Chapter 2

Jayne had spent the day working with the Alliance repair folks to fix the obvious structural damage to Serenity. The engine stuff would have to wait until Kaylee was able to be there to handle the workmen since Jayne didn't know a ruttin' thing about that and he figured Mal would pretty much shoot him on sight if he found out Jayne had let the Alliance folks do things to his ship without knowing what was what. Last he'd heard Mal was still out most of the time so it'd probably be up to Zoe if she were in any shape to make decisions.

He shut the ramp behind the last of the workers and headed for the galley.

Inara had spent part of the day on the wave with her Guild after taking the shuttle up to check on the rest of the crew.

She dished up the food she had prepared and then headed for her room. She had thought she made it out of the galley without Jayne noticing that she hadn't eaten but about thirty minutes later he was standing in the doorway of her bunk with a plate of food.

He handed her the plate. "I'm like as to stand here all night less you eat some. I know you ain't had anything to eat all day."

"I ate some on the medship. I'm really not hungry now."

Jayne had learned to fight these sort of battles from his ma. Not that he had ever won but he'd eventually gotten to where he could give her a run for her money. "I got time, me and Cra-River done ate and I washed up. And you're lyin' about eating earlier." He put the plate on her night stand and leaned against the door jam, arms across his chest.

He began telling her everything he had done that day in excruciating detail. First she began to get angry, by about fifteen minutes into the description of the day(approximately 10am) she had moved into furious. For some reason she wasn't able to bring herself to outright scream at him, but it didn't honestly strike her as an effective strategy anyway. She thought of attacking him but for obvious reasons that wasn't exactly plan A. She even thought of trying to shame him into leaving by undressing to change clothes. She'd actually started to unbutton her dress when she realized exactly who she was trying to embarrass by stripping.

She looked up at the pause in his story to find him smirking at her. The ridiculous nature of her situation finally sank in and humor lightened her dark mood slightly. Not enough to show in the least, but enough to allow her to acknowledge that she was actually a slight bit hungry. "Fine, if it will get you the hell out of my room I'll eat a few bites," she snapped.

He just nodded and shrugged as if he didn't care and continued with his day, which by this time was up to about 11am and at which time he had apparently climbed some stairs.

She picked up her plate and began eating.

"Do ya know when the rest'll be back yet?" Jayne finally stopped babbling and asked a real question.

It took her a few seconds to realize that he was actually making communication noises. "I'm sorry, what?" She took another bite.

"When are they gonna be able to come back?"

Realizing that she had barely spoken a word since she returned from the seeing the crew, she felt guilty. "I'm so sorry, Jayne, I just didn't think. I was in my own little world."

He shrugged it off as no matter. "Don't matter, Nara, I know you're thinkin' on a lot right now."

He winked at her, his face totally blank, "'Sides, I think you was just hungry."

Inara looked down and stared at her empty plate in confusion. Surely she hadn't eaten all of it so quickly. She flushed in embarrassment.

She quickly filled him in on the crew. "Everyone is doing well. Zoe, Simon and Kaylee will be back in a few more days. Mal will have to wait until Simon is well enough to care for him. He really isn't awake all that much yet anyway, his injuries were so severe that once he gets back he'll still need to stay in the infirmary for awhile."

"Simon is being an extremely difficult patient in his desire to get back to check up on River. I managed to deflect his questions regarding the shots he asked us to give her, but he won't be happy when he finds out she hasn't had any."

Jayne shrugged, "Reckon he can yell if he wants but seems like she's fine, leastways as fine as I've ever seen her, even on drugs." He frowned a little, "Spent the day wandering passageways and talking to the ship near as I could tell. But, least she's calm, which does wonders for my calm."

"She is feeling better but she waits impatiently for her husband and lover." River's voice sounded nearly in Jayne's ear.

Jayne screeched and jumped, drawing as he spun in the air and landed with his gun pointed at River. "Qīngwā cào de liúmáng, DON'T sneak up on me like that girl! Nearly shot you in the head."

Even as withdrawn into herself as Inara had become, she couldn't help but be affected by the sight of the brutal mercenary screeching, though it was a very masculine screech, and nearly jumping out of his boots. She just managed to turn her laugh into a gurgling cough.

"Why?" River inquired, a puzzled expression on her face. "If I wanted you dead you wouldn't have gotten a chance to jump and if I wished you no harm you wouldn't have pulled the trigger as evidenced 5.3 seconds ago. You knew who I was and that no harm was meant before you even landed." She pause, then gave him an impish grin and stuck her tongue out at him.

Jayne stared at her, his mouth gaping open. "Ok, that was just creepifying," he announced. He felt guilty as soon as her big grin began to fade and wasn't a bit surprised to feel his ma's knuckles rap against his head. So he did the only thing that came to mind to cheer her back up. He stuck his tongue out at her.

Giggling she danced off to her room, calling over her shoulder, "Establishing trust."

Turning back around to face Inara he caught the tail end of the grin she had allowed herself when he stuck his tongue out at River.

"Ain't in no way funny, damn near died of a heart attack," he grumbled.

Her eyes still glittering with humor, Inara smothered her grin. "Just so, quite inappropriate. That noise you made? Could that have been a screech?"

Jayne scowled at her, knowing full well she was teasing. Somehow the scowl didn't seem to be working as it usually did. "Jayne don't screech!" Then because he kinda thought it might just have been a screech he tried for a subject change. "What was she on about? Husbands and lovers or some such?"

"I would guess she meant Serenity was missing Mal and Kaylee," Inara said.

After considering the idea, Jayne smirked, "Makes sense, sorta. One has use for her, the other keeps her shiny and likes to play with her." Becoming more serious, Jayne asked, "How's Zoe doing...'bout Wash?"

"Not very well. She isn't speaking about it." Inara shrugged "Not at all unexpected from Zoe. I told her about your fight with the workers that wanted to come on ship before you had freed him." Inara looked down at her hands. "She was pleased that we took care of it ourselves." Jayne had done the work of removing Wash from his chair and Inara had cleaned and dressed him before they put him in a preservation chamber.

"He deserved to be taken care of by crew." Jayne found he actually kinda missed the little man. He hadn't been much taken with him before he was gone but had come to realize that he missed Wash's humor. Although Jayne was much cruder they'd had a similar sense of humor. They both liked to watch people and make fun of their oddities. 'Sides the little man had been the only one that could snark at Mal and get away with it.

"Zoe gonna be up to make decisions about the repairs? Me and the workers've pretty much taken care of all the welding and structural stuff."

"Knowing Zoe, I think she'll be glad for the work to keep her distracted." Zoe had been bullying Simon unmercifully to intercede and get her out of the hospital, but she had gotten an infection in her wound from the filthy sword that slashed her open and was still on heavy intravenous antibiotics to make sure the infection didn't enter her spine.

"Guess I'll hit the rack." Jayne turned and headed up the stairs.

"Good night, Jayne," Inara called.

"Night, Jayne," floated through River's closed door.

Jayne grunted.