1Disclaimer: Don't own anything... never did, never will. Cries.
P.S. I would appreciate more reviews... it would motivate me to keep up with the writing and the updating. Thanks!
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Riffling through the supply bags Mal brought onto the ship the day before, River began to hum to herself happily. Kaylee had dragged Simon into the kitchen to help her make cupcakes with real ingredients and really chocolate-y frosting. Flour for a pretty lady. Smiling to herself, River pulls out the streamers and hands them to Inara.
"Thanks mei-mei." Inara says to the younger woman as she heads to the stairs to hang them off the railings.
Down below the cat walk, Jayne is ignoring the commotion, lifting weights. River sits on one of the crates, cross-legged, fingering a bag of balloons. "I need your air." She says quietly to Jayne.
He almost drops the bar on himself at her comment. "What?" He asks, flustered.
River giggles as she holds up the balloons. "Air is required to inflate. Your air is the hottest. Full of it." She explains, satisfied with his reaction.
Taking a breath, Jayne continues his reps. "I ain't helpin' set up for this ridiculous party a' yers."
"Fine." River says simply.
Fine? That's it? No fight? Jayne thinks to himself, puzzled.
"As long as you show up , she'll be happy."
"I can't make you happy, girl."
"But you do." River explains as she places a balloon to her lips and starts to blow it up carefully.
Jayne watches her out of the corner of his eye. Those lips ar' all kinds 'a pretty... all kinds 'a invitin' as well... River smiles and blushes. "Stay outa my gorram head! How many times do I gotta tell ya, woman?"
"Woman?" River chokes on the word. "Me? A woman?"
"Aw hell, River... you're all kinds 'a woman. Anyone who can't see that's blind as a bat." River smiles at his comment and Jayne rolls his eyes and mentally slaps himself on the forehead.
Jayne sees River get off the crate, leave her one inflated balloon on the floor and bring her bag over and holds it out in front of him. Dropping the weight back on the support beam, he lays there staring up at her. "What?"
"Help." River says. Jayne rolls his eyes and begins to say something but is stopped by River climbing on top of his sweaty self, straddling his hips. "Please?" She stresses. "Your air is hotter, stronger than hers."
Looking up into her dark brown eyes he finds it hard to refuse. "Alright... git offa me tho'. If'n anyone saw ya here, I'd get tossed in th' airlock." He says as he sits up with her still on his lap.
"I'm very comfortable." She says in response while handing him a red balloon. Jayne blinks in response and begins to blow up the balloon handed to him, in silence, glancing at River as she brings her lips to another balloon.
After inflating another, River looks right into Jayne's eyes. "She thinks your lips are pretty, too." Jayne blinks at her comment. She see that he's not going to say what he's thinking again. "She wants to know how yours feel, too."
Jayne's frozen in place. She's so close. He can smell her: apples. She's intoxicating. She starts humming again, bringing another balloon up to her lips. He's lost in the sound of her voice, the though of her lips on his, on other parts of him... She blushes again at his thoughts. At this, he shakes his thoughts away and blows up another balloon.
"She's jealous, you know." River says trying a knot in the balloon and tossing it on the floor.
"Wha?"
"Jealous... of the balloons. You fill them. She wants you to fill her, too. Blow her up. Make her whole." River looks into his eyes and brings a hand up to caress his face. "Don't be scared."
"I ain't scared."
River smiles. "Liar."
Jayne leans into her caress and closes his eyes. All he can feel is her touch. It burns him to his very core. He is scared. Why?
"Scared to let me in. Scared to love." River explains to him. "Let me love you, Jayne."
He brings his hand up to rest lightly on her waist. It's so small. She's so small... delicate.
"You can't break what's already broken." Jayne looks into her eyes, concerned. "You fix me Jayne... let me fix you, too."
His hand on her waist snakes around to her back, pulling her closer. She wraps her arms around his neck and rests her head on his shoulder, whispering in his ear. "Let me in... let me teach you to love. Let me show you what love's all about."
