Artistic Pretender

Title: Home
Series Title: Wandering Home
Author: FabledFigment
Disclaimer: There is no original content, except for the original content. All Hail Joss. Not a character death.
Timeline: Post BDM by about three years.
Rating: R
Series Rating: NC-17

Previous

*

Jayne let River ride ahead. She had a nice seat. Hell, she moved like she lived all day in a gorram saddle. Must be partly that dancer gracefulness.

Whatever. She was easy to watch.

Nice ass too.

His ma was gonna like her. Jayne didn’t have to think hard to know that. Even dressed in that profane shirt, with more ammo strapped to her chest than she oughta need in a time of peace, Ma would still like her.

The road wound between low wooded hills. Unless things had changed terribly, the way should be safe enough. Corinth wasn’t known for bandits.

Not that bandits would bother them with Crazy all done up the way she was.

It was one of the rare pastoral places that took terraforming real well. The first settlers had seeded extensively in a semi random pattern. That meant the places between settlements were mostly thriving forests with lots of edibles in the plant mix. There was more wildlife than some places too.

The original settlements were done back when humanity first arrived in this corner of the ‘Verse, so they had the advantage of resources brought directly from Earth-That-Was.

It was beautiful. It was home.

Jayne clamped down hard on how nice it was to see River riding in his home woods. Shouldn't go there.

Everything was the same and different. That boulder didn’t used to be so green with lichen. A big branch of that tree was gone, there it was on the ground, rotting away.

“Hey, hold up.” Jayne called out. When River returned to him he threw her his reigns and dismounted.

He left the road, it should be right here… Yes, and it was even the right season.

“What is it?” River called.

Jayne ducked back onto the road.

“Jump down, it’s berry season.” He grinned up at her.

River dismounted and led their horses into the woods.

“We can tie them up over here.” He said excitedly.

He took the reigns from her and secured their horses.

River looked around the little clearing just out of sight of the road. “You knew this was here?”

“Well, I had a good idea it was.” He agreed. “Been a long time. Doesn’t look like many people know it now.” He pointed around the clearing. “Look, just animal markings. Most of the low branches are stripped, but people would have gotten to these first.”

Jayne reached into the blackberry bramble and plucked a few berries. They practically fell off into his hand. Nice and ripe. He ate one and offered the others to River. She took them from his hand tentatively, watching his face.

Something in her eye made him uneasy so he looked away.

“Too bad we don’t have a bucket or something. Ma would make us a pie if we brought in enough.” He reached his hands back into the brambles and deftly gathered another handful.

“Hey!” He cried when River jumped up to steal the hat off his head.

“Pie sounds good.” She agreed, holding the hat upside-down.

Jayne frowned, that was a good hat, he didn’t want it ruined.

“I would suggest your shirt, or mine,” River arched her brow challengingly at him. “Except we’re going to see your mother.”

Jayne grinned and dumped berries into the hat. “If we fill it full, maybe she might manage two pies.”

River set the hat on the ground between them and reached for berries.

“Ow.” She yelped almost at once. She stuck her bloody finger in her mouth.

Jayne grinned. Genius wasn’t the answer to everything.

“You’ll get the hang of it. Just remember the thorns all point the same way on the branch.” He dropped another double handful into the hat.

River made a face at him. “You came here often?”

Her voice was curious, not really prying. Jayne tore his eyes away from her when he realized he was admiring the way her cheek curved into her chin. He focused on the berry bramble and let his voice ramble.

“Every year.” He agreed. “This land between the towns is common ground. The kids mostly explore close to home, wherever that is. I was restless, so I went farther than most. I was also foraging to help feed four people. I got to know most of the food plants in the area and where they could be found.” Jayne frowned. He hadn’t thought about that in years.

“Did your family farm?” River added berries to the hat and ate some too.

“Yeah,” Jayne nodded. “But not much. We have a couple of acres right near town that produced maybe one cash crop a year, a dozen or so apple trees, pasture for a couple of animals.”

Jayne hardly noticed he was telling her things he normally never mentioned. Besides, if he kept talking he might not notice how she was licking juice off her fingers. ‘Cause it weren’t good to think about sexifying things around the reader.

“Nothing fancy. Pa was a handyman too. Couldn’t nobody fix up the plumbing better. Ma knits up a storm to add to that and plants the back yard with a big vegetable garden.”

Jayne smiled. “We did alright if there weren’t too many bills. Mattie’s medicine was always a drain.”

“Simon should examine Mattie.” River said quietly.

“Do you think he would?” Jayne was startled. He looked directly at her again and lost himself in the depths of her eyes. Not good.

River gave him one of those ‘did you really say that’ looks. “Of course he would. Mal would take him to get better treatment too, if you asked.”

Jayne tore his gaze away. “We couldn’t afford that.”

“Jayne.”

He looked down at his full hat. This was a mistake. All of it. Letting her come along. Stopping for berries like he was a teenager trying to impress a girl. Talking so free and easy about his growing up years. All of it.

