Disclaimer: Not mine, no money. Thanks to Joss et al, Goddess Jacqui for beta and courage, to my own Big, Bad Man for indulging me, and to all of you who read this first attempt at fanfic. If this section is your first read, please back up to Part One and read it all the way through. It's been fun, in fact, so much fun, I'll probably do it again. Please comment below, rate the darn thing or e-mail me at Lumenea@aol.com.

Waited Long Enough Part Eleven: Fancy Feast

Right on schedule the following afternoon, Mal, Zoë and Wash pulled the ‘mule’ up into Serenity’s cargo bay and began to unload the freight and supplies they’d picked up. Mal lifted a crate and passed it to Wash as he speculated, “Guess Kaylee’s got her overhaul all done. Might as well cut her loose for awhile, that is if Jayne ain’t throttled her yet. Wasn’t exactly thrilled when I ordered him to stick close by, help her if she needed it. Man’s been prickly as a porcupine of late.”

“Here, Sweetie.” Wash grinned wryly and handed the crate to Zoë, who stowed it with the others. “Just goes to show what sexual abstinence does to his sunny temperament. Give him twenty four hours in town and he’ll be the charming, personable mercenary we all know and love.”

Zoë snorted. Jayne, charming and personable? It would take more than a trim to accomplish that sort of transformation. “Husband, you’ve lost your mind.” She just shook her head.

After tossing his duffel into his quarters, the Captain found his mechanic and her helper back in the ship’s engine room, cleaning up the hydraulic fluid residue spilled when Jayne had accidentally stripped the coupling. Most of the mess had dripped through to the under grating trays and Jayne had pulled up the floor grid so he could mop up the oily mess.

Kaylee sat cross-legged half under Serenity’s engine, with her toolbox by her knee, her lower lip nipped between her teeth in concentration as she worked at removing the stripped coupling from the supply hose. There were parts and connectors an’ bits