A/N: I hope you all are enjoying this story as it continues to build. If I haven't mentioned it before, it has about 33 angst-filled chapters and a fairly long epilogue that should tie up any loose ends.

Thanks again to Leiasky for the beta.

Please continue to read and respond, it helps me know if I'm on the right track!

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A NEW DAY, ch. 3: Family Ties

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“Daddy, can I talk to you?”

Simon looked up from his text, another one on pregnancy and multiple births, to regard his daughter’s small face. Smiling to her, he waved her towards him and answered, “Of course, sweetheart. What is it?”

Crawling up and into his lap, Rylee sat with her hands folded in front of her, a very puzzled expression gracing her young features. Smiling at her still, Simon ran a hand through her hair and waited for her to collect her thoughts; he knew she would.

“Daddy?” She looked up to him again with those big brown eyes and Simon felt his heart stop for a second. She was his beautiful baby girl and like any loving father, the minute she called him ‘daddy,’ he was a goner. “Why’s everybody so mad?”

Simon’s breath caught in his throat as he remembered a day, long ago, when Kaylee had uttered almost those exact same words. Shaking the memory away, he met her steady gaze and asked, “What do you mean, Ry?”

Sighing a bit at having to explain herself, Rylee held up one hand and started listing all the cases she could think of. “Well, aunt River’s mad, at you, I think, and you’re mad at her. Mama’s not mad, she’s just really sad all the time and kind of scared and uncle Jayne – he’s always mad at somethin’.”

Simon chuckled a bit at her assessment of her uncle, agreeing wholeheartedly, but his mind quickly drifted to what she’d said about Kaylee and taking her face in his hands, he asked quietly, “What do you mean mama’s scared? Do you know something, sweetheart?”

With even wider eyes, Rylee looked him in the face and shook her head quickly. Not wanting to alarm her, Simon dropped the subject and wrapping his arms around her, pulled her to his chest. Resting his cheek against her soft hair, he said, “Well, your aunt and I, we aren’t really mad at each other we just –"

“Don’t lie to her, Simon,” River’s small voice said from behind them. Both of them turned to regard her as she stepped out onto the porch having just come from visiting Kaylee. She would be leaving in the morning with the rest of the crew, and as promised, she had come by to sit with her sister-in-law. Now, as she moved to lean against the railing, facing both her brother and her niece, she smiled slightly at Rylee and told her, “Yes, baby, we are a little mad at each other.”

Simon’s eyes flashed with annoyance and he cursed his sister for being so blunt. Throwing him an amused look, she shrugged simply and said, “She is a reader, it doesn’t really matter what we tell her.”

“But why’re you mad?” she asked, giving her full attention to her aunt, as she had gotten no where with her father.

Sighing a bit, River moved forward and knelt in front of Simon’s chair so she could gaze up into her face. Brushing some of her long, brown hair behind her ear, River told her gently, “Well, because sometimes adults disagree, and because your daddy is my brother, that means we disagree more often than not.”

Looking back to her father for a minute, Rylee turned back to her aunt, a skeptical expression still lighting her eyes. “Well that doesn’t make no sense. Danny’s my brother and we don’t ever disagree.”

“Any sense,” Simon corrected her quietly, placing a light hand to her back and getting her attention. With a rueful grin he told her, “Trust me, aunt River and I used to never disagree either, but,” he trailed off as he raised his eyes to meet his sister’s and saw her love and her slight annoyance at him reflected there. “Trust me, one day you and Danny will. But you’ll still love each other, no matter what,” Simon reminded her, leaning forward and placing a kiss in her hair.

Rylee looked between the two adults for a moment more, reading them both and trying to determine just what exactly had caused such a rift between them. But whether she just wasn’t strong enough or they were both really good at hiding it, she couldn’t decipher the cause any further and in annoyance, gave up.

Sliding off her dad’s lap, River grabbed for her hand as the girl passed her. “I’ve got to say goodbye, little one. We’re leaving for a job tomorrow.”

Rylee nodded once, and then in an instant her big eyes welled with tears. “You’re gonna miss my birthday party,” she cried, pulling her arm out of her aunt’s grasp and crossing them haughtily over her chest.

