On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me twelve drummers drumming

Kaylee glanced over at Jayne as he stood up; he was lookin’ so pale, so sick, she needed to get some help for him. Her eyes widened as she saw someone come out of the shadows lungin’ at Jayne, slashin’ him.

“Jayne” she screamed his name in fear as he fell.

Whirling, without thought she lifted the gun she was still carryin’, and for the second time in her life she shot someone. She’d shot a man and this time it hadn’t been an accident. But she didn’t care, didn’t care ‘bout nothin’ as she rushed forward.

Dimly Kaylee was aware of shoutin’ and gunfire. But it was all back ground noise as she frantically clutched at Jayne’s shoulder calling out his name when she saw the blue eyes closin’.

She heard footsteps and saw other hands reachin’ for Jayne and swung around ready to defend him. “Easy Kaylee” the captain cautiously took the gun from his mechanic “we gotta get Jayne to Serenity.”

******************************

Mal was concerned for Jayne and worried about Kaylee.

His mechanic had shot a man dead. No accident this time, it had shook him to see the swiftness of her response to danger. It wasn’t like sweet, shiny Kaylee at all. She was in shock after seeing what happened to Jayne that was for sure.

Jayne had been bleedin’ all over the shuttle floor, the look on Zoë’s face telling him all he needed to know of the big man’s chances. It didn’t seem fair that Jayne had made it through the kidnapping and the hunt only to die when he and Kaylee were just about to be rescued.

Kaylee had not taken her eyes off Jayne since his had closed back on the gorram moon. She had sat in the shuttle watching every move that Zoë made to help him and was now hovering over him as he lay on the bed in the infirmary. Maybe she’d be better off someplace else.

“Kaylee let Inara take you to get cleaned up. Then the doc can examine you when he’s through fixing Jayne.”

“No. No, I ain’t leavin.” Her response was almost frantic. “I’m not leavin’ him here.”

About to argue the captain was deflected by his second in command “Think you had better let her stay sir. Kaylee and Jayne they been together, only them, for more’n ten days. They’re dependant on each other right now. Besides if Jayne does wake up who do you think he’ll be looking for?”

“Alright, she can stay. But Kaylee I want Zoe and Inara to clean you up a mite. Look you over for any injuries and such.”

“I ain’t hurt. Jayne saw to that.” Her lips quivered slightly “He looked after me good Captain.”

“I know mei mei. I know.” He gave her a gentle push toward Inara who opened her arms to hug Kaylee to her.

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Simon was so conscious, even while working on Jayne’s injuries, of Kaylee standing there being ministered to by Inara and Zoë. He could hear both women’s sotto voice comments as they cleaned her up and checked her over.

Why had he been so slow to see how fine she was, how beautiful? Why had it taken so long for him to act upon his feelings for her?

Wash was right. A few half-hearted remarks and almost kisses didn’t amount to much. Jayne’s all out attempt to protect Kaylee did.

The mercenary who Simon thought had no heart and no soul, particularly after his actions on Ariel, had proved himself to have both.

Simon’s focus on River, curing her, saving her, had meant Kaylee came second in his thoughts. Not so Jayne, he was so intently focused on Kaylee, they’d seen that the last few days, that nothing else came first.

And Kaylee was the same. She was hardly noticing anyone else in the room she was so intent on Jayne. She hadn’t taken her eyes off the man since they’d bought him into the infirmary. Simon realised he didn’t need to worry about his and Kaylee’s relationship anymore, because they didn’t have one. He stretched his back and stood up.

“Doc” Mal looked up as he saw the medic straighten “what’s the verdict?”

“The knife wound is not as deep as I thought; Jayne must have been pulling away when it cut him. Even though he’s lost a lot of blood, normally a wound like this would hardly slow Jayne down; he’d be out of my infirmary tomorrow.”

“But” prompted Wash.

