Yeah, yeah. I know. But I had a great idea for Jayne and, to quote the poet (R. Bradbury), one should treat a good idea like a dog. This story involves Jayne's idea of a jailbreak wherein he, in fact, breaks the jail. Enjoy. Someone. Eventually.

(someday #212)

The Book says, "For our contention is not with flesh and blood but with dominion and authority, with the world-ruling powers of this dark age, with the spirit of evil in things Heavenly." Yeah. Huh. I like the sound of that.

Mal's in the sling and the thinkin's up to me. Three stories up and third cell from the right. Not good. I've been watching him through a scope, rotting in that hole. Don't think he's sat much in the last few hours. Gettin' hanged at dawn 'll have that effect. He wrote a letter and cried some, I think, though I'll never tell.

Can't hardly see him through all that red scrub. It's just so gorram frustrating. Give me a three foot machete and half a day and I'd clear out that scrub for ya pretty as you please. Maybe get him a message or something. I don't know. Wait. Scrub. Red Scrub. Huh.

I found a mining pan and some stout rope. I flattened the pan and scratched a message into the soft tin. No folks were around. No guards patrolling. Nuthin'. Too confident, I guess. I threw the rope up and he laced it around the bars and threw it back. I dog-paddled across the ditch and climbed a scrub tree. I tied one end to the top and started pulling on the other. Just like I thought she started to bend and bend until my feet were spittin' distance from his window. Still not so much as a howlin' dog. Pretty moon though.

"Cap'n. Hey. You sleepin'?"

"Jayne? What are you doing?"

"Bustin' you out, Cap'n."

"Jaaaaayyynne..."

"Shh. Trust me, sir. This is what I do."

"What's your plan?"

"Through the front door. Just, you know, a slightly more vertical approach."

"Jayne."

"What? I got three whole bandoliers and a sack of thermals, Mal. I'm good to go."

"Okay. A- there's a baker's dozen out there if there's a soul, and B- none of them deserve your kind of Christmas visit. Well, maybe one."

"Deserves an awful funny..."

"They're good folk, Jayne. Present circumstances notwithstanding."

"So you'd rather swing than..."

"I'd rather a lot of things. I'd rather not have shot that kid. I'd rather..."

"What?"

"Get back to the ship. You got a woman to look after now."

"That's low, Mal."

"I mean it Jayne. The ship is yours and River's. Zoe won't want her. Figure she'll head to high ground once I'm gone. Besides, you earned her. Just one condition."

"I ain't..."

"Inara...track her down. Ask her...tell her she rides for free as long as she likes... And could you tell her, for me, that I would take it as a kindness if she stuck around awhile... kept meSerenity company... for awhile... Yes. A real kindness... And Jayne?"

"Yeah, Mal?"

"Don't let her die inside. Promise me." That's when the rope slipped.

"You really are unstoppable, aren't you?"

"Nice to see you too."

"How far'd you fly?"

"Coupla hundred meters, I guess. But it's okay. A horse broke my fall."

"A horse?"

"Yup. I know. I figure if that's not a sign I'm fighting now for the Big Man upstairs I don't know what is."

"Comin' back here could give it a run."

"Think nuthin' of it. Listen, I been spying the foundation. Think we gave it a pretty good shake and if we pull out these bars this whole wall might come away. Here though, you're going to have to tie off this knot here. Lost most of the skin on my hands."

Here I showed him my hands wrapped up in a fat kid's shirt I found. Something awful like clowns or unicorns on it. When I twiddled my fingers it seemed a gorram stampede.

"Don't sweat it. Got the emergency vest Simon made for me. Got the wrap on and the painkillers should cut the edge some for another... four hours, I guess. C'mon we gotta go. Folks be stirring soon."

Mal tied the bars off. I tied the other end to the saddle's pommel. (continued...)

( continues...) "Yah!" I said between my teeth and took off. What I forgot to consider though was what would happen to the horse when we ran out of rope goin' full steam. Guess that's what Mal musta been trying to tell me. That dang horse snapped back so hard we purt near did a backflip. I got lucky, like I do, rolled and came up none the worse.

Through the dust and the moonlight I could see Mal just standing there in shock, the whole dang east wall gone, gone, gone. "C'mon," I yelled and he started to say something when the whole quartersection cracked and came raining down. Happened fast. Alarms went up, natch, but it was the early kick of it. Broken dishes and hollering. When you hear boots running together, that's when it's time to go. Cleared Mal out, no sweat. Out cold. Broken wrist. I can brace that on the fly. Legs, Okay. Pat the torso. No bloating or wet gravel. Good good. Have to carry him. Uhuuuufff. Never thought I'd be happy he ain't been eating. Ain't nuthin' but a sack of hay. Time to run.

Let's see. Got four hours of meds left. It's six to Serenity on foot and the ground is broken, tough. Gullies and bogs. Ah well. What was it that pop used to say? Oh yeah.

"All you need is love."

So, I told my friend we're going to start him watching an ep or two a week until the movie comes out, and we're starting this week. I am going to try to watch it with the very straightest of faces so as to not spoil anything, but I'm afraid I may cry like a little girl at first sight of Wash.

We have a fanfic thread. IJS.

And just for clarity's sake, the thread for posting original fanfiction (as opposed to discussing extant fan fiction elsewhere on the web) is Buffista Fic 2: They Said It Couldn't Be Done.

I think he's posting here because his fics have Serenity spoilers. What is the policy for spoilery fic posting?

exaxtly as d. griswold sez. my apologies if i'm faux paxing up the place. really didn't know where else to go since all of these are set after the movie. welcome any and all suggestions.

You could post them offboard and post links to them in the fanfic thread (with spoiler warnings).

OK. I posted a notice over in the fanfic section. Won't bother you folks anymore. Know very little about computers and/or "posting offboard" or "links". email gives me trouble, truth be told. Peace.

Is it just me and my poor memory, or have some sceens had noticable editing since the first preview.

(No, I can't remember any specific examples at this moment.)