River

River was excited that Zoë and Wash had trusted her enough to babysit the triplets. This was the first time that anyone in the crew had trusted to do anything besides being the resident crazy person. Finally River's greatest wish to be treated like a regular teenage girl was coming true, she got to babysit. River knew that the real reason why Zoë and Wash had asked her was because they where desperate and there was no one else.

River opened the door to the triplet's room. It looked like something had exploded in the room. Somehow the boys had taken both mattresses off the bunk beds and put them on the floor. Mally was doing a swan dive off the top bunk and landed on his brother. Amina was jumping up and down on her bed while painting a picture on the wall.

River backed up a bit. A thousand and one things ran through her head as she watched the children in their mayhem.

"Chaos. Total chaos. 206 bones in the body. 618 bones can break. 1000 places to fall to your death on Serenity. 4 in the room. 1758 things that can get lounged in the throat, causing choking. 300 in the room. 8456 sharp objects on Serenity. Hundreds in the room. 500 poisons on Serenity…3 in the room. Sarah, Phoebe, Rita, Chloe, Debra, and Vera. Jayne had 25 guns and Mally loved them all. Engine parts thrown about, engine breaking, Serenity crashing into a moon, Gabe's favorite place. Covered in paint and sticky…Amina. Tied to a railing gagged and bond. Tarred and feathered. Lanzhou Job. Hide and seek…."

River quickly turned around to run, but she bumped into Zoë. "River here's a list…"

River snatched the list from Zoë's hand and tore it up throwing the pieces in the air.

"River?" Zoë looked at her funny.

"Babysitting is problematic." River quickly ran away from Zoë.

As River was fleeing she ran into Simon. "Mei Mei what's wrong?" Simon said trying to soothe her.

Frantically River replied, "Crying…blood…rope…bones…things coming back…"

Simon concerned looked into River's eyes. "What are you talking about Mei Mei?"

River gave Simon her your-a-boob look, "Babysitting."

Simon laughed. "Are you worried about watching the triplets?" Simon put his arm around his sister. "Remember how much fun we use to have when I would watch you when Mother and Father had dinner parties?"

A smile crept across River's face. "We played games."

"And we told stories…that's when we found the hodgeberry bushes at the Cambersons'
estate and we ate them until we got sick."

"Mother got mad because we got our pajamas dirty." River smile faded away from her face. "I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"Breaking them."

Simon laughed again. "The Triple Threat?" Simon started to lead River back to the kids' room. "I doubt if there is anything in the verse that will break those kids.." Simon thought for a moment. "Mally's had what 2 fractured bones…"

"Three. Simple fracture of the 5th Distal Phalanx bone, compound fracture of the humerus, and hairline fracture of the tibula."

Simon just looked her. "And if they do break, I can fix them."

"Like you fixed me."

"Yes, mei mei." Simon kissed River on the forehead. "Like I fixed you." From what Simon could tell River was getting better. She was more stable than she was when they first got to Serenity. Simon was able to get more intel on what they did to River's brain at the Academy. She was getting better. She was becoming the sister that Simon remembered.

River looked at Simon. He was getting all sentimental again. Then, River remembered why she loved being around the triplets so much. They saw her. The real her. Simon only saw the broken sister. Jayne saw her as a crazy moon brain. Shepherd saw her as a mystery. Kaylee saw her as friend, but she was still weary of her. Wash saw her as amusement especially when she outsmarted Jayne. Zoë and Mal saw her as a reminder of Serenity Valley. But the triplets simply saw her as their Aunt.

Amina came running up to them. She was covered in paint. River thought that she looked like a little Picasso painting. Her eyes where big and sad. "River you don't want to watch us? Is it because we're fengkuang xiao hou zi dao xiaozi guaishou?"

"Amina language." Simon corrected.

"What?" She replied almost too innocent. "That's what Jayne called us."

River bent down so she could look at the girl eye to eye. River started to say something but nothing would come out. She just hugged Amina while picking her up off the ground.

"River you're squishing me." Amina giggled.

Gabe came running up to River. "Hey can you read this to us." He handed her his favorite book of fairytales. "Momma don't read it right. She forgets the voices." He whispered.

They joined everyone else in the kids' room. Wash and Zoë where trying to clean up the disaster which was their children's room. River sat on Amina's bed with Gabe's book. Both took their spot beside her. Wash and Zoë both looked up from the mess. "River, honey you ok?" Zoë asked a bit confused.

River smiled at Zoë. "I have a job to do." River opened the book up. "Once upon a time in a land far away…" River noticed that Wash and Zoë where both still standing there watching her. Not so much because this was the most sane they had seen her, but because all three of there children where quiet. Not just quiet but sitting still quiet, hanging on River's every word.

Mal popped his head in the room. "Zoë, Wash we got a job to do." Mal noticed the complete silence. "Quiet before the storm." He mused to himself. "Come on people."

Wash and Zoë turned to leave, but Wash halted. "Don't need the list." River said before he could speak.

Wash just looked at her with his mouth open for a bit. Then he smiled. "Shiny." He turned to join Zoë.

"Wash, Zoë!" River called out. Both of them returned to the room. "I'm getting paid right?"

"Yeah of course." Zoë said as she left.

"Where paying her?" River could hear Wash say as they left.

River continued to read. "There was a princess…"

"Was her name Amina?"

"No that's a stupid name…" Mally said.

"You're stupid, stupid…" Amina stuck out her tongue.

"Anjing." River commanded.

Amina and Mally snapped to attention. River put the book down. "How about I tell you another story about a princess and two evil men with hands of blue?"

They all nodded their head. "Once there was a princess named Jordan and she lived in a magical castle with her brother Sam. They lived there with their evil parents. One day Jordan and Sam's parents sent her away to a far off land…"

Wash and Zoë checked on the children before they went to bed. Wash tucked in Amina. "So did you have fun with River today?"

"Yeah, she told us stories…we made a cake…and she taught us how to dance." Amina rubbed her eyes.

"Well it seems you guys had a lot of fun. Do you want River to babysit for you guys again?" Zoë asked her boys.

"No, not really." Mally said.

"Why?"

"Cause we can't get away with anything…it's like she reading our minds." Mally said.

"She's like a walking list, Momma." Gabe added.

Chinese translations

fengkuang xiao hou zi dao xiaozi guaishou crazy little monkey humping bratty monsters

Anjing quiet