Disclamer: It all belongs to Joss

Rating: PG-13

Beta: TamSibling - any errors still present are mine.

http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=14264>To previous chapter - ch 2 - In The Black Of Night

Prescious Commodity

by Lattelady6

Ch. 3 Falling Without Gravity

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River tried to bring back the echo of Jayne’s boots as he’d left Serenity. If she was successful, she reasoned, it would surround her as his big body had while they’d slept, but it didn’t work. All she found was silence that made her feel empty and alone. It was as if he had disappeared and taken his warmth with him. She told herself that he’d only gone to the Med-tent to check on the rest of the crew and see if he could obtain something hot for them to consume for breakfast, but the quiet was unsettling.

It made no sense. There was nothing rational about her feelings for him. She couldn’t quantify it, label it or place it into a neat category for later inspection. The mercenary made her feel safe and secure, even though she knew his presence beside her the night before had placed her in greater danger. She would have given herself up rather than let him be damaged.

Jayne Cobb represented one of the oddities in the ‘verse and all her powers as a seer were blinded where he was concerned. She hadn’t known he was coming, but he had made his considerable presence known when he’d wrapped his arms around her in the Maidenhead to stop her fighting. She had felt him through and through. It had saved his life and had brought her clarity when her world had gone insane.

With her pistol gripped tightly in her hands she scooted deeper into the storage closet that had become their nest. She had felt safe there when she’d slept in Jayne’s arms, but now that he was gone fear moved into their space.

In desperation she buried her nose in the mattress where he had spent the night, seeking his scent, anything that made his prese