This is part of a prompt table I am working on. All the stories from it are standalones unless otherwise noted.

And I discovered when writing this that giving every character something to do is really HARD! No wonder why I rarely do it!

Thanks to Tamsibling for the beta.

Takes place before the movie but after the series.

This is for Kaynara, who wanted to know what Mal dared Inara to do.

Sequel to http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=13087>Kiss.

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62.Wet

“So how ya holdin’ up there, doc?” Jayne’s leering grin nauseated Simon as he deposited the bowl in front of River and then took a seat beside her.

“That would be none of your business, Jayne.”

Jayne examined his face carefully, “Ya look tired. Lil’ Kaylee keep ya up all night?”

“Slept like babies, didn’t we, Simon?”

Both men winced at the perky and cheerful sound of Kaylee’s voice as she walked over to the kitchen and scooped some protein into her bowl.

Jayne glanced from Kaylee to Simon and back again, trying to piece together what the two weren’t saying. He quickly grew frustrated, which amused Simon so much that he had to pay closer attention to River lest Jayne see the smirk that had formed on his lips.

Kaylee pulled out a chair and sat herself down beside Simon but there was no intimacy between them. In fact, it seemed quite the opposite. Boy seemed even more nervous around the mechanic. Which Jayne found more than a little amusing. Something happened, and he was going to make it his mission for the day to find out what. Grumbling his irritation as he realized this meant he might actually have to be nice to the doc for the day, he left the table to go re-fill his bowl.

“Frustrated,” River said as she poked at the protein cubes with her chopsticks.

Simon glanced back toward where Jayne had gone and grinned. “He – can’t have actually expected us to have anything to tell.”

Kaylee simply stared into her bowl.

River rolled her eyes at her brother, clearly annoyed