Title:"Lights"

Begun: December 1, 2007

Completed: December 4, 2007

Summary: Relationships fall apart sometimes. Kaylee knew that. What she never counted on was who would be there to pick up the pieces.

A/N: Okay, guys. This is the last chapter! I hope you like it. It's so cute, you just might get sugar shock.
Chapter 4: Pretty Lights

Just as she had predicted…she couldn't sleep. Kaylee hated not being able to sleep at night. She got the urge to wander, and if she was going to do that, she needed to put on her boots. So, like every time when she couldn't sleep, she pulled on her boots and wrapped a blanket around herself, over her nightgown. Now…climbing up that stupid ladder to the hall was a little hard, and she only succeeded by tossing her blanket out first. The ship was cold, since it was winter on Persephone, and huddled in on her blanket.

That settled it. Her first stop was going to be the galley. A good hot cup of tea would do wonders right about now, since she thought her butt might just freeze off. Though she tried her hardest not to make too much noise, it was impossible to be silent on the grating floor. Her footsteps echoed eerily, and not a little creepily. Glad for the solid floor of the galley, she smiled, heading directly for the kitchen.

Immediately, she found that she was not alone. Jayne was leaning on the stove while a kettle warmed on the burner, and he didn't look happy. When he looked up at her, he recoiled, almost scared by her presence. She could see as much in his face. Nodding at the kettle, Kaylee asked, "Is there enough in there to make me some tea, too?" Jayne grunted, and she guessed that was supposed to be a 'yes', but she couldn't be sure when he made those monkey noises.

Shuffling into the kitchen and slipping past Jayne, Kaylee grabbed her favorite mug, one that Wash had given her for her birthday. It had a pink rabbit hopping across it, and some pretty yellow flowers. Holding it through the blanket so that she didn't touch the cold ceramic handle, she waited on the water to boil and looked through the tea bin for something to drink. Taking out a packet of Earl Grey for herself, she looked over her shoulder to see that Jayne hadn't gotten his yet. He usually drank oolong, which she thought might be why he was always so hyperactive…but she wasn't going to say anything about it.

Kaylee shoved the teabag packets into her mouth, and shuffled back around Jayne, still waiting. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a strange expression on his face, and reached out to take the bags and her mug. Grumpy, he said, "Ya look like an idjit like that." In reply, she just snorted and gave a weak kick at his foot. He didn't say anything more, because the kettle chose that moment to whistle. Jayne nudged her out of the way, and made the tea himself. He was strangely careful about it, and Kaylee found herself smiling at the way his big hands worked, delicately squeezing the bags and stirring the tea daintily.

Jayne picked up her mug and handed it to her, and Kaylee stuck a hand out of the blanket to take the thing. The warmth soaked into her hand and she smiled. "Thank you," she said before he brushed past her and made for the dinner table. She was starting to wonder about what happened earlier. When he got all flustered and sort of ran away when Zoe showed up, it really got her to thinking. What if…what if Jayne really is—and it was so weird to even think it—sweet on me?

There was really only one way to find out, she thought, and no time was better than right now to make an ass of herself if she was wrong. No one else was up, and nobody would walk in and make her feel stupid. So…Kaylee followed Jayne to the dinner table, and sat down across from him, watching him clean Vera. There was a big towel set down to keep gun oil from getting on the table, and the parts of the big gun were spread out over the cloth. He moved methodically, automatically. She could tell that this was something he did often, so much that he could clean, oil, and polish probably any of his weapons without even thinking about it.

She took a sip of tea, trying to think of what she was going to say. It was hard to figure. How was she gonna ask him that? Kaylee set her mug down gently, taking a deep breath. What if he did have a thing for her? What was she gonna do about that? So soon after breaking things off with Simon, she wasn't sure it was such a hot idea to go and get herself mixed up with a man like Jayne, who was more muscle than brain, and had little else to offer. But then again, what happened if she was wrong, and he hadn't taken to her like she thought he did…she guessed that everything would be fine, but she wouldn't know until she asked.

When Kaylee opened her mouth to ask him about the things that had been bouncing around her head, Jayne had just locked the barrel into place. He set Vera down very carefully, as if she were already loaded, and fixed her with a pair of very…intense eyes. Her mouth shut all on its own, not knowing what he was going to say or do when looking at her the way he was.

Jayne still had his hands on Vera, fingers resting gently on the surface of the metal. It was comforting to have a weapon nearby, even if he knew he wouldn't need one. Having his very favorite gun right then was an even bigger comfort, because he needed it more than he ever had. He could feel words fighting to get out of his mouth, and when that happened, they usually got him in trouble. Once, he'd gotten shot, another time, stabbed. And when he let out what he was needing to say around womenfolk, it usually got him slapped.

