By the next morning, Hunter was able to get out of bed and move around the infirmary with a bit of help. She wore some of Simon’s extra scrubs, which bulged in places from the masses of bandages below. Within hours, she had regained her balance and barely needed Jayne to walk circles around the tiny room with her. Simon watched her prowl, albeit slowly, and he took mental notes of how she seemed to be healing. Even with the speed at which she healed, he guessed it would still be weeks before she was completely back to what she was.

Simon was startled when Kaylee came up behind him, linking her arms around his neck and hugging him. “Ya know, doc,” she said, “If I didn’t know you better, I might get jealous.”

“Jealous? You?” Simon gently stroked his fingers along her arm. “I don’t think that’s possible.” He flinched playfully as Kaylee thwacked him gently on the side of the head.

“Can so be!” she replied. “Why, I got a green streak a mile wide!”

Simon smiled at her, tilting his head to look at the mechanic. “I think I’ve got some pills for that.” He dodged as she swung again, tackling him to the wall and planting kisses on his neck. Over Kaylee’s shoulder, he could see that Jayne was hovering like a mother hen over Hunter as the greyback climbed back onto the gurney. Simon could see the exhaustion on her face from where he stood.

“Simon,” Kaylee’s voice drew him back around. “It’ll be fine. Jayne’ll watch her. It don’t always have to be your turn.” She tugged at his shirt playfully. “We’ll be hitting atmo in a couple of hours; Jayne’ll have to go with the Captain, and it’ll be your turn again.”

“And in the meantime?”

She smiled. “In the meantime, I think you owe me a game of chess.”

***

Mal

Borealis was little more than a rock, and barely big enough to be called a moon. It was far off the shipping lanes, out of the way of Alliance patrols, and, in short, the perfect place to meet up with a buyer. Mal, Zoë and Jayne had taken the mule, loaded with the supplies meant for the border moon, leaving around dawn. Mal had wondered for a second about taking both of his best guns, but the Shepherd and Kaylee had assured him that it would be fine on board Serenity. Mal had given orders to keep Hunter locked in the infirmary and out of sight, promising to be back as soon as possible. Zoë had protested in leaving Serenity, but Mal had silenced her with a look. He didn’t need to worry about the job and his first officer at the same time. True to her nature, she hadn’t argued, but Mal could tell that she wasn’t happy about the situation. Come to think of it, neither was he.

The buyer had chosen to meet them near the far edge of town, near some farm land. In the distance, Mal could see farmhands working the fields. The buyer, an older woman named Constance, approached Mal with her arms extended. “Captain Reynolds! So good to see you again!”

Mal clasped her outstretched hands. “Hello, Constance.”

The older woman looked beyond Mal to the mule. “Did you have any problems with the shipment?”

Mal shook his head, pushing the mental image of the Alliance officer on board his ship to the back of his head. “No problems. Smooth as silk, like always.”

“Like always,” Constance repeated, laughing. She sounded much younger when she laughed. “If I didn’t know better, Captain Reynolds, I might think you were fibbing just a bit.”

Mal laughed with her. “And if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve seen right through me. Care to inspect before we make the trade?”

“Don’t reckon I need to,” Constance replied. “But it’s part of the dance, ain’t it?” She swooped past Mal to Jayne, still on the mule. “And how’s my favorite young thug?”

Mal could have sworn Jayne almost blushed. “Aww, Constance,” he said. “I ain’t nobody’s favorite. Maybe second favorite?”

“Second favorite, then. And Zoë! How are you?”

“Middlin’ fair. Wash says hello.” She helped the older woman open a couple of boxes, stepping back as Constance gave a cursory inspection to the cloth, medical supplies and food stores they had brought.

“Thank the Maker, and thank you,” said Constance, poking through the carefully stored vials and bottles. “This last season was one of the worst. Knew I could count on you.” She reached into a pouch and pulled out a heavy bag. “I’m grateful.”

Mal accepted the bag, smiling. “We’re glad to help.” Tradition dictated that he didn’t open the bag until they were out of sight, but Mal also knew from experience that he wouldn’t need to. He was always grateful when they ran for Constance, because it reminded him that there were a few people left in the ‘verse that didn’t make their living cheating others in some way or another.

“I’d invite you back,” Constance was saying to Zoë, “but they’re still rebuilding that end of town. I ain’t been home in a week and a half. But Seamus has taken good care of me.” She inclined her head toward the farmhouse at the very edge of the field.

“It’s all right, Constance,” Mal replied. “We’ll be on our way soon. But it was good to see you.”

Constance hugged him, surprising Mal. “Don’t happen often enough. C’mon back soon, won’t ya?”

