Firefly fic: Family Ties
Fandom: Firefly
Summary: After the events of Serenity, the crew decide to visit their families
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
Warning/Spoilers: Post Serenity
Genre: General
Word Count: 6923
PROLOGUE
Mal sat in the pilot's chair, guiding the Firefly class ship towards their next destination. River sat quietly beside him, watching every move he made. She already had a talent for anticipating the ship, sometimes it reminded Mal of his good friend Wash. It had not been long since his death, the crew were still grieving, but they had no choice but to continue trying to find jobs to support themselves. It felt like only months ago the ginger, moustached man had interviewed and Zoe had voiced her dislike. A smile played on Mal's lips as he remembered watching them fall in love.
Zoe woke up and immediately threw up into a bucket by her bed. She had been feeling horrible for days. She had expected the vomiting to go away after a few days, but by now she had made the decision to go and see Simon about it. She had been well enough to hide it from the crew, but she wanted to make sure it wasn't anything more serious.
She approached the medical bay with trepidation, hoping it wasn't serious but still anxious that it may be. Wash always used to be there when she was feeling unwell, she felt so alone without him. However, she didn't let it distract her from her duties on ship. They couldn't afford to be another man down, and she had seen other soldiers recover from worse, or at least learn to live with it.
Simon turned round to greet her. After she told him she had some kind of bug, he asked her to lie down on the examination bed. He ran a few tests before turning round to put his instruments back in place.
"You're fine. Both of you are," he said as he arranged them.
Zoe sat up quickly, "Both?"
"You're pregnant, didn't you realise?" Simon asked as he turned back around to face her.
"NO!" shouted Zoe before going quiet again.
"I'm sorry, but I thought you'd have figured it out. You've described all the symptoms you would expect in early pregnancy."
"How long?" she asked quietly as she placed her hands on her abdomen.
"Not long before Wash…" Simon trailed off.
Well, Zoe thought, it seems the decision has been made for us Wash.
JAYNE
"Cap'in, my mother don't know about what we do, so could we try not to let her find out… Please?"
Mal smiled, he'd never seen Jayne quite as nervous about seeing someone as he was now, waiting to see his mother.
"It's ok, I'll try not to tell her that we're criminals on the run from the Alliance," he said, as he put his hand on Jayne's shoulder. This should be interesting.
Kaylee smiled, "I'm lookin' forward to seeing what kinda mother raised you Jayne."
Simon walked up to stand beside him, "Don't worry about us. We'll try not to embarrass you… too badly."
The crew had stopped off on Jayne's home world to drop off a cargo, and while they were on the way Jayne had brought up the idea of going to see his mother. Of course, the rest of the crew decided it was a fantastic idea and couldn't wait to meet the woman who had created the man.
After delivering their cargo and getting a fair price, Jayne led them across the town and down a street before stopping outside the door of a middle class, nice looking house. There were even some potted plants on the windowsill. Mal raised an eyebrow as Jayne produced an old, battered red and orange hat and placed it on his head.
"Very cunning, now she'll definitely recognise you."
In response to Jayne's knock, a short woman who looked to be in her mid to late sixties opened the front door. After a moment of quiet thinking, she suddenly gasped and held her hands out towards Jayne, pulling his face towards her and planting a big wet kiss on both of his cheeks.
"Oh Jayne! It's been so long since I saw my little boy. I see you've bought your friends along, why don't you all come in for a nice cup of tea?"
As the crew made themselves comfortable on the sofas in Mrs Cobb's sitting room, she busied herself with making tea and setting out a plate of biscuits for them to eat. After she assembled the teacups and boiled the water, she came and sat down in an old armchair.
"So what's my little boy been up to these past months? I haven't had a letter in weeks," she directed at Jayne.
"Just work, ma. Nothin' special really," he said, looking round at his crewmates sheepishly.
Kaylee smiled widely as she enjoyed her biscuit, while Inara smiled into her teacup, trying to cover up the laughter she was holding in.
"Wasn't that business with Miranda just dreadful. Did you hear about it?"
"Ehh…" Everyone stopped and looked at Mrs Cobb's. Jayne looked uncomfortably around the room. "Yeah. Not very nice at all, ma," he replied.
"Your brother is working on Londinium now, did you know?" she said as she moved from subject to subject. The crew were visibly relieved to move on from such a fresh subject. Mal took hold of Zoe's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Mrs Cobbs continued to flit between every subject which crossed her mind, Jayne continued to act like a nine year old boy at a parent teacher interview. It transpired that Jayne not only had a brother but he also had a little sister. This became apparent when a dark haired woman bounded down the stairs into the sitting room. She smiled broadly as she saw the room full of people and introduced herself as Julia. She ran over to Jayne and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"How are ya, big brother?" she smiled.
"I'm ok. How're you?" he replied, as he returned her hug.
"Well, I'm on my way out, work to do," she said. She spotted Mal, winked at him and commented, "So you look like the infamous Captain then. Nothin' in Jayne's letters about how sexy you are." At that, she turned, waved goodbye and headed out the door, Inara's eyes following her angrily.
As Jayne stared daggers at Mal, who looked rather pleased with himself, he stood up and turned to his mother, "Sorry ma, gotta find a job and get movin'. Hope you're ok with the credits I've sent."
He bent down to give his mother a hug as she fussed about how the crew would always be welcome in the house and for the 'verse's sake how Jayne should write to her more often. Just as everyone was walking through the door she remembered something.
"By the way, I just remembered, Jimmy Dobson down the street needs someone he can trust to move a cargo elsewhere. I told him that if you stopped by you could go speak to him," she said as she gave Jayne a last kiss on the cheek.
When the crew had taken off from the planet, with a new cargo and a new destination, Mal smiled and asked if Jayne would ask his sister to come and join the Serenity as a guest for a few weeks sometime. Jayne turned and faced him, inches from Mal's face.
"Stay away from my baby sister, Mal." With that he stormed off.
"That was just too easy," Mal laughed, as Jayne disappeared into the back of the ship.
KAYLEE AND SIMON PART 1
"I'm so excited!" squealed Kaylee, a broad smile on her face. "I can't believe this job is takin' me home! I can't way to see my daddy." She was leaning over Mal's shoulder, searching the space outside the windows with her eyes.
"So… he's rather protective of his little girl then?" Mal asked, a slight looks of worry evident on his face.
"Well. He's not too bad, really. I mean, he let me come onto the boat, right?"
Mal sighed, "I'd not like to be Simon around about now…"
"Hi, I'm Simon…Hello, I'm Simon… Hi, I'm dating your daughter…" Simon was standing in front of the mirror, trying to imagine meeting Kaylee's father for the first time. He wouldn't admit it, but he was very nervous, compounded by the important question that he had to ask.
"This reminds me of the morning of my first day on wards…" he said to himself.
The first duty when they landed was to offload their cargo and collect their pay. A reasonable wage for a legitimate job. A good haul. Kaylee spent the entire time babbling excitedly about seeing her family, as Simon stood by her looking nervous. Mal walked up beside him.
"It'll be ok. They surely won't hate you that much."
"Thanks. I feel so much calmer now," Simon replied, sarcastically.
"You'll be fine, Simon. You're much nicer than any of my previous boyfriends. Dad should be ok with you," said Kaylee, with a smile on her face. Simon's face visibly whitened.
As they drew close to a large house they saw a large man with a beard, rosy cheeks and a big grin standing beside a slender woman, also smiling. Kaylee ran off down the path through the garden and into his arms, and got lifted off the ground in a massive bear hug. The crew were not close behind and caught up in time for her to be put down.
"Dad, I'd like you to meet Simon," Kaylee said to him, a huge smile on her face.
He turned around and a thundery look came over him.
"You hurt my daughter and I'll kill you." There was a pause as all the colour drained from Simon, before the man smiled broadly, "Aww, come'ere!" he shouted and pulled Simon into a bear hug the same as he'd given his daughter.
The rest of the crew smiled, as the breath was knocked out of him and Kaylee turned to hug her mother.
Mr Frye turned to the rest of the crew, "Come in, come in! Friends of my daughter are always welcome!"
