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. Bitch at me, throw chocolates, or e-mail if ya wanna at Lumenea@aol.com. 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 Six: The Truth Comes Out

He slowly swam up out of blackness, first aware of the throbbin’ pain fillin’ his consciousness, a circle of pain that resolved to focus in the back of his skull.

There was warmth around his head, an’ the unmistakable musky-sweet perfume of womanhood. A curtain of lavender-scented silk draped around his face as soft lips barely brushed his forehead then lightly kissed each closed eyelid.

I’m dead, he thought. Dead an’ gone to heaven. The unlikeliness of this eventual outcome was Jayne’s first clue that he was mistaken.

Heaven smelled like Kaylee. Heaven felt like Kaylee.

A soft voice, thick with concern and desire whispered, “Oh, Jayne, I’ve been such an idgit an’ I don’t even know why.” Little hands cupped his face, lightly traced his mouth, his bearded chin. Her chestnut hair tickled his ears.

“Please just wake up, bao bei. I’m so sorry...”

Wonder why I’m lyin’ on my back? An’ why’s my head restin’ on the edge o’ Paradise? Jayne cracked one eye an’ found himself looking up at an upside-down Kaylee.

“Sorry ‘bout what?” he managed to whisper hoarsely, bringin’ his big hand up to grasp hers as she caressed his cheek.

His thoughts grew clearer: OK - they were in the engine room, an’ he’d been about to throttle her. He must have fallen hard enough to knock himself out.

“Well, hello, big, bad man. Nee how?” Kaylee asked, grinning down at him.

“Well, I could be better…”

He released her hand an’ sat up, turning to face her, ignored the sudden sweep of nausea as his equilibrium re-oriented. He touched his fingertips gingerly to the stinging wound that scored the short dark hair at his temple an’ then proceeded to explore the back of his head where it felt like someone had clobbered him with a gun butt.

What about Kaylee? Had he actually hurt her? No sign of harm other than his smeared blood on her hand and coveralls. He leaned toward her to gently push her hair back out of her face, searching her eyes. This time his voice was low an’ gravelly with want. “What was you sorry about, Kaylee-girl?” he asked again.

For a long moment all was silent apart from the soft hums an’ clicks of Serenity’s ventilation system an’ the susurration of their breath.

The girl bent her head, nibbling her lower lip as she struggled with what to say.

“I’m sorry I made ‘ya mad, Jayne…” Her voice trailed off unconvincingly.

He leaned closer, bent to capture her eyes again. “So what’s that got to do with why you was kissin’ on me a minute ago?”

She looked away and took a deep breath.

“An’ why was ‘ya callin’ me ‘darlin’?” He wasn’t gonna let it slide.

How could she explain? What if he thought she was just a prick-tease and a total idget to boot? The mercenary took her silence for stalling.

“Cut the fei hua, lil’ girl," he growled, made her face him. Looking down at her, he struggled to translate the rush of color to her cheeks an’ the glitter of the tears that hung in her bright coffee eyes.

Her heart was pounding hard in her chest an’ her mouth was as dry as ash. I don’t know how he’s gonna take this, she thought, but I suppose it’s now or never.

Shiftin’ around onto her knees, Kaylee rested her hands on Jayne’s wide shoulders, shoulders that had carried her, that made her feel so safe. It was the most natural thing in the world for him to draw her against him, to surround her with his powerful arms, feelin’ her body tremble as he buried his face in the silken fall of her hair.

Her voice, so often playful, was quiet and solemn. “I’m sorry ya got hurt helpin’ me with Serenity’s workin’s… but, but that’s not what I most need to say. Truth is, I know I done hurt you way more myself, Jayne, more’n you ever let on. I was bein’ all flirtatious and stirring up ideas in that hard head of your’n, then goin’ off and playin’ the fool with Simon, without considerin’ how that might make you feel. I’m so sorry, bao bei.”

She could feel his mouth against her neck, felt him inhalin’ her scent as she had his just moments before and he felt her spirit opening to him.

He sighed deeply, like the breath rushin’ through him carried away a big load of need an’ pain an’ confusion, and held her tighter.

His lips moved silently against her skin, their wet caress a prayer of thanks as she arched helplessly against him an’ found him hard. Jayne slid his hands down her sides to cup her ass, pulled her even closer still.

“Well, girl, I figured you was all sweet on the gorram doctor, an’ you’d made up your mind he was who ‘ya wanted.” He paused momentarily, then softly nibbled his way toward her earlobe, enjoying her trembling, an’ began to suckle the warm shell of her ear.

“An’ I can see why you’da thought that,“ she panted against his collarbone, “but I don’t no more. Used ‘ta have this fool thing when I was younger about fallin’ for rich, shiny fellas -- don’t even know why. It’s just plain silliness. I ain’t got nothin’ in common with such folk."

"When it comes right down to it, Jayne, you’n me are a whole lot more akin than me’n Simon ever was an’ I do rightly care for you. You can be cussed ornery sometimes and your mouth kicks in before your brain, but it’s you I want, not Simon. He’s real smart an’ good at his doctorin’ but the man ain’t got a clue what to do with a girl.”

