Zoe was waitin’ fer ‘em about halfway ta the ship.

“Good plan.” She fell inta step with ‘em.

“Thanks.” Jayne shifted in his saddle. “Now you wanna tell me why the gorram hell you didn’t come get us outa there?”

“Nobody said turtle. Coulda said turtle anytime you wanted to, and I’d’ve come in there guns blazing. ‘Sides, seems to have worked out just fine.”

“Fine? FINE? Gorram… ta ma de hun dan was questionin’ my manfulness!”

The doc snorted. “Didn’t seem to be a problem when he was questioning my… manfulness.”

Jayne scowled at ‘im. “You SAYIN’ somethin’? Gorram mumbler.”

“Would you stop? Tyen shiao duh. You’re worse than an old married couple.”

Jayne turned back ta Zoe. “What the hell’s that supposed ta mean?”

The doc let out a huffy little noise. “How soon you forget. I thought you loved me.”

Jayne clenched his teeth so hard his head near exploded. Took all the strength in ‘in not ta leap off his horse and wipe that gorram smile off the doc’s face.

Mal was waitin’ for ‘em in the cargo hold. River, Kaylee an’ Inara was sittin’ in a corner, laughin’. Playin’ jacks, from what Jayne could see.

Kaylee tossed her hair back an’ looked up. She smiled. At Jayne. Not at the doc.

Jayne smiled back.

Took a second fer him ta notice how Inara an’ River was lookin’ at ‘im, too. Inara was smilin’. Looked away real discreet-like when he noticed ‘er. River had her head tipped ta the side. Noddin’ kinda slowly.

“Tell me you worked your wiles, doc.”

Jayne turned back ta Mal.

“Hardly.”

Mal looked at Jayne, then over at Zoe. “Tell me we know where to goods are.”

Zoe smiled. “We know where the goods are.”

“No thanks ta the doc.”

The doc scowled at Jayne, then turned ta Mal. “No thanks to Mr…. Mr…. Obvious.”

Jayne snorted. “Clever.”

“Hey!” The doc turned on Jayne again. “I was doing just fine until you came in and made it obvious we knew each other and then sat there staring at me and ignoring your whores!”

“You ignored your whores?”