All disclaimers apply

Sensitivity warning: Some higher rated activity implied at end of chapter, no actual desciption. I may be overstating the matter- but to be forewarned is to have four arms. ;)

Ch. 22- Doubts

Wash was finishing off the last connection on the back of the decoy sitting in the middle of the mess table. River sighed loudly, tapping her foot.

"I know, I know, I'm moving!" Wash grabbed his tools, picked up the crybaby and started to leave the mess. "Wouldn't want to get in the way of a girl cooking for her man," he teased her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Quiet, you!" she snapped. "I need the table so they can cool properly." She came around the edge of the counter with a large sheet tray in each mitted hand. Then she paused; she had forgotten to get out the cooling rack first and now her hands were full of what was soon to be very hot heat working its way through the oven mittens. She started back to the stove when Inara happened through the doorway.

"Ooh, Inara, can you please help me? I need that rack there, oh yes, thank you." She gratefully slid the contents of the flat pans onto the cooling rack. "Thank you for rescuing me, my hands were starting to burn." She smiled gratefully at the Companion, who was looking at her with much amusement in her eyes.

Inara bent to inspect the small golden orbs cooling on the table while River dropped the pans onto the stovetop to cool. She sniffed delicately, then smiled.

"Are these ginger snaps? They smell wonderful, River. Where did you learn to make them?" Inara was impressed. River seemed to have taken her cooking lessons with Jayne to heart.

River blushed. "Actually, they are a recipe from his mother. I got it out of his head." She had the grace to look embarrassed at the thievery.

Inara smiled. "Well, I am sure Jayne will love them. Any particular occasion?" she probed.

River hesitated, then burst into tears. Inara, startled, rushed over to wrap her arm around the girl's shoulder and pull her into a hug. "Honey, what's wrong? Tell me, did Jayne say something to upset you? You know he's not always the best with words, dear."

River sniffled. "It's not him, it's me. I passed him in the hallway when he was coming back from monitoring Kaylee outside, and he barely glanced at me. When I called to him, he just mumbled that he was busy and didn't have time to talk to me and he kept on going. I, I didn't know what to do, so I read him." She hung her head.

"And that's when you got the cookie recipe?" Inara asked. She knew something was going on with these two, but trying to lighten the mood couldn't hurt.

River giggled through her snuffling. "No, I got that the last time we cooked. I just wanted to glean something that I could make on my own for him and surprise him sometime."

"And that time is now?" Inara prodded further.

"No, well yes, oh Inara, he just won't listen to me!" River smacked her little fist against the counter top.

"Maybe you had better start from the beginning, mei-mei," Inara soothed her.

"We've been through this over and over ever since David came on board. Before David, everything was fine. It was just Jayne and me, and that's all we had to concentrate on. But then David comes along, and, I mean, he's not a bad sort and it was fun to talk to him and all, but Jayne has taken it badly from the start."

"Well, I could see him being the jealous type."

"No, it was nothing like that. He keeps thinking that David, or someone else for that matter, would be better for me than him. He almost pushed me away before this whole 'ultimate code key' discovery thing came out." River wiped her nose gratefully on the handkerchief Inara handed her.

Inara, for her part, was stunned. She would have assumed that Jayne would be the type to physically threaten any man who even looked at River twice. To know that he was considering what was best for her and that it may not necessarily be him was an unexpected side to his character. River continued.

"At first it was just about that David was smarter than him. I told Jayne that while I enjoyed talking to David about different things, that he was smart about other things, things I needed to survive out here. That he helped me in ways David never could."

"Things seemed better after that?" Inara inquired.

"Yes, at first, then he started to doubt himself again during the 'job' the Captain gave me, so we had another talk." Inara grimaced at this, if Mal ever gave another ridiculous assignment like that again she was going to personally…

"And then I thought we were fine, but just now…" she started crying again. "And I am going to set him straight once and for all!" she blubbered out.

"With cookies, dear?" Inara poked her side gently and smiled.

"Partly," River answered. She looked up at the perfectly dressed and make-upped Companion. "Just now, he is thinking that David or somebody with more money can give me a better life than running around the 'verse with a bunch of criminals." She snorted. "He insults me, and he insults my family. If he is so worried about what is best for me, than I wish him to shut up and listen to me, and what I want and need." The Companion was proud to see the girl straighten up as she made her speech.

