I own nothing. I just like to fiddle with Joss' characters a little too much.

Several hours into the night, River was dreaming of spring, newborn flowers, and clear blue skies when something began to brush up the inside of her thigh in a rhythmic manner half-waking her from sleep due to the nervous fluttering it created in her stomach. She moved her left leg and was met with the feel of soft rabbit fur gliding smoothly on her exposed skin. She slowly drew her upper body up as she began to process her current situation. Her sleep induced stupor was making it hard to pinpoint what exactly was touching her. River's brow furrowed in contemplation. If her legs were under the covers...She turned to look at Jayne and noticed for the first time that at some point during the night they had shifted positions. Both she and Jayne were laying flat on their backs and she had thrown her right leg over his left one. She blushed for a moment when she realized it was Jayne who was rubbing her leg with his large, work worn hand. She inhaled sharply as she focused entirely on the sensation it was creating within her. She decided she needed more. It had been a week since she had finally been open about her feelings and allowed Jayne to be just as open, and nothing more than a few passionate kisses here and there had happened. It was a big step, but it was one she had been desperately wanting to take. The timing had just been off.

Jayne's hand slid upward, stroking her inner thigh and the fluttery feeling boiled over into every inch of her body. River bit her lip and fought to keep from squirming.

"Jayne," she whispered huskily, nudging his arm. Jayne stirred and awoke slowly. "What, huh?"

River blushed at him, still biting her lip. Misinterpreting her expression, Jayne stilled his hand and pulled away, beginning to roll over to put distance between them. An overwhelming sense of loss enveloped her and she gripped his arm to still his movements. She lay back down and tugged gently on his arm. "Jayne," she began in a soft voice. He turned back fully to look at her. River worried her lip nervously. "Jayne, I...I should very much like to have your baby-babies. Whichever of the two is to your liking."

Jayne blinked several times as he continued to stare at her. River felt herself begin to panic and her eyes welled up with tears. "You wanted me to stop lying and I thought that I should tell you how I feel because I love you more than I thought it possible for one to love another and wives should want to have their husband's babies- well, I mean, wives who love their husbands want to have their babies and since I love you-"

Jayne's lips on hers caused all rational thought to leave her head and the delicious pain in her chest thrummed with intensity as she opened her mouth fully to his. Jayne pulled away suddenly and she whimpered at the loss of such intimate contact. He trailed his thumb down her jawline. "Ya know, I ain't never loved someone a'fore neither."

"You really do love me?"

Jayne's brow furrowed. "Fer a genius, you sure do ask a lot of stupid questions," he teased as he tugged on a lock of her dark hair, "A'course, I love you, River."

"Oh, Jayne," she breathed out with a happy sigh, "I love you more than anything in the 'verse."

Jayne began to move back to kiss her when he paused abruptly. "Wait, you sure about the whole baby thing, 'cause, ya know, I can wait 'til yer good an' ready if'n you ain't."

"Oh, my wonderful, wonderful Jayne." River closed the distance between them and sealed her lips to his, directing one of his hands to the hem of her nightgown. Jayne hesitated a moment longer before kissing her back fervently as he let his hand travel up under her nightgown to strum the sensitive skin of her hip. River sighed into his mouth, nibbling his lower lip. Jayne moaned against her lips as he reached back down to grasp the hem of her nightgown and slowly began to move it up and over her body. River lift her arms over her head as he pulled it over her and blushed as his eyes began to travel over her bare chest and abdomen. He moved further down on the bed beside her and River blinked in surprise as she watched the flickering light of wonder enter into his blue eyes as he came to be eye level with her stomach. Jayne had never seen anything like her. Her body was perfection and he had never been so enraptured by someones stomach the way he was with River's. He traced the outside of her navel with his index finger in slow, careful circles. "Like one a them free standin' works a art they got in museums 'er somethin'," he whispered breathlessly, "Beautiful."

