Jayne, still thinking he has the run of the ship kicks back and puts it on autopilot. Mal, sneaking up the stairs, seriously considers his next move. Some how he had to get his ship back from Jayne. Kaylee already knew what to do, she bounded up the stairs and right into the cockpit. "Hiya, Jayne." She joyfully announced "Everything shinny here?'
Jayne startled from his sleep fell out of the pilot seat. "Wh? Whose there?"
Kaylee giggled, thinking that Jayne looked pretty good on his back. "Just us Jayne. Thanks for keeping Serenity girl all safe from them reavers."
Normally Jayne would be gorram ruttin mad at being awaken like but Kaylee was just so cute he let it go. Wait! Kaylee? No one was supposed to be on the ship. "What the hell are you doing here? Are you some kind of dream?"
"No, silly, we have been here the whole time. We hid in the smugglers hold. You wouldn't wake up so we left your ass in bed."
"Let me for the gorram reavers huh? Should have opened up the back door and let you all float out into space." Jayne snarled.
Mal, who had just entered the small forward cab, gives Jayne a look that clearly says 'I'm the caption here.' He adds, " Thanks for saving the ship, we are indebted to you." That seams to pacify Jayne for the moment. Even though he storms out, there is a huge grin plastered on his face.
Wash, his back against the wall to allow Jayne through, breaths a sigh of relief at seeing his dinos all safe and sound. "It's alright baby, daddies home. I will not let the big bad man touch you again." He kisses the steering column. Zoë rolls her eyes from the hallway.
'Nara runs into Jayne on her way to pod 1 and stops to thank him for saving all their lives. "Jayne, you were a hero today, don't forget that." She reaches for his face with one of her graceful hands. "You were scared, we all know nothing scares you more than reavers." Her hand falls short as her eyes take in Jayne's sudden mood change.
"You're gorram right. Them reavers coulda killt us all. I ain't never wanna deal with them again." He turns away quickly and heads away from her. Grin wiped from his face at the mention of reavers. "I gotta go to my bunk." Jayne says as way of an excuse.
Kaylee hears this exchange and wants nothing more then to comfort the big merc anyway she can. Wait, she thinks, this is Jayne I'm sittin here moonin over. Am I that quick to stop thinking on Simon? What's wrong with me? I need to go check out the engine, everything makes sense in there.
All Jayne wants to do is make it back to his bunk, why can't any of them get that. Almost there he runs into the crazy chick and her blundering doctor of a brother.
"Hi Jayne," says River. "We just played some hide and seek. You weren't there, did they find you?"
It takes all his remaining control not to hall off and punch Simon in the face for not controlling the girl. "I just got to go to my bunk is all." He says purposefully. "I'll talk to you guys later."
Simon watches him careened down the hall in slip into his bunk, a worry line creasing his forehead. "That man has hitherto unknown depths," he says to his sisters questioning face.
"No, he is just scared," the ever poignant River responds.
Simon looks at River like she is a little girl misunderstanding the situation. River just smiles and sings a little song to herself as she wanders away.
The engine of Serenity turns silently and in full working order, Kaylee looks on with a smile at her handiwork. Yep, just what she needed, a little time with her baby and the spanners. Lucky the reavers didn't try to touch her baby. That reminded her of who saved the ship from them evil gorram things. Jayne, that tall drink of water playing with his guns right about now. The man who faced his own fears of reavers to save the ship and, even if he didn't know it at the time, the crew as well. There must be something she could do for him.
Jayne alone in his bunk sits on his bed and pulls out Vera and the rest of his arsenal as well as everything he needs to clean them. Even though he cleaned them last night before he went to bed he pulls up a chair and lays them out lovingly and begins with the smallest working his way up, cleaning his weapons helps him calm down and focus. They had a job to do and being only a day away from Persephone and Badger he was going to need all the focus in the world. It was a dangerous load they were hauling and that morning brush with the reavers sure didn't help his nerves none.
The ship continues its dark trek to Persephone. All is well for Caption Mal and his motley crew of survivors.