The Need Part Five Author: J.J. Subject: Rayne Rating: NC-17 Disclaimer: The characters in this fic are not mine, they belong to the Power that is Joss and 20th Century Fox. I'm just borrowing them for fun. Summary: Post BDM. Rayne. Serenity's deadliest begin to connect after a long stint in the Black.

Chapter 5-- Fighting That Feeling

Seeing a baby had profoundly lightened the mood of almost everyone on Serenity. Kaylee was nearly floating in the air every time Zoe let her hold little Walker. Simon saw the picture of what Kaylee would look like holding their own child. Mal and Inara was very proud and happy God parents. Everything from the child's first smile to his first yawn was a spectacle and it was driving Jayne nuts. On the plus side it was giving him plenty of time to sneak away with River, but that posed a series of other problems.

River confused his feelings, made him feel like some kind of teenager. He wanted her constantly and when they finished sexin he wanted her around him. Futures he had given up on the moment he left his dirt road town, seemed possible when she was with him and even though sometimes she talked crazy, he was starting to decipher it. To decipher her. He was falling hard for the girl and he knew he couldn't keep her. That was why he kicked her out of his bed the night before. A casual dalliance was now turning from convenient to nuisance in one fell swoop.

He knew she was angry with him, she had barely said a word to him all morning, even when he actively went into the bridge to say hello, she ignored him. He figured she probably knew exactly what he was feeling for her. Her being a reader an all. River did know and she felt the same, but she couldn't get through to him. She couldn't get it through his thick head that nothing they had been doing for the last few weeks was something that just sprung up out of the blue. There had been a tension coiling up, ready to spring out of control ever since she stepped on Serenity.

Jayne was contemplating his relationship with River all night and morning. Even as he prepared himself and the mule to go on this job in Beaumonde, even as he stood on the bridge waiting for Mal to give them direction, he thought about her. How mad she was at him? Would she forgive him for putting her out? Would she ever come to his bunk again?

"We got a little meeting with a gentleman who needs to move something to Three Hills, what that something is? We're not necessarily in the need to know. He's paying us handsome, so let us do this job as quickly and as safely as we can, dong ma?" Mal addressed the crew. "Kaylee, you got parts we need to get for Serenity?"

"Yes Capt'n," she nodded.

"You're coming with us, we can stop by the market and see if we can get a few supplies to get us to Three Hills."

"Jayne, you gotta be extra sharp out there since we're a man short," Mal said and Jayne nodded curtly.

"River, your extra eyes and ears gonna come in handy. Be on the awares for Alliance we're not their favorite group of people right now," he said.

"Inara," he grabbed her and kissed her deeply. "You okay with driving this boat for awhile?"

"River has taught me well," she nodded.

"Good, let's land this boat and get this show on the road people, time is money," He marched off like a whirlwind.

"He's been saving this up for awhile," Inara apologized to the crew and Kaylee laughed.

Jayne walked over to River and Inara sensed the tension. She conveniently found something off bridge to do and Jayne sat in her spot.

"Can we talk?" Jayne asked her and River ignored him.

"I am incapable of giving you my full attention at this time," River said and made her self busy with Serenity.

"Uh, okay, well then, I'll talk to you later or not, whatever," he said and left the bridge.

"Doc, how's my first mate and company?" Mal said peeking into the infirmary.

"Your First Mate can speak for herself, Sir," Zoe said. She stood in the middle of the infirmary with little two week old Walker looking like a regal Goddess.

"Motherhood suits you, Zoe," Mal said and Zoe smiled.

"You wanna hold your God son?" she asked and he held out his arms. She placed little Walker in his arms and Walker opened his green eyes and then smiled. He favored Wash so much, he thought.

"Where's Simon?" He asked.

Zoe smiled and then pointed at the back of the infirmary. Mal looked down and found Simon leaned against his supply cabinet sleep.

"I came in to get Walk weighed and I found him like this. I didn't have the heart to wake him," she smiled and took back Walker as Mal nudged the Doc with his foot.

"Wo de ma, was I sleeping?" Simon wiped his face and yawned.

"You got that inventory list?" Mal helped Simon to his feet.

"Yes here," Simon gave the list to Mal and then looked a Zoe. "Ye Soo, how long have you been waiting?"

"It's okay, Doc. I know you're burning the candle at both ends," Zoe smiled. Simon was a brilliant doctor, but he wasn't a specialist in pediatric medicine so he was doing loads of reading and research so he could give Walker the best treatment.

"You sure you need all of this? " Mal said reading the extensive list and Simon nodded.

"The baby needs all of this," he said and Mal looked at Zoe who gave him her no nonsense look.

"I'll see what I can get," Mal backed out of the infirmary. Zoe was even scarier than before she had Walker it that was at all possible.

After they hit planetside in Beaumonde. Zoe went into the cargo bay to wish her crew members good luck. Even though she was a mother now she still felt the draw to go out on missions with Mal like the old times when Wash was alive, before Miranda, before little Walker. She kissed her son on the forehead. Zoe saw Jayne and Jayne rolled his eyes. No matter how much he complained, she knew he liked to hold little Walker. She didn't even ask him if he wanted to hold Walker before she placed him in his arms.

"He needs both you and Mal in his life, Jayne. You two got big shoes to fill, so you be careful out there," she smiled and Jayne looked at the little wiggly Wash replica and though he tried not to, he did melt enough to hug Walk to him and whisper something in his ear.

"Can I hold him?" River asked and Zoe tensed a little, River might have been mostly sane, but it was the parts of her that weren't all there that made Zoe tense and River knew it.

"Maybe when he gets a little bigger," she said, and River backed away hurt, this wasn't the first time Zoe wouldn't let her hold Walk. Jayne gave Zoe a pleading look as River walked away.

"Please Zoe," he asked and she hesitated. After a long minute she nodded and called River over. River took a moment to wipe away a stray tear and then came back.

"Make sure you support the head," Jayne said as he laid little Walker in her arms.

"He likes me," she smiled. Jayne looked at River talking to the baby and his heart clenched. It was a shiny picture in front of him. River holding a child, he wanted her to hold his child. He turned away his mind a riot of emotion. Zoe touched his arm.

"It's okay to want to make her an honest woman, Jayne," Zoe said and Jayne looked at her surprised that she put it together. "A woman always knows."

"I ain't talking about this with you," Jayne said angrily. Zoe saw right through it clear as day, Jayne wanted to make River his woman. It was written all in the way he looked at her with Walker.

"Fine," Zoe said and then collected Walker from River. With a smile she told River to be safe.

Mal came down the cargo bay steps in full brown coat and it was time to go.