Long Road Home – Chapter Eleven

Do I need to say it? Well, just in case, I own none of these characters, etc etc

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The as yet unnamed new Firefly of Reynolds’ Shipping was sailing along calmly on the voyage to her new home. Contrary to their normal luck, all systems had performed flawlessly, and the ship had made good time.

Jayne, increasingly tense as trouble failed to appear, was actually starting to relax, though Kaylee wasn’t sure if they was due to him really beginning to believe that things were okay for a change, or to River’s gentle touch.

It never failed to amaze Kaylee how River could seem to squelch Jayne’s temper when it threatened to flare. A touch, a word, even a glance, and Jayne’s anger would simply vanish. She recalled the terrible sight on the sidewalk, back on Persephone, when she’d been sure that Gabriel Tam had not been long for this ‘verse.

River called out to him, and Jayne’s anger vanished. Just like that. Things like that, and her conversation with River at the shipyard, had more than convinced Kaylee that the two of them had something very special between them.

And now they were engaged! Kaylee felt her smile swell up as she checked on her new girl’s systems. She’d never thought that Jayne would act so quickly, but River had been wearing him down. Maybe it took something bad, like on Persephone, to make Jayne see that he might not have all the time in the worlds.

“Everything smooth, Kaylee?” She turned at Jayne’s voice to see him standing in the door to the engine room. He looked relaxed, she thought. A term she still had trouble applying to him.

“Shiny, Jayne!” Kaylee smiled. “Just shiny! She’s doin’ good.”

“Glad to hear it,” he nodded. “River says we’re about three days out, now. Made good time. Still too far to send a wave, but you may can do a voice only to Simon.”

“Oh!” Kaylee shrieked, and ran past him for the bridge. Jayne smiled at her eagerness. He didn’t blame her. If he had to be separated from River that long. . .