The crew made themselves acquainted with the Frye family, consisting of six brothers, all older, and her parents. Mrs Frye was a quiet woman, her father was the domineering personality. He was a cheery, loud and likeable man who obviously doted on his only daughter. That night they sat down to what the crew could only describe as a feast, enough to feed all twelve of them and more.
Everyone got along very well, though it was obvious that Kaylee's older brothers were very protective of her. The crew were subject to some questioning and much mechanic talk went on, mostly flying over the heads of the crew, but her family were all most interested in Simon. Many jokes were made at his expense, and many questions were asked. Of course, his being a talented doctor did not escape attention.
The festivities lasted long into the night, only in the small hours of the morning did everyone begin to filter off and collapse into bed. However, Simon waited until he could take Kaylee's father off to the side.
"Sir, I would like to talk to you privately if that would be possible."
Mr Frye turned around with a big smile on his face. He slapped Simon on the back, "Of course you can!"
They moved into another room so no one would overhear.
"Sir, I know I've not been dating your daughter for a long time, but, well -"
"Yes," said Mr Frye before Simon could finish.
"Eh, sorry?"
"You want to marry my daughter. I've never known a man to be so nervous as when asking for a father's permission, except maybe myself. You gave yourself away, lad."
"Oh. Well…, I'm glad I have your permission then!" said Simon, slightly confused, but smiling as he realised what had just happened.
"I couldn't have chosen someone better for her myself, and that's a big compliment to get from any father," Mr Frye said, a kind smile on his face with a twinkle in his eye.
Simon let out a laugh and they parted. Simon didn't sleep at all that night, and didn't stop smiling.
KAYLEE AND SIMON PART 2
At the insistence of Kaylee's father, Mal didn't schedule to leave for a couple of days. He didn't know why, but it seemed very important. They didn't have any priority jobs lined up, so he decided he could spare a few extra days, and besides, he enjoyed her family's company. There hadn't been quite enough laughter amongst the crew in the last few months. All became apparent that night at dinner.
Before the main course was served, Mr Frye stood and raised his glass.
"Here's to meeting my Kaylee's second family, I'm glad to know you all take good care of her!"
Much cheering happened as everyone drank to his toast.
"Now, if I'm not mistaken, young Mr Tam here has something to say," he said, sitting down as all heads turned to Simon.
Simon stood, looking nervous with one hand in his pocket.
"It seems like only yesterday that I boarded the Serenity," she said. "At first, I wasn't sure what to expect, but now I find myself surrounded by the best family a man could hope for."
Smiles all around from the crew.
"And who would have thought, someone like me would find love along the way," he looked down at Kaylee and smiled, she blushed. "…Especially with my ability to screw things up!" he said to laughter from all of the crew.
"So! To my family and Serenity!" he raised his glass, followed by the rest of the table.
"And one more thing," he said. He pushed his chair back and dropped to one knee facing Kaylee.
"I know we haven't been together long, but I have loved you from almost the minute I stepped onto Serenity. I just didn't realise soon enough."
Kaylee had a shocked look on her face as he took her hand.
"Kaylee Frye, will you marry me?"
"… Yes!"
"I'm sorry Mr Frye, we can't stay here mor'an a coupla weeks at the longest, we gotta make some coin and do some jobs. We got a new arrival on the way, we gotta prepare for it," said Mal, as he and Kaylee's father took a walk in the garden.
"Three weeks at the longest, planning a wedding ain't easy, and she's my only daughter."
"I know, but we just can't afford to keep off the job that long. I got a boat to keep in repair, which is harder than it seems, a doctor to keep stocked up and a baby to look after. I need to look after my crew."
"These repairs… we may not be able to give you any coin to stay here, but Kaylee comes from a fine line of engineers. You stay so we can sort the weddin', we'll fit up your ship. Call it a weddin' present to Kaylee."
Mal paused, weighing up the options. On one hand, getting a job and getting some hard cash. On the other, getting a good overhaul of the ship would be worth far more than a few weeks work. Mr Frye fixed him with a stare. Mal took a deep breath in and out.
"I suppose we can spare three weeks. I'm sure Kaylee will be thrilled with her present," he said, an understanding passing between the two men.
Mr Frye clapped Mal on the back, "You're a good man Captain. Thank you for keeping my Kaylee safe."
"It's mostly been the other way round. We'd a been toast a long time ago without her."
The men smiled.
Overnight the wedding planning and the repairs began. Kaylee was so in demand for time that she had no chance to get back to the ship, and had no idea that it was being overhauled. It was the first time the crew had seen Mrs Frye really take control of something. Dress conversations, flowers, guest list… Most of it went straight over Simon's head. Meanwhile, Kaylee's brothers and father were spending long hours every day refitting, cleaning and modifying the Serenity. Mal kept an eye on what was happening, but never had to interject as it was obvious that the ship was in very good hands.
In the three weeks the crew got to know Kaylee's family well, and friendships formed between all members of both. It took a few glares from older brothers before Jayne learnt what was (and more importantly, what was not) appropriate, but once he knew when to hold his tongue he fit in quite well. Progress on the wedding happened at an alarmingly quick rate, the crew got the impression Kaylee and her mother had planned the whole thing for years. Serenity looked like a new ship, she had been given a new lick of paint and shined up, and the engine now run smoother than Mal had ever known. Kaylee still had no idea what had been done. Mal was to be best man at the wedding, while Inara was to be Chief Bridesmaid, and the whole crew had been fitted for their formalwear. Excitement built as the day grew nearer, until finally Simon was standing and the crew, her family and her friends were sitting, all dressed up, at the wedding venue, waiting for the bride.
KAYLEE AND SIMON PART 3
The wedding took place outside, with a beautiful white arch being used as the altar with white flowers intertwined the whole way up it, with raised vases of flowers around the outline of the seating. The entrance was obscured by flower covered trellises. Simon stood by the arch, looking nervous yet handsome in his new suit. Mal stood beside him, a deep feeling of pride and happiness in his chest. Mr Frye stood under the arch, nervously clutching a book, waiting for the procession to begin. Inara was standing on the other side of the arch, waiting to see Kaylee in her dress, unaware of how Mal's eyes kept drifting over to her. River sat quietly in the front row, a slight smile on her face as she looked at Simon. Zoe, whose bump was now showing, sat with her hand on the empty seat beside her. Kaylee had requested that seat be held in honour for Wash, so he could be there in spirit.
A violin quartet began and everyone turned in their seats to see Kaylee turn the corner. She was wearing a beautiful white, strapless dress which was decorated with embroidered white and pale pink flowers down one side. It was laced up in the back, almost like a corset, showing off her figure to the best degree, and it fanned out slightly at her hips to reach the floor. Her hair was curled and cascaded across her shoulders, with the hair at the temples drawn backwards and fixed. A white clip with a flower on it was placed above her ear. She looked simply stunning as she began to walk down the aisle, arm in arm with her eldest brother. The smile on her face just helped her glow.
Simon's mouth opened as he caught sight of her, and the smiles Mal and Inara displayed showed the greatest pride and happiness for her, as well as a pleasant surprise at her transformation from a pretty ships mechanic to a stunning woman. As she drew up to the arch she was simply radiant. Her brother gave her away after giving her a kiss on the cheek and sat down in the front row.
"Well hi there, handsome," she said to Simon as she turned to face him, with a smile on her face.
"You look… wow," he stuttered. Kaylee blushed and smiled at him.
They both turned to face Mr Frye who had a loving smile on his face, and slightly watery eyes.
"You'll always be my little girl," he said quietly to Kaylee, before raising his voice. "We gather here today to witness the marriage of Kaywinnie Lee Frye and Simon Tam."
The reception was held under a large pavilion, the ground had been laid with planks to give a hard standing for the tables and dancing. The food went down a storm, especially the cake. It had apparently been the most expensive part of the entire wedding. It was a real cake, no protein bars to be found. Simon and Kaylee looked the picture of happiness as they cut it, not expecting a true, soft sponge cake. Pure, un-nourishing calories. Heaven.
