Chance Encounters (May 2528)

Gabriel Tam scanned the crowd impatiently, hoping to catch sight of his wife. He was already frustrated, and it was only 10:00 in the morning. He hated being near the docks; they always seemed to have so many people. Gabriel was not a fan of large crowds. But his wife wanted to look for some fancy fabric that was only sold at the docks, so they had made the trip. He had picked out his worst suit, knowing that any other would look out of place among the poorer classes. He just hoped that he could go home soon and change into something civilized.

His eyes roamed the crowd suspiciously, landing on a beautiful woman in a flowing silk gown who looked even more out of place than he did. Gabriel suspected she was a companion. Her clothing and beauty certainly seemed to fit that particular profession. Gabriel had had a number of encounters with companions in his day, mostly in his younger days. However, the woman standing in front of him was more beautiful than any companion he had seen before. Were he twenty years younger, he would likely strongly consider hiring her. Regan had never minded when he sought gratification elsewhere in their early days of marriage; it was expected of a man of his class. A woman, especially a high-class woman, could not be expected to fill all of a man's needs.

As Gabriel's eyes roamed appreciatively over the woman's figure, they suddenly widened when he noticed a multitude of children standing beside her. He counted six in total. He had never heard of a companion who had children, much less one who had six. It was especially surprising that the woman had been able to maintain her figure after so many children. Perhaps she had hired a surrogate. Companions made a good deal of money, and based on her looks, he imagined her services were quite expensive.

Before he could ponder long, another young woman joined her. She was beautiful as well, but it was a simpler beauty, less refined. She wore overalls and a grease-stained shirt which contrasted sharply with the colorful silk of the companion's robes. However, the two seemed quite familiar with one another, greeting each other with wide smiles. Gabriel wondered briefly if they were married. He had never heard of an adoption agency letting a couple adopt quite so many children, but perhaps if the companion had friends in high places, it would be possible.

The second woman had two young boys in tow as well, and the older ran to the companion with shouts of "Mama!"

"Did you find all the parts you needed?" the companion questioned, lifting the small boy into her arms easily.

"Not quite, but Cay here wanted his momma."

"Aunt Kaylee, can I come with you to find the rest?" one of the older boys asked, clearing up Gabriel's confusion about their relationship. It made sense that not all of the children belonged to the companion. That explained a good deal.

"Sure, xiaomal, let me just drop some stuff back at the ship first. You wanna help carry it?" The young woman shifted a bag on her shoulder.

"Dad says I should always help carry things for women," the boy said seriously.

"That he does," a male voice remarked, and Gabriel looked over to see a third adult had joined the small group. He pressed a hand briefly into the companion's back, and she leaned into his touch. Gabriel's eyebrows rose at that action. The man did not look like the type to attract or afford a woman of the companion's standing. His clothes were plain and patched in a couple places, and his face was streaked with dirt. He had the body of a working man with large, calloused hands and sun-bronzed skin. Most worrying of all, however, were the two guns strapped at his hip.

"Baba!" one of the young girls exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the newcomer.

"Hullo, gongzhu. Have you been behaving for Momma and Aunt Kaylee?"

"We've all been good, Dad," one of the older boys assured him. The rest of the children nodded.

"Good to hear. Now, I understand we've got some parts to take back to the ship. Why don't some of you come help me with that so Kaylee can go find anything else she needs and we can get off this rock? Jayne, Trey, and Zoe are already back loading the cargo." He reached for the bag that Kaylee carried, but before he could grab it, shouts attracted his attention to a scuffle that had started a few feet away. Gabriel looked up as well, noting that there were six combatants in total, all dressed in ragged clothing and shouting about money. He sighed. He avoided the docks for precisely this reason.

The man muttered a string of unintelligible Chinese, his hand dropping to the gun at his side. He stepped between the fighting men and his children, a gesture that seemed subconscious. The companion stepped beside him, and he turned to look at her. "Get behind me, 'Nara," he instructed.

"Give me a gun, Mal," she responded coolly. They stared each other down for a moment before he sighed and drew one of his guns, passing it to her. She held it with a familiarity that surprised Gabriel. "I still don't see why I can't have my own," she muttered.

