Title: Sense
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Jayne/River
Character(s): Jayne Cobb, River Tam, a tiny amount of Malcolm Reynolds
Summary: Jayne rather begrudgingly retrieves River.
Word Count: 1026
A/N: Wrote this one for a challenge over at LJ! The prompt was "water." Hopefully, there will be more where this came from.

"What concern is it a' mine if she ain't got 'nough sense to come in outta the rain?" Jayne asked, jutting his lower lip out a little - not that he was pouting, nosiree.

"I really don't have the time - or the patience - for this, Jayne," Mal responded. Jayne bristled at the tone he was using - Mal was just so gorram condescending sometimes. He was sorta pretentious, like Badger said. That was what irked Jayne about him, too. "We need to get off this rock quick-like, see, and it's at times like these that it becomes somewhat imperative to have the ruttin' pilot aboard! Wouldn't you agree?"

"Ain't nobody's gorram babysitter," Jayne muttered mutinously, a scowl settling over his features.

"Weren't implyin' anything of the sort," Mal said, in a somewhat more respectful tone. "But me an' Zoe've gotta warm the boat up, and the last time I sent Simon after 'er, he came back with a black eye."

Jayne grinned a little at the memory. The doc had become mighty poor at handlin' that feng le sister a' his. Mostly 'cause she weren't too keen on bein' "handled." 'Course, she hadn't meant to clock him, but it was funny all the same.

"If she gives me a black eye, I'm holdin' you responsible," he responded after a while, pulling the hood of his favorite water-resistant coat over his head. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes and stepped out into the stormy night.

He surveyed the area, quickly surmising that she was nowhere in his line of vision. 'Course, when she don't wanna be found, it ain't never been an easy task. And it was much harder to track something with the rain washing away every trace of evidence.

Jayne traipsed indignantly through the ever-increasing amount of mud, mentally bemoaning the fact that he always got stuck with the jobs like this. He paused suddenly, having detected a hint of movement in the distance.

"Gorramit, girl, you'd best be showin' yerself soon, or heads're gonna roll!" he shouted. He followed up with a string of curses when he noticed that his boot had become stuck in the mud during his stop. This just ain't my day. He bent over, setting to getting it unstuck. In a few short moments, he had succeeded.

"Stick in the mud," said a sing-song voice, followed by a giggle. A pair of bare, girlish feet appeared in his line of vision. He was mildly annoyed that he hadn't noticed her approach.

"T'ain't funny," he muttered.

"Yes, the man is big and scary. Not funny at all," she agreed in a serious tone. He got the feeling she was making fun of him. He glared at her through his goggles. She just grinned back at him, seemingly in a very good mood. He hated it when she was in a good mood. That was when she was at her most creepifyin', in his opinion. At least she seemed to be more or less agreeable.

"Mal wants ya back on the boat."

"She is happy here."

"I ain't askin'."

"Maybe the girl would be more inclined to agree if you phrased it more amicably," she insisted.

Jayne sighed. If there was one thing she was a master at, it was making things difficult. "Fine. Mal wants ya to get yer skinny ass on the gorram boat, pronto-like." River frowned at him. "Please," he added as an afterthought. He really didn't have the patience for this.

"It would be best not to upset the Captain Daddy," she said finally, turning towards Serenity, and leaving Jayne to think on how easily she'd acquiesced as he jogged to catch up to her.

"Why wouldja do such a fool thing as come out in this weather, anyway?" he asked, trying to distract himself from the way her too-thin dress clung to her skin. "You'll catch yer death."

River stopped walking so suddenly he almost crashed into her. She tilted her head to one side. "She will not become ill," she said after a while. When she didn't immediately start walking again, Jayne prodded her harshly in the back.

"Oi, get movin'."

He walked around to stand in front of her, noticing that her face was now upturned and her eyes were closed. She sighed happily. It was a strange noise coming from her. He decided not to think on the noise too long; it was making him wonder what else could elicit that sound from her lips.

If that weren't a weird thought, I dunno what is.

"She loves the rain," she said, and he silently thanked her for giving him something else to think on.

"Don't care, get a ruttin' move on!" River grinned and continued walking, giving no indication that she even realized he was there. He hated when he got angry at her and she didn't get angry right back. Like he said, creepifyin' when she was in a good mood.

"The water flows into her. She is a River," she asserted.

They were nearly back to the ship, thankfully, because now he was beginning to think about things flowing into her and...what the gorram hell is wrong with me?

Not that he normally minded those kinds of thoughts (hell, he thrived on them), but he didn't generally welcome them about people he could barely put up with. Must be somethin' funny in his water.

Finally, finally they were back to Serenity, and without further incident. Gotta be a gorram record, Jayne thought. 'Course, Mal ain't around to mess things up.

"Ya'd better get to the bridge."

"She thanks you for your concern."

"Huh?"

"About her well-being."

"Weren't concerned. Woulda left ya out there, were it up ta me."

"I see," she responded, and Jayne thought maybe she wasn't grinning as genuinely as she'd been before. "Then she revokes her thanks." And with that, she spun around and drifted up the stairs to the bridge.

He set to closing up the ship, pushing the buttons rather more harshly than was necessary.

"Weren't like I wanted her gorram thanks," he muttered bitterly, trying to ignore the stinging in his chest.