Alcohol ran freely, and everyone enjoyed themselves better than they could remember in a long time. Simon and Kaylee danced the first dance, as tradition, and got a massive round of applause at the end. Then the real fun began. The alcohol flowed and the music sped up, as people took to the floor and danced all through the night. Mal demanded to be allowed to dance with the bride at least once, while River and Simon laughed as they danced around the floor. Zoe sat watching with a smile on her face, though Mal did force her to dance at least once. Not too energetically, of course. There were no shortages of men of all ages asking Inara to dance, and she did with some, including Kaylee's eldest brother. She mostly spent the evening sitting with Zoe as they watched the festivities. Jayne enjoyed the copious amounts of free alcohol and even joined in with some of the dancing himself, albeit badly. The party went on until the small hours of the morning, though Simon and Kaylee snuck off towards the end to spend their wedding night together.
The next day the Serenity was scheduled to leave. Kaylee and Simon were to meet the rest of the crew and her family at the ship, Kaylee unaware of what her family had done for her. She approached the ship with a blindfold on, Simon leading her by the hand.
"Simon!" she laughed, "Just what are ya doin'?"
"You'll see in a moment," he replied as he stood her on the spot, facing the ship and everyone who was gathered.
"Now Kaylee, we gotta little surprise for ya," Mal said, a smile playing on his lips. "Well, honest speakin', your folks do."
"Come on, Cap'in, I wanna know what's goin' on," pined Kaylee. "Please?"
Mal nodded at Simon, who removed Kaylee's blindfold. She took a moment before she registered Serenity and how new she looked. Almost straight out of the factory.
Her mouth slowly opened, "…Shiney!"
INARA
"Don't you have family to see Inara?" asked Kaylee as she lay against Simon on the sofa.
"My mother was a Companion on Sihnon, my father was a client. I don't know who he was, and I was raised by the companions in the temple. I don't have any family, so to speak."
"Well that's a sad thing," Kaylee replied.
"I've known no other way my whole life, in a manner of speaking the Companions as a whole are my family. I cannot miss the father I never knew, or the mother who left to work."
"I dunno, I miss ma daddy sometimes," muttered Jayne as he sharpened one of his knives.
The rest of the crew paused and looked at him. He self-conciously looked up from his knife.
"Aww hell. He left ma maw when I was a young'un, kay? I never real' knew 'im. Now leave me 'lone, y'all already met ma maw."
The rest of the crew didn't know what to say, before Simon piped up.
"I wish I could see my parents again, but we've probably been disowned by now. And, of course, we're wanted fugitives."
Kaylee squeezed his hand as River quietly said, "Maybe one day Simon."
She'd been getting clearer every day since Miranda.
RIVER AND SIMON
Zoe was getting close, she had no option now but to take a firm back seat in any operations on the ship. The crew were understanding, but Zoe was frustrated. She wasn't going to risk this baby though, it was near enough her whole world now. Her only remaining spark of Wash.
As the crew were offloading their cargo, a familiar face approached.
"Ahh, Badger," said Mal, putting down the barrel he was holding and wiping his hands on his trouser legs.
"'Ello. Now, there's a coupla people who wanna be talkin' to your doc and the crazy girl, do I tell em you lot are 'ere?"
Simon stood and looked at Mal with worry evident on his face, Mal sharing the look of concern.
"They give any indication as to who they may be?" Mal asked.
"They say," Badger replied, cocking one eyebrow, "They're their parents."
Simon ran round the corner and stopped dead. River huddled behind him. A man and a woman, older looking than he remembered, were standing, looking out of a window. As they heard him, they turned.
"Finally," his mother quietly gasped. "We've found you at last."
She walked towards them, as their father stood still, his hands clasped behind his back. No emotion was evident in his face. Their mother reached Simon and embraced him tightly.
"Where have you been?" she asked, as she held him close, "We thought you were dead!"
"No mother, I am not dead. I told you what I was leaving to do, and I did it."
His mother pulled away and spotted River behind him. She fell quiet as she moved around to look at her.
"My daughter. My beautiful River," she whispered.
"I sent them my pain, they wouldn't listen, Simon, they wouldn't listen! They've been running, running for us, but he didn't want to. He doesn't know us, Simon. They don't know. They don't understand us, they want to take us away, Simon, don't let them take us away," she muttered as she backed away from her mother, looking scared.
Mrs Tam looked back at Simon, visibly hurt from River's comments.
Simon looked back into her eyes, "I was right mother, they were hurting her. They were hurting everyone. It wasn't a school, it was a laboratory."
Tears welled up in their mother's eyes. "We didn't know. We honestly didn't know," she whispered.
Mal and Jayne crept away, they'd been hiding around the corner, ready to defend River and Simon in case it was another Alliance trick.
The four Tams sat in a dusty bar on a small moon circling a rim world. Mr Tam looked thoroughly uncomfortable, acting as if everyone in the bar was eyeing him up to mug him later. Mrs Tam only had eyes for her children.
"I told you mother, I knew something was wrong," Simon said to her.
Slow tears had silently been rolling down Mrs Tam's cheeks since River's distressed reaction to her. She hadn't seen her daughters in years, and in those years she'd grown from a bright eyed young girl to a woman, a woman she barely recognised past the fog that clouded River's mind.
"How will you ever forgive me for letting you go through that? Both of you?" she asked.
"They made me different. They made me someone else. Simon, tell them, it was my decision. So much pain, all in my head, it felt like it was going to burst, Simon. Then I got saved, he made them stop. He made them…" River rambled, clearly disorientated by meeting her parents whom she hadn't known for years.
Mrs Tam reached across the table and took River's hand. River looked down, slightly confused, before slightly squeezing on her mother's hand.
"He did not want to come running, he did not want to run after us. He did not want to know who we are," said River, looking in the direction of her father who had wandered off to the bar.
"No. No, your father didn't want to come. He wanted to disown you both when he found out you were fugitives. He said you brought dishonour on our family and we were going to be ridiculed and scorned for the rest of our lives." Mrs Tam looked over to Simon, "I knew you were in trouble when the news came out. You were so confident that River was being hurt, and then you both disappear. I lost everything that night. I knew I had to find you, I knew you were in trouble. We followed the reports, word of mouth. We knew you were travelling aboard a Firefly. It's taken us years, I can't believe I finally have you back. We can all fly back and get this whole thing sorted out." She smiled.
Simon sighed, "Mother, we can't come back. We found somewhere we belong. I'm married now."
"Married?" his mother gasped, before exclaiming her joy and examining his ring. She'd been so excited to see her children that she hadn't even noticed. A twinge of sadness then entered her voice, "So you are settled then? Well, at least I know you two are happy now. You can always write to us, and maybe we'll be able to see you every once in a while now you know we are still here for you."
Mrs Tam came to see her children off back at the Serenity, while Mr Tam sorted their things for leaving, and passage back to the central planets. She was ecstatic about meeting Kaylee, exclaiming that she was beautiful, and so smart. She got along well with the crew, even though she wasn't there for longer than an hour. When it came time to leave she turned to Simon.
"I can see why you have fallen in love with this ship. I'm happy for you." She hugged him and then turned to her daughter. River looked at Simon, unsure as to what to do. He gave a slight nod and she opened her arms, and welcomed the first hug from her mother since she'd been sent to 'school' aged 14.
As their mother walked away, a single tear ran down River's cheek.
ZOE
Zoe was nervous, how were Wash's parents going to react to her after all these years? Now their son was dead and she was pregnant, how would they feel? Would they blame her for keeping him on the ship, I mean, she was one of the people who hired him and took him away from them. Was it her fault that he was now dead?
She sat on the bridge, in what was usually River's co-pilot seat, staring into space with her hand on her very pregnant tummy. She would be ready to give birth any day now, and hopefully they'd be onworld when she went into labour. Something about having a hospital nearby just helped her keep calm, not that she didn't trust Simon, but she wanted a trained midwife by her bed.
Mal arrived on bridge and sat in the pilot's seat, Wash's old station. He looked over to see the quiet Zoe, obviously not quite there.
"You holdin' up, Zoe?" he asked.