"Really not the time for this argument again." The man, who Gabriel now knew was Mal, was watching the scuffle carefully. "Suffice to say, I wanna make sure that if you do get arrested, you can use your womanly wiles to get out of it. Gets a mite harder with a gun."

"I'd be fine."

"Sure you would be, Honey, but I ain't takin' chances I don't have to." Suddenly, shots sounded, and Gabriel thought for a moment that they had come from Mal and the companion, but he quickly realized they originated from the members of the scuffle. Two of them had pulled out guns. People around them screamed and scattered, but the odd family in front of him remained. Mal had drawn his other gun and leveled it on the fighters. The companion had pointed hers in that direction as well.

"Take the one on the right, Mal," she said. He sighed but complied with her request, adjusting his aim. They fired together, and one of the combatants with a gun dropped. However, the other spun, firing wildly. Gabriel watched in amazement as Mal threw himself in front of the companion just as the man fired in her direction. He heard a grunt of pain.

"Shensheng de gou shi, woman, I thought you had him," Mal groaned, aiming and firing at the man who was still shooting. He dropped immediately.

"This gun is much too large for me. If you'd just let me get my own. . ."

"Not 'til you learn to aim better." The remaining four combatants were moving toward the family now, their eyes glinting dangerously. "Kaylee, take the kids and get back," Mal instructed, taking aim with a wince. A third combatant drew his gun as well, but before he could fire, Gabriel heard something which chilled him to the bone.

"Gabe?" his wife's voice called. "Where are you?" Gabriel spun to see that she had spotted him and was fast approaching. Unfortunately, her approach took her directly between the fighters. He wanted to reach her, to call out to her to stop, but he seemed frozen in place. Time slowed as he watched her step closer to the melee, still oblivious. He had told her time and again to watch her surroundings, but still her head was in the clouds. He always blamed her for his children's somewhat dreamy dispositions. And now, that inability to see what was present was going to get her killed.

"Gorramit," Mal muttered. "Ta ma de feng, woman, get down!" He shouted the last words, and Regan swirled, confused. Before she could move, however, a shot sounded, and her mouth fell open in surprise. She dropped to the ground, and Mal growled as he quickly dispatched the gunman as well as one of the other opponents. Before he could hit the others, however, the two men reached him, and one of them punched him hard in the side. With a cry of pain, he dropped his gun, his other hand clutching his side. The man leered as he reared back for another punch, but Mal was surprisingly quick given his injured state. His elbow shot up, catching the man under the chin, and his fist knocked out his opponent's breath as the man reeled back. A second punch landed on the man's head, but before he could finish him, one of the boys interrupted.

"Baba, behind you!" Mal spun around just as the glint of a knife announced his second opponent had drawn a weapon. The blade slashed down, opening up a gash in his arm. With a roar of pain, he kicked the man's hand, sending the knife spinning to the ground. A second kick landed in the man's stomach, and Mal grabbed his hair, pulling him back sharply. One of the boys picked up the knife from the ground, carefully testing its weight.

"Don't even think about it, Ben," Mal warned, his breathing heavy as he slammed the second man into the first, causing both to stagger backwards. However, the boy did not listen. Raising the knife, he stared closely at the second man, sending it flying toward him. Though he likely intended to hit the man's torso, the knife flew wide, embedding itself in his arm instead. He gave a loud screech of pain which quickly ended as Mal picked him up and slammed him into a nearby building. He crumpled to the ground, but Mal was already moving toward his other opponent. A well-placed kick brought the man to the ground, and Mal followed him down. He slammed the man's head into the pavement three times before he finally went still.

Immediately, as if someone had pressed play on a cortex, movement began again. There were a number of screams from bystanders, and the companion rushed to Mal's side as he crouched, groaning, beside his recently-dispatched opponent. "I'm fine," he told her. "Go check on the woman." He gestured to Regan, reminding Gabriel suddenly of her presence. He began to push his way through the panicked crowd, reaching his wife's side just as the companion knelt beside her and reached for her neck. "I've got this," he told her, unwilling to have his wife sullied by the hands of the woman in front of him.

