A/N: This is the second to last chapter in this middle story of my trilogy.

The third and final installment, A NEW DAY, I intend to begin posting by mid-week. It will take place about four months after the end of this series and will closely follow River and Jayne's struggle to have a baby as well as Kaylee's most recent pregnancy.

Thanks again to Leiasky for the great beta-ing and encouragement.

Please continue to read and respond and let me know what you think! I really appreciate and crave your input!

***

A NEW BEGINNING, ch. 27: Reunion

***

The ride back to Harvest was fairly uneventful. River and Jayne had agreed to watch Rylee and Daniel and both children, after a bit of coaxing and the promise of presents, had told their parents they would be fine without them for a couple of weeks.

So, they had left Simon and Kaylee on Greenleaf to catch a transport to Newhall, while Regan had agreed to fly River, Jayne and the children back in her ship. The children were much warmer to their newfound grandmother now, and River watched with a barely contained smile as her mother struggled to keep up with the demands of two little ones.

Standing in the doorway of one of the shuttle’s guest rooms, she watched with delight as Rylee and Daniel had roped her mother into reading them a bedtime story, and demanded that, like their mother and father, she do all the voices. Smiling, River’s mind flitted back to a memory of Simon reading to her when she was little, probably Rylee’s age and doing all the voices. Her parents had never been bothered to tuck her in, and while River felt a bit of jealously at seeing her mother dote over her grandchildren now, she was grateful to see it.

Thinking of those moments with Simon brought another familiar emotion to River’s heart – loneliness. It wasn’t fair, she knew that. She had no right to demand so much from him, but she still missed the closeness they’d always shared. It was still there, just different and while River adjusted she assumed there would be more moments like this, of uncertainty and longing, than she’d care to deal with.

With a sigh, she wandered from the room to find Jayne, leaving Daniel and Rylee with their Grandmother. Rylee watched her aunt go, picking up on her melancholy mood, and, if she hadn’t been so comfortable, snuggled up in her grandmother’s lap, listening to a story, she probably would have followed her.

But turning her attention back to the older woman Rylee listened with delight as she continued to tell the story. As it was reaching its end, a sudden thought occurred to the little girl, and sitting up, she blurted out, “You should stay with us.”

Regan paused in her reading, completely taken aback by the outburst. Looking to Daniel for some kind of clarification, his wide grin only reinforced her confusion. Looking back to Rylee, Regan closed the book and placed a hand on her cheek, “What, sweetheart?”

Getting more excited and bouncing slightly, she looked to her brother, knowing that he would think this was a good idea as well. “You should stay with us, with our other grammy and papa. Until mama and daddy get back.”

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed, sitting up and turning all his attention to his grandmother as he now knew exactly where his sister was going. “Please?” he asked, his voice whining a bit.

Still at a loss, Regan thought about their request, unwilling to deny her two grandchildren anything, but also unwilling to overstep any bounds. She had not discussed this with Simon or Kaylee and she didn’t want them to feel she was trying to insinuate herself into their lives too quickly. But still … one look to both Rylee and Daniel’s faces and she felt her resolve melting. She had always dreamed of having a relationship with her grandchildren and now, the opportunity had finally presented itself.

Looking to each of them, she smiled warmly and said, “I would love to.” Both of them enveloped her in a huge hug, which Regan returned, before adding, “However, we need to call your mom and dad first thing tomorrow and make sure it’s okay with them.”

“Oh, it will be,” Rylee told her knowingly, sharing a wink with her brother who could only laugh in return.

Shrugging at their grandmother, he told her, “What can I say? She’s a reader.”

All of them sharing a laugh, Regan finished their story before tucking them in, so glad she could love them.

***

It was late when Inara finally worked up the courage to leave the clinic and head back to the room she’d been sharing with Mal at the Everetts. On the way, she stopped by Mimi’s room, pausing to be sure her little angel was sleeping peacefully and kissing her lightly on the cheek.

