A/N: Sorry for the delay. Also sorry that you're all about to be spammed with chapter updates. I already finished the story so I'm going to go ahead and post it all.
The next morning life continued as usual. They were headed for a border planet, hoping to find work. Jayne had nodded a good morning to her but that was all. It was identical to every other morning on the ship save for one thing. Kaylee felt fantastic. She could hardly move she was so stiff, but she was beaming. Mal seemed to be the only one to notice when he shuffled into the mess area.
"What're you so smily about little Kaylee?" Mal asked, running his hands through his hair that still stuck out from being slept on.
"Nothin' Cap'n. Just happy." Kaylee beamed as she sat down to her breakfast of protein that was reminiscent of eggs. Mal stopped and smiled at her for a few seconds.
"Now there's the Kaylee I first met. Whatever you did to bring her back, keep doin' it." Kaylee turned slightly red but covered it by laughing and looking at her plate.
"Okay Cap'n." With the laugh and the flippancy of her statement it seemed like she was being sarcastic. Kaylee bet Jayne knew she wasn't though. After breakfast Kaylee went back to the Mule to actually attempt to fix it. The cards were gone and the crates were all back in place. Jayne must have cleaned up the area earlier. Kaylee didn't mind. In fact, she wanted as little evidence of their night together to exist as possible. It wasn't that she was ashamed. It was that it wasn't a big deal and the rest of the crew would make it one. Better to hide it as well as possible. Kaylee scooted her entire body under the Mule and started tinkering. While she was there she heard footsteps. Before she could stick her head out to say hello to whoever was there she heard the owner of the footsteps start to talk.
"Mind if I come in?" It was the Captain. He was at Inara's shuttle.
"You never ask permission to come in. What's wrong?" Inara's response was sharp.
"To talk to you about what happened back at the whorehouse."
"That was an eternity ago, Mal. It's hardly relevant now."
"It's relevant to me."
"…come in."
Kaylee smiled as she stopped eavesdropping and went back to working. Good it was about time the Captain and Inara worked out their issues. Maybe they would finally stop fighting. As time wore on and Kaylee finished fixing the Mule with no sign of the Captain or Inara, Kaylee found herself smiling once more. Seemed like she and Jayne weren't the only ones on this ship with a secret to keep now. Bout damn time too.
By dinner both Mal and Inara had reappeared, both looking slightly preoccupied but happier. Neither said anything and Kaylee accepted that it wasn't her secret to tell. Instead she sat down on the floor to play games with River.
"What do you want to play tonight, River?"
"It isn't your night to cook." The younger girl had improved so much, but she still tended to stare off into space even when spoken to.
"Nope. I'm all yours."
"How about go fish?" Kaylee stared at River, hoping to see innocence in the girl's eyes. Instead she found River looking back into her face, smiling, knowing.
"N—no River. Let's play something else. How about Jacks? You love that."
"I do but you love go fish." River was smiling broadly, finding it all to be a game of embarrassing Kaylee. Kaylee did not find it amusing.
"No I don't. We're playing Jacks." Kaylee was harsh. Harsh enough to draw the attention of Simon who came over.
"Everything alright over here?" He asked, not looking at Kaylee.
"Kaylee refuses to play the game she wants to play." Simon looked down, feeling as though this somehow had a double meaning and related to him.
"River, be good. Just play whatever Kaylee says she wants to play, even if you feel something different from her."
"Thanks Simon." Kaylee said, still looking away. He only made a noncommittal noise and disappeared.
"I'm still learning to balance reading and talking." River looked at Kaylee with apologetic eyes.
"It's alright. Just…don't tell anyone else what you see in my mind alright? I like to keep some things private. Ready for Jacks?" Kaylee looked up at River. Suddenly River leaned forward and placed her hand on Kaylee's knee, her eyes clear and intense.
"Happiness is good for you, but so is medicine." With that River began to set out the Jacks for the game. Kaylee stared for a few moments more before shaking it off and starting to play the game.
Life aboard Serenity continued like normal. They found work. They did said work. They got paid. After a few weeks even Zoe started acting like her normal self, joking and ordering everyone about. Mal and Inara did their best to act normal around one another, but everyone on the crew knew that something was up. They always stared too long or disappeared to help the other with a task that really didn't require two people. Where their secrecy failed, Kaylee and Jayne's succeeded. No one seemed to know. Even if River somehow did know, she was keeping it a secret. Kaylee spent every day working in the ship like usual. Then, she would go to her bunk and take a quick nap. After this nap she snuck over to Jayne's bunk where the two would have rough, unemotional, and thoroughly satisfying sex. After the sex she went back to her bunk and slept. It seemed to be the perfect arrangement. That is, until she didn't successfully sneak back one night.
