All disclaimers apply

Ch. 15- Secrets & Spies & To-Do Lists

Jayne was closely inspecting the inside of River's mouth with his tongue when Mal walked into the mess.

"Gah! I can't be seein' that!" He threw his arm up over his eyes. He waited a second and started to peek under his arm, only to find that the pair hadn't even paused in their oral tour of each other's mouths. "Hello! Stop that now! Just cause I'm not buttin' in doesn't mean I have to watch it!"

River pulled back, breathing heavily. "He has been remarkably well-behaved about our growing closeness. Perhaps we shouldn't taunt him so."

"Yeah, well, mebbe he'd feel better if he went and got hisself a little 'spection of 'Nara's molars," Jayne smirked.

River smacked him lightly on the arm. "You're naughty," she giggled.

"Oh, Baby, you don't even know…"

"Enough!" Mal yelled. "Jayne, go away. I need to talk to River for a minute." Jayne's head snapped up at that and he growled.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna make off with your woman, just need to discuss some readin' business," Mal explained.

Jayne still didn't look pleased, but he complied. He squeezed River's arm lightly.

"I'll see ya later?" She nodded, beaming up at him.

"I'm goin' to go lift," he told her, looking at the Captain, "I'll be nearby in case you need me." He stomped out.

Mal waited until he thought that Jayne was far enough away. "Okay, little one, I got a mission for you." He looked at her seriously. "I need you to continue being friendly-like with this Janek guy- we need more information, need to know what we're dealing with here. I think maybe we can accomplish that without putting the Jayne-hurt on anyone, seeing as how Davy's got a little crush on ya."

River looked thoughtful. "Jayne isn't going to like this. But I tried reading Cosmo when he first came on board to make sure he was safe for my family, and I only could read generalities on him, no details."

"Then all the more reason why we need to go to a phase two to get control of this situation," Mal said. "Right now I got 'a Alliance ship floating out there watchin' their beacon they tagged on us. We can't remove it without raisin' suspicion, and I don't even know what we'd be raisin' suspicion about.

"And we need to keep this little op quiet for it to be successful. Kaylee can't keep a secret worth a hill o'beans and Simon's not much better. I don't know if I'm gonna even tell Zo' what we're doin'; that husband a hers ain't much better than 'Lee."

"And Jayne?" River asked carefully. "I can tell Jayne right? Otherwise David will be hurting sooner rather than later." She tried her pretty-please eyes on her Captain.

"Sorry, no way. As jealous and overprotective as that man is of his belongings, I can't imagine he's not gonna interfere. I'll talk to Jayne, get him to back off a bit. We land in a couple of days, I'll just encourage him to wait fer ya. Meanwhile, with such little time left, you need to get started right away. You should probably start with giving Davy sympathy over my little 'interrogation'." Mal smirked.

"Yes, because that was so terrifying," taunted River. "Okay, but first I'll need to change."

"Alright, I want reports regular-like, dong ma?"

"Yes, Captain."

&&&&&&&

River walked into the cargo bay as Jayne was finishing putting away the crates they had pulled out for the fed's inspection. She paused, watching him sadly for a moment- he was going to be hurt by what the Captain had asked her to do, but she silently promised Jayne that she would make it up to him. He saw her and grinned.

"Hey, Babe, what's up? What's the big captain-y secret?" He stepped up close, wrapping his arms around her and looking down into her face. River swallowed.

"Can't tell." Jayne frowned and started to say something but she couldn't let him. "I was given a mission, and I need you to trust me." She looked at him solemnly.

Jayne was instantly concerned. The Captain had given River a job without him? That had never happened before, they were partners, they had been working jobs together for over a year. But maybe this was a test, maybe the Captain wanted to see for himself outside of Jayne's reports that she really was better. She smiled and started nodding.

"Yes, it's a test of sorts," she said. "Maybe for both of us." She looked serious again. "Jayne, I need you to let me do this. To prove to the Captain that I really am better, once and for all." It wasn't a total fib, just a little twist on the truth, and she knew it would make him feel better, even if only momentarily.

"Okay," he answered her seriously. He knew how much she looked to Mal as a father figure and that it mattered to her what he thought of her. Hell, it mattered to him what Mal thought of him, tho' he'd never admit it out loud.

He changed tacks; he wanted to own up to what he had done earlier, especially before she found out by accident.

"Listen," he started, "I gotta confession to make." He grimaced slightly, he suddenly realized that he wasn't sure how she was going to take this.

"You've pulled down and thrown away all the girly pictures from your bunk wall?" she asked facetiously.

He stopped; he had been focused and not expecting the retort. He smiled. "Ah, well, okay, that's on the To-Do List, fer sure." He grinned.

River raised an eyebrow. "How about we take it off the 'To-Do' list and actually do it?"

Jayne coughed and lowered his eyes in an appropriately cowering manner. "Yes, ma'am." He looked up under his eyelashes and gave her a wink. She punched him playfully and wrapped her arms around his mid-section.

"Listen, I's got ta tell ya this. I was coming to get ya and yer brother earlier when them feds left, and I heard what ya said to Simon. Bout us." He looked at her, serious again. "I'm sorry for eaves-droppin', but I kinda wanted to know what Simon was gonna say when ya told him that ya picked me over that floozy Core-boy."

She nodded, and then corrected him. "I didn't pick you over him, Jayne, I pick you for you long before then. But don't worry, Simon is okay with us. His main concern will always be for me, he just wants to make sure that I am safe and happy." She leaned her head against his abdomen and sighed happily.

"Well, that's the way he should be, all concerned 'bout ya, he's yer big brother after all. I know if I had a sister and she brought home someone like me, well, I'da killed 'im." He ran a hand softly down the back of her hair.

"But I gots just one question. I heard that list of stuff ya tol' Simon I do fer ya- well I just gotta say, that was a big list and, I don't know, but ya seem like an awful demandin' woman all of a sudden…"

He laughed as her hand met his side in a resounding thwack! that echoed though the cargo bay.