Jayne ran the flat of his palm over her stomach, reveling in the feel of her unbelievably soft skin against his rough, calloused hand. Slowly, his hand traveled upward, moving gently up the valley between her breasts to her delicate neck and back down to her navel. He shifted closer to her, bringing his mouth in contact with her skin as he planted kiss after featherlight kiss along the path previously traveled by his hand. Jayne's hand slid back down to her hips and he slowly scraped her underwear down her legs. Her eyes were still watery with unshed tears and Jayne looked up at her, his expression somber and questioning. She took up one of his hands, fitting her palm against his and smiled at how much larger his hand was than hers. She threaded her fingers with his his and gave his hand a light tug. Jayne smiled down at her and moved over her and he dropped to soft kisses on her eyelids, surprised when the tears spilled from the corner of each eye. He began to pull away from her worriedly when she grasped his face firmly with her free hand and kissed him with enough force to send a pleasure induced shiver throughout his entire body. River moaned into him and pulled him closer as they devoured each others mouths. Jayne felt his chest constrict sharply in a sweet pain that pulsed throughout his entire being. The pained yet passion-filled cry that River gave out into his mouth let him know she felt it, too. It was cold, hot, burning and tingling in and under and all over his skin in a way that made him shake uncontrollably. He tightened his hold on her hand, his knuckles whitening and River gripped his back just as firmly. Jayne fought through the haze that was enveloping him when he felt something wet on his cheek. He pulled away to ask why she crying still and blushed when noticed her cheeks were dry. River's eyes filled with tears again, shining up at him with more love than he'd thought one person could hold. It made the pain coursing through his body that much sweeter. River pulled him back down to her and he finally allowed his full weight to settle on her, needing to be as close to her as possible.

River was in awe. This was why everything so terrible in their lives had happened and for once she felt no regret, no guilt at being unable to fully control her fate. The waves of emotion flowing off of Jayne were as steady as the tide of a calm sea. His emotions raced into her gently and in return, hers flooded back to him like an ebbing tide. River was aware that they were both shaking badly from the intensity of what they were doing to one another, what they were feeling, but the tearing at her heart that it created was the most pure sensation she'd ever experienced. The feel of Jayne's body crushing hers into the bed, covering every inch of her with himself caused every nerve ending in her body to shoot out little sparks of pleasure that caused her body to sear in cold flames that licked her flesh. River curled her fingers in Jayne's hair and he fisted a handful of her dark tresses in his own hand as he let his thumb rub against her jaw softly in a rhythmic manner. He scraped his calloused hand from her face down her throat to her hips and River hummed against his lips and trailed her fingers from his hair to run along his back. The muscles tensed as she let her fingernails glide over them, coming to stop at the waistline of his sleep pants. Reluctant to break contact, she nudged them down with her hand as far as they would go, before bringing her legs up and pushing them down with her feet.

Jayne groaned into her mouth as the soles of her feet slid against his calves, pushing away his pants. He tightened his grip on both her hip and her hand as she pushed up against him, refusing to let him go. Jayne kissed her, burning her with the force of it as he slid into her as slowly as possible. They sighed into each others mouths simultaneously and River raked her fingers up his back to bury them in his hair once more as she wrapped her legs around him. Jayne gave a violent shudder as he pulled out and pushed back in just as slow as before, groaning. He moved his arm under her, making sure there was no chance they would break contact. Jayne pulled his lips from hers and rested his forehead against her shoulder as he continued the excruciatingly slow, sweet pace. River ground her hips up into his just as slow, pushing back the blankets. She ran her palm over his sweat slicked back and cried out softly as the pressure of release-his and hers-mounted leisurely. Jayne groaned in response to her cry, though neither one was willing to quicken their thrusts. The pain was too delicious for either one to give up. Jayne placed kiss after lingering, languid kiss on River's neck and she cried out more fervently than before.

Jayne pulled his head back up to meet her eyes and she moved her hand down to his stomach, reveling in the feel of his skin under her fingers. The soft look in his eyes made her want to smile, but she couldn't for the life of her remember how as though his gaze was soft it was equally penetrating. His emotions, thoughts licked her her body, coiling inside her and River hoped that he knew she felt exactly the same way. The ripple of pleasure that coursed through her with each stroke was almost too much to bear and she turned her face to their entwined fingers, clenching her eyes shut and keening softly. He unwound his arm from behind her back and brought his shaky hand up to run the length of her neck as he continued to move within her. River brought her hand up to clutch at his wrist and refused to let go as he continued to drop it further south on her flushed skin. She arched into him when his hand closed around her left breast and whimpered when he stroked the oversensitive skin. River let go of his wrist and let her fingernails run roughly down his chest. Jayne rumbled and leaned down to kiss her, continuing to move in and out of her as her writhing below him became more pronounced.