Making it to the door to her room, she stopped and took a deep breath. She was still in a bit of pain and the walk from Millie’s coupled with the climb up the stairs had caused her a bit of distress, but it was receding now and so, after she again breathed in and out, she placed her hand on the knob and pushed open the door.

The room was dim, the light from the moon outside the only thing lighting the small space. As her eyes adjusted she could just make out Mal’s silhouette as he stood framed in the window, his arms crossed over his bare chest as he stared outside.

Whether he hadn’t heard her enter or he didn’t want to acknowledge her, Inara did not know. Trying to quell her fear, she pushed the door shut and then walked towards him, standing just behind his shoulder. When a few more minutes passed and he still would not face her, she finally called quietly, “Mal?”

With a heavy sigh, he hung his head and told her quietly, “If you’re here to blame me some more, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t.”

Inara bit her lip as she heard the hurt and disgust in his tone. She should have known that he would already be beating himself up over all that had happened; that was what Mal did. He felt things, so deeply and with such passion, that even when they were well out of his control, he still felt some responsibility to make them right. He had proven that all those years ago on Miranda, proven it even before that at Serenity Valley, proven it when Simon had been feared dead and he was proving it now; proving to her that nothing she could possibly say would make him feel any worse than he already did. And that wasn’t fair.

Placing a light hand on his shoulder, Inara felt the warmth from his skin seep into her hand and she sighed a bit at the sensation. Stepping a bit closer to him, she whispered, “I was wrong, Mal. Please don’t shut me out.”

Turning to face her, she could see his eyes shining in the moonlight and she knew he was trying valiantly to hold in tears. Taking both her hands in his, he kissed them, one at a time and then said, “I am so sorry.”

Smiling sadly at him, Inara took another step closer and said, “I know that and so am I. What I said …” She trailed off, not wanting to remind him of her horrible accusations, but knowing it was only fair for her to make a full apology. “I was wrong, Mal. I know that none of this is your fault. I was just so, so angry, I couldn’t see past it.”

She blinked away a few tears as he looked to her in silence. With a heavier sigh than before, he again dropped her hands and backed away from her, sitting with another sigh on the edge of the bed. “You shouldn’t be forgivin’ me. You were right.”

Frowning at him, Inara moved to his side and sat next to him. “No, Mal, I was wrong. We both lost a child. It was an accident, a horrible, tragic accident, caused by two people who-"

“Who you wouldn’t of never met if I was a better man,” Mal finished bitterly, wiping a rough hand over his face to rid his eyes of the tears he felt.

With more tears pooling in her eyes, Inara’s heart broke at the self-loathing in his voice. “Mal, what are you talking about? You’re the best man I know.”

Snorting derisively, he looked to her in disbelief and asked, “Who are you kiddin’? I’m a criminal, and not a very good one. And it’s because of what I do that you were hurt, that our baby …” His voice trailed off as he found he didn’t have the strength to finish the statement. “I never shoulda let you love me, ‘cause now we got Mimi and the thought of somethin’ bad happenin’ to her, ‘cause o’ me, fills me with a powerful fear.”

His words ripping through Inara like a knife through parchment caused her to gasp as the pain blossomed around her heart. Biting her lip to keep her tears in, she thought for a few moments, trying to decide best how to convince him that he was wrong. She honestly didn’t know if she could, she had never seen Mal in such bad shape before.

Placing a light hand to his cheek, she turned his face to hers and held his gaze, noticing that the tears he had been trying to conceal before were falling now. “You listen to me, Malcolm Reynolds,” she told him, her voice firmer than she’d expected. “You don’t have the right to choose whom I love. I chose to love you, all those years ago. I chose to have a baby with you and I would choose to do that again,” she told him quietly. At the admission, his eyes dropped to his lap. “And I know that you would do anything for me or Mimi and that makes you the best man I know.” Swallowing hard past the lump rising in her throat as more of her emotions came, she finished quietly, “And I need you, Mal. That hasn’t changed. I’m sorry I pushed you away and said such awful things, but I can’t … I can’t go through this alone, I just can’t …” Her voice dissolved into sobs as the weight of their loss again fell upon her.

