Disclaimer: They ain’t my characters and it ain’t my ‘verse and no money changed hands. Thank You List includes Joss and the gang for inspiration, Jacqui the Goddess of Jaylee for beta and a great deal of support and encouragement, and to my own dear big, bad man for providing certain, …er, technical resources and guidance. Bein’ as this is my very first fanfic, all comments, suggestions and feedback are most appreciated. If ya don’t wanna talk, please just click a rating. Can’t make it better if I don’t know what’s broke.

Waited Long Enough Part Three: Misfire

As far as Jayne was concerned, it was all Simon’s fault. Things was comin’ along right shiny between him’n Kaylee until that gorram ruttin’ doctor and his shiong-muh duh duang-ren of a sister boarded Serenity.

The same adorable Kaylee who’d been shamelessly flirtin’ with him and blowin’ him kisses over the edge of her parasol when they first hit Persephone had suddenly turned her interests elsewhere, smitten by the Doctor’s obvious polish and smarts. From then on, seemed like nothin’ Jayne could do went right.

Sweet Kaylee who had been so warm and flirtatious-like toward him had up and gone all googley-eyed over Simon. Jayne just couldn’t figure why she’d waste her time on some pantywaist citified feller who showed all the manly attributes of a hamster. Why, the little gal was in so deep she couldn’t even see all Simon Tam cared about was his moon brained sister.

What kinda gorram idget would ignore a gal like Kaylee? he wondered. And how come she’d suddenly dropped him for another man? Got him right confused, she did. An’ truth be told, he was also more’n a little jealous.

It was the jealousy that caused that humiliatin’ incident over dinner shortly after the doc, his crazy sister an’ the Shepherd came on board. Seein’ Kaylee fallin’ all over herself, doin’ all manner of cuteness hopin’ to get Simon to take notice of her, just plain tore at Jayne’s gut, an’ his mouth lunged into action before his brain could evaluate the wisdom of what he was about to say.

He knew his crude remarks had hurt Kaylee, could see it in her face, an’ Mal’d gone all protective an’ ordered him to leave the table.

Later on, the Captain cornered him in the corridor an’ read him the riot act.

“Jayne, what is this fei hua? Just ‘cause you’ve taken a shine to Kaylee and she ain’t interested in you, you got no cause to talk like that about her or shame her like that. You’ll treat her civilly, dong ma?”

He gritted his teeth and took the Cap’n’s dressin’ down, knowin’ in his heart what he done was wrong, was just mean. As much as the big merc hated to think of her getting’ hurt, he knew he had hurt her himself. Maybe he’d best let the whole thing go for her sake and keep his distance.

But Kaylee herself didn’t make it any easier for Jayne. Not one to hold a grudge, she was soon her usual sunny and playful self. Jayne just really didn’t know quite how to make sense of the mixed messages she was puttin’ out. One minute she’d be makin’ goo-goo eyes at Simon, askin’ some lame question just to get the solemn, dark haired doctor to talk to her. Next thing Jayne knew, she’d come sashayin’ by him in the corridor on her way to the engine room an’ smack him on the butt as she passed, gigglin’ in a way that grabbed him by his balls.

No point makin’ a fool of himself chasin’ after the gal, especially with Mal gettin’ all protective like. Lil’ Miss Kaylee needed to figure out what she wanted and Jayne decided Kaylee, in her own way, was about as dense as Simon.

Decidin’ to avoid lil’ Kaylee was one thing but actually managin’ to keep clear of the girl on a ship small as Serenity was difficult. An’ just because his brain had decided to give up on his mission to seduce the gal, the message was gorram slow in communicatin’ with his nethers. Oh, he still wanted her, wanted her as bad as ever, but resolved that it was time to put a bullet in that dream.

Jayne stopped comin’ down to the engine room to watch her doing her voodoo on Serenity’s innards, her face glowin’ and the pink tip of her tongue clamped between her full lips in concentration. Watchin’ Kaylee in communion with the ship and wantin’ her like he did felt like someone diggin’ around in him lookin’ for a bullet -- a thing best avoided.

He did his best to avoid runnin’ into her in the corridors, turned around and left the commons when he saw her there chattin’ with Wash and Zoë. Later, when she suggested they pair up again for a pick-up game of hoopball, he snapped that she oughta get Simon to carry her, knowin’ full well he’d hurt her feelings again.