River nodded and smiled sadly at her, “Yes, baby, I am. I’m sorry.” Trying to reach for her, Rylee backed out of her grasp even as River promised, “I’ll bring you a good present, though.”

“Don’t want it,” she yelled and then turned and ran from the porch, swinging open the door with a vengeance and pounding up the stairs.

Simon rose to follow her, but River’s hand to his arm stopped him. Meeting her gaze, she told him quietly, “She’ll be all right. She’s going to Kaylee.”

With a nod, Simon decided it could wait and he could tell from the look on River’s face that she had more to say. Resuming his seat, he asked, “So, the job on Boros?”

“Yes,” she told him, rising and sitting on the porch’s railing again. Allowing her gaze to drift towards where Rylee had retreated, she added quietly, “She’s not wrong, you know.”

With a confused look Simon regarded her and she elaborated. “We have been mad at each other for a while now.”

Sighing heavily, Simon nodded once, and said quietly, “I guess we have.”

“Why?”

River’s question was so innocent, so plaintive that it completely took Simon off guard. For a fleeting moment he felt guilt color his emotions, thinking that maybe the whole argument had been his fault and he should apologize. But then in a rush, her words came back to him, as they did most nights before he drifted off, and with a newfound set to his jaw he told her firmly, “You know why.”

“Because of father,” she admitted, turning her gaze from him.

Rising at the statement, Simon stood in front of her and took her by the shoulders. “No, because of you.” As her expression turned from weary to confused, Simon explained, “Because you were going to contact him without any regard for the rest of us. That despite my very real concerns you were going to allow your own selfish needs to drive your actions. Taking an action that could very well destroy my family. That’s why I’m upset River.”

She held his gaze for a moment more, fighting back the tears she felt. She would not cry over this again. While Simon had the right to protect his family, she had the right to have one, regardless of her past, and if reaching out to her father was the only way for that to happen, then Simon’s opinion of her was right – damn the consequences.

With a sigh, River rose and faced his gaze. Placing a light hand to his cheek, she told him, “I’m sorry that you can’t understand this. And I’m sorry that I can’t explain it.” And with that, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and strode off the porch, leaving Simon even more distraught than just moments before.

Sighing heavily, Simon sat back in the rocking chair, staring for a long while into the distance and not feeling any better when he again rose.

***

The morning of Rylee’s birthday saw the Frye home in the midst of a massive upheaval. Every surface in the kitchen was covered with some type of food, either cooked, raw or ready to serve and the oven was blazing early as Winnie set about to make her grandbaby’s cake.

Kaylee had awoken early as well – no big surprise as she often could not sleep for more than a few hours a night – and with Simon’s help had made it down to the kitchen to aid in the last minute preparations. Sure that she was safely settled in a chair, Simon pressed a kiss to her forehead and then headed outside where Thom and Walt had already started on the decorations and the tent for the gathering later that day.

Kaylee and her mother worked in an amiable silence, the younger girl’s hands working nimbly to peel carrots and potatoes. By mid-morning they were joined by Inara and Mimi, and while the little girl went out to play with the others, Inara joined her friend and her mother, helping as Winnie got ready to lift the big cake out of the oven.

“Oh, mom, it’s beautiful,” Kaylee said, smiling sheepishly as unexpected tears sprang to her eyes. Waving a hand in front of her face, she said with a laugh, “Look at me? The crazy pregnant lady cryin’ over a cake.”

All three women chuckled at that and it was then that Simon came in. Noting the happy expression on his wife’s face, he moved around the table to kiss her and then knelt in front of her. “Do you want to go lie down for a bit? Before the party starts?”

Shaking her head, Kaylee moved to stand, taking Simon’s offered hand and having him guide her towards the counter where Winnie and Inara were mixing the bright pink frosting. Placing a light hand to his cheek, Kaylee met his concerned gaze with a wide grin. Kissing him lightly on the mouth, she told him, “Nah, honey, I’m shiny. I been sittin’ or layin’ down for weeks now. I think I can stand to ice a cake.”

