"Well, you are," Simon confirmed. "There's just barely enough hormone for me to tell, so how you knew …"

"Hormones have nothing to do with it," Freya assured him, climbing off the medbed.

"Is Mal happy about this?"

She laughed. "About as far over the moon as a man captaining a Firefly can get."

"I thought as much. But you should have come to me before. When you first knew." He turned his stern face on her. "I am your doctor. I'll need to get you started on diet supplements, although the food we've had lately has been much better than usual. Still, better safe than sorry." He saw Freya smile. "Look, just be glad I'm not telling you to stay in your bunk for a month."

"Better not even try," she said softly, heading out of the infirmary.

"If it becomes necessary, I will," he called, shaking his head. That woman. In fact, all the women on Serenity would more than likely drive him to an early grave. In true and honest fact, they'd probably dig it for him.

Kaylee had spilled the beans. Eventually. That last day on Lazarus.

She watched him moving across the ice, his lithe body seeming to cut through the air. Bundled up in Inara's heavy coat and boots, sitting on a blanket, she felt her love for him crystallising out of her mouth to hang like her breath in a mist in front of her lips.

He span, his skates a blur, arms above his head, finally coming to a rest and looking at her.

"You'll get cold," he said, smiling at her, panting a little.

"You can warm me up." She grinned.

"No problem." He slid across the ice to her, joining her on the blanket. "I might need some TLC myself later though."

"Oh?" She snuggled into him as he removed the skates. "How come?"

"I don't think I've used most of these muscles in years." He rubbed the back of his calves. "I could seize up."

"Then I'll have the fun unseizing you."

"Sounds good." He grinned and put his arm around her for a moment, then picked up his boots. "You okay?" he asked, seeing a thoughtful look on her face.

"I … spoke to Freya a couple of days ago." Kaylee looked down at her hands.

"Oh?" Simon was busy buckling up. "What about?"

"She's pregnant."

He jerked around so hard he was sure he was going to get whiplash. "She's what?"

"Guess she's hasn't told you herself then."

"She … no … she hasn't." He glanced towards Serenity, just visible a distance away. "When did she …"

"Don't you go getting angry at her," Kaylee admonished. "She was just worried it might take something away from Hank and Zoe, and little Ben. I'm sure she was going to come and talk to you soon enough."

"I needed to know! What if something …" He backtracked. "Not that anything would, but … damn it, Kaylee, I should have been the first to be told!"

"I think the Cap was the first," his wife said softly. "And they wanted to keep it a secret for a while. Just them."

He sank down a little. "I suppose so." He looked round at her. "So how come you're telling me now? Breaking a confidence?" His eyes narrowed. "And how come you've managed to keep it a secret anyway?"

"You saying I blab?"

He rapidly retreated from her glare. "Well, it's just … when you know something … it …"

She took pity on him. "I'm trying, Simon. Like River and Bethie are trying not to peek, I'm trying not to blab."

"So why are you now?"

"I suppose it's … I want everything to be okay with this baby, and I thought you should know."

"Thank you." He took her hands in his. "Are you … okay with this?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Because everyone knows how much you want another child."

"So did Frey."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'm shiny. Honestly." She smiled at him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Has made me think a bit more, though. 'Bout what we can do. And I think I'd like to try that DNA thingie you suggested."

"Using River's?"

"That's the one."

"You know I can't do it on Serenity. I don't have the equipment to do the stripping, let alone the necessary –"

She put her fingers on his lips, feeling them soften. "I know that. Just … I kinda think that's the way to go. I mean, the Cap'n said he would, 'n' all, but I know Frey was more'n a bit antsy about it, and the baby wouldn't be … I think the other way's best."

He smiled at her. "I can ask Mal when we're likely to be going by a planet with decent medical facilities." The smile grew wider. "Maybe we could kill two birds with one stone and rob the place at the same time."

Kaylee shook her head. "You're truly a criminal mastermind, ain't you?"

"As long as it's the criminal mastermind you love, that's fine by me."

"Oh, I do."

Now Simon was looking down at the small DNA tester, remembering what he'd said to Hank, not that long ago.

"It takes one egg and one sperm to make an entire human being. Even someone as big as Jayne. That's all it took for you and Zoe."

