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 Four: Girl Talk

In the candle-lit haven of Inara’s shuttle, Kaylee bent her head an’ almost purred with pleasure as Inara gently stroked the hairbrush through her thick, honey brown curls.

This ritual of mutual nurturance was precious to them both. Especially when Kaylee missed her folks back home an’ the Black seemed way too big an’ lonely, she turned to Inara, thought of her as a sort of big sister, someone she could share her feelings with, a source of comfort and guidance.

The companion’s highly trained eye had noted the recent tension on board Serenity, the kind of tension that could only come from love an’ desire gone awry. The ship’s crew were like family to her and she couldn’t help but be aware of their needs and feelings.

Sensing her friend’s confusion, Inara laid down the brush an’ turned Kaylee to face her. ‘What’s the matter, Mei-Mei?” she gently asked.

The girl’s dark eyes overflowed, as the tears she’d been holding back streamed down her pretty cheeks. “Why does lovin’ have to be so complicated, ‘Nara?” she choked out. “You’d think somethin’ that feels so good oughta make folks happy.”

“Yes, it does seem that it should.” Inara knew all too well reality wasn’t always so kind.

“Oh, ‘Nara, I don’t know what to do. I feel like such a dummy. Serenity’s a great ship and I love workin’ on her. An’ the crew – you folks are like a family to me. But a girl can get mighty lonely out here. First I got nobody interested in me, nobody wantin’ me, and it seems like I’m likely to just plumb wither away.”

“An’ then the Cap’n goes an’ hires Jayne. First time I saw him I thought, Now ain’t that one helluva man! The way he was lookin’ me up an down, I could see he took a shine to me, an’ I want me some a’him, too.”

“I know Mal told him to keep away from me, figurin’, I guess, that I might get in over my head. Fact is, ol’ Bossy-britches told me to steer clear, too, probably figurin’ I’d get hurt. I knowed Jayne was kinda rough, ‘cause that was why Mal hired him, but around me, ‘Nara, he could be awful gentle an’ funny, too.”

The Companion gracefully knelt beside her bewildered friend. “Lots of people aren’t quite what they first seem, Kaylee. Of course I can see the interest that you and Jayne have in one another.” She took Kaylee’s hands in her own. “But that’s not really what’s troubling you, is it, bao bei?”

Kaylee hiccupped an’ dabbed at her tears with a child-like fist. “Like I said, things just all got complicated.”

“Cap’n told me to find us some passengers when we landed on Persephone an’ we got the Shepherd an’ then I signed on Simon, figuring him bein’ so well-off an’ a doctor an’ all, his fare might make up for Shepherd payin’ mostly with food. Ever since I was a kid, I always had a thing for high-class, refined fellers, and he was so quiet and polite. Next thing ya know – I got me a real crush on him.”

“Go on…” Inara prompted, having already realized the real dilemma troubling her friend.

“Oh, ‘Nara,” the girl sniffled, ”It just ain’t workin’ with Simon. I try to talk with him and he’ll answer my questions all technical like, but he hardly even really looks at me. Just when I think he might be sweetenin’ up some, he turns all polite an’ proper. I can’t hardly even get him to kiss me. Sometimes I figure he don’t even realize I’m a girl. I think I could trot right past him in my birthday suit and he’d look away instead of…” Kaylee’s voice trailed off and Inara saw the glimmer of longing in her friend’s dark eyes.

“It’s not like he’s sly or nothin’ - he’s just worried somethin’ awful ‘bout River and just don’t seem to realize I’ve been sweet on him.”

“What I’m tryin’ to say is, Simon just plain makes me feel invisible sometimes.” Kaylee began to sob, tears pourin’ down her face.

Inara held her friend until her weeping eased. “Oh, Sweetheart, I’m sorry. That’s not a feeling any woman wants to have, especially from a man she’s interested in.” Handing her friend a tissue, Inara poured them each a cup of tea and gently inquired, “And how does Jayne make you feel, Mei-mei?”

Kaylee blushed deeply an’ quickly looked down at her hands, a gesture noted by the perceptive Companion, who quickly appreciated its significance.

“He makes me feel all tingly an’… heated up. Jayne looks at me like he’s starvin’ and I’m the finest feast he’s ever seen.” She hesitated. “At least… he used to… until I started flirtin’ with Simon. I guess that’s why he’s taken to avoidin’ me lately.”

“Well, he has been rather aloof and irritable this run.” Inara observed.

Kaylee struggled to unravel the puzzle of her own feelings and the recent changes in the mercenary’s behavior.

“Oh lord, ‘Nara, I musta hurt him somethin’ awful and I really didn’t mean to. An’ there’s more to it than just him wantin’ me and me knowin’ it and wantin’ him, too…” Kaylee tilted her head, nibbling her lower lip as she thought about the big merc.

“I guess I kinda took him for granted. See, when he’s not bein’ all fierce and ferocious, Jayne makes me think of home, of my brothers and how they was always lookin’ out for me. He makes me laugh, ‘Nara, really laugh. An' the way he looks at me, it’s almost like he’s touching me, an’ when he’s touchin’ me... lao-tyen boo!”

Innumerable hours of training and in the intimate company of others had given Inara Sera astute understanding of the intimate dance between man and woman, and it was from that deep understanding that she observed, “Kaylee, a woman has to trust her instincts, listen to her heart. It sounds to me like you’ve been chasing the wrong man.”

Brown eyes widened with the sudden realization and Kaylee wailed. “Tzoo-foo-nee, ‘Nara! Of course, you’re right. What have I been doing?” With a softly balled fist, the girl bonked her own forehead in frustration and clambered to her feet.

”I gotta find a way to make this up to Jayne.”

****

Shortly after Wash nosed Serenity into her berth at the Eavesdown Docks, Kaylee caught up with Mal as he was leaving the bridge.

“Cap’n – you got a minute?”

“Sure, Kaylee. What’s up?”

“We got a problem with Serenity’s main hydraulic couplin’ an’ the Reuter attenuators need adjustin, too. They been outta sync since back at Whitefall an’ this’d be a good time for maintenance.”

“I know you were all keen on goin’ shoppin’ with Inara, “ Mal remarked, “But ship’s workin’s gotta come first. Once you get her all shiny, you can get in your girl time.”

Kaylee nodded an’ bounced down the stairs, “I’ll go tell ’Nara.” Over her shoulder, she casually asked, “Oh, by the way, that main couplin’ is a chou san ba to disconnect and I could use some help. Jayne’s gotten pretty good down in the engine room. Any chance he could stick around to help me?”

The captain, never comfortable leaving the ship unattended, had scheduled his first mate and her pilot husband to handle the first watch while the rest of the crew enjoyed their first liberty in eight weeks, but Kaylee’s request made sense. At the very least, Zoë an’ Wash wouldn’t complain about the change of schedule.

Since Kaylee seemed to have fixed her mind on courtin’ Simon, Mal felt it was reasonably safe to leave her alone with Jayne. The merc could keep an eye on the ship an’ help her with the overhaul, too. Mal smiled ironically an’ shook his head. He knew Jayne was planning on get stewed an’ screwed as quickly as possible. “You git on t’work and I’ll send him down."

"He’s just gonna love this.”