Jayne was singing. He was standing outside the infirmary, in the common area, his arms up, throwing caution to the winds and singing at the top of his voice.

“What the hell is that?” Mal asked, stepping into the corridor from his bunk.

Zoe looked at him from the bridge. “Have we been invaded, sir?”

“If we have I’m not sure I want to find out by what.”

“It’s Jayne,” came Freya’s voice from below. “Remember? When he was carol singing with River?”

“She’s right, sir,” Zoe said. “I believe it is him.”

“I thought he was sick.”

“Hallucinating,” Freya said.

Mal went back down the ladder enough so that he could see her. She was sitting up in bed, looking better than she had done, but still pale. “Hallucinating?” he asked.

“I told you, Simon was surprised I wasn’t because of my high temperature.”

“You told me he was surprised that you weren’t unconscious.”

“Oh. Did I? Well, he said I might hallucinate too. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Jayne isn’t.” She lay back, the effort of being helpful making her feel exhausted.

“What do you suppose he’s hallucinating about?” Mal asked.

“Mal, darling, I’ve done my bit. You go and see to him.” She smiled and covered her head with the pillow.

Mal climbed back to join Zoe. “Come on. I think we’d better find out what’s going on.”

“You think it’ll take both of us, sir?” Zoe asked.

“I have the feeling it might take a whole battalion, but as we’re it …”

“Yes sir.”

---

Jayne was still singing, alternating between some raucous ditty that he’d picked up in a bar somewhere, and a song about a moon and a river.

Which would have been bad enough at the best of times, but it was made worse by the fact that the big man was naked. Nude. Totally au naturel . Except for the gun strapped to his thigh.

“Now that is downright unsettling,” Mal murmured.

“What’s that song he’s singing?” Zoe asked.

“Don’t recognise it myself, but that ain’t unsurprising. What Jayne can do to a simple tune …” He shook his head. “What