OK Folks, It’s Jaylee. It’s a ruttin’ Jaylee Epic. Not your cuppa? Keep on walkin’.

Disclaimer: Not mine, no pay.

Thanks: To Jacqui, Josh and to Rion, my own personal BDH. You guys are the greatest.

Rating: PG-15

Remarks: Set after “Objects in Space”. Inara has departed from Serenity and the crew has been through a rough stretch. Click on my name to read the backstory. They’re all backstory. Some of you are jonesin' for this tale to heat up a little. Patience is a virtue.

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Leaps of Faith

Chapter Twenty-One

It is early evening by the time the three return to the ship and sunset paints the Firefly’s hull in rich tones of russet and gold. With the tired, limping mercenary bringing up the rear, Simon and his sister make their way up Serenity’s ramp and into the cargo bay, relieved to be home.

Jayne is exhausted after his first real day out and about and, more than anything just wants to lie down and get his weight off his aching leg. “I ain’t no use to ya down in the medlab, doc, so I’m gonna call it a night,” the merc announces as he struggles down the ladder into his bunk. An’ I ain’t even got my gorram whisky…

Simon and River continue on to the medlab, where the doc can better assess his injury and at the very least, get some ice on his battered mouth.

On their way through the ship’s corridor they encounter Mal, who immediately takes in the doctor’s bruised and bloody face. “Ai ya, Doc! Did you do somethin’ to seriously piss Jayne off again? You gotta either learn to duck or just stay the hell outta his way when he’s cranky.” Mal gently clasps Simon’s chin and turns his face from side to side to examine the damage.

Simon winces. “He’s always cranky, captain, but you’re mistaken in assuming that Jayne is responsible for my injury. In fact, if he hadn’t come along when he did, I don’t know what might have happened to River and I.”

“Now this is a tale of woe I’d like to hear.” Mall follows them into the medlab and sits down off to one side as Simon turns on the lights, scrubs up and examines his swollen mouth in a mirror. “You want me to get Zoë to come down and give you a hand with that?” Mal asks, grimacing. “You don’t really wanna be sewin’ up your own face, do you?”

“I think I can fit a weave on it, get the edges lined up right and get by without having to stitch it.” Simon’s gloved fingers gently press the swollen tissue together as he studies the trauma. He irrigates the wound with water and a small amount of local anesthetic.

“Your call, but you ain’t gonna be kissin’ anybody for a while, that’s for sure.” Mal chuckles.

River is sitting on the medbay table, watching her brother intently. “Wasn’t kissing anybody, anyway. All ‘cause he’s a boob.”

“Say what?” Mal’s puzzled and Simon just looks pained. Mal finally gets her reference. “You mean ‘cause your brother and Kaylee ain’t …”

“Captain, if you don’t mind, I’d rather focus on getting my mouth put back together rather than discussing my love-life or total absence of one." Simon points at a drawer. “Would you please hand me the roll of weave and the surgical scissors you’ll find in there?”

Mal does as asked and Simon carefully trims small bits of the neutragenic gauze to unite the edges of his split lip, then asks his sister, “River, can you run up to the galley and get me some ice from the chiller?”

When the girl is out of earshot, the young doctor begins to describe the events of the afternoon to the Firefly’s captain. “It was really my own fault. I just wasn’t being careful enough. If Jayne hadn’t heard River scream, I honestly don’t know what we’d have done. Bad leg and all, he was pretty impressive.”

“Well, it’s good to know the man’s still capable of doin’ his job after takin’ such a bad wound,” Mal observes. “You and he have been at sixes and nines since you came on board and things’d go a lot smoother around this boat if the two of ya could at least agree to bein’ civil to one another.”

“I’m trying, captain.”

“Might be best if you’d not be headin’ off into town on your own for awhile, seein’ as how it’s evident you don’t know what to watch out for. Zoë and I can go back in with you tomorrow to get those supplies. Won’t hurt us to sit on this rock one more day, anyhow.”

Mal gets up to leave and remarks over his shoulder, “And, for whatever it’s worth, I ain’t so sure Kaylee and Jayne are still… anyways, just thought you oughtta know, in case you was still interested. For when your mouth gets better.”

River passes Mal in the corridor, heading for the medbay with a large bowl of ice in her hands and remarks. “He’s very stupid for a genius, you know.”

++++

Kaylee and Wash roll in shortly after dark on a rented mule. The back is piled high with a varied collection of spare parts, conduits, dials, gizmos, along with the carefully wrapped, new high-tech sensor array they have needed for so long.

Mal comes over to the vehicle and takes in the assortment of useful junk. “Looks like ya took the space monkeys along with you to the junkyards. Did ya spend every bill I gave ya and hock your old mamas, too?” He lifts and pokes around, trying to get some sense of what their hard-won cash has gone for.

Peering at his mechanic, the captain asks, “Kaywinnet Lee Frye, tell me you really do know what this pile of fei hua is useful for. You ain’t just turnin’ my ship into a garbage scow, now are you?” Mal dusts off his hands and looks very uncertain.

