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Kerry was nothing like any of them had pictured except for Jayne. Nothing had changed. Everywhere he went people stopped to talk to him, ask him how he had been, if he'd seen his ma yet. When they walked into the bar, a chorus of greetings met his ears and for the first time all day, Jayne felt at ease.
"Jayne Cobb," the bartender hollered, gesturing for him to come over. He smiled broadly, "Ain't seen you in over...what? Ten years? Awful long time. What brings you back?"
Jayne shrugged, turning to watch as Zoe, Mal, and River walked towards their client. "Business and it's probably about time for me to drop in on my ma so's she knows I ain't dead yet."
"Who's the girl? Awful pretty," Bartender raised an eyebrow, "she'yain't with you is she?"
"No, why?" Jayne asked, taking the glass of whiskey offered to him.
"Derickson's boy's eyin' her. Din't want im' gettin' his head knocked in fer it," Bartender smiled and handed over a full bottle of whiskey. "On the house, kid."
"Thanks," Jayne grunted, as he stared down the man who had been eying River. The bartender frowned. "Thought you said she ain't yours, Cobb" he called after Jayne rather loudly, causing everyone to turn to stare at Jayne. Jayne continued to glare at the man. "She ain't, but it don't mean I want em' lookin' at her!"
Jayne sat down heavily next to River, who was staring up at him with a rather confused expression. "So grumpy today."
Jayne just grunted in response and slid the glass of whiskey toward her. She continued to stare at him as she sipped from the glass. River resumed reading, barely aware of Jayne, who was periodically glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Several men in the bar were thinking of her and Zoe in a sexual manner. Their client, Mr. Paulson, was busy thinking of how he never thought he would live to see the day that Jayne Cobb would return to Kerry and with a woman. River was aware that she had paled some by the way Zoe and the Captain were eying her. "You okay, girl?" Jayne asked, nudging her with his elbow.
"Give me another shot," she managed to choke out and Jayne readily obliged, refilling her glass each time she downed it.
"River is everything okay?" Zoe asked. River nodded, the whiskey filling her with a fuzzy warmth. "Everything is fine."
"I think she's drunk," Jayne snorted. River shook her head. "No, merely relaxed."
"If it ain't my favorite customer," someone purred, and River turned to see a tall, buxom, blond staring down at Jayne as if she were cat ready to pounce. River didn't miss the flicker of lust in her eyes. Maybe there had been some truth to what Kaylee had said. In a matter of second there was an entire gaggle of working girls surrounding the table. Zoe raised an eyebrow and asked caustically, "Gee, Mal, you think Jayne came here often?"
"You kiddin' me," Paulson exclaimed, "that man practically lived here an' I'm more'n a bit sure half the time he didn't even get charged-"
"Ladies, I'm a little busy at the moment. Maybe later," Jayne muttered, seemingly uncomfortable with all the attention-something highly uncommon.
"You are acting oddly today," River whispered, leaning in to him.
"I'm actin' perfectly normal," Jayne whispered back heatedly, to which River replied, sarcastically, "yes, you often defend my honor and turn down trim. How could I have thought otherwise? You are a contradictory man, Jayne Cobb."
"How's that? An' I wasn't defendin' yer honor. Jus' I know these people an' they ain't the kind you wanna go aroun' kissin'."
River's eyes widened in surprise. Jayne was jealous. Something in her chest tightened and spasmed suddenly and without thinking, River grabbed hold of something under the table, bracing herself against the unfamiliar feeling, inadvertently grabbing onto Jayne's hand. They both froze, stiffening. Neither one turned to look at the other but instead continued to stare straight ahead, unable to move from shock. River was unsure of what to do. For some unknown reason she was unable to make herself let go of Jayne's hand. She decided she needed a drink and grabbed the bottle from in front of him and took several large gulps, causing her eyes to burn. As she pulled the bottle away from her lips, Jayne tore it from her hands and mirrored her actions, downing nearly the entire bottle himself. River swayed into him slightly, her head falling against his shoulder. Now she was close to drunk. It still didn't explain why her hand felt like it was enveloped in searing, cold fire. River, pulled herself up slowly. Her head was swimming from sensory overload and an odd, calming warmth was filling her. It was unlike the time she had been drunk at the bar on Beaumonde. She had felt dizzy and warm, but a lot less clear. River leaned back into the cushion of the booth and began to slowly move her hand away from Jayne's. The cold fire had begun to inch its way up her arm and as her hand finally began to separate from Jayne's, something unexpected happened. Jayne grabbed a hold of her hand, gripping it tightly in his. He had felt it, she was sure. Whatever it was, he had felt that cold fire as well, only he had been able to admit he liked the feel of it, however confusing it was.
