River was watching him. It wasn't the first time she had observed Jayne. She knew just where to sit or stand in every room (other than the bunks) without being noticed. Currently she was laying down on the platform leading to the spare shuttle, watching Jayne lift weights in the cargo bay.

She noticed the way Jayne's biceps bulged everytime he curled up a barbell, listened eagerly to the grunts he made as the weights became more burdensome on his arms. Her mind flashed back to his thoughts last night. He had imagined being buried deep inside of her, listening to her soft cries of pleasure.

As Jayne slowly ended his weights session, River decided to go down and talk to him. She had taken extra care to pick her clothes out today. She wore the dress she'd worn at the maidenhead on Beaumonde the night she was triggered. She hoped it would remind Jayne of how aroused he'd gotten when she grabbed hold of his crotch.

River walked down the stairs silently, her bare feet making almost inaudible whispers against the metal. Jayne didn't even hear her until she spoke.

"You want to be strong. Protect." Jayne practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice. He turned and scowled at River.

"Gorrammit, Crazy, why'dja go and do somethin' like that? Ain't right sneakin' up on a person." River just smiled happily.

"Simon protects Kaylee, but he doesn't lift weights." She hoped that was enough of a hint to show Jayne that she wanted to be protected the same way.

"That boy ain't got time to lift weights. Too busy ruttin' on lil' Kaylee. 'Course I guess you could call that exercise too." Jayne's eyes gazed off, a smile lighting his face. He really liked that kind of exercise. He just wished he could get it more often.

"He likes being close to her. Touching. You like touching too." She walked around him as she spoke, admiring his body, thinking about holding him as she fell asleep. She shuddered softly.

"Well, yeah. Sexin' is nice, and it feels really good when they... Hey