She seemed to snap out of her daydream, "Yes sir, sorry."
"No apologisin' needed, meetin' the inlaws is scarier'un at least half the battles we fought together."
"Yes sir."
The Serenity landed onworld and after offloading their cargo, Zoe got ready to head to Wash's parents' house. She turned to the Captain while the others were busy.
"Sir, I… would you come with me?" she asked him, showing her vulnerability.
"I would Zoe, but I got somethin' I gotta do. Sorry," he replied.
Zoe understood, she knew it must be important, she could see it in his eyes. It didn't stop her being any less nervous, however.
As she was saying goodbye to the crew Kaylee walked over and gave her a hug.
"You'll be fine, don't worry," she said.
Zoe smiled, "See you all later." She waved as she walked off, as she turned aside a nervous look spread across her face. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared.
Zoe stood outside the door, unsure whether she could face Wash's parents or not. She just stood, waiting. Staring at the closed door, knowing they were inside. She raised her hand and knocked once, almost hoping they wouldn't hear it and she could pretend they weren't in. A grey haired woman opened the door.
"Zoe," she gasped quietly.
Zoe awkwardly reached out her hand for a handshake, "Hello."
"Don't be silly," replied Mrs Washburne, as she pulled Zoe into a gentle hug. She pulled away and held Zoe's shoulders, "You're always welcome here."
Mrs Washburne led Zoe into their front room where she could see Mr Washburn making a pot of tea in the kitchen.
"Sit yourself down, we don't want you stressing yourself out too much as you are. You look fit to burst," she said with a motherly smile.
The edges of Zoe's mouth turned upwards, "Any day now." She subconsciously patted her belly gently.
"You'll make a great mother, you know. We're mighty proud'a you. Such happiness after such a sadness. Any idea on the sex?"
"No, not yet. The serenity doesn't have an ultrasound board, so we've had to visit hospitals when we can, but our doctor's been keeping good care of me and the little one, don't you worry."
Mr Washburne came through from the kitchen carrying a teapot and three mugs.
"We always get tea on when someone knocks, never know who it might be," he commented. "How are you keepin'?" he asked, kindly.
"Copin'." She replied. "It's all we can do."
The Washburne's nodded solemnly.
Hours went past as time drew near for Zoe to be heading back to the ship. About half an hour before she needed to leave, Mrs Washburne stood up and looked through a drawer in a table in the corner. She found what she was looking for and sat back down on the sofa. She placed something on the table.
"Way back, Hoban sent us a message for you. Just in case..." she said, tears welling in her eyes for the first time. She leant forward and switched on the hologram. A tiny figure of Wash was standing there, his instantly recognised smile beaming and his flop of red hair messily lying on his head.
"Hey honey, if you're watching this it means I probably died doing something really stupid, but oh so cool. At least, I hope so. It would kinda suck if I slipped on the way into our cabin and broke my neck or something. Oh please tell me I didn't do that!"
Zoe smiled, as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"...Anyway, this is a message to say that I love you. And that I always have. Even when you told me to shave my moustache. I mean, if that didn't get rid of me nothing ever would. I hope you're not taking it too bad, and I hope the others are looking after you. Just in case we ever got a visit from the tiny people, I want you to look under the main control console in the cockpit. I've been saving some money and I bolted it in a box to the underside. It should help take care of things. Make sure, if we have kids, they know who their dad was. Just make sure you don't tell them everything, I don't want to come off as some uncool, moustached guy. Oh! But make sure they know about dinosaurs, they're so cool! I'll see you in the future, my love. Oops, got to go, you're coming down the ladder."
The holo cut off.
Zoe sat quietly, focused on where the image of her dead husband had been floating. Hearing his voice again... Silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
Suddenly she leant forward as a stain started to spread on the couch.
"I think my waters just broke," she gasped.
MAL
Mal piloted the shuttle almost in a daydream. He hadn't been back here since the aftermath of Serenity Valley. The memories were still too fresh, too painful. He locked it away in a part of his brain, and his heart, so he could face each day. He hated the numbness he felt to survive.
Mal landed the shuttle by an outcrop, miles from any habitation. The remains of a dirt track were evident, as well as the burnt stumps of some wooden foundations. He sat for a moment, gathering himself, before leaving the shuttle and walking over to two waist height columns by the remains of the house. A holo projection of a pretty woman's face, smiling, was atop one which read 'Karla Reynolds'. The other displayed a laughing boy, who couldn't be older than five years old. It read 'Benjamin Reynolds'.
Mal walked up to the gravestones, reaching out his hand to try and touch the hologram of his wife's face.
"I missed you Karla. I'm sorry it's been so long. I... Eleven years now. It feels like yesterday you were taken from me. I can't believe Ben would be nearly sixteen now."
He walked over to Ben's grave and looked his smiling son in the eyes, "I wish I could've seen you grow up, little man. I failed you..."
He looked back at the grave of his wife, "We got them back ya know. We may have lost the war, but we've dealt the Alliance a blow. Did you know that they created Reavers? They created them! And kept quiet about the whole thing. Well, we found them out and now the whole system knows. It's the start of something, Karla. I can feel it."
He paused, and took a deep breath. "I'll never forgive them for what they did to you..." Tears started to fall as he slid down the gravestone until he was sitting in the dry earth. "I know you didn't want me to sign up," he sobbed, "But after what they did to you... How could I not fight the people who killed my wife and son?"
Mal stayed for hours, sometimes sitting in silence and remembering, other times chatting away to his wife and son like they were there with him, back in their house and enjoying life together. As a family. He looked at his watch and realised he should be getting back to his crew. They'd be wondering where he was by now. He stood up and looked at the holos, sadness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry it's been so long. I promise I won't leave you for that long again."
He reached to his wife's gravestone, picking up a tarnished silver necklace with a cross hanging from it.
"It's time I took this back. Thanks for keeping it safe for me."
He kissed each gravestone before turning back and walking into the shuttle. He looked back as the door closed.
"I love you."
As Mal took off from the site of his former home he received a message.
"Cap'n! Are you there Cap'n? Seriously, where could he be? Cap'n! This is Kaylee, it's urgent!""Hi Kaylee, what's wrong?" he replied, worried.
"Thank God Cap'n, we've been tryna catch you for ages! Zoe's in labour! We're at the hospital, you gotta get down here!"
"I'm on my way," he replied.
He set course for the only hospital near the town the Serenity was docked at.
"Well, this is gonna be one interestin' day."
THE FAMILY GROWS
By the time Mal arrived at the hospital it had been hours since Kayleigh had told him Zoe was in labour. Always the way, just as you were trying to do something important all hell breaks loose in the engines, then with parking the shuttle, arguing with the parking attendant... Well, now he was here.
"Zoe Washburne," he said to the nurse as he skidded into the reception. Seeing his expression, she gave him directions and he ran off down the hallway.
"Hey! No running!" she called after him. He slowed to a fast walk, trying not to break into a sprint.
He caught his breath as he stood outside the door. He took a deep breath in and opened the door. He wasn't met by the hellish scene he was expecting - he was too late to see the birth. Instead when he walked in he was greeted by a different view. Jayne was sitting propped up in a chair, while River was fanning him with a bit of paper. He murmered under his breath, "That ain't nothing I ever need ta see again." Simon was standing with his arm around Kayleigh, who was fawning with a huge smile on her face. Inara sat beside Zoe, a small bundled-up baby in her arms and a smile on her face. Zoe was lying on the bed, and Mal was surprised to see another bundle in her arms.
"Twins, Sir," she beamed as she saw him. "I got twins."
Emily and Jack ran through the corridors screaming and giggling.
"Verse's sake, Zoe! Keep your kids under control!" Mal said as he was almost thrown off balance as they ran around his legs.
Zoe smiled. "You know what kids are like, Sir."
Mal sighed and touched the cross that hung round his neck, "That I do..."
The cause of all the running became apparent as Jayne bounded around the corner and almost crashed headlong into the Captain.
"Sorry Sir!" he shouted back as he kept running. "I'm gonna get you two!"
