"What are we callin' this?" Mal asked, poking his plate with his fork.

"We're calling it spaghetti," Kate replied. "Are you going to eat it, or are you waiting for it to eat you?"

Mal looked up. Everyone had cleaned their plates and left, except Wash, who was pushing sauce-covered balls of protein around his plate, and Hannah, who was picking her nose in earnest. "Ain't talkin' 'bout the food," he said crinkling his nose, "though I admit I weren't sure."

Kate sighed. "What were you talking about then?"

Mal frowned. "This whole... thing. With the kissin' an' dancin', an' the sexin', an' the whole new hairdo -"

"It's not a thing," Kate replied. "There's no... thing."

"Clearly there is, or we wouldn't be having this very engaging conversation," Wash said dryly. He reached over to pull his daughter's finger out of her nose. "Not at the dinner table, and use a tissue when you do," he told her.

"Your hair looks nice," Mal said grudgingly. "'Nara told me to say somethin' nice to ya, 'fore I start gettin' on ya about the whole... thing."

"Thank you," Kate said tersely. "But there is no 'thing'." She continued putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher Kaylee'd begged for - and gotten - nearly the minute she found out she was pregnant. There was no sound but the clatter of dishes for a few moments.

"Well," Wash said. "As rewarding as this chat has been, I'm gonna take the munchkin and get her cleaned up for bed."

"Thanks, Wash," Kate said, giving him a brilliant smile as he left. "Okay, Mal, I can just hear the gears in your head going. Let me have it."

"Ain't that simple," Mal began. "I don't rightly know where to start."

"You and Zoe were friends," she said. "Close friends. Best friends. War buddies, and beyond. I understand that. You feel like I'm taking something that's rightfully hers, and I understand that, too." Kate continued. "Is there anything more to it than that?"

"The showers," Mal said, matter-of-factly. "Can't go around sexin' in the showers all night and day."

Ka