Big Damn Dog

[lit_gal]

Big Damn Dog

I keep thinking I"m coming down to the end with this one, and the characters keep on going.  This time, Jayne gets to play guard dog while Shepherd Book takes a shot at fixing this mess

Pairing: Mal/Jayne  (off-screen Inara/Nandi)
Rating: Adult

Previous chapters in reverse order: http://lit-gal.livejournal.com/tag/fic%3A%20firefly%3A%20big%20damn%20dog

Oh, and if you haven't read Thursday's chapter, it was all about Shepherd Book
Friday had Mal and Jayne talking

Today, it's more about Jayne.



Chapter 13



Jayne followed Shepherd Book down the street, his hand on his weapon as he checked all the potential sources of ambush. The shepherd had put up a real good fight about not needing a body guard, but when Mal set his mind on things, he wasn't one to back down. Some days Jayne thought Mal would go up against Reavers if he got it in his head he needed to. The man wasn't logical.

"My contact should be in here. Try to avoid shooting him," Book suggested as he nodded toward a tavern.

"Then hope he don't go shooting at you. Anyone who shoots at you is going to get real dead."

Book sighed and mumbled something about patience under his breath as he headed across the street. Jayne didn't bother answering since Book's conversations seemed to focus overly much on God and the Bible, two topics Jayne had avoided since leaving home. Besides, Jayne had work to focus on. He itched to pull Vera off his back and walk in this place with her in his hands, but as much as he loved his girl, she was an unwieldy gun. So he settled for having his hand on his sidearm, the safety already off.

Book walked in fast, too fast for anyone inside to get a proper bead on him. It did seem as if the preacher had some habits that weren't very preacherish, but then he stopped six feet inside and looked around the room, making a right target out of himself. Jayne moved to his back, providing a little friendly push to get him moving toward cover.

"Jayne," Book said in an aggravated tone.

"You're making a fine target, and I ain't going to stand here and let you get dead," Jayne answered without pausing. He got Book over to a defensible wall and took up a position scanning the room. They’d attracted a good deal of attention, more than a couple of strangers should. Jayne watched an older man head for an exit, his stiff knees making it hard for him to get out as quick or as quiet as he was trying for.

“Perhaps you could stop glaring at everyone.”

“No.” Jayne ignored the sigh that answered him. He found it was best to make it clear up front that he was a short-tempered and well-armed man. It saved on the misunderstandings. Book chose a table and sat down, putting his small bag on the table and pulling out his Bible.

“So, I take it you and Mal have decided to move to the next level of your relationship.”

“We’re fucking,” Jayne agreed, his gaze still on the room. There were a number of men shifting in ways that made Jayne’s trigger finger itch. This place might look quiet, but there were too many people who moved like killers.

“Well, that’s an interesting way to describe it.”

Jayne risked glancing over at Book to get an idea of his mood. The man looked… well, he looked the same as ever so Jayne was guessing he wasn’t going to go off on some lecture about the evils of fornicating.

“It’s an honest way of describing it.”

“I suspect that you are sharing much more than some carnal pleasure.”

Jayne had no idea what that meant, so he just ignored the preacher and focused on the room. There was a subtle shifting, but so far, most people were shifting away. At least two of the people in the bar had found some reason to leave.

“Making a relationship work is difficult. Two people have to learn to make compromises—”

Jayne cut him off. “Mal gives orders, I take ‘em. That’s about as much compromise as we need.”

For a second, Jayne got to enjoy the silence. Unfortunately, it was only a second.

“I do hope you’re not suggesting that you would ignore your own needs to serve the needs of a relationship.”

“Huh?” Jayne frowned. Why did he spend so much time with people who talked without every saying anything. “Are you about to go off on fortification and sodomization or shi like that?” he came right out and demanded.

“What?” Book drew back, and from the shocked expression, Jayne had to guess that he’d gotten that wrong. “No. I am not bothered that you and Mal are both male or unmarried. However, I am concerned about the fact that neither of you has the sense to come in out of the rain.”

Jayne turned so he could really glare at Shepherd Book. Book raised his hand. “Now I didn’t mean that the way it came out. You are both very good at staying alive. However, neither of you is particularly skilled at having a relationship.”

Jayne turned back toward the bar. “Nandi said that Mal gets twitchy because I’m big and he has trouble remembering that I ain’t looking to stab him in the back.”

“I suppose that’s true. You are a little intimidating,” Book said.

Jayne was a little surprised because Book generally didn’t spend a whole lot of time complimenting him. But it was nice to have someone notice his positive attributes for a chance. “I supposed you had your own history of killing and intimidating, seeing as how you’re such a good shot,” Jayne answered. Oddly, Book didn’t seem all that complimented.

