Star in the blackness of space.
Jayne is pure and simple to River.
Together, they become each other.
She is his everything.
He is hers.
Inara and Kaylee marvel at the change in both of them. Think they are sweet together. They beam and defend them to the others.
Both recognize that if those two can get it together and be as happy as they are, maybe there's hope for the rest of the 'verse.
Mal does his best not to have an opinion. Jayne and River are both adults and they'll do what they will, both are stubborn like that.
But it's hard, watching them fall more in love every day, and not saying anything. Not shouting at them that they're fools.
Look what happened to Zoe when she fell in love! He wants to scream at them that it's not worth it. But he doesn't. He just sees Zoe smile softly at them, and he knows it's worth his while to let go and let River and Jayne race towards that mythical horizon.
Zoe will never never admit it, but she thinks Jayne and River look awful pretty together. She'd always considered Jayne… well not ugly, but not pretty. Maybe it was his rancid personality, she just never found Jayne attractive.
But when he sits with River in the common area, listening with eyes closed as she reads stories, Zoe sees it. She gets how they're attracted to each other.
When they both smile and chase each other around the ship or yell full throttle in each other's faces they almost look like movie stars. Passion did this thing to both of them, made them glow from the inside.
River was never more beautiful than when she smiled and kissed Jayne's cheek for a job well done. Jayne was never more handsome than when he grabbed River to him and growled unheard things in her ear.
Zoe remembers that about love, and smiles.
Simon says a prayer everyday, thanking Buddha above for sending Jayne to River.
He didn't always, obviously. In the beginning, Simon cursed and snarled and made inventive death threats that were laughed off.
He'd hated Jayne. Fervently. Hated him for having enough soul to love River as much as he did. Hated him for taking her away, making him move on with his life. He ignored the considerable evidence that Jayne was changing, becoming a better man.
When his birthday rolled around, Simon looked in shock at the small present in front of him, from both Jayne and River. A brand new stethoscope, from his favorite brand of med supplies. It was odd, but he knew the gift came from both of them.
It was hard not to see the man Jayne had become after that. Hard not to see him learning to dance with River in the bay. Hard not to see him helping her learn to cook.
One day he saw them sitting down and discussing the math behind trajectory and the 'perfect shot'. In that moment he was forced to see. And when he finally did, he thanked any power above for sending his sister such happiness.
Jayne thinks maybe the rest of the crew has lost it.
But he doesn't worry on it too fierce. 'Least when they're crazy they let him and River be. He's a mite worried that one day they'll all come to their senses and try to tear them apart.
It's already too late. No one, not Simon, not an Operative, not Mal, not gorram hands of blue themselves could take his River-girl from him. And knowing that gives him a measure of confidence.
He knows someday, somewhere he'll have to fight for her. Because gorgeous and truly amazing things don't just light up your life for free. You gotta hold on for dear life and when the dust settles hope they'll still be there.
Until then, he's gonna take it easy. Gonna hold her close, love her like she deserves. Gonna teach her to make peach cobbler and learn how to waltz for their far off wedding day. Life he leads, he never expected to find someone he could spend said life with.
But then again he didn't really find her, she popped out of a box and there he was, waiting for her. It took him a bit, to realize that he was dodging every other responsibility in his life because… he had one already waiting for him.
It's a hefty thing to be somebody's rock in life. To hold them after knife wielding crazy spells and bullets administered to brainpans. But this is one responsibility he's not gonna dodge.