Paper Planes - Chapter One - Apple

Jayne unscrewed another screw and placed it beside the others. It was the last one, and he gently took the front off the speaker, placing it down beside the other parts and looking at the wires, he saw the problem.

''Damn… Kaylee!'' he yelled, hoping for the shout to reach the mechanic's ears.

He heard footsteps in boots and then Kaylee appeared in the mess doorway. She had her usual coveralls on and her hair was tied haphazardly up in a bun with some strands of hair escaping, framing her face. Jayne paused in what he was about to say when he saw the frown covering the mechanics usually very cheery face. Taking a longer look, he saw that her eyes were glassy.

''Yeah, Jayne?'' she asked, trying to smile at him.

Jayne put the screwdriver down and crossed his arms. ''What's he done now?''

Kaylee shook her head and opened her mouth to speak but Jayne cut across her. ''Y'know Kaylee, ever since you two been together, he ain't been nothing but a hundan.'' He growled at the end and motioned for her to sit down. ''So I know it ain't nothin'''

He didn't expect Kaylee to burst into tears right in front of him whilst she planted herself in his lap and buried her face in his t-shirt. Apparently he was a teddy bear, now. Although for any of the girls (except Zoe, you wouldn't find her cryin') it was fine being a teddy bear.

''Kaylee, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong'' Jayne said gruffly.

Kaylee lifted her head, tear tracks staining her usually perky face. She sighed and looked down.

''He told me we should take a break for a while''

''Like off ship?''

Kaylee looked up, another tear falling from her eye. ''That's what I thought at first too'' she sniffled. ''But he meant… a break from our relationship''

''Why the hell would he want to do that?'' Jayne asked her, feeling his anger rising.

''Probably lots of reason he ain't even said-''

''Kaylee, we've had this conversation. He ain't too good for you; you're too good for him. He can't see that, he's more feng le than his sister''

''River's been doin' much better lately! She ain't stabbed no one in near 6 months now-''

''Kaylee, back to the point: Why'd he wanna 'take a break'?'' he interrupted her.

Kaylee sighed again. ''He said that he needed to focus on River right now, that he was close to finding the perfect… mix of medicines or some such. He said if I could just wait then-''

''Hold on, he broke up with you, but then told you that you should wait for him?'' Jayne asked incredulously.

Kaylee nodded. Jayne opened his mouth a few times, looking for words. ''I'm gonna kill him'' he went to stand up, but Kaylee held him down with her weight.

''No, you know I don't like nobody on Serenity gettin' hurt, and that includes Simon, no matter how much of a pi gu he's bein''' she told him, hands on his shoulders.

Jayne growled, then a new look crossed his face. ''Wait, did you just admit to Simon being an ass?''

Kaylee blushed. ''Maybe I jus' realized he ain't as good as I thought he was. By a long shot'' she added, smiling.

Jayne grinned. ''Right, well, now that my geniusness got a smile outta you, I need your usual cheerful expert help'' he grinned and pointed to the speakers and small rectangular piece of technology on the table.

Kaylee turned and near jumped out of Jayne's lap as she squealed and grinned at him.

''Jayne! Where'd you get that? That's from Earth-that-was, that is!'' she sat back down in the chair beside him.

He smiled again and picked up the screwdriver, twirling it around in his fingers.

''Crazy wanted some books while we were out, so I took her to a bookstore, but apparently the books weren't old enough. So, I took her to an antique shop; had practically everything. Saw this whiles I was waitin' for her. Guy in charge didn't know how much it was worth. Crazy was too busy mumbling about how the books didn't have enough hair…'' he snorted ''and you said she was gettin' better'' he laughed when Kaylee playfully hit him.

She leaned forward and started fiddling with the wires inside the speakers whilst Jayne picked up the rectangular device. He turned it around in his hands.

''iPod'' he said quietly.

Kaylee turned to him ''.What?'' she asked.

''It's an iPod'' he told her, showing her the writing on the back.

She smiled. ''Heard of them; aren't many left. Does it work?''

''Yeah, but it runs on electricity. Plug these speakers into the ship, then get this white cable, plug it in the speakers then the iPod, it'll charge it''

Kaylee smiled. ''Well, how about I take the speakers up there and fix them, you can come with me and plug it in''

Jayne nodded. ''I'll need to go get the cable, it's in my bunk. Meet ya on the bridge.''

Kaylee nodded then shouted after him; ''what if Rivers there!''

She heard a distant shout back of: ''Chuck her out!'' and laughed.

Luckily, she didn't have to throw anyone out of the bridge and sat down in the co pilot seat, putting the speakers on the panels in front of her and fiddling with the wires.

Jayne walked in, seeing the only seat available was Wash's old seat. River had insisted it be repaired. Mal, River and Zoe tended to sit in it, they were mainly the people on the bridge, but Jayne thought of Wash as autopilot, as if he was still in the chair when no one else was. So; he sat on the floor beside Kaylee.

Kaylee didn't ask him what he was doing; she'd seen him avoid Wash's chair before. She kept tampering with the cables inside the speakers, enjoying the work.

Jayne plugged the cable into the iPod and cortex, watching as a picture of an apple appeared on the front. He smirked at the cool technology and looked up at Kaylee from his position on the floor beside her.

''Feeling any better?''

Kaylee paused in her work and looked at him. ''Y'know, I'd actually forgotten it'd happened till you mentioned it'' she told him.

''Sorry'' Jayne frowned.

Kaylee laughed and sat down beside him on the floor. She bumped shoulders with him. ''I didn't mean it like that. I just wasn't thinkin' on it. It's fine Jayne. It was all your doin' that I forgot anyway'' she smiled sweetly at him.

He smiled back faintly. Kaylee reached for the speakers and set them in her lap, fiddling with them again. It was silent on the bridge for a few moments, both of them peacefully sitting with each other. Then it was interrupted.

''HOOP BALL!'' they heard Mal shout all the way from the cargo bay.

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