Not entirely convinced, Simon stood back as Kaylee turned to her work. Watching her for several minutes, he noticed how her eyes lit up as she talked with Inara, how happy she seemed as she smeared the cake with frosting. Deciding that Kaylee would know best what she could and couldn’t handle, Simon was about to again join the others outside, when Daniel came bounding in. “Dad, Ry’s hurt.”

The knife Kaylee was holding clattered to the counter and she turned suddenly at this information. Steadying herself, she tried to clear her blurred vision, as she watched Simon kneel before their son and ask, “What happened?”

“She fell, when she was climbing a tree,” the little boy said quickly. Tugging on his father’s hand, he urged him, “Come on.”

With a concerned look back to his wife, he saw that she wanted to follow and he held up a hand. “She’ll be fine, Kaylee, just sit tight. I’ll be right back.”

Kaylee’s eyes had again filled with tears and she felt Inara wrap a steadying arm around her shoulder. “She’ll be fine, mei mei. Little ones fall all the time,” her friend whispered into her hair as she pulled Kaylee to her.

“I know,” Kaylee whispered, her voice breathless, as she felt a pain rise in her abdomen and blossom out along her middle. Dropping her hand to her stomach, she doubled over a bit. “Ahh.”

“What is it, Kaylee?” Inara’s voice was calm but insistent and as Kaylee worked to catch her breath, she and Winnie guided her to a chair. Sitting down gingerly, Kaylee smiled weakly at them and murmured, “I’m all right. Jus’ over did it a bit is all.”

Craning her neck to look outside and trying to catch a glimpse of what was taking Simon so long, Kaylee looked back to Inara with wide eyes. “Go check on Rylee for me,” she begged, grabbing the other woman’s hand. “Please.”

Throwing a look of concern to Winnie, the older woman nodded and then with a quick peck to her cheek, Inara moved outside, in search of Simon and his daughter.

Finding them under the large oak tree that sat in the far corner of the Frye’s property, she saw that Simon had already sat Rylee up and was brushing some of the dirt from her back and shoulders. The girl was crying and clinging to her father intently and as Inara approached he rose with her in his arms and headed back for the house, Daniel at his heels.

Meeting them, Inara placed a light hand to Rylee’s back and met Simon’s concerned gaze over the girl’s head. “She’ll be fine,” Simon said quietly, keeping his voice low and soothing. “Just got a bit jostled is all. Plus, there’s a bit of a scrape on her elbow that we need to take care of.”

Turning sympathetic eyes to the girl, Inara kept her hand on her back as she walked with Simon. They had made it to the porch and were about to go inside when Rylee stiffened suddenly in her father’s arms, her eyes going wide and filling again with big tears. “Mama!” Her scream was loud and long and instantly set everyone on edge.

With a hurried step, Simon made it into the kitchen, just as Winnie was trying to convince Kaylee to sit back down. “See, baby, look, she’s fine,” Winnie was saying, obviously relieved at seeing Simon back.

Still standing, Kaylee turned a tired gaze to her husband and daughter and Simon felt his breath catch; her skin was an unnatural gray color and her eyes, full of light just moments before were now cold and lifeless.

“Mama, mama,” Rylee kept whimpering over and over again, and while Simon wanted to calm her, his concern for his wife outweighed his concern for his little girl. Handing her to Inara, Simon moved towards Kaylee, just as she brought her eyes to his face and murmured, “Simon …”

Moving with a speed no one knew he possessed, Simon was able to bring his arms around Kaylee’s back as she fainted. Sinking to the floor with her, Simon cradled her head against his chest, and said urgently, “Kaylee. Kaylee, wake up.” Checking for her pulse, he was relieved to find it steady. Turning a worried gaze up to Winnie, he told her firmly, “Get Millie, now.”

Looking back down to Kaylee’s peaceful face, Simon held her close as his son moved up beside him. Placing a light hand to his father’s shoulder, Simon turned to look at him and his heart broke a bit at the concern in his little boy’s face. “Is she okay?” he asked, his voice quiet, as his bright blue eyes met Simon’s.

Squeezing the hand he’d put to his shoulder, Simon told him, “She’s going to be fine, Danny.” Looking back to Kaylee, Simon tried to stifle his rising fear as he smoothed her hair back from her face and murmured again, “She’s going to be fine.”

