Disclaimer thingy: Firefly/Serenity are owned by other folks and not by me, though I appreciate being able to write some stuff purely for fun inspired by the Firefly 'Verse. All constructive comments and feedback from you shiny readers out there much appreciated!

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When Mal came into Serenity’s dining room for breakfast at the end of his watch, he found most of Serenity’s crew already seated at the table. Kaylee and Inara were engaged in relaxed early morning banter, both women laughing out loud; River was listening in with frank curiosity. Jayne sat hunched over a bowl heaped high with food, which he was shovelling into his mouth. Even Zoë was there, sipping at a mug of coffee.

Mal nodded a hello towards Zoë and the others, as he headed for the coffee pot standing on the galley shelf. He tilted it up over a mug and about a teaspoonful of gritty dark liquid trickled out. He set the pot down. “Jen dao mei…” The pot was barely warm: he took it to the sink and swilled the used grounds out, then took down more coffee from a storage cupboard.

“If you’re making fresh, I’d love another cup.” Inara turned at the table, smiling across at him. Mal nodded, tipping another spoonful of ground coffee into the pot. Kaylee also looked up. “Oh, so would I – if there’s enough, cap’n…” Mal added more coffee. Zoë raised her head and half turned in her seat, lifting her own mug from the table; Mal caught her eye and held his hand up in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m makin’ enough for everyone. Soon as I get my own damn cup out of it, you can all have a refill.”

Jayne’s head came up, the big mercenary’s attention momentarily diverted from his food. “You makin’ coffee? I’ll have some.” He did a double-take at Mal’s face, then looked at the others. “What?”

Finally Mal got his own cup of coffee and sat down at the table. He sipped at the hot liquid slowly, half listening to Kaylee and Inara’s banter. He let himself lean back, easing the muscles in