for mantheycalledjayne

[meimeimechanic]

It's strange being back on Serenity after so long away. At least it feels so long away, she isn't exactly sure how long it's been for the rest of them. It's a little awkward and odd but Serenity is home and that feeling isn't so long gone. Her girl is welcoming but it still don't mean she can get away without explaining a few things. But Kaylee is gonna try her best to get away with that as long as can.

The main thing is the lack of space. A hyperactive 18 month old can't go running about so much on board the ship. Though he's got a lot more folk to keep him entertained and new things to learn. Even if the Cap'n ain't all that pleased with the littlest crew member. Not forgetting that his title will soon be replaced when the new one turns up. That brings a whole mess of problems in itself. Which was where she was then staring at the bunk. She'd managed to forget just how small it was. If she got much bigger, she was going to give up for a while and start sleeping in the spare shuttle. Not that she weren't glad to be home.

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[mantheycalledjayne]

Jayne is the one normally known for complaining. But he's been unusually subdued since they came back, since Mal took him somewhere quiet and threatened to beat seven kinds of lā shǐ out of him if he stepped out of line even slightly with Kaylee. It wasn't a discussion that didn't end well for either of them, not with Jayne shooting dirty looks at the captain every time they passed in a corridor or sat down for a meal.

Now though he was heading towards their bunk- one without a ladder down, considering that Branden would easily have hurt himself jumping down and Kaylee wouldn't be able to climb down much longer. There weren't exactly much room, but the bunks weren't planned out for families.

Now he came in with a mug of tea for her, not expecting to see her looking so pensive. "What you thinkin' hú dié?"

[meimeimechanic]

"That I'm glad we're back." She was, but what had she been really expecting between Jayne and Mal? She'd seen the looks. Even Zoe had caught her on her own and said that if Jayne stepped outta line with her that all she needed was to tell her. Kaylee had reassured her that Jayne ain't been nothing short of proper with her. Well, as proper as you could expect and he'd looked after her. More that they looked after each other.

"It's too small." She gestured to the bunk, as she finally admitted to him what she was actually thinking about. "And I spoke to Simon." Dragging the word and out as she took the mug from him. "Xiexie ai ren." She added quietly as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Ain't sure what surprised him more. The boy or the bump." She smiled down at the mug before sipping her tea. "Our girl’s fine though. May have made him check after everythin’.” Truth be told she paid little mind to what Simon felt about her and her choices. He’d lost whatever say he’d had. Missed that chance. Now it was time to see that Kaylee had well and truly moved on.

“How’re you doin’?” Because making sure he was okay was imporant.

[mantheycalledjayne]

"Weren't doubtin' it." The ship was Kaylee's home, more than any bit of rock. He knew she was happier back here, out in space. She might have been as big as a barn now, but that didn't mean she wasn't heading down to the engine and tinkering. Jayne knew that was what she did when she was happy, something that proved she was doing okay. Why Mal n' Zoe couldn't see that, Jayne didn't know.

He was ready to suggest sleeping on the floor and letting Kaylee have the bunk for herself when she mentioned Simon, n' Jayne's expression got real stormy. "Don't care if he was surprised. Long as he helps when it comes." N' he would, cos he was a doctor, n' he still looked at Kaylee like a puppy left in the cold.

Then his shoulders relaxed. "I ain't bad." He says, moving to wrap an arm around her. "Gotta make sure you n' that baby get a good night's sleep huh?"

[meimeimechanic]

The mechanic couldn't exactly go fitting herself under the engine anymore which made some of the tinkering with it a little difficult. Leaning over and into the engine was more a question of stretching and balancing. Who needed to keep up with yoga when there was fiddling with the engine to be done. She was sure it was the same thing, well, looking after Serenity was more rewarding to Kaylee.

"He will, he's a good doctor. He's saved me before so don't doubt that he's gonna help this time." She leaned to his touch. Kaylee nearly said he was probably jealous of Jayne, that she'd chosen him over the doctor. Instead she let it go unsaid.

She held the mug with one hand as she drank, reaching for his hand suddenly to place on her belly. She could feel the baby but she didn't know if he'd be able to yet. Kaylee wanted him to be able to, she was looking forward to his reaction to it the first time. "Someone ain't sleepy."

[mantheycalledjayne]

Jayne didn't want her underneath the engine, or over it while it was spinning, or anywhere near any slippery puddles of grease. But Jayne weren't about to tell Kaylee she couldn't spend time with her girl. He knew how much Kaylee had missed her, and he knew she wouldn't stop messing about with the engine, not for anything.

"He's patched most of us up." Jayne admitted that much, but sulkily. Kaylee might be right, maybe the Doc was jealous, but that didn't mean that Jayne was free of the green-eyed monster. He could still remember all too well the times Simon had held Kaylee's attention. Kaylee might have choosen Jayne, but Jayne wasn't sure Simon had got that into his stupid, pretty head.

But then his hand was being moved right to her bump and all the anger and the jealousy melted away. "Baby's takin' after you already." He teased, "Maybe we could... built an extra bit on the side of the bunk? Get some planks n' a spare mattress? Then you got all the room you need."

[meimeimechanic]

Now Kaylee worried about them all when they were on a job, more so when things didn't go simple. Which was, given Mal's plans, a lot of the time. She just didn't think of how much she did. No, she wasn't going to think like that. Serenity was the safer place. They knew the things they faced here.

Kaylee nearly choked on her tea as she started laughing. "Like me? Oh, she's like you awkward an' don't let me sleep. Like you wi' your snoring." She grinned at him, she knew she was bad now but weren't exactly her fault though. One of the odd side effects she'd not really known about first time.

"I don't need all that room." She shook her head. "Unless you ain't okay?" She moved to sit on the edge of the bunk she'd been looking so forlornly at before, holding the now mostly empty mug in her hands. "We should start thinkin' 'bout names 'n all an'..." she didn't finish about getting settled into some routine again. Brendan was with River, probably not what everyone else thought was a good idea but Kaylee trusted her with him and he'd taken to her immediately. River probably knew all about the new one and what her name was going to be.