The fragrance surrounding her drives him nuts. The sweetest apples mixed with the richest honey. "Aw, kitten... you're gonna be th' death 'a me." Jayne says softly, planting small kisses on her neck and shoulders.
She smiles at the term of endearment and smiles wider at the trail of kisses he leaves along her skin. "No Jayne... I'll bring you to life." She says kissing his cheek lightly, waiting for him to take the final step. A leap for him. Just a step for her. She's been waiting for him for a long while now.
Carefully, Jayne tilts River's face up to meet his with one large finger. Looking into her eyes again. He smiles at her. "Why me River? You deserve much better'n me."
"No... you chase the blue away... drown it out with your red. Keeps me safe. Only you. No one else." She says seriously, then smiles. "Plus. She loves you. No one else."
"Ya love me?" He chokes on his words, eyes wide.
River sighs. "You really can be so dense sometimes." She says smiling.
He would do anything to make her smile. Keep her smiling. Chase away all her fears and nightmares. Stop her screams that haunt him.
"You love her, too." River smiles knowingly.
"Now, I din't say that, kitten."
"Didn't need to." She says as she taps her forehead. "Thinking it loudly. She would like to hear you say it though... when you are ready to love... and admit to loving." She says, lifting herself off of his hips.
Jayne groans. "Where ya goin' kitten?"
"Need air for balloons... I took your away. Left none to spare." She says while skipping away happily.
"Yeah, kitten. Ya sure did take m' breath away."
----
Later, after the decorations are all up, Mal joins Wash up on the bridge. "We almost at Haven? We gotta drop Book off then get this gorram shindig over with..."
"Tell me why we're dropping Book off again."
"He said somethin' 'bout meditating on things... prayin'... Ya know, normal Shepard types a things." Mal responds.
"Hair too scary. Waiting. Til it's time to pop out and say 'boo'!" River says, poking her head into the room, giggling. "It'd be the scariest costume of all." She says, dancing off to find Kaylee.
She finds Kaylee in the kitchen putting the last bit of icing on the last cupcake. "Finished?" River asks.
"All set here! Decorations up?" Kaylee asks in return.
"Where's Simon?" River asks suspiciously.
"He went to go get cleaned up and ready for the party. Apparently, he got flour all over his fancy self." Kaylee says, disheartened.
"The sun will always shine." River says smiling softly.
Kaylee just stares at River trying to figure out what was just said. Kaylee finally just shakes her head and takes River's hand and lead her to her bunk. Kaylee holds up a finger smiling, indicating that River waits for a moment. Climbing down her ladder, she rummages around her room, looking for the place that she hid the bag with their costumes.
"Water continuously flows from the spout." River calls down.
Kaylee snaps her fingers as River reminds her that they're over by the sink. Grabbing the bag, she climbs up the ladder again, grinning at River. "Thanks sweetie. I woulda torn my bunk apart if'n you hadn't remembered where we put our costumes!" Holding up the bag, successfully, River grabs her hand and drags her toward Inara's shuttle, laughing happily.
Mal pokes his head out of the bridge door, "HEY!" He yells, stopping the two girls in their tracks. "Stop the runnin' or take off the boots! Ya'll are gonna give me a mighty powerful headache." Mal says to the two young women, who look back at him with guilt ridden faces.
"What did you two do!" Mal asks, mighty frightful of their answer.
"Nothing." They say in unison and turn to leave, walking slowly away from the cranky captain.
"HEY!" He shouts again, the two women turning to face him, trying to stifle uncontrollable giggles. "Find somewhere to sit and stay there while we break atmo. I don't want either of you runnin' 'round until after we drop off Book and we're back up in th' black."
"We ain't children ya know, Cap'n." Kaylee hisses while River just glares at him.
"Yeah? Well... then... HEY! I'm Captain here. Now git somewheres and stay there!" He barks back.