With grubby hands, Kaylee pushes her messy hair back out of her face, adding to the dirt which smears her cheeks and forehead. “Oh no, Cap’n,” she bubbles, “this is all either things we been needin’ for some time or things that’s fixin’ to break down on Serenity.”

She pulls out a small black electronic component. “See this? This here’s an initializer. Helps initiate the catalizer sequence to make the engine turn. I been patchin’ the old one, but promised ‘Renity we’d get her a new one. Don’t need to be stuck dead in space again, ‘ya know!”

That’s an experience none of them want to go through again.

Mal nods and agrees “Now, mei-mei, that’s money well spent, I’d say.” Wash pipes up, “We don’t have to get this mule back until tomorrow, so if it’s all the same with you, Mr. Captain Sir, I’d just as soon call it a night and spend some time with Zoë. We can unload in the morning and then Kaylee and I’ll jump on installing that sensor array right off.”

Mal hooks his thumbs under his suspenders and nods. “Works well enough, since we gotta run the Doc back into town tomorrow to pick up those medical supplies he went looking for today. Seems he wasn’t quite careful enough about the company he and his sister fell into and all measure of mayhem ensued.”

Kaylee looks up, alarmed, “Are they okay, Cap’n? Nobody bad hurt?”

“Well enough, although the man needs to learn when to duck. They were real fortunate that Jayne heard River screamin’ and was able to rescue their asses without too much trouble.

“Jayne went into town?” Kaylee sounds surprised.

“Yeah, an’ a good thing he did, too.” Mal glances around. “Speakin’ of which, I ain’t seen the hundan yet. Maybe he’ll make it to supper. Who’s cookin?”

“Lord, Cap’n, I nearly forgot.” Kaylee remembers it’s her turn to prepare the evening meal. “I’ll get started right now, probably take me about forty-five minutes.”

“Good enough, mei-mei. Got hungry folk here as needs nourishin’.”

++++

At 1800 hours, Kaylee calls the crew for supper and they emerge from their bunks and rooms, to gather as they always do around Serenity’s big oak table.

When Simon arrives, there is a flurry of conversation regarding his very swollen mouth and the afternoon’s events. Kaylee makes a big fuss over the doc, much to Jayne’s consternation, but the merc grits his teeth and keeps quiet, keeping in mind his desire to convince the girl that he’s reformed.

“It was Jayne that rescued us!” Simon reveals. “He just knocked out one guy and chased the others off at gun-point. It was pretty impressive.” He nods at the mercenary and smiles.

Jayne looks self-conscious and mumbles, “Just doin’ m’job. No big deal…” but he sees the light in Kaylee’s eyes and, in his gut, feels proud.

“Here, Cap’n.” Kaylee hands Mal a big bowl of noodles stir-fried with protein and hot sauce. “Uh, watch out… they’re kinda spicy tonight.”

She looks at everyone apologetically and puts an arm around River’s shoulders.

“River helped me cook.” She smiles a little crooked smile.

As soon as Mal sets the bowl of steaming noodles to the center of the table, Jayne gets busy dishing them into his bowl, grabs his fork and digs in.

“They were plain.” River explains. “Long chains of starchy molecules arranged in boring rows. “ She holds up a tin of chili flakes. “Fire in a can!”

Jayne chokes on his mouthful of noodles and tears flood his eyes.

“Je shr shuh muh lan dong shi?” Gasping, he roars, ”She’s gonna poison us all!”

He grabs the water pitcher and chugs the whole thing as the others regard him with shock and amusement. River leans her dark head against Kaylee’s and whispers, “Can’t take the heat, can he?”

Simon stands and hands the noodles back to Kaylee. Taking River by the arm, he suggests, “I guess we’ll just have oatmeal, then, okay?”

“Well, people, looks like we’ll all have a change of fare.” Mal struggles to suppress his amusement.

Shepherd Book joins Kaylee in the kitchen. “Why don’t you go sit down, child. I’ve been cookin’ oatmeal since before you were born.” With a kind hand, he steers her toward the table.

Mal passes the water pitcher across the divider. “Here, Shepherd.” The preacher refills it and hands the vessel back to Mal. Jayne is still red-faced and panting.

The captain announces, “Just wanna let you all know we’re headin’ out for Regina the day after tomorrow. I managed to get us a straightforward transport job, no crime this trip. Just take cargo on, fly it to Newhall, unload it and get paid. Oughtta be a nice easy run for a change.”

“Glad you’re takin’ pity on your crew, Captain Reynolds.” Zoë quips.

The merc’s still panting. “Here, eat some bread, Jayne.” Kaylee sits down beside him and passes him the basket. “This’ll take the sting outta it.”

The big man wolfs down one roll, then takes a second and eats that more slowly. When he finally finishes the bread, he wipes the sweat from his face and leans over to whisper to Kaylee, “Promise me you won’t never let that fong luh moon-brain help you cook any more.”

The little mechanic pats his knee and giggles. “Some big tough hero, huh?”

(To be continued...)