---- TWO MONTHS INTO KAYLEE’ PREGNANCY ----

“Wake up Sweetheart.”

“Hmmm… What… Dani, what are you doing here? What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to make sure you were wearing my heart.”

Mac fingered his half of the broken heart pendant that Dani had given him weeks ago. She knew he never took it off. “What are you doing here and how did you get into the house?” Ever since Niska’s attack on Kaylee, Mac had taken it personally to make sure his parents and sister were safe.

“Long or short?”

“Long or short what?”

“Story.”

“Short,” yawned Mac.

“Shotgun wedding.”

“Whose.”

“Ours.”

“Mac… Mac… can’t breathe…,” Dani gasped playfully, enjoying Mac’s excited hug.

“How far along? When due? Are you alright?”

“Relax Mac, it’s our cover story.”

“Cover story? Better go with the long version.”

“OK, you know Simon and River’s story?”

“That their fugitives? Yeah, Simon told me and Dad before the wedding. Surprising, Simon being kinda timid like.”

“Good, good… Well, about a month ago River told Kaylee that she had it…”

--------------------------------

“Mac was angry, Dani didn’t need to read him to know this, what surprised her was his resolve. She couldn’t not read him, his emotions didn’t bleed through her blocks, they invaded her mind with startling clarity. His diatribe of the Alliance was like fire but his resolve was like lava, smooth, steady and consuming. It was shocking when he fixed his eyes on her, it was like being dropped into a well-spring of love; for Kaylee his youngest sibling, for Simon his new brother-in-law and for her. Her heart had chosen well!

“Tell me about this marriage idea.”

“It’s been on your mind.”

“You’ve been reading…”

“No! I haven’t, you’ve been looking at me the way Kaylee does Simon, and I accept.”

“Good. So what this plan of yours?”

“A quick wedding downstairs followed by an extended honeymoon, basically an elopement.”

“What about you business?”

“Mac, I plan a hundred weddings a year, something a little different is just what this bride ordered.”

“So how do we help Kaylee?”

“Inara’s shuttle will take us to Serenity tomorrow. Then we travel around planning weddings, making and using contacts. When we find Simon and River we coordinate with Mal and rescue them.”

“Sounds like a plan. When’s Inara getting here?”

She’s downstairs with Kaylee… Stop sweetheart,” Dani said while dragging Mac back from the door. “The weddings in an hour – I expect you to look… yummy – er. Then we’ve got tonight just to ourselves.”

----- FOUR MONTHS -----

Message to: Kiara Jung From: I. Serra Regretfully I will not be near your planet in the near future. If you would like I can refer you to House Cassiopeia which is a short distance from your city. With regards. I. Serra

Kiara had found the message after her shower. Work had been rougher than usual; Walken was losing his patience with her inability to get information from Simon. If he knew the truth she would be dead, maybe even if she failed. Dropping her towel, she sat down and composed her eleventh message to Inara. “Come on, be as smart as Simon says you are,” Kiara muttered to herself, pushing the send button. Quickly she composed her nightly letter of resignation and pushed delete. Why couldn’t she be stronger? Tears streamed down her face…

Three days later she was found dead, strangled.

-----

She woke up alone, she was getting used to it. Gorram it she didn’t want to get used to it, she wanted her husband back. As weeks were turning into months her loneliness wouldn’t lessen. Over and over she screamed in her head, “I want you, I need you, NOW!” She even missed that stupid nickname, lambytoes.

The rings under his eyes never went away. Day after day he searched, every waking second that he wasn’t flying Serenity he was on the cortex, running down leads, reading every news clip, studying city maps, even reading those Rags that reported on the little green men that lived on asteroids and ate star dust. Nothing. The few minutes a day he got to spend with Zoë hurt. The Love that she looked at him with gave him strength. He couldn’t forgive himself; he had to make this right. Kaylee rarely talked to him now, how he missed her smile.

---- FIVE MONTHS ----

Inara lay on her bed, spent. She softly laughed at the pun Mal would have made. He loved her, She loved him, could that be enough? Mal was such a good, sweet, spirit. He doesn’t understand that his crew’s loyalty is built on him, not his title. She should try to take jobs, but she just couldn’t. Between Mal and Kaylee she just didn’t have it in her to work. Kaylee stirred beside her, it’s the only peace she gets anymore. What a small price to pay for her meimei.

-----

She dreams of Simon, his touch, his clean doctor smell, his smell after a workout, the sound of his laughter, how tongue tied he would get while trying to court her, how much fun it was to untie his tongue with hers, their first picnic in the country beside that stream – no – he called it a rill, the first time she saw him – lust at first sight – how she grew to love him and how it returned to lust the first time she saw him without him shirtless. She was proud of him, proud to be his wife, proud of the stand he had taken on River’s behalf. He was a lot like the Captain…

She awoke with a smile which quickly drowned in her emptiness.

Inara was meditating with the sound of a stream in the background.

-----

Jayne dreamed of being captain, getting rid of Mal, Wash, Simon and Book in an epic battle. He dreamed of the women on Serenity marveling at his manliness and intelligence and cunning. His captain’s bed would be big; it would have to be with all of them in it submitting night after night… Sometimes he would dream of Helen. The time he spent at the Heart Of Gold was special to him, imagine free rein in a whore house and he stuck to just one, of course she treated him like the big damn hero that he is.

