![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Title: No Way Out
Fandom: Firefly
Characters, Pairing, etc: Jayne, River
Prompt: # 32 Sunset (for![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
fanfic100)
Word Count: Approx. 800
Rating: PG
Warnings: Could be interpreted as character death(s).
Disclaimer: Joss is GOD and owns everything, including my soul.
Author's Notes: Instead of having an actual sunset in this fic I use the term more metaphorically.
They were supposed to be seen as Big Damn Heroes, gorramit. Everyday folk who had risked life and limb to let the people know just what their government was capable of doing. But getting out that signal only seemed to have earned them more trouble than it was worth. Sure, The Operative let them go; but the same couldn’t be said about the rest of the Alliance higher-ups. Not more than a month went by before all their names were added to the wanted list, right along side Simon and River, and while they’d laid low everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they got caught.
Hiding in the shadows, his back pressed against an oversized crate, Jayne watches from the corner of his eye as the Captain, Zoe, Simon and Kaylee are hauled away in handcuffs and figures that time has finally come. Hunkered down, he absently wonders how long they’ll last in prison, or whether or not all of ‘em will just disappear so as not to provide martyrs for a cause weren’t no one ready to take up arms for yet.
“I’m not going back,” River says, just as she'd told him late one night as they sat up waiting for word on a job; and, like he'd done then, Jayne nods thinking he understands what she means.
No, it wasn’t like they'd ended up friends or anything. Over time the girl had just stopped creeping him out so much. Weren’t like she’d gotten better, either; if truth be told she seemed a little more off her rocker lately, and Simon had just given up trying to fix her. Couldn’t blame him, though. The doc had his hands full trying to fix them after a job went south. And more often than not the jobs went south.
Of course, as if trying to feed a crew and fuel a ship on next to nothing wasn’t hard enough, they kept finding themselves cornered; kept landing on the Alliance’s radar no matter how far out they flew or how much they tried to keep to themselves. Thankfully, due to a goodly amount of quick thinking and some portion of Wash’s spirit channeling through her, the new pilot usually managed to pull off some fancy flying and always got them out of harm’s way.
But while Wash’s mantra had been, “I’m a leaf on the wind,” hers was, “I’m not going back.”
“Drop your weapons and come out with your hands up. Make no move to escape and you will not be harmed,” one of the purple-bellied officers calls from the far side of the street and Jayne tenses.
Beside him, River shakes her head and tells him, “He lies. Will be only hours before the captain and Zoe are dead, and a few more after that for Simon. They’ll keep Kaylee for fun.”
Jayne nods tersely, shivering a bit as he thought about what was in store for the bubbly mechanic, and asks, “You think we can shoot our way out? Fight our way back to Serenity?”
He expects a monologue about variables, probabilities and trajectories. He expects her to go on and on about stuff he rarely understands. He expects her to figure out the math and give him a firm yes.
Instead, she hangs her head and quietly whispers, “No.”
Jayne frowns, a little put off by her negativity and a lot worried about her tight-lipped response, and tries to figure out their options.
Doesn’t take him long to realize they ain’t got none.
“No way out,” she confirms, her little hand wrapped around that battle-axe on her lap. Her body is rigid, raring to fight, and her unruly hair partially covers the determined look on her face. The look that tells him, loud and clear: I’m not going back.
Jayne grabs her free hand, looks deep into her eyes and nods. He understands. Really and truly comprehends what she means and knows that this is it; that, from here on, there is no going back. But he’ll be damned if he'll just surrender, let them lead him off to be slaughtered. Not without making sure to take a few of them hun dans to hell with him first.
“On three,” he says as he swallows his fear, shoves his shoulders back and proudly cocks Vera.
One.
He leans over and kisses her, hard, figuring that more than anything else will tell her he is well and truly ready (crazy, stupid) enough to die.
Two.
They crouch down on bent legs, muscles clenched, both warriors readying weapons for a fight they knew they would never win...
Three.
...not that they sure as hell weren't gonna try.
Fandom: Firefly
Characters, Pairing, etc: Jayne, River
Prompt: # 32 Sunset (for
fanfic100)Word Count: Approx. 800
Rating: PG
Warnings: Could be interpreted as character death(s).
Disclaimer: Joss is GOD and owns everything, including my soul.
Author's Notes: Instead of having an actual sunset in this fic I use the term more metaphorically.
They were supposed to be seen as Big Damn Heroes, gorramit. Everyday folk who had risked life and limb to let the people know just what their government was capable of doing. But getting out that signal only seemed to have earned them more trouble than it was worth. Sure, The Operative let them go; but the same couldn’t be said about the rest of the Alliance higher-ups. Not more than a month went by before all their names were added to the wanted list, right along side Simon and River, and while they’d laid low everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they got caught.
