Blue Blood – Chapter Six

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Jayne was silent as Serenity glided through the black, on the way home to Argo. He had not once mentioned the sheriff, the Blue Hands, nor Mal’s decision to leave him behind. Anyone who didn’t know him would assume that his change in attitude over the past two years was responsible.

River knew better.

She could feel the waves of rage rolling off her lover like ocean waves. He was trying, she knew, to limit his fury, knowing that she could feel it, and that it hurt her. But he was almost overwhelmed by fury.

Worse, not all of that fury was directed at Grippen. Some of it was for Mal, who had refused to allow Jayne to settle the issue with the sheriff before. And now, it was too late. Grippen had endangered the one person that Jayne loved in the ‘verse, and try as he might, he couldn’t help but blame Mal for his part in it.

A dead sheriff, Jayne reasoned, couldn’t have waved the gorram Blue Hand freaks, and River would still be safe in anonymity, on a backwater agriculture moon, working on a little freighter that no one payed any attention to.

“Jayne,” River said quietly. He looked up at her, guiltily.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I’m trying,” he added, forcing the thoughts away as best he could.

“It’s all right,” River assured him. “But mustn’t blame Captain Daddy, Jayne,” she continued, and his eyes lit up again. “Was only doing what he thought was best.”

“That’s always the excuse,” Jayne rumbled angrily. “The plain fact is that he’s squeamish. He talks a big fight, but when push comes to shove, if his back ain’t to the wall, then he walks. Only this time it ain’t him it’s cost. It’s us.” River blinked at the vehemence in his voice, and the ringing finality of the word us.

“What do you mean?” River asked, confused.

“I mean that we’re the ones who’ll have to find somewhere else to be,” Jayne told her flatly. “Everyone else will be fine, here. But you and me?” He looked at her s