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She'd become crew during the bank job on Lilac. He was in awe of her abilities at the Maiden Head. He'd pitied her on Miranda, and he'd begun to respect her after she slew the reavers on Mr. Universe's moon. He couldn't, however, remember when she'd become his friend. He did remember the exact day he'd realized though.
Jayne had just finished taking apart Coral and he had all her pieces spread across the dinner table when Mal stormed into the kitchen, Inara hot on his tails. They were bickering again. Jayne would have left just to avoid having to listen to them argue, but he didn't want to leave his girl so he sent a glare towards the oblivious couple and did his best to tune them out while he polished his gun.
He was doing such a good job of ignoring the captain and the companion that he didn't notice River come into the kitchen until she took the seat next to him. When he looked up at her, he saw that she was frowning at the fighting pair.
Knowing that if he thought loud enough she'd be able to pick it up, he imagined himself throttling Mal with one hand while slapping him with the other. When she turned her gaze to him, she was grinning and he found he was grinning right back, enjoying their little inside joke.
"They fight for dominance." River explained.
Jayne grunted his agreement and returned to the steel in front of him.
"They fail to realize that the title of Alpha goes to the dog most capable of protecting the pack, or that the position is already taken."
Wait, was she saying that he was the rightful leader of their little family?
Jayne looked back up at her to see that she's giving him an amused little smile. It takes him a second to realize that she's pointing straight at her own nose.
"Oh, hell no, Crazy!" he yelled as River jumped out of her seat and ran for the cargo bay, giggling.
He failed to notice that his outburst had startled the kitchen's other occupants into silence. He didn't see them tense, fearing another butcher knife incident, or how their fearful shock turns to confusion when they see him, uninjured and grinning, bolt from his chair to chase after their pilot yelling, "I could take ya any time I wanna! Ain't no ruttin' way I'm lower on tha chain a command than any feng le little girls!"