Disclaimers : Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation.

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**Mousing over the Chinese should reveal the English translations on most browsers. If not, translations follow the story.

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“Haven’t you ever heard of hormones?” Shepherd Book asked.

Mal frowned at him across the table. “Huh?”

“I can make a whore moan,” Jayne offered from his seat in the lounge.

“Shut up,” said Zoë and Kaylee, automatically and in unison.

Book went on. “When a woman is pregnant, her hormone levels swing dramatically, and sometimes make her do and say things she never would otherwise.”

“You mean like...crazy things?” Mal asked.

Book nodded

Wash grinned. “Like, crazier than what women usually do and say?”

Zoë narrowed her eyes at him. “Careful...” .

“Like...mean things?” Mal persisted, his morose expression giving way fleetingly to a more hopeful one.

“Sometimes.”

Mal studied Book. “Y’know, for a man who’s never married or had children, you seem to know a lot about this.”

Book shrugged. “I’ve counseled my share of expectant mothers, Captain.”

Mal absently stirred his lukewarm coffee with a finger.

“So...what do I do? About these...hormones?”

“You need to go back in there and talk to her.”

“Okay...” Mal nodded slowly and thoughtfully. “So, I need to—uh— what ?” He looked up sharply.

“Go back in and talk to her.”

Mal shook his head. “No. I can’t do that right now.”

“You have to, Captain.”

“No. No. I don’t.” Mal continued to shake his head vehemently. “You weren’t there. I ain’t havin’ a repeat of that anytime soon!”

“Captain—“

“ You go in there!”

“I plan to,” Book said.

“Well, good luck,” Mal snorted. He thought a moment. “’Course, you’ll be okay, ‘cause you’re not the one she’s...” he let his words trail off.

“She’s been through a lot,” Book said. “She’s well within her rights to be a little crazy, hormones notwithstanding.”

“She do