Ai ya, but this one has taken a long time to get up. And it's still a very short chapter. I thought it best to get this little bit up, rather than make everyone wait too long for a really large chapter.

Ch 7 brings the end of day five. Woo.

Disclaimer: Some are mine, some aren't. If you need more help than that, I don't think you're going to get it. Ever.

Rating: This one is disgustingly G.

Comments: Yeah, herald the return of FLUFF. It's nothin' but, people. The FLUFFIEST FLUFF of all FLUFFONIA.

Feedback: 'Tis life and love, people. Comment here or send emails: wily_one24@yahoo.com.au

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Previous chapters to be found: one, two, three, four, five and six.

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CHAPTER SEVEN:

Kaylee couldn't keep the satisfied little smirk off her face as she leaned forward, wrapping her hands around her left knee, her right leg lying straight along the blanket. Her fingers brushed idly at the grit that had embedded itself there, little rocks and dirt that left tiny impressions as she flicked them away.

"Wo de mah." She let her eyes fall closed at the sound of Jayne's voice beside her, just long enough to feel his hand landing lightly on her shoulder and skimming all the way down her back. "Kaylee."

"Yeah." Her nail dug a particularly stubborn piece of grit out of the crinkled flesh of her knee and she crinkled her nose when crimson oozed up in its place, welling in the empty craters that pocked the skin. "And then some."

"You alright?"

She had to smile.

"Never been better." But there was something off, she couldn't put her finger on it and the corners of her mouth turned down. "What about you? You okay?"

"'Course I am." He scoffed, lightly, but she didn't believe it, she could feel the hesitant way his hand touched the skin of her back, soft. "It's just, Kaylee..."

"What?" She couldn't control the shiver.

"It ain't..." He breathed in, she could hear it in the half dark. "It ain't always gonna be like that, you know that, yeah?"

Ohhhh. Kaylee relaxed.

"What?" She smiled lazily as she turned her head and rested her ear on her knee, hugging her arms around her leg and looking back towards him, sitting there next to her. "Hot, passionate, good, bone shatteringly great sex? S'at what you mean?"

Even without the light she could see the smile on his face. His growl radiated all the way through her, where their legs lay side by side and his hip poked against hers. They'd gotten as far as getting his pants and half her dress back on.

"You know what I mean." His hand traced a line over her leg. "All quick an' hurried and over too soon."

"What's wrong with quick?" She raised her brows. "Don't know 'bout you, but that was mighty good for me."

"I got better." He sounded so serious she had to bite her lip. "I got lots better than that, just you wait an' see."

"Better?" She lowered her leg and turned onto her hip so that she faced him and her legs cradled his thigh between them. "I s'pose I could live with better. I mean, I ain't gonna say no."

His fingers curled into her hair, stretching it out behind her.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet." Voice low and husky. "I got moves that'll get your eyes rollin' for hours and hours."

She couldn't hold it in, couldn't keep the gust of a laugh inside her throat as her fist came out and pounded maybe a little too hard on his chest.

"You're such a man!"

His hands came down and around her then, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her up, across his lap. She giggled into his frown and threaded her fingers into his chest hair, let the pads of them rest against the firm muscles.

"S'why you're here, ain't it?" He stared down at her, his eyes glittering enough for her to grin. "Big, manly man that I am?"

"I'm gonna hold you to that." She kissed the underside of his jaw. "So you better be a man of your word, Jayne Cobb. I mean it, hours and hours."

"Lookin' forward to it."

***

"Whatcha thinkin'?"

Mike turned the rock over in his fingers, end over end, before he sent it skimming across the path. It bounced five times before skidding to a stop about thirty feet in front of them.

"Wait, no, scratch that." He laughed at it. "What are you thinkin' about her?"

A hand came out to thud into his abdomen.

"Tell me I'm wrong, brother." His arms spread out wide. "Tell me you're not brooding more about Miss Kaywinnit Lee and our intrepid hero of mud, Jayne Cobb."

"I don't brood." Mick gave a quick rise of his eyebrows as they walked along. "There's nothing to brood about. She's happy, they're happy, everyone's happy."

"Oh, yeah." Nodded Mike. "You've totally convinced me. You're not still on about your 'something's up with them' theory, are you?"

"No." Mick gave a sigh, deep and heavy. "She knows what she wants. And the more I see them, the more I like."

They walked several more steps before Mick spoke again.

"Whatever else, you can't deny they're pretty intense." He gave a small laugh. "I don't think I've blushed half as much as I did last night."

"What?" Mike turned to look at him. "You don't seriously think that they were...?"

"You don't?" Mick laughed out loud. "Come on, we've known Kay all her life. There's not many other things happening when she's all red like that, her eyes all blown out and her breath all short the way it was."