“Yes, well if you ever want to talk about this relationship of yours….”

“Nope.”

“I’m starting to think the two of you deserve each other,” Shepherd Book muttered. Jayne happened to agree with that, but from the tone, Book wasn’t trying to be complimentary. People were so much more confusing than guns. Jayne almost wished that someone would start shooting at them so he could do something other than stand around having a conversation he didn’t understand.

“I think we got something happening, Shepherd.”

“Oh?” Book didn’t even get up from the table, but Jayne curled his fingers around the butt of his gun. The new man who’d just walked in didn’t have the look of someone just trying to find a drink. His eyes scanned the entire bar before he settled on looking right past Jayne to where Shepherd Book sat. Jayne was real happy he’d pushed Book toward a defensible position because this one moved like a killer even if he dressed like a pansy.

The man came uncomfortably close to the table, and Jayne stepped forward to force him to stop. Taking a step back, the stranger considered Jayne carefully, and Jayne spent an equal amount of time noting the way the stranger’s pants were cut wide at the bottom, most likely for ankle weaponry. His thick belt would hide a number of nastier weapons and his holster had a shine to the leather that suggested it was well used and well cared for. It wasn’t decoration.

“David, you seem to have picked up a guard dog.”

Jayne narrowed his eyes and focused on the stranger even as he heard Shepherd Book’s chair scrape across the floor. “Peter. I go by Derrial Book now.”

“Oh yes. Book. You turned into a man of the book and cloth, didn’t you?” Peter was in his forties or fifties, so Jayne was guessing that he’d known Shepherd Book back before the man had become a minister. He filed away the name ‘David’ to tell Mal later on.

“I did,” Book agreed.

“And yet you have a guard here who looks absolutely anxious to put several bullets through me.”

Jayne clenched his teeth when Book stepped out from behind him, making a target of himself again. “Shepherd,” he warned.

“Relax, Jayne,” Book said, resting a hand against Jayne’s gun arm. “Peter isn’t going to shoot us.”

“I’m not sure I can say the same about your Jayne there. Where did you find him?” Peter gave Jayne a slow smile, the sort that made Jayne want to shoot him just for the hell of it.

“Apparently Captain Reynolds thought I needed an escort.”

Jayne could see this Peter start at Mal’s name.

“Malcolm Reynolds?”

“That’s the one.”

Peter took another step closer, and Jayne sidestepped to keep himself between Peter and Shepherd Book. “I ain’t the real forgiving sort, and I got clear orders that anyone who tries to hurt Shepherd Book needs to get spectacularly dead. We clear?” Jayne demanded.

Peter took a step back and looked Jayne over again. “Crystal clear. David, you do find the most interesting company, but then you always did.”

Jayne crossed his arms and moved to the side to let Peter take a seat at the table. Peter gave him a long look before putting his back to the door and Jayne. Likely there was a message there, but Jayne’s only interest was in following orders.

“Mr. Reynolds has interesting crew, more interesting than I was led to expect.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Book agreed.

“Oh,” Peter said in a conspiratorial tone, “I do know the half of it. And here I thought you were going to keep a low profile.”

“I am keeping a low profile. However, it does seem like some people are trying to stir up a dangerous mess that’s likely to splash everyone if they aren’t careful.”

Peter leaned back in his chair, and Jayne watched as Shepherd Book’s body language slowly shifted until it almost mirrored the man. Unless Jayne was guessing wrong, they’d served together. Either that or Book was deliberately copying Peter’s mannerisms just to go annoying him, and Book generally didn’t try to annoy people. Most of his annoying was more accidentalish.

“How much of this stirring is Mr. Reynolds doing?”

Book leaned forward. “None. Captain Reynolds doesn’t know what’s going on, and that’s a good thing. The man is less than logical.”

Jayne couldn’t help it; he snorted.

“Is that amusing?” Peter asked, looking over at Jayne, but Jayne wasn’t about to tell this pansy nothing. He just looked back at him with a blank expression.

“I think Jayne is trying to tell you that anyone who pokes at Captain Reynolds is trying to catch a rabid rattlesnake by the tail. It’s a fool’s errand, and the Alliance I know is not so much a fool that they’d try it.”

Peter looked back at Book. “He’s one man, preacher. The government isn’t afraid of one man.”

“They should be.” For some time, the two men stared at each other silently. Eventually Peter threaded his fingers together on the table, his shoulders relaxing.

“Convince me,” he said. “Convince me this is even worth talking about.”

Book’s smile was slow and smug—as if he’d won some point that Jayne didn’t understand. “A government can defend itself from a group. That’s what they’re designed to do—identify the head of the dragon and then slay it.”

“And Malcolm Reynolds would appear to be the head of the dragon,” Peter quickly added.

