Disclaimer: None of the original characters are mine.
Author's note: Sequel to my story Out of Darkness. Read that one first.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 1
"Simon wake up."
Simon groaned and tried to move away from the sharp finger jabbing him in the back.
"Simon it's your turn to feed Josh, he's crying." Kaylee muttered as she continued to prod him in the back.
It was right about then that Simon became aware of the shrill screams his son was issuing from the baby monitor. Simon sighed and sat up wearily. He had been aware of the fact that babies took a lot of work, but he honestly didn't think it would be this hard. He couldn't remember ever having so little sleep, not even when he was an intern on Osiris. But as soon as he picked up his new son he remembered why being a parent was worth every second of missed sleep. Josh stopped crying as soon as he was in his father's arms and began to coo happily.
Simon made his way with ease to the kitchen to make Josh a bottle. If someone who didn't know him had watched his movements they would never have guessed that the young father was blind. Living on the same ship for almost five years gave Simon the advantage of being able to walk with confidence almost everywhere he went without the need of a cane.
After giving Josh a bottle and burping him, Simon began to rock his son while he walked back and forth through the galley trying to get the baby to sleep for just a few more hours. Jack seemed to have other plans and he spent the next two hours babbling to his father in baby speak.
Simon knew once Josh had finally fallen asleep because the death grip the young boy had had on his father's finger relaxed and he began to breath deeply.
Once Josh was again sleeping soundly in his crib Simon fell back into bed beside his wife and was asleep almost immediately.
Kaylee woke up as soon as the lights in their bunk turned on signaling the start of a new day aboard Serenity. Simon continued to snore on uninterrupted and Kaylee thought for a minute that sometimes it must be nice not being woken up every morning by bright lights. She kissed her husband softly on the temple and decided to let him sleep a while longer since he'd been up with Josh much of the night.
Kaylee found Zoe and Alex eating breakfast at the table when she walked in with Josh. Alex was eating cereal and oranges and it seemed that the three-year old had more of it on her face than in her mouth.
As soon as Kaylee plopped down in a chair and began to breastfeed Josh Zoe handed her a cup of coffee.
"Thanks Zoe." Kaylee mumbled as she tried to suppress a yawn.
"Josh still not sleeping much at night?" Zoe asked with a knowing smile.
"Only for an hour or so at a time, then he's up screaming again." Kaylee answered.
"Well don't worry I promise it gets easier once they start sleeping all night." Zoe assured the new mother as she gazed lovingly at her daughter, who at that moment noticed that the baby was in the room.
"Joshie!" Alex yelled excitedly and struggled to jump down from her booster seat. As soon as she hit the floor she ran over to Kaylee to peer up at the little boy.
Before Josh had been born Kaylee worried that Alex would be jealous of another child being on board. But so far Alex had shown only delight and a fierce protectiveness over the baby boy.
"I wanna hold him." Alex demanded giving Kaylee a sweet look with large puppy dog eyes that she had quickly learned got her almost everything she wanted, especially when it came to Uncle Mal.
"Not now baby, you're all messy. You don't want to get Josh dirty do you?" Zoe asked as she grabbed the girl's hand and led her back over to her seat. "You need to finish your breakfast and let Josh have his."
Alex looked like she might throw a fit at not getting her way but was distracted when Mal walked into the room.
"Uncle Mal up!" She screamed and threw herself into Mal's arms.
"Ooff! Kiddo you're gettin too heavy! I just can't pick ya up anymore." Mal teased as he pretended to struggle to lift the little girl.
Alex giggled and began to try and climb Mal until he gave in and hefted her up onto his shoulders.
"Uncle Mal wanna play hide and seek?" She asked sweetly as she leaned over Mal's head to look at him upside down.
"Can't today kiddo, me and your mommy got a job to do." Mal said and swung Alex down to the floor. "Why don't you go ask your Aunt River to play?"
"No she wins! No fun!" Alex pouted.
Mal could see her point. Playing hide and seek with a psychic was probably not the funnest game ever.
"Well go ask Uncle Simon, believe me he'll have a hard time findin ya."
"Haha very funny." Simon answered as he entered the room and sat down at the table beside Kaylee.
"Besides River is going with you and I'm going to get medical supplies today remember?" He added.
"Oh yeah, I forgot ya'll were goin. Well Miss Alex, maybe you can ask Aunt Inara to play with ya later." Mal suggested.
"Oooh I wanna play dress up with Aunt Nara!" Alex shrieked.
