Hours later and after numerous trips back and forth from their bunk to the crates in the cargo bay, Jayne and Tessa had their bunk completely decorated and her things settled in with his. They were exhausted afterward, though.

"Baby, I think we did good," Jayne told his wife as he collapsed into the rocking chair in the bunk and settled her in his lap.

"Me too," she nodded resting her head on his chest and yawning.

"Tired?" he asked and she nodded again then looked up at him.

"Why didn't you think I'd want you to kiss me earlier?" Tessa asked.

"Well, you know I hadn't kissed anyone on the mouth in longer years than you've been alive, baby. I just – I know we've been talking regular for the past couple of months but we still have a lot to learn about each other and I don't wanna rush you into anything you ain't ready for," Jayne explained quietly.

"I'm worried that I'll disappoint you," she admitted looking away and playing with the buttons on his shirt.

"Baby, you couldn't disappoint me," Jayne told her. "I know you ain't been with a man before and sure ain't been married and living with one. We'll just learn each other and take things as they come naturally."

"I want to be your wife in every way, Jayne. It won't feel like we're really married till then," Tessa told him. He nodded slowly and rocked them in the chair for a few moments.

"Bit curious about your husband, huh?" he asked with a teasing tone and she blushed and nodded making him smile. "Well, I'm yours, baby girl. You do with me what you wish."

Tessa smiled and began tracing the logo on his t-shirt absently. After a moment, she asked, "Why does the captain have such a low opinion of you, Jayne?"

"I haven't given him reason not to," he answered. "Look, there's some things about me that only you are ever gonna know. How I am around you and when we're alone – well, that ain't the way I am around everyone else. You can't let people know you, the real you. It's dangerous letting people in that close. I'm gonna do it with you because you're my wife and that's part of being married and I'll do it with our little ones if we have any later on. But Mal and the others here and the folks we meet and do business with only know me as a hard, crude hun dan who only cares about himself and his weapons. It's gonna be dangerous letting folks know how much you mean to me and if I don't let on you're my wife around some people we run into it ain't cause I'm ashamed of you or anything. It's to protect you from them. I've made a lot of enemies over the years and done a lot that I shouldn't have, bad things baby, and any of them people I wronged wouldn't hesitate to hurt you to get back at me. Do you understand?"

"I think so," she nodded slowly then leaned back to study him. He was a handsome man, her husband, she thought. Tessa could tell he was concerned about what she thought of him, though. "Darlin, you did give me some warning about your past before we agreed to do this. I didn't back out then and I'm not going to now. I'm yours now and you're mine. I plan on it staying that way till I die. I also know you have more experience in the big bad verse than I do so I'm relying on you to guide me in situations like you just described. I trust you, Jayne."

He let himself relax at that and silently promised never to lose that trust. Jayne knew a good thing when he had it and Tessa was the most precious he'd ever gotten. It was odd feeling that way about someone he hadn't even sexed yet but it was different with her and he couldn't for the life of him explain how or why it was. His ma hadn't raised him to make light of marriage either. He would honor every vow he'd made to her and protect and care for her with his last breath.

Cupping her cheek in one hand he pulled her closer and kissed her lips gently at first then deepened it as she returned his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. He planned on breaking all the rules he'd made for himself about women for her. Her he would gladly kiss on the mouth and everywhere else for that matter. Rarely did he indulge in using his mouth on whores. You just never knew where they'd been. And as for protection well, he never went bareback with whores and took the male contraceptive pills that Simon got for him too so as to be extra careful. But with his wife he didn't have to worry about any of that. If they had a baby well, marriage and babies tended to go together and he was getting older now. If he wanted to have kids and get to enjoy raising them too then he might better start soon. At the same time, he didn't want to rush Tessa. She was only eighteen after all. It would be nice for it to be just the two of them for a while, too.

When Jayne finally broke their kiss after a few minutes and both were slightly out of breath and flushed he smiled at his young bride and asked, "So how do you like the kissing so far?"

"You're really good at that for someone who says they haven't in years," Tessa pointed out teasingly. He cleared his throat a little looking embarrassed but pleased by her praise. She laughed softly at his expression then brought her hands up to run her fingers through his hair. "Tell me, darlin, what happens after kissing?"

"You sure you're ready for that, baby?" Jayne asked concerned. He wanted to make love to her so bad it was painful but she needed to be sure because once he'd had her then there'd be no keeping his hands off her anymore.

