Serenity was flying again, and the crew was starting to fall back into familiar patterns. Painfully familiar, as it turned out the first time Inara came across a sink full of dirty dishes on her midnight ramblings. It was Wash's night to clean the kitchen.
Rather than forcing anyone to re-jig the schedule around Wash's absence, Inara stepped quietly into the gap. She took her turn at washing dishes, cycling the waste disposal and all the other annoying tasks of daily shipboard life.
Mal stared at her the first few times he caught her doing it, but no one commented. Except Jayne who mocked her rubber gloves.
"What'cha want them for?"
"So my hands don't end up looking like yours."
Kaylee laughed, but Inara caught her glancing down at her own hands.
Two days later, Inara glanced into the engine room to find Kaylee wearing them as she went about her repairs.