Mal brought it up at dinner. Pushed his plate away an’ stood up.

Jayne had pushed his plate away a while back. The doc had cooked. Tasted like moldy buttcrack.

“Lot of you probably noticed we ain’t been paid yet. Likely think it strange, since we just finished a job.”

Mal crossed his arms and started pacin’ at the head of the table.

Jayne saw somethin’ move outa the corner of his eye. He glanced across the table.

Kayle was sittin’ with her arms folded, lookin’ bugged. The doc was rubbin’ his arm with an “I-just-got-hit-by-a-girl” look on his face.

Jane smiled an’ turned back ta Mal.

“Turns out the backer for the job ain’t keen on the idea of partin’ with his money. Can’t say I blame him on principle, but I aint too keen on not gettin’ paid, either. So one of us is gonna have ta give. Ain’t gonna be me.”

Zoe spoke up. “The backer has security. At least two girls at the door to check for weapons.”

She shot Jayne a look.

He cleared his throat an’ got real interested in the mess on his plate.

“’Bout a dozen men with guns, besides.”

Mal stopped pacin’. Stood with his arms crossed, lookin’ around at everyone. “Now, we don’t know where our money is. For all we know, this guy could be the type ta keep everythin’ in the bank. And knowin’ where our money is is somethin’ that could come in handy when we have ta take it.”

“Man like that ain’t likely ta be sharin’ that kind of information with just anyone, though. Ain’t likely ta be makin’ all his goons prive to it, neither.”

Mal nodded at Zoe, then looked around at the rest of the crew. “So what we need is an insider. We need someone ta get in there and get through his shields. Get inta his circle. Become trusted enough ta be let in on his secrets.”

“Or get him vulnerable enough to let ‘em slip.”

“We need someone ta get to know this guy real intimate-like.”

Took Jayne a second ta realize Mal an’ Zoe was both lookin’ at Inara.

Seemed ta take her a second ta realize it, too.

“Oh.”

“Figure there ain’t no one better ta’ smooth-talk the owner of a whore house than a wh-“

“Companion.” Zoe cut Mal off and gave him a sharp look. Inara was givin’ Mal a pretty pointy look herself.

“Whore house?” Kaylee cut inta the starin’ contest.

Mal looked over at her. “Yeah. The backer owns a whore house outside a town. The Pink Petal. Guy goes by the name a Mr. Pink.”

Kaylee wrinkled her nose. Gorram, she looked adorable when she did that. “Mr. Pink?”

“It’s an alias.”

“Pretty sly name fer a man ta pick fer himself, doncha think?”

Everyone turned to look at River. She was lookin’ down at her plate, makin’ some kinda sculpture outa her protein mush. She looked up and smiled, raisin’ her eyebrows.

“Yeah.” Everyone turned back ta Mal. “Yeah, we’ve all established that Mr. Pink is a pretty interestin’ choice fer a name. Doesn’t make him any less armed or any more willin’ ta give us our money.”

He looked over at Inara. “Not yet, anyway.”

***

Jayne didn’t know where the water in the shower came from. Not when they was in the black. He was always kinda afraid that it was all recycled. Wasn’t keen on the idea of showerin’ in whatever anyone else did in the shower.

First thing they did when they hit dirt-side most times was ta fill up the tank. If’n they wasn’t bein’ chased ‘er nothin’. They’d filled up this time, though, so Jayne felt pretty good about showerin’. Kaylee was the only one who’d showered since they’d filled up, so even if they was recyclin’ the water, he didn’t mind none.

She’d left her stuff in the shower, lined up against the wall. Most of ‘em used the same soap—big ugly brown bricks that Mal had got some discount on somewhere. Didn’t smell too bad. Didn’t smell to great, but it got ‘em clean.

Inara didn’t use the brown stuff. She had special stuff ta make her all apealin’. ‘Parently Kaylee didn’t use the brown stuff, neither.

Jayne bent down an’ picked a bottle up. Opened the cap and gave it a good sniff.

Smelled like… pie. Apple pie.

He picked up the two other bottles an’ smelled ‘em in turn. One smelled kinda fruity an’ the other smelled like… Jayne didn’t know. But it was gorram tasty, whatever it smelled like.

He washed his hair with the third one. The one that didn’t smell like anythin’ he’d ever smelled before. Felt kinda girly, but it foamed up real nice. Plus it smelled like Kaylee. Jayne liked the idea of bein’ all wrapped up in that smell fer a while.

He took his dear sweet time in the shower. Felt good ta relax. Get the dirt off ‘im. Shut everythin’ out. Mal. Jobs. Money.

Everythin’ but Kaylee.

Let himself think the most about Kaylee in the shower.

He pulled on some cleanish pants an’ a cleanish shirt. Toweled off his hair. He’d forgot socks, so he carried his boots outa the shower with him.

Kaylee was sittin’ in the hall.

She jumped up when she saw him.

Jayne felt her eyes slide up his chest, where the shirt was stickin’ ta his wet skin. Felt her eyes go up ta his hair, then back down ta his face.

Whew.

“Hi.”

“Hi!” Kaylee seemed ta snap out of some kinda funk. She looked past Jayne inta the shower. “Took a while in there.”

“Yeah. I uh… Yeah.”

Jayne cleared his throat.

She looked down at her feet. “I was just waitin’.”

“Thought ya already washed up.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, I… uh…” She looked up from her boots. Smiled one of her half-smiles that made her eyes all sparkly. “How’d you know that?”

Jayne cleared his throat again. “Left yer…” He looked over his shoulder inta the shower. Couldn’t look at her eyes fer some reason, much as he wanted ta. “Left yer stuff in there.”

“Oh! Yeah. Yeah, that’s what I was waitin’ fer. ‘Nara’s, actually. Might want it back before she goes ta… yanno. Whatever.” She laughed that little laugh.

Jayne’s stomach rolled over. He cleared his throat again and stepped aside ta let Kaylee pass.

She brushed up against him as she did.

“Jayne?”

Jayne turned around. Kaylee was standin’ in the doorway, lookin’ at him.

“I like it when your hair kinda stands up like that. Makes ya look…” She shrugged. “Nice.”

Jayne didn’t say nothin’. Didn’t know what ta say around her sometimes.

He turned back around an’ kept walkin’.

He walked past the doc, who was sittin’ readin’ a book. He looked up when Jayne walked by.

“Jayne, why do you smell like vanilla?”

“Shut up.”

Vanilla. That’s what it was.

Jayne ran his hand over his hair. Make sure it was stickin’ up.