Follow You Into the Dark Part Four Author:JJ Subject: Rayne, Saylee, Mara Rating: NC-17 Disclaimer: The perception of ownership lies in the eyes of the beholder. Since Joss was the original creator ownership falls within his capable hands, though he isn't currently using those hands to craft as he once did. He, with the help of 20th century FOX, owns solely the creation of the characters and worlds in which they live and not the story that is being brought out of the imagination of our dear writer JJ. ( Thanks River) Summary: Post BDM. Rayne, Saylee, Mara. Takes place after The Need and The Wish. All Hell breaks lose after Serenity is sabotaged by The Alliance. Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback. It spurs the muse. I apologize for the not so shiny parts.

"If there's no one beside you When your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark"

Chapter 4 -- Fight

River was lying down now, release from her restraints, she could hear her brother screaming over and over again, she cried for him. Only getting glimpses of his mind. She read blood, lots and lots of blood. So much blood he could drown in it and he was drowning. Everything that was her brother was drowning and she was helpless, wasn't she? She sat up in her metal cage and focused on her brother.

Suddenly she was in his mind, on the banks of a river of blood. Her brother was reaching for her. Her hands grabbed his , but he slipped from her grasp.

"I can't," Simon said going under and River shook her head.

"Yes, you can!" she screamed. " Fight Simon! Grab my hand," she said and he grabbed her hand again and she pulled. She pulled, but she couldn't get him out. The River of blood was too strong.

"Help me," she called out to no one, anyone. A strong hand came on to hers. "Jayne," she whispered with a smile of relief, but it wasn't Jayne's strength behind her. It was the strength of their child.

"Pull," He whispered and she did and with his strength she brought her brother on shore, into her arms.

"Simon," she kissed his temple.

"Thank you," he whispered hugging her arms to him and she opened her eyes. She was back inside her metal box, she touched her abdomen.

"Thank you," she said to her son. ~

They landed on the opening of the Alliance compound Kaylee tricked the doors to open and killed several alarms by remote control. She nodded when the Shuttle landed inside the underground bunker.

Kaylee came out of the shuttle and immediately found a conduit to tap into. Mal and Zoe took out two soldiers as Jayne covered her. Kaylee managed to lock the doors to the soldiers quarters on the left side of the compound, but not the right.

"Cap'n, there's two master controls, I managed to kill the left one, the right one's still active," she said and Mal nodded.

"Fifty heavily armed soldiers are better than a hundred," Mal said.

"Still a hundred, Sir. A compound this size can hold two a room," Zoe said. Mal gave her a look.

"Well a hundred soldiers is still better than two hundred," he amended and Zoe shook her head with a grin. "Kaylee, when we go down this corridor, I want you to stay under Jayne, dong ma?"

"Yes, Cap'n," she said behind Jayne they went down the right corridor which was pretty quiet considering. They knew it wouldn't be for long.

"Simon's close," Kaylee said and she found another panel and opened it. "This should knock out the right master controls," she whispered. It took her less than a minute to knock out power on the right side.

"Let's just hope their back up generator doesn't click on," Kaylee said. All three of her crew gave her a look. "I'm just saying." she whispered.

Just as they finished shutting down the facility two soldiers marched down the adjacent hall.

" Another black out? This is the third time this month," one said.

"I'm beginning to think they just don't pay the bill," the other joked and Kaylee nodded when they moved on.

"Simon's in the next corridor," she said looking at the tracker and they moved out.

Mal was first to the hallway he scouted two guards in front of Simon's cell. He gave Zoe some hand signals from when they were in the army and she flanked him. She stood in the shadows of the corridor and shot twice. Taking out the two soldier consecutively.

Kaylee went running into the hallway to open the door before Mal could call it clear. Two other guards who were coming to relieve the two shot guards, saw her and shot, Jayne took them out, not before taking two hits to the armor. He barely grunted from the pain.

"Kaylee!" Mal began to scold.

"I'm sorry," she said with those big brown eyes and Mal took a deep calming breath as she began to decrypt the door.

"You okay?" Zoe asked Jayne and he nodded.