"One big happy family," Mal smiled.
Summary: After the events of Serenity, the crew decide to visit their families
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
Warning/Spoilers: Post Serenity
Genre: General
Word Count: 6923
PROLOGUE
Mal sat in the pilot's chair, guiding the Firefly class ship towards their next destination. River sat quietly beside him, watching every move he made. She already had a talent for anticipating the ship, sometimes it reminded Mal of his good friend Wash. It had not been long since his death, the crew were still grieving, but they had no choice but to continue trying to find jobs to support themselves. It felt like only months ago the ginger, moustached man had interviewed and Zoe had voiced her dislike. A smile played on Mal's lips as he remembered watching them fall in love.
Zoe woke up and immediately threw up into a bucket by her bed. She had been feeling horrible for days. She had expected the vomiting to go away after a few days, but by now she had made the decision to go and see Simon about it. She had been well enough to hide it from the crew, but she wanted to make sure it wasn't anything more serious.
She approached the medical bay with trepidation, hoping it wasn't serious but still anxious that it may be. Wash always used to be there when she was feeling unwell, she felt so alone without him. However, she didn't let it distract her from her duties on ship. They couldn't afford to be another man down, and she had seen other soldiers recover from worse, or at least learn to live with it.
Simon turned round to greet her. After she told him she had some kind of bug, he asked her to lie down on the examination bed. He ran a few tests before turning round to put his instruments back in place.
"You're fine. Both of you are," he said as he arranged them.
Zoe sat up quickly, "Both?"
"You're pregnant, didn't you realise?" Simon asked as he turned back around to face her.
"NO!" shouted Zoe before going quiet again.
"I'm sorry, but I thought you'd have figured it out. You've described all the symptoms you would expect in early pregnancy."
"How long?" she asked quietly as she placed her hands on her abdomen.
"Not long before Wash…" Simon trailed off.
Well, Zoe thought, it seems the decision has been made for us Wash.
JAYNE
"Cap'in, my mother don't know about what we do, so could we try not to let her find out… Please?"
Mal smiled, he'd never seen Jayne quite as nervous about seeing someone as he was now, waiting to see his mother.
"It's ok, I'll try not to tell her that we're criminals on the run from the Alliance," he said, as he put his hand on Jayne's shoulder. This should be interesting.
Kaylee smiled, "I'm lookin' forward to seeing what kinda mother raised you Jayne."
Simon walked up to stand beside him, "Don't worry about us. We'll try not to embarrass you… too badly."
The crew had stopped off on Jayne's home world to drop off a cargo, and while they were on the way Jayne had brought up the idea of going to see his mother. Of course, the rest of the crew decided it was a fantastic idea and couldn't wait to meet the woman who had created the man.
After delivering their cargo and getting a fair price, Jayne led them across the town and down a street before stopping outside the door of a middle class, nice looking house. There were even some potted plants on the windowsill. Mal raised an eyebrow as Jayne produced an old, battered red and orange hat and placed it on his head.
"Very cunning, now she'll definitely recognise you."
In response to Jayne's knock, a short woman who looked to be in her mid to late sixties opened the front door. After a moment of quiet thinking, she suddenly gasped and held her hands out towards Jayne, pulling his face towards her and planting a big wet kiss on both of his cheeks.
"Oh Jayne! It's been so long since I saw my little boy. I see you've bought your friends along, why don't you all come in for a nice cup of tea?"
As the crew made themselves comfortable on the sofas in Mrs Cobb's sitting room, she busied herself with making tea and setting out a plate of biscuits for them to eat. After she assembled the teacups and boiled the water, she came and sat down in an old armchair.
"So what's my little boy been up to these past months? I haven't had a letter in weeks," she directed at Jayne.
"Just work, ma. Nothin' special really," he said, looking round at his crewmates sheepishly.
Kaylee smiled widely as she enjoyed her biscuit, while Inara smiled into her teacup, trying to cover up the laughter she was holding in.
"Wasn't that business with Miranda just dreadful. Did you hear about it?"
"Ehh…" Everyone stopped and looked at Mrs Cobb's. Jayne looked uncomfortably around the room. "Yeah. Not very nice at all, ma," he replied.
"Your brother is working on Londinium now, did you know?" she said as she moved from subject to subject. The crew were visibly relieved to move on from such a fresh subject. Mal took hold of Zoe's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Mrs Cobbs continued to flit between every subject which crossed her mind, Jayne continued to act like a nine year old boy at a parent teacher interview. It transpired that Jayne not only had a brother but he also had a little sister. This became apparent when a dark haired woman bounded down the stairs into the sitting room. She smiled broadly as she saw the room full of people and introduced herself as Julia. She ran over to Jayne and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"How are ya, big brother?" she smiled.
"I'm ok. How're you?" he replied, as he returned her hug.
"Well, I'm on my way out, work to do," she said. She spotted Mal, winked at him and commented, "So you look like the infamous Captain then. Nothin' in Jayne's letters about how sexy you are." At that, she turned, waved goodbye and headed out the door, Inara's eyes following her angrily.
As Jayne stared daggers at Mal, who looked rather pleased with himself, he stood up and turned to his mother, "Sorry ma, gotta find a job and get movin'. Hope you're ok with the credits I've sent."
He bent down to give his mother a hug as she fussed about how the crew would always be welcome in the house and for the 'verse's sake how Jayne should write to her more often. Just as everyone was walking through the door she remembered something.
"By the way, I just remembered, Jimmy Dobson down the street needs someone he can trust to move a cargo elsewhere. I told him that if you stopped by you could go speak to him," she said as she gave Jayne a last kiss on the cheek.
When the crew had taken off from the planet, with a new cargo and a new destination, Mal smiled and asked if Jayne would ask his sister to come and join the Serenity as a guest for a few weeks sometime. Jayne turned and faced him, inches from Mal's face.
"Stay away from my baby sister, Mal." With that he stormed off.
"That was just too easy," Mal laughed, as Jayne disappeared into the back of the ship.
KAYLEE AND SIMON PART 1
"I'm so excited!" squealed Kaylee, a broad smile on her face. "I can't believe this job is takin' me home! I can't way to see my daddy." She was leaning over Mal's shoulder, searching the space outside the windows with her eyes.
"So… he's rather protective of his little girl then?" Mal asked, a slight looks of worry evident on his face.
"Well. He's not too bad, really. I mean, he let me come onto the boat, right?"
Mal sighed, "I'd not like to be Simon around about now…"
"Hi, I'm Simon…Hello, I'm Simon… Hi, I'm dating your daughter…" Simon was standing in front of the mirror, trying to imagine meeting Kaylee's father for the first time. He wouldn't admit it, but he was very nervous, compounded by the important question that he had to ask.
"This reminds me of the morning of my first day on wards…" he said to himself.
The first duty when they landed was to offload their cargo and collect their pay. A reasonable wage for a legitimate job. A good haul. Kaylee spent the entire time babbling excitedly about seeing her family, as Simon stood by her looking nervous. Mal walked up beside him.
"It'll be ok. They surely won't hate you that much."
"Thanks. I feel so much calmer now," Simon replied, sarcastically.
"You'll be fine, Simon. You're much nicer than any of my previous boyfriends. Dad should be ok with you," said Kaylee, with a smile on her face. Simon's face visibly whitened.
As they drew close to a large house they saw a large man with a beard, rosy cheeks and a big grin standing beside a slender woman, also smiling. Kaylee ran off down the path through the garden and into his arms, and got lifted off the ground in a massive bear hug. The crew were not close behind and caught up in time for her to be put down.
"Dad, I'd like you to meet Simon," Kaylee said to him, a huge smile on her face.
He turned around and a thundery look came over him.
"You hurt my daughter and I'll kill you." There was a pause as all the colour drained from Simon, before the man smiled broadly, "Aww, come'ere!" he shouted and pulled Simon into a bear hug the same as he'd given his daughter.
The rest of the crew smiled, as the breath was knocked out of him and Kaylee turned to hug her mother.
Mr Frye turned to the rest of the crew, "Come in, come in! Friends of my daughter are always welcome!"
