. Meanwhile Zoe and Jayne work out their working relationship and River gets a new creep-a-fying boyfriend.

Rating: PG-13

AN: Sorry about the massive delay, LOL! I hope you enjoy this chapter it's an all Jayne chapter. Warning some angst ahead ~

Jayne:

My mouth felt like a rat crawled in it and had babies. And it tasted as ‘bout as bad. I groaned as I sat up from the doctoring table. Zoe was sleeping besides the table her hand resting on her hand. I swung my legs over the table and she woke up.

“You’re awake,” she whispered. “Want some water?” she asked me and I nodded, my head was still spinning off the meds Nara gave me for the pain. She handed me the water and I drank it down like I were dying of thirst. My new cut was stinging something fierce.

“Why couldn’t that hwoon dan shoot me like a man?” I muttered as I adjusted the bandage and put on my t-shirt. Zoe gave me an outraged look and angrily turned and left the room. I swore to myself as I hopped down from the table following after her.

“Zoe, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that when I get hurt, I prefer gunshot wound to knife wounds,” I said when we were in the common area. Mal and Inara was just finishing up their dinner and when I saw them shake their heads I knew I was just digging myself deeper.

“I wish you’d prefer not to get hurt Jayne, that would be nice!” she yelled, unwrapping the food she set aside for me.

“Well we all prefer not to get hurt,” I mumbled. “Sides, if I didn’t stop Simon we’d all be mournin’, Kaylee, right now.”

“I know,” she sighed. “I just wish you’d be careful. Especially around the Tams,” she handed me my plate. “We’re in a world of trouble now and the Tams are the least of it.” she gave me this look of panic that made me put my plate down.

“What?” I asked and she shook her head.

“Those kids we were so worried about…well they managed to blow up two Alliance cruisers when we got them into orbit,” she leaned against the door next to me. “They painted a nice cherry red bull’s-eye on our backs.”

“Jen dao mei,” I snorted. Just our luck.

“Not to mention, they have with them a passenger named Jared…who gives creepafying a new name! River wants us to talk to his brother. Mal decided it would be better if we talk to the boy tomorrow, when she’s better.” Zo handed me my plate again and we walked into the dining are and sat down, by then Mal and Inara were gone.

I rolled my eyes, it would be Mal’s brainiac decision, to wait a whole Gorram night before talking to the kid. Ever since Miranda and Mr. Universe’s, he’s been acting a little too closely behind River’s skirts if you asked me, hell if I was Mal I’d be beating the snot out of the kid until he talked. But I kept that to myself, because no one did ask me…as usual.

“What happened to River?” I asked, shoveling protein mash into my mouth even though my stomach was still a little queer after the painkillers Inara gave me.

“She spent nearly an hour mentally talking to Jared…”

“Why mentally? Ain’t he just in the cargo bay?” I asked point my fork in that general direction.

“In the cargo bay… on a stretcher… comatose,” she rolled her eyes and I shook my head.

We sat in silence and she watched me as I finished my supper. I knew she was waiting for me to finish and I had an idea why, but I wasn’t about to bring up our fight this morning. I knew she was probably pissed at me , but I didn’t care. Wash let her wear the pants in their relationship. I weren’t Wash and if I got a few lumps trying to make her realize that then bring it on. I’ve been slapped in my life plenty.

“I’m sorry about this morning,” she said and I choked on my last bite of food. I guzzled down my water to stop my coughing.

“Wha?” I said still choked up and she sighed leaning back in her chair.

“I shouldn’t have slapped you,” she admitted and I sat back, and took a deep breath. “I didn’t appreciate what you said, but I shouldn’t have hit you for it, I was outta line.”

“Yeah, well,” I hunched my shoulders. “You’re forgiven.” I went and places my dish in the sink leaving her staring at my back all gap mouthed.

“That’s it?” she followed me into the Kitchen.

“What do you want me to say?” I asked her. She glared at me.

“Maybe that you’re sorry for acting like you own me, or that you have a say in what I do. Maybe that you’re sorry for pushing me?” she yelled.

“I do apologize for pushing you, that’s something worth ‘pologizin’ for, but the other stuff…,” I left it up in the air.