Dropping her hand from his cheek, she buried her head in her hands, sobbing again and hating it. She knew it was a perfectly normal reaction to her grief, but she wished she could quell this sadness, wished she knew how to stop it.

And then she felt it ease, just a bit, as Mal’s strong arms came around her, pulling her tight to his chest. “I’m so sorry, Mal,” she wailed, clinging to him tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

“You ain’t got nothin’ to be sorry for, ‘Nara,” Mal told her, rocking her a bit and trying to calm her. “If I can’t be sorry, than you can’t be sorry, dong ma?”

She nodded once and continued to cry, so grateful that he was holding her, so grateful that they could get through this together. “Please, Mal don’t hate yourself over this,” she begged, looking up into his tear-filled eyes. “We still have a beautiful little girl who needs a father and we can try again. Just, please, please, help me grieve. And let me help you,” she told him, placing a light hand to his cheek and pulling his face down to look at her.

With the slightest of nods, he relented and pressing a light kiss to her lips, pulled her down to the bed. Holding each other through the night, the sorrowful couple tried to cry out their grief, knowing that the light of a new day would come whether they were ready for it or not.

***

The closer they had gotten to Harvest, the more anxious River had become, and once they’d entered atmo, Jayne feared for a fleeting moment that his wife might actually commandeer the cockpit in order to get them on the ground faster.

Standing beside her as she waited impatiently, Jayne studied her profile, before pressing a kiss to her cheek. “She’s gonna be thrilled,” he whispered to her.

Grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly, River smiled her thanks to him. She had confided to him that she was worried about Cadie’s reaction to their desire to adopt her. She had said some pretty terrible things to the girl and then she had left her suddenly, for about two months and River knew that with Elijah’s death and all that had been going on, it had been particularly hard on the girl. But River loved her, loved her with everything she had and so did Jayne and she knew that if Cadie could feel that, then they could all finally be a family.

As soon as the transport landed and the ramp lowered, River was off the ship like a shot. Not waiting for the mule to take her back towards the homes a few yards away, she ran toward them, seeking out Cadie’s presence and finding it, when she was about ten feet away.

Stopping dead in her tracks, River inhaled sharply at the pain she felt. Reaching back into her mind, she looked for the cause, looked for the source, not at all convinced it was really Cadie feeling such a depth of emotion. But with a realization that brought tears to her eyes, she knew it was.

She had stopped for so long that the vehicle with Jayne and her mother and the kids reached her. Slowing, Jayne jumped out and waved them on, coming up behind River as they sped away and placing a hand to the small of her back. “What is it,” he asked, as he watched her blink back tears.

“She’s hurting,” she whispered, and then, leaning heavily against Jayne, headed in the direction of Cadie’s pain, hoping that they weren’t too late to help her, to love her.

***

Sitting at Elijah’s grave, Cadie knew that River and Jayne were back on land. She had felt some of River’s excitement as they’d broken atmo and while it normally would have filled the young girl with her own joy, she could not feel that, not now.

There was too much pain and Cadie felt it all. Just when she had been getting a respite, Inara had lost her baby, and the pain of that, from both Inara and Mal had been devastating. Then, there had been residual feelings of grief from Zoe and that was what had eventually done Cadie in.

So, she had come back out to Elijah’s grave, hoping to find some peace, hoping to find a small corner of the ‘verse where her mind would be safe, guarded from all the hurt and pain and evil that surrounded them. She didn’t have the tools, the ability to protect herself. River did, she had learned, at a young age, how to keep things at bay. Rylee didn’t need to, not yet. Her own emotions and mind had not yet reached the level of maturity that would require her to block out so much. She could feel things yes, but it was no where near the level that Cadie and River could.

