More Than Friends
Second chances, but no changes
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Jayne swung Kaylee up into his arms and carried her back to
she’d had her share of hurlin’ and wouldn’t start
again until both he and his shirt were outta
range. Poor girl; she’d never learned to
handle her drink proper-like and she was so tiny, she really hadn’t had much of
a chance ‘gainst all that sake she’d downed.
he was more’n ready to toss her down on the grass
were that the case, but no…she was sleepin’.
landing field – she was so gorram pretty, like some sort of expensive carving.
her, and hoped she’d be too out of it to remember once she woke up.
always followin’ Doc around, and hardly even
He’d carried (as Kaylee put it) a torch for the tiny
mechanic ever since he joined the crew, but somethin’
had always held him back from telling her how he felt – at first he’d passed it
off as a natural reaction to bein’ near a
Then he tried pretendin’ it were just plain
friendliness; a brother ‘n’ sister type’a deal.
trim, he always ended up wishin’ it was Kaylee in his
arms and cryin’ out his name – not that whores ever
did that…he didn’t give out his name
no more after that one had started laughin’ at him on
account of what his momma had named him.
Jayne had realized that he loved her, and had thought of
Moonbrain had come aboard.
was for Kaylee to lay her eyes on Simon…settin’ him
back to where he’d been before.
Disappointment and hurt’d made him lash out at
the two of them, but it always made his innards feel all twisted up whenever he
saw his beo-bei’s
face fall in response to one of his comments.
Tryin’ to get rid of Simon hadn’t worked
either – man was irritatin’ as all get out, a
complete chun
Kaylee further from Jayne every day they was together…but he weren’t
Looked after his crazy sister and that was all right, in Jayne’s
opinion. A man oughtta
look to his kin. Every time he’d tried
be sad – and angry with him - when she found out.
From the looks of things, maybe he wouldn’t even have to do
Kaylee to open her eyes and see that he was the one she should choose, the one
who would stick by her…he knew that if he only had a chance, he could make her
happy and he’d treat her proper, just as he’d told her.
again and met Zöe at the bottom of the ramp.
“What
Jayne snorted. “Sake
happened.”
appeared next. “Sweetie, you forgot your
coat…Jayne? Is that Kaylee? I thought she and Simon…”
“Lover’s spat,” he grunted shortly.
Zöe shook her head and waved him
past. “Get her to the infirmary to get
sobered up before the Captain sees her like this.”
“Well, she already hurled…”
leaped back and raised his hands protectively.
“Relax; she ain’t gonna
do it again.” Jayne snorted and took her
up to face down Simon as he laid the ship’s mechanic on one of the tables.
that the man was fast asleep in the next room.
He grinned as a clanging noise met his ears when Simon
flailed, sending his metal plate crashing to the ground.
Kaylee…!” In his rush to get
to them, the doctor’s foot caught on one of the woven mats on the floor and
tripped, much to Jayne’s amusement. Scrambling up, he tripped again and went
flying –heading directly for the sharp tray of instruments that had been left
out. Jayne quickly reached out and
caught him by the collar, holding him up so that he wouldn’t fall.
“You all right?” he asked critically.
Simon gasped and rubbed his neck.
creeping into his voice. “What happened
to Kaylee?”
As if it were his fault she was drunk?
done nothin’,” Jayne said defensively.
girl’s so teeny she can’t hold her drink.”
“Yes, well, I’ve got her now – thank you for bringing her
back in one piece,” the doctor said politely.
“Hell, nearly had twins of her…there was some
and laughed when Simon’s eyes grew as big as dinner plates.
a proper meal, though.”
“That’s…..amusing,” Simon said faintly.
that he wasn’t supposed to like the dandy enough to poke fun.
shoulder. “Look, I know we’ve had our
differences, but…well. You, um, love
her…don’t you?”
Why’s he have to be so
gorram nice about
it? Jayne favored him with a long
look, enough to set Doc to shiftin’ nervously.
dust-ups if that’s what you mean,” he
decided to answer, makin’ his tone imply that it was
what Doc had better be
“I just ain’t havin’ no city
boy breakin’ her heart.
