R-a-y-n-e Part 2/? Title: R-a-y-n-e part 2/? Author: Gilove2dance Rating: G Pairings: Pre-Rayne Disclaimer: Joss is Boss and therefore I don't own anything. Author's notes: Post BDM though someone is alive because I will never be able to accept their death. First ever firefly fanfic! Summary: River and Jayne continue to bond. Previous Chapter: Ch 1

A/N: You know you’ve read too much Rayne when certain concepts have been categorized as canon in your brain. I’m so completely sorry if any of this seems similar to a story you have already read…my brain doesn’t know what’s real or not any more. And so sorry for the delay. I had to make a 5 minute movie for tech class which meant over 70 hours of computer animating and film editing and actual filming with my actors on green screen and on set….so stressful but I’m finally DONE!!!!

Chapter 2: Bonding

Jayne collapsed onto his weight bench. It had been a while since he had lifted any so it was best to start off slowly. He enjoyed the solid repetition of a mindless workout. He found calm in it much like Inara’s yoga she sometimes does. Jayne closed his eyes and just pumped the bar out from his chest. He felt someone staring at him. He could tell by the way the hair on the back of his neck prickled.

“Leave me alone, Crazy,” he growled.

“The chase is no longer frivolous if the prey is no longer hunted,” River said mournfully. Jayne’s cunning orange hat was swallowing her head. She was leaning over him, a hand on either side of the bench near his waist.

“I’m old, girl. I can only run after you for so long ‘fore my lungs give out.” He snatched his hat off her and pushed her away so he could sit up. She sat in on the bench in front of him. “And now I got it back.” River stuck her tongue out. Jayne snorted and tweaked her nose.

“You aren’t old. Captain Daddy and Zoë are much older than you.”

“I’m old enough that runnin’ around gits me tired out right fast.”

“Professional runners are thirty-three years of age,” countered River.

“Well, I ain’t a professional runner now am I?”

“Your argument of age is faulty.”

“Fine. So I have a hard time runnin’ for an extra long time. Happy?” Jayne stood and began to clean up his weights.

“We can play non-running games. Like hide-and-seek.” River looked at him inquiringly.

“Okay, now that, I’m too old for.” He stared at her for a moment. “You are too old for that too. How old are you now, eighteen?”

River pouted. “Never too old for childhood games. Why should kids get all the fun?”

“Adults have fun games too,” grinned Jayne leeringly. River made a face at him. Jayne chuckled. “But seriously, sexin’ aside, there are games adults play for fun.”

“I don’t know any,” River said sadly. “There was no time for games at the Academy.”

Jayne shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I’ll tell you what. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll meet ya in the mess in ‘bout ten minutes.”

Exactly ten minutes later, Jayne strolled in carrying a black leather bag. He sat opposite River and peered at her inquiringly. She stared back. Jayne sighed. “Yer gonna have to block out my thoughts for this game to work. Can ya do that?”

She nodded confidently. “I find that much easier to do right now. Especially when it’s just us. Less noise, just a soft earth tremor. No earthquake.”

“Great.” Jayne reached into the bag and pulled out a pack of cards and several rows of blue, white and red poker chips. “Now there’s several games we can play. I’ll teach ya normal black jack first.”

“Doc, have you seen Jayne?” Mal stuck his head into the infirmary.

“I can’t say that I have. Do you know where River is? It’s time for her smoother.” Simon was prepping a syringe full of blue liquid. The two men left and headed towards the mess.

“Ha! I was bluffin’, see? Ya can’t let anyone know if you have a good or a bad hand. So I won with absolutely nothin’; not even a pair of twos.”

Mal almost ran into Simon as the younger man stood in the doorway unmoving. River was nodding her understanding, a slight scowl on her face, as Jayne dragged a large pile of chips towards him.

“There you are Jayne. I was lookin’ all over for you,” called Mal, stepping around Simon into the mess.

“It ain’t like I was hidin’,” growled Jayne.

“Rayne is too old for hide and seek.” River smiled. “So we play poker instead. I think I like it better. It involves statistics and probability, yet it is completely spontaneous and random with luck and disguises.”

“Couldn’t you just use your mind and read him to win?” asked Mal. “And what rain?”

“No fun in winning by cheating and Rayne is us.” She gestured to Jayne and herself.

“She’s too lazy to say ‘River an’ Jayne’” Jayne delt the cards again.

“Am not.” She glared at him as she dragged her cards over. “It facilitates speech.” Her eyes lit up and she stifled a giggle as she sorted her cards.

