"You're gonna have to, honey."

"I ain't doing it."

"Every time I see you go up or down that ladder, I'm afraid you're gonna slip and fall, and apart from the mess that'd make it'd be somewhat hard on my son."

"You can talk all you like – it ain't happening."

Hank got up from the pilot's chair and took hold of Zoe by the arms, making her sit down. She could feel his warmth still in the seat. "It isn't something you get to choose. Freya did it. Kaylee would've done it if she hadn't already been sleeping in Simon's room. So you're going to as well." Zoe opened her mouth to complain but he put a finger on her lips. "No. We're moving into the lower quarters."

"Am I allowed to speak now?"

"Only if it's to agree with me."

For a moment Zoe looked down at her belly, swelling even more at her waist now she was entering her seventh month. The soft, swirly patterned top was pulled tighter across it than before, and she let her eyes trace the design before lifting her head again. "I ain't broke, Hank," she said softly.

"I know that." He sat down in the other seat. "And you're blooming, like all pregnant women should be. But right now, at this point, it ain't safe to use the ladder."

"I know."

He sat back a little. "You're agreeing with me?"

"I don't want to, I'll admit. But …" She put her hand flat on the curve of her stomach. "I did knock him this morning."

Hank's mouth fell open and he went down onto his knees in front of her. "When?" he asked, his hands cupping her. "Is he okay? Did you see Simon? Does it hurt anywhere –"

"After breakfast, he's fine, no I didn't, and no it doesn't." She smiled at him. "He was a bit fractious for a while, moving around, but he's settled again."

"See?" He looked into her face, his grey eyes full of concern. "See what happens when I ain't around, when you do crazy things like this?"

"Climbing down the ladder? That's crazy?"

"Yeah, well, it is starting from now." He shook his head. "Please, Zoe. Be sensible. Just once."

She couldn't help the corners of her mouth lifting. "I thought I was always the sensible one."

"Well, maybe you were and maybe you weren't. All I'm asking for is for you to be sensible now."

"Okay."

"Okay what?"

"You'd better get our things."

"You mean it?"

"I mean it."

Hank jumped to his feet. "Don't go anywhere." Then he saw the look on her face. "Oh, well, yes of course you can go somewhere. Just … not down any ladders, okay?"

"Okay." She watched him leave the bridge, going to move their stuff before she changed her mind. She knew he'd spoken to Mal already, and that at this stage of the pregnancy it was better to be safe than sorry, as Freya had been, but it didn't mean she had to like it. It felt like giving in, and that was a feeling she didn't much like, not since Serenity Valley. Still, it would make Hank happy …

A buzzing drew her attention to the board. A wave was coming in, and she leaned forward to bring it up on screen.

---

Jayne and Bethany were working out in the cargo bay, the big man on his weight bench, the little girl on hers. Jayne had made it for her as a surprise for her birthday, still a week away, but she'd come across him three nights before when she couldn't sleep, carving the small dumbbells out of wood and painting them black and silver. She'd been so excited he'd had to say she could have it as an early present, just so long as she didn't expect anything else.

"I won't, Uncle Jayne," she'd said, hugging herself in delight.

So far they'd worked out every day, and now she was laying on her back, her tiny hands wrapped in tape from the infirmary, lifting the barbell he'd made above her chest. She grunted like he did, and Jayne couldn't help but smile.

"Not too heavy for ya, is it, short stub?" he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she mimicked every movement.

"No," she said, lowering it again and puffing in an exaggerated manner. "Shiny."

He laughed. "You're gonna end up with muscles like mine."

Bethany giggled. "I'm a girl, Uncle Jayne."

"So?" He lifted the bar and slid it back into its cradle. "Your Auntie Frey works out when she ain't too lazy, and she lifts almost as much as me. You saying she ain't a girl?"

"Better not be," the woman in question said from where she sat on the floor a short distance away. "I could take offence."

"Would I do that, Frey?" Jayne asked. "Not if I wanted to ever have kids of my own, at least."

"And I'm not lazy."

"You ain't worked out in a while."

Freya smiled. "True." She lifted Ethan up from where he sat in front of her. "Hear that?" she said. "Your Uncle Jayne's afraid of me."

"You bet your ass I am," Jayne said fervently. "Ain't no-one on this boat as likely to do me some harm."

"Auntie Frey wouldn't hurt you," Bethany said, sitting up.

"You gonna protect me?"

"Yes." She flexed her arm. "Strong."