"The bird in the egg," River whispered to herself, in surprise. "Wash was right."
Mr. Paulson continued and River was finally brought back to the conversation and out of her curious ponderings of the complex relationship that was developing between herself and Jayne.
"Ever since that whole Miranda thing it's been harder and harder to get medicine on rim planets an' moons that ain't been showin' what parliament considers loyalty," he said sadly. Mal nodded. "That's Alliance for you."
"You may be smugglers, but you're a sight better'n what most is-honest folk really," Mr. Paulson continued, "Reckon lot a folks on different moons an' whatnot'll be needin' yer services."
"Take it we'll be pullin' off some Big Damn Hero type go se?" Jayne muttered absently into his glass as he tried to pull himself together. He was still holding River's hand, to his chagrin.
"We will," River said with certainty, "Captain Daddy is noble though he hides it well."
"Maybe we should pull more jobs like the one back on Ariel, Sir," Zoe suggested and when Mal gave her a look, she added quickly, "minus the whole Jayne turnin' in River an' Simon bit."
"We would make more profit," River encouraged. "And Jayne is no longer as unpredictable."
"I can defend myself, thanks," he snapped, finally able to relinquish his hold on her hand. River frowned up at him. "You are cloudy again."
"An' yer still crazy, who gives a good Gorram?!" He rolled his eyes and addressed Mal, "Look, I ain't gonna get stupid again. 'Sides, if I did, I'd only turn in the pansy-ass Doc, but his feng le sister would pitch a fit an' slice me up again, so chances a that'r slim."
River nodded. "'Tis true."
Zoe watched the two with narrowed eyes once more. Though River had begun talking more, she had stopped reading the crew members. Her siding with Jayne meant she trusted him. This struck Zoe as odd. Neither she nor Mal trusted Jayne and whenever Zoe brought up the fact that Jayne and River had been acting more amicably around one another to Wash he channeled River in his mumblings about birds.
"Why you lookin' at us funny?" Jayne snapped at the first mate and she fought the grin sneaking its way up onto her lips. Jayne had been more than a little defensive as of late. Zoe shrugged in response. Something told her things on Serenity were about to get a sight more interesting.
Jayne's mother was just as River had pictured her: outspoken, warm and welcoming. Her blue eyes shone brightly as she fussed over her eldest son. "My boy done finally come home!"
"Hey, Ma," Jayne greeted as he hugged her to him. River watched the exchange from her place behind Zoe and Wash. Meeting Jayne's family made her nervous for some unknown reason. Meeting people in general was a nuisance for on initial contact it was hard to keep their emotions and thoughts out as there was no way to gauge the force with which they projected them. However, for once, River was concerned with what they thought of her and this frightened her.
"Kinda brought some folks with me."
"Oh, tain't nothin' ta worry on. I been wantin' to meet them goin' on a while now. You know that," she said, smacking his arm roughly. She turned towards everyone. "Well, who'm I lookin' at, son?"
River drew back further, subconsciously burrowing her face into Wash's back. Wash reached a hand around and patted her back as did Zoe.
"...this here's Kaylee, our mechanic, an' that there's Wash an' his wife Zoe. He's the pilot an' she's Mal's firstmate an'...where'd the Moonbrain go?"
Wash moved to step aside and River followed. Wash looked pointedly at Jayne and gestured behind himself and Zoe and then shrugged. Jayne frowned and pushed Wash aside, grabbing River. "Quit bein' loopy an' come meet my Ma."
River breathed in heavily and once Jayne turned towards his Ma, she ducked behind him. "Ma-"
Jayne growled and turned quickly picking her up in his arms, "would you settle down?!"
"She is very nervous and everyone is being loud," she whispered as she hid her face in the crook of his neck. Jayne rolled his eyes. "I'm the only one talkin'."
"They are loud. Nail driving into wood, Jayne. Hammer hitting harder and harder!"