With a heavy sigh, Cadie began to cry a few tears as she scooted closer to Elijah’s headstone and lay down beside his grave. “I miss you,” she whispered, her hand resting gently on the stone that held his name. “It’s real hard. I thought I could do it, but you were always the one who gave me some calm, you know?” She got no answer and hadn’t really expected one, but the silence was still deafening. “I don’t wanna feel this way anymore, E,” she told him, fighting through more tears. “I thought I was stronger than this, but I ain’t, and I can’t do it.”

More of her tears fell, and curling up into a tight ball, she cried hard and long and that was how River and Jayne found her.

Seeing her distress, Jayne moved forward in an instant, ready to pick her up and hold her, but River knew Cadie was in a very fragile state right now, and while her instincts told her to cradle the child as well, she knew that it probably wasn’t the best idea. Holding up a hand, she looked to Jayne and whispered, “This is going to take some time. We’re going to have to be patient.”

Nodding once, Jayne swallowed down his sudden unease and followed River as she approached Cadie’s shaking form. Kneeling down behind her, River did not reach out to touch her, but instead, called softly, “Cadie? Sweetie, can you hear me?”

The girl did not answer her, only continued to cry, and River swallowed her rising fear as she inched a bit closer and did finally place a light hand on Cadie’s arm. At the touch the little girl jumped visibly and whirled on both River and Jayne, tears in her eyes and running down her face. With a violent bite to her voice, she told them, “Don’t touch me.”

Trying to stay strong for her, River said calmly, “Cadie, baby, I want to help, we want to help. Will you let us?”

Pulling her knees into her chest, Cadie rocked herself and began murmuring over and over again, “Can’t help, no one can help.”

Looking to Jayne with tears in her eyes, River watched him physically hold himself back from scooping the girl up. Returning her concerned gaze to Cadie, River asked her, “Cadie? Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

The girl did not answer for a few long minutes, causing both River and Jayne’s unease to rise. Knowing that Cadie was on overload, River had worked to contain her emotions from the girl and she was trying to do the same with Jayne’s, although it was a struggle. But it was working and she could see and feel Cadie coming around.

“Too much,” she finally managed, her voice still broken by tears.

“What’s too much?” River asked gently, risking another outburst by moving closer.

“Too much,” she simply repeated, rocking some more. River watched her and continued to crawl a bit closer, until she was finally able to rest a hand on her head.

Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, River was relieved when Cadie didn’t pull away this time. “Cadie, sweetie, tell me.”

Finally raising her eyes to meet River’s concerned gaze, the pain River saw reflected there caused her breath to hitch in her throat. “I can’t think,” she breathed, the words coming with difficulty, but still coming. “I can’t breathe, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t feel anything for myself.” She cried more now even as she begged River, “Help me, mama, please.”

Nodding once, River found that her own voice had been stolen by the pain she was feeling for the girl. Reaching forward, she did finally pull Cadie into her lap, rocking the girl as she cried and cried. Jayne, in awe over what he’d just witnessed, moved forward and held them both.

It was much, much later that evening, after River had managed to get Cadie to sleep, that both she and Jayne stood in the doorway to her room, wrapped in each other’s arms. Pressing a kiss to her head, Jayne whispered, “She gonna be all right?”

Nodding, River smiled and let out a weary sigh. This was the first of many tiring days for both she and Cadie. “Eventually, but it’s going to take some time.” Looking up to her husband, River kissed him lightly and then stepped out of his embrace. “I’m going stay with her. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Shaking his head, Jayne kept a hold of her hand as he said, “I ain’t leavin’ my two girls.”

Smiling at him, River looked at the girl’s small room and her twin bed and said, “There isn’t enough room for both of us on the floor.”

“Oh yes there is,” Jayne told her. He left and was back in moments with an armful of pillows and blankets.

