(Untitled)

[crazyspacegirl]

River had of course spent a lot of time with Samantha Halpert. Just never much all by herself. A few hours of babysitting so Jim could have some time on his own was really the least she could do to help her friend

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[gorramcheerful]

Though it was rare for Kaylee to find herself in a bad mood; she had been especially buoyant since Sansa's wedding. Kaylee had wandered off Serenity and found River upon the path. Or she had heard Samantha first, by the time she caught up with the girl, her steady pace seemed to have quieted the wailing, but she didn't look so happy.

"Got y'work cut out for y'there huh?" Kaylee offered quietly with a sympathetic sort of smile, trying to offer a very brief tickle of a single finger to Sam's chin; but both baby and her babysitter looked a little uncomfortable, but Kaylee couldn't blame River, that little one had a real set of lungs, and she wouldn't have known what to do. "Anything I can get? Help y'out somehow?"

[crazyspacegirl]

"You could tell me what she wants?" River answered hopefully. Maybe Kaylee could understand babies talking to her like she could ships. "She's been fed and changed and nothing's stabbing her and I really don't know what's wrong but she won't stop crying."

Samantha chose that moment to say, "ba" and start chewing in Squirrel Jim as though she'd never had a moment's worry in her life, save for the last of the tears on her face.

River sighed. "People say I'm crazy. They must know any babies."

[gorramcheerful]

"Maybe it's her tummy?" Kaylee knew so little about babies; they were so sweet and very cute, but truth be told she thought she'd be better suited fixing things than with a litter in tow, she knew how to understand machines. "Or she's cuttin' new teeth? 'Sposed make'm wail somethin' awful, that."

Kaylee gave a small laugh to River's words, she had a point. Figuring out what a wailing squirming tiny little person wanted was tough. "I guess it must be kinda frustratin' not bein' able t'just tell folk what's goin' on." She mused of the baby, tilting her head to regard her with a smile. "I mean I ain't sayin' she's doin' problem solvin' in there; but all she can do is use those lungs n'hope someone figures it out quick."

[crazyspacegirl]

"It really is," agreed River, finding herself very much understanding Samantha's dilemma even if she still didn't know what her problem was. "When you don't know how to say what's in your head, it's terrible."

She hugged Sam tight, making her squeak but mercifully not cry again.

"I'll help you if I can figure it out," she promised.

Samantha pulled her hair and laughed.

[gorramcheerful]

"Well she seems t'have faith in you." Kaylee decided optimistically, of course hair pulling could just mean she thought it was shiny and wanted to hold it. She glanced briefly to the dogs that were never traveling too far from River, sniffing about.

"Was awful nice for you to look after her for the day." River had been quiet devastated when another close to her had left the Island, and she thought babysitting on her own was such a kind thing to do. "Where were you two headed?"

[crazyspacegirl]

"Well, she's just a baby. She probably has faith in just about everyone. No one has disappointed her much yet." Except the the fact that her mother was gone now. That had to be disappointing, even for someone too young to know why. River liked the idea that Sam trusted her, though; she planned to try really hard to live up to that.

"Jim does nice things for me all the time. I can babysit. Even if it's a little more challenging than I expected it to be," she admitted. "We're going to visit with Shadow."

[gorramcheerful]

"S'true. Hope she stay's more inclined t'think that way too." Have faith, wasn't often she attempts to rally a bit of positivity on Serenity that way never worked too well.

"Praps she's just wantin' to make it a bit of a challenge. For folk ain't her parents." Kaylee teased, of course she didn't really think such a little one was capable of that, but it always seemed babysitters had it tough now and then. "Y'should go ask y'brother." Kaylee suggested with a widening grin. "'Praps he knows a few tricks from when you were a little'un." Simon and babies was a cute enough picture. "Though you were probably teachin' him, right?"

Kaylee was content wandering alongside the two. "Shadow! Good thinkin', bet she'd love to see a pony."

[crazyspacegirl]

"She's going very good job if that's her intention." River could laugh now, when no one was crying in her ear, and Sam was being sweet with her little head on River's shoulder. "It has crossed my mind to ask Simon about what I was like when I was this age. I couldn't possibly have been so troublesome."

That really seemed unlikely, but if River had been troublesome, she ws pretty sure she hadn't meant to be.

"I'm sure she'll like Shadow. Who doesn't like ponies? And Shadow's a really nice one."

[gorramcheerful]

"I can't see it either." She agreed with a grin, picturing a miniature baby River. "Probably knew enough what y'wanted from day one well enough on your own." She wondered, as in somehow in her cleverness River had been a self sufficient baby. "But you woulda been just as cute n'awful sweet I bet."

"Shadow's a beautiful pony." Kaylee liked to bring her carrots or apple, she'd share a bit of course. "Pity I ain't got a treat t'give her." She looked rather thoughtful a moment, glancing up ahead briefly. "So you don't reckon it's true, the whole bein' 'round babies makin' you clucky for y'own brood then?" she asked brightly, clearly most amused.

[crazyspacegirl]

"That's entirely possible," said River, laughing. "Though probably I needed to spend a little bit of time learning to walk and talk."

River was mildly horrified at Kaylee's question.

"No. No clucking here. I'd think spending time around babies would be a really good way to do the opposite, to tell you the truth. They're awful demanding."

[gorramcheerful]

Kaylee giggled a little with her. "O'Course. Walkin', talkin' correctin' your brother's spellin'. Usual stuff." River was a wonder, and Kaylee'd never done anything near as remarkable. She would've chewed books sooner than read them at three.

At such a horrified look, Kaylee could no longer suppress a laugh. "'least you're sensible 'bout it!" Of course she was sensible about something so important, she was River! "Half th'girls I knew back home were- well stuck with a whole litter underfoot b'fore they even knew what they wanted. 'Course tied'm down fer good."

She couldn't really help it, she grinned a little wider. "'Course, that ain' t'say I don't think you'd be just fine. If'n you and Cap'n decided so."

[crazyspacegirl]

"Not my fault if Simon needed correcting. What would be the point of having a sister if she couldn't be helpful?" Not that River really knew, as she had no sisters. But Simon was pretty helpful, so she figured it was probably the same thing.

"A spaceship is no place for babies," said River sternly, sounding for all the world like the Captain himself. "It isn't safe. And I wouldn't want any child to have to be stuck with me for a mother. A baby deserves someone who always knows what she's doing. Not someone like me. I'm not safe, either."