“Let’s go.” He handed her the berries and led the horses back to the road. He mounted up and reached down for the hat.

River frowned at him as she handed it to him and climbed onto her own horse.

*

River watched Jayne as they rode silently on. She’d stepped wrongly. Said the wrong thing.

She missed the warm little glow he’d had when he was showing off the berry brambles. This was his home and he’d been proud to show off pieces of it.

The camaraderie was gone now. Almost as if she’d reminded him who she was. Now he’d be wondering why he was letting her come along. Not thoughts she wanted him having.

“Do you really think you could talk Simon into checking Mattie out?” Jayne let her catch up.

“In a heartbeat.” She agreed.

He let their eyes make contact again. “Thank you. I’d like that.”

“He’d do it for you.” River said. Then she thought maybe she’d said too much again.

“Maybe so.” Jayne looked disturbed. “Would you ask anyway?”

“Yes.” She agreed. “I thought you and Simon were friends.”

Jayne’s broad shoulders shrugged. River followed the movement, noting the play of his muscles under his shirt. Mighty fine specimen.

They clattered over a little bridge and the road spilt. Jayne led them along the right-hand fork and in moments a little town was spread out in front of them.

River Read his mood as they came closer and closer to his childhood home. He was marking all the changes. Buildings built and gone, there was more land cleared. There were more people.

They rode into town, onto paved streets. Jayne stopped in front of a two story house, just off the main street. It wasn’t the biggest or best looking, but it was far from the worst.

Jayne dismounted and River followed suit. She tied her reigns to the hitching post and turned to look up at him.

“Here, you hold this.” Jayne nervously handed her the berry filled hat. “Can you tell if anyone’s home?”

River took the hat and closed her eyes, opening her senses. “At least two people.”

Jayne nodded, grimaced and tried to smile. “I’m glad you came. I feel like I want to ride off again.”

River looked solemnly up at him. “Knock on the door, Jayne.”

He nodded and squared his shoulders. He lifted his fist, glanced back down at her and rapped hard on the door.

River wanted to take his hand, but was conscious that would give his mother the wrong impression. That would upset him more. She settled for smiling encouragingly up at him.

She sensed one of the people inside approaching the door and braced herself for the emotional shock.

The door swung open on a tall, plump woman. She peered out into the bright day at them. It was only a moment before she shrieked, both hands held to her face. River winced.

“Michael?” Then she was touching his face and shoulders. “Is it really you?”

“Hi, Ma.” Jayne said lamely, letting her fuss.

“Sue Patrick said you tried to WAVE, but I didn’t think you’d be here.” She wiped at her eyes. “Come in, come in.”

River trailed them into the house. His mother never stopped for breath. She led them into a cluttered, brightly lit kitchen.

“Let me make some tea.” She said, touching Jayne’s face again, as if to make sure he was really there.

River felt more than a little out of place.

“Mattie!” Ma Cobb called from the doorway.

River winced, that was loud.

“Your mother calls you Michael?” She murmured.

Jayne looked down at her uneasily. “Yeah.”

She handed him his hat.

“Ma, we brought in some berries.” He held them up.

“You were always such a thoughtful boy.” His ma took the hat and tumbled the berries out into a big bowl. She rinsed and dried the hat.

“Sit, sit.” She said, pulling out a jar and piling cookies onto a plate. “I just can’t believe you’re here, J Mike.” She crossed to the door to bellow again. “Mattie, get yourself down here.”

“I’m coming, Ma, what…” Then the man caught sight of Jayne. He whooped, which ended in coughing.

Jayne stood and hugged his brother.

Mattie was tall and thin and absolutely gorgeously beautiful. River felt her breath catch in her throat and the color rise in her cheeks. Her mouth went dry and her hands got sweaty.

“Ma, Mattie, I want you to meet my crewmate River.” Jayne gestured towards her and she felt a flash of some emotion she couldn’t identify. “She’s my friend.” He added. That little declaration unnerved her slightly.

River stood from the table, feeling awkward to still be dressed like a bandit.

“It is a great pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” River tried to keep her voice from sounding too uppity but was afraid she had failed.

“I’m on a good ship with good people. I’d like you to meet them all.” Jayne paused. “I’m proud of them.”

The kettle whistled and Ma Cobb started bustling again. “Everybody sit down, let me get some sandwiches too.”

“Ma, relax, please.” Jayne said. “Don’t…”
“Don’t you tell me not to fuss, Jayne Michael.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “It ain’t every day my eldest comes home from space. You just sit there and let me fuss.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jayne said meekly.

“Now, Mattie, get over here and slice up some cheese.” Ma ordered.

Mattie grinned and obeyed. “Hey, blackberries.”

“Hands off those.” Ma said, slapping his hand. “Those are for dessert. Will your crew come for dinner, J Mike?”

“I think they could be talked into it.” Jayne grinned.

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