"Yessir, Cap'n moody." Kaylee mock salutes and turns to head toward Inara's shuttle again, and River follows her, throwing Mal a death glare.
"Yes, yes I know you can kill me with your brain..." He says frustrated and sits back down in the co-pilot's seat next to Wash who gives him a look. "Don't even start with me."
----
Kaylee and River knock on the companion's shuttle door. Inara slides open the door, welcoming the two younger women into her shuttle. Kaylee holds up the bag menacingly as Inara laughs lightly. "Let's get you girls into these ridiculous outfits for the party."
"But we have a whoooole long while. A lil' under two hours." Kaylee explains to Inara.
"We need to be done up like dolls... pretty painted faces." River says, then adds, smiling. "Plus, Inara needs to help Zoe, as well as do up herself." Inara smiles, trying to sneek a peek into the bag as Kaylee, wags a finger in her direction playfully.
There is another knock on the shuttle door, all the girls jump. "Who is it?" Inara asks.
"Jayne." A gruff voice answers through the door.
River stands up. "She'll handle him." She says as she walks over to the door, sliding it open. "Girl time... what do you want?" She asks looking at him suspiciously.
"I... I gotta talk ta' ya." Jayne says quickly. "Now."
River raises an eyebrow. "Ok." She say, unmoving.
"Alone." He whispers, motioning to the other women, listening intently to every word.
"We're busy. You can talk to her later. After the party." River says with a smile on her face.
"Aw come'on, Kitten."
"Sorry Jayne. Busy."
"River..." He says desperate.
"Bye." She says as she slides the door shut, turning to look at the other two women who look at her in disbelief.
"Kitten?" Kaylee asks wide eyed.
"River... what... what is going on?"
"Jayne loves me." River says simply. The other two women are speechless as another knock at the door resounds through the shuttle. "Should she get that too?" She asks. Neither woman answer. "Ok." She says rolling her eyes. Turning to open the door again. "Enter Zoe. You are welcome to join the girl time... since you are, in fact, female." River says smiling.
"Um. Thanks River. Inara?" Zoe asks curiously.
"Uhh... River... What... How..." Inara tries to spit out.
"Inara! What's wrong? It ain't like you to be all unarticulate." Zoe becomes severely concerned.
"She's concerned about me. Jayne loves me." River explains evenly.
Zoe stands in place, shocked. "River, honey... ain't ya too young to be going on about love. Especially about love and Jayne... those just don't go." Zoe starts. "Sweetie, isn't Jayne a little old for you?"
"No. He's just right." River says smiling.
"And..." Zoe starts before being interrupted.
"She loves him too." River explains.
"Ohhhh dear." All three of the other women say in unison.
Rolling her eyes, River sees that they still don't understand. She then begins to tell them about everything. Every little thing he has ever done for her. Every little thought he has had about her. Every thing he has said to her... though his words were few.
"So... he calls you kitten?" Zoe asks, her voice unbelieving.
"Awww, I think it's cute. E'eryone needs someone out here in th' black." Kaylee says dreamily.
Inara nods. "I agree with Kaylee. His actions and intentions thus far seem noble and genuine. Although I would like to see how he acts around her before completely agreeing with their being together."
Zoe blinks in shock. "Are you both mad? They're so different! Not to mention the age difference."
River looks at her. "He makes her happy. Keeps her calm. Makes the blue go away. Keeps the crazy at bay. Love knows no age." River says, too smart for her own age. "Plus. You and Wash are very different. Yet you are still together. And happy. Plus. Jayne and River aren't that different. They're both dangerous. River's a weapon. Jayne's a weapon's specialist. He knows how to make her work."
Zoe stands there dumb-founded, then shakes her head. "It'll take some getting used to..." She starts but River jumps to hug her before she can finish her thought. All the women smile and laugh happily.
"Alright ladies, let's get ourselves painted up." Zoe says stopping the raucous before Mal can come and yell at them.