The crew made themselves acquainted with the Frye family, consisting of six brothers, all older, and her parents. Mrs Frye was a quiet woman, her father was the domineering personality. He was a cheery, loud and likeable man who obviously doted on his only daughter. That night they sat down to what the crew could only describe as a feast, enough to feed all twelve of them and more.
Everyone got along very well, though it was obvious that Kaylee's older brothers were very protective of her. The crew were subject to some questioning and much mechanic talk went on, mostly flying over the heads of the crew, but her family were all most interested in Simon. Many jokes were made at his expense, and many questions were asked. Of course, his being a talented doctor did not escape attention.
The festivities lasted long into the night, only in the small hours of the morning did everyone begin to filter off and collapse into bed. However, Simon waited until he could take Kaylee's father off to the side.
"Sir, I would like to talk to you privately if that would be possible."
Mr Frye turned around with a big smile on his face. He slapped Simon on the back, "Of course you can!"
They moved into another room so no one would overhear.
"Sir, I know I've not been dating your daughter for a long time, but, well -"
"Yes," said Mr Frye before Simon could finish.
"Eh, sorry?"
"You want to marry my daughter. I've never known a man to be so nervous as when asking for a father's permission, except maybe myself. You gave yourself away, lad."
"Oh. Well…, I'm glad I have your permission then!" said Simon, slightly confused, but smiling as he realised what had just happened.
"I couldn't have chosen someone better for her myself, and that's a big compliment to get from any father," Mr Frye said, a kind smile on his face with a twinkle in his eye.
Simon let out a laugh and they parted. Simon didn't sleep at all that night, and didn't stop smiling.
KAYLEE AND SIMON PART 2
At the insistence of Kaylee's father, Mal didn't schedule to leave for a couple of days. He didn't know why, but it seemed very important. They didn't have any priority jobs lined up, so he decided he could spare a few extra days, and besides, he enjoyed her family's company. There hadn't been quite enough laughter amongst the crew in the last few months. All became apparent that night at dinner.
Before the main course was served, Mr Frye stood and raised his glass.
"Here's to meeting my Kaylee's second family, I'm glad to know you all take good care of her!"
Much cheering happened as everyone drank to his toast.
"Now, if I'm not mistaken, young Mr Tam here has something to say," he said, sitting down as all heads turned to Simon.
Simon stood, looking nervous with one hand in his pocket.
"It seems like only yesterday that I boarded the Serenity," she said. "At first, I wasn't sure what to expect, but now I find myself surrounded by the best family a man could hope for."
Smiles all around from the crew.
"And who would have thought, someone like me would find love along the way," he looked down at Kaylee and smiled, she blushed. "…Especially with my ability to screw things up!" he said to laughter from all of the crew.
"So! To my family and Serenity!" he raised his glass, followed by the rest of the table.
"And one more thing," he said. He pushed his chair back and dropped to one knee facing Kaylee.
"I know we haven't been together long, but I have loved you from almost the minute I stepped onto Serenity. I just didn't realise soon enough."
Kaylee had a shocked look on her face as he took her hand.
"Kaylee Frye, will you marry me?"
"… Yes!"
"I'm sorry Mr Frye, we can't stay here mor'an a coupla weeks at the longest, we gotta make some coin and do some jobs. We got a new arrival on the way, we gotta prepare for it," said Mal, as he and Kaylee's father took a walk in the garden.
"Three weeks at the longest, planning a wedding ain't easy, and she's my only daughter."
"I know, but we just can't afford to keep off the job that long. I got a boat to keep in repair, which is harder than it seems, a doctor to keep stocked up and a baby to look after. I need to look after my crew."
"These repairs… we may not be able to give you any coin to stay here, but Kaylee comes from a fine line of engineers. You stay so we can sort the weddin', we'll fit up your ship. Call it a weddin' present to Kaylee."
Mal paused, weighing up the options. On one hand, getting a job and getting some hard cash. On the other, getting a good overhaul of the ship would be worth far more than a few weeks work. Mr Frye fixed him with a stare. Mal took a deep breath in and out.
"I suppose we can spare three weeks. I'm sure Kaylee will be thrilled with her present," he said, an understanding passing between the two men.
Mr Frye clapped Mal on the back, "You're a good man Captain. Thank you for keeping my Kaylee safe."
"It's mostly been the other way round. We'd a been toast a long time ago without her."
The men smiled.
Overnight the wedding planning and the repairs began. Kaylee was so in demand for time that she had no chance to get back to the ship, and had no idea that it was being overhauled. It was the first time the crew had seen Mrs Frye really take control of something. Dress conversations, flowers, guest list… Most of it went straight over Simon's head. Meanwhile, Kaylee's brothers and father were spending long hours every day refitting, cleaning and modifying the Serenity. Mal kept an eye on what was happening, but never had to interject as it was obvious that the ship was in very good hands.
In the three weeks the crew got to know Kaylee's family well, and friendships formed between all members of both. It took a few glares from older brothers before Jayne learnt what was (and more importantly, what was not) appropriate, but once he knew when to hold his tongue he fit in quite well. Progress on the wedding happened at an alarmingly quick rate, the crew got the impression Kaylee and her mother had planned the whole thing for years. Serenity looked like a new ship, she had been given a new lick of paint and shined up, and the engine now run smoother than Mal had ever known. Kaylee still had no idea what had been done. Mal was to be best man at the wedding, while Inara was to be Chief Bridesmaid, and the whole crew had been fitted for their formalwear. Excitement built as the day grew nearer, until finally Simon was standing and the crew, her family and her friends were sitting, all dressed up, at the wedding venue, waiting for the bride.
KAYLEE AND SIMON PART 3
The wedding took place outside, with a beautiful white arch being used as the altar with white flowers intertwined the whole way up it, with raised vases of flowers around the outline of the seating. The entrance was obscured by flower covered trellises. Simon stood by the arch, looking nervous yet handsome in his new suit. Mal stood beside him, a deep feeling of pride and happiness in his chest. Mr Frye stood under the arch, nervously clutching a book, waiting for the procession to begin. Inara was standing on the other side of the arch, waiting to see Kaylee in her dress, unaware of how Mal's eyes kept drifting over to her. River sat quietly in the front row, a slight smile on her face as she looked at Simon. Zoe, whose bump was now showing, sat with her hand on the empty seat beside her. Kaylee had requested that seat be held in honour for Wash, so he could be there in spirit.
A violin quartet began and everyone turned in their seats to see Kaylee turn the corner. She was wearing a beautiful white, strapless dress which was decorated with embroidered white and pale pink flowers down one side. It was laced up in the back, almost like a corset, showing off her figure to the best degree, and it fanned out slightly at her hips to reach the floor. Her hair was curled and cascaded across her shoulders, with the hair at the temples drawn backwards and fixed. A white clip with a flower on it was placed above her ear. She looked simply stunning as she began to walk down the aisle, arm in arm with her eldest brother. The smile on her face just helped her glow.
Simon's mouth opened as he caught sight of her, and the smiles Mal and Inara displayed showed the greatest pride and happiness for her, as well as a pleasant surprise at her transformation from a pretty ships mechanic to a stunning woman. As she drew up to the arch she was simply radiant. Her brother gave her away after giving her a kiss on the cheek and sat down in the front row.
"Well hi there, handsome," she said to Simon as she turned to face him, with a smile on her face.
"You look… wow," he stuttered. Kaylee blushed and smiled at him.
They both turned to face Mr Frye who had a loving smile on his face, and slightly watery eyes.
"You'll always be my little girl," he said quietly to Kaylee, before raising his voice. "We gather here today to witness the marriage of Kaywinnie Lee Frye and Simon Tam."
The reception was held under a large pavilion, the ground had been laid with planks to give a hard standing for the tables and dancing. The food went down a storm, especially the cake. It had apparently been the most expensive part of the entire wedding. It was a real cake, no protein bars to be found. Simon and Kaylee looked the picture of happiness as they cut it, not expecting a true, soft sponge cake. Pure, un-nourishing calories. Heaven.