Jayne considered it for a second before saying in a loud, gruff voice, "Everyone stop thinkin'!"
They all stared at him as if he had gone mad. River looked up and around for a moment. "They stopped," she said in wonder. For the first time in a long while, all River felt was a faint hum of confusion, something she could deal with easily.
"Jayne, I think you can put 'er down now," Mal said curtly, staring his mercenary down suspiciously. River slipped out of his arms slowly and made to move around behind him again, when he caught her firmly by the shoulder. "River this is my Ma."
River looked up slowly. Jayne's Ma stared down at her, smiling broadly with a knowning smile only a mother has.
"Ma," Jayne said in a voice filled with inexplicable pride, "this is River."
"Hello," River said in a small voice. His mother hooted with delighted. "I done heard more 'bout you than any other person here!"
"Ma!" Jayne howled in embarrassment and anger, but she ignored him and began to fuss over River in as much the same way she had fussed over Jayne a few minutes earlier. "You are just the prettiest little thing I done seen in a long time. You're so itty bitty. Hard ta' believe you can keep Ja-"
"Ma," Jayne interrupted, becoming more and more agitated. He did not want River knowing he had complained to his Ma about her being insane, though he couldn't for the life of him understand why his Ma was actin' as if it were a compliment. You didn't bad mouth people to your family if you liked them and he had not liked River at the time. Hell, he still just barely liked her. He turned to River. "I ain't said nothin' 'bout you other'n yer crazier'n hell."
"Jayne Cobb," his mother hissed hitting him hard in the stomach, "you behave while you're in my home an' that means no more teasin' an' pickin' on her."
She turned back to a stunned River and wrapped her arms around her. "Now let's hurry on in so's you can meet everybody."
"Ma'am-"
"No, no, you just call me Ma-"
"But you told everyone to call you Mrs. Cobb-"
"Well, you call me Ma. I'll have it no other way," she insisted and River smiled. "I like you, you're warm and happy and full of love."
"Oh, ain't you just the sweetest thing ever!"
Jayne groaned though it came out as more of a growl as he trudged by the rest of the group, ignoring their questioning glances. "Ta ma de!"
"Bird in the egg!" Wash exclaimed, laughing as he clapped Jayne on the back.
River stopped short on the porch and looked around fearfully. "Too loud. Too much," she cried, clutching onto Mrs. Cobb's arm.
"Jayne, River's havin' a spell."
Jayne growled again. "Knew this wasn't gonna be easy," he muttered as her swung River up into his arms and kicked open the door to the house, causing everyone gathered in the front room to stop what they were doing. "Now shut up, an' quit thinkin' on what yer thinkin' on or I'll skin the lot of ya. Don't need Moony here slicin' me up cause yer makin her head hurt."
Everyone in front of and behind Jayne stood in complete silence until River slowly looked around, her eyes wide. She leaned back against Jayne. "You have a large family."
"Sure do," he said as he set her down gently. River continued to hold on to Jayne arm, burrowing into his side slightly. "They're waiting for you to introduce her," she whispered up at him. "Her who?" Mrs. Cobb asked.
"When she gets nervous or people's thoughts are pushin' in on her too much she uses 'she' an' 'her' instead o' 'I'."
"How did you know?" River asked incredulously and Jayne rolled his eyes. "We been livin' on the same Gorram boat for almost two years. I noticed some things. That bein' one of em'."
She raised an eyebrow. "What were the other things?"
Jayne ignored her and instead addressed the group of people before him. "Everyone, this is River. River, this is my brother Sam, brother David, sister Amy, sister Susie, cousin Becky, cousin Nick, cousin Jenny, cousin Bobby, uncle Jim and my aunt Mary...where's Matty?"
"He left about six months ago after he got better. Sends his credits home every month like you do," his sister, Amy said. Jayne frowned, but introduced the rest of the crew. River noticed several kittens playing on the floor and sat down in the middle of them, picking up a bright orange one. "I have never held a kitten before," she marveled, pressing her nose to it's small pink one.
"You gotta be kiddin' me," Kaylee exclaimed and Simon, who was beside her shook his head. "Our parents wouldn't allow us near animals. They considered them filthy creatures."
River nodded and said in a mocking voice, "proper young men and women refrain from fraternizing with lower creatures, including those who are rim-born."