-----

Book dreams are of redemption.

---- SEVEN MONTHS ----

Nothings ever easy, well that ain’t exactly true, now is it. His fast draw came easy, not that he’d let Jayne in on his secret. The gun is just a tool, fight the man, he’ll let you know when.

Love comes easy, it’s just the bits after that can leave a man with complications. He loved his mother; she reared him right with a strong hand and a deep respect for freedom. Her death bought him this boat. He loved Zoë; she is strong like his mother and almost as warm and forgiving. She even forgave Wash, truth be told, so had he. Like Book said,”…you can forgive without forgetting.” Now little Kaylee, his meimei by love. Simon is right she is the heart of Serenity. He’ll never let on how much he treasures it when she says,” I love my Captain.” Inara knows confound it. The love he feels for her hurts pleasurably. He’s only complete when she’s near and that ain’t near often enough. Inara has light inside of her, he hopes she never sees his dark.

The soft measured steps on the catwalk tell him she’s coming, even her aroma is soft. Sitting down gracefully beside him he wonders how is it even possible to sit gracefully on a catwalk.

“Mal. Kaylee’s down for the night, status quo.”

“Status Quo.” He hated that phrase, it means that he’s failing.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, sighing, she hates it too.

“Bao bei, I feel so helpless,” he whispered to her.

“You’re not, you’re one man with a handful of crew going against The Alliance. They only have, what, a billion members.”

“If there was a kindness there I missed it.”

“’Courage is a man who keeps on coming on.’ He could have been talking about you.”

“Who?”

“Some Texas Ranger, a frontier lawman from earth-that-was. Mal you are our Captain, and it’s not because you own Serenity, we were not conscripted. Gird your loins Mal, we’ve got your back.”

“Gird, eh?”

“It means…”

“I know what it means, and I thank you for, well, you know.”

-----

“YEEEEEHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!”

“Jayne slow down, don’t want you bustin’ my ship just for shore leave!”

“I swear Zoë…”

“I know Sir, but he’s useful and amazingly loyal these past few months. Care to clue me in, Sir.”

“No. Zoë you have the ship. Inara and I have a meeting in town. Dani and Mac are due back soon and I reckon to be hearing from…”

“MAL!!!”

“…yep, there she is.”

“What’re you doing giving shore leave? Simon doesn’t get shore leave! River doesn’t get shore leave!”

“Kaylee turn your thrusters down!”

“But Mal…”

“No buts meimei. Serenity’s no good if all she does is run, She has to shut down sometimes, and so do we. Now your brother and his wife are due back soon. Inara and I have a meeting, could be we find something. Do us a bit of good to rest a day.”

“Meimei, you should be resting,” Inara chided. “You can’t be stressing, it’s not good for your child.”

“Aww, Inara, I only done a little engine work…”

“You were in there all afternoon. It can wait on Mac. These last two months are going to be tough if you don’t start taking it easy.”

-----

The meeting had gone well, no information to speak of, but a job.

“Care to join me for some supper, Miss Serra?”

“Why I think I shall, Captain Renolds.” Inara smiled at Mal’s attempt at formality, realizing both of their need to relax.

They ate a forgettable meal at an open-air café. The stars were beautiful and he talked of rascals that he had known, she talked of rascals she had known and the hours went by. When they left it was hand-in-hand into the growing dawn.

Gorram this is his kind of town. Cheap hooch, cheap whores and fights all night. Let’s see he’d been to Kittie’s Cathouse, the Brichetto Bordello, the Harlot’s Hostel and Joy’s House Of Joy. Plus he still had some coin.

Stepping out to the street, somebody runs into his back. Spinning around, ready for a bust-up, he sees Helen flat on her back, looking up at him.

“Gorram it girl, there’s better ways of getting my attention!” Jayne grabs the girl lifting her up and hugging her. “It’s good to see you.”

“Jayne…” Helen whispers as she faints.

“Helen… Helen…” Looking around Jayne sees no help. “Gorram it, where do you stay?”

With the sun coming up Jayne makes a decision.

-----

After hot tea and croissants for breakfast, Mal and Inara make their way back to Serenity. No sooner than do they start up the ramp they hear thunderous banging and Jayne yelling.

“Gorram it girl open up!”

Rushing in Mal finds the merc banging on Mal’s cabin door.

“What’s going on Jayne!?” Mal roars.

“It’s Helen, you remember, from when we helped those whores at the Heart Of Gold.”

“What about her.”

“She ran into me on the street and fainted. I didn’t know where to take her so I brought her here. As soon as I put her in the infirmary she screams and runs straight to your cabin. Knowed the lock sequence and everything. Now she’s locked herself in and won’t come out.”

Mal pushes Jayne out of the way and enters his code. With the door now open Mal drops in with his gun ready. Jayne and Inara can see him looking toward his bed looking confused.

“HUH?”

TBC

AN: next chapter, Helens got a surprise. AN: Quote from Captain L.H. McNelly of the Texas Rangers. b1844 - d1877