"Armor took the brunt," he said and she nodded. Jayne felt a sharp burning pain in his chest, he grimaced against it, but keep moving.

The doors in that section whooshed open, Kaylee nearly burst into tears when she saw her husband attached to all the tubes and equipment. Mal shuddered as Zoe and Kaylee began detaching him. Simon looked like the pictures of Christ on a cross from Earth-That-Was. He looked a little more than half dead.

"Simon, wake up honey! It's Kaylee, bao bei," she said shaking him gently. His eyes opened and with a voice that sounded like sand paper grating on more sand paper he spoke.

"River's down the hall," he said and Jayne left the room before Mal could stop him.

"Jayne, Gorram it!" he swore in a whisper. Jayne found River's room. She was in the corner shivering from the cold.

"Hey bao bei," he said.

"I knew you'd come," she said, she rose and then almost fell. She was dizzy, from all that had happened. He caught her and kissed her.

"You're gonna be fine, love," he said and she smiled.

"We're going to be fine," she said and Jayne stilled. River looked at him and she read his mind.

Armor piercing bullets, he thought and she moved out of his arms and opened his coat. There was a small hole above his heart and she screamed as she saw the blood from his chest trailing down to his legs soaking the ground.

"No, no" she cried. "Jayne," she cried and helped him lean back on to the metal wall. Jayne world was spinning, he knew he was hit, he just didn't know where, or how bad. By the look on his wife's face it was pretty Gorram bad.

Zoe heard River's cries and rushed into the cell, Jayne sat pale and gasping. She put down her gun and went to him as Kaylee and Mal dragged a weak Simon down the corridor.

"Armor took the brunt, huh?" Zoe said angrily, putting pressure on the wound, trying to get the bleeding stopped. She asked River to help take off the armor. With the armor off it eased the breathing, but didn't slow down the bleeding.

"Jayne, I'm going to help you up so we can get out of here, but I need your help, okay?" Zoe said and Jayne shook his head.

"I ain't got legs Zoe," he said his breathing labored. "Take River and go!" he said and River cried out.

"I'm not leaving you," she wept.

"River, I need you to go, I need you to take care of our baby," he said.

"I can't do it alone," she cried, her forehead on his.

"Yes, you can, Riv, you can do it for me," he said, tears running down his face. "I'm done for," he said.

"Jayne, you get your pi-gu up and let's go!" Zoe said, pulling his shoulders. " If I gotta carry your big ass outta here, I will."

"You can't, you gotta a kid to raise, go, Zoe! Please, I need someone I can trust to look after River and my child. You -you swore!" he yelled and Zoe shook her head looking upward she made a silent prayer to Wash.

"What the hell am I going to tell Walker?" Zoe cried, touching his face. River was curled up at his side crying.

Jayne coughed a death rattled type of cough and then smiled, "Tell him-- I'm playing cards with his Dad."

"What's going on?" Mal asked and then he saw Jayne. "Jesus," he swore. "We gotta--we gotta go, the lights are back on," Mal said sadly, eyes on Jayne.

"I love you, Jayne," River whispered in his ear. "I love you," she said, it again. She didn't notice that he stopped breathing.

"He ain't answering it back," Zoe said grabbing her by the arm. "Come on."

"We only had a night," River pulled away from Zoe. "He can't, it's not fair," she cried, touching his face.

"River, I , of all people know what you're going through, but if we don't move now we're not going to make it outta here," Zoe said and River stood up holding Jayne's Vera and wiped her tears.

Something clicked in her, like that day at Mr. Universe's, with the Reavers. Something dark, something trained. She ran out of the cell on a mission and Zoe took one last glance at Jayne and then went after her. Not to stop her, but to cover her back. Soldiers went shooting at the crew of Serenity, but they were no match for River Cobb. Those who she didn't shoot, she broke apart, giving Mal and Kaylee plenty of time to drag Simon back to the shuttle, but their way to the shuttle was block by The Operative and his soldiers.

He saw River and he began to clap, "Well, well, well. Just when I underestimate your abilities, the space trash manages to prove me wrong. You do have balls of steel, Malcolm Reynolds."

"You ain't the first to tell me that," Mal hunched his shoulders. "Where's Saffron?"

