Disclaimer: Not mine, no pay.

Thanks: To Jacqui, Josh and to Rion, my own personal BDH. You guys are the greatest.

Rating: PG-15

Remarks: Set after “Objects in Space”. Inara has departed from Serenity and the crew has been through a rough stretch. Click on my name to read the backstory. They’re all backstory.

Feedback: Love your comments, folks! It only takes a minute and is genuinely appreciated. What did you like? What doesn’t work? You can post below or email to Lumenea@aol.com

Leaps of Faith

Chapter Thirteen

Mal pulls Zoë aside in the corridor that afternoon. “Listen, Zoë, you got a minute? There’s somethin’ I need to ask you about.”

She can see Mal’s all fidgety, the way he gets when he doesn’t know how to talk about something and mostly when it involves women. Why the Captain would talk to her about women is a puzzlement to Zoë, that not being any part of their relationship. He was that way sometimes about Inara and this feels likely to get just as awkward for Zoë as those previous conversations.

She makes her face neutral. “Yes, Sir?”

He licks his lips, fiddles with his suspenders and pinches the bridge of his nose, then finally gets to the point. “I think there’s something been going on, on my boat.”

“Sir?”

He tries again. “You and Wash bunk next to Jayne, right?”

She knows he knows this and wonders again what his point is. “Yes, Sir.”

“Heard anything different from over there of late?” Mal cocks his head in a puzzled sort of way.

“Such as what, Sir?” Zoë finally realizes exactly what Mal’s getting at and there’s no way she wants to rat Kaylee and the merc out. “I mean, Jayne snores and occasionally rolls out of bed in the middle of the night cussin’, especially if he’s been drinkin’ too much.”

The Captain looks carefully at her. “Zoë Washburne, I’ve known you too long, and you ain’t sayin’ all you know. I’m askin’ you, has Jayne been beddin’ little Kaylee?”

Zoë stands tall, wills her face to stay neutral. ”Cap’n, It’s not my place to comment. Anything Jayne and Kaylee do is their business.” She sees Mal’s face darken, can feel his temper surge.

“Damnit! I told ‘em both, clear as day, ‘No fraternizin’. Don’t make for nothin’ but trouble between crew.”

Zoë smiles faintly and looks down before saying, “I believe you said the same thing to Wash and I, as I recall. Didn’t exactly stop us, Sir.”

Mal sputters as his first mate continues, “Both of ‘em have been doin’ their jobs good as usual. Hasn’t compromised operations any.”

She goes on, “Cap’n, you know as good as anybody how lonely it gets out here. Why begrudge them any comfort they find in one another?”

Mal shakes his head, bewildered. “But I thought she and the doc were all sweet on one another. I mean, ai ya, Zoë, this is Jayne were talkin’ about, and he’s not exactly overly endowed with social graces.”

Zoë stares at the floor again, trying not to grin. “Well, Sir, maybe that’s not the sort of endowment that matters to Kaylee.”

Mal jerks up, a clearly horrified expression on his face. “Now we just stepped into a whole ‘Verse of information I got no desire to go explorin’!”

He shakes off the disturbing mental picture that has appeared, unbidden, in his mind, starts to speak again, then just turns abruptly and strides off down the corridor, leaving a chuckling Zoë in his wake.

++++

Mal finds Simon in his room, making notes on an article he’s found on the cortex.

“Doc, can I have a word with you?”

Simon looks up, startled. “Sure. Is there a problem?”

“Well, “ Mal plunges on, “you tell me. I realize this is a right personal question to be askin’, but I got my reasons, so you’ll pardon my frankness.” He crosses his arms, leans against the door jamb.

“All this business with Jayne getting’ shot up – I couldn’t help noticing my mechanic doin’ an awful lot of frettin’ and fussin’ over that man down in your medlab. So I need to know, has something happened between you and Kaylee?”

“I mean, was a time she’d do just about anything to get you to notice her, was practically fallin’ all over you flirtin’ and all. I was of the impression that the two of you were working your way, albeit a bit slowly, toward a regular ship-board romance.”

The Captain shakes his head.

“Now, I don’t know what to think.”

Simon lays down his pen, colors slightly with embarrassment, then looks at the papers in front of him for a minute, weighing what to say. “Captain, I suppose the truth is, Kaylee got tired of my awkwardness and formality. She terminated our relationship about a month ago.”

Mal shakes his head, “Does she know Jayne tried to sell you and River out to the Feds?”

When Simon looks up, Mal can see the hint of sadness in his eyes. “I don’t know. I’ve never told her.” He sighs and runs his hand through his dark hair.

“It was what she wanted, Captain, and I’ll respect her wishes.”

“I’m right sorry to hear that, Doctor, ‘cause I was rootin’ for you.”

++++

Supper is quiet that evening with only six at the table. Kaylee has taken a tray to Jayne in the medlab. His appetite since awakening has been prodigious. The meal is better than usual since Book has a knack for making a fairly convincing pot of “chicken and dumplings” with tofu, flavored protein powder, dried herbs and noodles.

The stress of the past week has taken a toll on everyone and they studiously avoid any reference to the topic du jour: the two who are absent.

Mal speaks up, “Thought you’d want to know, I’ve decided we’re gonna sit tight here at Brandemere for a week or so. It’s a quiet town, off the beaten path for the Alliance. I reckon it’s as good a place as any to restock, rest up a little. Give us a chance to get ourselves together some.”

There’s an audible sigh of relief from everyone.

(To be continued...)