Everything seemed focused around the fire on nights like these.
This story was inspired by episode three 'Our Mrs. Reynolds,' and Jayne's response near the beginning of the episode when Mal asked him if he remembered him getting married the night before. Jayne's response was "Well I don't know I passed out."
A light dust lifted off the ground; it seemed all the people of this town were out tonight either talking or dancing, everyone circling the fire. The only other light was from the lamps hanging off the edge of the buildings here, buildings that River had never seen growing up on Osiris the kind that only existed in rustic towns out in the country.
The men were wearing hats and the all women in long skirts and bonnets. She'd snuck out of her bunk after Simon had gone to bed, silly Simon, thought she'd sleep through the night because of his drugs. Sometimes they helped. Mostly they'd just drown her deep in her head leaving her awake if she was lucky, other times they'd imprison her in the nightmares of her sleep.
When River focused on Jayne, she could clear her mind a bit. She'd stolen the bonnet Mal had used on the job earlier that day. Everyone who wasn't asleep was off ship here at the celebration; she didn't want to let the nightmares take her so she had to find him. Just watching Jayne or being near him helped sometimes to keep the nightmares away, she wasn't sure why he was the one who made her feel better, but he did.
No one saw her slip off Serenity, her feet hitting the dirt on this simple planet for the first time. She found a spot at one of the picnic tables placed back from most of the festivities. Everything here seemed circled around the fire. She could watch him from this spot and as her head got heavier she just rested it against the wood of the table keeping her out of sight as her eyes focused on Jayne her mind on his thoughts.
Jayne was wearing her favorite shirt, the one the rest of the crew called his whoring shirt it was dark with a collar and light vertical stripes. He was usually happy when he had the occasion to wear it and tonight he'd evened dressed it up a bit with a black vest. River giggled at the fact Simon had a vest just like it and whenever he wore it Jayne would make fun of him.
Mal was sitting next to him listening as Jayne shared the story of his 'rain stick' with him. She smiled as she gleamed part of an earlier conversation from Jayne's mind, "the rain is scarce it comes only when needed most such it is with men like you." The elder man had told him that and she grinned deeper. On Serenity when she was having trouble fighting off sleep she'd wander around the ship usually ending up in the open space of the cargo bay. On the really bad nights, when the need to stay awake was the strongest Jayne would come in to work out he didn't know she was there but she would watch him and be able to keep fighting.
River kept watching him in the fire light. Jayne was talking to Mal they were both smiling and drinking from bowls a substance that seemed almost as good as Kaylee's inter-engine brew at making everyone feel lighter and freer with their thoughts.
Then she sensed it suddenly, one woman's thoughts weren't light they were heavy, heavy and dark. She was full of malice and would bring trouble to Serenity. River didn't want the bad thoughts bringing on her nightmares so she tried to push the woman's thoughts away with her mind focusing on Jayne as he got up to dance with a pretty girl around the fire.
Time had passed. Jayne's thoughts were still on the woman he'd danced with, he had plans of sexing her, but River knew he wouldn't get the chance tonight. A little while later the woman left, dragged away by her sister's family and Jayne pulled out a cigar to smoke as his other plans for the evening disappeared into one of the buildings.
Most of the town had gone to bed and most of Serenity too the night had quieted since the music from the banjo had stopped a while back. Just Jayne and a few young couples still circled the fire. River could tell his mind wasn't going to be awake much longer.
He'd soon pass out and allow her to help him up and let her touch him as she led him back to Serenity and his bunk. He'd throw insults and accusations at her for being off ship and for bothering him, for not leaving him alone when he was trying to sleep. But his harsh words never had much weight to them on nights like these.
When she made her way to her own bunk he'd always be deep in dreams and she could slip into his instead of drowning in her own. Then in the morning he would only remember passing out, he wouldn't remember returning to the ship or having a crazy genius in his dreams.