Jayne felt River's shaking become more pronounced just as his own escalated and he firmly set his mouth over hers and he pushed into her one last time. River's legs tensed around him in a vice like manner and their eyes shot open, their lips falling away from each other as the pressure released and they moaned in unison. The tingling sensation that had enveloped them so long ago flared into a blazing force that neither knew existed, leaving them gasping and disoriented as wave after wave of pleasure engulfed their bodies. Jayne's arms and legs gave out as his body shuddered one last time and he fell against her, breathing heavily and wondering if his heart would pound out of his chest as frantically as it had been beating. He finally let go of her hand and wrapped both arms around her. River wrapped her arms around Jayne in return and pulled the blanket back up around them. Jayne stroked his fingers up and down her side and fought to control his breathing. Once it was stable enough, he rolled away from her, still slightly shaky and River kissed his shoulder before burying her face in the middle of his chest.

"Jayne," she whispered in a voice muffled by his chest. "I'm okay. It didn't hurt." The fear of hurting her had flickered faintly in the back of his mind the entire time. It was the only fear he really had anymore; ever.He pulled her to lay on top of him, running his hands all over her body. He couldn't stop touching her. "You sure?"

She nodded and pressed a kiss to his chest, directly over his heart and nuzzled the spot before going on to trace each and every scar she could find on his body. He smiled at her. "Think I might be addin' a few more to my collection come spring, Baby."

"I know. I'll memorize them, too. But I want to remember the present before we move forward once more."

"Honey, you know, about us doin' what we did..." Jayne clamped his mouth shut and waited for her to finish for him. She smiled. "I need you; always need you, but in order to let go of the need for even a moment, I must have all of you. And, I love you. What we did was important."

"Yeah, it was," he agreed. He stared down at the circles she was drawing around the scars on his right shoulder in the looping shape of a figure eight. "Never done that before."

"Not many people do. We are lucky."

His brow furrowed. "What about Wash an' Zoe? They was really in love."

She pulled at one of his hands and began to trace the outline of his fingers. "They felt it. That is why Zoe will never again find another to keep her company, drain away her buried grief."

"You ain't gonna go an' find someone after I go," Jayne asked hesitantly, "is ya?"

River dropped a kiss on his lips and smiled. "Never."

Jayne looked away for a moment. "I wouldn't either. Don't think no one understands me the way you do an'...wouldn't be you."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

River moved to look at him and grinned. "I'm glad we're married."

"Ya think we'd still be together if'n we hadn't gotten hitched?"

River shrugged and rubbed her thumb along his. "It's possible. Though I doubt we would have ever found ourselves here. In all likelihood, while we would have resided together, romantic feelings would never have been acted on."

"Us havin' kids," Jayne marveled as he pulled at both her hand and began to play with them. "Jus' think a how good lookin' they'll be!"

"Very beautiful," she agreed, sitting up and rolling off of him to cuddle into his side. Jayne turned on his side to face her. "How many you want?"

"However many you want," she said, nuzzling his nose and running her hand down his chest. He grinned. "What if I want a dozen?"

"Then we'll have a dozen." Jayne's eyebrows shot up. "Yer really willin' ta just pop out that number a kids if it's really what I want?"

"My happiness is your happiness and my happiness yours. If I were to only want one child, you would accept it just as I will accept twelve children if it's really what you want."

He shook his head. "Four. Possibly five."

"Still a large family," she teased and he smiled. "Guess that means I'll get ta build onta the house. If not, they can sleep in the barn."

She giggled into his lips. "I don't think our offspring would like that."

"Well, they ain't here ta complain right now, so I don't rightly care." He waggled his eyebrows at her and trace his forefinger over her breasts. "'Sides, I can't really be touchin' on ya all that often if they's always runnin' 'round demandin' attention."

River nodded in mock seriousness and stifled a moan. "Yes, perhaps living in the barn would be best for all."

