Mal felt useless, something he wasn't accustomed to. Kaylee was in the engine room, trying to get different systems back on line, and attempting to stop those that were from going down, while Hank was up on the bridge, doing pretty much the same. Freya seemed to be moving between the two, offering help where she could, while Simon had decided to put himself in charge of keeping everyone supplied with coffee and sandwiches, although he’d wandered off some time back.

Which left Mal with virtually nothing to do apart from sit in the dining area and think. Hearing the soft murmur of conversation on the bridge, he found himself wishing Wash was here, that maybe he could fix it. He’d always had an affinity for Serenity, from the first moment he’d stepped on board. Sure, Zoe had made her dislike for him known immediately, although that had changed slowly, but Wash had made himself at home.

Mal remembered a case in point, not long after he’d taken the pilot on. He could see it, clear as the day the memory was formed. Wash, sitting on the floor of the bridge on a wheeled tray, the bright sunlight of Phoros filtering through the windows, surrounded by what appeared to be the entire working parts of the pilot’s console.

“What the tyen shiao duh are you doing to my ship?” Mal had asked, his hands on his hips.

“Just an idea that came to me,” Wash said, a smile lighting his face under his moustache before he looked back at the mess of wires in his lap.

“An idea.” Mal crossed his arms. “It may have escaped your notice, but this is my boat. Any ideas you have, you come to me first. ‘Specially if they involve taking her apart.”

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” With another grin Wash scooted under the console, reaching up into its innards. Although he just as quickly found himself back out and staring up at Mal’s somewhat angry face.

“Well?”

“Well … what?”

“What are you doing?”

“I told you. An idea. I was bored, and I thought –“

“Bored?”

“We’ve been down a while.