“What’s wrong with moving to my bunk?” Jayne glowered down at the young woman.

“You don’t really want me there.” River walked on, forcing him to follow.

“I do! Else why’d I ask?”

“It’s your place, Jayne. And I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You mean you’d want me to take down all my guns?”

“No.”

He was confused. “Then what? River, we’re a couple, right?”

“Yes.” She smiled at him. “Most definitely a couple.”

“Right then. Seems to me a couple moves in together.”

“Not always. Sometimes they just date.”

“Think we’ve got past that, somehow, moonbrain.”

“You could come to my room.”

The look on Jayne’s face made her giggle. “With your bro and Kaylee across the way?”

“Well, perhaps that might be problematical.”

“Then you come to my bunk.”

“No.”

“Why?” He took her arm, made her stop. The light through the trees was dappling on her skin, but he kept his mind on the matter in hand. “Ya sleep with me there.”

“I do.”

“We make love there.”

“We do.”

“Then why not move your stuff in?”

“It’s not my bunk.”

“Hell, girl, it can be!”

She gazed at him, wishing she could make him understand. “It’s not mine,” is all she could say.

“Then we make it yours.”

She shook her head. “I can’t,” she whispered. She turned and ran away from him.

He stared after her. “River, wait,” he shouted, following.

“Can’t.”

“Dammit, moonbrain, you hold up!”

She could hear anger in his voice, and it slowed her feet. She didn’t want to make him angry, not because of what he could do to her, but what he wouldn’t. “Holding,” she whispered.

He came up behind her, turning her to look at him. “Look, if’n you don’t wanna move in with me, that’s … well, that’s okay, I guess. But you don’t run away from me, no matter what. You got a problem, you talk to me. Dong mah ?”

“I understand.” She hung her head.

“Then you look at me.” He lifted her chin. “You ain't gonna hide no more.” Pushing her hair behind her ears, he looked into her eyes. “Tel