Title: The Plan

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Just for the end of the series, none for the movie.

Distribution: My site - Worlds of Possibilities, Twisting the Hellmouth, and ff.net Ask for permission please.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters. Amazingly enough, they all belong to the genius that is Joss Whedon.

Summary: Buffy has her eyes set on something she wants and she has a plan on how to get it. One that requires Jayne’s help. But is he willing to risk death to help her?

A/N: Just a piece of fluff I’ve written as a get well present for Sita. Hope you get well soon, hon!

A/N2: Just picture Buffy staying in the passenger set of rooms, not the crew’s normal quarters.

“Ain’t no ruttin’ way. Yer crazy.”

“Please Jayne,” Buffy said, batting her eyes up at the larger man. “I’d owe you big time.”

“Damn right you would,” Jayne said, looking away from her. He had quickly learned how effective her pout was. “I told Mal when you joined us that you’d be trouble.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “You say that about everybody.”

“An’ I’m usually right.”

“But Jayne...”

“But nuthin’. This is a good way to gettin’ me killed, or worse. No tellin’ what he’ll do in a jealous fit.”

She sidled up to him and ran one hand lightly up his arm. “But wouldn’t it be fun seeing him all riled up like that?”

Jayne snorted. “Maybe.”

“And you know you’ll enjoy the other part,” she said softly. She knew he had been attracted to her from the moment he had set eyes on her. He kept his distance because she had kicked his ass the first time he tried anything.

He risked looking down at her. “There ain’t no doubt about that part.”

She flashed him her full force pout. “So you’ll do it?”

“It’s against my better judgment, but sure,” he said with a grin. Inside he was worried that Buffy’s plan would end up with him dead. But what a way to go.

**********

Mal was on his way to the cargo hold when he heard strange moans emanating from Buffy’s room. He also noticed that her door was partially open. Now Mal wasn’t the type to eavesdrop or play peeping tom on his crew. However, he was the captain and his concern about the well being of his crew overrode any sense of manners. If Buffy was sick, he needed to tell the Doc.

With that thought in mind, he poked his head in. His jaw dropped as he took in the surprising sight.

Buffy was shirtless and lying facedown on her bunk. Jayne was sitting next to her, running his hands over her bare back. Both of them were facing away from the door.

“Oh god that feels good,” Buffy groaned. “I swear Jayne, you have a magic touch.”

“Just don’t go fallin’ asleep on me like last time,” he grumbled. “Don’t forget I’m next.”

“I’ll take care of you,” she purred.

Mal gaped at them for another moment before turning around and heading back where he came from. He mindlessly collapsed in a chair in the dining area causing Zoë to look at him in concern.

“Somethin’ wrong with the cargo?”

“I never got that far,” he replied.

Zoë frowned. “Then what happened?”

“When did... How did... They were...” Mall stuttered, looking completely flustered.

“Sir, I’d be able to help ya if’n you’d at least finish a sentence.”

“Buffy and, and Jayne.”

“What about them?”

“I saw them. Together.”

“Happens on occasion. They do work out together,” she said with a smirk. “The crew is fairly small and we do end up in pairs on occasion. See, the two of us are alone together. I don’t see why you’re so worked up over it.”

“No. They were together as in together,” Mal stressed.

“Oh, that kind of together. I still don’t see the problem.”

“It’s Jayne! And, and Buffy! Together!”

“Yes, sir. We’ve established the together part.”
“But she’s so... and he’s so...”

“They’re both adults,” she pointed out with a laugh. “Now I’m gonna check on the cargo.”

*********

A few days later, Mal was on his way to the bridge when he had another chance encounter with the strange couple. In the common area outside of the infirmary, Buffy and Jayne were taking a nap on one of the sofas. There was nothing strange in that fact, except that the two were cuddling.

His chest constricted as he stopped and studied the pair. Buffy’s normally small frame was nearly dwarfed by Jayne’s larger one. Yet, she was nicely nestled against him. Jayne seemed to hover almost protectively over her, as he gently held her.

Shaking his head in confusion, he continued on his way. Once he made it to the bridge, he nonchalantly leaned against a console and looked out through the windows into the quiet darkness of space.

“Wash, you keep up with the gossip don’t ya?” He asked after a moment.

“Sometimes,” the pilot admitted. “Why?”

“What do you know about Buffy and Jayne?”
“Oh, that,” Wash said, bobbing his head slightly.

“What do you mean, oh that?”

“Zoë mentioned you had finally found out.”

“That’s the prob.. What do you mean, finally?”

“They’ve been together for a while, Mal.”

He frowned. “And everyone else knew?”

“Kind of hard to miss it,” Wash said with a snort.

“Always the last to know,” Mal muttered. Louder, he said, “And no one finds this the least bit odd?”

“Not really. They’re both into that violence thing and the chemistry is just there,” Wash explained, shrugging his shoulders.

“Is that so?... Huh.”

*********

“See, you’re not dead yet,” Buffy teased Jayne as they hid in what used to be Inara’s shuttle.

“Yeah, but we ain’t done nothin’ overt yet,” he reminded her. “I’m just serprised you got the rest of the crew to go along with this crazy ass scheme of yers.”

“The unresolved sexual tension has been making him cranky and it makes everyone else cranky. They’re doing this for his own good,” she said innocently.