“Oh no. You have your metaphors wrong.” Book’s voice fell into that tone that generally sent Jayne running out of the room because it meant preaching was coming. “Reynolds is more like a virus. You first contact him, and you know he’s going to be the death of you, but you just can’t seem to get away before getting infected. He believes so strongly that he turns the people around him into believers. Now, when I first took passage, I’ll admit that I only wanted to make it out to the frontier where I could preach. Then the Tams came onboard and I thought to stay in order to keep the crew out of trouble, to steer Mal around to my way of thinking.”

“Your way?”

Book pursed his lips. “Not every windmill should be charged at. We should all be willing to save our fellow humans, but trying to punish people… that’s God’s work.”

“I suspect you failed.”

“Why do you say that? What makes you think that Malcolm is any sort of threat?”

“On his own, he isn’t. However, Womak and Jubal Early both failed to bring River back. Reynolds is defending her.”

“Defending her is not the same as challenging the government.”

“Why else would he risk his life for her unless he wants what she can do?” The words were coming fast now, and Jayne didn’t understand any of it.

Book pulled his Bible into his lap and considered it for a long time, his fingers tracing the letters on the front cover before he turned to Jayne. “Jayne, you attempted to get the Tams off the ship at one point, correct?”

Jayne had to grit his teeth to avoid flinching away from that memory. Mal had nearly killed him over his stunt at Ariel, and he really didn’t like thinking on how he tried to turn the Tams over to the government for the reward money. “Yeah,” he said tersely.

Peter turned his chair so he could see Jayne more easily.

“What did Mal tell you about that?” Book asked. Jayne had to assume the preacher had some point other than torturing him.

“He said we don’t turn on our own, ever.”

Peter looked from Jayne to Shepherd Book. “And your point is?”

Still fingering the lettering on his Bible, Book seemed to think about that for a while. “That’s Mal. You’re treating him like a dragon to behead, but the fact is that he’s more like mold.”

“Meaning he grows on you after a while?” Peter asked.

Shepherd Book laughed. “Am I that predictable?”

“We were partners for a long time, David. I know you’re trying to make a point here, but so far, you’re not convincing me that I should take this up with my superiors.”

“Target Mal, and you will find yourself dying of some infectious disease before you know what happened.”

“Really?”

“I thought I could change Mal. Instead it seems like I was infected somewhere along the line. Niska thought he could kidnap Mal, and I was right in there with the other fools charging into Niska’s station—five of us against an army in their own stronghold.”

Peter laughed. It was the sort of laugh people used when they were disbelieving of how stupid others could be. “So, we should fear him because his crew is suicidal?”

“You should fear him because his crew won that fight,” Book countered. “His crew wins fights they shouldn’t. Mal does that to people. You see Jayne there. Mal ordered him on this mission, and after we landed planetside, he asks if this is a suicide mission. He asked after we landed, Peter. He couldn’t have gone back no matter what I said at that point.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That I assumed you were smart enough to see the truth. My hands aren’t clean in this mess you’re trying to protect, and I don’t like how many people are going to suffer if this comes out. However, if you’re targeting Serenity, that is not going to end well for anyone. Mal took Jayne, a mercenary through and through, and turned him into a man who would walk into a suicide mission. That kind of passion isn’t something the government can fight.”

If someone had asked, Jayne would have pointed out that Mal wasn’t likely to covert many the way he’d converted Jayne. The fact was, Jayne wasn’t exactly sure when Mal had started being the center of his life, but he thought it might have been somewhere around Canton or Ariel.

After trying to turn the Tams over to the government, Mal had been real effective at showing Jayne just how displeased he was. Jayne thought for sure he was going to die, and he didn’t really understand why Mal had saved him at the last second after beating him. But thinking back, Jayne figured he’d started changing back when he met those mudders who’d made a hero out of him. Jayne had seen himself through their eyes, and his reality didn’t rightly match up with who he wanted to be. Mal did. Mal didn’t put himself out there as a hero, but he did everything that those mudders on Canton thought Jayne had done. Mal put others first, even when he bellyached about it. And Jayne had seen Mal give up more than one bit of profit to help them that were less well-off.

Jayne had watched those people on Canton literally singing his praises, and he realized that he wanted to be that man they sang about. He wanted to be someone his ma could be proud of. He wanted to be more like Mal. Of course, his first shot at trying to take the high road included selling the Tams to get them off Serenity, but that was why Mal told him to stop trying to make plans on his own. Mal’s plans might be downright stupid, but they weren’t half as bad as Jayne’s own.

“You have a suggestion,” Peter said with a good deal of confidence. Jayne cleared his throat and focused on the job at hand. Mal told him to not get dead, and woolgathering in the middle of a mission weren’t the best way to do that.