"I have medical training," she assured him.

"I think she needs more than your whore first aid," he remarked scathingly, noting the blood which covered her upper right arm. "Go see to your. . . man."

Her eyes narrowed, obviously catching his tone. "My husband asked me to check on her first. He'll live. He's certainly had worse."

"I am sure he has."

"Gabe?" Regan asked, her voice laced with pain. He returned his attention to his wife as her eyes fluttered open. "It hurts, Gabe," she moaned, clutching her shoulder.

"Looks like a graze," a gruff voice announced. Gabriel looked up to see Mal standing above them, one of the small boys in his arms. He was bent over slightly but otherwise seemed none the worse for wear except for the rapidly expanding crimson stain on his side and arm. "Hurts like hell but certainly not life-threatening. If you get it stitched up soon, you probably won't even get a scar."

"Thank you for your concern, but I would like to have a real doctor make that assessment."

The man shrugged a shoulder. "Your choice."

"No hospitals," Regan insisted. Ever since Simon had left so many years before, she had studiously avoided all healthcare facilities. She claimed they brought up too many painful memories.

"Regan, you need to see a doctor."

"No hospital," she repeated, sitting up.

"You have fun with that," Mal said, his tone sarcastic. He turned to leave, and Gabriel noted with some surprise that instead of turning in the direction of the main portion of the city where all the hospitals were, he was moving closer to the edge of the docks.

"Where are you going?" Gabriel asked.

He turned, his eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Don't see how that's any of your business. Way I see it, I saved your wife's life and I ain't even got a thank you. Seems you owe me more'n I owe you."

Gabriel pressed his lips together in a tight line, unwilling to say the words. Regan, however, had always been too kind and forgiving for her own good. "Thank you," she told him. "But don't you need a hospital, too?"

"Don't much like 'em myself," Mal said. "I got a doctor on board my ship that I trust a whole helluva lot more than any of them fancy surgeons at your hospitals. He'll fix me up good."

"Can I come with you?" Regan pleaded. "Can he fix me up, too?" Mal hesitated, glancing at the other members of his group. "I'll pay you, of course, for your troubles." Mal glanced again at the companion, and a silent conversation flowed between them.

"Fine," he agreed. "Kaylee, help her up. You can lead the way. Ben, Rose, Toby, grab Kaylee's bag." Immediately, they all scrambled to do as he instructed. Kaylee stepped over to Regan, bending down beside her.

"Now, we're gonna take this nice and slow," she assured the woman. "You lean on me and your husband there and we'll help you to your feet. The ship ain't but a few hundred meters away, so we'll make it just fine." Gabriel wanted to object, to insist on taking his wife to a real doctor at a hospital, but he could not deny her wishes. Instead, he let her place an arm around his shoulders as she rose unsteadily to her feet. They began to walk slowly, and he heard the soft footsteps of the children as they fell into line behind him. Briefly, he glanced back to see that Mal and the companion had not yet started walking. They stood together, the young boy no longer in his arms. She whispered something to him; though Gabriel could not make out the words, it made Mal chuckle slightly and then wince. He glared at her theatrically, and she gave him a radiant smile before leaning forward to press her lips to his, heedless of the multitude of people surrounding them. Gabriel's eyes went wide as he watched them kiss. It was the kind of kiss that no proper person would initiate outside of the bedroom, a kiss that spoke of love and longing and desire. It was certainly not the type of kiss he had ever bestowed on his wife. But then, the people in front of him were quite different than he and Regan.

He was pulled out of his contemplation by Kaylee's sunny voice. "They'll catch up to us when they finish with that. Inara don't much like seeing the captain hurt though you think she'd be used to it by now. But they do tend to get a bit more affectionate after a scare like this."

"Captain?" Regan asked, intrigued.

"Yep. That's the captain. Inara's his wife as you might've guessed. Danced 'round each other for a good long while 'fore they finally admitted their feelings, so I always assume that's why they're so affectionate now. It's funny 'cuz I always thought of the captain as a private person. Inara brings out a new side of him."