River snorted. "Father was an ignorant pigheaded jackass and mother was nothing more than a simpering fool."
Simon sighed at River's harsh words. "River wanted a cat and they wouldn't let her have one. She tormented them incessantly after that."
Jaybe laughed. "Sounds like they deserved it to me."
"Me too," Kaylee said indignantly, "Don't see what's so wrong with bein' from a rim planet."
"I like rim-borns better, Kaylee," River said reassuringly, "they don't try to stick needles in my eyes or cut into my brain."
Jayne's family gasped collectively, but River didn't seem to have heard them. River held up one of the kittens to Kaylee, smiling excitedly. "And they have cats!"
Everyone was silent until Jayne burst into a fit of laughter. Mal gawked at him. "Why'sat funny?"
Jayne shrugged, grinning. "Just is, Mal, just is."
"And no core bred man would look half as charming in that hat as you do," River giggled up at Jayne, causing his eyes to widen slightly. Mal slowly slid his gaze back to River. "Please tell me you ain't flirtin' with my merc, Lil Albatross."
"Tellin' the truth ain't hardly flirtin', Mal," Jayne said, smirking at him, "I do look charming in my hat."
"Um, Mei-mei," Wash called to River, sensing Mal's irritation, "did you find that movie on the cortex?"
River looked up from the kitten she was busy cooing over and shook her head. "The ones I have found are not as accurate as I would like them to be. I promise to keep searching."
"What movie is it?" Kaylee asked. River smirked up at Kaylee, glancing at Jayne with a twinkle in her eye. "It's about Jayne."
"Someone made a movie 'bout my boy an' I ain't heard about it?"
Jayne rolled his eyes. "No, Ma, River found some book from Earth-That-Was an' she thinks it's about me. Her an' Wash think it's a hoot to make fun o' me for it."
Wash held up his hands. "I never said it was a hoot, I thought it. There is a distinct difference."
"Well, what is it?" Kaylee asked curiously. River shook her head. "Wash and I can't tell you. Jayne needs to figure out what to do about his bird."
"A bird," Jayne said, frowning at her, "what's all this bird talk? An' why you gotta talk in riddles, woman? Ain't fair, ya know. I ain't no good at riddles."
"Well, if you knew what to do about your bird, you would understand, silly." She set the kitten down and it mewed at her, pawing at the hem of her dress. "Does he have a name," she asked, looking up at Jayne's family. David raised an eyebrow at her as she stretched out on the floor on her stomach, kicking her legs up in the air. "Um, uh...no."
River looked up at Mrs. Cobb beseachingly. "May I please name him?"
Before she could answer Mal cut in. "No, no, no cats! No cats on my boat!"
The kitten had crawled up onto River's back and had been in the process of crawling on top of her head when Mal yelled at her. Both the kitten and River had turned to look up at him. The kitten hissed and Mal's eyes widened. "No."
Mrs. Cobb whacked Mal on the back of the head and Inara began to snort with laughter. "You don't yell at her!"
She smiled down at River. "You can have him if you want an' if Mal won't let you take him with you, we'll keep him here."
"My very own cat," River smiled up at her brother excitedly. "Simon, I finally have a cat."
"It ain't comin' on my boat!" River didn't even bother to look up at him. "Captain Daddy, you are such a boob."
Kaylee and Inara snorted as Mal opened and closed his mouth several times while Jayne introduced everyone. They all settled down in the den to talk. Mrs. Cobb settled into her favorite chair and promptly began to knit. Kaylee and Wash settled down on the floor with River to play with the kittens and Inara, Zoe, and Mal settled down with Jayne's Aunt and Uncle and began to discuss their distaste for the alliance, drawing both Simon and Jayne into the conversation soon after.
"Slightly!" River exclaimed, poking the kitten, as he batted at a ball of yarn next to Mrs. Cobb's chair. "I shall call you Slightly."
"Slightly?" Kaylee wrinkled her nose. Wash smiled. "I think it's a fitting name, mei-mei, very fitting."
"So, River, you and your brother are from the core?" Susie asked. Her eyes, like the rest of the Cobb clan, were as blue as Jayne's. River nodded. "It was a very stuffy place to grow up."
"There must have been something nice about it," Susie said hopefully. River nodded. "Yes, we went to ballets and operas often. That was my favorite part."