But he was pretty sure that Kaylee wasn't gonna slap him. She had a hot mug of tea—prepared by yours truly—close at hand to throw at him if need be. That would probably be worse than a slap. Because if he got burnt by steaming hot tea, and cut by mug shrapnel, he was gonna have to go and get sewed up by her boyfriend again. That was something he didn't really feel like doing. But…Jayne Cobb was never a man to err on the side of caution. He just sucked it up, and took his licks, stab wounds, and gunshots…as the case may be. So what made this so different? Well, this bothersome voice in the back of his head supplied, it's Kaylee. She's different.

And yeah, Kaylee was different. She was probably the sweetest, most honest girl he knew. And she was pretty as hell when she looked at him like that. Jayne breathed in deep, and let it out in the words that he didn't think he'd ever have the guts to say. "Kaylee…I know…I know I'm ain't the best of men. Hell, I ain't even a really good man. The doc…he's a good guy, deep down. That's the kind of fella you deserve. He ain't the most manly, and he made you cry, but he ain't gonna do it no more. I made sure of that. 'Cause no man's gonna make you cry as long as I'm around." He looked down at his hands, which had drifted away from Vera, and now clutched his teacup.

"Do ya know what I'm tryin' to tell ya…Kaylee?" When she didn't say anything, he looked up at her, and saw something that looked like shock on her face. That was not a good sign, and Jayne was suddenly sorry for having said anything at all. Gathering up his tea, Vera, and his towel, he stood and started walking out of the galley. "Ah, hell," he muttered, "I dunno why I even try."

The next thing he knew, there was a little hand on his arm, warm from holding a hot mug. "Jayne, stop." His throat was dry, and it got even dryer when he turned, finding Kaylee shivering in her nightgown. If he thought she looked pretty sleeping, he was wrong. She was more than pretty. Kaylee was…beautiful. When he was done turning around, she crossed her arms, still shaking from the cold, and looked a little annoyed. "You can't just go sayin' somethin' like that and leave, you know."

"Huh?" he asked, not really understanding.

Kaylee slapped his arm and said, "You didn't even give me a chance to tell you. I ain't with Simon no more. I know he ain't gonna make me cry, Jayne." Then something else passed over her face, and her eyes widened. "You didn't threaten him, did you?"

Shifting his weight, and feeling a tiny bit in the wrong, he said, "I might have…just a bitty bit."

Sighing, Kaylee cocked her head to one side. "I don't know what to do with you, Jayne. You go threatening people and sticking your nose into what don't concern you…which makes me wanna belt you one. But then there's why you went and did it. That makes me…well, it don't make me wanna belt you. See my problem?"

Jayne shook his head, because he honestly didn't see.

"I can't be mad at you when you go and be all sweet like that. It ain't really right to do, but I appreciate the thought." And then she put her arms around him and squeezed, like she had before. He didn't really know how to react. Any man worth being a man would wanna squeeze right back. But he didn't know if he should. His tune changed when he felt a punch to the gut, and she mumbled, "It's too damned cold in here. If you don't hug me back, I'm goin' to bed."

Carefully, he set Vera down, and put his arms around her. "How come you couldn't sleep?" he asked, trying to fill up the silence that had suddenly started to get to him.

"'Cause I had a long nap in the engine room. What about you?"

Jayne thought for a second if he should tell her or not, but then he just let if fly. "I was thinkin' about when you woke up from your nap." Her face rubbed against his chest, and he went on, "You look pretty when you sleep. That's why I didn't wanna wake you up." Kaylee laughed, a little noise that reminded him of cartoon fairies.

"You have some strange ideas floating around your head, Jayne." Her smaller body pulled back from his, and he felt strange, like he was missing something that should be there. To his surprise, Kaylee just picked up her blanket and her cup, then grabbed his arm and started tugging him toward the lounge. He sat on the couch, and she curled up next to him, pulling the blanket over herself. "Anybody ever tell you that you're like a human furnace?"

Jayne chuckled, and put an arm around her to pull her closer. Kaylee snuggled into his side, and made more fairy noises while she drank her tea. It didn't take long before she fell asleep, and he felt her breathing slow down. Pulling the blanket up tighter around her shoulders, he set their cups aside and leaned down, gently kissing the top of her hair before leaning back against the couch and slouching into a more comfortable position.

Yawning, River padded into the galley. She felt happy when she entered, and then turned toward the lounge to discover why. Kaylee and Jayne were asleep on the couch, Yellow light glowing softly off of both of them. Now…that was nice to see in the morning. Footsteps behind her stopped and she heard the Captain say, "Well, if that don't beat all."

River could feel him about to say something to wake them up, but she turned around very quickly, and gave him a threatening look. "Mal…no." He blinked a few times before giving a little whine. Bursting other peoples' bubbles was something he really liked to do. "Let them sleep. The light is pretty…"

Mal went into the kitchen, intent on making himself something to eat. River plopped down into one of the dining room chairs to watch. After only a few more minutes, the normal morning sounds of the ship seemed to wake them up, and River smiled at how Kaylee looked at Jayne, and how Jayne smiled at Kaylee.

"Pretty lights…"

End.