"So what's your relationship to them?"

"I'm the ship's mechanic," she explained proudly. "Been keeping Serenity runnin' for near thirteen years now. She's a good ship. You're gonna like her. And you can meet my husband as well. He's the doctor on board."

"You have a doctor on board your ship?" Gabriel asked, thinking it an odd position to staff.

"Sure do. He helps out a lot when the crew gets hurt. It's also nice when we're on the outer moons 'cuz he can help out there since they don't have good medical care."

"And all these children are yours?" Regan questioned, pointing to the kids, many of whom had run ahead of the slow-moving trio.

"Not by birth, but in many ways, they are. We call 'em Serenity's children sometimes. But only those two belong to me," She pointed to a young girl who shared her pale complexion and sleek brown hair as well as a little boy with dark, raven locks. "That's Karina and Davis. Ben, Rick, Aanya, and Cay belong to the captain and Inara, and Toby and Rose are our first mate, Zoe's." She pointed out each child in turn. Regan smiled and continued to pepper her with questions about them for the remaining portion of the short journey. Gabriel was not too surprised. His wife loved children and had always lamented that they never had more of their own, especially once Simon and River disappeared.

Gabriel thought the ship they reached looked one step away from the junkyard, but he wisely kept his mouth shut as Kaylee told them all about its features. Regan seemed intrigued, but he let his attention wander, noting the two people who stood on the deck, a man and a woman outfitted with a whole manner of weapons. They were unloading a number of crates, and the pieces suddenly clicked into place. Smugglers. He and his wife had come across a whole band of smugglers.

As Gabriel was considering the best way to discreetly wave the Alliance and report the group in front of him, the woman called out to them. "Got some new friends, Kaylee?"

"There was a bit of a mishap in town," Mal's voice said behind them. Gabriel turned in surprise to find him standing a few feet away, leaning heaving on Inara. "Thought Doc might appreciate a payin' patient." He nodded to Regan.

"That so, Sir?" The woman seemed skeptical, but she said nothing further.

"Kaylee, take your friend back to the doc, let him patch her up so we can be on our way."

"What about you, Captain?"

He let out a loud breath as Inara helped him down onto a couple crates. "I've had worse. I'll be okay a mite longer. Doc can patch me up later."

"Mal-"

"I'm fine, 'Nara," he said, meeting his wife's eyes, challenge in his own. They stared at each other for a moment before she relented.

"I'm going to make sure all the kids got on board. You really shouldn't have carried Cay with your injury. You just made it worse."

"Kid was terrified and needed a bit of comfort. I wasn't so torn up I couldn't do that."

"Think I saw them all headed to the rec room," the other woman remarked. Inara nodded and swept off in that direction. "You gotta stop getting yourself into these things, Sir. Can't you see your wife is terrified for you?"

Mal groaned, leaning back against another crate as he closed his eyes. "Weren't my fault this time, Zoe. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Captain stepped in front of a bullet to stop it from hitting Inara," Kaylee said softly.

"Do it again, too," he muttered, his voice softer. Zoe watched him with a fond smile.

"Take our visitors back, Kaylee," Zoe instructed. "Trey and I will take care of the captain."

"I'm fine," he mumbled. "Don't need no fuss. Just a few stitches and I'll be good as new." Gabriel lost the rest of the conversation as Kaylee propelled them out of the bay. Their footsteps echoed loudly on the metal grating as Kaylee continued to tell them all about the inner workings of the ship. When they reached a room that clearly served as the infirmary, she helped Regan inside and up on a table. A dark-haired man stood at one of the counters, his back to the door and all his attention focused on the young girl sitting in front of him, swinging her legs as she talked.

"Then Unca Mal jumped in front of Aunt Nara and got shot, but he kept fightin' and brought the rest of the bad men down, too."

"And no one else was hurt?" There was something familiar about the man's voice, something that Gabriel couldn't place. The memory flitted just out of his reach.

"None of us. There was a woman who was. That's who Mama wants you to patch up."

"I can always count on you for thorough updates, huihui," the man remarked with a chuckle. He finished snapping on his gloves and turned to face the trio. Immediately, the color drained from Gabriel's face, and he heard his wife gasp loudly.

