Karl leaned on the railings watching Jayne, Mal, Kaylee and Bane play hoops. Zoe leaned next to him, although she barely showed yet, she had taken to wearing her shirts untucked as if in preparation. Getting ready to balloon, as Kaylee eloquently put it.

“Kaylee told me I was gonna be an uncle,” said Karl, keeping his eyes on the game - and Bane. Zoe raised an eyebrow.

“Not quite a blood uncle – though I’d be the first one to wish it – but a family uncle, like Mal,” said Zoe smiling. To Kaylee things were that simple; Karl was Wash’s older brother, Wash had been married to Zoe, therefore Karl was going to be an uncle.

“And Jayne?” he queried. Zoe snorted in amusement and then nodded.

“That nice fella in München know he’s gonna be a Dad?” he asked quietly. Zoe did not stiffen, but she remained very still. Then she relaxed, there was no need to deny it, she was not ashamed, quite the contrary.

“I plan to tell him sometime.”

“Afterwards?” he suggested perceptively and Zoe made a noise in confirmation. “I reckon he’s a good man from what I saw,” Karl added. Zoe chuckled.

“And if he wasn’t?” He looked at her smiling.

“Then you wouldn’t have gone near him in the first place,” he said logically. Karl had pried into her feelings and now it was Zoe’s turn. She looked down to where Bane had just pushed Mal over in order to pinch the ball from him, playing dirty as usual.

“You got yourself a good one too,” she said quietly. Karl smirked, although him and Bane had not got around to sleeping together yet, they had been ‘circling’ as Mal had once put it, for – was it really about six months? – kidnappings and arrests notwithstanding. Karl was silent for a moment, thinking on all the things that had happened between them. He remembered what Zoe had told him at Tony’s wedding; life was too short to hold back.

“Got me a handful of whirlwind and no mistake,” he replied happily. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I see that hun dan who jilted her on Whittier, I might just shake his hand