Jayne felt her little muscle. "Hell, yeah," he grinned.

"Strong," Ethan echoed.

Freya laughed, glad he hadn't copied the cussing. "That's right, Ethan," she said, resting him on his feet. "And so are you. So why don't you walk for your Mama?"

"Mama," the little boy said, but wouldn't stand when she let his weight down a little.

"That's no answer, sweetie," she tutted. "Come on. Walk for me."

"He will," Simon said, coming out of the infirmary. "Don't worry about it."

"Bethany was walking before now."

"All children are different. I had it on good authority from my mother that I was over a year old before I took my first unaided steps."

"And River?"

"Let's not talk about her."

Freya laughed. "That early?"

"She gave us all a bad name."

"Well, people, looks like we're got ourselves a job," Mal said from the top catwalk, looking down onto the majority of his crew, Zoe next to him.

"What're we hauling this time?" Jayne asked.

"More to the point, is it legal or contraband?" Simon put in.

"It's legal, and it's small. Doc, you'll be in charge of it."

"Me?" He didn't quite squeak.

Mal smiled. "Eggs and sperm, from some of the finest herds in the Core." He started down the stairs.

Simon's eyebrows threatened to disappear into his hair. "I thought that was illegal," he pointed out. "My understanding is that this sort of thing has to be done through official channels. If at all."

"For once you're right, doc," Mal said, containing his amusement. "But we're licensed, for this trip only."

"We are?" Jayne asked, dragging on his water bottle. Bethany copied him assiduously.

"Bernoulli pulled a lot of strings, and we're carrying the goods."

"How big?" Simon wanted to know. "And what equipment? If we need to upgrade our facilities –"

"Hold on there," Mal said, stepping down onto the bay floor and raising his hand. "All you need to know's been transferred to your link in the infirmary. And Bernoulli says it's all the latest kit, so there's no need for any undue fussing."

"I'm not fussing," Simon said, watching as the captain sat down on the floor next to his wife and son. "If I'm responsible for this –"

"You ain't. I am. I'm captain." Mal smiled at Ethan. "Hey, there, big feller, what'cha doing?"

"Walking," River supplied, stepping out of the common area and dusting her hands of the soil from where she'd been working on her garden. Green shoots were starting to appear and she needed to weed out any interlopers.

"Are you?" Mal asked, taking hold of one of his son's hands.

"Dada!" Ethan grinned, lifting his feet one at a time and staggering towards him.

"Hey, that's real good!" Mal said, grinning at Freya.

"That's the best he's done," Freya agreed, feeling warmth suffuse through her. "He's a good boy."

Ethan turned his smile on her, and tried to face her, but lost his balance and sat down hard on his behind instead. He laughed.

"He'll soon be running us ragged around the boat," Mal predicted.

"Did I?" Bethany asked, picking up her little towel and rubbing her face and neck like Jayne was doing.

Simon walked across and picked her up, swinging her to his hip. "Run us ragged? You still do, Bethie."

She giggled.

"So where're we taking this load of ji–"

"Jayne." Simon's voice stopped him.

"What?"

"Just don't."

"Don't what?"

"You know exactly," River said quietly.

Jayne grinned. "Yeah, well, maybe I do. But I still wanna know where we're going with it."

"New Hall," Mal supplied. "They've got a fierce need to build up their herds, and Bernoulli's making a packet out of this."

"Are we?" the big man asked.

"We'll be getting paid, if that's what you're worrying."

"Ain't worried, Mal. Just careful."

Freya watched her husband refrain, with difficulty, from saying exactly what he thought about that, and she smiled.

"Well, hopefully it'll be a nice, easy journey, soon as we make the pick-up on Ezra," he said instead.

"Ezra?" Freya asked. "I've never been there."

"I thought you'd seen just about every place there was," Mal teased.

"Not every place. And Ezra just happens to be one of those I missed. What's it like?"

"Any other border moon. Got some fair to middling sized towns, ranches and the like. Ain't been there myself in a few years." He shrugged. "Won't get to see much of it this time either. Just a way stop."

"Do we have time to go shopping?" Freya lifted their son onto her thigh. "I could do with getting a few things."

"Probably manage an hour or two, but if you want more than that then we'll …"

Jayne wasn't listening to the conversation any more. He'd stopped as soon as Mal had said they were going to Ezra. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into River's dark eyes.

Tell him, he heard in his mind. You need to see her.