CHAPTER 11

That afternoon, Book prepared macaroni and cheese with three types of cheeses. Despite the lack of a cooler, the cheeses were holding up remarkably well on Serenity. Elle had sauntered in to watch him cook, having spent most of the morning independent from Jayne. Book wanted to engage Elle in a conversation, but River wandered in shortly after and perched at the head of the table. River stared intently, in fact quite rudely, at Elle; Elle cast the occasional side-long glance and mischievous smile. Book watched the interaction, intrigued. The night before, he’d become very familiar with Elle’s ability to speak without talking. But Elle seemed to be giving River even less visual clues than she’d given him. Granted, River could be very intuitive, but how would Elle know that?

Simon came in next, taking the seat between River and Elle, ending the stare-off. Jayne arrived and sat next to Elle, but the two hardly exchanged more than a cordial glance. Shortly after, Jayne stood up again to help Book set the table.

Zoë and Wash came in discussing the latest wave from Mr. Universe. Wash had been seeking regular updates on the happenings of Three Hills, from the underground auction to the current Alliance presence. Eager for news of the outside world, Wash had used any number of excuses to contact Mr. Universe and Zoë found that to be risky. Despite that, she appreciated the most recent post which warned of two Alliance cruisers in the area.

As the macaroni cooked, Book set out blocks of cheese, fresh basil, and sliced tomato on the table for the crew to munch on. Simon carefully maneuvered the ingredients onto his plate and constructed a small sandwich on his fork. Not waiting for the plate to be passed, Jayne reached across the table, picked up a few blocks of cheese and popped them in his mouth.

“This ain’t some fancy restaurant, Doc,” Jayne mocked, chewing with his mouth open. Without a doubt, the old Jayne had returned.

Simon ignored the comment, maintaining his more dignified eating style.