"Simon?" she questioned.

"Father? Mother?" he asked. The stitch he held in his hand dangled from the curved needle, moving slowly back and forth, the only movement in the room. Even the young girl had stopped swinging her legs, likely sensing the tension.

"These are your parents?" Kaylee questioned. Simon nodded mutely as the starting contest continued. A thousand questions and thoughts warred for dominance in Gabriel's mind. He wanted to tell Simon to come home, to forget whatever nonsense got him in trouble with the alliance. They still had considerable sway with some very powerful people, and Gabriel could likely clear his son's name. He also wanted to know what Simon was doing on the ship, why he had thrown a brilliant career in medicine away to play doctor on backwater moons and raise children with a simple mechanic. However, none of those thoughts or questions surfaced.

The young girl finally broke the silence. "You have parents?"

"Everyone has parents, Karina honey," Kaylee explained with a small smile.

"But since they're Daddy's parents, that would make them my grandparents. Uncle Mal said none of us had grandparents. Said it made us special."

"It seems your uncle was wrong, Sweetie. I'm your grandmother," Regan told her. She no longer seemed to notice the pain in her shoulder, for she was so focused on her granddaughter.

"Everyone's grandmother?" Karina clarified.

"No, just yours, Sweetie. And your brother's. You have a little brother, don't you?" Karina nodded.

"Karina, go to the rec room," Simon said finally.

"But I wanna stay here with my grandparents!" she whined.

"It's not up for debate. Go!" He pointed at the door. Pouting, she slid off the counter and left the room.

"Simon, you didn't have to do that!" Regan exclaimed. "I would love to get to know my granddaughter. I'm so happy to just find you alive, but the fact that you have two beautiful children is just icing on the cake."

"I'm going to give you a mild analgesic. You might feel a slight pinch," Simon said.

"Simon, are you listening to anything I'm saying?"

"Right now, Mother, I'm just trying to do my job." He pushed a syringe into the skin near her shoulder, and she jumped slightly. Once the liquid was injected, he retrieved the stitches and began to methodically close the wound, all his attention focused on the task.

"Simon-" Kaylee began, but another voice interrupted her.

"Doc, that fengkuang di diyu sister of yours is mutterin' something about birds and nests and refuses to fly my ship. Trey and Zoe are with her now, but they don't seem to be able to talk her down. You need to sew me up and talk some sense into her. Don't much care about the order." Mal stopped in the doorway, obviously noting the tension in the room. "I miss somethin'?"

"Captain, these are Simon and River's parents," Kaylee introduced.

"River? She's alive? She's with you?" Regan questioned, turning toward the captain hopefully.

"Hold still, Mother, I still have a couple more stitches," Simon admonished.

"Ta ma di diyu, this day keeps gettin' better 'n better," the captain remarked. "Doc, you want I should get a gun from the armory for you?"

"Captain, they're his parents!" Kaylee exclaimed.

"Ain't up to you and me, Kaylee. This is the doc's decision."

"Thank you, Captain, but not right now. I think we can all be civilized here." Simon glanced up at Gabriel, his eyes challenging. Gabriel suddenly realized just how much his son had grown up in the eleven years since he had left. He was a young man when he left, accustomed to wealth and privilege, but he had willingly given up everything for a vague fancy that his sister was in danger and had ended up on the edge of the galaxy because of it. Still, the experience seemed to have shaped him irrevocably. Never before had he dared challenge his parents in such a tone nor would he have even considered taking up a weapon. The people on the ship had certainly changed him, and Gabriel was not sure all the changes were positive.

"Just let me know if'n you change your mind."

Gabriel could no longer hold back the questions and rebukes, and they suddenly came pouring out his lips. "Simon, stop this madness at once! I will not sit here and pretend that nothing has happened, that we just casually met on the street and were invited for dinner. You are coming home with me, and that is final. You are leaving this ship and its influence. If you did find your sister, she is of course welcome as well, but you will go back to the hospital and you will become the doctor we helped you to be."