“Now I know what ya’ve got!” proclaimed Jayne.

“Maybe you don’t.”

“You’ve got nothin’ or close to.”

River looked at him sharply. “You peeked! My reaction should have indicated good cards.”

“It was too forced. Best not to react at all ‘til ya get a hang at playin’.”

Mal walked back to where Simon was still standing. “Something wrong, Doc?”

“I just don’t know what to think of him.” Simon’s gaze was on Jayne. “I thought he was an uneducated Neanderthal who saw women as objects to be had.”

“He never was.” Inara had come softly behind them. “He may look but he never touches an unwilling woman. HE may be crude and disgusting at times but he mostly does that to keep his image and as a defensive tactic. Jayne doesn’t like to let people get to close to him. I believe he thinks it will make him soft which is a weakness.”

“And yet it looks as if he’s letting River get close,” Simon pointed out.

“I don’t think he knows. He thinks that keeping her busy will keep her sane which will keep him out of danger. Caring about her wasn’t the plan so he will refuse to see it until it slaps him in the face.”

“As long as it stays a friendship, I don’t care.” Mal grimaced. “If it progresses more, I will have to shoot him.” Simon shuddered in agreement. Inara shrugged.

All three looked back into the mess at the pair. Jayne was smiling crookedly as River joyfully pulled a small pile of chips to her dwindling stack.

“Yep. They are definitely bonding.” Mal turned to leave. Simon sighed and entered the mess.

“Okay mei mei,” called Simon. “I need to administer your smoother now.”

River gave a small whimper and her eyes immediately filled with tears. Jayne frowned at the doctor. “What for? She’s bin fine all day.”

“And I want her to stay that way,” Simon retorted. “This will help.”

“No, no, no, no, no,” cried River shaking her head fiercely.

“See?” said Simon. “She needs her medication.”

“She’s only actin’ like this ‘cause you brought in the gorram needle.” Jayne stood up angrily.

“And you think you know better than her doctor?” asked Simon coldly.

“I know that she’s fine right now and let’s see how long she stays that way. Once she starts being moony, then stuff her full of drugs. No point of that now, it’ll make her dopey for no good reason.”

Unknowingly to both men, River had gotten up and had walked around to stand behind Jayne. She now reached for his big hand with her two small thin ones.

“Please Simon,” she begged. “Can’t we try?” Jayne put on his most intimidating face.

“Fine,” Simon snapped. “I will let you on one condition.” Simon stared at Jayne. “You are going to be responsible for giving her the smoother and calming her down when she has the episode.”

Jayne pondered this for a moment. He gazed back at River. She gave his hand a gently squeeze. “’K,” Jayne said gruffly and pushed River back to her seat and sat down. He started dealing again. “I think you’re ready to learn some tall card now. It’s slightly similar to black jack.”

“Wait, you are actually agreeing?” Simon sputtered.

“Yep.”

“And when something happens you will actually do it?”

“Yep.”

“Even if it puts you in danger?”

“Yep. ‘Cept it won’t.” Jayne shrugged. “Even the butcher’s knife incident wasn’t that bad.”

Simon stared at him with his mouth open.

“It was the Blue Sun label, it had to be purged,” River whispered.

“I know. I don’t got anymore Blue Sun shirts,” Jayne grinned. “So I figure I’m good.”

“You will attract flies if you don’t close your mouth, Simon. Unless you are trying to be a Venus fly-trap?” River giggled.

Simon shut his mouth and glared at her. He walked over to Jayne. “The syringe is all prepped. Just jam the needle into her upper arm and steadily inject all the liquid.” He put it down beside the pile of poker chips.

Jayne glared at it as if it had paid him some great insult causing River to chuckle quietly. Simon hovered over the table for a few more seconds.

“The pupil is ready to be taught but the teacher won’t start until all the parents have departed.” River stared pointedly at her brother.

“Right.” Simon leaned over to kiss River’s forehead but she squawked and pushed him away. “Brat,” he chuckled and with one more glance at Jayne, he left.

“Once her brother was out of earshot, River turned to Jayne. “Thank you,” she said softly as she once again tucked her hand into his that was resting on the table.

He grunted, but gently brushed his thumb twice on the back of her hand before picking up the cards again. “I’ll shuffle while you deal the cards again.”

TBC

A/N: Poor Simon…we seem to always make him the bad guy….I guess only so that Jayne will save her! Please comment/review…it makes me so incredibly happy and inspired.