A/N: Thanx to the two who reviewed last chapter ;-) Now, more cute Rayne, and a little of something else too...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

7. Mother and Child

The sounds of screaming and wailing sent Kaylee scuttling far away from the infirmary just as quick as her pregnant state would allow. Though she had some time to go yet, today was the day River was apparently going to bring her baby daughter into the world.

Things had been fine when Zoe gave birth to Alyssa, back then Kaylee had stayed pretty calm about everything, but today reality was hitting home. In a few weeks, she would be the one in the medical room, trying to breathe through wave after wave of intense pain, pushing a child out of her body into the world. Being a mother didn't scare her none, but actually havin' the baby come out, that part really bothered her.

Simon had tried to calm the fear he knew she had, but medical jargon and diagrams only served to confuse her more. This was why Kaylee was seeking solace in some part of the ship where the echo didn't carry the sound of her best friends pain. She was up on the bridge before she realised where she was going and stumbled into some random conversation between the Captain and Wash.

"So when Inara took Zoe and Alyssa planetside for more baby shopping, Daniel went with for shuttle piloting practise and..." the Pilot stopped talking when he felt someone stood behind him and turned to see Kaylee framed in the doorway, her face as pale as a desert moon.

"You alright, mei mei?" asked Mal with genuine concern, "Is River doin' okay?"

"She's screamin' an awful lot" admitted the mechanic who visibly shook as she glanced back down the corridor, "It's normal though, I reckon, I just... I don't know about doin' all that, how I'm gonna do it" she shook her head.

"Kaylee" said the Captain as he moved over to her and put his hands lightly on her shoulders, "Now you listen to me, darlin'. Ain't nothin' we can't do if'n we set our minds to it, right?" he reminded her.

"Yes, Cap'n" she nodded, though she remained unconvinced, "I just, I never thought about how hard it'd be, how painful... Why in the 'verse did God make having kids that hard?" she asked in earnest.

Not wanting to upset her more, and certainly not wanting to start a discussion over his belief or lack of same in a higher being, Mal said nothing for a moment as he led the little mechanic over to the co-pilots chair and sat her down. Kneeling before her, he looked up into her eyes, putting on his best fatherly expression and tone as he spoke to her.

"Think about this, little Kaylee" he told her, "A few minutes, maybe a few hours, you spend yellin' an' hurtin' and all, but for the rest of your natural, you got a little boy or girl gonna love you more'n anythin' else in any world spinnin'" he explained, "Now, I can't say as to why exactly you gotta go through any sufferin' to get to the good part, but mei mei, ain't nothin' worth havin' comes easy"

"That is true" chimed in Wash from the Pilot's seat, "You know the trouble I had getting Zoe to see we were made for each other. They say words can't hurt a person but some of things she said to me... well, they didn't make me happy" he reminded them, "but it was worth all the knock backs, all the effort and the pain of rejection, to get where we are now" he smiled, "As for Alyssa, need I remind the two of you of the bruising? You remember the bruising" he said, pointing to the back of his right hand, now completely healed of course, "Purple, for eight days where my darling wifey squeezed so hard when the little one was coming into the world"

"Hell, I think Jayne'll take it, but if Kaylee here has a hold on the Doc's lilly white fingers, more as like gonna end up with a few broken bones" the Captain joked, as Kaylee playfully smacked him in the shoulder.

"Hey, you're talkin' about the father of my child" she reminded him, as Mal chuckled.

"That's as maybe" he nodded, "but you were my mechanic before you was his better half. Want you to remember, always here for ya" he promised as he got to his feet and leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"I love my Captain" she smiled up at him, genuine as ever.

He had helped a lot, promising her things would be okay. He was right, of course, but it was nice to hear someone else confirm that everything would be alright in the end. It would be worth a little pain and trouble to have her and Simon's baby here for them to love. Kaylee only hoped she'd be as good a parent to her young 'un as the Captain unknowingly was to her.

"Now, how 'bout you and me go see if my little Albatross is done yellin' so loud the walls shake" said Mal, offering a hand to his mechanic who nodded as she took it and pulled herself up, "Could be we got ourselves another little crew member by now"

* * * * *

"Congratulations, mei mei" said Simon with a giddy smile as he handed over the newborn to River, "You have a beautiful baby girl"

"Told you" she stuck out her tongue at her brother, even as she took her daughter in her arms and held her close.

"You done me proud, bao bei" declared Jayne with arm around his wife as he planted a kiss on her temple, "She's the most beautiful thing I ever seen next to you"

River smiled at her husband and daughter both, hardly able to contain how happy she was. In her head she had dreamed of a family one day, full of love and warmth and happiness. She had never imagined her situation would be this, out in the black on a ship full of people she hadn't known at all a couple of years ago. Now she was friend, lover, wife, mother, all and more, and so happy to be so.

"This one we must name ourselves" she told Jayne then, "Daniel is perfect for his name, but she has nothing pre-arranged"

"Yeah, we never did finish up picking somethin' out for the little one" he agreed, as he pulled up the stool beside the bed and sat down scratching his head.

"How about Vera?" suggested River with a giggle, but the look on Jayne's face told her immediately he didn't find that funny, "Can't be after my mother, could be after yours?" she tried again.

This time River's suggestion was a serious one, but still Jayne didn't look entirely impressed.

"Radiant fits for Ma, not so sure it fits for her" he shrugged, very gently putting his hand to the little baby's head and stroking the light covering of dark hair she already possessed, "You don't wanna name her Little River?" he offered at which her nose wrinkled.

"Would be almost as odd as Little Jane" she noted, "And very confusing when calling for attention around ship" she said thoughtfully, "Sorry, Baby Cobb" she sighed as she looked down on her baby daughter, "No name for now"

"Hey, how about my Ma's middle name?" said Jayne then, "That's been passed down for generations. Woulda been my sister's name if'n I had one, but Ma raised all boys"

"Jessamine Cobb" said River, a smile spreading over her lips as she read the name from her husbands head and recognised the sound of it - she was sure the woman herself had spoken of it when they first met, "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl" she agreed with a nod, before a yawn overtook her, "Long day" she remarked, as Jayne moved to kiss her, unable to keep from doing so any longer.

"Meant what I said, bao bei" he assured her, "Never thought I could love ya anymore than I already did, but you made me go and do it"

"She is very proud of her achievement" River rolled her eyes, before looking down on her child with eyes that shone with happy tears, "Very proud of all achievements today"

The End