“So things are going well with Simon?” River asked from a corner of the engine room. She was contorted to fit inside a small space that most people would never dream of getting into.

“What?” Kaylee asked. “Simon? Yeah, things are great, why?”

“Just askin’,” she said. “He really likes you.”

“Yeah, he ain’t the best at sayin’ it,” Kaylee said with a grin, “but he’s sure good at showin’ it.”

River was trying to find the best way to breach the subject, but it wasn’t coming. She was afraid of saying something that would hurt Kaylee, which would eventually hurt Simon, but she was also afraid that if it didn’t get out it would be even worse.

“You got shot while I was in cryo, didn’t you?” River asked her.

Kaylee didn’t exactly like the idea of reliving that day, but River was a good friend, and deserved an answer. “Yeah, I did.”

“And Jayne sat outside waiting for you to get better.”

“He did?” Kaylee knew he had been concerned about her, but no one had mentioned that he was waiting for her.

“That’s why he doesn’t like Simon,” River said.

“What do you mean?”

“Because Simon stole you from him.”

“What?” Kaylee stopped what she was doing. “Jayne?”

“They’re here,” River informed her as she got up.

About the time that Kaylee and River reached the stairs, Mal opened the door to let the mule in. It was covered with snow, as were its passengers.

Simon got out quickly, and Kaylee immediately started to pull off his wet coat.

“You’re freezing!” she said. “What happened to you?”

“Long story,” he said.

She was already leading him towards her bunk. He hadn’t slept in his own for quite some time now.

Jayne watched them go, obviously upset.

“Something go wrong?” Mal asked him.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Jayne said, his eyes still on Kaylee. “We got a few cheap pistols from the idiots that tried to steal the mule.”

“Any shootin’ go on?”

“Nah,” Jayne reassured him. “They’re probably home changing their pants right now.”

Kaylee was well out of the room, but Jayne was still looking towards them.

“So what’s the problem?” Mal asked, although he already knew the answer.

“I saved his hide,” Jayne said. “Stood there in the ruttin’ snow trying to keep him from getting shot, and he gets the girl.”

“She is his girl, Jayne.”

River was already unloading the cargo from the mule. She picked up one of the pistols that had been dropped and handed it to Mal, which not long ago would have been cause for concern, but now he trusted her with a gun more than most people he knew.

“Not exactly professionals, were they?” he asked rhetorically. “This is a pretty poorly maintained weapon.”

“No, they weren’t much trouble,” Jayne said. Then he sneezed. “If I’ve got a cold, I’m gonna have to kill that little runt.”

* * *

Kaylee had promptly removed Simon’s wet clothing and put him in her bed. She was trying to get him to eat some chicken soup, but he was a bit too busy telling her about what had happened.

“But he wouldn’t back down,” Simon said. “And the funny part is that I really think he probably could have taken all four of them himself.”

“You really should eat this soup,” Kaylee said again. “It’ll help you feel better.”

“You know it’s funny,” Simon said as he finally took the bowl from her, “with all the advances in medicine this is still the best thing for a cold.”

“So did you get everything you needed?” Kaylee asked him.

“Oh, yes,” Simon replied. “We should be able to keep Zoë quite comfortable.”

“Good,” Kaylee said with a smile. “Then what do I have to do to make you comfortable?”

Simon smiled at this question, because she obviously knew what he was going to ask. “You could climb in here and keep me warm.”

That got Kaylee to smile even bigger.