Inferno – Chapter Three

No claims of ownership do I make, no money for my stories do I take.

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“What is troubling you, Sean?” River asked as she stretched out on top of him.

They were still hurtling toward the refueling station as fast as they could go. Goldie and Zoe were on the bridge, taking the watch, while the rest of the crew got some rack time.

“What makes you think anything’s troubling me?” Jayne asked, his face the picture of innocence. River smirked at him, tapping her temple with one delicate finger.

“Right,” Jayne muttered. “I’m just keyed up, that’s all, Angel. This could be a really ugly deal before it’s finished.”

“Yes,” she nodded, laying her head on his chest. “I know. But that’s not all that bothers you. Is it?” Jayne sighed. No use trying to hide something from a reader, was there?

“I’m just tired,” he said finally. “I’m tired of trying to convince Mal and Zoe they can trust me. I’m sick of the way they just assume, after all this time, that I’m going to do, or say, something wrong.” He stroked her hair softly.

“I’ve worked so hard, you know? Made an honest effort, and even Inara says she’s more than happy with all I’ve accomplished. But those two? Mal will never trust me, and since he and Zoe basically share a brain, neither will she.”

River giggled at that, and Jayne frowned.

“I’m serious,” he told her. River raised her head to look at him.

“I know, ai ren,” she told him softly. “I was laughing at the image of Baba and Zoe sharing a brain.” He chuckled too, unable to resist her smile.

“Well, it seems like it, you have to admit.”

“They have shared much,” River agreed. “And that has led them to look at many things in the same way. But I think you worry over nothing, Sean. Mal trusts you, and so does Zoe.”

“You’d have a hard time proving that to me,” Jayne told her flatly. “I know he was het up over that deal with Zhang, but since then, I’ve toed his line to the letter. Even to the point that it almost cost me you, which I am not going to let happe