The beginning of some Jayne and Kaylee goodness. PG-13ish here, but NC-17 in later chapters. Several chapters to follow, so if you like it, let me know, and I'll post them! Feedback is appreciated, it's my first fanfic, so be nice!

Special thanks to Mordsith for the beta!

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“I’m just sayin’!” Jayne rolled his eyes at Kaylee as he poured another cup of…well, of something resembling coffee. “Mal don’t treat you same as the rest of us. Babies ya. Lets you say things he’d throw the rest of us out for.” “That ain’t so Jayne!” Kaylee’s voice rose dangerously. “Cap’n treats me same as everybody else! Don’t need no babyin’!” This conversation was hitting on one of Kaylee’s secret fears—that Mal saw her not as a crew member, but someone who needed protecting. That she was nothing more than a little girl to him, and everybody else on the ship. “You fire a gun when I’m not lookin’? You able to knock a man out?” Jayne was oblivious to any emotion. “Why you hollerin’ Kaylee? Just speakin’ truth at ya is all.” “What the hell is all the ruckus?” Mal walked in to see little Kaylee standing toe to toe with Jayne, fully believing that she was the only crewmember he’d allow to do it. “Kaylee’s shriekin’ like a pig in shit Mal.” Jayne bit the heel off a loaf of bread, and continued on with his mouth full. “Don’t like me callin’ her the baby.” “I hate you Jayne Cobb!” Beside herself, Kaylee stormed from the room in tears. Mal frowned at Jayne, and looked after Kaylee, wondering which issue to address first. He settled for following his mechanic, mumbling curses under his breath. Jayne set his feet up on the table and sipped his coffee. Kaylee threw herself into her hammock, sulking. Serenity’s engine room was quite possibly her favorite place on the ship, but today, it held no solace for her. She hadn’t been having her best day ever, and Jayne’s usual brash manner just sent her over the top. She’d been doing some thinking, lately, some evaluating of sorts. Her relationship with Simon wasn’t going anywhere, seeing as Simon was always following ‘round after River. Kaylee thought River was a dear, and loved her same as anyone else, but she wasn’t ready to be second best in a man’s life. “He didn’t mean it.” As if on cue, River appeared in the doorway to the engine room. Kaylee was in no mood for games. “Who didn’t mean what, River?” River’s smile was sweet and loving. “Doesn’t think you’re the baby. Thinks you’re pretty.” But then, a frown fleeted across her face. “Thinks you hate him.” “He knows that ain’t so!” Kaylee’s first response was to feel remorse and pity for Jayne. She might be angry, but she was, after all, still Kaylee. “That’s what you told him.” River’s dark eyes looked sad. “Well he well ‘nough deserved it!” Kaylee’s pity left as quickly as it came. “Callin’ me a baby ‘n all.” “Since when did you ever put any stock in what anybody says ‘bout you, lil Kaylee?” Mal nudged River aside so he could get a good look at Kaylee’s face. “Never have afore Cap’n. He just was talkin’ and it got to me. I’m thinking I need a break.” Kaylee’s mumbled words were almost lost into the hum of Serenity’s engine, but the Captain heard them plain as day. If Kaylee, whose love affair with the ship rivaled his, was asking to get off for a bit, then it really had been too long since they’d been planetside. “Suppose we could stop over on Persephone, if you really have a mind to it.” Mal’s brow furrowed, trying to figure out how an unplanned stop could be explained to the rest of the crew. “You stoppin’ just for me? ‘Cause I’m the baby?” Kaylee’s tone was sullen; she didn’t sound at all like herself. “C’mon Kaylee, don’t give another thought to that. Serenity wouldn’t be flyin’ if weren’t for you. Need you as much as anyone else on this ship.” Kaylee glanced up at Mal, looking as if she wanted to believe him, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. “How’s ‘bout you go find us a new compression coil, would you like that?” At last the light was back in Kaylee’s eyes. “And a catalyzer?” “Don’t go pushin’ your luck now Kaylee. Get what we need, and no more. Ain’t made of money you know.” Mal smiled and shook his head as he left Kaylee and River chattering away in the engine room. With Kaylee’s ramblings about various