Disclaimer: They ain’t my characters and it ain’t my ‘verse and no money changed hands. Thank You List includes Joss and the gang for inspiration, Jacqui the Goddess of Jaylee for beta and a great deal of support and encouragement, and to my own dear big, bad man for providing certain, …er, technical resources and guidance. Bein’ as this is my very first fanfic, all comments, suggestions and feedback are most appreciated. If ya don’t wanna talk, please just click a rating. Can’t make it better if I don’t know what’s broke.

Waited Long Enough Part Three: Misfire

As far as Jayne was concerned, it was all Simon’s fault. Things was comin’ along right shiny between him’n Kaylee until that gorram ruttin’ doctor and his shiong-muh duh duang-ren of a sister boarded Serenity.

The same adorable Kaylee who’d been shamelessly flirtin’ with him and blowin’ him kisses over the edge of her parasol when they first hit Persephone had suddenly turned her interests elsewhere, smitten by the Doctor’s obvious polish and smarts. From then on, seemed like nothin’ Jayne could do went right.

Sweet Kaylee who had been so warm and flirtatious-like toward him had up and gone all googley-eyed over Simon. Jayne just couldn’t figure why she’d waste her time on some pantywaist citified feller who showed all the manly attributes of a hamster. Why, the little gal was in so deep she couldn’t even see all Simon Tam cared about was his moon brained sister.

What kinda gorram idget would ignore a gal like Kaylee? he wondered. And how come she’d suddenly dropped him for another man? Got him right confused, she did. An’ truth be told, he was also more’n a little jealous.

It was the jealousy that caused that humiliatin’ incident over dinner shortly after the doc, his crazy sister an’ the Shepherd came on board. Seein’ Kaylee fallin’ all over herself, doin’ all manner of cuteness hopin’ to get Simon to take notice of her, just plain tore at Jayne’s gut, an’ his mouth lunged into action before his brain could evaluate the w