Ursa Major, Ursa Minor
folder
1 through F › Firefly
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
34
Views:
8,839
Reviews:
21
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
1 through F › Firefly
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
34
Views:
8,839
Reviews:
21
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Firefly, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Donna's Demise
Chapter Twenty-Two:
Donna Tyler was feeling cautiously optimistic about how life was going at the moment. Her bank account was full, Blue Sun was padding her stock options, and for once it wasn’t raining in New Manchester.
Her boss had given her a promotion and they were celebrating it at the corporate office that night.
She primped in her bedroom mirror and checked her stockings for any runs before locking up her apartment and driving to the edge of the city.
As soon as Donna clicked her three inch heels against the marble flooring of the thirtieth floor, the room erupted in cheers. She smiled at the praise, blushed as Jimmy from tech support brushed her knuckles with a kiss, and retreated to the back of the room for some champagne.
How she missed seeing him there was anyone’s guess.
Jayne was wearing a suit this time with a deep red tie and a visitor’s pass clipped to the lapel of his jacket. He slid easily through the mass of people and blocked the deceitful woman in the corner.
“Hello, Donna.”
The small smile that had been gracing her face all day fell. Jayne grabbed her by the elbow in a way that looked gentle from far off, but his fingers dug hard into the tendons of her arm. “We’re takin’ a trip to the roof, now,” he said.
No one even saw them leave.
*
The stairwell access clanked open and Mal trained his revolver on the woman Jayne was dragging with him.
“…I didn’t know I… Please, please don’t kill me!”
Jayne tossed her to the gravel covering the rooftop and yanked his tie off. Zoë handed him Boo and readied her mare’s leg to fire at the barest twitch of her trigger finger.
“You, little miss, have gotten yourself into a heap of trouble now,” Captain remarked.
Her eyes widened.
“Blue Sun sent some fellers after my pilot on my mercenary’s home planet.”
Donna twitched to glance at Jayne Cobb—who was looking meaner than ever with that heavy gun of his leveled at her forehead.
“Badger let us know about you settin’ them after the girl in the first place, so don’t try an’ play the ignorance card,” Mal continued.
Even with Mal’s order to keep his trap shut once they got the bitch on the roof, Jayne was far too mad to speak at the moment. He’d never wanted to hurt a woman so badly. He wanted her to feel what River felt in her nightmares about the Academy—let her know just what she’d be sending the eighteen year old back to if her plan had worked.
“So what’re you gonna do to save your worthless pi gu, Donna?” Mal finally asked.
She was rubbing her elbow. A Jayne-sized hand-shaped bruise was already turning her skin black. “Can’t do much to atone for something like that, now can I?”
“No, you really can’t.”
Donna sighed. “All I’ve got is another contact they sent me. There’s more than just the one team sent out to retrieve River Tam for the Academy. That’s all.”
Jayne couldn’t take it any longer.
“That’s it?” he ground out. The muscles in his jaw were twitching in overtime. “Just fer some coin you set these fuckin’ maniacs onto our trail? My brother gets shot fer the first time in his twenty years and all you’ve got is that the fuckin’ Academy is still after River? You put my entire family in danger…”
Mal tried to stop him, honestly, he did try a little bit, but Jayne was just way too fast.
Boo said “boo” and blew Donna Tyler away.
Zoë just raised an eyebrow and holstered her weapon. She nodded to Jayne and stepped with military efficiency toward the hover car they stole earlier. Mal remained beside Jayne and sighed.
“You know, I should be hollerin’ at you right now fer deviatin’ from the plan.”
Jayne nodded. “Ya should. Why ain’tcha?”
“You included us in your entire family, Jayne. I’m proud of ya. And a mite jealous that you pulled the gorram trigger first.”
Cap was proud of him.
Jayne clapped an arm around the older man’s shoulders. “Thanks, Mal.”
“Don’t mention it. Really. Don’t.”
They shared a grin and tossed Donna’s corpse off the roof.
*
River awaited Mal’s orders for flight once she heard their return. He plopped down in the co-pilot’s chair and cracked his knuckles behind his head. “Take us out, little albatross. Nara’s gotta meet with the Guild on Sihnon.”
River laid in a course and took off easy as a sparrow. She guided the mid-bulk transport out of Londinium’s cloudy atmosphere and back to the black that was oddly more grounding than actual ground.
“Jayne is grinning all over,” she remarked.
Mal mumbled something about saying he was proud of the man and River was keen enough to catch it.
“Your approval means a lot to him.”
“I gathered.”
“Permission to leave the bridge and go make out?”
Mal made a face. “Eugh… Permission granted, mei mei.”