“You do not own me Jayne, and you don’t have a say in what I do!” she growled at me.

“You’re right I don’t own you Zoe, I love you,” I told her, looking into her eyes, but not touching her. She turned away from me.

“Look Zoe, I knew we were going to get into this the second we got into this thing tween us. And no, I’m not going to apologize for wearing the pants. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m supposed to do.” I touched her arm. “You’re not going to cut my balls off for it, and I’m not going to allow you to blindly follow, Mal,” I said.

“You’re not my boss, Jayne,” she pulled away.

“But Mal is?” I said and she turned away.

“He’s the Cap’n, Jayne, it’s different,” Zoe groaned in frustration. Like that was the end all, Mal is the Cap’n…end of discussion, but it was more then that. Do you follow a blind man into a gunfight? There were moments when Zoe knew she was doing just that and she ignored it.

“Yeah well,” I hunched my shoulders. “He ain’t the man you want to father your children either.”

“I’m starting to reconsider,” she stared angrily at me and I nodded, tryin to pretend that her comment didn’t cut me worse than Simon did this afternoon.

“That so,” I said, hurt. “Well then go ahead…follow Mal, I’ll be sure to bury your corpse next to Wash,” I saluted her before I walked away. I went to our bunk and began packing a few things. We needed a break, maybe moving in and being so close was too much, too soon. “What are you doing?” she said behind me.

“I think we need to part ways for now,” I told her and she went to me.

“Stop Jayne,” she placed her hands over mine and I pulled away. Folding my arms in front of my chest and leaned against the wall.

“You need to figure out what you want Zoe, one day you’re telling me that you think Mal is chasin this war, then the next day you’re his loyal soldier chasin him down,” I stopped when she turned away.

“You know me and Wash would have arguments like this all the time,” she admitted sadly. “I thought it’d be different with you, because you’re a warrior just like I am, you know the demands.”

“Everyman whether he’s a warrior or not… just wants his woman to stand by him, if you can’t do that, then I don’t need to be the father of your kids and we don’t need to be together. That’s just the simple Gorram truth,” I finished and she looked up at me.

“So you’d end it here like this?” she asked, unemotionally, I could see those iron walls go up.

“I ain’t asking you to break Zoe, just bend, and if you can’t bend. Well then yes, I rather end it now,” I sighed and she backed up. I went back to packing. She was quiet for long minutes, she sat down on the bed. When I zipped my duffel up she finally spoke.

“Wait, I don’t want you to-- I don’t want us to end it this way,” she whispered and I looked up at the picture of Vera on the bookshelf next to Wash’s picture.

“I’m an old dog, Zoe, I’m as stubborn as you… maybe more than you. I don’t like to be told no and you don‘t like to be led, at least not by the man you love... We gonna end up killing each other,” I argued as she slid off the bed and walked over to me until we were arms length.

“I never took you for a quitter,” she said her hands on my waist above my belt and I looked down at my boots. She slid her hands down until she was touching the tops of my hands again.

“You’re bossy, rude, mean, and sometimes downright dumb,” She said and then smiled. “But I love you.” She kissed me softly on the lips. When I didn’t return the kiss she stepped back. I was quietly regarding her. I wanted her to realize I wasn’t backing down. She had to bend or I was gonna walk.

“When I saw you bandaged up today…I was so scared,” she softly touched my bandage.

“Well you know what Zoe, when Mal choose you to go with him, I was scared you were gonna come back with worse than this little scratch,” I admitted. “I just wanted to watch your back Zoe, and you stood by and allowed Mal to shoot me down.”

“He’s the Cap’n, Jayne!” she yelled frustrated and I pulled away. Picking up my duffel I walked to the hatch.

“I won’t play second fiddle to Mal when it comes to you or your well being. When you figure that out…come find me,” I opened the hatch and left.

When I was on my way to the common area, I met Mal on his way to the kitchen. He looked at my bag and then at my face. He took out the booze from the fridge as I tossed my duffel on the floor. He grabbed two glasses and I wondered what was eating him, though I had a small idea from the way Inara was acting this afternoon.

“Wanna drink?” he asked me.

“Why not?” I said grabbing the cup as he poured. We sat down by each other at the dining room table.