"You don't see anything past what you want to see, do you?" Mike rarely got impatient with his brother, there was rarely the need to, but it did happen occasionally. "I don't know what we walked in on, but we sure didn't leave them in any mood for what you're thinkin' they did."

Mick frowned, his brow crinkled in confusion.

"What're you gettin' at little brother?"

"Nothing." Mike pressed forward, his feet kicking at the gravel, the barb and the heavy tone of voice hadn't been lost on him. "Just forget it."

Like the fifteen minutes between them, in the general scheme of things, had ever been that important.

"You got something to say..."

But Mick never finished, because Mike knew the very thing to distract him.

"Speak of the devils." He pointed across the field. "There they go now."

Didn't take them long, five minutes maybe, to catch up with the pair. One look at Mick and they were both grinning. Maybe they hadn't the night before, but they sure as hell had that afternoon.

"Kay."

Mike noticed the way that Jayne's hand squeezed hers between the names. He'd had his suspicions of the whys and wherefores of her emotion and that just about confirmed it.

"Lee." He finished.

"I'm gonna put bells around yer necks." Jayne grumbled at them, good naturedly. "Little gorram bells so you can't sneak up on a man..."

"Jayne." Mick and Mike grinned together.

"Oh." Jayne nodded. "Yeah, then. Hey."

The beam on Lee's face was enough for Mike, he was fairly sure it'd be enough for Mick, too. He knew she'd been more than nervous all week, knew she was about ready to crawl out of her skin at the thought of one of her worlds colliding with the other.

It wasn't that hard to make the transition smooth for her.

"Where've you guys been?" She sighed happily as she threaded her free hand in Mick's. "Haven't seen you all day."

"We've been keeping busy."

As happy as the three of them looked together like that, there was no way in hell Mike was gonna link arms with Jayne to make it four. He satisfied himself by walking next to the man.

"Now we're headed home." Mick completed, somewhat unnecessarily pointing off to the little house across the field. "And just happened to come across you two, fine folk traipsing along, after an afternoon of..."

Mike smiled as his brother paused to rake his eyes up and down the couple.

"... sightseeing."

Lee had the grace to blush. Mike wondered if she even realised she'd leaned down to brush at her legs.

"Yeah." She agreed. "I was just showin' Jayne around."

"Yep, yep." Mick nodded, sagely. "Well, we're off home and we'll catch you later. Lots to do before tomorrow."

"See you later." Mike echoed breezily, leaning in to brush a quick hand over Jayne's shoulder. "By the way, buddy, you've got... mine shaft... in your hair."

The two of them didn't wait for an answer, they hurried off, laughing together at the look of embarrassment on both their faces. Whatever happened between them, it never took long for the brothers to find something to lift their moods.

***

"You're part of it now." Kaylee was just about buzzin' round his head, like one of them insects that sucked the blood right out of a man. "They got you in their little ritual of names, you can't ever get out. Guess you're stuck with me, Jayne Cobb."

"S'a hardship." He sighed. "But I guess I'll learn to cope."

Their hands were swingin' back and forth between them as they walked. Jayne knew, he just knew, that if anyone on board Serenity saw them, he wouldn't ever live it down. He just wasn't sure whether he cared or not, the way they were movin' like that, all together and in time.

His momma used to say that was movin' in a sink and he'd always wondered why anyone would want to do that, hell, he was wonderin' now what a gorram sink had to do with the two of them, but if it meant they were happy, then he wasn't gonna think too hard on it.

"We got lots to do!" She bounced along. "Serenity lands tomorrow and everyone's gonna be so happy! Don't you think they're gonna be happy?"

Yeah, maybe, Jayne thought. If by happy she figured Mal was gonna glare a lot and mumble about gorram crew members who didn't follow his gorram orders or take his gorram advice, and a doctor who'd more likely than not have his nose out of joint. Preacher'd probably have some words to say, 'bout special hells and the like. Not that Jayne figured he was goin' anywhere else, already, so that warning had about as much impact as one've Kaylee's slingshots against Vera.

"'Course they will." He smiled at her.

He wasn't sure if the others'd have much to say. Sure as hell that there'd be looks passed between Wash an' Zoe, Inara might smile and whisk Kaylee away for some gossiping, and River. Hell, no one in the 'Verse knew what she'd do. She probably wouldn't even notice or just compare 'em to somethin' that made no sense at all. Like snowflakes and steel rivets.

Or she'd shoot 'em all dead, which he kinda hoped she wasn't gonna do.

"Yeah." She grinned back. "'Course they will. An' I think Ma wants us all to have dinner tomorrow, oh nothin' big, just some throw togethers, whatever's handy, the big lunch is the day after, but she said there ain't no work mates of mine gonna be landed here and not get fed proper and..."