River squealed, gibbered something that vaguely sounded like “I love my captain” and ran pell-mell down the corridor.
“Keep the noise down!” Mal yelled after her.
TBC
Donna Tyler was feeling cautiously optimistic about how life was going at the moment. Her bank account was full, Blue Sun was padding her stock options, and for once it wasn’t raining in New Manchester.
Her boss had given her a promotion and they were celebrating it at the corporate office that night.
She primped in her bedroom mirror and checked her stockings for any runs before locking up her apartment and driving to the edge of the city.
As soon as Donna clicked her three inch heels against the marble flooring of the thirtieth floor, the room erupted in cheers. She smiled at the praise, blushed as Jimmy from tech support brushed her knuckles with a kiss, and retreated to the back of the room for some champagne.
How she missed seeing him there was anyone’s guess.
Jayne was wearing a suit this time with a deep red tie and a visitor’s pass clipped to the lapel of his jacket. He slid easily through the mass of people and blocked the deceitful woman in the corner.
“Hello, Donna.”
The small smile that had been gracing her face all day fell. Jayne grabbed her by the elbow in a way that looked gentle from far off, but his fingers dug hard into the tendons of her arm. “We’re takin’ a trip to the roof, now,” he said.
No one even saw them leave.
*
The stairwell access clanked open and Mal trained his revolver on the woman Jayne was dragging with him.
“…I didn’t know I… Please, please don’t kill me!”
Jayne tossed her to the gravel covering the rooftop and yanked his tie off. Zoë handed him Boo and readied her mare’s leg to fire at the barest twitch of her trigger finger.
“You, little miss, have gotten yourself into a heap of trouble now,” Captain remarked.
Her eyes widened.
“Blue Sun sent some fellers after my pilot on my mercenary’s home planet.”
Donna twitched to glance at Jayne Cobb—who was looking meaner than ever with that heavy gun of his leveled at her forehead.
“Badger let us know about you settin’ them after the girl in the first place, so don’t try an’ play the ignorance card,” Mal continued.
Even with Mal’s order to keep his trap shut once they got the bitch on the roof, Jayne was far too mad to speak at the moment. He’d never wanted to hurt a woman so badly. He wanted her to feel what River felt in her nightmares about the Academy—let her know just what she’d be sending the eighteen year old back to if her plan had worked.
“So what’re you gonna do to save your worthless pi gu, Donna?” Mal finally asked.
She was rubbing her elbow. A Jayne-sized hand-shaped bruise was already turning her skin black. “Can’t do much to atone for something like that, now can I?”
“No, you really can’t.”
Donna sighed. “All I’ve got is another contact they sent me. There’s more than just the one team sent out to retrieve River Tam for the Academy. That’s all.”
Jayne couldn’t take it any longer.
“That’s it?” he ground out. The muscles in his jaw were twitching in overtime. “Just fer some coin you set these fuckin’ maniacs onto our trail? My brother gets shot fer the first time in his twenty years and all you’ve got is that the fuckin’ Academy is still after River? You put my entire family in danger…”
Mal tried to stop him, honestly, he did try a little bit, but Jayne was just way too fast.
Boo said “boo” and blew Donna Tyler away.
Zoë just raised an eyebrow and holstered her weapon. She nodded to Jayne and stepped with military efficiency toward the hover car they stole earlier. Mal remained beside Jayne and sighed.
“You know, I should be hollerin’ at you right now fer deviatin’ from the plan.”
Jayne nodded. “Ya should. Why ain’tcha?”
“You included us in your entire family, Jayne. I’m proud of ya. And a mite jealous that you pulled the gorram trigger first.”
Cap was proud of him.
Jayne clapped an arm around the older man’s shoulders. “Thanks, Mal.”
“Don’t mention it. Really. Don’t.”
They shared a grin and tossed Donna’s corpse off the roof.
*
River awaited Mal’s orders for flight once she heard their return. He plopped down in the co-pilot’s chair and cracked his knuckles behind his head. “Take us out, little albatross. Nara’s gotta meet with the Guild on Sihnon.”
River laid in a course and took off easy as a sparrow. She guided the mid-bulk transport out of Londinium’s cloudy atmosphere and back to the black that was oddly more grounding than actual ground.
“Jayne is grinning all over,” she remarked.
Mal mumbled something about saying he was proud of the man and River was keen enough to catch it.
“Your approval means a lot to him.”
“I gathered.”
“Permission to leave the bridge and go make out?”
Mal made a face. “Eugh… Permission granted, mei mei.”
River squealed, gibbered something that vaguely sounded like “I love my captain” and ran pell-mell down the corridor.
“Keep the noise down!” Mal yelled after her.
TBC