Alcohol ran freely, and everyone enjoyed themselves better than they could remember in a long time. Simon and Kaylee danced the first dance, as tradition, and got a massive round of applause at the end. Then the real fun began. The alcohol flowed and the music sped up, as people took to the floor and danced all through the night. Mal demanded to be allowed to dance with the bride at least once, while River and Simon laughed as they danced around the floor. Zoe sat watching with a smile on her face, though Mal did force her to dance at least once. Not too energetically, of course. There were no shortages of men of all ages asking Inara to dance, and she did with some, including Kaylee's eldest brother. She mostly spent the evening sitting with Zoe as they watched the festivities. Jayne enjoyed the copious amounts of free alcohol and even joined in with some of the dancing himself, albeit badly. The party went on until the small hours of the morning, though Simon and Kaylee snuck off towards the end to spend their wedding night together.
The next day the Serenity was scheduled to leave. Kaylee and Simon were to meet the rest of the crew and her family at the ship, Kaylee unaware of what her family had done for her. She approached the ship with a blindfold on, Simon leading her by the hand.
"Simon!" she laughed, "Just what are ya doin'?"
"You'll see in a moment," he replied as he stood her on the spot, facing the ship and everyone who was gathered.
"Now Kaylee, we gotta little surprise for ya," Mal said, a smile playing on his lips. "Well, honest speakin', your folks do."
"Come on, Cap'in, I wanna know what's goin' on," pined Kaylee. "Please?"
Mal nodded at Simon, who removed Kaylee's blindfold. She took a moment before she registered Serenity and how new she looked. Almost straight out of the factory.
Her mouth slowly opened, "…Shiney!"
INARA
"Don't you have family to see Inara?" asked Kaylee as she lay against Simon on the sofa.
"My mother was a Companion on Sihnon, my father was a client. I don't know who he was, and I was raised by the companions in the temple. I don't have any family, so to speak."
"Well that's a sad thing," Kaylee replied.
"I've known no other way my whole life, in a manner of speaking the Companions as a whole are my family. I cannot miss the father I never knew, or the mother who left to work."
"I dunno, I miss ma daddy sometimes," muttered Jayne as he sharpened one of his knives.
The rest of the crew paused and looked at him. He self-conciously looked up from his knife.
"Aww hell. He left ma maw when I was a young'un, kay? I never real' knew 'im. Now leave me 'lone, y'all already met ma maw."
The rest of the crew didn't know what to say, before Simon piped up.
"I wish I could see my parents again, but we've probably been disowned by now. And, of course, we're wanted fugitives."
Kaylee squeezed his hand as River quietly said, "Maybe one day Simon."
She'd been getting clearer every day since Miranda.
RIVER AND SIMON
Zoe was getting close, she had no option now but to take a firm back seat in any operations on the ship. The crew were understanding, but Zoe was frustrated. She wasn't going to risk this baby though, it was near enough her whole world now. Her only remaining spark of Wash.
As the crew were offloading their cargo, a familiar face approached.
"Ahh, Badger," said Mal, putting down the barrel he was holding and wiping his hands on his trouser legs.
"'Ello. Now, there's a coupla people who wanna be talkin' to your doc and the crazy girl, do I tell em you lot are 'ere?"
Simon stood and looked at Mal with worry evident on his face, Mal sharing the look of concern.
"They give any indication as to who they may be?" Mal asked.
"They say," Badger replied, cocking one eyebrow, "They're their parents."
Simon ran round the corner and stopped dead. River huddled behind him. A man and a woman, older looking than he remembered, were standing, looking out of a window. As they heard him, they turned.
"Finally," his mother quietly gasped. "We've found you at last."
She walked towards them, as their father stood still, his hands clasped behind his back. No emotion was evident in his face. Their mother reached Simon and embraced him tightly.
"Where have you been?" she asked, as she held him close, "We thought you were dead!"
"No mother, I am not dead. I told you what I was leaving to do, and I did it."
His mother pulled away and spotted River behind him. She fell quiet as she moved around to look at her.
"My daughter. My beautiful River," she whispered.
"I sent them my pain, they wouldn't listen, Simon, they wouldn't listen! They've been running, running for us, but he didn't want to. He doesn't know us, Simon. They don't know. They don't understand us, they want to take us away, Simon, don't let them take us away," she muttered as she backed away from her mother, looking scared.
Mrs Tam looked back at Simon, visibly hurt from River's comments.
Simon looked back into her eyes, "I was right mother, they were hurting her. They were hurting everyone. It wasn't a school, it was a laboratory."
Tears welled up in their mother's eyes. "We didn't know. We honestly didn't know," she whispered.
Mal and Jayne crept away, they'd been hiding around the corner, ready to defend River and Simon in case it was another Alliance trick.
The four Tams sat in a dusty bar on a small moon circling a rim world. Mr Tam looked thoroughly uncomfortable, acting as if everyone in the bar was eyeing him up to mug him later. Mrs Tam only had eyes for her children.
"I told you mother, I knew something was wrong," Simon said to her.
Slow tears had silently been rolling down Mrs Tam's cheeks since River's distressed reaction to her. She hadn't seen her daughters in years, and in those years she'd grown from a bright eyed young girl to a woman, a woman she barely recognised past the fog that clouded River's mind.
"How will you ever forgive me for letting you go through that? Both of you?" she asked.
"They made me different. They made me someone else. Simon, tell them, it was my decision. So much pain, all in my head, it felt like it was going to burst, Simon. Then I got saved, he made them stop. He made them…" River rambled, clearly disorientated by meeting her parents whom she hadn't known for years.
Mrs Tam reached across the table and took River's hand. River looked down, slightly confused, before slightly squeezing on her mother's hand.
"He did not want to come running, he did not want to run after us. He did not want to know who we are," said River, looking in the direction of her father who had wandered off to the bar.
"No. No, your father didn't want to come. He wanted to disown you both when he found out you were fugitives. He said you brought dishonour on our family and we were going to be ridiculed and scorned for the rest of our lives." Mrs Tam looked over to Simon, "I knew you were in trouble when the news came out. You were so confident that River was being hurt, and then you both disappear. I lost everything that night. I knew I had to find you, I knew you were in trouble. We followed the reports, word of mouth. We knew you were travelling aboard a Firefly. It's taken us years, I can't believe I finally have you back. We can all fly back and get this whole thing sorted out." She smiled.
Simon sighed, "Mother, we can't come back. We found somewhere we belong. I'm married now."
"Married?" his mother gasped, before exclaiming her joy and examining his ring. She'd been so excited to see her children that she hadn't even noticed. A twinge of sadness then entered her voice, "So you are settled then? Well, at least I know you two are happy now. You can always write to us, and maybe we'll be able to see you every once in a while now you know we are still here for you."
Mrs Tam came to see her children off back at the Serenity, while Mr Tam sorted their things for leaving, and passage back to the central planets. She was ecstatic about meeting Kaylee, exclaiming that she was beautiful, and so smart. She got along well with the crew, even though she wasn't there for longer than an hour. When it came time to leave she turned to Simon.
"I can see why you have fallen in love with this ship. I'm happy for you." She hugged him and then turned to her daughter. River looked at Simon, unsure as to what to do. He gave a slight nod and she opened her arms, and welcomed the first hug from her mother since she'd been sent to 'school' aged 14.
As their mother walked away, a single tear ran down River's cheek.
ZOE
Zoe was nervous, how were Wash's parents going to react to her after all these years? Now their son was dead and she was pregnant, how would they feel? Would they blame her for keeping him on the ship, I mean, she was one of the people who hired him and took him away from them. Was it her fault that he was now dead?
She sat on the bridge, in what was usually River's co-pilot seat, staring into space with her hand on her very pregnant tummy. She would be ready to give birth any day now, and hopefully they'd be onworld when she went into labour. Something about having a hospital nearby just helped her keep calm, not that she didn't trust Simon, but she wanted a trained midwife by her bed.
Mal arrived on bridge and sat in the pilot's seat, Wash's old station. He looked over to see the quiet Zoe, obviously not quite there.
"You holdin' up, Zoe?" he asked.
