CHAPTER 3 - BIRTHS, MARRIAGES & DEATHS

It had been four months since the eventful scenes surrounding Kaylee's twentieth birthday party. By mutual, unspoken consent, Hat and Mal had kept silent as to their budding relationship and assumed that no one else was aware of it. Hat felt generally embarrassed; despite having got what she now acknowledged to herself she had hankered for all along. She had the feeling that she would be teased mercilessly if it was common knowledge that the man she was supposed to hate (or at least spar with incessantly) was actually her lover. Mal, for his part, just couldn't bear the volley of "I told you so"s he knew he'd be on the receiving end of, especially from Inara, the instigator of the union. If there was one thing he hated, it was a Companion in the right!

It wasn't as if their behaviour had changed. Neither of them was of the demonstrative affection sort and they rowed just as much as they ever had, both in public and in private. It just so happened that making up was a whole 'Verse of fun more than it used to be. The only irritating grit in the oyster was having to sneak back to a cold bed early each morning; something that palled very quickly and made even the very enjoyable element of secrecy that little bit less pleasurable.

Hat's alarm clock, lodged under her pillow where she knew she'd hear it, went off and she pulled herself out of a wonderful dream where she was wrapped warmly in a bed with Mal, snoring, next to her. Only to discover, it wasn't a dream at all. This scenario was still exotic enough to thrill her each morning, but it was gorram hard to be in any way thrilled at 4.45 a.m.

"Mal!" she nudged him gently, "Mal!" He made an unidentifiable sound and tightened his grip round her waist, nuzzling at the back of her neck. "*Wei* [53] MAL!" her voice became insistent.

"Wha'?" he mumbled groggily.

"Time to go back to your own bed, *bao bay* [54]."

"*Tzao gao* [55]! You know yer killing me, don't you?"

"So you wanna tell everyone what we're