"What about the boys?" Susie asked, drawing Jayne's attention to the group. River propped her chin up on her hand and kicked her feet back and forth slowly. "I guess they were okay, but they were immature and snobbish."
"I bet. Us rim boys is a lot more fun," David said, grinning down at her rakishly. River's face turned red in embarrassment and discomfort. Jayne looked over to David and noticed his eyes following the curves of River's calves and he suddenly understood why River had become so uncomfortable. Without thinking, Jayne whacked him in the back of the head hard. "You quit that an' stop thinkin' on her like that!" He snarled.
"Ow," David whined indignantly, "that really hurt!"
"I'll do more'n hurt you if you do it again, dong ma," Jayne snapped, crossing his arms, angry not only at David, but at himself for his reaction. Since when did he care about whether or not someone was thinkin' dirty on her. Hell, he did it plenty of times. Maybe it was about the time he started holdin' hands with her under tables like a Gorram schoolboy or about the time he realized she was woman instead of a girl. Still no girl-woman-thing was supposed to be muckin' up his brain with their whatever it was done mucked up his brain. When he looked up, River was staring at him with a clouded expression. Jayne realized suddenly she had sensed his discomfort and tried to shrug at her, though it came out as more of a jerking motion. She stood suddenly and disappeared into the kitchen. A large bottle of whiskey came sailing through the air towards him from the kitchen and Jayne caught it without even looking. He downed half the bottle before saying to the silent occupants of the living room, "Think it's 'bout time we all got good an' drunk."
Amy, Sam, and David hooted, the latter slapping his knee while yelling, "bought time, Jayne!"
River emerged from the kitchen carting two apples and several bottles of whiskey. "There is fresh coffee in the kitchen for anyone who prefers it."
"You would be one of those people," Mal said sternly, "you've had enough alcohol-"
"Captain Daddy, you are being a boob," River sighed, "go pester Inara."
Wash stepped forward, clapping his hand together. "River, bao-bei, I'm going to have to agree with Mal."
"River, drinking in your condition is not wise," Simon began and Jayne cut him off. "An' what condition's that 'xactly?"
Simon opened his mouth to answer, but Jayne didn't let him finish as they all walked outside. "Last time River was drunk she acted like every other drunk. Don't see how a little drinkin' would hurt her."
"You two have been gettin' awfully friendly," Mal said as the three of them followed the other men out to the middle of a field. The others had begun to pile up up wood in preparation for the bonfire. Jayne lit a cigar and puffed as he listened to Mal's not so subtle warning. "If'n your thinkin' on doin' anythin' shouldn't be done with my Li'l Albatross, so help me, Jayne-"
"She ain't a li'l kid, Mal, an' I ain't plannin' on doin' nothin' to her," he said as he grabbed a log and threw it onto the pile easily. Mal frowned. "Well, just so's you know-"
"Yeah, I got it," Jayne grunted as he lit the bonfire, "airlock."
Jayne turned as River, Kaylee and his sisters walked up, all giggling. River tossed him an apple and he caught it, nodding his thanks. Susie whispered to Amy and Kaylee and they looked at him, giggling. Jayne eyed Susie suspiciously, "Don't be puttin thoughts inta people's heads, Susie. 'Specially ones that ain't true."
"Who says they ain't?" She asked teasingly and the three giggled as they passed him. Simon who had been following the four girls with Inara and Zoe sighed and shook his head. "Well, it's good to know there's someone else who truly knows the joys of having a little sister."
"Yeah, an' I got two," Jayne agreed. The four of them settled down on a log and began passing around a bottle of whiskey, grousing about their troubles with women as Sam and Jayne's uncle Jim took up a fiddle and a guitar and began to play. Within an hour, the four of them were good and drunk and their complaints had turned into rants as they all watched the women dance around and laugh. Mrs. Cobb had somehow gotten the word out about their little celebration before coming out to the bonfire and people from town had slowly poured in.
"You Cobbs sure know how to throw a party," Wash slurred as he tried to focus on Zoe, who River had somehow managed to convince to dance with her. "My wife is dancing. And giddily, mind you. I didn't know she could be giddy."
"I didn't either, Wash, an' I knowed 'er longer than you so don't feel bad," Mal said reassuringly, slapping Wash on the back a bit too roughly in his drunken state, "'sides, she's a woman an' they tend to do things like that. They act giddy an' when you don't think they can't act giddy they actually can; they just hide it. They are very good at hidin' things from you."
