Simon sat on River's bed. He was tired; this was the most work he had done in a long while. River touched her brother's face. "You where always his favorite. The best and the brightest. His shinning star." River's face got sad. "He's not coming. Daddy not coming. Doesn't matter anymore. That not home, he's not home."

Simon hugged his sister, "Mei Mei." Simon realized for the first time that Serenity was really truly their home now. This people where the only family that really cared about River, even though they had a strange way of showing it. It gave Simon a certain comfort knowing that River was safe.

"I'll get better. You won't have to look after me. You take such good care of us." River trailed off to sleep.

Simon went back to his room and prepared for bed when there was a knock at his door. "Ging jin."

Kaylee slid the door open holding a plate in her hand. "Kaylee!" Simon quickly put back on his shirt.

Kaylee laughed. "You ain't got nothing I haven't seen before." She closed the door behind her. "I brought you something to eat. I figured that you haven't eaten anything all day." Kaylee handed Simon the plate. "Not much, just some leftovers."

Simon took a bit. "No, thank you." He sat down on the bed and Kaylee joined him.

"I can't believe Zoë had triplets." She said grinning looking at Simon.

"Yes, it's very rare." He took another bite.

"I couldn't do what you did today. Delivering all of them. You didn't even break a sweat. Not that you sweat."

"Thank you. It could have run a whole lot smoother if I was back in Orisis. I would have had the proper…" Simon looked at Kaylee's face. He knew that she hated when he compared this core like to life in the black. "I could never do what you do Kaylee. It always amazes me how you keep Serenity running."

Kaylee cheered up the conversation was going her way. "Tell me what else amazes you about me."

Simon put down his plate and smiled. "Well it amazes me how you're able to keep a cheerful disposition even in the worst situation. How you can hold this ship together with a string and a smile…"

There was a knock at the door. "Go away!" Kaylee shouted. Simon just looked at her. "Sorry, what I mean is come in." She said as sweetly as possible.

It was Wash. He looked a bit surprised to see Kaylee in Simon's bunk this late. "I just wanted to say thank you again for all you did today."

"It was nothing." Simon trying to sound modest.

"No, Simon it wasn't nothing. It was a miracle what you did today, not just today what you did thru out this whole thing. Zoë can be a hand full, and the way you dealt with her craziness. Simon you are gifted." Wash gave Simon a huge hug.

"My pleasure."

"Well I just wanted to say that." He had a big grin on his face. "Good night Kaylee. Good night Simon." He closed the door behind him when he left. "Don't keep him up to late Kaylee!" Wash yelled from the other side of the door.

Simon and Kaylee both laughed. "You where saying…" Kaylee said with a smile.

"I think your in my seat." Wash said as he walked into the bridge. Mal jumped up.

"What's wrong?" He was half asleep.

"Nothing. Everything shiny, Mal." Wash laughed as he sat in his seat.

Mal rubbed his face trying to wake himself up. "What are you doing up here, I figured you be to busy cooing over them kids of yours."

Wash flicked some switches, Serenity started to hum. "Zoë kicked me out."

Mal sat in the co pilot chair and looked out into the sky then at Wash, "You taking her out."

"Yeah, don't want my kids seeing this dirt heap of a moon. They have to see the stars."

There was a long silence while Wash took them out of atmo. "We got a course?" He asked looking a Mal who was dozing off again.

"Hmmm…Boros. We can fuel up there and look for work."

Wash set the nav stats and put the ship in autopilot. Wash turned to Mal and had his serious face on, "Mal…I got more to loose now. It was bad enough when it was just Zoë I was worrying about, but now I got three little ones. They need both their parents Mal…" Mal didn't respond he just closed his eyes and let Wash speak. "All I'm saying here is…"

Mal was tired and he really didn't want to have this conversation with Wash. "I've never put Zoë in a position where she didn't want to be."

"That's what I'm talking about Mal. She'd follow you to hell and back if you had the notion." Mal sat up and looked at Wash.

"So you saying you want me to take it easy on her?"

"What I'm saying is that we got a family now."

Mal got up and stood looking down at Wash. Wash wasn't saying anything that Mal hadn't thought about a millions times ever since Zoë said she was expecting. "Can't make Zoë do what she don't want to do. You of all people should know that."

Wash looked down. "Yeah I do know that. That's why it has to be you. She'll listen to you Mal. If you tell her to slow down she will. If I tell her she'll just fight me." Wash hated to admit that his wife would rather listen to the Captain than him.

"I ain't taking it easy on Zoë unless she wants to be taken easy on." Mal left the bridge.

Mal quietly crept down to his bunk. He was trying to go through his chest to find his sleeping attire.

"Wash?" Zoë said half sleep. One of the babies stirred a little.

Mal whispering. "No, it's me. Trying to find something to sleep in."

Zoë struggled to get up to tend to the baby. Mal quickly went to her aide. He helped her to the chair in his room. It was little Gabriel who was doing all the fussing. Mal picked up him up and handed him to Zoë.

"You know what your doing?"

Zoë looked down at the boy. "You know I have no clue." She smiled and looked at Mal. "But I'm going to love finding out."

There was a softness that Mal had never seen about Zoë. She had always been the hard core ass kicker by his side. Now there was a softer gentler Zoë in front of him. He didn't know how to handle it. "I was thinking about maybe taking on another hand…."

"I take it Wash talk to you."

"That he did."

"Things have changed." Gabriel let out a small cry. Zoë just cooed him. "But, this is the life I want to live. Out here in the black on Serenity."

"No one saying you have to leave."

Gabriel woke up and grabbed Zoë's hand. "Wasn't planning on leaving…but if it would set yours and Wash's mind at ease, it won't hurt if we hire another hand."

Mal got up and pulled a pair of pajama pants out his truck and a shirt. He didn't think that it would be that easy to convince Zoë into hiring a new hand. Before Mal left he looked back at Zoë and the baby. They had gone to the war never looking to come back, but somehow they did. Some parts of them never really left Serenity Valley that day. Most of Mal died along side his men. But somehow along the way they both had found their serenity. Zoë had her family and Mal had her, the crew, and his ship. That was all he needed.

"Night Zoë."

"Night Mal."

"Hey Zoë."

"Yes."

"You two owe me new sheets. I want the soft fluffy kind. No cheap stuff makes me itch."