"Baby you finish your breakfast first and we'll get you cleaned up then maybe we can ask Inara if you can play dress up with her." Zoe told the young girl and again led her back to her seat.
Everyone began to eat and talk about their plans for the day. It was the first time in quiet a while that they had been on a planet that had an actual town. It wasn't a Core planet but it was more developed than the small settlements they had visited recently and everyone was excited about being able to shop.
Inara stopped outside the door of the kitchen and took a moment to examine the scene in front of her. Zoe and Alex were giggling as Zoe tickled Alex and tried to get her to eat more. Simon and Kaylee had their heads leaned close together talking intimately while Kaylee nursed their son. Mal was leaned back in his chair sipping his coffee and watching his crew with a small smile on his face.
The scene was so comforting and homey that it brought a smile to Inara's face and put a lump in her throat. She still wasn't sure why she had returned to the training house after Miranda or what exactly it was that had made her finally decide to return to Serenity, but now that she was back she knew she wouldn't leave again. She smirked and thought about how strange life could be. She had been one of the most sought after Companions in the Verse, had grown up in luxury that few would ever know, and here she was more at home on a derelict ship on the very edge of the Verse than anywhere else she had ever been.
Mal noticed Inara hovering in the doorway and gave her a broad smile. She was wearing a pair of tight black pants and one of his shirts and Mal was convinced she had never looked more beautiful. He still couldn't believe that she was his, that after all the months of dancing around each other and avoiding their true feelings she had finally been the one to take the first step.
The day she had returned to him stood out clearly in his mind. To this day he still had no idea how she had found them, but there she had stood one morning at his door. They were on some backwater moon making a drop, Mal had lowered the cargo bay doors and there she was standing in the early morning sunlight waiting for him. At first he thought she was a mirage or that perhaps he was imagining things, but then she had walked determinedly to him and kissed him without a word between the two.
That had been two years ago and they still hadn't talked about why she had come back or what had changed. Mal thought he didn't need to know, he had learned to stop questioning and simply enjoy the good things in his life. Inara sauntered into the kitchen with the easy grace that came from years of training. Mal knew that even though she was no longer a Companion there were just some things about her that would never change, but when it came to the tricks she knew in the bedroom Mal figured that wasn't such a bad thing.
He stood up from his chair and pulled Inara into his arms and gave her a deep kiss.
"Mmm morning Captain." She giggled and gave him a smoldering look from beneath her long eyelashes.
"Now don't be giving me those kinds a looks this mornin I got a job to do and you make it awful hard for a man to leave his bunk when ya look at him like that." Mal joked and kissed her once more, before turning to speak with his crew.
"Anyone know where my mercenary is? We gotta be leavin in fifteen if we're gonna make it to the meetin on time." Mal asked.
"Where do you think he is Captain? He's probably in the same place he's been every morning for the last six months." Simon replied.
"So he's probably in sexin up my Reader right about now?" Mal asked with mock innocence.
"Ok can you please not use the words 'sexin up' when it's referencing my sister ever again? I'm still tryin to accept the fact that she and Jayne are together and getting married, I don't need a description." Simon muttered.
"Not to worry Simon intercourse concluded approximately ten and one half minutes ago." River quipped as she bounced into the kitchen and planted a kiss on her brother's cheek.
Suddenly the image of Kaylee cuddling Josh popped into Simon's head making him smile. It had become something of a routine for River to send the image of his family to him every morning. Even after three years it still amazed Simon that his sister had the ability to project her own sight into his mind. He still wasn't sure how she did, but he was immensely grateful for the fact that she could. It allowed him to continue being a doctor and it allowed him the precious gift of seeing his family everyday, even if it wasn't through his own eyes.
The image of Kaylee and Josh was suddenly replaced by the image of a shirtless Jayne walking into the kitchen while scratching his hairy stomach. Of course the down side to having a sister who could put images into your head was that she got to choose what to show him and River did love to torture her older brother.
"Thanks a lot for that mei-mei." Simon muttered sarcastically.
"Fer what?" Jayne asked as he pulled River to her feet and kissed her.
"Never mind." Simon said with a laugh.
"Alright if everyone is done screwin around can we please talk about the job we got this morning?" Mal asked.
"Ok Zoe and I are gonna go in and meet up with the contact. River I want you and Jayne outside in the Mule ready case somethin goes south. You feel up to readin today lil albatross?"
"Should be fine Captain. I will warn you if it becomes likely that you will be shot."
