Categories > TV > Buffy the Vampire Slayer > Life Just Ani't Fair
Life Just Ain't Fair-ch.9
For the last few days, Mal had noticed, Xander watching Jayne. Whenever they went out on jobs Xander always partnered with Jayne or River. Serenity's crew learn quickly how useful having Xander along on jobs could be, he saved their lives more than once. It seemed after the bar fight on WhiteFall had caused a bond to grow between Jayne and Xander, River too. Jayne hardly ever called her crazy and when he did it was with affection. Simon was wary of this new development between his sister and the mercarny.
The three were always found together talking, fighting, somewhere on the ship.
Mal didn't understand it or like it very much, but the new friendship between River and Jayne seemed to help River, she hardly ever had fits, and when she did they were as bad.
Mal also knew Jayne would never betray River the way he did on Ariel. If the Alliance were to take her, he knew Jayne would stop at nothing to fine her again. She was his friend now, Jayne did value the few of them he did have, and very few people earn Jayne's friendship he knew. No one but River and Xander had that; no matter what names he may curse at them.
Mal walked into the cargo bay in time to see River swing a sword at Jayne. Normally that would have worried him if he hadn't saw Jayne had one too. The swords clashed like thunder, sparks jumped from the clashing blades. Jayne it seemed could use that sword, knew the rules to what he was doing not just mindlessly swing it. He was matching River blow for blow. They circled each other both looking for the others weakness in a primal dance. Mal didn't have to ask where they got the swords; he had seen them in Xander's things. And thought it odd, until Xander told them about the truth to the 'Verse and how some things just couldn't be killed by a gun. Mal was about to stop them when he felt a hand on his should startled him he jump.
"Damnit, you need a bell." He told Xander when he saw him. Xander just smirked at Mal. He sighed.
"Don't you think those two are dangerous enough, you had to give them sharp objects to play with, Simon's not going to be happy."
Xander shrugged.
"Wanted to know something, and I couldn't if I was the one fighting him."
Mal blinked at that.
"Him?" Mal questioned.
"Not everything is about River. But this way she gets to have her fun too. Slayer's love fighting any time or place. Hand to hand or with weapons it's all good to them." Xander told them but his eyes never left them dueling pair. After a few more minutes Xander told them to stop, they exchanged a few more blows then stopped. River skipped up to them looking amazed as if she just learned a secret and wanted to share it.
"He's like me, Captain daddy!"
Mal looked at her blankly as Xander walked over to Jayne and was speaking in a low voice.
"He's just cracked, not broken." River said in a dreamy tone.
"How old!" Xander asked getting Mal attention. Jayne sighed and look like he really didn't want to have this conversation.
"I was eighteen, two months later I found Serenity." Jayne said. Mal looked dumbfounded. River giggled.
"Captain daddy thought he fooled Jayne...when Jayne was the one who fooled you. Fooled us all...couldn't see it...was hidden deep...made me mad that I couldn't see it then. Fooled me too, not more now." She told Mal as they walked over to the other two men.
"What's he talkin' about, Jayne?" Mal asked him. Jayne sighed and looked away from them.
"You know I came from a backwater world. Only three ways off it, The Companion Guild, The School, or death."
Mal frowned he had heard rumors of the School, it was said they taught and train elite soldiers, but some said they trained assassin's as well.
"I was six, I was given the tests for learnin'. Wasn't pretty enough for the Companion Guild. That left the School. It's an honor to be chosen." Jayne said with a dry laugh.
"If they knew the truth...but I learn what the tests said I would. I had violent reactions to everthing as a child; I would hit things and people when provoked. The tests said I what was needed to be trained as..." Jayne trailed off.
"As what?" asked Mal.
"An assassin..." whispered River
Jayne nodded at that.
"I was seventeen when I escaped the School, my training was finished. I wasn't tortured the way River was but no child should be taught what I was, no child should know how to kill a person forty-three ways by the time there seven. Traveled then for a while decided if I was going to be a killer it would be on my terms. Spread some rumors about Jayne Cobb. Made him older, meaner, and stupider than most merc's then became him."
"Masks to hide the hurt." River said softly. Jayne didn't hear that but Mal did.
"Just like my training taught. But when I saw Serenity, I knew I had found it."
"Found what?" asked Xander.
"Peace, found my freedom. You felt it too, Mal. Why else did you make a deal with me and not one of the others?"
Mal could answer that, he shrugged he had, just had a feeling that today. Jayne sighed and asked " Do you want me off Serenity?"
Mal shook his head.
"Already have one crazy assassin why not two? Never asked about you past, seems yours is the only one that as come to haunt us yet. You do your job, I got no complaints, Jayne." Mal told him, Jayne nodded then left the cargo bay, Mal turned to Xander.
"How did you know?"
"I saw him pull a move they only teach at the School, during that bar fight."
Mal nodded then wondered how Xander knew which fighting move was that one move. Xander could see the question on Mal's face. Xander shrugged then and said.
"Trained there too." He told Mal. Mal walked away, going up the stairs, shaking his head there were three of them on his boat. Mal did some quick math, his merc' was only twenty-six, who was a trained assassin. The crazy girl was an assassin-reader Slayer girl. The 'Verse had real demons in it; real evil that epic's were wrote about. The boy from the stasis box was well connection in the underworld of the 'Verse, demon and criminal. Mal looked down from the catwalk as Xander sat on a crate as he started to clean and sharpen the swords. River sat on the floor watching him work. Mal wondered what other relevations Xander would bring.