“More likely you bribed ‘em.”

“So what?”

He sighed. “Not that I haven’t enjoyed my role in all of this,” he leered. Her only response was to roll her eyes at him. “But what’s the next step?”

“Well, we’ve definitely got him off-balance. I think it’s time to knock him completely over so he’ll take the next step.”

“What did you have in mind?” He asked in slight trepidation.

“Oh, I think you’re gonna like this.”

***********

Mal paused his work in a corner of the cargo hold when he heard Buffy’s twinkling laughter above him. He looked up to see Jayne chasing her across the walkways.

Buffy briefly let the larger man catch her and she pulled him down into what appeared to be a searing kiss. Then she ducked under his arm and took off running, once again down the stairs. Jayne laughed and ran after her. A few moments later, they were gone and Mal was once again alone.

Alone.

That’s definitely what he was. Inara had left him alone. Granted, they had never actually been together, but the attraction had always been there. Then Buffy had entered his life and his crew. She had been the sunshine he hadn’t even known was missing from his life.

Now she had left him, too. Oh, not left as in the sense of leaving, but left him for another. Not that he had declared his interest, but he had thought it was widely known just like it had been with Inara.

Mal knew that he should be glad that Buffy was so happy, but he couldn’t when his own heart was breaking. He was so lost in his thoughts that he never noticed Kaylee come up and sit next to him.

“Kind of cute ain’t they?” She asked with a dreamy look.

“Not really,” he replied before even realizing it.

“Why’s that?”

“No reason,” he said, making move to leave.

She reached out and stopped him. “No, there’s gotta be a reason why you said that.”

Mal sighed. He knew Kaylee wouldn’t leave it alone until he explained himself. “’Cause he ain’t right for her. She deserves better than any hwoon dahn off the street. She deserves better than any of us can offer.”

“I don’t know. I think that’s kind of her decision,” Kaylee said. “And sometimes you’d be surprised what a girl would settle for when other parties ain’t cooperatin’.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kaylee smiled and stood to leave. Before she left the cargo hold, she stopped and turned. “It means that he heart goes all fluttery for someone else, but he’s bein’ a wang bao dahn so she decided to look elsewheres.” Then she was gone.

Mal stared after her in shock. Did that statement mean what it sounded like? Did Buffy really like him but got tired of waiting? But what if it was too late?

“It’s not.”

He looked up to see River staring at him with her serious eyes. “What?”

“Not too late. Just tell her.”

“Now listen here,” he began.

“She’s waiting for you. Go.”

“But.”

“Go,” she said, giving him a light shove.

He scowled, but followed her orders.

**********

Buffy smiled to herself as she recognized Mal’s angry steps striding towards her room. She quickly removed it and feigned deep interest in the book in her hands. It was one of the few things she had been able to grab before the PTB had tossed her into this world without another thought or care.

Mal stormed into her room and slid the door shut with a bang behind him. He paced in her small room for several moments as she continued to read. He finally stopped right in front of her and looked down at her prone form. “You and I need to have a little talk missy.”

She only raised her eyes to look at him. “About what?”

“About... Well, about things.”

“Oh, things. That clears everything up,” she said dryly, returning her attention to her book.

“Gorram it, girl,” he said, yanking the book out of her hands. “I want to talk.”

“I’m not a girl,” she said coldly.

He sighed. This wasn’t going smooth at all. That seemed to be the story of his life. Changing tactics he said, “Musta had a lotta money to ‘ford a book.”

“Not really,” she said, taking the book back from him and setting it on the table.

“You ever gonna tell us about your past?” He asked, not for the first time since she had come onboard his ship.

“Depends,” she replied, sitting up.

“On what?”

“You,” she said, looking him straight in the eye.

Mal swallowed. Hard. He had faced down a lot of intense stares over the years. Nothin’ prepared him for the weight of hers. She was challenging him. She knew exactly what brought him to her quarters, but was going to force his hand. He balked at that, but he knew they couldn’t continue on like this.

“Why Jayne?” He finally asked.

“My only option on this ship. Simon and Wash are spoken for. Well, Simon and Kaylee may not be official yet, but they will be once he gets his head out of his ass. Book is obviously off-limits. So that left Jayne. Plus, he’s fun.”

“Fun?”

“Yes, fun.”

“But...”

“But what?” She asked wearily.

He found himself at a loss of words. He had no real argument, save one.

Mal grabbed her arms and pulled her up to him. Before she could protest, he crushed his lips to hers. She gasped in surprise and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her warm depths. Her body tensed for the briefest second and then she melted into him.

She wrapped her arms around him as the kiss deepened in intensity. His hands slipped under her shirt and she arched into his heated touch.

When they broke for air, he huskily whispered in her ear, “So you and Jayne?”

“Were never together.”

He pulled back slightly to gape at her.

“Please, Jayne is nice and all...”

“Nice?” He said, shooting her an incredulous look. “We are talking about Jayne Cobb here.”

“He’s actually quite sweet. But he’s not you,” she said, almost shyly.

“Well, you don’t have to worry none about that. I’d say you’ve got me snared quite neatly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why are we wasting time talking?” She asked, pulling him back to her for another searing kiss.

hwoon dahn - Son of a bitch

wang bao dahn - Dirty bastard