***

River was on the cortex again and to make matters worse, she was hiding it. With a barely suppressed sigh, Jayne watched her from the entrance to shuttle one, noting the way her shoulders hunched a bit and her eyes darted back and forth over the blue-tinted screen, trying to make sense of the information she saw.

Jayne had caught her, as had Mal and Zoe, accessing the cortex at all hours of the day and night while they’d been en route to Boros in just the past few days, and each time as they had inquired what she was looking for, River had quickly shut the screen down and stalked away, unwilling to share anything. And that had him just a bit nervous.

Walking into the shuttle, he took a seat on a crate near the door and asked quietly, “Whatcha doin’?”

She tensed immediately at the sound of his voice and then, without a word, flipped off the screen and rose, heading out of the shuttle and past him. With a firm grip to her wrist, Jayne stopped her and pulled her around in front of him. Not meeting his gaze, Jayne took River’s other hand in his and looked up into her face, hard to read in the dim light of the shuttle. “C’mon River, tell me what’s goin’ on.”

Shaking her head slightly, her curtain of hair swished a bit, the ends tickling over his arms. “It’s nothing, Jayne, everything’s fine.” River’s voice was small and distant and Jayne liked the sound even less than her sneaking about.

Pulling her a bit closer to him, she was standing in between his knees as he placed one hand under her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. “It ain’t nothin’,” he told her firmly, noting that as her brown eyes met his blue ones, she had the slightest of tears tucked away there. “Why can’t you tell me?”

“Because you don’t want to know,” she finally admitted, her voice quiet. With a sigh, she finally looked into his face and told him, “I was looking for information.”

With a heavy sigh of his own, Jayne closed his eyes against the reality of the situation and breathed, “The antidote?”

Nodding once, River knelt in front of him and took his face in her hands. Once his eyes were again focused on her, she smiled slightly at him and said, “I think I may have found someone who can help me find it.”

His own eyes clouding at the vagueness of the statement, Jayne asked concernedly, “Who? And am I gonna have to hurt ‘im?”

Her grin widening, River told him, “Well, you won’t have to, but you might want to.” Leaning forward she brought their faces together and with a light in her eyes that Jayne had not see for a while, she whispered, “It’s my father.”

Inhaling sharply, Jayne jerked away from her and stalked across the shuttle. His hands curling into tight fists, he tried to stymie his rising anger and found it nearly impossible. Whirling on her, he noted that she had shifted to sit on the seat he’d left and was now contemplating him with an open gaze.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to say in as calm a voice as he could manage, “No.”

Frowning at him, River asked, “What do you mean, no? He’s my father, Jayne.”

“Yes, he is,” Jayne agreed, moving to stand before her again. “But if’n I recall correctly, the last time you saw your pa, he tried to kill you.” Grimacing at her, he added, “You’ll have to forgive my slow mind if I’ve missed how that gains him any sway with you.”

With her own frown, River rose and went toe to toe with him. “Look, Jayne, I expected this reaction from Simon, but from you?” Holding his gaze for a moment more, she softened her expression as she again held his face and told him, “He can help us. Help us have a baby.”

Taking her hands in his, Jayne kissed them each before he told her quietly, “Yeah, baby girl, maybe he can. But not if he kills ya.”

Jerking away from him, River’s eyes blazed with a new anger. Stalking towards the shuttle’s exit, she whirled on him once more and said angrily, “I will do this myself.” And then she was gone, leaving Jayne feeling more lost and actually wishing, probably for the first time ever, that Simon were here so he’d at least have one ally.

***

With a heavy heart and a bit of trepidation, Simon sat in front of Millie’s cortex screen, typing in the security codes he’d need to keep the channel safe from any hackers. After the incident with Keller, Simon had taken some of his inheritance to be sure that all the screens at Millie’s, the Everetts’ and the Frye’s were safe from any unwanted attention.

