Author's Note: This is my Firefly/Serenity fan fic. I have revised and reposted this chapter to make it a little cleaner. I hope you like it. I love reviews.

Disclaimers: I don't own anything. Joss Whedon does.

"Zoë!" Malcolm Reynolds yelled as he watched her stroll into the rain of fire that descended down on them. "Gorramit, Zoë!" Mal looked over at his right. "Jayne, cover us, I'm going for the goods and Zoe."

Jayne nodded and opened fired with one of his many guns as Mal went in after her. He pulled her down just as she took a bullet into her left shoulder. He kept a firm grip on her and yanked her to the booty. Once he had his crew member and what they had come for he pulled them both up and ran toward the mule.

"Jayne, haul ass," Mal yelled.

Once they were safely in Serenity, Mal grabbed Zoe's arm as she tried to leave. Mal hit the intercom. "River, get us out of here." The ship thrived with power as the temporary pilot took her into space. Mal rounded on Zoe. "What the hell are you doing?"

"The job, sir."

Mal stared at her. "The job? The job was not to get your brains splattered all over that gorram moon." He released her arm. "Zoe, you disobeyed a direct order."

Her cold expression didn't waiver.

"If I can't count on you anymore, I need you to tell me."

"It won't happen again, sir."

Mal's expression softened. "I know that you've been through a lot but you can't be reckless, not when me and mine is at risk."

Zoe nodded. "Yes, sir."

She turned and walked away from him, he didn't stop her. He made his way up to the bridge where River was pulling them out of atmo. "Report."

River flipped a couple of switches. "We should be to Persephone in two days."

"That's a day a head of schedule."

River nodded and turned to face Mal. "I found a short cut."

Mal's lips curved slightly. "You're good, little one."

"There was a malfunction during the job," she stated.

Mal nodded.

"She doesn't see the point anymore," River explained.

"The point of the job?" Mal's brow furrowed.

"The point of life."

Mal flinched. He caught a glimpse of Simon leaving Kaylee's bunk. "This is why ship romance is a bad idea."

Zoe didn't flinch as Simon dug around in her shoulder looking for the bullet. The clank of the metal against metal told her that he had removed it successfully. She glanced over at him as he readied a shot.

Her stomach twisted. "Doc, I don't feel so good."

Simon paused. "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm going to be sick."

Simon grabbed a pan and put in front of her just in time for her to vomit. He gave her a tissue and disposed of the pan. He took her temperature and asked, "How have you been feeling lately?"

"I've been tired a little more than usual but…" she trailed off.

Simon finished for her. "You haven't been sleeping well for about two months."

She nodded.

"Is everything else normal?"

Zoe considered this question carefully. Nothing had been normal since Wash had died. Her life was empty and hard. She hadn't been sleeping well because every time she closed her eyes she watched Wash die over and over again and every time there was no way for her to save him.

"Ain't nothin' out of the ordinary besides being shot," she replied.

Simon studied her a moment. "Would you humor me and let me run some tests?"

Zoe opened her mouth to protest but then nodded. He ran his test and excused Zoe. She went to her quarters where she laid down and stared at the ceiling trying to think of anything but Wash.

Mal was having a restless night. He decided to do a walk through of the ship making sure everything was secure. He entered the cargo bay. It was one of his favorite things about Serenity. She felt big and she felt like home.

"Mal?"

"Ahhh!" he started.

"Another battle cry?" Inara mused as she came toward him.

"You're supposed to be a sleep not sneaking about my ship looking for ways to kill me," he sniped.

Inara rolled her eyes. "What are you doing up?"

"I'm checking to make sure everything is secure."

"Couldn't sleep," Inara inserted.

"Something like that." He leaned against the railing. "What are you doing up, wandering around, scaring the life out of me?"

"I couldn't sleep either." She stood next to him and stared off to the back of the ship. "There seem to be a lot of these nights lately, with everyone."

Mal nodded. "I don't think anyone's felt quite right since Miranda."

"Except River, she seems to be at peace, unless things get too loud in her head."

"Yeah, she seems whole." Mal clutched the railing. "It seems like every job now; Zoe tries to get herself killed. I don't want to lose another crew member but if she keeps this up…"

"Zoe's strong but I don't know if I could ever come back from that." Inara avoided his gaze. "You and Zoe have had a hard life, you've lost a lot of people, but Wash was something she had never experienced before, he wasn't war or criminal or even harsh. He was everything you aren't and she needed that more than she would even let herself know."

Mal looked over at Inara's profile. It was then he realized how much he and Zoe were a like and he knew that if anything were to happen to Inara, he probably would've gotten himself killed by now.

"What?" She turned to look at him.

"I'm not sure I would come back from it either." He turned away from her. She did always fog things up but some times she made things absolutely clear and that was worse than the fog. He took a deep breath. "We'll be near the central planets if you want to get a client or two."

"Mal, I told you that I was done being a companion."

"How else are you going to pay rent?" he replied.

"I am not having this argument again. I told you I would help with jobs."

"We need your respectability."

"You have it; I don't need to be active to be respectable."

"You're not respectable when you're moonlighting as a criminal. I don't understand why you're giving it up."

She stepped in front of him forcing him to look at her. "You don't have to understand." Then she walked away from him.

Mal watched her disappear into her shuttle. He headed back to his with doubts that he would be able to find sleep, but he felt more at ease.

"You wanted to see me, Doc?" Zoe entered the infirmary.

"Have a seat." He gestured to the only chair in the room.

"I'll stand." She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

"Those tests I ran, one of them was very routine, just habit actually. Any time a woman is having any unusual symptoms we run a series of regular tests, it's a precaution."

"You're saying a lot of words that aren't saying a lot, Doc."

Simon took a deep breath. "You're pregnant, Zoe." She didn't move. "About three months pregnant."

To Be Continued...