"Lungs are rustling," Tasya sounded unpleased as she pulled off her stethoscope. Away from the sounds of pulmonary distress, the rain still spattered heavily outside, running down the window to make the outside world appear as if it were a runny watercolor. "I'm going to give you something to help your lungs out until Simon and I can set up another steroid treatment."

"Was only out for two hours." Zoe countered, fingers nimbly buttoning up her blouse.

"And I'm sure Simon's told you that just a few minutes out isn't healthy, and since being tortured you're even more at risk." She opened up the case. "Then again your Captain said you tend to only occasionally heed his warnings..."

"I gotta work, I gotta move or I'm gonna go crazy." Zoe's voice was firm, a slow smoldering frustration. Simon still henpecked, but this woman just rubbed her the wrong way. "Besides, Mal needs me out there, ain't a time to be laid up."

"Well as a doctor I'm not too entirely happy with you going out and working." She pulled a brown glass bottle out, as well as a plastic package. "Secondly, there's plenty of hands to help out, and it doesn't take three people to blow up a patrol craft."

"Still ain't gonna stay inside, I try, and it doesn't work for me. So unless you gotta solution you best quit preaching, doctor."

"There's one." Gloved fingers ripped open the plastic to show a syringe. Taking it, the doctor jabbed the needle into the self-heeling top.

"Start talkin'."

"You're not going to like it."

“Well isn’t that a change’a pace.”

“Funny.” Light eyes watched the syringe level as her fingers pulled the plunger back, and a translucent orange liquid was drawn up from the bottle. "But you could move. I know you work here, I know you live here with your crew and you and your Captain go back since the war. But you could live and work, comfortably, in a warmer and drier climate."

Zoe's eyes grew dark.

Pulling the needle out of the top, setting the bottle in the bag, she flicked the syringe and expertly dispersed of the air that had become trapped whilst continuing. "Here it's too cold and too wet for someone to properly recover from a pulmonary condition. Now after making a full recovery you could return but in all honesty my best recommendation..."

"From a doctor that hasn't practiced medicine in over six years..."

The doctor's eyes snapped up.

"Listen, I'm sure you mean well." Zoe watched as Tasya seemed to be set on pause. "But you gotta grasp this well when I say it." She leaned in. "I don't like land, at all. Don't like occupying a patch of dirt for too long. But these people, this crew, this family, they're what keep me with my heels to this gorram soil. They're all I got, so I ain't leaving for a different spot of land."

Tasya set the needle gingerly on its wrapper to rip open a alcohol prep pad. "I understand how you feel." she began, carefully. "You're vessel-side born and raised, so am I, but you could work on a ship and that would be fine. Ship air's probably ideal, it's processed, it's clean, it's dry, it's controlled...."

"You don't have anyone, do you?"

Tasya's jaw tightened as she gestured for an arm, rolling the sleeve, tying a tourniquet to the upper arm. "I thought you were supposed to talk first." Using the alcohol prep pad, she swabbed the appropriate patch of skin.

"So when did he die?"

"A prick in three, two..." With the needle under the skin and in a bulging vein, a thumb steadily pressed the plunger down.

Zoe knew those eyes, the change of face, the sudden flood of darkness that covered them. Her mouth opened, slightly, but nothing came out. For there was nothing she felt she could say to combat the silent grief she knew too well.

"Six years, eleven months ago." She exhaled, sliding the needle out, capping it and tacking a cotton ball down. "Hold that." As Zoe complied, she cleaned up. "And it's the wrong question. It's not him, it's them." Taking a piece of tape, she spread it over the cotton ball to properly hold it in place.

She tried to make eye contact with the doctor, however Tasya wouldn't allow it.

"Please stay inside, and try to take it easy the medication works quickly and you might feel slightly dizzy and nauseous." Closing the bag, light eyes finally met dark ones. They held the contact for a moment, studying one another, before breaking off as she stood up.

"Thanks." Zoe uttered.

"No problem, have a good night."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trimmed, shaved, fed, and sporting a few little braids, Fiyero sauntered over and wrapped River up from behind, leaning in to kiss her neck.

