Seven [7, River/Jayne, Firefly, PG]

[walkwithheroes]

Theme: 7. Snow falling on corpses
Character/s or Pairing: Jayne Cobb/River Tam
Series: Firefly
Rating: PG
Notes: I don’t own them. No spoilers.

Seven

Serenity had gotten off the moon, with the name Jayne couldn’t pronounce, a week ago. Getting off the moon had brought them work, running some black market supplies for Badger. The job had gone the same way all their jobs did, badly. Guns were drawn, ships were flown faster then they should be flown, and people had died.

Months ago, they’d have left the bodies behind, but with a preacher on board, they ended up burying the damn seven corpses. Jayne, Mal, and Wash had dug up seven graves while Book had given the seven men their last rights. It was enough to make Jayne wonder if Book wasn’t as batty as River.

Jayne knew that God should look after the dead, but it wasn’t Jayne’s job to bury them. Nor was it the crew’s job to give them a gorram funeral. And yet, there they were, standing out in the snow (why’d it have to be snow? Jayne still remembered River’s question, I just died in your arms tonight still echoed through Jayne’s mind.) and listening to Book give the men they had killed their last rights and ask God to let them enter the gates of Heaven.

Looking around, Jayne noticed that the rest of the crew had gone off into pairs. Zoe and Wash were standing together, her hand on his shoulder. Mal and Inara were side by side, but neither was looking at the other. Simon was with Kaylee and Jayne noticed that they were holding hands. And River? River, hugging her shawl to her small frame, was standing right next to Jayne and staring intently at the graves.

He gently kicked her boot with his, but River didn’t seem to notice. Girl never noticed him when he wanted her to. With a roll of the eyes, Jayne went back to watching and half-listening as Book read from his bible.

“The seven sins of hell haven’t gone away.” Jayne glanced down at River. “Seven is an important number.” Glancing around, Jayne noted that no one had seemed to hear her. She was whispering awfully low. “Sin, share sins. Apples, milk, honey. Land of milk and honey shall never be found by the carriers of sins.”

“Shut up.” Jayne growled as low as he could. He tried giving her a menacing look, but River ignored it.

Mal glanced over at the twosome and gave Jayne a warning glare before turning a bored eye back to Book. If Mal had a watch on him, Jayne was sure he’d be looking at it. “We ‘bout done here, Shepard?” Mal asked with a fake yawn. “I’d figure these men are at the pearly gates by now.”

Book looked momentary hurt, but nodded and closed his bible. “Oh, I believe so, Captain.”

Mal gave the graves one last look before heading back to Serenity. The others shortly followed; River moved faster then anyone.

______________________________________________________________________

“Seven sins of hell. Deadly and…no. No!” River was flying through the cargo bay. She was moving away from anyone that tried to touch her and she seemed to be more confused then usual. “No…seven…no hell! Bullets, dirt, blood, it makes it hard. I’m already full!”

Simon, Kaylee, and Book were all trying to calm the girl, but nothing seemed to be working and none of them could seem to get close to her. For the last three days, River had been running around the ship and saying things like that. Three bad days and nothing seemed to work to calm her.

It was really starting to get to Jayne. For some reason-a reason he blamed completely on his mother-Jayne didn’t like seeing girls so upset. Normally, Jayne wouldn’t mind River carrying on, but lately he had been looking at her as a girl and not just a crazy moonbrain. River saw him and he saw her. That meant that he had a strange and nagging urge to go down to the cargo bay and try and help calm her.

“River, it’s okay.” Simon was speaking in his calming and soothing voice. He had his hands out and was trying to get close to River, who was pressed in a corner. The girl’s hands were over her head, like she was trying to protect herself from unseen enemies. “It’s Simon.”

River gave him a classic ‘little sister’ look. “But you know that.”

“Maybe we should make River some nice tea?” Book suggested. “Would you like that, River?”

“And after we could play a game?” Kaylee added with a kind smile.

From her spot in the corner, River just gave the two of them a look. She glanced at Simon. “The seven sins of hell shouldn’t be in me.” She told him in an urgent whisper. “Make them go away, Simon.”

Simon’s response was to take River’s hand and wrap her in a small hug before leading her to his room, the others following.

From the catwalk above, Jayne watched the group.

______________________________________________________________________

River didn’t join the crew for breakfast the next morning nor did anyone bring her up. Jayne wasn’t quit sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. All he was sure of was that somehow he ended up at River’s bedroom door a couple of hours after breakfast.

The mercenary didn’t even knock, he just unlocked the door and slid it open. “You up?” Jayne asked as he walked into the room.

River glanced up from her newest note pad and colored pencils. “I’m not supposed to be allowed out, today.” River told him by way of greeting. “Simon says.”

Jayne felt his lips form a tiny smile at that. “Ya don’t always do w’at yer brother says, do ya?” He raised a suggestive eyebrow and wondered when the hell he had started flirting with crazy teenagers.

She looked away, almost shyly. “You always do what your mother says?”

He chuckled to himself. “Now that ain’t an answer. Askin’ ‘nother question ain’t right.”

With a shy smile, River nodded. “Isn’t right.” she paused for a brief moment. “Sometimes questions are answers.”

They were silent for a moment, before Jayne cleared his throat and took a chance. “Ya were goin’ on ‘bout seven sins…”

“Seven deadly sins of hell.” River nodded again. “They got trapped in me and I can’t make them leave.” She gave him a very serious and urgent look. “I am already full.”

Jayne thought about that for a moment. He wanted to help her, but he wasn’t really sure how. “So they in ya?” He looked momentarily confused. “Well, tell me ‘bout ‘em. All seven. Tell me everythin’ they tellin’ ya.”

River raised an eyebrow. “Storyteller?” Jayne gave an unsure nod. “Sit.” Jayne took a seat at the edge of her bed and River sat Indian-style at the head of the bed. “First, Greed. Greed came into being on Whitefall thirty-seven point ten years before…”

That afternoon, River told Jayne seven stories about the seven men he and his crewmates had killed four days earlier. After she was finished, River had smiled brilliantly at Jayne and told him that the seven sins of hell were gone and that it was all thanks to him. Jayne had blushed slightly, cleared his throat noisily and told River he’d go get her brother to let her out of her room.

 

River joined the crew for dinner that night.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[crazywriterchic.livejournal.com]

Nice job Jayne! See? Sometimes it works to just talk about your issues.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

:) Yup, River just needed to get it out and Jayne was there to help her out. He's not Dr. Phil or anything, (thank goodness for that. I like Jayne just the way he is.) but he was there to help River out. Everyone else seemed to think she was just having a 'bad' week, but Jayne knew better.

[winkingannie.livejournal.com]

Glad somebody took the time to listen to River, rather than spouting platitudes at her. Lovely piece.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

True. Everyone else was trying to help, but River just need an ear to chew on. (Not like that. ;) ) And Jayne was there for her.

[michmak.livejournal.com]

This is great and builds the dynamic nicely. I love how everyone else tries to figure out what's going on and spout of platitudes and such, but Jayne is the only one who listens.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

Thank you. With 52 themes to write, I'm really trying to build a dynamic between the two. Rushing into a romance just doesn't seem like them. As for Jayne figuring out that River just needed to talk, well that's Jayne.

[calijirl5150.livejournal.com]

Great job, liked how Jayne was the one to figure out what River needed, an ear. Loved the whole eyebrow bit, very Jayne.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

:) Thanks very much.