"Things're gonna be fine." He said firmly and tightened his hold on her hand, pulling her close to his side. "Quit worryin' about it."

"I ain't worried." She paused. "Why? You think there's reason to worry?"

"I... there... did you... 'cause..." He bit his lip. "Gorram it, woman, ain't you listened to a word I just said?"

"Uh huh." Her head nodded up and down like one of those feng le wobbly headed dolls. "You told me to stop worryin', which means there's a reason you think I oughtta be worryin', which makes me worry."

"Gorram it."

There weren't nothin' else to do but pull her up for a big, long kiss. She was all manner of quivering under him, a mass of energy and nerves and he stroked her back to calm her.

"It's just... it's everyone, you know?" She breathed in and looked up at him, her eyes showing a little trace of fear. "I mean, there's my family which gets along and there's Serenity that gets along, but what if the two of 'em don't get along?"

"Then we fly away and we never bring the rest of 'em back when we come to visit."

"But..."

"Kaylee, your folk and everyone on this gorram planet are like people outta some kids' story book, do you know it? They'd find some way to charm Niska and his men. I got no worries about anyone not gettin' along."

"Yeah." She sighed and he could tell she was comin' around to his way of thinking. "Yeah, you're right."

"'Ceptin' it's that harpy Nana Kent, she's a right bitch."

He chuckled as she slapped his arm.

***

Kaylee laughed, slipping her hand under Jayne's arm and through to the other side so she could reach the plate of beans beside him, her cheek pushed at his shoulder and he didn't move.

She could stay like that forever.

Across the table, Joe laughed at something that her daddy said. His whole face lit up when he laughed and she could see her mother in it, her daddy and a mix of them that looked a little like herself and somehow didn't all at the same time.

A small hand jiggled at her elbow, waiting impatiently for the beans and Kaylee knew that Lilly had never, not once, willingly eaten beans before, but was willing to do is just so that everything she did could be exactly like her aunt.

A smile played on her lips.

"Whatcha grinnin' at?" Jayne nudged her gently.

"Nothin'." She knew her eyes were shining as she nudged back, she could feel it. "Just nothin'."

This was how it was supposed to be. The thought came to her slowly, unasked, and she found herself sighing just a little. Night was coming fast and there was a chill in the air, but she was warm.

"Ha!" The loud thunder crack of a laugh made her turn to the left. "That's what you think!"

She frowned a little as her eyes came to rest on Mick and Mike, she knew them, knew the lines of them like she did herself, she could tell that their happiness was genuine, too. Even without the shadow she sometimes imagined between them.

Maybe they were all happy, her entire family sitting around the table, eating and laughing and joking, full of noise and love, but no, she couldn't really say it was how it was supposed to be.

Suddenly, without warning, she wanted to be on board Serenity again.

***

If he leaned his head back against the wooden porch swing, closed his eyes and held his breath, Jayne could hear them all inside the house. He sucked at the end of the cigar, held it in, let it cloud and swirl in his lungs before releasing it slowly.

Small, soft shuffles of feet and a gentle cooing towards the back was sure to be Betty, trying to get Ivy down to sleep. He could picture her, rocking the baby back and forth, leaning her cheek down far enough to touch the top of the feathered head, to press her lips to a warm brow.

A deep, gruff voice whispering jokes with a lighter, giggle filled one was Frank, telling bed time stories to Lilly. It made Jayne wonder if he was the same with his daughter as he was now with his granddaughter, the two secretly making each other laugh while Mary hushed at them to be quiet. Knowing Kaylee, it couldn't have been any other way.

Just behind his head, he could hear the two women, Kaylee and Mary, moving about the kitchen. Lost in menial tasks and lost even further in conversation. It had only been a few days, but Jayne could see how easily the two had fit together before Kaylee had gone away, how easily she integrated herself back into the routine of things.

"I didn't know you smoked cigars."

He opened his right eye to see Joe standing in front of him.

"I smoke 'em when I got 'em." He reached into the pocket of his shirt and brought out his last one, holding it out like an offering. "You want it?"

"I don't want to impose..." But he was no one if not Kaylee's brother and Jayne could already see the same, familiar tempted face. He jiggled it at the man. "Oh, alright, if you don't mind."

"Not the best." He blew out a gust of smoke. "But not the worst, neither."

"I haven't seen you light up since you've been here."

Jayne examined the long, brown cylinder as he held it delicately between his fingers. He preferred it like this, at the start, when it was still crisp and solid, before he chewed the end into a soggy, godawful mess.

"Kaylee don't like it much." At Joe's raised eyebrows, Jayne had to chuckle. "Not that she says nothin', just wrinkles her nose in that cute way she has."