"Will you help me, Inara?"

Inara smiled. "Of course I will, dear. First things first, let's do something about the redness around your eyes."

&&&&&&&

Jayne was rehearsing his apology speech when he heard his bunk hatch lock being picked open. He sighed and stood up, walking over to the bottom of the ladder; he wanted to talk to her in the hallway, not his bunk. But he was too slow, as evidenced by the faceful of silk and the warm smell of…was that ginger? hitting him in the face.

"Oof!" River slipped halfway down the rungs and fell, cookies and all, into Jayne. Who was not expecting cookies and a girl to fall into his bunk. As he was not prepared for the impact, he crumbled down onto the floor with said cookies and girl on top of him. She glared at him.

"What's this? What? What I'd do wrong?" He cringed back from the look on her face.

"I am trying to make a point and you wrecked it!" she pouted. She managed to slide the cookies from her lap back onto the plate and then tried to stand up with dignity. But Jayne wasn't taking the blame that easily- she had fallen into his bunk- and well, those cookies smelled good. As she leaned forward to get her legs under her, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and stopped her forward movement.

"Let me go! I am trying to…"

Jayne laughed. "What? Attack me with cookies? Okay, you win. Now can I have some?"

River burst into tears. Jayne had his hand halfway to his mouth and debated tossing the cookie into his mouth before comforting the girl, but knew he couldn't. He put the cookie back onto the plate and pulled her completely onto his lap.

"What's going on?" he asked gently, smoothing back her hair. He could see now that she had some light lipstick and mascara on, must have been 'Nara's doing. And that robe, he looked closer and realized that River was definitely wearing a robe that was not hers. It was a deep red, almost black, silk, and it had slid partway up her legs as she lay crumbled on top of him. Hmmm. Fresh baked cookies and a pretty silk wrapped girl falling out of the sky into Jayne Cobb's bunk. Must bought a lotto ticket somewheres.

River reared her head back to glare at him again. He couldn't help himself, he started laughing.

"Ya listenin' in?" he asked. She nodded and started to drop her chin again. He grabbed it and made her look him in the eye.

"I knows ya read me this afternoon after I heard what Kaylee and the l'il puke was talkin' 'bout. I know that there's always gonna be someone richer than me, smarter than me, whatever. But ya gots me for as long as ya wants. 'Specially as long as ya keep making me cookies." He unsuccessfully avoided her swatting him. He grinned at her and proceeded to steal a cookie. "Whoa, these are good," he mumbled, spitting crumbs at her.

River was confused. "But I thought you were having doubts again?"

"I was," Jayne said, popping another ginger snap into his mouth. "But ya'r brother talked me out of it."

"Simon? Talked you into realizing that we belong together?" River was stunned.

"Yup, he did. Said that the reality was that I was the only one he knew who could protect ya, and that I was the one ya really wanted. That ya told him that I had the 'key' to ya, whatever that means." He tossed two more cookies into his open maw.

"Huh," River said, realizing that Simon had not only actually listened to her, but that he believed her. River looked down to see that half the cookies were gone. She pulled the plate away from Jayne.

"Hey! Can't I have s'more?" he asked plaintively, like a little kid.

"No," River answered calmly, "the rest are for Simon." Jayne grunted in disappointment. Then his eyes adjusted to a new feast, the silky one in front of him.

"So," he said licking the crumbs off his lips, "if that was dinner, what's for dessert?" he asked mischievously.

River smiled back at him. "A truffle," she said. Jayne looked at her confused.

"Ya mean like one-a them chocolaty things?"

"Yes. With the chocolate shell and then the filling inside."

"Well, well." Jayne reached forward to tug lightly at the silk tie around her waist. "So there's more candy under the wrap is what yer tryin' ta tell me?" His grin was infectious. River smiled and leaned in. "Yes," she whispered.

Jayne's grin suddenly disappeared as he realized that she was not kidding around. She was here, the woman he loved, in his room, with nothing but a silk robe on, offering herself to him. He swallowed, then leaned forward and looked her directly in the eyes.

"Ya sure 'bought this darlin'?" he asked gently. She nodded and leaned forward to kiss him.

"I trust you," she whispered. The look in her eyes shook him, deep down inside where he lived.

"I'll take care of you," he promised.

"You always do," she answered as their lips met.