Smiling at him, River kissed him again as he moved into the room to set up a makeshift bed for them. “I love you,” she murmured.

Grinning even wider, Jayne set about his work, while River moved to sit beside Cadie for a few more minutes. Running a light hand through the girl’s hair, River pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered, “And I love you.”

***

The hotel on Newhall was one of the finest. As Kaylee and Simon had checked in, she had stared in awe at the fine fixtures and even finer folk who frequented the place. Once they had received their key, Kaylee gripped Simon’s hand eagerly as the lift took them to the top floor and deposited them into a penthouse. Standing in the open lift, Kaylee’s mouth hung open in shock as she looked at the opulent surroundings.

Simon, at first oblivious to her inability to move, walked into the room and was about to flop down on the bed, when he noticed Kaylee had not followed him. Looking back and seeing her gaping expression, he laughed heartily and then moved forward to pull her into the room, the lift doors closing once she’d cleared them.

“You like it?” he asked her, his smile wide as he watched her obvious enjoyment.

Looking to him, still speechless, she grinned back and then squealed a bit, running towards the huge window that lined one wall of the room. Pulling back the curtains she gasped at the view. Before her, for as far as the eye could see was the bluest water imaginable, matched by the bluest sky. Simon joined her, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her tightly against him. “Oh, Simon,” she breathed, still unable to believe the sight before her or that she was here, in this beautiful place with her beautiful husband. “It’s so shiny.”

Kissing her on the cheek, Simon turned her towards him and lowering his face to hers, whispered, “Not quite as wonderful as you though,” before pressing his lips to hers.

Kaylee felt her knees go weak at his touch, delighting in the feel of him against her, in the way his hands fisted into her hair and brought them closer. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him tighter still, working her tongue past his lips and into his mouth, kissing him with a passion that they had known plenty of times before, but that seemed new somehow, in light of all they’d been through.

With a grin against his mouth, Kaylee moved her hands down his muscled back and squeezed his backside, laughing a bit as he groaned in pleasure. Noting her enjoyment, he pulled back enough to whisper, “Oh, yeah, two can play that game,” and brought his own hands down to pinch each of her cheeks, eliciting a little yelp from her in the process. Deciding this could be fun, Kaylee chose to start a real war when she tickled Simon at his side, at the place she knew to be his most sensitive, causing him to back away from her and laugh, even as a devilish gleam lit his eyes.

“Okay, you’re in for it,” he told her, grinning from ear to ear, even as Kaylee squealed and tried to move past him. But with such close proximity to the window, she was soon trapped, Simon’s fingers ghosting over her sides and making her laugh uncontrollably as they were even more sensitive now that she was pregnant. She tried to get him back, but he quickly had a hold of both her wrists, one in each hand and slowly, he backed her up against the window, pressing into her so she could feel his need for her, already hard.

Inhaling sharply at the feel of him and at the way her body responded, Kaylee leaned forward and captured his mouth with hers, shoving her tongue into his mouth and causing him to drop her hands, so he could work at her shirt. Even as his fingers trailed down her front, he stopped a hand for a minute over her just showing belly and let it rest there. Kaylee met his gaze and saw his love, for her and their new children and it made her want him even more.

Moving her fingers down his shirt, she soon had his chest exposed and she grinned devilishly as she ran her tongue from between his pecs and up the length of his neck, smiling when she heard him moan. Having also relieved her of her shirt, he worked the clasp on her bra, exposing her breasts to him and teasing one of the nipples with his hand, while the other hand moved down past her stomach and to waistband of her pants, one finger running along the edge and causing Kaylee to moan with want.

“Simon, it’s been too long,” she murmured into his ear, as he brought his mouth forward and started to kiss along her neck and shoulder.

“Tell me about it,” he murmured back, pressing into her and feeling her respond with a gasp and a moan that only served to make him harder.