Jayne made his way back to the common area where he busied
himself polishing his knives and tried to make himself forget how good it had
felt to have her in his arms.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Kaylee woke up suddenly, lurching
upright and nearly falling from the exam table.
“Jayne? Where…oh, Simon.
He hovered in the doorway, twisting his fingers together nervously.
Simon ducked his head.
“I suppose you were.” He shuffled
closer and offered her a glass of water.
“Here, drink this – it’ll make you feel better.”
“What is it?”
“Just some water – it’ll help you balance out all that poison
in your system.”
She took the glass carefully and sipped. “Jayne made me
drink water, too.”
Taking the glass back and placing on a side panel, Simon
turned back to her and thrust his hands in his pockets.
not everyone is as huge as he is and can’t take as much alcohol.
sorry about earlier.”
“Which part of
earlier?” she asked dryly. “The
mighty part?”
He looked down at his shoes, blushin’
to the tips of his ears in a manner she’d always found adorable.
I guess I was just a bit jealous that you were leaving with Jayne
instead of me…it came out wrong,” he apologized.
Maybe things weren’t so far gone like she’d thought.
arms for him gladly. “You
Simon came to her quickly.
“Absolutely.
I’ll escort you wherever you choose to go,” he smiled, kissing her.
him back, not realizing why he tried to draw back.
stop for a second,” he urged.
“Hmmmm?” she muttered against his
lips. “Kiss me, Simon!”
A loud laugh from the doorway startled them, and they turned
to see River giggling at them as she went past.
“Did you clean your teeth first?”
She called over her shoulder.
“Oh,” Kaylee gasped, pulling away
and holdin’ her hand over her mouth.
She had looked forward to makin’ up with him,
but now he looked like he was goin’ to be sick as
well…so no luck there at all.
His next words shattered that
idea, however. “Why don’t you go on to
bed while I finish up here?”
“But I thought…couldn’t I just stay here and help?” she
asked, tryin’ to salvage the mood.
Simon shook his head.
“You know I’d like your help, but it’s just too complicated.
something, and you’re sort of a distraction.”
“So now I’m a distraction?”
“I didn’t mean it like that…”
“Then how did you
mean it?” she demanded.
He sighed and sat on the side of the exam table just as she
jumped off onto the floor. “
needs to be on a very complicated job. That’s all.”
Well, she supposed that she knew that.
it sounded just like the sort of things he used to say when she was
shouldn’t take it so personal, but she was wired how she was wired; she couldn’t
help it and more’n she could help breathin’.
then,” she announced.
He certainly looked relieved to be escapin’
another fight. “I’ll come say goodnight
before I get ready for bed,” he promised her with a kiss on the cheek.
Kaylee smiled brightly at him to
mask the irritation she felt brewin’ inside and made
tracks from the room. Maybe Jayne was
still around – she remember him saying
it been?
She made sure to run and clean her teeth before seeking him
out; he was in the common area shinin’ his knives and
pretendin’ to ignore River as she danced around the
room singing. As she came in, Jayne
looked up at her questioningly. “Thought
you’d be sexin’ by now…what’re ya
doin’ here?”
For some reason, River stopped singing abruptly and turned slowly to
look at Jayne, who glared back. “You
stay outta my head, girl – y’hear?”
River looked back at him calmly.
mysteriously. “So why should I care now?”
“Well, just…don’t.” Jayne
grunted.
“Someone else
should care, but I don’t.”
“Shut it,” he warned.
Kaylee sighed and pulled a chair
up to the table Jayne was sittin’ at.
“Make sure it is your
cards and not anything else,” River sang when Jayne obediently dug in his
pocket for the pack of cards he always carried ‘round.
Jayne snorted. “You just wish you could see ‘
“Ante up, you big lummox, let’s play.”
This was much more
fun than just waitin’ for Simon to show up,
involved in the game that she didn’t even notice when Simon walked past the
common area, heading straight to his quarters.
tbc…
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