Disclaimer: Joss Whedon has it all. I have a heartburn...

A Big, fat, Thank You to BYTEMITE for offering to read this over.

Rated PG 13 for a few words some people might find offensive, but nothing really too serious

This is Post-Serenity, the BDM.

(Jayne and Zoe are having a bit of a drink and Zoe asks a question that's been burning her for a long time, apparently.....)

“Tell me, Jayne, why are all men scared of me?” Zoe said morosely, gesturing with her near empty glass, sitting cross-legged on Jayne’s bunk.

Jayne leaned over, stilled her hand with his big paw and topped off her glass. “Ain’ nuttin’ personal, Zoe. Just you have balls of brass bigger than that gorram moon. Most men can’t handle that.” He eyed the level of alcohol left, decided it wasn’t worth bothering with a glass and drank straight from the bottle.

“You’re scared of me, too!” she accused, nearly spilling her drink.

With a frown, Jayne took the glass from her and poured the whiskey down his own gullet. No use lettin’ it go to waste. “That’s just cuz I know what you can do. Got no problem havin’ wimmen with balls coverin’ my ass in a fight. More reliable than a man if’n they got something to fight for.”

Zoe looked a bit sad, but that might have been the alcohol. “Even if they have balls of brass big as a gorram moon?”

“Especially those!” He sucked on his cigar. “Sides, I’m mighty fond off my ass.”

Zoe took the cigar from him and took a drag, coughing just a little. “Mighty fine ass it is, too.”

Some of the smoke went down the wrong way and Jayne choked on it. Laughing and coughing at the same time wasn’t easy, but he managed. Wiping his streaming eyes and gasping for breath, Jayne saluted his sister-in-arms with the empty bottle. “Welcome to it any time you like.”