So, yeah, not my dinosaurs, just playing with them.

This is a start to an action-y story, but this chapter doesn't have much action. Thanks to Beta Chaz!

Baby Haze

Simon had no clue about River and Jayne.

Mal called it 'baby haze'. Said Simon was so caught up in the baby and not getting enough sleep that he just didn't see anything that didn't have to do with Kaylee or little Fuss.

The baby girl had a beautiful name, Meili, which no one used. By her second day on the ship she was causing a real fuss, so that's what the crew called her. Nobody remembered who called her Fuss first, but the name had stuck.

Kaylee knew about River and Jayne, but she didn't want to be the one to break it to Simon. He was stressed enough.

At three months old Fuss started sleeping through the night. That's when Simon started to come out of baby haze.

Simon walked across the catwalk on his way to the engine room to relieve Kaylee of Fuss. He stopped as he heard something.

Giggle, growl, moan.

Looking around, Simon wondered if he still needed to catch up on sleep. Surely the only people on the ship that made those noises were Kaylee and himself. It had been a while since they had enjoyed each other's company in that way. Maybe he was just imagining things. But then, he heard it again.

Giggle, growl, moan.

Heading down the stairs Simon's head was spinning looking for the source of the noise.

"Wo de ma!" Simon screeched. "What are you doing?"

Jayne had River pinned against the bulkhead, from what Simon could tell he was attacking her neck with his mouth. A picture Simon didn't ever want to see, ever.

"Guess the haze cleared," Jayne whispered to River. "You couldn't tell me he was coming?"

"Distracted," River replied, smiling. "Too many dirty thoughts in your head."

"Before I hit you," Simon started. "Do you want to explain this? Why are you molesting my little sister?" He actually seemed calm. But, River knew the calm came before the storm.

River had purposely avoided this confrontation. The baby haze helped her procrastination, but the time had come to talk. She didn't want to, she knew Jayne just wanted to let Simon hit him and be done with it. But River didn't think it would be done with one punch, and she knew Jayne just wasn't that nice, to just let Simon hit him.

"She might be small," Jayne answered. "But she ain't young if that's what's botherin' ya. River's a grown woman, makin' her own choices. And, she has excellent taste in men."

Anger flowed off Simon in waves; Jayne didn't have to read minds like River to know that. Jayne squared himself, ready for the punch that was sure to come.

But it didn't.

"Don't let me catch you again. It's disgusting," Simon turned and stalked off.

"That was anticlim- anticlimadic…," Jayne searched for the right word and gave up. "That was a let down. Thought I was gonna get to hit 'im. Think he's really okay?"

"Worse than I thought," River answered.

-----

"You knew didn't you?" Simon questioned Kaylee as he entered the engine room. "Why am I the last person to know this important bit of ship's gossip?"

Simon was angry, fuming; he still didn't know why he had left the cargo bay. He just knew he was mad. Kaylee hadn't told him, he was sure she knew, Mal hadn't told him, surely he felt the same as Simon towards River, through the years he had seen that Mal cared about her. How could everyone be okay with this?

"About what?" Kaylee hollered from underneath the engine. "Oh, wait, you mean Jayne and-"

"My innocent baby sister," he finished. "Yeah that's the gossip I am referring to. You approve of this?"

Kaylee pulled herself from the engine and stood in front of Simon. She could see he was shaking with anger. She hoped it wasn't all meant for her. Surely some of it could be aimed at Jayne.

"Um, well, I haven't really thought too much on it," Kaylee stuttered. "I mean, we have been a bit tied up recently. I suppose I should have told you."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Simon reached for Fuss in the bassinet hanging near Kaylee's own hammock. "I'll see you later."

As he left the room Fuss began to cry. If Kaylee had to guess, she would say that the baby knew that her Daddy was upset.

-----

Simon was able to avoid everyone until dinner time. He thought about not going, but he knew Kaylee would drag him, so he went without coaxing.