"Yeah, but –"

"And those single cells can't be seen with the naked eye."

A single cell. Well, two. And Kaylee would have the baby she wanted to make her family complete. Mal and Freya still hadn't made an official announcement, but Simon was pretty sure it would be today at dinner, now he'd confirmed the pregnancy to his satisfaction.

"Test me," River said, wafting in, her bare feet not making a sound.

"What?" He looked up, and for a single fleeting moment wondered if his sister was asking him to see if she was having a baby.

"Test me. Take some of my blood and put it into your machine, then let me see the results."

"Why?" he asked carefully.

"I was just wondering if I could extrapolate what a child would look like with my genes and Kaylee's." She jumped up onto the counter next to him.

He relaxed a little. "Mei-mei, no-one can do that."

"No-one can kill a room full of Reavers, or live with Jayne, but I seem to be doing that all right."

Simon allowed a small look of distaste to cross his features, but then he laughed. "I suppose I should be wondering what you can't do, not what you can."

"Bethany is more powerful." She put her head on one side and corrected herself. "Will be."

He looked up in surprise. "Really?"

"She's naturally gifted. Mine had to be forced to fruition." The matter of fact way she said it belied her true feelings, the memories she tried to keep buried of that time.

"I wish –"

She smiled. "Don't, ge ge. If you'd come for me sooner you would have found a different ship off Persephone, and neither of us would be here."

"Where would we be?"

"Somewhere … else." She didn't want to go into the darkness she'd seen would have been waiting for them if the past had been different. She hit him lightly on the arm. "So you first, then me."

"Me?"

"I need to see yours, and you can prove to me it won't hurt."

"It won't hurt," he said, smiling at her.

"Prove it."

Shaking his head, he pressed the DNA tester to his finger, taking the tiniest drop of blood with barely a pin prick. He started the sequence then held out his hand. "See?"

She looked at his finger carefully, her nose barely an inch from his skin. "Doesn't prove a thing."

He laughed. "And there I was thinking you trusted me."

"Over the big things." She lifted her head. "Freya's been to see you." It was a statement, not a question.

"She has."

"Saw her leave."

"Did you." The tester beeped, the sequence complete.

"Show me," River demanded, and her brother handed the device across. She studied it, seeing the spiral in front of her, her mind unwinding it and reading the code. She held it out. "Now me."

With a smile he pressed the small cup against her finger.

"Ouch."

"You're just a big baby," he teased, beginning the cycle again.

"She's going to be beautiful."

"Who, Frey?"

"Her daughter."

"You knew?"

River gave him one of her looks. "I felt the conception."

He shook his head. "At least you kept it to yourself." Then he had to laugh. "One day someone on this boat will be pregnant and you won't be the first to know. Then what will you do?"

"I don't know everything." She pushed her hair back behind her ears. "And I'm learning to be strong."

"You are strong, River," he assured her, his hand on her knee. "You're the strongest person I know."

"Stronger than Kaylee?"

Various thoughts flashed across his mind, but he said, "Different."

She grinned. "Good answer."

A second beep announced the new result.

"Here, " he said. "Do your magic."

Taking the tester she stared at the screen. Then the colour leached from her face.

His brow furrowed. "River?"

"Simon … it … this can't be right." She was shaking.

"Mei-mei, what is it?" He took her arms, fear rushing through him.

"It's not the same."

"What?"

"It's not the same." She held out the tester.

"River, it won't be," he said softly, trying to calm her. "The only way it would be identical is if we were twins and then only –"

"It's not the same!" She waved the device in front of him. "Not enough!" She thumbed the COMPARE button.

"River –"

"Look!"

The result flashed onto the small screen and she turned it to face him. Simon stared.

"That … that isn't possible," he breathed.

Comparison Result, the screen declared. Samples indicate familial coincidence of 25%.

"You did it wrong!" River insisted, pressing her finger against the small cup, over and over until her skin was red. "Do it again!"

"Stop, please!" he cried, holding her, pulling her towards him, the tester clattering to the floor.

"Who am I?" she asked.

"You're my sister."

"No I'm not!"

"River …"

"Who are we?" she asked again.

"I … I don't know," he said, then caught her as she collapsed in his arms. "Mei-mei!"