Title: Not Worth the Trouble

Author: mik109

Rating: G

Pairings: River/Jayne

Disclaimer: Please, I won’t even dignify that with an answer.

Warnings/Spoilers: Not really. This is a missing scene from the BDM.

A/N: LadyCleo and I were chatting and decided to prompt each back into writing. This is my version of what Jayne was thinking when he was heading to River in the closet.

Not Worth the Trouble

I ain't gonna die on account of her.

She's been trouble since she got here. Her and that gorram brother of hers. Neither one worth a lick.

Mal shoulda dumped ‘em with that fed back when we first picked ‘em up. Left ‘em to the desert or Reavers or Patience while we got as far away as the Black could take us. Like we should be doing now.

Man's got a ruttin’ do-gooder fetish that's gonna get him killed, but I ain't gonna let it kill me.

I don't care what the Alliance did to her to make her fight like some avengin’ angel of death. I ain't ready to be visited by no angel. I got stuff still left to do in this life. Ain't ready to give it up yet.

Hell, she's probably more than capable of takin’ care of herself. Crazy or not.

I'll just dump her on some mostly deserted moon. She can fend for herself until her brother can find some other unfortunate boat to take her aboard. Let those fools lay out the welcome mat for the Alliance.

We'll go back to the way it was. To the life I signed up for. Get back to some manly stealin’, not this childish hidin’ and shakin’ in our boots go se.

Just have to get her on the shuttle.

The others are busy. They'll never know until she is already gone.

We’ll be free then. Free from Alliance threat and bounty hunters and wacko commercials designed to make medically altered crazy girls go homicidal.

Eventually, the others’ll see it’s for the best.

No one will even miss her dancin’ about gettin’ underfoot and stealin’ other people’s stuff.

No one will even notice she ain’t here no more, smilin’ and gigglin’ and playin’.

Cuz we’ll all be too happy bein’ free.

We’ll all be free.

Just have to get her on the shuttle.

Thought Mal tied her down.

Wha--