Mal had locked him in his bunk. They needed muscle on the job, but Jayne was too drunk to do anything but sit on his ass and stare at the walls. Kaylee had led him back to the ship, reeking of booze herself and almost an hour late. Mal's head had begun to hurt at that point, trying to think around these...set-backs. Kaylee had apologized over and over for being so late, saying it would look less suspicious now that they all hadn't disappeared from town in one big group. This had ebbed away at the pain slightly, but he was furious with Jayne for getting so all out, falling down, broken drunk.

The job would just have to go on without him.

****

When he woke up the air tasted horrible and hot, like somebody'd pissed in his mouth a few hours ago. His head felt like there was an exploded stick of dynamite in it and he barely made it to the sink before tossin up everything he'd eaten the night before. Some of it splashed out onto the floor and onto his boot. He couldn't quite conjure why he had been sleeping in his boots, but he was grateful not to have a big chunk of half digested whatever soaked in beer sitting on his sock or even better, his foot. He splashed water on his face and drank some as well, trying to get the hot feeling out of his mouth or slacken the pounding in his head.

He managed to get up the ladder to his door and opened it. The thud wracked his already scambled brain. He groaned.

There was a tray sitting next to the hatch. There was a pot of tea and a cup. But the best part was a bag full of sugar, as much sugar as he wanted. All of a sudden, his hangover didn't seem so bad.

****

Kaylee sat in the kitchen, Mal shoutin and yellin, just like she knew he would. He railed on about her listening to him, drinking, hanging out with the wrong folk and probably some other stuff too.

Her head hurt a little and she wished she'd stayed with the tea she'd left Jayne, to give him a little extra treat to go with the sugar she'd stolen out of Wash's food locker. She had thrown in most of h