It's been a few months now since Miranda and Serenity was still healing from her losses, Wash and Book were on the crew's thoughts everyday, especially Zoe. Sometimes Inara didn't even make eye contact with her, she gained and husband and a son while Zoe lost her husband – her soul mate…seeing the void in her eyes made a chill run down Inara's spine. Whenever she dreamed of leaving companionship for romance when she was a young novice, she always dreamed of marrying a rich handsome, compassionate man who treated her like royalty – and she never thought about having children.

But what frightened her even more was the thought of loosing Mal or her little son. She fought with the rest of the crew, Ryan tucked in the hold in case anything happened and they had to seal the entrance, a thing which River ended up doing, locking herself outside to save all of them.


Little Ryan, also know as lil' cub on Serenity was playing with his colourful blocks in his parents' shuttle. He'd had a rough morning today, Uncle Simon finally got the vaccines he'd been bugging his dada about and Ryan didn't much take to the needles.

Inara was working on Serenity's paper work, and keeping an eye on her son when Mal came in giving her kiss "Hey tiger…" he said running his index finger along her jaw line before sitting on the bed near his son but as soon as he touched him the infant pulling pack as if he'd been burned and cried "No!"

"What's wrong with him?" asked the Captain with a worried expression.

"He's in a bad mood because Uncle Simon gave him some injections...he's just like you Mal, always cranky when it has to do with needles." Inara answered as she gracefully got up from the desk, her blue silk dress whispering behind her.

"Why's the doc stickin' pins in my son?" asked Mal ready to go to the infirmary and ream the doc a new one.

"Because we are landing on Triumph next week and that place is full of diseases...and we don't want him to get sick. He's been telling you about them for weeks Mal." she said sitting on the bed her voice calming as Ryan crawled on his father's lap

"Ah yeah" said Mal recalling the doctor preaching about diseases and needles while he was trying to get a job "He's been pestering me 'bout them vaccines. Sorry 'lil cub." he told his son sympathetically as the boy crawled in his lap.

"Dada hurt..." he said sadly as he touched his daddy's arm.

"Yeah I know cub, I don't like the needles either but it's better like this than having to lie in the infirmary for days trust me!"

Ryan's big blue eyes looked at him as the boy listened to what his dad was saying his silky dark hair shined in the light of the lamp, it wasn't wavy like his mothers but the colour was definitely darker than Mal's sandy one.

The captain tickled his tummy which made the boy squeal with laughter, 'it's incredible how he could change his son's mood so quickly' thought fondly Inara, joining her family on the bed.

"Kaylee can't wait ta land – hard ta believe our meimei's gonna be twenty five soon" he said fondly as he tickled Ryan, the little one enjoying the attention from his father.

Inara sat on the bed, her posture tense and she wasn't making eye contact with Mal which meant she was going to tell him something which he wasn't going to like, he could read her like a book now "Actually Mal, I'm not coming to Triumph with you. I have an appointment." She said in a low voice as she ran her fingers through her son's silky hair.

Mal felt his irritation rising "What? 'Nara – did you just hear me talkin' about Kaylee's birthday? She's gonna have her birthday and planning to spend the day with you, Kaya and River doing girly things. This will ruin her day!" he said angrily.

"Mal, we need the money. Kaylee is old enough to understand that and she'll probably spend the day with Simon, I can't postpone this and since we can't find an honest job right now, this appointment will gain us enough for the next two months." She hissed.

"Maybe you should think on somethin' else other than money! Is this what you're gonna do when it's his birthday?" he yelled.

"Your problem is your foolish pride Mal. You want to always want to be the bread winner and you never want to compromise. Also you can't stand the fact that you're not shooting anybody and maybe it's having its effect." She yelled back

"You ain't goin'!"

"You can't dictate where I go! Maybe you should have though before having a baby with a whore."

"Yeah, maybe I shoulda!"

Inara looked like she'd just been slapped and Ryan was crying.

Mal turned a stomped out of the shuttle, knowing that any form of apology would be futile right now.


Everyone heard the yelling, so it was no surprise that Inara did not show up for chow. Mal was in a sour mood, Inara locked their shuttle and he knew better than trying to bother her when she did that, he'd sleep in his own bunk. Inara would sing the lullaby in a language he never heard before to put Ryan to sleep and he wouldn't even notice his daddy wasn't there.

Gorram that ta ma duh agreement, had he not agreed, he could have taken whichever job he wanted and not depend on Inara to keep flying. Much as he loved the woman, he did not like depending on anyone...but they needed the money and Inara got aplenty when going to an appointment whether he liked it or not.

Still, it was that same agreement which let him take Inara and his son home, besides, Inara didn't sleep with anyone other than him and that was good - usually he wouldn't have said anything when Inara told him she had made an appointment. What pissed him off was that she made this appointment right when they were going to Triumph to celebrate Kaylee's birthday.

Mal opened his old bunk for the first time in months, slamming it shut when he got in.

Kaylee was going to miss her, she has been going on and on about the party and the dress she'd wear but what if she decided to work on an important day in Ryan's life? He knew what having an absent parent felt like and he didn't want his lil' cub to know too. He had to admit the last comment was hurtful and he knew this would happen some day or another - Why couldn't she postpone the damn thing? Anyhow, it was better to get from the galley...he didn't feel like being the crew's glare-target. Why did they always take her side anyhow?

The now sad captain took off his shirt and set himself for the long night of thinking which awaited him.


That was the first chapter of the sequel you wanted, hope you liked it =) Let me know if you want the next one!