Disclaimer: Firefly and most of these characters (the good ones) belong to Joss Whedon. If you like this fanfic it's because he's a genius. Some dialogue from “Out of Gas” included.

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CHECK MATE: White knight takes black knight.

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Trouble with Stitch Hessian was he fancied himself the tough guy, a natural leader. Jayne Cobb knew it wa'n't so. Stitch talked big but when the chips was down, he di'n't have the stones for taking hard decisions. Jayne di'n't have respect for much in the 'verse, but strength always spoke to him. Liked to know where he was with a fella. His pop was a strong man. Strict but fair. Kept his boys in line with his belt when they was young. Far from resentin' it, like some o' them panty-waisted idiots you saw spoutin' off about children's rights an' such on the Cortex entertainment channels, Jayne took comfort in the certainty it gave him. You knew where you was with his pop. An' if he said you'd done good, you knew he meant it. His good opinion was hard-won an' all the more worth havin' for it. Stitch Hessian wa'n't nowhere near the man his pop was but Jayne was happy enough to run with him whilst things were goin' smooth. Whilst he had coin enough for liquor an' women.

So it di'n't distress him overly when he had to push Stitch out of that stolen hovercraft on Higgins' Moon. Jus' watched him tumble down backwards, arms and legs flailin' about like a broken windmill an' shriekin' like a gorram girl. Now, tossin' them strongboxes overboard was another matter entirely. Damn near broke Jayne's heart.

After giving Higgins the slip, Jayne made his way back home. Truth was he missed his mother an' the way she fussed over him, although he'd have cut his own tongue out rather than admit it. He liked the noise an' chaos of his family home. Even though his brothers and sisters were all growed up now, they still spent a lot of time visitin'. Matty, his favourite sister, was still at home. Her health had never been good an' besides, she'd always been a bit of a home