River giggled as Jayne pulled her close, kissing her with a new found tenderness. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

“Ahhh! You have a bunk fer this sorta thing, Jayne, lil Albatross,” Mal grumbled.

The pair remained lip locked, so Mal stormed out with Wash and Zoe following in the mule.

“Ya think they guess, River girl?” Jayne whispered against River’s lips.

Moving back, she gazed into his eyes, smiling. “No.”

She gently stroked his cheek and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Let’s get down to the market.”

“Ya got them credits?”

“Uh huh,” she nodded. “While the cats away, the mice will play!” River giggled, grabbing Jayne’s hand.

“Who’s the cat? Mal?”

River gave him with one of her ‘you’re silly’ looks. “Simon.”

“Slow down, River. We’ve got all day.” Jayne groaned.

“Not all day, if we want some time at Annie’s.”

“Now ya talkin’! Get a move on, if’n ya want one of Annie’s tubs fer a bubble bath,” Jayne joked, patting River on the butt.


Jayne groaned as he lay back in the tub and let the warm water soak his aching bones.

There was only one thing wrong with having a teenage mind-reader as your girl, as far as Jayne could work out, and that was only if you weren’t a teenager yourself. She was just bubblin’ with energy, all the gorram time.

Morning, noon and night she was always bouncin’ round, wanting to experience everything and anything. Now that was mighty fine when it came to sexin’ and eating, but when Jayne needed to sleep, the last thing he wanted was River waking him up to tell him something, or to drag him skinny dipping in some icy cold pond in the middle of the night.

He heard soft footsteps approaching the tub and lay perfectly still.

“Ya want ta surprise me, ya gonna hafta be quieter than that.”

“Jayne!” River sighed as she slipped into the tub.

“Can’t help it if yer sound like a herd of elephants!”

She slapped him on the arm and moved to the far side of the tub, her arms crossed.

“Come ‘ere, baby girl,” he said as soothingly as he could.

“No! You think I’m heavy like an elephant,” River pouted.

“Alls I said was, ya can’t sneak up on me if’n ya pad about like that. Could hear ya comin’ from clear ‘cross the room.”

“So, I’m not heavy?”

“Yer light as a feather,” he flirted, reaching over and pulling her into his lap.

“Oh, Jayne,” she cooed, stroking his face and arms, and melting into one of his passionate kisses.

“Ya ain’t changed ya mind?”

“Never.”

“Won’t let ya brother decide fer ya?”

“Never. I make my own decisions.”

“That’s my girl.”

River turned in his lap, wrapping her legs around him.

Jayne kissed her tenderly, caressing and stroking her until she was begging him to sex her.

As they both caught their breath, Jayne whispered, “Love ya, River girl.”

“Love you right back, my Jayne.”



Waking up at Annie’s place, Jayne grinned as he watched River sleeping. She was naked as the day she was born, sprawled out across the crisp white sheets, one arm draped across his chest, and one leg entwined with his.

“You ‘wake, bao-bei?” he whispered, moving her hair away from her face, and nuzzling her cheek.

“Hmmmm,” River groaned.

He kissed her awake, whispering, “Mornin’, River girl.”

She grinned and stretched like a cat. “What a way to wake up!”

“Could wake up like this everyday, y’know.”

“I know, my Jayne. But I can’t leave Simon.”

“Ya gorram brother can look after himself,” Jayne grumbled.

River slapped Jayne playfully. “But he’s my brother. My only family.”

“I’m just teasin’, baby girl.”

Jayne handed her an apple from the crateful they got at the market.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” River grinned as she bit into the crisp red fruit.

“This lot should keep him away fer a good long time then.”

“Silly. We’re going to bake an apple pie, sit him down and quietly explain our plans.” She handed him her apple to take a bite from. They both loved the intimacy of sharing food.

“Ya wanna butter him up before askin’ his permission?”

“Not permission. Just informing him of our plans.”

“So if he says no, it won’t matter?”

“Of course it will matter, but we’ll go ahead and do it anyway.”

“So we’re gonna start our own family?”

“Call her Cissie if it’s a girl, or Tom if it’s a boy.”

“Perfect names,” Jayne whispered to her. “Love ya, wife.”

“You’re so good to me, husband,” she whispered back, nuzzling his neck.

“So we’ll stop by the pet store on our way back to Serenity?”

“Our very own kitty!” River squealed.

“Thought we were gettin’ a puppy. Grow up into a real fine huntin’ dog?”

“We don’t need another killer in the family.”

“Baby girl, we gotta convince Simon and Mal that he or she will be a valuable member of the crew.”

“Cat can catch mice and rats,” River pouted.

“But baby….”