Chapter 14
"Simon please don't do this!" River screamed as two armed guards grabbed her arms and pulled her onto an Alliance shuttle. She screamed a second time as a strong contraction ripped through her body.
"Simon this wasn't the plan! Please don't let her take the babies! Simon!" She shrieked one final time before the door to the shuttle closed and cut off her cries.
"I promise I'll take care of her Simon. And her children as well. They'll be even more powerful than their mother. You'll see, it will be amazing." Reagan promised as she walked up beside her son and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Simon sighed painfully and brushed her arm away.
"I know it had to be done. River and I, we both need what the Academy can provide. But did you have to kill him? He did so much for the two of us when we had no one else." Simon replied and nodded to the still and bloody form of Mal lying on the dirt ten feet from them.
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Five Months Earlier
"Mei-mei slow down!" Simon shouted from the catwalk above the cargo bay.
Down below him River was leaping and twisting as she practiced a series of hand to hand combat moves. She stopped mid-stride when Simon yelled and looked up at him with the same annoyed expression she'd been giving him since she was three. He rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation as he headed down the stairs towards his little sister.
"Simon I feel fine. I feel better than I have in months!" River protested.
"Well most pregnant women feel better once they enter the second trimester. But it doesn't mean you can do anything you want. Your body is changing rapidly to accommodate the babies' growth. It's going to leave you much more prone to muscle tears and tendon strain. This goes double for you since you're carrying twins." Simon lectured.
"But you said I could continue doing normal activities as long as it was comfortable." She reminded with a whine.
"Well when I said that I didn't think you'd be down here practicing killing people."
"Is it going to hurt the babies?" She asked suddenly concerned.
"No probably not. If you aren't in any pain I'm sure the babies are fine. But if you happened to slip and fall you could risk a miscarriage. You just need to slow down and learn to take it easy." He ordered.
River nodded and put a hand protectively around her expanding belly.
"I will from now on Simon. I just want to keep my skills sharp just in case something goes wrong with the plan." She whispered.
Simon pulled River into a hug and rubbed her back comfortingly.
"I know mei-mei. I want to stop them as much as you do, but don't you think maybe Mal's right? Maybe we should wait until after the babies are born." He suggested.
"You're a reader now Simon. Use those skills. Clear your mind and reach out. You'll feel it coming just like I do. You'll feel her coming." She whispered still clinging tightly to him.
Simon did as she said and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and let his mind clear. Suddenly the thoughts and emotions of everyone on the ship grew much louder, he skimmed over them for a moment and then forced them out of his head as well. He wasn't sure what River was talking about for awhile, but then after two or three minutes he suddenly became aware of what she meant. It was like a dark spot in his brain, a tiny black hole worming its way into his mind. Almost instinctually he knew that he was sensing his mother's plan to come for them and he knew that she planned to do it before River's children were born.
Simon took a long deep breath and finally released his sister. He didn't talk about what he'd felt, he knew there was no need. Ever since he'd been turned into a reader he and River had developed the ability to communicate without speech. It wasn't exactly like reading each other's thoughts. They simply shared emotions and mental images as easily as if they were having a conversation. The ability came in handy when it was something painful to talk about or something difficult to explain in words. Their current situation was both painful and difficult to explain and Simon was grateful that he and River could both understand it without the need of talking about it extensively.
"She wants the babies." River whispered.
"Well she isn't going to get them. You're plan will work River I'm sure of it." Simon comforted.
"I'll die before I let her take them." River stated with conviction.
"I know you will mei-mei. So will I, so will everyone on this ship." Simon assured her.
A/N- I know this chapter is quite a bit shorter than usual, but it seemed like it needed to end right here. I'll try and update soon, but I guarantee nothing. Planning a wedding is very time consuming!