.
For the last few days, Mal had noticed, Xander watching Jayne. Whenever they went out on jobs Xander always partnered with Jayne or River. Serenity's crew learn quickly how useful having Xander along on jobs could be, he saved their lives more than once. It seemed after the bar fight on WhiteFall had caused a bond to grow between Jayne and Xander, River too. Jayne hardly ever called her crazy and when he did it was with affection. Simon was wary of this new development between his sister and the mercarny.
The three were always found together talking, fighting, somewhere on the ship.
Mal didn't understand it or like it very much, but the new friendship between River and Jayne seemed to help River, she hardly ever had fits, and when she did they were as bad.
Mal also knew Jayne would never betray River the way he did on Ariel. If the Alliance were to take her, he knew Jayne would stop at nothing to fine her again. She was his friend now, Jayne did value the few of them he did have, and very few people earn Jayne's friendship he knew. No one but River and Xander had that; no matter what names he may curse at them.
Mal walked into the cargo bay in time to see River swing a sword at Jayne. Normally that would have worried him if he hadn't saw Jayne had one too. The swords clashed like thunder, sparks jumped from the clashing blades. Jayne it seemed could use that sword, knew the rules to what he was doing not just mindlessly swing it. He was matching River blow for blow. They circled each other both looking for the others weakness in a primal dance. Mal didn't have to ask where they got the swords; he had seen them in Xander's things. And thought it odd, until Xander told them about the truth to the 'Verse and how some things just couldn't be killed by a gun. Mal was about to stop them when he felt a hand on his should startled him he jump.
"Damnit, you need a bell." He told Xander when he saw him. Xander just smirked at Mal. He sighed.
"Don't you think those two are dangerous enough, you had to give them sharp objects to play with, Simon's not going to be happy."
Xander shrugged.
"Wanted to know something, and I couldn't if I was the one fighting him."
Mal blinked at that.
"Him?" Mal questioned.
"Not everything is about River. But this way she gets to have her fun too. Slayer's love fighting any time or place. Hand to hand or with weapons it's all good to them." Xander told them but his eyes never left them dueling pair. After a few more minutes Xander told them to stop, they exchanged a few more blows then stopped. River skipped up to them looking amazed as if she just learned a secret and wanted to share it.
"He's like me, Captain daddy!"
Mal looked at her blankly as Xander walked over to Jayne and was speaking in a low voice.
"He's just cracked, not broken." River said in a dreamy tone.
"How old!" Xander asked getting Mal attention. Jayne sighed and look like he really didn't want to have this conversation.
"I was eighteen, two months later I found Serenity." Jayne said. Mal looked dumbfounded. River giggled.
"Captain daddy thought he fooled Jayne...when Jayne was the one who fooled you. Fooled us all...couldn't see it...was hidden deep...made me mad that I couldn't see it then. Fooled me too, not more now." She told Mal as they walked over to the other two men.
"What's he talkin' about, Jayne?" Mal asked him. Jayne sighed and looked away from them.
"You know I came from a backwater world. Only three ways off it, The Companion Guild, The School, or death."
Mal frowned he had heard rumors of the School, it was said they taught and train elite soldiers, but some said they trained assassin's as well.
"I was six, I was given the tests for learnin'. Wasn't pretty enough for the Companion Guild. That left the School. It's an honor to be chosen." Jayne said with a dry laugh.
"If they knew the truth...but I learn what the tests said I would. I had violent reactions to everthing as a child; I would hit things and people when provoked. The tests said I what was needed to be trained as..." Jayne trailed off.
"As what?" asked Mal.
"An assassin..." whispered River
Jayne nodded at that.
"I was seventeen when I escaped the School, my training was finished. I wasn't tortured the way River was but no child should be taught what I was, no child should know how to kill a person forty-three ways by the time there seven. Traveled then for a while decided if I was going to be a killer it would be on my terms. Spread some rumors about Jayne Cobb. Made him older, meaner, and stupider than most merc's then became him."
"Masks to hide the hurt." River said softly. Jayne didn't hear that but Mal did.
"Just like my training taught. But when I saw Serenity, I knew I had found it."
"Found what?" asked Xander.
"Peace, found my freedom. You felt it too, Mal. Why else did you make a deal with me and not one of the others?"
Mal could answer that, he shrugged he had, just had a feeling that today. Jayne sighed and asked " Do you want me off Serenity?"
Mal shook his head.
"Already have one crazy assassin why not two? Never asked about you past, seems yours is the only one that as come to haunt us yet. You do your job, I got no complaints, Jayne." Mal told him, Jayne nodded then left the cargo bay, Mal turned to Xander.
"How did you know?"
"I saw him pull a move they only teach at the School, during that bar fight."
Mal nodded then wondered how Xander knew which fighting move was that one move. Xander could see the question on Mal's face. Xander shrugged then and said.
"Trained there too." He told Mal. Mal walked away, going up the stairs, shaking his head there were three of them on his boat. Mal did some quick math, his merc' was only twenty-six, who was a trained assassin. The crazy girl was an assassin-reader Slayer girl. The 'Verse had real demons in it; real evil that epic's were wrote about. The boy from the stasis box was well connection in the underworld of the 'Verse, demon and criminal. Mal looked down from the catwalk as Xander sat on a crate as he started to clean and sharpen the swords. River sat on the floor watching him work. Mal wondered what other relevations Xander would bring.
.
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