AUTHOR'S NOTE: I originally posted this story in 2006 and am reposting now that I have an account here. Enjoy!
Out in the black, a man didn't much know where his next meal was coming from, much less where he was going to be in a year, or two years, or five years, if he lasted that long. Jayne had liked it that way. He'd never been one to get bogged down by things or commitments. It got in the way of fun. Going where he wanted, doing what he pleased, whomever he pleased—well, if she'd have him, anyhow—that was fun. That was adventure. That's what got his blood pumping in the morning and kept him alert, on edge, ready for action.
He wasn't sure, exactly, when that attitude had changed.
It might have started when he'd first met Kaylee. She was a young thing unlike any other he'd known, with greasy smudges on her round face and more cheer than a bright and sunny day. He'd only recently told her, but he'd had a powerful hard time not propositioning her those first few weeks, she'd got him all heated up and he didn't know why.
It might have been the day Mal had made him help her repair the engine, and she'd lost her cool with him for his bad attitude. It'd been the first time he'd seen her lose her composure, and instead of feelin' all powerful-like, he'd felt remorseful.
It might have been the day she'd cried to him about Simon, wondering if the dullard doctor would ever take notice of her. Well, she hadn't said he was a dullard—Jayne just liked supplying the missing terms. He'd given her an awkward pat on the back, said some rude things about men who had more hair on their head than their back, and that had somehow made her feel better.
It might have been the day she'd kissed him to thank him for finding her some much-needed engine parts, and that kiss had led to much more than just kissin'.
It might have been the day Cassandra had been born. She was a wriggling, red-skinned mess, hollerin' up a storm like there weren't gonna be a tomorrow, and her mama couldn't have been more proud, and Jayne had wondered if it were possible for a man to walk on air for real.
It might have been a day just like today, with blue skies overhead and billowy white clouds floating lazily in the air, with a cool breeze rustling the grass. The kind of day that was perfect for changin' one's life for good.
Kaylee was beautiful in her white lace dress and translucent veil, round and radiant with their second child growing inside her, as Mal escorted her down the makeshift aisle to where Jayne was waiting in the uncomfortable suit she'd insisted he wear. Off to the side, Zoe held Cassandra, whose little face was so much like her mother's, shadowed by Wash, and Inara linked her arm through Simon's as River stared in awe at Mal, in fresh-pressed clothes for the first time in a long time.
When Kaylee finally reached him and put her hands in his, he thought his heart would pound itself right out of his chest, and Shepherd Book began the age-old ritual: "Dearly beloved...."
"Are you ready for this?" she whispered with shining eyes.
"Girl," he replied with a feisty grin, "I been ready longer than you can ever know."