"An' they expect you to know things without them saying them, an' they're always right," Wash grumped, "an' they get you to do things you don't wanna do..."
"Ah, yes, the crying and pouting," Simon nodded, wincing as he took another sip from the nearly empty third bottle of whiskey, "Kaylee does that all the time. As does, my dear, sweet little brat of a sister."
"Your sister is the worst of em'," Mal muttered, glaring up at her across the fire, "worse'n Inara. An' if she thinks I'm lettin' 'er take that ruttin' cat on my boat, she's wrong."
Jayne howled with laughter. "Mal, you know she's takin' it. You can't say no to her any more'n the Doc can."
"Can too," Mal said resentfully, "an' I will, just you watch!"
"You four look like you're having fun." They all looked up with somewhat dazed expressions as Inara stared down at them in amusement. "You four are the only drunks here not dancing."
"An' we're keepin' it that way," Mal said with a smirk. "An' I don't dance unless I'm drunk enough," Jayne added, "an' I ain't drunk enough."
"I can't feel my legs." Wash turned to Simon. "Can you feel my legs?"
Simon leaned over Mal's lap, causing Mal to tumble off of the log and onto his back. "Yes, I can feel them."
Jayne pointed at Mal's prone form and cackled gleefully. Simon and Wash followed his gaze and burst into laughter as well. Mal laughed up at them. "I fell down."
"Yes," Inara said, trying hard not to laugh, "you did indeed fall down."
"Sir, why are you laying on the ground," Zoe asked as she broke away from the group of dancing people.
"I fell," came his response from the other side of the log. Wash looked up at his wife, his expression a mixture of worry and amusement. "I can't feel my legs."
"I can," Simon said, raising his hand and then poking Wash's knee to demonstrate, causing the four men to break out into laughter once more.
River came up to stand next to Inara and frowned. "I brought you another bottle, but I'm not so sure you need it."
"River!" Someone yelled over the laughter and singing and she turned to look for who had called her. She shoved the bottle towards her brother. "I promised Nathaniel a dance."
Mal scrambled over the log clumsily. "Nathaniel? Who's Nathaniel? Who said you could dance with him?"
"I did," River groaned, rolling her eyes, "you are all such boobs."
"No, no dancing with boys," Wash said in his best authoritative voice, "boys are bad."
River rolled her eyes once more and disappeared through the flurry of twirling couples. Mal glared up at Inara and Zoe. "Who's Nathaniel?"
"A very nice young man," Inara assured him. Zoe slid her gaze towards Jayne, who was busy searching the crowd of faces for River from his seat on the log. "An' he's taken quite a shine to River. Apparently, he thinks she is very pretty and wants to court her."
Jayne's head snapped back to her. "How'd'you know that?"
Zoe tried hard not to smile. "According to River he thinks too loudly."
"Court her," Wash practically cried, "court her?" He grabbed Mal's shoulder. "No, Mal, she can't. We're not ready for her to be courting people!"
"We aren't," Zoe asked, trying to be as serious as possible. Simon put his head in his hands. "Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick. My mei-mei and boys."
"Don't worry, Doc," Jayne said gruffly, patting his shoulder, "River ain't gonna go for some scrawny little-"
"Who said he was scrawny and little?" Inara asked and all four men's heads shot up to look at her. Inara jerked her head in River's direction and all their eyes shifted. River was laughing and dancing with a very tall, muscular boy who looked to be a little older than herself. Simon groaned. "He's a Neanderthal!"
"She's laughing!" Wash yelled in abject horror. Mal's mouth was hanging open. "This is not happenin'. Why is this happenin'?"
"What do we do, Mal," Wash asked, sounding helpless, "he's really really big and I don't do well against big men. I bruise easily. Not to mention, you might get shot..."
"Oh, good Lord, I'll handle it," Jayne growled, "shouldn't be dancin' with none o' these hun dans anyways."
Jayne stood slowly and was more than prepared to approach the situation as calmly as possible, though he was indeed seething inside for someone odd reason, when Nathaniel pulled River a little closer than he liked and something in him snapped. His slow, lengthy strides morphed into heavy, swift ones as he stormed towards the pair.