“So, she kick you out?’ he asked and I grunted.

“I left.”

Mal looked me in the eye and was quiet for a few seconds and then he shook his head, “Jayne, don’t be stupid,” he said and I laughed. His new found caring of the personal lives of his crew, tickled me.

“I’m serious,” he said and I stopped laughing.

“You know why I’m out here, Mal?” I asked him and he shook his head.

“Because of you,” I finished and Mal rolled his eyes.

“You old hwoon dan, I expected that kind of jealousy from Wash,” he began.

“I‘m far from jealous Mal,” I cut him off.

“Fei hau!” he said. “You and Wash, both are the most stupidest men Zoe’s ever been involved with. You, more so than Wash.” he drank down the rest of his sake and I put my cup next to his.

“Am not!” I growled.

“Then why are you out here? Why aren’t you with her? Why? Cause she don’t mind you?” he snorted. “Hell, Zoe don’t mind nobody.”

“But you.” I finished.

“What you call minding me, is what Zoe calls watching my back. That’s all it is,” he argued and I shook my head.

“She’s so busy following you into God only knows where that she puts herself at risk.”

“And do you know why she does it?”

“Cause she’s feng le, just like you?” I made a cuckoo motion with my hand.

Mal grinned and leaned back in his chair, “She does it because that’s what soldiers do, leave no man behind.”

“The War’s over Mal,” I reminded him.

“The War was over, Jayne,” he countered.

“And I wonder why that is?” I guzzled my glass of booze down ignoring the burn it caused in my chest and throat.

“You’re not a soldier, you’re a merc. You have no code of honor,” he grumbled and I grinned.

“It’s codes of honor that get you and those you love killed,” I said and it must’ve hit him hard cause he stood up and walked towards the doorway.

“You’re best off with her than not, Jayne, you obviously love her and for some reason she loves you...you think by leaving her it’ll stop her from going on missions with me? It won’t,” he said. I took out one of my cigars. I lit it.

“For a man who is about to be a father I would think you were smart enough to stop trying to be a revolutionary,” I took a drag.

“Inara told you?” Mal asked angrily and I shook my head.

“She kept throwing up when she was tryin to stitch me, I put two and two together,” I said.

“Well it ain’t non of your business!” Mal said and I nodded.

“No it ain’t but I’ll give you some free advice,” I said standing up and walking over to him. “Whatever you ain’t got settled when it comes to this business and your issues with the Alliance, make sure it gets settled before this child is born because as soon as it is; it’ll become a target. And you don’t want to have to bury your child, because of your own unfinished business,” I said and he turned pale and then he stepped up to me like he normally did to when he was trying to be intimidating.

“You speak on this to anyone, Jayne, and it’d be the airlock for you, dong ma?,” Mal threatened. My eyes narrowed on him.

“You get Zoe hurt, and you won’t have to worry about the dilemma’s of fatherhood, dong ma?,” I threatened back blowing smoke in his face. He stepped back.

“I’ll leaving the hurting of Zoe to you,” he said and walked away.

I took a deep breath and another drag before I snuffed out the cigar. A part of me was cursing myself for walking out, but my pride was keeping me from going back into our bunk begging forgiveness. I wasn’t going to be led around by her skirts. I loved her too much to stand around and allow her to get killed. I hoped by morning she'd understand that.

COMMENTS

Thursday, January 11, 2007 8:07 PM

PLATONIST


strong Jayne POV

believable interaction with Mal

.....continue

Friday, January 12, 2007 1:48 PM

TONYAHUQT03


good chapter. I guess Zoe and Mal's relationship will never change. The old saying still rings true same story different chapter or same book different cover? I don't remember I'm bad with sayings. The Mal and Jayne stand off... I think the folks from Gina Torres's show need to come in and talk them down.

Sunday, January 14, 2007 3:33 PM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


I somehow think that Jayne and Mal would drive the two leads from "Standoff" completely nuts, Tonyahuqt03;)

Still...I gotta admit I am torn over how Jayne and Zoe acted here. It's great dialogue and completely in the right vein for the characters...but their individual stances are rather precariously balanced. That tends to make rooting for one side kinda hard;)

BEB


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