"We? There was no we, Father. The only thing you did was ignore River's cries for help while those alliance gou de erzi cut into her brain and experimented on her!"

"There was no indication she was actually in trouble, and you know it!"

"Mal?" a soft, feminine voice questioned. "Why are you still bleeding?" Gabriel glanced over briefly to see that Inara had joined them, staring curiously at the small group in the infirmary.

"Doc just had a few things he needed to work out with his parents before starting on me." Her eyes widened and traveled between Simon and Regan and Gabriel. It seemed that everyone on the ship knew about Simon's past. Everyone was silent for a few seconds, Simon glaring at Gabriel and Gabriel glaring right back. The other four people in the room seemed reluctant to interrupt their staring contest. Finally, Mal's voice broke the silence. "'Nara? I ever tell you how pretty you are? You're right pretty, no doubt 'bout it. Damn near take my breath away." His voice grew softer as he spoke.

"Mal!" his wife said, alarmed. Simon broke his stare, rushing to Mal's side, but his wife reached him first, grabbing onto him just as he fell unconscious.

"Get him to the table," Simon said, a command in his tone that Gabriel had never heard before. Together, he and Inara drug him to a nearby table, Kaylee hovering worriedly behind. After a few seconds of struggle, they managed to lay him on it, and Simon grabbed a nearby pair of scissors and cut open his shirt. He sucked in a breath when he saw the wound. "Why didn't you bring him in first? This wound is deep, and he's lost a lot of blood, probably more than he can afford to lose."

"You know Mal," Inara said, lips in a tight line. Apparently, Simon did, for he asked no further questions about the delays in treatment.

"He'll probably need a transfusion," Simon said, quickly removing his gloves and pulling on a new pair. Both Kaylee and Inara nodded. Kaylee began to roll up her sleeve, but the other woman stopped her with a hand to her shoulder.

"I've got this one," she assured the younger woman. Kaylee stepped back as Inara pushed up one of her flowing sleeves. Simon returned with a large pair of tweezers.

"Mother, you're finished, so you're free to go," he said without turning.

"Simon, you can't just tell me to leave! I haven't seen you in eleven years!"

Simon turned to her suddenly, anger written all over his face. "This man is dying, Mother. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let him do it on my watch." Shock registered on Regan's face, and she turned to Gabriel who was also at a loss for words. However, it appeared that none were needed, for Simon's attention had already returned to his patient. "I've got to get the bullet out. Inara?" She nodded, stepping forward and taking one of Mal's hands in her own. Her fingers gently caressed it as Simon pushed the tweezers into the hole in Mal's side. He came awake with a scream like no scream Gabriel had ever heard before. Regan's hand reached out and grabbed his. Both watched transfixed as Mal panted, his eyes roaming wildly about the room.

"It's okay, Mal. I'm right here," his wife soothed, her voice low and comforting. His eyes focused on hers, and Gabriel saw his hand squeeze tighter. "That's it, tianxin. Focus on me."

He nodded, his breathing starting to even out, but he suddenly sucked in another sharp breath as Simon's tweezer's dug deeper. "Gorramit, Doc, ain't you got any painkillers?"

"They won't work fast enough," Simon said coolly. "We need to get this bullet out of you and get this wound stitched up in the next few minutes or you're going to die."

"Heard that one before," Mal muttered. Simon ignored him, removing the tweezers with a grunt of triumph. Gabriel saw a bloody, twisted piece of metal clasped in them as he passed them to Kaylee. She already had a bowl and a large syringe ready for him, and Simon used the implements to clean out the wound. Mal hissed again as the saline struck the torn flesh, but Inara soothed him in hushed tones, and he quieted. Gabriel had to admit, he doubted he could take the pain as well as Mal had. Even with an analgesic, he had passed out the one time he needed stitches.

Simon passed the bowl back to Kaylee who handed him the first stitch which he used to begin to close the wound. Gabriel watched him work, fascinated by his confident actions. He had never seen Simon at work before, but he was rapidly realizing why he had managed to graduate at the top of his class. He was an extremely good doctor, and it seemed he could adapt to any circumstances, even using his wife as a scrub nurse and a companion in lieu of a painkiller.