She seemed to snap out of her daydream, "Yes sir, sorry."
"No apologisin' needed, meetin' the inlaws is scarier'un at least half the battles we fought together."
"Yes sir."
The Serenity landed onworld and after offloading their cargo, Zoe got ready to head to Wash's parents' house. She turned to the Captain while the others were busy.
"Sir, I… would you come with me?" she asked him, showing her vulnerability.
"I would Zoe, but I got somethin' I gotta do. Sorry," he replied.
Zoe understood, she knew it must be important, she could see it in his eyes. It didn't stop her being any less nervous, however.
As she was saying goodbye to the crew Kaylee walked over and gave her a hug.
"You'll be fine, don't worry," she said.
Zoe smiled, "See you all later." She waved as she walked off, as she turned aside a nervous look spread across her face. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared.
Zoe stood outside the door, unsure whether she could face Wash's parents or not. She just stood, waiting. Staring at the closed door, knowing they were inside. She raised her hand and knocked once, almost hoping they wouldn't hear it and she could pretend they weren't in. A grey haired woman opened the door.
"Zoe," she gasped quietly.
Zoe awkwardly reached out her hand for a handshake, "Hello."
"Don't be silly," replied Mrs Washburne, as she pulled Zoe into a gentle hug. She pulled away and held Zoe's shoulders, "You're always welcome here."
Mrs Washburne led Zoe into their front room where she could see Mr Washburn making a pot of tea in the kitchen.
"Sit yourself down, we don't want you stressing yourself out too much as you are. You look fit to burst," she said with a motherly smile.
The edges of Zoe's mouth turned upwards, "Any day now." She subconsciously patted her belly gently.
"You'll make a great mother, you know. We're mighty proud'a you. Such happiness after such a sadness. Any idea on the sex?"
"No, not yet. The serenity doesn't have an ultrasound board, so we've had to visit hospitals when we can, but our doctor's been keeping good care of me and the little one, don't you worry."
Mr Washburne came through from the kitchen carrying a teapot and three mugs.
"We always get tea on when someone knocks, never know who it might be," he commented. "How are you keepin'?" he asked, kindly.
"Copin'." She replied. "It's all we can do."
The Washburne's nodded solemnly.
Hours went past as time drew near for Zoe to be heading back to the ship. About half an hour before she needed to leave, Mrs Washburne stood up and looked through a drawer in a table in the corner. She found what she was looking for and sat back down on the sofa. She placed something on the table.
"Way back, Hoban sent us a message for you. Just in case..." she said, tears welling in her eyes for the first time. She leant forward and switched on the hologram. A tiny figure of Wash was standing there, his instantly recognised smile beaming and his flop of red hair messily lying on his head.
"Hey honey, if you're watching this it means I probably died doing something really stupid, but oh so cool. At least, I hope so. It would kinda suck if I slipped on the way into our cabin and broke my neck or something. Oh please tell me I didn't do that!"
Zoe smiled, as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"...Anyway, this is a message to say that I love you. And that I always have. Even when you told me to shave my moustache. I mean, if that didn't get rid of me nothing ever would. I hope you're not taking it too bad, and I hope the others are looking after you. Just in case we ever got a visit from the tiny people, I want you to look under the main control console in the cockpit. I've been saving some money and I bolted it in a box to the underside. It should help take care of things. Make sure, if we have kids, they know who their dad was. Just make sure you don't tell them everything, I don't want to come off as some uncool, moustached guy. Oh! But make sure they know about dinosaurs, they're so cool! I'll see you in the future, my love. Oops, got to go, you're coming down the ladder."
The holo cut off.
Zoe sat quietly, focused on where the image of her dead husband had been floating. Hearing his voice again... Silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
Suddenly she leant forward as a stain started to spread on the couch.
"I think my waters just broke," she gasped.
MAL
Mal piloted the shuttle almost in a daydream. He hadn't been back here since the aftermath of Serenity Valley. The memories were still too fresh, too painful. He locked it away in a part of his brain, and his heart, so he could face each day. He hated the numbness he felt to survive.
Mal landed the shuttle by an outcrop, miles from any habitation. The remains of a dirt track were evident, as well as the burnt stumps of some wooden foundations. He sat for a moment, gathering himself, before leaving the shuttle and walking over to two waist height columns by the remains of the house. A holo projection of a pretty woman's face, smiling, was atop one which read 'Karla Reynolds'. The other displayed a laughing boy, who couldn't be older than five years old. It read 'Benjamin Reynolds'.
Mal walked up to the gravestones, reaching out his hand to try and touch the hologram of his wife's face.
"I missed you Karla. I'm sorry it's been so long. I... Eleven years now. It feels like yesterday you were taken from me. I can't believe Ben would be nearly sixteen now."
He walked over to Ben's grave and looked his smiling son in the eyes, "I wish I could've seen you grow up, little man. I failed you..."
He looked back at the grave of his wife, "We got them back ya know. We may have lost the war, but we've dealt the Alliance a blow. Did you know that they created Reavers? They created them! And kept quiet about the whole thing. Well, we found them out and now the whole system knows. It's the start of something, Karla. I can feel it."
He paused, and took a deep breath. "I'll never forgive them for what they did to you..." Tears started to fall as he slid down the gravestone until he was sitting in the dry earth. "I know you didn't want me to sign up," he sobbed, "But after what they did to you... How could I not fight the people who killed my wife and son?"
Mal stayed for hours, sometimes sitting in silence and remembering, other times chatting away to his wife and son like they were there with him, back in their house and enjoying life together. As a family. He looked at his watch and realised he should be getting back to his crew. They'd be wondering where he was by now. He stood up and looked at the holos, sadness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry it's been so long. I promise I won't leave you for that long again."
He reached to his wife's gravestone, picking up a tarnished silver necklace with a cross hanging from it.
"It's time I took this back. Thanks for keeping it safe for me."
He kissed each gravestone before turning back and walking into the shuttle. He looked back as the door closed.
"I love you."
As Mal took off from the site of his former home he received a message.
"Cap'n! Are you there Cap'n? Seriously, where could he be? Cap'n! This is Kaylee, it's urgent!""Hi Kaylee, what's wrong?" he replied, worried.
"Thank God Cap'n, we've been tryna catch you for ages! Zoe's in labour! We're at the hospital, you gotta get down here!"
"I'm on my way," he replied.
He set course for the only hospital near the town the Serenity was docked at.
"Well, this is gonna be one interestin' day."
THE FAMILY GROWS
By the time Mal arrived at the hospital it had been hours since Kayleigh had told him Zoe was in labour. Always the way, just as you were trying to do something important all hell breaks loose in the engines, then with parking the shuttle, arguing with the parking attendant... Well, now he was here.
"Zoe Washburne," he said to the nurse as he skidded into the reception. Seeing his expression, she gave him directions and he ran off down the hallway.
"Hey! No running!" she called after him. He slowed to a fast walk, trying not to break into a sprint.
He caught his breath as he stood outside the door. He took a deep breath in and opened the door. He wasn't met by the hellish scene he was expecting - he was too late to see the birth. Instead when he walked in he was greeted by a different view. Jayne was sitting propped up in a chair, while River was fanning him with a bit of paper. He murmered under his breath, "That ain't nothing I ever need ta see again." Simon was standing with his arm around Kayleigh, who was fawning with a huge smile on her face. Inara sat beside Zoe, a small bundled-up baby in her arms and a smile on her face. Zoe was lying on the bed, and Mal was surprised to see another bundle in her arms.
"Twins, Sir," she beamed as she saw him. "I got twins."
Emily and Jack ran through the corridors screaming and giggling.
"Verse's sake, Zoe! Keep your kids under control!" Mal said as he was almost thrown off balance as they ran around his legs.
Zoe smiled. "You know what kids are like, Sir."
Mal sighed and touched the cross that hung round his neck, "That I do..."
The cause of all the running became apparent as Jayne bounded around the corner and almost crashed headlong into the Captain.
"Sorry Sir!" he shouted back as he kept running. "I'm gonna get you two!"
"One big happy family," Mal smiled.