Put Jayne Cobb in a fight an’ he was a marvel of bone and muscle an’ focused intensity. But Jayne Cobb strugglin’ with complex feelings for a woman he wanted and really didn’t want to hurt -- now that was uncharted territory for the big man.

The frustration an’ confusion swirlin’ around in his gut made him even more surly than usual, a change his shipmates found impossible to ignore.

Hoping to find relief in the mindless physicality of a workout, he changed into a pair of loose shorts an’ loaded up the bar with extra weights. Bench pressin’ with all the pent up intensity that filled him, he concentrated on buildin’ up a sweat-drenched burn. When the Preacher was a little slow to spot him, he snarled at Book in irritation, slamming the heavy bar back into the weight stand with a loud crash and clatter, grabbed up his towel and stalked out of the cargo bay.

Book mused to himself, “I wonder what’s eating that boy? Something’s really gotten under his skin lately.”

On his way to the shower, Jayne passed the doctor in the corridor. With a low growl, the big man shoved Simon into the bulkhead with his shoulder as he passed, mutterin’, “Outta my way, you piece a’ go se.”

What’s got the man ape all riled up this time? Simon wondered, rubbing his shoulder, unaware of his role as both obstacle and catalyst.

****

Jayne struggled to relax under the calming flow of hot water in Serenity’s small shower. He’d come straight from the cargo bay an’ realized after he’d stepped into the cubicle and soaked down that the only soap available was a well-used bar of the lavender-scented stuff Kaylee preferred.

Jes’ great, he thought, sarcastically. Now I’m gonna smell like gorram flowers…

His hard fingertips worked the suds into his short dark hair an’ beard, then he turned into the spray to rinse away the foam. Cupping the slippery bar, his big hands carried it across his massive chest, through the dark curls under each arm, an’ over the cords of his triceps and powerful biceps before soaping the hard contours of his taut, muscled abdomen.

The rising steam carried Kaylee’s scent, all green and meadow-sweet, an’ his thoughts drifted to where that soap had been not five hours previous. The smell and realization provoked an immediate reaction an’ his cock rose proud and high against his belly, surging with a familiar ache.

Can’t keep a good man down, he chuckled to himself, latherin’ his staff an’ heavy ball sac. He imagined soaping the little gal’s full hips and perky breasts, gently washin’ her nethers, the caress of her hands, of his hands, an’ he groaned with gut-deep pleasure as he stroked himself to his release.

Drying off afterwards, he realized the raw ache in his chest was still there, a reminder of Kaylee’s preference for Simon. Like the bullet scars scoring his body that ached in the wet and cold, he would just have to bear it.

****

Over supper, Jayne kept his head down, devouring the food before him with single-mindedness just so he wouldn’t have to watch her battin’ her long lashes at the Doc, who never seemed to notice. Finally unable to take it any more, he shoved back his chair and sulked out of the room, leaving his unfinished portion.

“Well, now, that’s a first.“ Mal remarked, shakin’ his head. “Ain’t never seen him get up from a half-full plate before.”

Other than his workouts, weapons maintenance an’ shiftin’ around some cargo when Mal told him to, the merc pretty much kept to himself, withdrawin’ to the haven of his small quarters. After Jayne grabbed up his plate an’ stalked out of the Commons for the fourth night in a row, Wash remarked to Zoë, “Wonder what’s eatin’ the big guy?”

“I dunno, Sweetie. Seem’s like he’s bein’ even more antisocial than usual…”

Trouble was, Jayne’s strategies just didn’t work. His longing an’ desire for Kaylee only seemed to bury deeper, became a raw pulsin’ that ping-ponged back’n forth between his wide chest an’ groin. There was only one way to buy some relief from the desire and frustration he felt.

When Jayne’s ache for Kaylee got too strong, he took care of business back in his bunk the way he always had, waitin’ for them to make Persephone again. There was a gal there he’d occasionally visited and he had a little coin put back for her services, hoping she could get adorable Kaylee out of his dreams an’ off his mind.

That was the plan until the gorramn Captain ordered him to stay behind an’ keep an eye on the ship…