In very little time, Simon had closed the gaping bullet wound. Mal had passed out again from the pain, but his wife still sat beside him, stroking his hand as she gazed at him. Even to Gabriel, who had never been much of a romantic, the love she had for the man lying on the table was quite clear. "You ready, Inara?" Simon asked softly, approaching her with a needle attached to some tubing.

"Shouldn't you close up the arm wound first?"

"It's not bleeding that much anymore, and I want to get more blood in him quickly. He lost too much, and if we don't correct that soon, there could be permanent damage."

"Thank God Mal's AB positive," Inara remarked, half-joking, as she extended her arm. Simon chuckled slightly as he carefully inserted the needle into her vein and then glanced up at the bag Kaylee had hung on an IV stand. Red droplets began to slowly drip into it. Satisfied, he carefully inserted a second needle into Mal's arm, sending the blood flowing through it. Kaylee stepped up behind him with a second bag containing a clear liquid, and he smiled in thanks as he placed it on the IV stand and attached it to the line going into Mal's flesh as well. It was a fascinating way to accommodate the lack of medical supplies on a ship such as the one on which they currently stood.

A comfortable silence had settled over Simon, Kaylee, and Inara as they worked, and they seemed to have forgotten about Gabriel and Regan's presence. As Simon carefully cut away the sleeve of Mal's shirt to reveal the knife wound, the woman from the cargo bay stepped into the doorway. "How's the captain doing? River's not really up to flyin' right now, so he's probably gonna have to pilot this boat if we wanna get off this rock. And his latest escapade has attracted some unwanted attention, so I'd like to make that sooner rather than later. Oh." Her eyes focused on Regan and Gabriel, registering surprise. "Somethin' go wrong?"

"The captain lost a lot more blood than he let on," Simon said.

The woman sighed. "Course he did." Her eyes remained on Regan and Gabriel, and he followed her gaze. With a short nod of acknowledgement, he introduced them.

"Zoe, meet my parents, Regan and Gabriel. Mother, Father, this is our first mate, Zoe."

"That explains River's outburst then."

"River's here? Can I see her?" Regan questioned.

"Don't know that it's the best time. Jayne and Trey got her calmed down and took her back to her bunk, but she ain't up for visitors right now. I'd wager a guess that even if she were, you two would be near the bottom of her list." Zoe's arms crossed in front of her defiantly.

"I got this Zoe," Simon said, glancing up from his stitches to meet Zoe's eyes. They stared at one another for a long moment before Zoe turned and left.

"You need me, you call me," she instructed. Simon did not respond, still focused on his task. When he finished, he passed the last needle back to Kaylee and stripped off his gloves.

"You okay here for a few minutes, Inara?" he questioned. She nodded absent-mindedly, stroking her husband's hair with the hand not giving blood. "Kaylee, you stay with Inara. Come find me if he wakes up or anything else changes about his condition."

"You sure you don't want-"

"Thank you, but this is something I need to do alone." Simon stood and turned to Regan and Gabriel. "Seems like we're stuck here for a little longer, so I suppose you'll get your talk. But I hope you're ready to listen as well." Regan nodded eagerly, willing to agree to anything that would let her see her children again. Gabriel hesitated for a moment, his mind warring between calling the Alliance and listening to his son. In the end, his son won out, and he helped his wife to her feet. They followed Simon out of the infirmary and to a small back room that someone had outfitted as a sitting area. Simon took a seat in the armchair and motioned for them to settle on the sofa across from him. Once they were settled, he took a deep breath. "Are you both ready to listen now?" Regan nodded immediately and, after a moment's hesitation, Gabriel did as well. "Okay. I'll tell you what's happened in the last eleven years. Fair warning, some of it will seem fantastical or possibly even downright crazy, but I swear that every bit of it is true." With that, he launched into his tale. Gabriel had to admit that he was exactly right—it did seem quite farfetched, but Simon spoke with such conviction and authority that Gabriel found himself unwillingly believing his son.

