This is my first attempt at a Firefly fic. Please review!

Mal stomped around the ship, pretending to be ornery but really feeling very pleasant. He just liked keeping the crew on their toes.

Kaylee was tinkering with the engine, River was playing with Simon, Simon was growing more and more agitated as he tried to give River her medicine, Wash was piloting the ship, Zoe was helping Book reorganize the kitchen after River's last "incident", and Jayne was… Mal stopped in his tracks. He realized that he hadn't seen the largest member of the crew all morning. That worried him. He poked his head in the living space, expecting Jayne to be sitting at the table, cleaning his guns. He frowned. No such luck.

"Hey, any of you seen Jayne this morning?" Mal called.

"No, sir." Zoe replied from the kitchen. "He's probably just sleepin' in."

"Did you check the cargo hold?" Book suggested. "He might be there."

"Nah, I just walked by there." Mal replied. "Gorramit!" He turned and stalked down the hall to the row of bunks. He pounded his fist on Jayne's door. There was no answer.

"Hey, Wash! Pop open Jayne's door for me!" Mal yelled.

"Ding shun! What's he done this time?" Wash shouted back. The bunk door unlocked and Mal yanked it open.

"Nothing as yet!" Mal replied. He climbed down the ladder.

Jayne's bunk was untidy as usual but there was no sign of its hulking owner. Mal pulled down the cloth on the wall behind the bed. All of Jayne's guns were still there.

Perplexed, Mal climbed out of the bunk just as River danced by, Simon chasing after her with a glass bottle and needle.

"You need to take your medicine, Mei-Mei." Simon pleaded as River stuck out her tongue and jumped out of reach.

"Either of you seen Jayne?" Mal asked.

"I'm afraid not." Simon said distractedly, his eyes locked on River as he slowly inched towards her.

"The man is 6'4" and over two-hundred pounds!" Mal exclaimed. "How is it that nobody on this boat has seen him?"

"The hardest thing to find is the thing just before our eyes." River said offhandedly, dodging around Simon.

"Can't you just do your creepy mind thingy and tell me where he is?" Mal asked. River laughed, dancing away down the hallway.

"It's not a game if I tell!" she replied.

"Mei-Mei!" Simon called exasperatedly, following after her. "You can't get better unless you take your medicine!"

Mal watched the two of them disappear around the corner and sighed. Maybe they'd forgotten Jayne on the last planet.

He walked towards the cockpit when a sudden idea struck him. He'd forgotten to ask the only person on board who wasn't a part of the crew.

Normally he just walked into Inara's shuttle, but under the circumstances he thought it would be best to knock.

It was a few moments before Inara opened the door. "Yes, Mal?"

"You haven't chanced to see Jayne this morning, have ya?"

Inara smiled at him, the annoying smile that seemed to say she knew something he didn't. "He's hard to find once he puts his mind to it, isn't he?" she said mystically.

"That's why I hired him." Mal replied with a sarcastic smile. He wasn't feeling pleasant anymore.

"Well," Inara said, "I saw him earlier this morning so he didn't run away. He's obviously around somewhere."

"Where'd you see him?" Mal asked. Finally!

"I saw him in the cargo hold when I came out this morning, but he was gone when I came back." Inara smiled that same irritating smile. "Do you need anything else?"

Mal smiled sarcastically at her. "No. No I don't!"

He stomped away toward the cargo hold. Inara closed the door and turned back into her shuttle.

"I got rid of him for you. Now what's this all about?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest and looking down at Jayne who was sitting on the floor out of view from the door.

"This is the only place I knew he couldn't look fer me." Jayne whispered.

"And why are you hiding from Mal?" she asked, crossing the shuttle to sit down on the couch near Jayne. "You know you don't have to sit on the floor." She motioned to the empty couch beside her.

"I wouldn't want to get nothin' dirty." Jayne replied, picking at the rug absentmindedly. Inara sighed.

"Jayne, what did you do?" she asked.

"Nothin'." He replied. "I didn't do nothin' bad." He grunted. "Shows you how much he trusts me, tearin' the whole boat up jus' t'find me."

Inara smiled at him sweetly. "He's just worried."

"'Bout me?" Jayne asked doubtfully. Inara looked at the serious expression on his face and smiled.

"No, probably not." She laughed. "He knows you can take care of yourself. He's probably more worried about what you're doing."

Jayne snorted. "Tha's what I thought." He sat quietly for a moment. "D'you mind if I jus' lie low here for a bit?"

"Jayne," Inara said gently, "why are you hiding?"

"This is a message for Jayne Cobb." Mal's voice crackled over the intercom. "If you don't get your gorram hide to the cockpit now, I will feed you to Reavers. That's all."

Jayne snorted. "You ever get tired of it?"

"Of what?" Inara asked, standing up and sitting on the floor beside him.

"All of the nuthin'."

Inara's face suddenly became very serious. "Jayne, what do you mean?"

He turned away. "Ferget it. S'not important."

"I'm a good listener." Inara said softly. Jayne glanced over at her, his face set in a scowl. Inara knew he wasn't angry with her. It was the only way he knew to conceal his feelings.

"It's m'brother, Matty. He's sick." His glower deepened as he tried to check the flood of emotions inside him. "Pa's a welder but he can't afford—" He stopped and looked away. "You probably don' care t'here 'bout this. S'my problem."

"No, Jayne, I do care." Inara said softly, putting a hand on his arm. "You never talk about them."

"Easier that way, I s'pose." Jayne replied. "Anyhow, I usually send money but we's been out of work so long… there's jus' not enough." He looked up at Inara. "I sent every penny! Didn't keep none for me. You know that, doncha?"

"I believe you." Inara said. "Why don't you talk to Mal? I'm sure he'd be happy to lend you anything you need—"

"No!" Jayne interrupted. "I don't want no one feeling sorry for me."

Inara sighed and took Jayne's big hands in her small ones. "This crew is your only family out here and family takes care of each other. No one will think any worse of you for needing a little money to buy medicine for your brother."

Jayne looked up at her, his face a little softer. "Y'think?"

Inara nodded. "Now go find Mal before he tears the ship up looking for you."

Jayne heaved himself to his feet and started for the door. He hesitated before going out and turned back.

"Thanks, 'Nara." He said. "Yer real good at listenin'."

"Anytime." She smiled.