The singing had finally stopped in the bar and Jayne was looking edgy. "Captain, now they're off the subject of me, shouldn't we be getting the hell out of here?!" he asked. Mal assented and Jayne cursed the mudders as they all got up and walked out.

They emerged into the light and met face to face with a giant crowd of townsfolk, all covered in mud nearly from head to toe. When they saw Jayne they began to chant his name. Jayne took one look and ran back into the bar, demanding mudder's milk. Once the bartender set the jar in front of him Jayne took a long swig.

Someone in the back of the bar yelled, "Don't you understand? He's come back! It's Jayne!"

Suddenly the bartender snatched Jayne's drink away and at Jayne's expression said, "Hero of Canton won't be drinking that chou ma niao... He drinks the best whiskey in the house!" Everyone cheered at that.

Mal came back into the bar and was met by the well-dressed man from earlier who had concerns about the lack of them laying low. Mal simply smiled and straightened his shirt and told him to relax and that it was all part of their new plan. The man looked dubious but walked off in a huff. Kaylee walked up to him and whispered in his ear.

"Captain, how exactly is this part...?"

Mal interrupted her with, "Still working the details."

Meanwhile Inara prepared her shuttle for her assignation by lighting candles and making tea, little touches that have been trained in her for years. The Magistrate entered, a young and handsome man with glasses trailing behind. Higgins introduced him as his son, Fess Higgins.

"Hello, Fess. Mr. Higgins, this shuttle is a place of union. I'm sure you can appreciate..." Inara began, seeking to get rid of the tension in the room.

Higgins gestured to the small table set with a teapot and small fragile teacups. "What is this?" he exclaimed heatedly. "I brought you here to bed my son, not throw him a tea party!" Inara sought to pacify him but her he wouldn't hear of it. He pointed a finger at the young man's jacket. "My son is 26 years old and he ain't yet a man. Twenty-six. And since he can't find
a willin' woman himself..."

Inara stopped him and told him he wasn't allowed there and began nudging him out the door, insisting that only Fess belonged there. She gracefully was able to get him out the door in spite of his protestations.

She turned to Fess and smiled her million dollar smile. "Well, that's a bit more peaceful." She gestured to the chair. "Will you sit?"

Later on in the bar, the mudders were cheering Jayne who had obviously had had quite a bit to drink. They were cheering for him:

"To Jayne! To Jayne!"

Jayne drunkenly pounded his chest. "To me!" He downed another shot and then held out his glass. "To the Mudders!" he cheered and everyone echoed their cheer.

The rest of the crew were also enjoying their libations. Simon and Kaylee were sitting on a couch nearby. They hadn't enjoyed very much action since they had last kissed. Simon lifted the cup to his face and took a big swig.

"You know," he started, pointing drunkenly. "I've saved lives. Dozens. Maybe hundreds. I reattached a girl's leg," he explained using languid hand gestures that belied how much he had drank. "Her whole leg! She named her hamster after me," he said as he held out his hand as if Kaylee should understand. She looked at him quizzically. "I got a hamster. He drops a box of money, he gets a town."

"Hamsters is nice," Kaylee posited, slurring. Simon just smiled at her and lifted his cup, toasting.

"To Jayne! The box-dropping, man-ape-gone-wrong-thing," he said, clicking her cup. Kaylee laughed.

"You are pretty funny," she slurred again. Simon smiled at her and for once the smile touched his eyes.

"And you're pretty...pretty," he said. She looked confusedly at him and then smiled and they started leaning in for their second kiss. Just then Mal walked to them, interrupting, telling them it was time to leave.

"Now? Captain? Things are going so well..." Kaylee said hintingly. Mal missed the hint because he replied, "I suppose. Jayne's certainly feeling better about life, but..."

Kaylee interrupted him. "I said... things are going well." She shot him a meaningful look, trying to express what she was actually thinking. Mal finally took her meaning.

"Oh, well!" He looked from Simon to Kaylee. "Well, I tell you what. Jayne is stuck here with
his adoring masses - why don't you and Simon hang around and keep an eye on him for me," he said, coming to a solution. Kaylee smiled wide at him and Simon cheered him with his glass, to which he responded with a nod and walked off.

Mal and Wash walked back into Serenity. Well, Mal walked, Wash sort of stumbled.

"Honey, we're home!" Wash called drunkenly.

"Mal!" Evie called and deserted her spot in the corner.

Mal fixed his eyes on her. "Now how in the di yu did you end up..." Mal began, scooping her up. She looked sheepish, at least.

"She just got a little feisty, is all, Sir. Put her there to cool her down some," Zoe affirmed. Mall looked down disapprovingly at the girl in his arms, but she merely buried her face in his neck and nuzzled so all he saw were her red curls.

"Where you guys been?" Zoe asked, changing the subject, noting that the girl was making her Sargent softer day by day and not minding the change. "Bernoulli's chomping at the bit. Says he wants his merchandise."

Wash leaned into his wife and slurred, "Did you know that Jayne is a bona fide folk hero? Got a song and everything."

Evie's eyes perked up, looking at Mal. Zoe leaned closer to her husband.

"What? You been drinking, husband?" she queried.

Mal put Evie down and patted her once on the bottom before walking up to the couple, Evie not far from his side.

"That he has. Don't make it any less the case," he said, putting his arm around the little girl. Evie tugged at Mal's pants.

"You're telling me Jayne is a...?"

Mal swatted at her hand, clearly more focused on the job, making her indignant. "It's true. True enough - We can use it, anyway. We talked a few pillars of the Mudder community into having a little Jayne Day celebration in town square tomorrow."

"Celebration! I want to come!" Evie said, not liking being left out of the conversation. Wash cracked up laughing and Evie shot him a look.

Mal was distracted but he looked down at the girl. "Only if ya mind Jayne... and if he's sober by tomorrow..." Zoe looked skeptical at both propositions. "It should buy us enough of a distraction to get the stolen goods out from under the foreman and his crew of prods."

They walked back on the ship and Zoe leaned in to her husband. "You're really going to have to start again. Jayne's a what? "