(For disclaimer, etc. - see part 1)

To Hold A Shooting Star

"Feel like a gorram fool," Jayne groused, pulling awkwardly at the clothes he had been encouraged into.

"Naw, ain't even so!" Kaylee insisted, stepping in to knock his hands away and adjust his shirt and tie.

Jayne figured they prob'ly was kinda mussed, since he couldn't seem to keep himself still for more than a few seconds at a time. His momma used to tell him he must have ants in his pants, the way he would fuss and shift around whenever she got him into his Sunday best. Jayne felt much the same now as he had then, about the clothes anyhow. Where he was goin' was someplace more appealin' to him than some draughty church to hear a sermon or some such. He had himself a date, with the finest woman he ever met his whole life.

"I don't suppose River will mind too much about your clothing in any case," said Inara, looking him over with a critical eye and a sigh. "She does have her own... unique style," she noted awkwardly, "and I'm afraid she would have very little assistance from us."

"I figured she'd be the one comin' knockin' for advice, but she seems all kinds of confident about tonight."

That sure got Jayne's attention, though he hardly knew what to make of what Kaylee was sayin'. After all, he had all the experience of sexin' and such, but he supposed River was the one best suited to fancy dinin'. Far as he knew, dinner was prob'ly all that was on the menu, least for the first go-around. Anythin' else had to come later. Until they got to that part, Jayne weren't sure she he had any confidence at all to speak of.

"I'd feel better about a date to the shootin' range than some fancy dinner," he grumbled, stepping back from Kaylee now she was done fussin' over his clothes. "Seems to me the little woman could feel much the same about it. You know, I never said another person was as good a shot as I was, never had to, but she comes gorram close, with her math and all."

Inara smiled one of her secretive Companion type smiles. "Well, I doubt there's much higher compliment to be paid to a woman by Jayne Cobb than that," she said, shaking her head delicately, "but perhaps you should remember that just because a woman can fight like a man, that doesn't mean she shouldn't be treated like a lady when it counts. River was raised on a Core plant, Jayne. Though she may have been... altered by the experiences she's been through and traumas she's suffered, she still knows what it is to be a woman, I'm sure."

"Aww, they'll have a shiny time," said Kaylee without pause, her grin a mile wide, like it almost always was. "You just be yourself, Jayne. That's why River likes ya, after all."

Jayne wasn't overly convinced on that. He scratched at his beard and gave it a moment's thought. Little Kaylee had a point he supposed, but then, so did Inara. River was meant to be a lady once she was grown, and she was that by now. He just hoped he remembered how to be the gentleman his momma tried to turn him into years ago.

"Well, seems I best be goin' then," he said then, nodding his head once. "Thank you, ladies," he said pointedly, before turning on his heel to go.

If he really thought Inara and Kaylee were gonna stay put in the shuttle, well, Jayne knew he would be a fool to really believe it. He headed down to the cargo bay, knowing all too well they were creeping along behind him. You didn't get to be the kind of tracker he was without knowing when you picked up a tail, and he had two.

By the time he reached the cargo bay and lumbered on down the steps to where River was waiting, the whole gorram crew was up on that gangway, he just knew.

"Oh, juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean jan..." he muttered, glancing back and seeing them all there.

Zoe and Wash, arm in arm and grinning like fools, Mal alongside Inara now, whisperin' about somethin' or other, and the doc right there with Kaylee, looking sour faced as anything.

"Family all came to wave them off," said River, finally catching his attention.

Jayne turned around so fast, almost knocked himself off his own feet. 'Course the sight of her as she was for their date tonight was a surprise all its own. He never did see her in a dress that really fit her before. Sure'n she started to look less like a kid done up in momma's clothes and more like a woman herself the last while, else he prob'ly wouldn't've noticed so easy how grown up she went and got, but this was different. This was... well, he guessed it was special, because gorram it, wasn't that what this whole date thing was supposed to be anyhow?

"He approves?" she checked, staring at him with her head tilted a little to one side.

Jayne smiled. "That's a real nice rig you got on," he agreed, nodding his head.

When she laughed like a bell, his heart went ahead and skipped in his chest.

"She thanks you, kind sir," she said, dipping into a curtsey, one hand holding her dress out just so. "Not entirely appropriate but..." she said, her other hand coming into view from behind her back then and presenting Jayne with a flower, of all unlikely things.

"Well, uh, thanks, I guess," he said, taking it from her and trying not to make a face.

"Fake frippery," she said bluntly and with a sigh like it was all so tiresome, "but the meaning is true," she insisted. "She is glad to be seen on his arm tonight," she told him, smiling bright enough to shame every star in the 'verse.

There were times Jayne had not an idea what she was trying to tell him. Truth to say, he knew there were times enough she had trouble with her own words anyhow. Still, when she smiled like that, now that he could make sense of.

"So, let's get to goin'," he said then, taking her at her word and offering her his arm to hold onto.

She looped her arm through his own without a moment's pause and they were off.

Not his place. Not his world. Sometimes, River wondered if it was hers either anymore. Supposed to be. Born and raised to be a lady, they said, she knew, and yet... Serenity was home. All that came before was a bedtime story. Little girl wandered too far from home, got lost in the woods and the monsters came.

She didn't like to think too much about the next part, only the happily ever after. The warmth and comfort of family and friends. The strong pull, like magnets, between two fighters who longed to be lovers only.