Running her fingers through his hair, she brought her mouth to his neck and began to kiss him as well, easily bruising the skin there. She had wanted this to last forever, but now as she felt her body ready for him, and felt his need, she knew that this first time, after so long, would probably be much quicker than either of them wanted – but, she smiled, as she thought it would just be an excuse for them to do it, again and again and again … Not that they’d ever needed an excuse.

Still not at full strength, Simon could not carry her to the bed as he normally would have, so instead, he backed away from her a bit, noting the pout she gave him and how beautiful she was. With their hands firmly entwined, Simon brought her across the room, to the large, overly luxurious bed and watched with barely contained desire as Kaylee shrugged out of her pants and unders and then knelt on the bed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him to her. Still standing as he kissed her, hard and deep on the mouth, his hand again moved to her now exposed folds, and he teased her lightly, smiling against her kiss as she moaned with pleasure. Continuing to tease the already sensitive skin, he felt his eyes roll into the back of his head as Kaylee moved her own hands down to his pants and undid them, taking him in her hand and rubbing gently.

“Oh, God Kaylee,” he breathed, placing both of his hands on her hips and pulling her towards him as she continued her touches. Smiling at the pleasure all over his face, Kaylee leaned forward, pressing her bare chest to his and whispered hotly in his ear, “You gonna join me on this big bed or what?”

Not having to be asked twice, Simon kicked off his pants and unders as Kaylee moved from him and situated herself right in the middle of the ridiculously large bed. With a wide smile and come hither look, she crooked a finger in his direction and Simon, returning the grin, crawled towards her, kissing her firmly on the mouth the minute he was close enough. Hovering over her, he was just about to join them, when Kaylee pulled back and told him, “Wait, I gotta go easy on ya.”

More than confused, Simon watched first in befuddlement and then in pleasure, as Kaylee wiggled out from under him, and gently flipped him onto his back, straddling him instead of the other way around. “Don’t wantcha ya gettin’ hurt again anytime soon,” she whispered to him, grinning giddily. With a laugh, Simon wrapped an arm around her waist and they both gasped in pleasure as he entered her, filling her with delight and joy. As they both began to move, Kaylee leaned back down and kissed him hard, pulling his lower lip into her mouth and sucking gently, even as he brought his hips up more urgently to meet her movements.

This moment for both of them, had been a long time coming and neither Kaylee nor Simon allowed a moment to pass without reminding each other every minute of how lucky and grateful they were for the life they had.

***

When Simon awoke again, it was the middle of the night and he was alone in that giant bed. Rolling over onto his side and reaching for Kaylee, the feel of the cold sheets under his hand brought a small groan to his lips; he had wanted to hold her. With an effort, he lifted his head from the pillow and glanced around the dimly lit room. Making out her silhouette as she sat on a couch facing out the room’s big window, Simon grinned and then quietly slid off the bed, padding towards her.

Rounding the couch silently, he saw that her gaze was transfixed on the moonlit scene outside. The water was black in the nighttime, but the stars and moon over head shone down upon it, giving it a silverish glow that was beautiful. Looking back to his wife, he saw the faraway look in her eyes and had to wonder what she was thinking. She had wrapped herself in one of the many blankets adorning the bed and she sat now, legs crossed underneath her, bundled up. Moving towards her, Simon pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he settled beside her.

Turning a warm smile to him, she murmured, “Hey,” and quickly readjusted her pose, wrapping his naked form in the blanket with her and snuggling against his chest. With a small sigh, Simon rested his cheek against her hair and wrapped her tight to him, reveling in the feel of her.

After several moments of silence, he finally whispered, “Are you all right?”

She nodded against him, her soft hair tickling his chest, but did not lift her head to meet his eyes. “Shiny,” was her small response.

Frowning, Simon knew that wasn’t the truth. Kaylee had always been a terrible liar and that had not changed in the years they had been together. Placing a kiss into her hair again and taking a moment to inhale her sweet scent, he finally admitted, “I don’t believe you.”