engine parts, and River’s usual nonsensical contributions, he couldn’t say for sure he understood one more than t’other. As Mal walked down the corridor, the voices of the girls faded away. This was more home to him than any place he had ever been. He didn’t like to admit it much, but he needed this ship, and his peacemaking was more than keeping his crew together, it was about keeping his family. “Wash…” Mal let his voice precede him into the cockpit. “Gonna need you to do a little creative flyin’. Told Kaylee we’d stop by at Persephone.” “Got us a job there?” Zoe fell into step beside him. Mal shook his head. “Not exactly. Kaylee’s needin’ to get off the ship, she’s in a terrible snit, and we could use the time to re-supply.” It wasn’t easy to shock Zoe, but that did it. “We’re makin’ an unscheduled stop for nothin’?” “Wouldn’t say it’s for nothin’. Keep Kaylee from slappin’ the tar outta Jayne, and that sure is something.” Wash grinned as he made some adjustments to their trajectory. “Kaylee slapping Jayne? Now that’s something I’d pay to see.” “Ain’t nobody gonna be slappin’ me. Don’t care if it is Kaylee.” Jayne kicked a bulkhead, stomping into the cockpit. That was enough for Mal. “Don’t recall openin’ this up for discussion. We’re going to Persephone. That’s the end of this particular talk.” As he left the cockpit, his voice trailed back. “And Jayne? You’re taking Kaylee shopping.” Back in his bunk, Jayne flung some clothes to the far side of the room. He’d just been teasing her after all, and now it was turning into a whole big thing. Captain was starin’ him down all angry-like, and telling him to take Kaylee shopping. Jayne hated shopping, but the idea of spending all afternoon with Kaylee wasn’t the worst way he could think of to spend his time. Cheerful little bugger she was, and cute too. Gorram teddy bears she was always wearin’. Jayne couldn’t help but smile when he thought of ‘em. He usually wasn’t much for cutesy little things like that, they annoyed him something awful. But on Kaylee they just seemed to be part of the package…if you wanted to have Kaylee around, ya had to have the bears too. “There’s going to be trouble.” River skipped easily over the doorframe. “Gorramit girl!” He still didn’t like her, never imagined he would. But since Ariel, he had tried to at least be civil. “Trouble for you, trouble for Kaylee.” River’s eyes moved around Jayne’s room, memorizing everything in a moment. Jayne was, for once, interested in what she was saying. “What’s happenin’ to Kaylee?” But he could tell by River’s face that the thought had already left her. But then, River grabbed him by the shoulders and stared straight into his face. “Simon will hate it.” She was adamant. “But don’t listen. Don’t make him right.” Jayne swatted her hands away. “Ruttin’ girl, go bother someone else with yer crazy talk. Ain’t got no time for ya.” And then, under his breath. “I’m going shopping.” Wash landed Serenity on Persephone, as usual, without a hitch. The crew was making any excuse to get off the boat; only ones staying were the Captain, Simon and River. Even Shepherd Book was saying something about a book he’d been wanting. “Now you listen here Kaylee.” Mal was trying to get her attention; she was so focused on what was happening off ship, she was looking right past him. “Kaylee!” She finally turned and looked. “Cap’n?” She was trying to listen, she really was, but she was just so gorram ready to get off the ship, get some space. “You don’t spend any money you don’t need to. You can look, but you get us a compression coil and that’s it.” Mal saw her face fall a little and couldn’t take it. “Maybe a couple of pieces of fruit or somethin’ if it’s cheap enough. You take Jayne with you. If there’s any trouble, you just follow him.” Kaylee didn’t want to hear any more about it. She didn’t need an escort, she didn’t need to be told what to do, and she certainly didn’t need Jayne. Then, he turned to Jayne. “Let her do what she wants Jayne, don’t go hasslin’ her ‘bout nothin’.” “Yeah, yeah, I hear ya.” Jayne was in as much of a hurry as Kaylee, couldn’t stand no more of the Captain’s preaching. He walked up behind her and grabbed her arm. “Let’s get movin’ Kaylee. Got myself more things to do today ‘en this.” “Get your hands off me Jayne!” Kaylee was indignant. “Then