A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update, my Plot Bunnies went to play in the HP Universe for awhile, my tracking dog quit, so I had to chase them down myself (sounds like a really bad county song doesn't it gaaaah)
Thanks to all who have reviewed the previous chapters, have a very merry holiday season
River watched Jayne leave, shocked at the turmoil of emotions pouring off the stricken man. She waited as his footsteps faded down the hallway before dashing out the door and down the back stairs, blind to all around her. Like an animal in pain River knew she had to get back to her den, there she would be able to hide away from her pain.
Dodging through the massed crowds surrounding Evansdown docks, Serenity was docked at the far end, forcing River to dodge through all the cargo being loaded and unloaded, ignoring a shout she ran under a large crate instinctively dodging the fat man who attempted to grab her arm. Spotting Serenity, River put on a final burst of speed, and ran full out up the cargo ramp into the hold.
She tripped over a flaw in the floor, the shock of pain as her knees landed on the floor, let loose a flood of tears. Scrambling back to her feet River looked frantically around the cargo hold. Zoë, now in her six month of pregnancy, walked toward her in that dictomy that all pregnant women have of grace and clumsiness, her face showing the concern she felt for the younger woman.
River sobbed out a mixture of words as she made her way up the stairs, passing Inara who was to shocked to try and stop her. Making her way to her bunk River paused to disable the lock so that no one would be able to open her hatch from the outside, she slid in the small space between the bunk and the wall, her eyes dilated to the point that they were round black holes in her stark white face.
"Zoë, what was that about?" Inara asked in concern as she walked down the stairs, "Should I get Simon?"
Zoë's eyes mirrored Inara's confusion as she stared at the space where River had disappeared, "I don't know, all I could make out was 'She broke him' and 'friends no more'"
Inara let out a gasp, "Do you think she tried to tell Jayne what she felt about him, and he turned her down in his usual uncouth manner."
Her agitation caused the baby to roll and kick with great strength; Zoë rubbed her abdomen as she thought. Turning her dark brown eyes back to the companion, she shook her head, "No I think something else happened, we'll just have to wait for Jayne and the Captain to come back."
Three days past, and no one had been able to open the hatch to River's bunk, Mal kicked in the door to Jayne's bunk and slid down the ladder. He eyed the large lump on the bed; Mal knew something had gone on in that room after he left, but he had not been able to get an answer out of Jayne as to what River had done.
"Jayne, get up" at the total lack of movement from the bigger man, Mal moved closer to the bunk, "Jayne get your gorram ass outa bed, we need your help."
"Argh, can't a man get a decent sleep without some húndàn barging in and botherin 'im" Jayne growled without lifting his head.
Mal ran a hand over his head, a sign that the crew had come to recognize as his, I am getting very frustrated, but am still willing to explain, move. "Jayne, no one has seen River for the past three days."
"So what's that gotta do with me?" Jayne grumbled as he sat up, the blankets falling to his waist and giving Mal an unwanted view of hairy chest.
Mal closed his eyes, "Jayne get some clothes on, you hafta use the welder to open the door. Be there in five minutes, dong ma?"
With that Mal stepped up the ladder and out of Jayne's bunk, Simon met him in the corridor, "Well?"
Mal eyed the younger man who was waiting with undisguised impatience for Mal's answer, Mal debated if he should tease Simon just for the hell of it, but at the last moment decided not to.
"Yeah, he'll come up and cut your sister's door open, but the cost of this is comin out of your share." With that cryptic statement Mal turned and walked away.
Simon's plaintive "I get a share?" echoed behind him.
Jayne finished the preparations he had to make before tackling River's hatch, a short time later the welder had cut through the hinges on the top. Kicking the bottom while pulling on the top and the hatch popped out of the space slick as you please, grunting with effort not to drop it down the hole, Jayne wrestled the hatch off to the side.
Without bothering with the ladder, Jayne jumped down into the bunk, he winced as his back twinged, 'gonna pay for that later' he thought to himself as he searched the small space for River.
Jayne spotted a movement coming from under the bed, reaching under and praying that River didn't think to bring down any cutlery before she hid Jayne hauled the young woman out from under the bed.
"No cutlery, won't heart my bear." River sounded affronted that Jayne would even think that she would cut him again, "Was confused."