When Simon had finally finished, Regan spoke first. "That's all very good, dear, and I'm glad you found a way to help your sister and found some new friends, but you have to see that you belong with us. We're your family."

"No, Mother, this is my family. Serenity and the crew. The captain has been much more of a parent to me and to River than either of you ever were." Gabriel's eyebrows rose at that statement. The captain was still relatively young, likely only a few years older than Simon himself. The notion that he was playing the role of father to Gabriel's son seemed a bit farfetched.

"Simon, I'm your mother. And this is your father. I'm sure the captain is a very dear friend, and he will of course be welcomed at our house anytime," Gabriel snorted softly at that thought, "but I don't understand how you can think of him as your father. He's basically your age."

"He sheltered River and me when we had nowhere else to go. He took care of us, taught us how to be strong, to fight, to not give up. He's taken a bullet for me twice now and for River once."

"Seems fond of doing that," Gabriel muttered, remembering how they had first entered into the current situation. Simon rounded on him, fury in his eyes.

"Don't, Father. Mal is a good man, much better than you could ever hope to be. He understands what it means to truly care for someone, to be willing to lay your life on the line for another person. You may have raised me, but he taught me how to be a man. He taught me what it means to be a father. And I think God every day for that and plan to teach it to my own children."

"Simon, we love you, too! We care for you! We were devastated when you disappeared!"

"So devastated you decided to disown me and River to save your precious name?"

"We thought you were dead!"

"You just continue thinking that, Mother. I think it will be better for all of us." Regan turned to Gabriel, her eyes pleading, and he knew she was asking him to help bring their son back.

"Look, Simon, I understand you feel a loyalty to the crew, and that makes sense. Why don't you bring them over for dinner? All of them, even the children. It will be nice to have the dining room full."

Simon snorted. "In case you haven't noticed, Father, the Alliance is not a huge fan of River nor I. We can't just walk down the streets of a core planet."

"Then we'll come here!" Regan declared. "We can have dinner on the ship with you."

"Mother, we're leaving soon."

"Another time then."

"We don't know when we'll be back."

"Then wave us when you know." Simon snorted. "What?"

"Mother, I'm sure the Alliance has been monitoring your waves since we were first declared fugitives, hoping we'd make contact. If I wave you, we all end up in jail."

"Then we'll come with you." Gabriel's eyes widened at his wife's words. There was no way he was leaving on the ship with the crew. Not only did it look as if it could barely lift off the ground, but he was sure he was already complicit in all manner of criminal activity just by being on the ship. "We can stop back by the house and pick up some clothes and be back in no time."

"I don't think that's a good idea either," Simon said, his eyes moving to his father's face, taking in the older man's expression.

"Let them," a voice said from the doorway. Gabriel looked up to see a young woman standing there, her brown hair hanging loose around her face and her feet bare. Though it had been fourteen years since he last saw her, he knew immediately that it was his daughter.

"River, I really don't know that you should be here," Simon said, standing and moving to his sister's side. She shook his hand off her shoulder.

"They come, they stay for a week, maybe two. Then they fly away. Not the place for them."

"What's wrong with her?" Gabriel asked, noting River's somewhat broken speech.

Simon bristled. "Nothing is wrong with her. Your precious Alliance cut into her brain and experimented on her. She's healed considerably over the last eleven years, no thanks to you, but I don't think your presence here has helped."

"The mother bird wants to see her hatchlings, to make sure they can fly on their own. The father bird doesn't care, but he'll pretend. Always pretending," River babbled.

"River, mei mei, go back with Trey and Zoe. I'll be in soon."

"Let them stay, Simon," River said, her eyes surprisingly lucid as she looked at her brother.

"I don't think the Captain would be too pleased," Simon remarked.

"I can handle the Captain."

"I'm sure you can, mei mei, but he's hurt right now so it's not the best time."

"He'll be better soon. Inara's with him."

"Mei mei-"

"They stay, Simon," she said firmly. The siblings stared at one another for a moment before Simon sighed and turned to face his parents.

"If you still want to stay, Mother, it seems you can," he remarked. Regan's face lit up with delight, and with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Gabriel wondered what they were getting themselves into.