Jonah 1:17 And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

“Jayne, Jayne. Where ya goin’?” Caroline yelled careening around the corner and crashing into his legs.

“Going to lift weights, Mini-Mal.” He said lifting her and doing bicep curls with her. It was one of Caroline’s favorite things to have Jayne toss her around. He was the biggest strongest person she’d ever met. Jayne held her upside down and tickled her feet all the while still walking towards the cargo bay. Caroline was shrieking in laughter. “What cha doin’? Ain’t you got lessons or sumpin?”

“Finished them. Did adding, subtracting and spelling today. Shepard said someone should help me with my words. I don’t like spelling, it’s hard.”

Jayne grunted and spun Caroline right side up. “Didn’t like it much either. Always did a lot better in Geography.”

“Geography, what’s that?”

“Places. The names of places, where they is, and who lives there.” Jayne flipped her sideways and started tickling her stomach with his bristly face.

When she could catch her breath Caroline asked “You gonna teach me that? Everyone else is teachin’ somethin’. ‘Nara’s teachin’ me ta talk all fancified; so as I seem like a zang shang liu core person.”

They got to the hatch leading to the cargo bay. “Mebbe. This is where you get off little one.” Jayne made like he was going to drop her on her head before he gently set her down on her feet. “Need shoes to be in here.”

“Bye Jayne, I’m gonna go paint clouds with River. Ba’ says I gotta wear my old clothes to paint.” Caroline waved and skipped off.

Jayne nodded and walked down into the cargo bay. Kid seemed a lot happier since she’d shown up weighed more too. He looked around the cargo bay; Simon was running his hands over the crates going to Pythagoras like he was going to hump ‘em. Gorram doc and his moon-brain sister were pieces of work.

Mal could hear the shrieking from his place at the dining room table -- made it gorram hard to concentrate on the book