"Stompy chest pain?" She asked with a wildly crooked grin to the attention.

"Not so stompy." He announced. "You?"

She guided his hands as they snaked around her, to the hem of his tunic that was keeping her covered just below her thighs. "Achy." Reaching around with her own hands, she tugged off the towel that had been tied around his waist and keeping him modest.

"Lemme guess? I can help?" He mumbled huskily, his lips caught in her dark coils of hair between kisses

River drew in a deep breath as his fingers toyed with the inside of her thighs. Gaze landing upon the tray Inara had brought up and the small stack of plastic wrapped contraceptives her friend had tucked in between the towels and the bowl of soup.

She reminded herself to thank Inara.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wagon pulled up to Colter's store.

The canvas stretched over the ribs of the roof was darkened by the rain that fell from the grey blue heavens as Simon stopped the two massive Jack Drafts in front of the store. Turning back, he looked at Kaylee, who was entertaining their new pair of three year olds. Jessup and Marky's mom had passed down some old wooden blocks as well as some toy soldiers and books. Dakota, who was turning out to be a spirited one, was playing with the toy soldiers and blocks. Liam was however curled contently in Kaylee's lap as she read a book to him.

"Last stop." He announced in an exhausted fashion, jumping down, boots splashing brown rainwater, he then reached up and took his son. "How are you doing, Liam?" He probed as he trucked the boy to the dry porch.

"I yike tories." Liam announced. "Tummee hungdry dough."

"Well... Mommy has snacks." He made a face as it was strange to say that. To call Kaylee 'Mommy', to talk about snacks. While he had thought about children, the sudden responsibility and undertaking was jarring.

"Nacks?" Liam was set on the porch.

"Um... something to eat?" He explained, hearing Colter's footsteps approach the door. "Just wait here while I get Dakota." Trotting back over to the wagon, he held his hands out. "Kaylee Liam says he's hungry, can you bring the snacks?" He hefted Dakota in his arms.

"Sure thing." Kaylee turned around to fetch the bag packed.

"Dooown." Dakota whined, twisting about.

"Just a minute." Simon patted her back as he walked her over, his eye line running into a pair of boots.

"Hi." Liam said, his head tilted back.

Simon looked up to see Colter, all manner of curious towards the doctor and the mechanic. Suddenly, the panic he had been experiencing the entire day slowly began to creep up on him. "Hello, Colter."

"Hello Dr. Tam," He glanced over to Kaylee who gave a meek smile as she came up the steps. "Kaylee."

"Hey Colter." She greeted, less cheery than usual.

"Looks like you two've got some stories to tell." He mused.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fiyero picked her up, legs around his middle, and he went and took a seat on her bed. She was dragging her hands through his hair, kissing him in short bursts as he felt her breasts and began to pull away from her mouth. Going down her jaw, her neck, her shoulders as she nipped his ear.

River arched her back as he touched all of the right places. Opening her eyes, through the fog of hormones she reached across to grab one of the square plastic wrappers off of the tray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, you two're raising them?" Colter glanced over to the pair, sitting on the floor eating carrots cut up into sticks and little crackers.

"That's the plan." Kaylee gazed down upon her new children. "Didn't think I'd be a momma so fast, but they need parents."

"That's a big job." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"They're ours." She responded tightly. For Kaylee still believed in the cause, regardless it looked to be a long haul.

"And I know I have store credit," Simon sighed "we picked up some things, hand me downs. But they need a jacket a piece and some more clothes, perhaps some shoes if you have any."

"We can see what I have, but I can't guarantee anything. You'd be better off at the tailor shop."

"That's a bit too rich for us." Simon countered. "The next trip to the skyplex we'll get more things, but we just want to see if we can pick up what we can for now."

There was cry from the floor.

Liam was sitting there on the dusty hardwood, sniffling quite piteously as Dakota had stolen his bag of crackers and was munching away. Her baggie of little carrots cast to the side as she ignored her sibling's distress over her thievery.

