The Welcoming Committee: Part 2 by Nailani Williams

Disclaimer: No Copyright Infringement intended Joss, besides "How do you kill what has no life?"

Summary: After the BDM. Zayne, pairing. Taking place after, “The Bravest Thing” Jayne’s going home to Deadwood and he realizes that only his Mama’s happy he’s home.

Rating: PG-13

A/N: I know this story so far is nothing like the summary, but it will be, I just wanted to have Jayne and Zoe form some kind of emotional foundation, and I wanted to add just a little levity before introducing the angst, again. As you all know my angst is a little sick and twisted, so this is my early warning now, prepare yourself for a bumpy ride.

P.S. Feedback keeps me going even at 1 a.m. in the morning when I should be sleeping so please "Be kind...drop a line?" Good or bad I can take it,:D!

Thanks to all who do leave me feedback! HUGS to all!!! XOXO,

Lani

~

Zoe:

Mal, Inara, and I came back to Serenity an hour and a half before supper. We had managed to get some fresh greens, sweet corn, yams, and real pork from the farmer’s market on Deadwood, and Inara was already coming up with an ideas for a feast tonight.

I was still on the fence about Jayne. When we finally got settled in I went to his bunk to talk to him but he wasn’t there. Actually not much of his stuff was there either just three guns and a picture. I immediately went into a panic. I ran into the dining area he wasn’t there, he wasn’t in the kitchen either. I went to the infirmary and found Simon making an inventory of his new supplies. I asked him if he seen Jayne.

“Sorry Zoe I was with Kaylee all afternoon,” He blushed and then quickly added: “ Uh, ask River.”

I went to the cockpit. River was in there humming some nursery rhyme and I was about to ask her where Jayne was when she spoke, “He’s in the shuttle sleeping.” she said, not even looking at me.

“Thank you,” I said. Before going down to the shuttle bay. I found the shuttle door open and Mr. Jayne Cobb, sprawled out in the pilot’s chair sleeping as River said. He was snoring. I was going to wake him up, but then I decided against it. Why wake someone up to argue? I turned to leave.

“Coward,” he said, with a grin. I folded my arms across my chest. I should have known he was awake. He was just lying there looking sexy as Hell and avoided looking directly at him, because I knew if I did I wasn’t going to be able to have an intelligent conversation.

“We need to talk, Jayne,” I said sitting in the copilot’s chair and he straightened up in his.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you Zoe,” he sighed.

“Well that’s a start,” I took a deep breath. “You don’t get to boss me around, Jayne, not about this. I understand that I’m making this hard on you and for that I apologize, it ain’t much easier for me.”

“I know that, Zoe, but you gotta give me an inch, you know my past history ain’t so good, all I want from you is an answer on whether you’re willing to see pass all that,” he said, his eyes were pleading with me, I sighed.

It was either run or leap and I was tired of running, God, only knew how much.

“Well I guess I have to go pack, how long are we staying at your Mama’s?” I asked and he jumped out of his chair and hugged me.

“Two days,” he said and then he went to kiss me, but I shied away. We weren’t done with the conversation.

“What happened today, doesn’t happen again, Jayne,” I said firmly looking him in the eye. “You don’t get to yell and rage like that, not at me, not ever. You do it again and I’ll walk…after I shoot you,” I had my hand cupping his chin so he couldn’t look away and he nodded.

“I’m sorry, honey, sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me,” he pouted.

“I know, and that’s why I forgive you this time,” I said giving him a quick peck on the lips. He put his hands through my hair and quickly turned the kiss carnal, I fought my own uncooperative body to break away.

“Jayne no!” I breathlessly cried out, slapping his roving hands away.

“What’d I do now?” he asked exasperated.

“It’s what you want to do… and it’s not gonna happen tonight,” I said.

“And why not?” he pouted harder.

“Cause you gotta earn it, I don’t want to just be Ms. 891 to you!” I said walking out of the shuttle.

“But-But, I already had it!” he said, incredulous. “And if you were just Ms. 891, you wouldn’t be meeting my Mama!” he followed me.

“You only had it, as you so delicately put it, Jayne, because we both needed healing. Now’s different, it’s all different! Especially now that I know how easy it is for you to spread yourself around!” I said and he sheepishly hunched his shoulders, I rolled my eyes.

“ Now you got to prove that you want me Jayne,” I put my hand up before he could say something crude. “If you want me, if you really want a relationship with me Jayne, then you’ll respect my decision and start coming up with ways to court me proper. That’s all I ask.”

He blinked at me twice like it was finally getting into his thick head, “Oh, you want to be courted?” he smiled his crazy smile the one that said “I‘m a really bad boy” and I rolled my eyes again shaking my head. God only knew what was going on in his brain.

Jayne:

I hate it when women talk around in circles. All she had do to is say court me, Jayne! It’s that simple. I don’t know why they always got to get into feelings and stuff. I could never seem to follow them when they start talk that stuff. But now I’ve figured it out.

Zoe wanted to play hard to get, and Hell a I ain’t rightly chased a woman since, Vera. I’d play, but she’d better get ready because she was about to see a whole different side of me. The side that got me married to Vera even after I cleaned her Daddy of all his gold.

I hoped to God that I wouldn’t scare her off, though, because Zoe’s affections for me seemed to be very skittery, especially after today.

And I couldn’t wait until she saw my Mama. That was going to be the best of everything. That and me wooing my way back into her heart and back into her bed.