"You," he snarled, pointing at the boy, "are done dancin' with her."
"Who are you?" Nathaniel asked, clearly more than a little preturbed that he and River had been interrupted. River sighed up at him. "He is Jayne Cobb."
"Oh," Nathaniel said, slowly backing away. Jayne nodded. "Yeah, 'oh'," he snapped grabbing River's hand and tugging her into him possessively. "This here is mine, not yours."
River blinked up at him. "Yours."
Jayne didn't look at her, and tightened his grip on her arm as he continued to stare down the boy. "Mine."
"I think I'm drunk because I believe I heard you say something about my being yours and you don't like me-" She was cut off as Jayne began to pull her through the crowd roughly and away from the bonfire, grabbing the nearest bottle of whiskey, "Jayne, what-where-she doesn't understand!"
"Oh, cut that out, I ain't mad, no need ta go all crazy on me," he snapped at her as he practically dragged her towards the house. He stopped abruptly near the side of the house, causing her to stumble forward and she threw her hand out to catch herself, landing against the side of the house with a slight thud and turned to look at him, slightly frightened. His eyes were filled with confusion and anger.
"I lied, I'm ruttin' madder'n hell," he bellowed slamming his hand against the wall right next to her ear, causing her to yelp in surprise. "You been runnin' around all womanly fer the past three months makin' me think on ya more'n I should, makin' me wanna touch ya an' then ya got me holdin' yer Gorram hand an' fawnin' over ya like every other feng le person on the Gorram ship. What's that about huh? You tryin' ta drive me crazier'n you are?"
"I-she-"
"Just stop it, just whatever yer doin' ta me stop it!" He pound his hand against the wall again and River jumped.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Why?" Jayne asked, his voice suddenly soft and quiet, his left hand coming up to trail down her neck slowly, "why are you makin' me wanna do things I shouldn't be wantin' ta do?"
River felt her breathing quicken and her heart begin to race. Something was happening, something was changing. River let out a stifled moan as Jayne ran his thumb across her lower lip and he growled, swearing as he lunged forward and let his lips come crashing down on hers. River's eyes closed instantly and fisted her hands into Jayne's shirt, jerking him up against her body tightly and he groaned into her mouth, letting his full weight push into her. The searing cold fire burst through her with an intensity River never knew existed and she let out a small, strangled cry, startling Jayne and he began to pull away until River's hand came up to curl around his neck. Jayne pushed back up against her, pulling her leg up and around his waist, letting his rough, calloused hand run the length of her smooth upper thigh. River felt dizzy, and her mind was swirling in a dark pool of electricity and fire. River was vaguely aware of her hand moving up under Jayne's shirt and her nails raking down his back roughly as she bit down on his lower lip hard. Jayne growled deep in his throat, biting her back just as rough and she moaned in pleasure, pushing back against him as he pulled her up further and she wound her fingers in his hair, trying to pull him closer though she knew it was impossible for him to be any closer than he already was.
They pulled away slowly, both dazed and Jayne let his head fall onto her shoulder, burying his face in her neck as he heaved heavily. Somehow Jayne's shirt had been pulled off and disappeared into the shadows of the surrounding night. She felt him inhale and exhale deeply and he whispered into her neck, "You smell like pears. My favorite smell." There was something in the way he said it that made River's insides ache. "You kissed me. On the mouth," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She felt him grin into her neck. "Told ya I ain't afraid of kissin' a woman on the mouth."
"It was like a star bursting."
Jayne pulled away slowly to look her in the eye. "So you thought it was good?"
"I will only say yes if you promise you will kiss me whenever you want or whenever I want you to."
Jayne gave her a lopsided grin that made her heart break and fuse back together simultaneously, repeating the process after completion. "I s'pose I can do that."
"Then I am willing to admit it was better than good."
He straightened, pulling her up with him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist more tightly. "I think we should go inside an' continue this whole kissin' on the mouth thing somewhere more appropriate."
"I am not opposed to the idea."
"Good, cause if'n you was, I wasn't gonna listen t'you anyways," he murmured as he pressed his lips to hers and stumbled through the front door and down the hall towards his old bedroom, kicking the door shut.
go se: shit
ta ma de: fuck me
hun dan: bastard
bao-bei: sweetheart
mei-mei: little sister
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