As Kaylee had emerged from Jayne's bunk, still buttoning up her coveralls, she had very nearly walked into the Captain who was returning to his bunk after a trip to Inara's shuttle to "talk".
"Kaylee? What are you doing about at this hour?" The Captain whispered.
"Nothing. What are you doing out?" Kaylee was panicked and tried to shift the focus to him.
"I was…talking…with Inara."
"Talking? Yeah like I believe that."
"It don't matter what you—you were in Jayne's bunk weren't you?"
"No…I mean. We were just talking is all." Their voices were beginning to rise.
"The hell you were! What is this?" Mal had pushed back her hair to reveal a large bite mark on her neck. Kaylee shoved his hand away.
"None of your business that's what!" Jayne and Zoe had opened the doors to their bunks so they could better hear the fight. Inara had come into the hallway so she could hear as well. Simon and River both stood at the bottom of the stairs up to the main deck. Mal and Kaylee had officially gotten loud enough that the whole ship could hear them and everyone had moved closer to listen.
"Kaylee are you? Are you fucking Jayne!"
"As much as you're fucking Inara!"
"That don't have nothin' to do with nothin'!"
"Yes it does! Sneaking around all our backs when us that care for you just want a chance to see you both happy."
"Fine then. Yes. Now how bout you answer me?"
"Yes. We ain't loving but we is beddin'. Happy?" Simon stepped back into his room. Even though the two were making peace they were still yelling. He had heard every word. Kaylee was sleeping with Jayne. Simon felt like he couldn't breathe. It was his fault. He had been such an ass to her. Such a pompous prick. It was his fault. She didn't even love Jayne. Kaylee didn't deserve just sex. She deserved to be worshiped. River put her hand on her crying brother's back. The fight had died down and Kaylee and Mal had quietly and awkwardly gone back to their bunks. Simon soon fell back asleep, his head in River's lap. River, too, found sleep once more. It wasn't long before the entire crew of Serenity was back asleep. For a moment it looked as though things were back to normal. However, they weren't. They were far from normal.
This became apparent at breakfast the next morning. Mal walked in and squarely kissed Inara before glaring at Kaylee and walking into the kitchen area to help finish cooking. No one said anything.
"Well that was awkward." Inara said, hoping to lighten the mood. Jayne laughed but stopped when Simon walked into the mess area. His eyes were deep red and he stared at the floor.
Without saying a word he sat down and stared at his hands. River came in after him and sat with Kaylee next to the stove.
"Remember what I said to you about medicine being good for you too?" Kaylee stared at River, remembering playing Jacks.
"Yeah…about happiness being good but medicine being good too."
"Yes. This is what I meant."
"How could you know?"
"Doesn't matter. It will be good though." River was speaking clearly. She wasn't in some torture induce stupor. Kaylee stared at her, confused, as she walked over to her brother and sat by him. Breakfast was silent. Zoe seemed to be the only one not in misery. Being the only one unaffected by the drama she contented herself to quiet laughter every once and a while. Obviously enjoying the horror on the faces of her crewmates. Everyone feared everyone. Simon feared looking at Kaylee. Kaylee feared looking at Simon. Jayne feared looking at the Captain. The Captain feared looking at Inara. River looked at no one; she could feel everything they were feeling anyways.
After breakfast everyone suddenly disappeared to go their separate ways. Mal and Inara found themselves alone in the cockpit. Of all the issues unearthed last night theirs was the least daunting. Kaylee fled to the engine room but soon found that Jayne had followed her.
"You do realize the whole ship heard you last night right?" Somehow Jayne acted as if he was entirely unaffected by the tension.
"How? Jayne, how can you act like this don't involve you?" Kaylee was angry.
"Cause it don't."
"How do you figure that?"
"Cap'n ain't mad at me for bedding you. Other than that my only quarrel would be with you. Seein' as how we ain't lovin on another I figure we're all right."
"Yeah…I mean— "
"You don't gotta say nothin Kaylee. You still got feelings for the Doc and him being all hurt proves he's got them for you two. It was fun but I don't want nothing to do with no feelings. So you go and patch things up with him." With that Jayne left. For a moment Kaylee considered going after him. He had been so good to her. Treated her with respect, but still gave her everything that she needed. But he was right. It wasn't love. It was convenient. But Simon. Oh god, Simon. He had heard. He knew she had been sleeping with Jayne. Suddenly Kaylee knew she had to go to him. She had to explain things. For once she had ruined everything.