Pulling back from him, she looked into his eyes and had to smile sheepishly. “I know, I stink at lying,” she said wearily, sitting back a bit to face him. Keeping his hands in hers, he waited for her continue, watching as she struggled to pull her thoughts together.

Fearing the worst, Simon asked quietly, “Are you feeling all right?”

Looking to him quickly and smiling wide, he immediately knew his fears to be unfounded. “Yeah, honey, me and the babies are fine.” Pausing, she took a deep breath and then said, “I was just thinkin’, ‘bout when they’re born.”

Smiling at her, as he assumed he understood her trepidation, Simon placed a hand to her cheek and said, “You’ll do great. We’ll be back on Harvest and Millie and I will do all we can.”

Nodding once, Kaylee averted his gaze for a moment and then said quietly, “Actually, I was thinkin’, what if we didn’t come back to Harvest.”

Not understanding, Simon told her quickly, “I’m not at all sure giving birth on Serenity is the best thing, Kaylee. Besides, Millie’s expertise is invaluable to me, I don’t—"

Placing a finger to his lips, Kaylee silenced him with a small smile. “No, silly,” she told him. “I was thinkin’, what if we never left?”

Realization dawning, Simon’s eyes widened just a bit as he held Kaylee’s gaze and saw her uncertainty and her fear. Taking the hand she had placed against his mouth, he kissed it and then pulled her closer to him. Taking her face in his hands, he held her gaze and whispered, “You mean, settle? On Harvest?”

Kaylee nodded and said, “I never really thought ‘bout it before, but with two more babies comin’ and Daniel and Rylee gettin’ ready for school …” Her voice died as she swallowed hard, thinking about all she would be giving up, thinking about how much she would miss her ship. But the truth was, while Serenity would always have a special place in her heart, Simon was her heart, Simon and their children, and she wanted what was best for their family.

Simon watched her eyes as they swirled with emotion, swallowing back his immediate answer until he could be sure this was what she wanted. Truthfully, he had thought about it as well, ever since Rylee had been born. While he loved living on the ship as it had become his home, he had continued to feel more and more restless over the past few years. His talents were going to waste and while he knew that he had chosen to give up the life of a surgeon years ago for his sister, he still couldn’t help feeling that there was more he could be doing. Besides, River did not need him anymore, but Kaylee and their children did and he wanted to give them a stable life, with a big house that didn’t move and the chance to settle and make friends.

Kaylee met his gaze and saw his own concerns and needs floating there. Swallowing hard, she asked him, “What do you want?”

Simon thought about telling her, point blank, but he knew that Kaylee would do whatever he said, and this decision would affect her more than him; it wouldn’t be fair for him to bias her. Shaking his head a bit, he told her, “I want whatever you want. You know that.”

Smirking at him, Kaylee told him playfully, “Well, that ain’t very helpful.”

Simon smiled at her and watched as her mind continued to spin with all the possibilities. With another sigh, she moved forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth. “I want us to settle somewhere. It don’t have to be Harvest, if you don’t want.” Pulling back she rested her hand against his cheek and told him, “I know it ain’t exactly the best place to do any fancy doctorin’.”

Simon grinned wide at her and pulled her to him, meeting her warm lips with a kiss that filled them both with more desire. As Kaylee leaned towards him and they both fell back on the plush couch, Simon ran his hand through her hair as they parted for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes. “Are you sure?” he asked her, still not convinced she was doing this for herself as much as for him.

Kissing him again, Kaylee wiggled a bit on top of him, smiling at the groan she got and then moved her mouth to his ear and whispered, “I’m sure.”

Wrapping his arms around her, Simon brought her mouth back to his and kissed her, hard and deep, both of their minds whirling with what this new life would mean for them and delighting in the possibilities.

***

To be concluded (or end on a cliffhanger) in the last chapter!