don’t go dallyin’ around all day!” Jayne would be Jayne, whether Kaylee was upset or not. Kaylee and Jayne were squabbling all the way out of earshot. Once they were past the crowd of the docks, the people thinned out a little, and Jayne settled down. It was a beautiful day to be planetside, and while he couldn’t relax completely, he found Kaylee’s enthusiasm contagious. Every little thing put a smile on her face, and her laughter rose above the noise of everyone else. After Kaylee picked up the compression coil for Serenity, she settled for walking around looking in windows, not ready to be back on board just yet. “How come you never look at me Jayne?” She had been silent for the last several minutes, and her question, meek as it was surprised him. “What’s that?” What did she mean, he never looked at her, he saw her all damn day! “You look at me well enough when we’re doin’ a job or somethin’. Sometimes at supper when I’m talkin’. But you gotta figure, we spend all that time on the boat, and you never once look at me like you like me. Like I’m pretty.” Kaylee stared down at the ground. “I am pretty, ain’t I Jayne?” Jayne was dumbfounded. Here was sweet little Kaylee, smarter about engines than most men he knew, and she was lookin’ for him to talk her up? Tell her she was pretty? “Never thought about ya that way, Kaylee. Don’t really see ya as a girl is all. More like…” But she didn’t let him finish. She snatched her engine part from Jayne and ran off, getting lost in the crowd before he could even react. Jayne had been trying to give her a compliment. Most girls he met he thought of as just good for ruttin’, not much else. Got his trim and kept moving. The girls on Serenity were different…save being married to Wash, Zoe could lay him flat out in a second, ‘Nara wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole; he had no illusions about that. And River…well, she’d have to stop being crazy for half a second for him to even look at her, and that would be more or less a miracle. But Kaylee, she was sweet and charming. Smart as all get out, and could always make him smile no matter how bad he was feelin’. Didn’t think of her for ruttin’ cause well…cause she was too good for him. Didn’t want her mixed up with that doctor, but didn’t want her to be with him either. He shook his head and started out after Kaylee. Didn’t want to go calling her name too loud, Jayne was never one to call attention to himself. He scanned through the crowds of people looking for her familiar face, but found nothing. He was starting to get twitchy, there were too many people here, too much going on for her to be running off throwing a hissy fit. And there it was, so much in the way that he nearly tripped over it. Kaylee’s engine part, laying right there in the middle of the street. Jayne was immediately on alert; hand on his gun and looking around. No matter how mad Kaylee was, she would never fling a part, somethin’ useful for Serenity. She’d been snatched, Jayne was sure of it. “Gorramit Kaylee!” Jayne broke just a touch and said it out loud. She’d been crying by then, but she would have stopped and dried her tears when someone came up to her. She would have put on that sunny little smile and not even considered any sort of threat. Little Kaylee trusted everyone, even on a big rock like Persephone. Jayne considered the options as quickly as he could. Every second was crucial if he wanted to find Kaylee. He sure wasn’t going to go back to the ship and let Captain know he’d lost her. He’d have him turned out the ship before he knew what hit him. He couldn’t tell by the marks in the dirt; sure he saw where the scuffle’d happened, but there were too many other tracks from all the people milling about. He’d have to get some information first, talk to some of the people in the town. Jayne went to the best place he knew to do that. The whorehouse. Those girls, they were pretty enough, but that wasn’t what Jayne was thinking on at this particular moment. When they weren’t workin’, they were talkin’. Weren’t a thing that happened in town that they didn’t know about it. They would be able to point him in the right direction. Jayne hoped. Otherwise, a whole world of trouble would be heaped on him, and he didn’t know how he’d handle it if something happened to Kaylee.