"I told you, I want to be your wife in every way, Jayne," she reminded him. "I'm not a child."

"I know that, believe me but -," he faltered then sighed and asked instead, "Why don't you tell me what you already know about sex and I'll fill in the blanks? Then we'll see where to go from there."

Tessa frowned thoughtfully then told him, "I know it's supposed to hurt my first time, that there could be some blood too. But as to the details and what leads to that part I'm afraid I'm quite ignorant about it. My da and brothers were very protective of me. And Ma said she would have 'the talk' with me when I got married but then that didn't happen because she's not around anymore."

"Okay," he nodded and held her closer rubbing her back soothingly knowing how hard it was for her to talk about her family. "Well, there's kissing, a lot of it and not just on the mouth. I plan to kiss you all over and you're more than welcome to do the same to me. I'm gonna touch you all over too and I want you to touch me wherever and whenever you like. If I do something you don't like then you let me know and I'll stop. You gotta be real honest about that with me, honey. You're not built the same way I am. Men are real easy to please. But women, you need to get warmed up before you can find the same pleasure from it that men do. I'm gonna do right by you and make it good for you but you have to tell me if you don't like something. And if I do anything that you really do like then tell me that too. Mostly it's just instinct, baby, just like the kissing. You just feel your way through it and it'll all come naturally."

They were interrupted then by Mal knocking on the door. Jayne set Tessa on her feet and got up to answer it. The captain smirked evilly at him, "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"No, we just finished decorating and getting her things settled in," he answered making Mal scowl in disappointment. "What'd you need?"

"River wants you to bring your wife up to socialize with everybody else. It appears my Albatross has taken a liking to her," Mal explained with an eye roll. "She keeps going on and on about Tessa being a blessing to you and Serenity. And I need your help stacking the new cargo we just picked up. I know you've been busy this morning but Kaylee and River's been complaining about the weight differ - something - it's not even on both sides of the ship so we're not getting our 'optimal response' or some such from the engines."

"We'll be there in a minute," Jayne told him trying to bite back a laugh. It was always amusing to hear Mal try and pass along River's messages. Mal nodded, closed the hatch then walked off toward the bridge.

Mal eyed his pilot warily as he took a seat in the other chair on the bridge. River knew he was there of course even if she hadn't glanced at him yet. She was plotting courses on the cortex and making notes in her ship log.

"The Captain wonders if I knew the meaning of my comment earlier in response to his thought on corporal punishment," River said after a moment finally looking over at him. She gave him an evil smirk at the flush growing up his neck despite the calmness in his blue eyes and stated, "I knew exactly what I meant and the proposal stands."

"Now, see here, Tross," Mal sputtered indignantly pointing a finger at her. "You can't just go saying things like to men. And how the gorram hell do you even know about that kind of activity?"

River shrugged indifferently and turned back to the controls, "Being a Reader in places like Persephone where deviancy runs rampant makes very little unknown to me about sexual matters. Also, Kaylee and I sometimes watch pornography on the cortex. Kaylee points out the parts that are false and sometimes we laugh at the bad acting but some of it was educational and interesting. Kaylee says she gets good ideas about what to try with Simon from them. There were a few where the woman was being 'spanked' as you suggested earlier. She seemed to enjoy it. I have no doubt you have to skill to achieve a pleasurable response from me should you attempt it, Captain."

Mal honestly had no idea what to say to that. He was seriously going to have a talk with Kaylee. Well, no - no he wasn't. It wouldn't do any good anyhow. The damage was done. His sweet little witch of an Albatross had been corrupted. River watches porn with Kaylee and Jayne is married. Two revelations like those in one day was just a bit too much for Mal. He stood, gave River one last look, then shook his head and walked off to find Simon. He needed something to make the migraine he was getting go away.

River watched him go then grinned to herself. Poor Mal, she thought. He would come around to her way of thinking, though. She was just going to have to go slowly with him. He was attracted to her, though. The blushes and random thoughts he had about her made that apparent ever since Miranda. She just had to get him to see that she was grown up enough for him. And Jayne's wife Tessa being the same age as her helped too. She knew Mal didn't see Tessa as a little girl so he really couldn't use the age thing now. Maybe she should flirt a bit with someone else next time they landed somewhere and test the Captain's capacity for jealousy. Smiling to herself River finished setting the course for Athens then went to see Tessa was settling in.