Jayne chuckled before his mouth joined his hands on her chest and River hummed with enjoyment. Jayne moved over her and pushed a few wayward strands of hair out of her face. Jayne let his attention wander back to her chest and they both hissed when he sank into her. River bucked up against him. They were shaking again. River wrapped her legs tightly around him and smiled at him. He brought his head up from his thorough investigation of her right breast and she pecked him on the lips as she moved against him in time with each thrust. "Jayne is definitely not an ape-woman's name," she moaned and he nodded against her throat while he nibbled across her collarbone. "Guessin' I shoulda shown you my man parts a while back so's you woulda known then," he groaned into her mouth. She bit and pulled at his lip. "Yes, then the mindless flirting would have indeed led somewhere."

He smiled, almost smirking. "Yeah, guess we was flirtin'."

River's eyes rolled back as the pressure that built began to spasm as it readied itself to be set free. Jayne growled deep in his throat and River smiled into his neck as she rubbed every inch of her skin up against his and whispered in his ear exactly how he made her feel. There was a sharp yet gentle edge to each thrust he made after that and the release was just as satisfying and pleasurable as the first. Jayne rolled off of her immediately and pulled her to him to tuck her against his side. She kissed his shoulder. River trailed a finger down the long scar across his chest. "I'm sorry I did this to you."

Jayne smiled and rubbed a hand down her back. "I'm pretty sure we hurt each other a lot seein' as we ain't too good about emotional things."

"I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been so crowded and confused."

"Hey." Jayne cupped her face in his hands as she blinked at him through her tears. "M'okay, so there ain't nothin' ta worry on. 'Sides, I love you, Baby, so it don't really matter ta me none no more."

"But it did."

"Yeah," he admitted, blushing, "only 'cause I thought you was cute an' I was mad that it seemed like I weren't ever gonna get ta sex ya an' I really did think fer awhile there you was really an' truly crazy."

"Then Miranda happened."

He nodded and smiled. "An' you started talkin' more normal, started talkin' ta me 'bout things an' ya cared what I had ta say more'n anyone else ever has."

"You're the only person I make sense to when I talk the way I do. You're the only one who listens to me, too."

Jayne grinned down at her reddened face. "Why you always blushin' 'round me?"

"I 'm not used to actually having someone understand me; you see me for what I am. Even when I'm not talking, you..." She took a deep breath. "Sometimes, I feel as though you're reading my mind. Even if I were to try to talk circles around you like I did Simon and the Captain, you find the real words I was saying and arrange them even when I can't."

Jayne smiled. "That make me yer own personal translator?"

River laughed. "I suppose so."

Jayne yawned and pulled her up to him, against him, inhaling the scent of her sweat mingled with his. "I love you, Baby."

River kissed his shoulder once more and smiled to herself. "I love you, too."

Jayne let out a satisfied sigh as his breathing evened out. River's smiled grew and she nuzzled his neck whispering, "Two down, two, possibly three, more to go."

A/N: So, I suck, suck, SUCK at writing smut, but this story freaking needed it and I'm sorry if I let you down with it. (hangs head) But it had to be slow and gentle and whatnot because in the twenty-four 'verse I've created, that's how River and Jayne are. They have emotional sex. I wouldn't call it making love because if you're sexing while in love, the love's already there so there's nothing to be made but babies. You could argue they're making more love, but that would mean that at some point you use all the love up and that just doesn't make sense. In all seriousness, I'd most definitely say that River and Jayne were "putting the love on"...or in in Jayne's case. And if we go off of Jayne's case, River's "putting the love around" Jayne...snerk.

The whole flirting thing they talk about. Okay, if any of you readers can tell me River and Jayne were not flirting when she told him that first time in "Our Mrs. Reynolds" that Jayne was a girl's name and they just didn't know it...well, I still won't believe you but seriously, I may take it back. I really won't. They were so flirting and you'll never tell me otherwise. I'm just confused as to why she didn't let Jayne show her his man parts then-regardless of whether another person is in the room, if Jayne offers to show you his man parts, you take him up on it because it will most likely end in him letting his man parts get acquainted with your girl parts...moving on!

Jayne doesn't read River's mind, by the way. He just is really good at knowing whenever she's hiding something, trying to say something, etc. So he pretty much reads her mind without reading her mind...

Someone asked if I had plans for a Raynebaby...yes and no..."How can that be," you may ask. Well, re-read the dialog. Did you catch it? If so, GOOD! If not, I have failed as a writer. Joking, if you didn't get it, ask and I shall tell.

Next Chapter, Jayne's first day as head Lawman. Possibly some surprise visitors. But only if you're good! Please review.