Without acknowledging that he had even heard her, Jayne slung her over his shoulder like a sack of contraband that he had stolen. Moving up the ladder easily, mostly thanks to the fact that River was laying quiescent on his shoulder, Jayne made his way to the cargo bay.
"I am going to last 5.3 seconds after being released from Serenity." River announced with surety, "The cold and the vacuum will both contribute to the heart stopping, the ice crystals will form in my blood from the cold,"
Jayne ignored the recital of how a body would be effected by the black, he cast a quick glance around, where did Kaylee set up, spotting what he was looking for Jayne quickly made his way to a pile of crates set up in the far corner of the cargo hold.
River's dialogue was cut off abruptly by water, warm water filled with bubbles, she sat up gasping and blowing, pushing the wet lengths of her hair out of her eyes, she looked at Jayne who stood at the end of the water filled cargo pod. River flinched away from the look in his eyes, she ran her fingers through the bubbles and plucked at the thin material of Jayne's t-shirt that she had stolen from the laundry weeks before.
"It's time you and I had a talk." Jayne's voice broke the silence, clearing his throat he pulled a small crate over to sit on. "I don't have a clue as to why ya did what ya did, but I thought bout it and neither of us came to harm." At Rivers attempt to explain Jayne pushed her under the water, when she came back up and glared at him but said nothing Jayne chuckled, "Caught on did ya? Used to take Mother several times to get Cassie ta shut up." Nodding the big man ran a hand over his head.
"I gotta tell ya that I ain't a man for words, but I said I would treat you and that chûnrén (fool, jerk (familiar)) brother of yours as a part of the crew, and that means I don't go round sexin ya gainst your will."
Having said his piece Jayne stood up to leave, River not wanting him to go did the only thing she could think of at that moment, she stood and peeled the thin t-shirt off.
"Jayne I want you to do the same to me."
Jayne stared at the woman before him, skin like the finest porcelain he had ever seen on the core, hair dark and heavy wrapping around nipples the colour of the sunset on Liberty, it was all Jayne could do not to trace the path of the bubbles as the ran down her abdomen to slim thighs and back into the water.
"lìngrén jingyì (stunning, amazing)" Without conscious thought Jaynes hand reached out to the vision before him, he snatched it back before it could touch River and stepped back toward the crates.
He started to mumble something about, airlock, Captain and brother, as River stepped out of the bath to follow him, "Jayne, Jayne" Pulling his face so that she could meet his eyes, River laughed in delight, "Jayne, Captain Daddy is not going to put you out the airlock, Simon will learn to like you, after all he would have to learn to like you."
"Huh, why?" More relieved than he cared to admit that he wouldn't be going out of the airlock, Jayne started to pay attention to what River was saying and not to her naked body which was currently pressed up against his, he could feel his cock twitch as he remembered what exactly she could do with those lips and tongue.
Running her fingers up under Jayne's shirt, River reveled in the play of muscles over bone as she divested him of his clothes. When he was as naked as she, she led him to the makeshift bath tub.
With a soft whispered "Your turn" Jayne found how he could make River sing.
Breath slowing, heartbeats returning to a normal rhythm, Jayne looked at the disheveled woman in his arms. "So what happens now?" Surprising himself, as he normally wasn't a man to think about tomorrow, but he didn't want to lose this woman, he had realized that she was his other half.
River leaned her head against Jayne's shoulder, and ran her fingers over his hands and arms, with a smile she asked, "right now or tomorrow?"
"Right now I'm thinkin another round down in my bunk," Jayne growled in her ear, with a squeal River jumped out of the tub and quickly pulled on Jayne's discarded t-shirt. Jayne gaped at River from where he sat in the half empty tub.
"Well what are you waiting for?" River called as she dashed through the cargo hold toward crew quarter. Laughing Jayne pounded after her.
"that is a sight I never hope to envision again" Mal muttered to Inara as they continued on their way to the mess.
"What a happy Jayne?" Inara asked as she gracefully sat down at the table
"No a naked Jayne!" Mal retorted with a shudder.
"Can I ask why Jayne was naked?" Simon questioned, thoroughly confused when the women of Serenity laughed.
Finit