Mal walked into the ship, dragging a dazed Jayne after him. “Zoë, tell Wash to shut her down and rest a spell. Looks like we’re stayin’ here tonight.”

Zoë asked Mal, “Do you want me to be here when Flaherty comes back?”

“That’s okay, Zoë. I’ll see him.”

Zoë nodded, economical in her movements, and headed up to the bridge and her husband. No one else would have noticed, but Mal could see how much the heat had worn her out, which was worrisome. If 10 minutes outside could make Jayne crazy and wring the life out of Zoë and himself, he wasn’t looking forward to being here long.

On the other hand, it looked like they might have a job.

“Go get some water, Jayne. You’re a mess.” Mal let go of Jayne and headed up to Inara’s shuttle. She wasn’t going to like hearing that they would be staying. She had an appointment to get to and they were too far away for the shuttle to make it on its own. She might have to reschedule. Again.

As Mal approached Inara’s shuttle, Kaylee exited it, tools in hand. She gave Mal a sheepish smile and said, “Got troubles with Inara’s shuttle. Unless there are replacement parts here, I may have to borrow parts from the other shuttle.”

“We’ll be here a bit, Kaylee. I’d rather we try to get parts here than not have the other shuttle working.” Mal squeezed Kaylee’s upper arm as he walked past.

“We got a job, Cap’n?” Kaylee had stopped and was nearly bouncing on her toes. She was always excited about getting work.

“Maybeso.” Mal looked back over his shoulder and saw Kaylee dancing a little jig. He smiled and realized he was very, very lucky to have Miss Frye on his ship. Good mechanics you could get. Great mechanics you could get. Great mechanics that you couldn’t help but love were unique.

Mal tapped on the shuttle door as he entered. It was a small courtesy he’d begun after Inara had announced her plans to leave. While it didn’t really make either of them feel better, it had helped return their relationship to a more professional level. He was t