"Kaylee." Jayne stradled an empty chair. "Need to ask ya somethin."

"Sure thing. What's up?" She as admiring her newly-braided hair, done by Simon that morning. The braid looked more like a Gordian knot than an actual braid. It was complicated, ugly and brilliant all at once. Kaylee was ridiculously pleased with it.

"Nice hair," Jayne commented, studying it. Where the hell did that one strand lead to? Wasn't too surprising Simon had created this thing, since his hands were always doing all sorts of intricate things- like cuttin into people's brains.

"You like it? I think it's elegant, like something Inara would have."

He couldn't stop staring at it. Weird. "Sure," he agreed.

"So, what'd you want?"

"Huh?" For a moment he'd forgotten why he'd come. "Oh, uh... was wonderin if you could show me somethin."

"Sure thing."

"Uh... you know them papery flower things you make sometimes? Like the ones you made for Wash's grave?"

"The origami? Yeah. What about 'em?"

"How do you make 'em?"

This required all of Kaylee's attention. She put down the tools she'd been tinkering with. "You want me to teach you how to make origami flowers?"

"Uh...yeah."

She giggled. Wasn't a nice thing to do, but she coudn't help it. It was such an unusual request for him to make. "Why do you wanna know?"

He rolled his eyes. "Cuz I fel like a damn pretty princess. You gonna show me or not?"

"I will, no need to get snippy." She gave him a big 'ol grin."Just a weird thing for you to me askin for."

"Yeah, well..." He gave her a wayward smile. "I'm all sorts of surprsin."

"Guess so." Kaylee dove into one of her storage places in the engine room and dug out some colored paper. "Do you want... pink, purple or blue? Think I got yellow somewhere, too."

"Uh..." Did it matter? "I dunno, surprise me."

"Guess you can have blue. Come and sit on the floor, you need a flat surface."

"Kay." He plopped down on the floor across from Kaylee. Hope no one comes walkin in here, he thought, glancing over his shoulder. He felt like a damn fool sittin on the floor playing with paper like a child.

"Okay," Kaylee said cheerily. "Take your paper and fold it in half so it makes a triangle."

Origami is a damn complicated thing. Jayne could piece together just about any kind of firearm there was in the whole of the verse (and usually in les than 30 seconds). But he could not get his flower to curl and fold and be pretty. It took him eight tries to create something even remotely flowerish.

"Well?" he asked, holding up his work. It was a pink boxy rose... sort of.

"It's uh... it's a good start."

"Strat? I made eight of 'em already!"

"Well, no offense, Jayne, but does that look like a flower?"

He crushed it in his powerful fingers. "No. Fuck."

"What are you doing?" Simon swung into the engine room gracefully.

"Origami!" Kaylee announced happily, looking up to Simon for a kiss. He happily obliged. "I'm teaching Jayne how to make flowers."

Simon chuckled at Jayne. "You're learning origami?"

"Bite my ass, doctor." He threw his crumpled flower at Simon, hitting him in the eye.

"Ouch," he cackled. "Why are you so interested in it, anyway? I'm just curious."

"Dont have to explain myself to you." He got up and tromped out of the room, crushing six of his origami attempts.

"Want more paper?" Kaylee caled after him. She felt bad because he had tried. His fingers just didn't move nimbly enough. Cold steel was one thing but flimsy paper was another.

Jayne trudged back, snatched the paper fron Kaylee's outstretched hand (wrinkling it in the process) and stormed away.

Simon was still smirking. "What was that all about?"

Kayle shrugged. "He wanted to learn."

"Did he say why?"

Now Kayle smirked. "He said he felt like a princess."

Jayne slammed the paper onto his weapons table and smothed it carelessly. Okay. Damn son of a bitch doctor, making him feel stupid. He could get through the first ten steps okay. It was mostly just folding the paper in half about eighty times. Once you got to 'fold left over center right, right to top corner' he got too confused. Okay. Fold once, twice, fold into another triangle...

"Jayne? You awake?" He was.

"No."

"Can I come in? I waited a few days."

"No."

She climbed into the bed next to him and found he had already moved over for her. "Why are you angry with me?"

"Let me sleep."

"I can't sleep. Need therapy."

"Fine. Just don't talk." He didn't move.

River climbed on top of him, one of her knees on either side of him.

"Jayne does not approve?"