Not really hungry, Simon didn't eat as much as push his food around. Did River not love him enough to tell him? Did she even care? She hadn't said a word to him during the confrontation earlier. It was just serving to increase his numbing anger. Or was it hurt? Maybe he was hurt…he didn't even know himself.

"Ain't you gonna say sumpin'?" Jayne interrupted Simon's thoughts. "I'm tired of waiting for the other boot to drop. You gonna hit me or are you plannin' some way to kill me in my sleep?"

"Jayne," River begged. "Please, don't."

"He's just starin' at his food like I stole sumpin' from him," Jayne retorted. The whole table had stopped eating and looked between Jayne and River fighting and Simon still staring at his food. "It'd be pitiful if I didn't know he was so pissed."

"I'm fine," Simon looked up from his food and looked Jayne in the eye. "You two appear to be disagreeing about something, but I am fine."

Jayne thought it was a mite creepy the way he was so calm and collected. Simon's eyes were glaring daggers.

"Simon," River whispered. "Your words lie. What can I do?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Simon replied. "It's not as if I can do anything, it's not like I can control you, or make your decisions for you. You don't need me, so I'll just mind my own business."

Pushing back from the table he walked out. Kaylee started to go after him, but then she turned to River.

"You have to fix this," Kaylee bit out. "You should've been upfront 'bout all this."

As she continued out of the room, Mal, Inara, and Zoë just stared at the guilty couple.

Mal spoke first. "Kaylee's right, ya'll better fix this problem. I can't have my crew fighting. Don't work. Get's people killed."

"I thought he would just be mad," River said softly through her tears. "I didn't know he would hate me. His hate is so loud."

"Hey, hey, calm down," Jayne soothed, if Mal had any doubts about Jayne treating River well, they were tossed aside with the picture of Jayne coming out of his chair and kneeling by hers. "Nothin's broken, we can mend it, really. He'll snap outta this. You ain't losin' your brother."

Jayne picked her up and they headed towards his bunk.

"It's odd, the way she makes him act," Inara broke the heavy silence left in the dining room. "It's too bad Simon couldn't see that."

"Man's scared, stressed, and he obviously feels like River abandoned him," Zoë interjected. "He'll surely get over this. But I am feeling a bit guilty."

"Yeah, yeah, I shoulda told him," Mal admitted sarcastically. "I got it, you ladies telling me I was wrong not to tell Simon when I first had an inkling. I gotta get me some more men folk on this boat to be on my side."

Inara and Zoë smiled as Mal trudged off to the bridge.

-----

Simon tossed and turned. He couldn't get comfortable. Knowing he should be asleep wasn't helping either. It was new for Fuss to sleep through the night and he should be taking advantage, but every time he closed his eyes he saw it.

Jayne pushing River against the bulkhead. Moaning, the sounds of Jayne kissing her neck, he could see him kissing her shoulder, hiking her skirt up. River's eyes dark and then she turned, looked right at Simon.

"I choose him over you." A cruel sort of laugh escaped her lips.

Eyes wide open, he turned again. Cold sweat covered his body and he was glad he didn't scream. It would have woken Fuss.

Was that the problem? Did he harbor some sort of Ophelia complex? He felt the bile rise in his throat, no that couldn't be it. He loved Kaylee. No, more likely it was that he didn't feel needed anymore by River.

Giving up his whole life, Simon just assumed he would always be the center of River's universe. Even though his focus had changed, he never thought hers would change.

-----

Jayne sat on his bed, back against the bulkhead, dozing. River stirred and it startled him out of his light sleep. She had gotten herself wrapped up and trapped in the blanket and was struggling to break free.

"I didn't mean it. I didn't pick anyone, Simon! Don't! He's good, don't!" she was shrieking. It was odd how her sleep talking was more easily understood than her thoughts when awake.

Jayne pulled River to him, shushing her and trying his best to console her.

It had been a long time since she woke like this. Years really. When she started to come to his bunk, after Simon and Kaylee were married, she would wake screaming, or mumbling scary things. When it happened he would just pull her closer to him and keep sleeping. The nightmares never bothered him; he didn't care much for her then. Now, it hurt to see her in so much pain.