“You don’t attack a virus with a gun.”

“And?”

Shepherd Book took a deep breath. “You inoculate against it. If they’re afraid that Mal is getting too close to certain secrets, then they take that weapon away by releasing the information in some neutered form.”

Peter made a noise that sounded a whole lot like a hiss. “You seem certain that you know which secret they’re afraid of.”

“I know what the girl’s been muttering about. No one else has come close to putting the pieces together, but they will eventually.”

“Unless we kill her and Reynolds.”

“Better men than you have tried.” Shepherd Book put his Bible on the table. “That man is annoyingly difficult to kill.”

“We have certain weapons you may not know about.”

“The Operative? Yes, I know about him. I met him a long time ago, and I suspect that he’s no match for River. I also suspect that Mal has an almost unholy way of winning fights he shouldn’t. Don’t count on him. Actually…” Shepherd Book looked over at Jayne again. Jayne really disliked how often he was getting brought into this conversation, especially seeing as how he didn’t understand one whit of it. “Jayne, who is a better shot, you or Mal?”

“Me,” Jayne answered. “Ain’t even really close.”

“And who’s stronger?”

Jayne snorted. “Mal would drop dead of exhaustion if he tried doing half the chores he assigns me on board.”

“And when you first met Mal, I believe you were on the other side, holding a gun on him.”

Jayne shrugged. It made him feel funny now, thinking back to how close he came to shooting Mal.

“And yet now your following him.”

Jayne shrugged again. “His plans seem to work out better than most. He’s a good captain.”

“Really? Did you expect to survive the attack on Niska? Did you expect to survive going up against Rance Burgess and his entire army of gunhands? What odds do you give yourself of surviving this mission?”

“Mal ordered me to come back alive, and that’s one order I plan to follow, preacher. If’n you got something to say, you say it.” Jayne could feel his anger sparking, but Book just turned back to Peter.

“There’s your answer. You can’t fight that because you don’t understand it. I don’t understand it, and I’m caught up in the middle of it. But the fact is that I always could figure out how to bend information around to do the least amount of damage. I had hoped to avoid this, hoped that the dead could rest in peace and those who weren’t dead could be allowed to die in time. However, if the secret is causing more trouble, then it’s time to tell the ‘verse the truth.”

“You can’t mean that.” Peter looked honestly horrified, and Jayne was starting to really wonder what sort of big-ass secret these folks were keeping.

“I do mean it. Back then, I didn’t fight hard enough or yell loud enough to stop the trouble I saw coming. I think it’s time to fix that mistake. I’m going to fight until I stop the trouble I see coming if the Operative goes after Mal. We need to make this work, so we need take control of this.”

“They won’t like it.”

“Most of the people who gave the orders are dead. They don’t have a vote in this.”

Peter took a deep breath. “I’ll pass the message on.”

“That’s all I ask.” Shepherd Book tilted his head in Peter’s direction, but the man just got up and walked away without a word. He left Book sitting alone at the table looking more than a little gray.

“You okay, preacher?”

“Yes, thank you, Jayne.” Shepherd Book’s voice was soft and it trembled a bit. The man was a crap liar.

Jayne cleared his throat, not really knowing whether he should ask the next question or not, but he was dying of curiosity. “What secret are you two talking about?”

Book sighed. “A long time ago the government did something very foolish.”

“And you never told anyone?” Jayne asked. That seemed unusual for the preacher.

“I would have told the entire universe if it would have done any good. Unfortunately, this is one of those secrets that can only hurt people. Certainly the government has already learned their lesson, and a lot of people are going to discover things they really would have preferred not knowing.”

“Then why not just not tell them?”

The silence filled their small corner of the bar as Book seemed to think about that one. “Because River is trying very hard to share this secret with Mal, and Mal is….” Book’s voice trailed off.

“A bit useless when it comes to keeping a secret?” Jayne finished for him.

Book nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

Jayne agreed with that. The captain might bluff at poker, but he was too honest to ever really keep a secret, and he seemed to think that the ‘verse was full of people like him—people who wanted the truth. Jayne figured most people just wanted to live their lives without filling up their heads with information that didn’t mean nothing to them and that they couldn’t do nothing about. But then, Mal wasn’t like most people, and he didn’t seem to rightly understand that.

“So, what are the chances that these people will listen?”

“About as good as the chance that they’ll order us both shot on sight,” Shepherd Book offered with a disgusted expression.

Jayne figured those weren’t the best odds. They weren’t the worst he’d faced since crewing with Mal, but they weren’t exactly good. At this point, though, he could only follow Mal’s orders—don’t get dead and kill anyone who tried killing the preacher. Jayne was trusting Book to fix the rest of it.