Mal hugged her back. “Long as you’re living, Constance, you know where to come for help.”

“That I do,” she replied with a twinkle. “That I do.” She turned back to Jayne, who was almost finished stacking the boxes in the wagon Constance had brought with her. As she watched, he hopped down, pushing up the rear gate and latching it. He came back to Constance, smiling down at the small woman.

“You be a good boy,” she told him as she hugged him.

“Always am, ma’am. Will you be all right gettin’ these supplies back home?”

Constance laughed again as she hugged Zoë. “I will indeed. Militia did a sweep through not too long ago. Streets are practically safe at night now.” She smiled. “Good to see you all again.” She climbed nimbly into the wagon, and with a snap and creak, she was on her way.

Mal watched her for a bit, then turned to the others. “Let’s be on our way as well.” He looked at Jayne, who was looking toward town. “Something you need?”

“I gotta restock a few things, Cap,” he said. “Near out of cleanin’ oil, and Kaylee asked if I got a chance if I would pick up some other necessaries. I’ll catch up.”

“Jayne,” Mal’s voice held a warning. Jayne looked back at him, no guile in his face.

“Serious, Mal. Won’t take more’n thirty minutes or so. I’ll cut through town and meet you back on board.”

“Thirty minutes, Jayne,” Mal replied. “You ain’t in my lock thirty minutes after I set foot on that boat, we leave without you. And so help me, if you do something stupid…”

“No stupid nothin’s. Honest truth.”

Mal looked at him for a long time, then shook his head and headed to the mule. “C’mon, Zoë.”

Jayne gave a half-wave as he headed into town, his head lowered against the bright sun. Zoë raised an eyebrow. “You really okay with this, Sir? I can follow him, if you’d like.”

Mal shook his head again. “Not much even Jayne can do on this rock,” he said. “Hell, even the whorehouse’s been closed for months. Man just needs some oil. ‘Sides,” he continued, hopping onto the mule, “we can always check his story with little Kaylee.”

Twenty-seven minutes and thirteen seconds later, Jayne walked up the ramp, hitting the button to close the outer doors. Mal stood up from leaning against the mule and acknowledged the merc, trying to mask his surprise. Kaylee hailed Jayne from the catwalk, and he looked up to her, tossing her a package wrapped in brown paper. She caught it neatly and headed off into Serenity, the paper rattling as she tore open her gift.

“You in the habit of buying my mechanic girly stuff?” Mal asked as she left.

Jayne leered slightly. “Woulda bought you some if you’d’ve asked as pretty as she did. Not her fault she had to stay on board.”

“Uh huh. We finished here?”

“Ready to go, Cap,” replied Jayne. “Just like I said I’d be.” He took the stairs two at a time into Serenity, whistling as he went.

Mal hit the button on the wall. “We’re ready to go, Wash. Take us up.”

“Aye, Cap’n,” Wash replied. “Inbound to Calliope. We’ll be there in two days. We got a job comin’?”

“That’s what I aim to find out.”

***

Later that afternoon, Mal divvied the payroll. Constance hadn’t stinted, Mal gave her that. She had even thoughtfully included two packets of spices for the galley and a small tin of tea for Inara. Mal looked around the table. “We’ll be on Calliope in a day and a half, hopefully get us another job. We’ll also try to work in a bit of leave, maybe get some people on this boat to relax a bit after what’s happened. Calliope’s big enough and close enough to the Core that we can offload the good Lieutenant into a hospital, bar, or wherever else she wants to go. You’ve all done a great job over the past few days through some very difficult times. I’m proud of you all.” He paused. “Pep talk over. Doc, I want you to make a list of what the infirmary needs. Jayne, Zoë, you two do the same for the galley. Kaylee, I want you to make sure the engine room has everything it needs. No need repeating the last few days anytime in the foreseeable future. I’ll need all the lists by the time we hit atmo, then I’ll make the cuts and decide who goes for supplies.” He walked over to the cupboards, opening a few here and there.

“In the meantime, who’s up for some…” he held up a can with no label, shaking it a little. “For some canned… something?”

***

Jayne

Late that night, Jayne wandered down to the infirmary to take his turn at the watch. It was no accident that he had taken the watch directly after Kaylee’s – no need for an audience, after all. Making his way silently along the corridors in the dark, he peeked into the infirmary a few minutes before his turn started. Kaylee had just finished washing Hunter’s hair and was working a large-toothed comb through the snarls. Jayne almost had to laugh at Kaylee as she worked her way gingerly through Hunter’s long, red-brown hair.

Snick. “Sorry.” Kaylee, apologetic.

“It’s okay.” Hunter, sounding as though this had been going on for a while.