“But the poison in his system has been slowly killing him.” He turned to the mechanic who’d made a small sound of distress. “I’m surprised he has survived this far. Of course Jayne does have a phenomenal resistance to most medicine and Kaylee said she pulled the dart out pretty quickly. Perhaps Jayne didn’t get the full dose. I’ve administered the antidote and if he wakes up over the next few hours he should recover completely. There’s every hope of that, I think the thing that would encourage him to wake up most is your presence Kaylee.”

******************************

Kaylee stood staring out of the infirmary window listenin’ to the quiet breathin behind her. What if Jayne didn’t wake up, what would she do? What if he did wake up and not want her? She’d die; she’d never thought that she would think that ‘bout a man, but she did.

Jayne had protected her, watched over her, and comforted her, just like it was the natural thing to do. She wanted that for always. She wanted him for always.

The feelins’ she’d had for Simon were tepid compared to what she felt for Jayne. There’d be no sittin’ back waitin’ this time she swore.

Kaylee wished the man would wake up so she could tell him all that, watch his reaction. She turned back to the bed to check on him and saw his eyes start to slowly open.

“Kaylee?” Jayne turned his head to look for her.

“I’m here” she moved closer so she could touch him and realised that he wasn’t properly awake yet. His eyes weren’t clear and he was still sleepy. She sighed, she could wait.

“Can ya sing me that song?” his voice sounded rusty

“Song?”

“Pretty one ya been hummin’. Like to drive me crazy.”

“Oh, sure.” She’d give him anythin’ he asked for, she was that far gone.

Kaylee cleared her throat and began to sing unaware that the whole crew were outside listinin’ in.

******************************

Jayne had finally got to hear Kaylee sing that song. It was just as pretty as he thought it would be and she had looked right beautiful singin’ it, all happy and such

He lay back on the bed in the infirmary thinkin’ it was ‘bout time Kaylee came back to talk to him again. He heard footsteps approachin’, but it weren’t her. Sounded like a herd of cattle but was really Wash, the Captain and Book.

“We’ve come to escort you to the feast” announced Wash grandly wavin’ his arms about.

“Christmas dinner.” Explained the Shepherd to Jayne’s confused look.

“Needs all three of us to get you there” complained the Captain

:”Well don’t take me then.”

“Gotta. Kaylee’s gonna be there. And we’ve cooked a turkey”

“A turkey,” Jayne licked his lips. “Best come then.”

As they helped him down to the common area and a seat at the table, he noticed all the decorations hangin’ around. “Ain’t they the ones Kaylee bought?”

“She was set on a Christmas celebration, so we’re givin’ her one.”

Mal was startled by Jayne’s unexpectedly happy reaction to his comment. He gave the captain a genuine friendly smile and stated “She deserves that.”

Wash interrupted the moment, “I did the decorations. Do you like the decorations?”

“Girl provided direction, no decorations possible without direction.”

“Hey…”

Jayne didn‘t hear any more of Wash’s yammerin’, didn’t hear or see anythin’ ‘cept Kaylee.

She was standin’ in front of him all dressed up in a green dress that ai ya really fit her, showed off all her curves. Her pretty hair all done up on top of her head, fingernails and toenails painted, Kaylee looked good enough to eat. But she wasn’t sayin’ anythin’ though, and she was actin’ real nervous.

“Ya look real beautiful Kaylee” he offered, noticin’ for the first time that the rest of the crew had left the room. “Why’d everyone leave?”

She shuffled her feet “Wanted us to be alone, I guess.”

“We’ve been alone for two weeks.”

“Yeah, but I never told ya,” Kaylee had her talk all worked out, but one look at Jayne and every thought just flew out of head. She took a deep breath “That I found out that I just wanted you for Christmas. Not all the decorations, or the celebration, just you.”

Jayne reached out and pulled her into his lap where she belonged. “Ya got me for always bao bei, thought ya knew that.”

“Guess I do now” she said snuggling closer, her head on his chest. “Guess I do.”