"Jayne don't care." He looked up at her indifferently, waiting for her to begin. She studied his face. "What?" he asked irritably.

"Jayne is scared."

"No, he's tired. And sick of sayin 'he' all the damn time." Please don't kiss me.

"Why not?"

"What?"

"You know what."

"Geroff me woman, I wanna sleep."

"I want sex."

So do I. "No."

"Yes." She leaned down and kissed him. He didn't reciprocate immediately, but she was persistant and he eventually caved. God, her mouth was good, Her hands cupped his face and she pulled away. Her hair fell over both of them. You scare me, she thought.

"Why do I scare you?"

"Because...I think..." I think I love you.

"Nuh-uh. No. Don't be usnin them words."

"I didn't say anything. Just thought it."

"Then stop thinkin it so loud."

"What should I do, then?"

"Hell, I dunno. Why're you askin me?"

"Because I don't know what to do I can't... can't think right."

"Well that ain't nothin new, is it?"

"It's different now. I keep thinking the same kinds of things, always about you and your voice is so mean but your eyes are sad and scared and I can't stop wanting to be with you all the time and you keep pushing me away-"

"Whoa, girl," he said, startled. Now she was crying all hysterical like and talking too fast.He brushed her hair behind her ears. "Calm down, okay? Ain't no need to be so worked up."

"Why do you push me away? I don't want you to let me go."

"I..." He tried to reason with himself. What do you say to a small girl lookin at you with the biggest eyes you ever saw, wantin something from you that you can't give her? "You wanna talk or you wanna fuck?"

"Neither," she said miserably. "Both."

Where the hell did that leave him? "That don't exacty help."

"You love me?" Hse was very hopeful, he could tell. Crap. Instead of giving her an answer he kissed her. As it turned out, it was exactly the answer she was hoping for. She hugged him tightly, taking in his kiss like much needed air. The stubble on his face scratched at her cheeks as his lips moved across to her ears and neck. The apple smell of her hair was mind numbing. She was holding on to him like she was afraid he'd throw her out of the bed.

"I ain't gonna make you go," he whispered into her ear.

"You will too."

"I won't." He wrapped an arm around her to prove so. She rested her head on his broad shoulder, kissing along his jawline. His bare chest was warm under her fingertips. He was radiating heat through her thin nightgown, both warming and chilling her. His hands slipped her nightgown over her head, leaving her naked to the night air. She sat back on her feet so he could lift himself upright to eye level. Jayne's gaze roamed her nakedness, his fingertips following the trail his eyes made. She looked naked, a lot more naked than he'd even seen her. "Wow," he breathed.

"Jayne approves?" He didn't say anything, but nodded slightly. She smiled shyly. "Pretty?"

Before he could stop himself, he muttered "Beautiful." Shit. This was going too far. He needed to stop it before he said something he didn't mean. Or worse, soemthing he did. "Gime therapy," he demanded. He'd meant to sound imposing, but it came out almost as pleading. River understood. He was already naked- had been sleeping that way for a few weeks now. SHe slid her hands down his smooth stomach, over his hips and toward his inner thighs. Jayne leaned back on his elbows, his breathing getting heavier. River kissed his chest, stomach and navel, her young breasts brushing against his thighs. When her deep eyes looked into his, time stopped for a few brief moments. Her tongue flicked just below his navel, shooting electric sparks to his groin. Oh, God, he wanted her. His fingers touched her chin and brought her face back to his. His kiss was desperate but gentle, his tongue probing her mouth. He slid into her easily, the warmth of her depth engulfing more than just what lay below his hipbones.

"Oh," he moaned, the first vocal noise made between them during sex.

"It doesn't hurt," River said, a bit surprised. Most times it was at least a tiny bit uncomfortable. Now it just felt good.

"Bein gentle," he told her, lifting his hips slightly. "Oh, ta ma de."

"Is it bad?"

He looked directly into her eyes. "No, it's good. Real good." He thrust again, and now it was River who cried out. She tightened the muscles surrounding him intensely. He whimpered with pleasure.

It was long, slow and sensuous, unlike anything they'd done before. River was resting on top of him, resting her head on his chest below his chin. "I'm tired," she confessed.

He had wrapped his arms around her waist. "Me too." He kissed the top of her head.

"Love you," she muttered to his chest hairs.

"Thanks," he said, not knowing what else to say.