"Dakota..." Simon stepped in, crouching next to them and feeling nervous. "Dakota, we don't steal from others."

Her big, blue eyes seemed not to connect what was wrong. "Bud, I wan id."

"Well those are Liam's and you didn't ask."

Liam wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"I wanded id." Her brows furrowed, and suddenly she looked a good deal like her father when he was defiant.

"But it's not yours. It's not nice." He reached over and took the bag. "You can eat your.."

She held onto the bag even harder. "NO."

"Dakota you have your carrots, now give me the bag."

"NO!" She shrieked defiantly.

Kaylee and Colter winced to the noise.

"Dakota." He tried to keep an even tone and not get angry, but, the child was wearing him thin quickly as he gripped the bag "This is Liam's." He pulled it away from her.

Dakota screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

River cried out in ecstasy.

She fell against Fiyero, damp with sweat, still feeling him as they caught their breaths. Nestling her head on his chest, she kissed his pectoral as his arms held her.

Fiyero reached up and stroked her hair out of her face, kissing an ear as he still panted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Simon's ears were ringing, and he didn't know what to do.

Kaylee walked over and stooped down, getting right in front of Dakota. Her eyes were kind, her voice gentle. "Dakota, honey."

The scream became louder.

"Dakota." She reached out and touched the child's shoulder.

Dakota ripped her shoulder away, bawling. "I WAN ID!"

She looked to Simon, and it was apparent they were both not ready to handle the situation.

Liam got up and went over to Simon. "I sorrwee."

Simon ruffled his hair, letting out a ragged sigh as his mind strained alongside Kaylee's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fiyero lay on the bed.

His arms were stretched out on flannel sheets with little birds on the fabric, rich brown hair fanned out, and she sat on his waist, straddling him, wearing his tunic as her hands felt the lack of texture on his freshly shaved face.

"Smooth, you like?" He chuckled.

"Much better." She agreed. "Couldn't find you under there."

"Am I presentable too? Ready to show me off to the fam?" He watched her and listened to the rain, the metallic thack of raindrops on the aluminum roof.

"You have little braids in your hair." A delicate hand reached out and bushed one of the braids, there were beads at the end of a few of the small braids the reader had done during one of the two songs he had been determined to serenade her with.

"My girlfriend likes me to look all pretty. Besides, I like beads, they make me feel fanciful and whatnot." He quipped. "So, how about it?"

"You would need a lot more work in order to possibly pull off such a feat." She deadpanned.

His face slackened.

River burst out into laughter.

"I'm wounded." the boyfriend declared, dramatically bringing a fist to his chest. "How could you be so mean to me?"

"Teasing." She laughed.

"But you hurt my delicate disposition." Fiyero rolled over.

River fell off with the shriek. "Yero!"

"You know I'm a gentle soul, prone to bruised feelings." he crawled away in the sheets.

She righted herself and tackled the naked boyfriend.

"I don't want to hear you excuses!" He feigned sorrow. "Always with the excuses! Woe. Is. I."

"Dan shi wo ai ni!" She hugged his back tightly, pressing a kiss to the brown mane.

Fiyero stopped. "Say that again?"

"Wo ai ni?"

"I didn't hear you?"

The dragon promptly tickle jabbed her lover.

"Alright! Alright! I heard it!" He laughed. "No more tickle attack!"

"Someone has to." She reasoned, lips to his shoulder blade "Tickletack." Fiyero relaxed and she lay atop him. "And you're very presentable." River traced a little circle on his back.

"That's a relief. Dunno what I would do if I was presentable enough for my all powerful, master of the universe girlfriend's kinfolk." Propping his head up on his arms, her breath tickled his skin. "River,"

"Hmmm..."

"What's this job thingamajiggy?"

"Very long, detailed explanation."

"I'm naked, therefore obviously not going anywhere nor in a rush. Elaborate."

*** *** *** DEFINITIONS/TRANSLATIONS Dan shi wo ai ni!: But I love you! Wo ai ni?: I love you? *****As always, the writer appreciates all comments whether they be positive, negative, or suggestions.**