“They’re fighting.”

“Mmn.”

“Simon.”

“What?”

“I said they’re fighting.”

He looked up from his study of the slide. “Who?”

“Mal and Frey.” Kaylee was sitting on the edge of the medbed, swinging her legs.

“I'm sure it’s nothing.” He smiled briefly and went back to his work.

“She doesn’t like it when they fight.”

“Who? Jesse?”

“Well, no, she don’t either, but I meant Serenity.”

“Serenity?” There, just on the edge of the specimen …

“She gets all … cranky.”

“Cranky?”

“Are you just gonna repeat everything I say until I go away and make you sleep on the couch tonight?”

Okay, that slightly petulant tone of voice got his attention. He knew he wasn’t going to get any more work done, at least not until Kaylee had had her say. He internalised the sigh and turned back to his wife. “ Bao bei , Serenity’s metal. She can’t get cranky.”

“Course she can. S’why she’s thrown a G-clamp.”

He smiled slightly. “Then shouldn’t you be fixing her?”

“I did. Least, as far as I can. Needs a new one.” She swung her legs a bit more, looking very like her eldest daughter.

“And you don’t have a spare?” Simon’s smile grew. “With all the stuff you bought from Leo on Jericho, and I know you brought bits and pieces back from the Empress … you don’t have a … what was it, a G-ring?”

“G-clamp. And no. They don’t exactly break too often, so it ain’t worth keeping one. I can only figure the EMP put a strain on it, and what Hank was doing was the last straw.”

“Does Mal know?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not why he and Frey are arguing, is it?”

“No. That’s kinda more general.”

“Ah.”

“Ah … what?”

“Nothing. Just … ah.”

“If you’re suggesting it’s her time of the month, I think maybe she’d disagree. You know we all … you know.”

Simon tried to hide the tilt to his lips. Kaylee was one of the most open, honest people he’d ever met, but talking about women’s things still sometimes made her come over shy. “It’s natural,” he explained. “Women in a close comm