Life on this boat. A Firefly story. #fanfic

Lou breaks.

Lou ran into Kaylee on her way back from washing her hands free of Zoe's blood.
"So you and Jayne, huh?" Kaylee giggled.
"I guess so," Lou smiled.
"I didn't think it was possible for anyone to love that beast," Kaylee smiled.
Lou shrugged.
"But you do actually love him dont'cha?" Kaylee teased.
"I guess," Lou smiled feeling a bit shy.
"Aww. That's kinda sweet" Kaylee said.
"But don't you dare tell him. He's gonna run a mile," Lou said with a half-smile.
"And he's never gonna admit to loving you is he?" Kaylee said.
"If he even does..." Lou smiled.
"Oh he does," Kaylee giggled. "He'd never have kissed you otherwise."
Lou fought a rainforest worth of butterflies as she headed down to the cargo hold.
"What's the clever smile?" Jayne asked as she approached him.
"Oh nothing. Just thinking about this man I got to know lately," she smirked, receiving a wide grin and a clumsy, rough knucklerub in response.

Once Zoe was safely sat in the infirmary under lots of Wash's swearing about putting his wife at risk. Mal took Lou and Jayne back to the bar.
In the corner they found their contact.
"Right. I got your crates loaded, " Mal told him.
The man looked up, surprised.
"Yeah, we met some of your buddies. I guess you neglected to tell us about them," Mal said.
"I guess I did," the man mumbled.
"So now I have the goods, I suggest you let us know what you know about these little girls and tell us how to get them off Briseis," Mal said sliding a picture of Lou's daughters across the table.
"I bought them off Duggar about a year ago. Thought they'd be good for settlers y'know," he said staring at Mal's exposed firearm.
Lou felt her anger rising at his implication. Carefully, Jayne laid a hand on her arm to calm her. She felt her throat constrict and tightened her mouth.
"They were like wildcats. No customers got near them so I sold them to a slaver going to Briseis about six months ago. He was going to mine X8," he said. "Please don't shoot me. It's all I know."
Mal nodded and they left the bar.
Once outside Lou broke apart.
"They are only children..." she sobbed and punched a nearby brick wall in anger and frustration making her hands bleed.
Jayne grabbed hold of her and almost dragged her to the mule.
"There are a lot of sickos out there," Mal said with venom.
"We'll get them," Jayne mumbled into Lou's hair as she sobbed into his shirtfront.

They took off to go back to Persephone as soon as Mal, Jayne and Lou were back. Lou went straight to her cabin to cry out her devastation at the fate her daughters only barely had escaped. River came and sat crouched at the foot end of Lou's bunk, crying along with her and feeling Lou's emotions untill Lou sat up with River and held her close untill her sobbing became manageable.

Jayne was conspicuously absent during Lou's emotional process, prefering to spend the hours among his weights.
"Should you not be with Lou 'bout now?" Kaylee asked leaning on the doorframe with her arms folded watching him lift.
"Ain't nothing I can do," Jayne mumbled.
"You dumb ape," Kaylee muttered and turned to go back to the engine room.
"What did I do?" He called after her.
"Can't you even see that someone who loves you needs you?" Kaylee asked leaving him to stare into blank space scratching his head.

A few hours later Lou reemerged to do her kitchen duty, feeling hollow and numb.
She stood stirring a protein soup when River turned up.
Lou embraced the girl tight, kissing the top of her head.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"It felt like ripping out my will to live. But you needed me," River said.
"I did," Lou smiled.
"I was right," River said.
"What do you mean?" Lou asked.
"You see people. But you don't see yourself," River said before skipping out.

Lou was laying the table when Mal entered.
"You all right?" He asked clumsily patting her back. Emotional outbursts were not his favourite elements in dealing with his crew.
"Yeah. Sorry for breaking down like that," Lou said.
"I don't blame you. I just thought you'd be more angry is all," Mal said.
"Oh I was. I wanted to kill that son of a rat! Who in their right minds sell off little girls like that?" Lou fumed not even able to formulate the full extent of what her daughters were almost forced to do.
"I know. I had to leave before killing the creep," Mal said.
Lou gratefully took his hand, too choked up to thank him.
"It'll be all right. We'll get your girls," he said pulling her into a comforting hug.
"You are a good man Mal Reynolds," Lou.
"So you keep saying," he smiled.