"Answering for her mistakes in Hell, I suppose," he said and Mal's heart clenched. He wasn't Saffron's biggest fan, but he never wished death on her.

"You huh choo-shang tza-jiao duh tzang-huo*, she was the mother of your child!" Mal yelled. The Operative laughed.

"Is that what she led you to believe? That child was no more mine and hers than the stars in the sky are. That child was a product of an experiment conducted by the Academy."

"What experiment?" Mal asked.

"That, unfortunately, is something you won't live long enough to find out about," The Operative charged Mal and Mal kicked him back. The soldiers began shooting at Simon, Kaylee, and River, but Kaylee managed to drag her husband behind a metal crate with a little help from a push by River. Zoe shot at the soldiers who were with the Operative and three went down. While Mal took a beating from the Operative who was much quicker than the last Operative he fought. Mal was on the ground and the Operative took out his sword.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way," he said as rose the sword. River grabbed it spun him around as gracefully as a dancer and jammed the sword through his throat.

"Yeah, well, I'm not," Mal said and then shot the last remaining soldier. He looked around.

"Was that a hundred?" he asked and Zoe nodded.

"Another hundred waiting behind that door, Sir," Zoe said, helping Kaylee with Simon. They got into the shuttle and took off.

"You okay," Zoe touched River's face. River knew she was referring to the baby. She nodded touching her stomach.

"He's okay," she said.

Kaylee looked at River with huge tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry, it's my fault he got shot," she began and River shook her head.

"Don't," River whispered. "Jayne wouldn't have blamed you. And neither will I. So don't blame yourself."

"Mei, mei," Simon rasped and she went to her brother. "He was a good man." They took each others hand and she nodded blinking back tears.

~

Back on Serenity Inara was waiting for her crew, her family to come back. She was so nervous, her nervous energy kept Walker and the new baby awake. And the new baby was cranky. Hungry again, no doubt. Her heart sped up when she her the shuttle locking with Serenity, she placed the baby in Walker's old bassinet and went to greet them with relief.

But no relief came. Just tears and another missing person. River ran from the Shuttle 1 into hers and locked the door.

"Where's Jayne?" she asked and Zoe shook her head. Inara hand went to her mouth as she choked back a sob.

"Oh, River," she cried and went to go to her, but Zoe stopped her.

"Nothing you say to her right now will be heard, just leave her be," she said from experience. Inara nodded. "'Sides, your Captain is gonna need you." She looked over to Mal as he and Kaylee dragged Simon into the infirmary for treatment.

"Where's my son?" Zoe asked and Inara pointed to the Captain's quarters. Zoe tiredly went to get her son.

After an hour, the kids were down and the ship was quiet, but the adults were restless. Mal was in the kitchen searching for anything that could get him even remotely buzzed, slamming the cabinet doors as he did. Inara watched him silently. Knowing he was blaming himself, knowing that he'd need a soft place to land after the anger passed.

"You know it's just like him," Mal began. 'To drink up all the booze and then go die on us. So we gotta experience his death all soberlike," he yelled, tears running down his face he angrily wiped at them. Inara walked to him and he abruptly turned to her.

"I shoulda had a better eye on Kaylee, she don't know no better, but to run out like she did. If I woulda just kept an eye on her, Jayne wouldn't have gotten shot," Mal said and Inara placed her arms around his waist. "When did the Alliance start using armor piercing bullets anyway? And who the hell jumps in the way of bullets? What the hell was he thinking? He knew the devil was chasin him! I shoulda listened better, watch his back harder--" he ranted.

Inara let him vent until he was tired and then she let him cry in her arms.

~

Dr Derring stood besides the corpse of Jayne Cobb, it had been freshly cleaned and hooked up to the same pump Simon was. Except this time the blood was going into the subject.

"This body is dead, what makes you believe you can actually revive him?" Another female scientist said to Derring.

"The Tam's blood has regenerative properties, I believe, if I can use the brother's blood to heal this subjects dead tissue, I could use the sister's blood to revive his brain," Derring explained.

"But to what end?" The female doctor asked confused.

"To see if I can," Derring laughed.

* Animal fucking bastard