Leaning back on his chair, Jayne glanced about the room. River sat by his side at the Frye's dining table. The rest of the crew and Kaylee's parents surrounded him, all talking and joking. They had just finished a lavish meal, lavish in that it included real food, none of that protein go se.
"You gonna make an honest woman outta River any time soon Jayne?" Mr. Frye turned a twinkling eye on Jayne. All conversations came to a halt and it appeared that Simon was trying to get water down instead of spewing it across the table.
Jayne tilted his head and answered Kaylee's father gruffly, "Ain't the marryin' type."
River was the only person who didn't look shocked at the goings on. She continued to pick at her fingernails as if nothing had changed.
"You just gonna keep livin' in sin?" Kaylee chided.
"Don't see nothin' wrong with it," Jayne said. "Ya wanna take the bible route maybe you should be talkin' to 'Nara."
Mal started to say something but Inara interrupted him, "Do you have something against marriage?"
Jayne thought on it a bit and replied, "Guess not, just not for me."
"What about River?" Zoë asked. "How's she feel about marriage?" All heads turned to the young woman picking at her finger nails. River's head came up and scanned the faces staring in her direction.
"What was the question?" she asked.
"Marriage good or bad?" Kaylee summed up.
"Never planned on changing my name," River explained, bored of the conversation.
"See," Jayne spoke up. "Who says I need a piece o' paper to tell my girlie I love her. Marryin's for Doc and Kaylee, not for folks like River an' me."
Mal finally inserted his own two cents. "I don't care what ya'll do s'long as ya do your jobs and try not to kill each other."
"Mal, the romantic, thank you for your input," Inara rolled her eyes.