Jayne's Girl

It was the middle of the night. Most of the crew was asleep with the exception of little River Tam and Jayne Cobb whom had made the way to the bridge to watch the stars. She looked up and out of the thickened glass separating her from nothingness. She smiles, and it's a beautiful sight. Her eyes hold reflections of the thousands of small glints that carry away her worries and memories.

She sits and she stares. The lights on the consoles and HUDs had been turned off using a small switch that Kaylee had rigged for River's birthday a few days ago. It was a simple gift so that the bridge would become a slice of Serenity where any crew member could look up at the stars and make a wish. A pitch black void of the black and the one ship that could get them anywhere made the sights even more majestic and achievable. "Any one." River said, in a small whisper to herself.

"Hell, I'd head to that one and that one too. They're just so far though." Jayne said with a small hiccup.

His fingerless gloves that gave him the mercenary look, wrapped around a large wooden cup filled about half way with a dark and brownish liquid. He takes a small sip, and scrunches his face. River didn't blink.

"I can see myself on all of them. I want to see every one of them up close, you know? Sit on them, like this… and look at the other ones, from different angles." River replied without breaking eye contact with the void.

"You know, you're not that bad. Lots of coin hanging over your head, but damn little girl – you continue to amaze m—"

"I could care less about the thousands of thoughts in your head right now." River interrupted.

"It's the space in between them all that rattles them. It's the nothingness that compares to the sights of sound, and thoughts. It's …. Perfect." She continued.

"Nothing's ever perfect." Jayne said, taking another drink.

The two of them sat far from each other, taking each pilot seat on each side of the bridge. The plastic dinosaurs of Wash's sat still and peacefully on the darkened console beside Jayne. The three magic switches gleamed in the starlight, as our hero of Canton took another swig to wash down the prior. The young and talented girl, River, sat with her knees to her chest on the furry bolted co-pilot chair on the left side, looking out and far into the black.

River slowly stood up from her seat and began walking towards the stairs between the two consoles. "You know, Cobb. You aint that bad either."