"Well good, I love gettin warned fore I get shot. Simon who's goin with ya ta get them supplies for the infirmary?"
"Kaylee's going to come with me. Inara volunteered to stay on the ship and baby-sit." Simon answered.
"Well guess we got everything settled. Lets get this done and get outta here, I don't like bein on Stone Ridge too many rich folk from the Core here." Mal said.
"But Cap'n it's so pretty here and there's lotsa shoppin. I was hopin maybe we could stick around for a day or two maybe get a little time to relax." Kaylee argued.
"Kaylee its huntin season here. That means this place is full up of rich tourists lookin to bag themselves a cute little deer. Do ya really wanna be around to watch that?" Mal asked knowing that bringing up the slaughter of a cute animal would work on Kaylee.
"Ahh they're gonna be shootin deer? That's sad."
Simon smiled at the Captain's subtle manipulation and put his arm around Kaylee to make her feel better.
"Alright lets get goin then." Mal said as he stood and walked out of the kitchen.
Kaylee reluctantly handed Josh to Inara after kissing his cheek six or seven times.
"I'll take good care of him Kaylee I promise." Inara assured the mechanic.
"I know its just this is the first time I've left him, what if he gets scared without me?" Kaylee questioned sounding close to tears.
"Bao-bei Josh will be fine. You know Inara will take care of him and Alex like they were her own. We'll get the supplies fast and be back before he even wakes up." Simon assured his wife as he too leaned over to kiss the boy.
"Bye-bye mama!" Alex called down happily to Zoe as she dragged Inara towards her shuttle to play dress up.
"Bye baby, you be good for Aunt Inara." Zoe called as the Mule pulled out of the ship.
"Kaylee you ready to go?" Simon called up to his wife who was still trailing behind Inara checking on Josh every few seconds to make sure he wasn't going to cry.
"I'm comin Simon." She called to her husband and reluctantly headed down the stairs after giving the baby one final kiss.
Simon grabbed onto Kaylee's arm and put on the sunglasses he wore when they were off ship before they headed down the ramp.
Sometimes Simon really hated getting off Serenity. On the ship he was secure in his surroundings and didn't need help from anyone to get around. Off the ship he was dependent on others to lead him around and he hated the way strangers tended to shout at him like they thought because he couldn't see it meant that he couldn't hear as well. But he wasn't willing to become a recluse who was scared to leave his own safe environment, so he simply dealt with the problems and inconveniences that came from leaving Serenity.
It was a sunny fall day on Stone Ridge, Simon and Kaylee took their time walking the mile into town, enjoying the warm sun and light breeze. It had been three months since Josh had been born and this was the first time the parents had had to enjoy each other's company completely uninterrupted by the baby.
Half and hour later Kaylee and Simon stood in the back of a small pharmacy. "I'll have this order sent out to your ship in about an hour, is that soon enough for you Dr. Tanner?" The pharmacist asked Simon using the fake name Simon had given him.
"An hour should be fine, thank you for all the help today." Simon answered.
After leaving the pharmacy Simon and Kaylee stood on the sidewalk discussing what they should do with the free hour they now had in town.
"Why don't we see if there's a baby store around, maybe we can get some new toys for Josh." Simon suggested.
"Honey he's already got a closet full a toys and he can't even play with them yet. Besides I just got a better idea." Kaylee whispered into his ear and then nibbled playfully on his earlobe.
"Oh really and what would that be?" Simon asked with a smile.
"There's a bath house just down the street from us. The sign says you get a whole hour for only six bits. You, me, and a tub of hot soapy water for one whole hour." She whispered into his ear in such a way that Simon felt his breathe catch in his chest.
"I think it sounds like the best idea I've ever heard" Simon replied and let Kaylee begin leading him down the street.
Suddenly out of nowhere an image popped into Simon's head. An image so startling and unexpected that Simon tripped and fell to his knees.
"Ai-ren you alright?" Kaylee asked as she leaned down to check on her husband.
"We need to find a bar called The Rifleman as soon as possible." Simon responded and stood up quickly.
"Why what's wrong?"
"River is there, she's in trouble." Simon answered.
"Why? Did the job go bad?" Kaylee asked concerned as she looked around to try and locate the bar.
"No she and Jayne are outside and she's having an episode, a bad one." Simon explained as Kaylee began to lead him down the street.
"She ain't had an episode in six months. I wonder what set her off." Kaylee said with concern for her sister in law.
"I know what caused it. My parents."
"Your parents what do they have to do with it?"
"They're here on Stone Ridge, with River right now."