“Oh, I got more’n a clue, lil’ Kaylee,” he assured her. As if to prove his point, the big man pressed his rigid sex against her, the longin’ for her risin’ in him, all those months of bottled-up hunger focused where their bodies touched.

While his body south of the border was doing it’s best to impress Kaylee with the force of his need for her, his mind was chatterin’ away at him, stalling for some self-control an’ sortin’ out this amazing shift of fortune. After all the highly questionable things he’d done in his hard and lonely life, the merciful Fates had just given him the very thing he most desired in all the ruttin ‘verse, an’ what were the odds of that?

Oh sweet Kaylee-girl, I’ve wanted you so bad, he thought. Gave up all hope of ever bein’ with you like this. Don’t know what I ever done in my lousy, useless life to rate this, but by God, I’m grateful, he prayed, and told himself, Ease up a little, now, Jayne Cobb, get too intense with her an’ you’ll spook her, so take it slow an’ soft-like.

Another deep sigh, gathering his shredded self-control. He began to cover her face with kisses, butterfly soft, an’ who’d ever have thought a man like him could do anythin’ so gentle. The faintest of moans escaped her as she reached up to cup his dark sleek head. It was then she remembered the cut that scored his scalp.

“Honey, we gotta get that wound cleaned up.”

Focused on the tender skin he was busy kissin’, Jayne worked his needful mouth downward toward to the soft swell of her breast, revealed by the neck of her tank-top an’ mumbled against her. "Ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

It took all of Kaylee’s inner strength to push the big man away when all she really wanted was to feel his skin on hers an’ the sudden absence of his shelterin’ bulk and heat left her nethers clenchin’ with want.

“Look here, Jayne Cobb -- you got a cut up head an’ we’re both covered in Serenity’s juices. Don’t seem to me that makes this the best time for what we seem to be headin’ toward doin’.” She stood up all wobbly-like an’ grabbed his arm, doing her best to ignore the prominent bulge his erection made in the front of his oil-drenched trousers.

“At least come over here under the light so I can see if ya need stitchin’.”

Jayne groaned in frustration and rose unsteadily to his feet, but figured he’d best let her do her female fussin’. Give him a little time to cool down some, too, bein’ as he was strugglin’ mightily to treat her with the care she deserved.

Kaylee drew him around the Firefly’s engine toward the hammock where she often snoozed or read in between maintenance on the ship she thought of as “her girl”.

“Deck’s slick, so be careful. We don’t need ‘ya goin’ skatin’ like ‘ya did before.” She giggled, nervous with her desire for him.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her smile seemed to fill the engine room with light and Jayne thought again just how gorram beautiful she was. Right then she could have led him most anywhere an’ he’d have followed willingly.

“How about you sit down here in the hammock so I can see ya better.”

She switched on the small light she read by and steadied the multicolored cotton sling while Jayne warily settled himself onto the precarious edge. His bloody t-shirt reeked of hydraulic fluid, so she gently pulled it free of his pants an’ off over his head.

Kaylee involuntarily let out a whistle at the swai hunk ‘a man in front of her. Ye Soo, but he was a fair sight! His small knurled nipples begged for her touch and the crisp dark hair that lightly furred his muscular chest narrowed like a roadmap to his groin.

Her brain just naturally followed that roadmap an’ went to imaginin’ the part of the man that was bein’ so prominent, until she realized she was staring at Jayne’s crotch an’ remembered what she was supposed to be doin’. Heat rose in her face an’ she turned away to rummage for a clean rag. Dampening it with a little fresh water, she gently cleaned the dried blood away from his lacerated scalp.

Jayne clenched his teeth an’ mumbled. “Don’t want that doc sewin’ on me.”

“Aw, it ain’t bad. Won’t even leave a scar. ‘Course ya got plenty a them already.”

She thought about the ones she’d seen an’ wondered about any others yet to be discovered as she scrubbed at the smears of hydraulic fluid around his neck an’ arms, stalling for time an’ tryin’ to will the shakes out of her legs.

The merc grabbed her hand an’ dropped the blood stained rag on the deck before gently kissing the inside of her wrist. His gunmetal eyes pinned her dark ones.

“This teasin’ has gone on long enough, Kaylee-girl.” Jayne pulled her pelvis tight against him an’ she felt the pressure of his thick, muscled thighs as they captured her own. With her mound pressed against him, Jayne could feel the heat an’ the wet of her even through their clothes.

“You feel how bad I want you? Wanted you since the first day I saw ya standin’ on Serenity’s ramp, lookin’ all saucy and sweet.” The girl blushed, rememberin’ her unabashed flirtation. “Now what I gotta know is whether you feel the same way, ‘cause I ain’t one for takin’ a woman who ain’t willin’.”

Kaylee grinned. “You know Mal’s gonna kill us.”

There, she’d made a choice, an’ the choice was him.

“Mal don’t have to know. Now get me outta this swingin’ death trap an’ let’s find some place we can do this right.”