Hiding in the shadows, his back pressed against an oversized crate, Jayne watches from the corner of his eye as the Captain, Zoe, Simon and Kaylee are hauled away in handcuffs and figures that time has finally come. Hunkered down, he absently wonders how long they’ll last in prison, or whether or not all of ‘em will just disappear so as not to provide martyrs for a cause weren’t no one ready to take up arms for yet.
“I’m not going back,” River says, just as she'd told him late one night as they sat up waiting for word on a job; and, like he'd done then, Jayne nods thinking he understands what she means.
No, it wasn’t like they'd ended up friends or anything. Over time the girl had just stopped creeping him out so much. Weren’t like she’d gotten better, either; if truth be told she seemed a little more off her rocker lately, and Simon had just given up trying to fix her. Couldn’t blame him, though. The doc had his hands full trying to fix them after a job went south. And more often than not the jobs went south.
Of course, as if trying to feed a crew and fuel a ship on next to nothing wasn’t hard enough, they kept finding themselves cornered; kept landing on the Alliance’s radar no matter how far out they flew or how much they tried to keep to themselves. Thankfully, due to a goodly amount of quick thinking and some portion of Wash’s spirit channeling through her, the new pilot usually managed to pull off some fancy flying and always got them out of harm’s way.
But while Wash’s mantra had been, “I’m a leaf on the wind,” hers was, “I’m not going back.”
“Drop your weapons and come out with your hands up. Make no move to escape and you will not be harmed,” one of the purple-bellied officers calls from the far side of the street and Jayne tenses.
Beside him, River shakes her head and tells him, “He lies. Will be only hours before the captain and Zoe are dead, and a few more after that for Simon. They’ll keep Kaylee for fun.”
Jayne nods tersely, shivering a bit as he thought about what was in store for the bubbly mechanic, and asks, “You think we can shoot our way out? Fight our way back to Serenity?”
He expects a monologue about variables, probabilities and trajectories. He expects her to go on and on about stuff he rarely understands. He expects her to figure out the math and give him a firm yes.
Instead, she hangs her head and quietly whispers, “No.”
Jayne frowns, a little put off by her negativity and a lot worried about her tight-lipped response, and tries to figure out their options.
Doesn’t take him long to realize they ain’t got none.
“No way out,” she confirms, her little hand wrapped around that battle-axe on her lap. Her body is rigid, raring to fight, and her unruly hair partially covers the determined look on her face. The look that tells him, loud and clear: I’m not going back.
Jayne grabs her free hand, looks deep into her eyes and nods. He understands. Really and truly comprehends what she means and knows that this is it; that, from here on, there is no going back. But he’ll be damned if he'll just surrender, let them lead him off to be slaughtered. Not without making sure to take a few of them hun dans to hell with him first.
“On three,” he says as he swallows his fear, shoves his shoulders back and proudly cocks Vera.
One.
He leans over and kisses her, hard, figuring that more than anything else will tell her he is well and truly ready (crazy, stupid) enough to die.
Two.
They crouch down on bent legs, muscles clenched, both warriors readying weapons for a fight they knew they would never win...
Three.
...not that they sure as hell weren't gonna try.
"He leans over and kisses her, hard, figuring that more than anything else will tell her he is well and truly ready (crazy, stupid) enough to die."
In their platonic state, I could totally see Jayne do something as brass as this before meeting his end. Very powerful.
what she said, aka *incoherent babbling of glee*
I like how they went out w/guns blazin, totally what Jayne would do too.
Bunches more to come...including SG-15 just for you!
Oh I knew I luved u for a reason :)
“On three,” he says as he swallows his fear, shoves his shoulders back and proudly cocks Vera.
One.
He leans over and kisses her, hard, figuring that more than anything else will tell her he is well and truly ready (crazy, stupid) enough to die.
An absence coming to an end with this marvelousness!!! What an entrance darlin'. We have missed these flights of wonderful imagination around here.
Jayne being scared and brave and willing to die for it... Intense and sad.. the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid comes to mind, with the same cut at the end so that we never really see what happens. Leaves the soul a tiny respite from the sadness. Beautifully done.
So, despite River's certainty I'm going "But, but..."
Very well done.
*claps* It is good and I can see them getting ready to go out in a blaze of gunfire and River taking out the alliance men with her axe. It is how Jayne would want to go out.
I hope in the sequel the ghosts of Wash and Book came in at the last minute and save everybody and they fly off and live happily ever after. That's gonna happen right, nobody has to die, right? ;)
Then again, I love happy endings, and can you imagine the after-conversation about that kiss...
I've written you a birthday story. I'm not sure I can wait until November to post it... Maybe I'll just have to write you another. We'll see.