Snick. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Snick. “Sorry. There’re just so many tangles, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

A little laugh. “You’re okay. If that’s the worst you can do, I think I’ll live.”

Snick.

“Ow!”

“Sorry!”

Another laugh. “Kidding.”

Jayne chuckled, easing into the room quietly with packages under his arm. “Evenin’, ladies,” he said quietly. “Kaylee, what in hell are you doin’ to that poor helpless woman?”

Snick. “Nothin’! Sorry!”

Hunter looked at Jayne, a faked expression of long-suffering on her face. “Is it your turn to torment me now?”

Jayne laughed a bit, forgetting for a moment that the figure in front of him was anything but a battered young woman in oversized scrubs and tumbled wet hair. “Nah,” he replied. “I get to be the good guy for once.” He sat on the other gurney, putting his feet up and lying back. “And maybe if I talk real pretty, Kaylee’ll wash my hair, too.”

Kaylee rolled her eyes as she worked Hunter’s hair into a braid. “Gonna need a bit stronger soap for that mess,” she said, twisting a short ribbon onto the bottom to hold the mass together. “There,” she said, patting it awkwardly. “That’ll do for a while.”

Hunter reached back, also feeling the braid. Jayne couldn’t help but cringe at the mass of stitches and scabs on the back of her hand as she carefully inspected Kaylee’s handiwork. “It’s wonderful,” she said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Kaylee replied. “Ain’t like I get a lot of practice, but it’ll do.” She looked over at Jayne, her eyes twinkling in that way they had. “What’d ya bring us?”

“Us, nothin’,” Jayne said, sitting up. “For the good Lieutenant, I bring…” he looked down at the thermos in his hand. “Hell, I dunno what this is. Some kind o’ wimpy soup. I’m guessin’ meat. Ish. Somethin’.” He handed it to Hunter. “Enjoy!”

She took the thermos warily. “Any guesses on what flavor?”

Jayne shrugged. “Meat. That’s all the can said. Doc seemed to think it was okay, so more’n likely it won’t kill ya.”

“Need to get some meat back on your bones,” Kaylee said cheerily. “Sugar water ain’t gonna keep you goin’ for much longer. But that,” she went on, taking the thermos and putting it on the edge of the gurney, “ain’t the best part. What else ya got, Jayne?”

Jayne did his best to be nonchalant. “Oh, a little of this, a little of that, and one of these!” He tossed the other package to Hunter. It landed on her lap gentle enough that Jayne knew his practice had paid off. “Go on! Open it!”

Hunter looked down at the package in her lap. On the brown paper was scrawled, “To Hunter. From Jayne, Kaylee and Wash only don’t thank Wash because then Zoë might get real mad and try to kill him and then you. So mostly from Jayne and Kaylee, but Wash means well, too.” She had to keep turning the package to read all the writing, and as she finished, her face broke into a lopsided smile.

Carefully, she ripped open the paper, pulling it back from the contents inside. Pushing aside the loosely wrapped paper from the store, she first pulled out the dark green shirt Jayne had picked out earlier that day. Long sleeved, with detailing at the wrist, it was what Jayne had taken the longest to pick out. Under the shirt was a pair of black cargo pants, as well as a full set of underthings and two pairs of socks. Hunter stared at everything for a long moment, then looked at Jayne and Kaylee with her mouth slightly open.

Kaylee sounded slightly apologetic. “Simon had to cut yours all up, ‘ceptin’ your boots. We figured it was mostly our fault that you didn’t have any clothes, so we got you some.”

Hunter looked back down at her lap, stroking the soft fabric of the shirt with one finger. “I… Thank you.” She looked up. “Thank you both.”

Jayne shrugged, looking at his boots. “”Cause of you, the three of us are still around. We thought it was the least we could do.”

“But your captain…”

“Weren’t the captain’s money. None of it came from him. I had some, Kaylee had some. Ain’t beholden to no one for it. Captain got a problem, he can take it up with us. Not you.” Jayne was surprised at the vehemence in his voice, and equally as surprised to find that he really meant it. He saw Kaylee nodding behind Hunter.

Hunter smiled again, the bruise on her jaw tossing her grin out of alignment. “Thank you so much. This means a lot to me.” She carefully refolded them, tucking them back into the paper. “As soon as I can talk Dr. Tam into letting me get really clean, I’ll be proud to wear them.” She dramatically reached to the thermos. “Now… who wants some?”

Kaylee grinned. “I got a doc to keep company. Good night, you two.”

Hunter reached out, taking Kaylee’s hand in her own. “Thank you again.”

“It ain’t equal by any stretch,” replied the mechanic. “But you’re more’n welcome. And thank Jayne. He’s the manly man who ended up havin’ to buy them women’s unders.”

***