The door from the office eeked open and a familiar figure slipped through sideways. Recognition propelled Jayne to his feet with a very unmanly sense of relief. Kaylee all but ran over to his cell.

"Jayne, you alright?"

"Pretty good, considering I'll piss when I can't whistle."

"I haven't heard anybody say that since my grandpa died."

"Was he hanged?"

"No."

"Then he ain't really relevant to my current situation, is he?" Jayne tried not to grit his teeth or sound too brisk with Kaylee. "How'd you get in here?"

"River faked a nervous collapse on the sidewalk in front of the deputies and I slipped in, quiet as a ghost."

"Take it from a body who knows, Little Kaylee, this ain't a good rock to get into trouble on."

"I know, Jayne. I just needed-" Kaylee's sunny disposition dimmed a measure as she stepped closer. Idlyly, she reached out to hold the bars.

"Don't touch 'em," Jayne warned. Stopping dead, Kaylee examined the fortifications of the cell. What had seemed at a distance to be a spiral of polishing marks on the metal were actually raised and sharpened helixes the full length of each bar. To grab the bars would painfully and prolifically lacerate even the most calloused hand.

“Always looking out for your friends. Don't worry, I won't let on. There's just a couple or three things I wanted to say, in case Mal can't-"

"Mal won't. We already hashed that out. Turns out I'm not a worthwhile investment for his little enterprise. Now," he kept on as she opened her mouth to protest in her captain's defense, "say what it was you came to say and get your swai little tail outta here."

"Oh, Jayne," Kaylee couldn't believe she was really going to have this conversation, but if she didn't hurry, she'd never have the chance. "I know you're not all bad. Definitely not *this* bad. You got a code and you never do hurt without cause. And you’re such a good xiao ge ge to me. I heard about what you said the oth