A/N: And because my imagination is finally working after years of stagnation, I have another chapter for you. This is dedicated to Dimonah Tralon, who gave me the suggestion for a scene, for giving me my 100th review. I'm not even going to mention how long ago that was… My bad…. But I hope you all enjoy and that it lives up to the wait! I still have an epilogue to post after this too, woot!
The crew of Serenity was having a blissfully quiet night out in the black. The course was set and the ship was on autopilot. Her engine was humming along happily, no attention needed. The mess was clean; there were no chores to be done. As a result, the crew was happily gathered on the lower catwalk, watching their two deadliest members spar.
"Almost looks like dancin', don't it?" Kaylee nudged Simon as she swung her legs back and forth in empty air. Sitting easily beside her, one arm around the mechanic's shoulders, the doctor smiled down at her before his gaze returned to the combatants. He nodded.
"It does." He watched them with a clinical eye that categorized the fight from several different realms of experience. The doctor in him analyzed the blows, noting that they were aiming for areas that could withstand the hits most easily. The fugitive who'd spent years in the black, living and working with criminals, observed the easy way they moved, relaxed and comfortable in their sparring. The brother in him was quietly pleased to watch how River fought. Her movements were as fluid as they had been when she was a dancer; never a movement wasted, one action blending seamlessly into the next. He was surprised to find that the visible undercurrent of violence in her sparring no longer bothered him. His sister, against all odds, had grown into a strong, capable, deadly woman, and he found that he couldn't possibly be more proud. A wide smile broke across his face before he could stop it, causing Kaylee to look at him questioningly. He just shook his head, still smiling, and hugged his beloved mechanic closer. Oh, if only their parents could see them now!
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Inara was the first to notice when the fight changed, her keenly trained eyes picking out the differences. Jayne and River's movements slowed, they stopped dodging each others fists and throwing their own. The first time Jayne grasped River's hand for a moment, she realized what was happening. She smiled to herself and raised her eyes to glance at Zoe. She wasn't surprised to find the other woman looking back at her, having reached the same conclusion. As quietly as possibly, they herded the crew out of the cargo bay, everyone casting lingering glances over their shoulders at the two warriors who were now slowly turning in each others arms, swaying to music only they could hear.
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They glided across the floor in each others arms, silent music filling their heads. River was distantly aware of the crew leaving, and mentally thanked Inara and Zoe for giving them some privacy. If asked, she wouldn't have been able to say how long they danced in the cargo bay; if could have been hours or minutes. Time didn't seem to matter as she swayed back and forth, lost to the sensation of Jayne's arms around her, swimming in the deep blue of his eyes. The eyes that had always seen her for what she was, even when he didn't understand.
By unspoken accord, their dance stopped in the middle of the bay. They stood in silence, staring into one another's eyes, seeing, for the first time, a path stretching forward that was not one walked alone. River saw it more clearly, such was her gift, but they both knew what they were seeing. Jayne was the first to smile, emotion lighting his face, but River was close behind. And as Serenity, the beloved home of this motley crew, settled quietly into artificial night, the two warriors continued to stand silently facing each other, and new and bright future shared between their eyes. There were so many possibilities ahead of them, so many things to come, but one thing was always constant: River and Jayne side by side, every day, for all the days ahead.