A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I've tried to keep the parts you liked, while improving on the rest.

Disclaimer: Joss is boss, these characters are not mine.

Thermostat was broke. Kaylee'd tried everything to fix it, but the only thing that would do the job was a part they didn't have. They were en route to Persephone to pick it up, but they were still four days away, and in the mean time the crew had to put up with temps a good fifteen degrees cooler than normal. Mal could conjure plenty of worse scenarios, but it was still a mite less than comfortable.

Jayne's beanie was now a permanent fixture on his head and everyone's new favourite spot was in front of the exhaust fan that pumped out warm, slightly fumy air in one corner of the cargo bay. They took their reconstituted protein hot in one form or another, and in the evenings they all gathered in the lounge with their beverage of choice to ward off the cold. River and Shepherd Book could be found cradling their steaming cups of tea, while Jayne nursed a mug of moonshine. The rest of them chose one or the other, or both, in their attempts to warm themselves before bed. Falling asleep was that much harder in the cold.

Mal had finally dropped off when a knock on the door woke him. He groaned.

"What!"

He heard the hatch open and watched with a furrowed brow as a blanket fell down from above. It was followed quickly by Kaylee. She climbed down the ladder, then snatched the blanket back up and wrapped it around herself. She stood there looking like a ruffled, forlorn puppy. Her hair was a little messed up from her pillow and her eyes were big and sad. Well, maybe not sad, more like tired, but there was something else he could see in them – defeat? She was shivering a little as she stood there with Jayne's fluffy orange socks peeking out from underneath the hem of the blanket.

"What is it, Kaylee?" Mal asked, half sitting up and rubbing one eye.

"Can't sleep, Cap'n, too cold," she murmured as she drifted closer to the bed. "Thought maybe I could bunk with you. You know, conserve heat 'n all that?"

"Thought maybe you could what with who?"

"Can't get warm on my own," she insisted.

Mal knew as soon as she'd asked the question that he should say no for a million different reasons, main one being, well, she was a very sweet girl who didn't deserve to be taken advantage of by a lecherous hundan like his own self, and not taking that advantage would require considerable effort on his part.

"Meimei, I really don't think―"

"And I'd feel strange askin' the Shepherd," she continued. "And Simon..." She heaved a sigh and left the sentence hanging. Mal didn't bother to ask about the doctor's latest faux pas. "Guess I could ask 'Nara. Lots a' space in her bed, and the sheets would feel nice, all satiny like there are. But it's kinda distractin', you know? Thinkin' of all the men that've been in it?"

Mal squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his face. How the hell did they get onto this topic?

"Guess I could go ask Jayne, he's prob'ly real warm. You know, with all that hair on 'im," she said, as she turned to go.

"Kaylee ― stop, just..."

As much as it was a bad idea to let her stay, letting her go to Jayne's bunk was even worse. He knew for a fact Jayne wouldn't be able to keep his hands off her or his manparts for more than thirty seconds if she did.

"Tama de!" he groaned, and moved over to make room for her. "But you snore, I dump you out onto that cold metal floor, y' hear?"

"Thanks, Cap'n," she said with a tired smile.

She threw her blanket over the bed and crawled in under the covers. She lay facing away from him, pressing her back against his side. Mal lay there stiffly, not quite sure what to do with his arms and suddenly feeling far from sleep.

After a time, Kaylee sighed.

"Shoulda been able to fix it," she murmured to the pillow as she lay there shivering. "Serenity don't like runnin' so cold, ain't no good for her movin' parts, and now everyone's gotta freeze their butts off for another three days just 'cause I -"

"Hey, enough a' that," Mal interrupted as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Did everything you could. Ain't no fault a' yours she can't be repaired with what we got. Won't be long 'til we get to Persephone and we'll get our girl all fixed up."

Kaylee took a deep breath and nodded, but she was still shivering. Mal rolled his eyes to the ceiling and thought briefly of the special hell, then wrapped his arm around the cold, sleepy, troubled girl. He pressed the length of himself against her delicate frame, trying to transfer as much warmth as possible.

He should've guessed it was eating away at her, not being able to fix the ship. "And don't you worry 'bout everyone else, they'll be fine. Could use some toughening up, been getting too soft of late as it is. No more blaming yourself, dong ma? That's an order."

"Aye, Cap'n," she murmured sleepily. Her shivering soon came under control and it wasn't long before Mal heard her breathing change and knew she was asleep, but it took him a lot longer to drop off. It had been an age since he'd shared his bed with a woman, and he couldn't help but be acutely aware of the soft, feminine form next to him ― the curve of her hip beneath his arm, the scent of her hair. But when he finally did, it was the best night's sleep he'd had in a good long while.

The next night Kaylee came to him again and sought permission to share his bunk by way of raised eyebrows and a hopeful smile. Mal glared at her, then scooted over. She crawled in with a cheerful grin and gave him a peck on the cheek to show her gratitude.

Mal woke slowly the next morning in a fuzzy, contented haze. He hugged Kaylee's cosy body close as...he what? Mal's eyes flew open to find his arms wrapped around the sleeping mechanic, her head nestled in under his chin. He quickly extricated himself from the embrace and turned his back on her comforting warmth. She ain't your little missus, Reynolds, she's crew, he growled at himself.

On the third night she just climbed right into his bed without asking, and Mal felt a twinge of concern at how comfortable she'd become with the arrangement. But they would be landing on Persephone tomorrow, so after tonight there would no longer be a need for her to spend the nights curled up in his bunk ― which was a good thing, he told himself, as he drifted off to sleep.

Kaylee gave him a doe-eyed smile as he ran his fingers through her soft locks. He laid his lips upon hers and the kiss fell seamlessly into another, and then another, as their hands roamed each others' bodies. Then his tongue followed the same course as his fingers. He mapped her honeyed flesh from head to toe with moist kisses, revelling in the taste of her skin...

That morning, as Mal's consciousness dragged itself into the waking world, dream images intermingled with reality and he had a moment of panic, thinking perhaps he and Kaylee really had...

But as the moments passed, the real world solidified around him and the images took on the insubstantial quality dreams gain upon waking. This was of little comfort though, as Mal realised he was still in a very compromising situation.

Chinese translations

Hundan - bastard

Meimei – little sister

Tama de – Fuck me blind

Dong ma - understand