Jayne was almost surprised that the bottle didn't break as he slammed it down on the-what had Simon called the thing? Oh, right-coffee table. He folded himself onto the newly fixed up lounge seat and found himself glaring at the opposing bulkhead. This whole world didn' make no sense. Since when did Mal treat him with-had that been kindness? Kaylee teared up ev'ry time she saw him an' Simon just shook his head. The whole place had gone upside down.

Made a man question his sanity, it did. Weren't no surprise he'd had to get a drink. Or two. Or ten. Alcohol was normal. Pro-duced the same e-ffects. He gorram deserved it after all.

He was sick an'-

"You're tired," the cool calm voice that had become such a-such a pest-il-ence in the last few days interrupted his own gorram sulk.

"Go 'way, gorrammit! Can't'cha see I jes' wan' get drunk? All quiet-like?"

"You seem to have done an excellent job fulfilling your desires so far," River spoke quietly and he glared at her.

"Yeah an' it'd be even more better if'n you'd go away."

"Crew is off-kilter. Jayne's role in the family has been cemented but no one else knows what to do. Look to you for normality." River's voice gained the moonbrain quality it still sometimes had.

"Ain't no one I have to look out for. Ain't dependent on no one and no one dependent on me." Jayne shifted, uncomfortable with the conversation in-spite of his drunk-ness.

"Wrong. You are the steel pole, unmovable. Others look to you as a checkpoint when they are lost in the ocean."

"Am I s'pos'ta do? Carry 'em 'round like dolls?" Jayne growled glaring at the girl.

"Chances of survival if you tried that with Mal or Zoe are slim to none. She recommends getting drunk and picking a fight with Mal. Nothing serious as you shouldn't get kicked off Serenity."

Jayne felt a tremor shoot through his chest. It burbled up in his throat, escaping in a snicker.

River smiled back at him, floating around to sit next to him. As he sat there, he nodded. Fighting with mal was somethin' he'd always done. Could do easily enough if it gave the rest of them normality back.

"You're tired. You should go to bed."

Jayne hid the yawn that had been about to escape. Un-fortunate-ly River had his hand and had tugged him up. Since when did he allow little crazy girls to touch him? He staggered into her but the moon brain didn't even waver an' somehow his arm was 'round her shoulders and she was guiding him to his bunk. He wondered idly how he'd even gotten into this situation. He must be drunker 'n he thought.

"M'bottle, yeh stole it, ya gorram moonbrain," he glared down at her, clinging to the top rail of the ladder into his bunk.

"No, you left it on the table. I shall retrieve it for you as you make your way into your bunk." River's cool voice cut through his fogged up brain and he narrowed his eyes at her. They almost closed and he yanked them back open. And yet, he found himself getting into his bunk, actually doing something the moonbrain told him to. Life couldn't possibly get odder.