Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss and we thank him for letting us play here.

Thanks to the wabbit and the nomad for helping see the forest for the trees as usual.

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“Jayne Cobb! How many times I gotta tell ya ? DON’T TOUCH! I swan child, you’re never gonna get full growed with all your digits attached. How you gonna git through life with no fingers is beyond me.” Jayne could hear his mother’s oft-repeated lament echo in his mind, but now, as then, he could not seem to stop himself.

He had touched her once in anger, backhanding her across the kitchen area. His pain and anger blinding him to the feel of her fragile cheekbone and the warmth of her blood on his knuckles.

He had touched her once with traitorous hands on Ariel, binding her to a chair.

He had touched her with irritation or humor, depending on his mood, when his hand brushed hers as she stole bread from his plate.

He had touched her once in the Maidenhead. Defending her back, then wrapping his arms around her compact, athletic little body, in the misguided belief she might need savin. Just before she touched him with hands and table, laying him out flat.

He had touched her trembling form in the bank on Lilac when the Reaver’s rage had racked her body and mind into immobility.

And Gods he had wanted to touch her when the blast doors opened revealing her still standing surrounded by dead Reavers. His body had ached and his blood had burned with need the way an alcoholic needed booze. He had been overwhelmed with the desire to run his hands over her trembling form, to slide his tongue and lips over her salty, sweat slicked skin.

Now he watched his trembling hand reach toward her again. This time she was smiling bewitchingly into his eyes. This time she reached small warm hands up to cup his face between gentle palms.

She touched him. She touched his heart and captured his soul.