"Ah, yes." Joe nodded sagely. "That way. The downfall of many a man."

"Ya see." Was always something about sitting quiet like, nursing a cigar that made Jayne all wordy and thinkin' stuff. Maybe he should just quit them. "That's where I'm confused. You an' the boys, you're always sayin' that, that lil' Kaylee was like the gorram Pied Piper, trailin' boys around with nothin' but a wink, but then everyone else keeps sayin' that the whole planet's like her big brothers."

He quirked his eyebrow.

"Leads a man to ask what kinda planet you runnin' over here?"

Joe chuckled as he settled on a wooden chair.

"You've been off world too long, I can tell." Joe looked out to the sky. "Small town like this, she's everyone's little angel. Of course the world and her are 'just friends'."

He winked.

"That's according to everyone older than thirty. The rest of us, we saw a different side." Joe pointed to the little divot to the side of his nose. "See this? Just one of the many fights that girl caused me growing up."

Jayne could feel himself glowering.

"There were boys done her wrong? Which ones?"

Joe grinned.

"Oh no. She did. She did them wrong. There's no shortage of boys here who'd up and leave everything behind if she asked 'em to. Problem was, she never did." He nodded his head once. "Don't think she will, either, now that you're here."

"Damn straight." Jayne growled.

***

Kaylee stood by the window and looked out into the night, it seemed almost wrong that nothing about it had changed, that the view was the same. Her fingers picked absently at the edge of a nail that wobbled in place on the ledge.

When she was fourteen, her daddy sat her down and gave her a good, long talk about boys. More specifically, what was expected of her when it came to boys. She’d just nodded and then climbed out her window that very night to meet up with Sampson Kol.

She’d come home to find the house still in darkness, as if not one of them had even rolled over in their sleep when she was out, but her bedroom window had been nailed shut and the front door had been locked. Her daddy hadn’t said one thing to her, but he’d looked awful smug when she’d hurried into the house the next morning, shivering as she scrambled to the kettle for hot water.

It had taken her three weeks to find a way to worry the screws loose enough to take out and put back in at her will. She was fairly sure that by the time she was sixteen, keeping those damn things in place had been nothin’ more than mere formality, kindly observed by all parties involved.

“That there has to be the most interestin’ nail in the ‘Verse.”

She smiled up at Jayne.

“I was just thinkin’.”

“’Bout me, I hope.” She watched him pretend to preen, like a bird ruffling his feathers. “There’s not much else you’d wanna be thinkin’ on. Me bein’ such a fine specimen an’ all.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, it ended in a sigh.

“No, really.” He came to stand next to her. “What’re thinkin’ ‘bout?”

“I got homesick tonight.” And how, she thought. “Over dinner, with everyone around just laughin’ and such. I didn’t want to, but… but I felt it real hard.”

“Oh, Kaylee.” He sighed and pulled her in to rest his chin on the top of her head. “’Course you got homesick, I would if I had a home like this, all these nice people.”

“No.” She sighed as she crept her hands around his waist. “That’s not it.”

“You missed your home.” He said simply. “There ain’t nothin’ wrong with that, Kaylee, nothin’ at all.”

“Yes, there is.” She insisted, stubbornly, quietly. “’Cause I wasn’t missing here. I was missin’ Serenity.”

“Ah.” His hands came down, large, over the top of her head and down to cradle her chin. “Well, that ain’t bad either.”

“But…” She pouted into his face. “But it ain’t right.”

“Kaylee.” He kissed the end of her nose. “Way I see it, you got a great home and a great family right here. And you’ve got a great home and a great family on board Serenity. That’s twice as much as some people get. Why are you complainin’ about that?”

She frowned.

“Can’t you ever let me wallow?” She pouted. “Why do you always gotta be right?”

“’Cause I’m me.” He said with a lift of his chin. “We went over this. Big, manly, fine specimen of a man. You ain’t got no hope against me, woman.”

That made her chuckle.

“That’s better.” Jayne lifted her face up for another kiss before letting her go and grabbing the chair. “Now, I gotta do one more thing ‘fore we go to sleep.”

“Jayne.” Her voice was soft, even, and bordering on laughter. “That ain’t gonna work.”

“What?” There was a dull clunk as he jammed the back of it under the doorknob. “’Course it’s gonna work.”

“Trust me, Jayne.” She let her fingers trail up the side of his ribcage. “It ain’t gonna stop her getting in.”

“Worth a try, at least.” He mumbled as he turned around to capture her hands in his and hold them against her sides. “’Cause I don’t really want no kids walkin’ in right now.”

“Mmm.” She agreed with a purr as his mouth found the side of her neck. “But I’m still right.”

***

Coming soon: chapter eight: day six and the landing of Serenity.