"What you lookin' at me like that for?" asked Jayne from across the fancily laid table. "Am I doin' this wrong?" he checked, pulling the napkin he had been tucking into his shirt away from there and moving it back and forth in his hands.

River's gaze shifted to those hands, meant for firing guns and wielding knives, yes, but also for other things. Not always used in violence, she knew. Had capacity to care and tend. To love and show affection. She smiled at the thoughts, at the warm feeling that built inside. The smile faded when she met his troubled gaze one more time.

"Uncomfortable," she said, shaking her head.

"You are...?"

"No," she corrected, the moment he began to ask after her. "He is. You. Uncomfortable here. Not his place."

She struggled yet with words. Made sense in her head more often, but hard to vocalise, especially when overwhelmed. He overwhelmed her, sometimes. What he made her feel. She didn't mind it, but she got confused. Lost her thread, had to unpick and start over.

There wasn't time for that before the waiter came and brought their food. Made faces while he served, said things silently inside that made River's eyes widen and her hands want to reach for weaponry. Wasn't looking at her, was looking at Jayne. Making judgements, unseemly words and pictures. Made her hands curl to fists.

"Feh feh pi goh!" she said crossly, hands slamming against the table, all the plates and forks jangling like awkward music.

"I'm sorry, ma'am..." the waiter began, but River was already on her feet, eyes glaring, heart racing, feet stomping.

"Should be sorry," she told him, face too close to his own. "Might be, someday."

She knew she looked dangerous. Could be, if she wanted, but wasn't the time and place. Others might call her crazy, River had heard it before. Jayne looked proud to be seen with her and that was all that mattered.

"Time to go?" she asked him.

"Whatever you want, bao bei," he told her easily.

River smiled at him, reined in the expression when she looked to the waiter once more.

"Hope's his day is as pleasant as he is," she told him snidely, leaving him to wonder on it, as she took Jayne's arm and had him lead her to the door.

Sailed out into the street like elegant folks, but the point was not well made.

"Once she was like them," River said, looking back into the restaurant, "but not anymore, if she ever was," she said, shaking her head.

"Don't exactly know what happened in there," Jayne admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "Seems to me you caught him out thinkin' somethin' real improper?" he guessed.

River grinned. "Smarter than he thinks he is," she said, turning into him, one hand reaching for his tie and pulling it loose. "Go somewhere else, somewhere they belong. He must choose. Show her a good time?" she urged him.

Jayne didn't need asking twice. She never thought for a minute that he would.

Turned out better than Jayne mighta thought. Sure'n he was gonna try his best at the fancy restaurant all, but he was gorram relieved when River said they oughta blow that joint.

Didn't take much to find a better place, a diner type place that didn't care if you ate with your hands and wiped 'em on your pants. Maybe he woulda had better manners if River did the same, but the little woman seemed more'n happy to get down in the dirt with the rest of the regular folks. Not that he'd call her regular or normal for all the 'verse, she was way too special, but it did seem better this way, the two o' them acting like everybody else for a while.

"Tells good stories," she told him happily, around a less than dainty mouthful of chicken. "So much to learn about Jayne Cobb," she said, staring across at him.

"Ain't so much to me, bao bei. Reckon I'm about as simple as they come," he said, shaking his head.

"Nothing wrong with simplicity," she insisted. "She wishes she had a simple life. Wishes she had a family to love, a home to miss..."

When she trailed off like that and stopped chewin' on her food, Jayne got a little worried. River was that much better than she had been when he knew her first off. Had less spells of not knowing who she was or where or why, but it happened, every now and then. He heard the screamin' in the night and it made his blood run cold. Didn't fancy seein' it first-hand right there in the diner, not in the middle of a night that had been goin' so well.

"She'll live through his stories," she said, suddenly shaking her head and coming back to him somehow. "If he'll tell, she'll listen, forever."

"Ain't much more I can tell ya." Jayne shrugged. "My life ain't exactly been all nice stories either. Not gonna lie to you and tell ya I'm a saint. You already know that ain't so. Done my share o' bad things."

"Not the only one," she reminded him, laying her corn down on her plate and folding her hands primly. "Both been broken, both damaged enough of others. Different now. Found a home. Found the way. Not exactly like the Shepherd said, trying to herd the flock, but... found the way," she said, looking up and looking right into Jayne's eyes. "Found a home."

Seemed she was talkin' about Serenity, first off. Now, he figured he knew better. Couldn't exactly say he didn't understand how she felt either. Never could've guessed it when she first come aboard ship, not even for a good long while after, but now?

"Sure, reckon that's what we found here," he agreed, large hand covering her little one there on the table and squeezing. "You know, if nothin' else proves what a moonbrain ya are, takin' up with the likes o' me sure will."

She laughed mighty pretty at that, put her other hand on top of his own and stared at their odd pile of fingers.

"Better to go crazy together than apart," she decided.

"I'll drink to that," Jayne agreed, the both of them reaching for their glasses then and doing just exactly that.

All in all, it was turnin' out to be a heck of a night. Jayne coulda easily said he didn't want it to ever end. At the same time, when they parted ways tonight, without him gettin' anythin' outta of his date with River than maybe a kiss goodnight, it was still gonna be the best night he ever spent with a woman, no doubt.

He had no regrets about asking her nor letting her know how he felt about her. Probably one of the best moves he ever made. The smile on her face made him believe she thought just the same, so that worked out gorram well.

The End