Disclaimer: Not mine, no pay.

Thanks: To Jacqui, for friendship, great beta and encouragement, to Josh the Paramedic for medical info and to Rion, my own personal BDH. You guys are the greatest.

Rating: NC-15 this section, for adult references. A bit of angst, violence later on.

Remarks: I continue to explore the challenges faced by Jayne and Kaylee as they struggle to define their relationship. Set following my most recent story “The Birthday Gift”, after “Objects in Space”. Inara has departed from Serenity and things on board ship are getting more difficult.

Feedback: Better'n a hot fudge sundae. Lord knows I'm not doing this for money. Note the "No Pay" sign above. Catch the back-story by clicking on my name above.

Leaps of Faith

Chapter Three

Kaylee’s in her bunk, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Ever since Early’s invasion of Serenity, she’s had nightmares, can’t seem to recapture the sense of safety she felt before within the ship.

Serenity’s artificial day and night cycles often don’t mesh with her own waking and sleeping, so she’s learned to read, do quiet maintenance, wander down to the galley to see if Jayne’s up late, even sneak down into his bunk from time to time.

The pleasure and release from his lovin’ has been good an’ he’s shown her more’n a trick or two. Sometimes she just wants the comfort of curling up next to his big, warm body, the sense of safety he gives her. She hungers for the strength of him, how he shelters her from the fears, the bad dreams, shelters her from the loneliness of the Black.

She thought that once she’d ended her pursuit of Simon, told him she’d made her choice, that she’d feel easier. One less complication in an already complex relationship.

The doctor took her declaration quietly. He’s distant now, more formal with her, polite but purely business-like. If he hurts, he doesn’t let it show, just focuses even more on his work, on River. She misses the playful friends