That Which Shapes A Man 12/13
Friday, January 26, 2007
Following Mattie’s funeral, Jayne bids farewell to his Ma and prepared for reunion with Serenity, while Mal and the others complete the whisky job and reflect on his absence.
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 2460 RATING: 9.0 (NC17) SERIES: FIREFLY
Title: That Which Shapes A Man
Author: hisgoodgirl
Chapter Twelve: Family of Choice
Disclaimer: All belongs to Joss. Just one woman’s take on the story.
Rating: PG-15 for strong language
Characters: Jayne, ofc crew
Pairing: Jayne/Kaylee
Setting: About the time of "Those Left Behind"
Word Count: 3,211; chapter twelve of thirteen
A/N: From the first time I watched Firefly, I wondered what circumstances might have shaped the character of Jayne Cobb, an exceptionally complex man. This story emerged from the questions I asked.
Thanks to my excellent beta, ArtemisPrime. To read previous chapters, click on my name above.
Your comments are sincerely appreciated. Thanks!
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Chapter Twelve: Family of Choice
On Newhall…
Malcolm Reynolds pries opens the top of a case of the fine and very illegal whisky he has just smuggled in from Bethany and does a quick count to make sure the case is full.
“Yep, it’s all there. I’m kinda surprised my own self, ‘ceptin’ we ain’t got Jayne on board this run.”
Chester Benning grins back at Mal, “I can see how a big fella like your merc might be both asset and liability. What happened?”
“Had a death in his family back on Sunderland, took my spare shuttle home, which is how come I needed you to handle delivering your ore shipment to us this time around.”
Benning manages an Alliance-owned facility that concentrates tantalum ore, a rare metal necessary for star ship catalyzers. Not so long ago, he first contracted with the Browncoat captain to transport a load of diverted ore concentrate to a black-market buyer. The whole experience proved more complicated than either would have preferred, but ultimately most lucrative.
The two men share certain independent allegiances and have developed a relationship that mixes business and solid friendship. Benning opens the final case and removes a bottle, handing it to Mal, then closes the lid o
I was sort of hoping for more of a confrontation between Jayne and Jedd however. Seems like that part got left hanging a bit.
BEB
My intention, from the beginning, was to write a story that might visit the circumstances and events that formed Jayne Cobb. As a man, he is characterized by numerous defense mechanisms (physical and emotional) that are survival based and esteem driven. In the series, we saw many occasions when Jayne acted out of self-serving motives; we also saw moments of growth that saw him starting to embrace Mal’s “intentional family” philosophy. This fic has been my take on factors that might have initiated that shift.
Certainly, given the trauma inflicted by Jedd, Jayne would carry a tremendous about of inner rage. Over time, I imagine that his father would have taken on a larger-than-life quality (as parents often do.) Consider the following passage from the previous chapter:
There, a lone figure, bent with age and worn by hard living, draws his glance…Jedd Cobb, rail-thin and haggard, sits huddled at the end of the final pew. He is bearded, dressed in worn, patched clothing. Jayne can see that his once powerful frame is wasted now and his piercing gray eyes are milky with age. Through all the intervening years, Jayne has remembered his father as a brutal giant of a man, and yet the frail, shriveled ghost before him now is but a shadow of that memory.
The monster from Jayne’s nightmares turns out to be a pathetic, broken old wastrel, a broken man who longs only for forgiveness. What’s the merc gonna do – beat him up during the funeral? Hunt him down and shoot him? Jayne’s already carrying a lot of regret and a new-found awareness of how his choices impact others – a key reason he didn’t shoot his cousin Bryce (the deputy) for calling him a coward.
Instead of responding out of his rage, as he might have in the past, Jayne instead refuses Jedd’s conciliatory gesture and coldly responds:
“You ain’t my Pa, lăo hàn. That man died thirty-odd years ago.”
Jayne has not forgiven Jedd for brutalizing him, but he has grown enough to recognize that there’s no satisfaction to be gained from beating up or killing a ghost from his past. The merc’s satisfaction comes from refusing to acknowledge Jedd as his father, through withholding the forgiveness Jedd so desperately longs for.
If anyone wants to discuss this further or has other questions or thoughts to share, please feel free to e-mail me at Lumenea@aol.com.
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