After securing the channel, he entered his mother’s code and waited for her face to grace the screen. As it flickered from black to gray to blue, Simon’s thoughts drifted to Kaylee’s motionless form. She was resting now, comfortably in the clinic, an IV hooked up to her giving her fluids and nutrients her body could not keep down on its own, while he’d also hooked up a heart monitor to her and the twins. She had not yet awoken, but he knew she would and soon, so he wanted to make this call and get back to her.

He had never been so scared in his entire life as he had been watching her faint against him. Swallowing past the lump rising in his throat, he turned his intense gaze back to the screen as he saw the image coalesce into a person and his mother’s beaming face greeted him.

Instantly picking up on his mood, her brow furrowed and she asked, “Simon? Are you all right?”

With a heavy sigh and a few rapid blinks to keep his tears away, Simon told her, “No, mother. I’m not, and neither is Kaylee.”

Her hand flying to her mouth, Regan felt concern and love swell in her chest for both her daughter-in-law and her unborn grandchildren. “What happened, dear?”

Rubbing a hand over his face, Simon told her, “She’s been having a really rough time, I think I told you that.” Regan nodded once and he continued. “Well, it’s been getting worse and today, while we were getting ready for Rylee’s birthday party, she fainted.”

“Oh Simon,” Regan breathed, noting the tired and weary look that crossed his features, followed quickly by anxiety. “How is she now?”

“Resting, but she still hasn’t come to yet,” he admitted, not wanting to dwell on the memory of her passing out in front of him, but unable to banish it. “That’s not the reason I called though.”

C onfusion crossing her face, Regan asked him, “Then what is?”

Leaning forward a bit, Simon glanced over his shoulder to be sure he was alone, and then turned back to face her. “Mother, I called to ask you a favor. A really big one.”

Smiling at him, the older woman told him warmly, “Of course, sweetheart, anything. You know that.”

Taking one more deep breath, Simon met his mother’s gaze and told her evenly, “I want Kaylee to go to Osiris and stay with you to have the twins.”

Regan’s eyes searched his face, wondering why he should be so hesitant to make the request. Of course, she could come to Osiris and have the twins. “Of course, Simon. You both are always welcome here, you know that.”

Shaking his head quickly, he corrected her. “No, mother, you don’t understand. It’s still too dangerous for me to be back on Osiris, especially for any length of time. Kaylee’s going to have to come, alone. That’s why I’m going to need you to take care of her.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, Regan could see the pain in Simon’s features and the love for that bright girl who was again carrying his children. But Regan could also remember Kaylee’s fierce determination from just a few months ago, as Simon had struggled for life and she had refused to be parted from him. Regan had glimpsed the depth of Kaylee’s love for her son then, and she knew that while Simon could give her a whole host of reasons as to why she should leave him to have these children, she would never go.

With a pitiful gaze, Regan told him gently, “Simon, you know that’s not going to work. Kaylee is not going to leave you, especially now considering how difficult things have been.”

Shaking his head firmly, Simon’s mouth set into a thin line and he said harshly, “It doesn’t matter. She has to go. It’s the only thing I can think of to keep her and twins safe.”

Her eyes widening at such a dire prognosis, Regan murmured, “Is it really that bad, dear?”

Simon shook his head again and let it hang forward, his chin dropping to his chest. When he again brought his eyes to the screen, there was no hiding the few tears that had managed to leak down his cheeks. “I honestly don’t know, mother. It is a possibility.”

Watching him for a moment more, Regan finally said, “Listen, Simon, the final decision is yours and Kaylee’s. She is more than welcome here anytime and I promise to take the best care of her. She’ll have the best doctors, the best treatment.”

Smiling his thanks to her, Simon said quietly, “I know.” Holding the gaze for a moment more, Simon finally told her, “I should go, she’s going to wake soon.”

Nodding once, Regan smiled at him as well, and then told him, “I love you, son. Be strong and be brave and tell Kaylee how wonderful she is. You know that your love for each other can get you through this.”

His smile wider at her kind words, he reached up to flip off the screen. “I’ll be in touch soon. Love you.”

With a sigh, he shut it down and sat back heavily. Allowing his head to fall into his hands he rubbed his palms against the lids trying to clear the fatigue and tears that had welled there. With another heavy sigh, he rose and stretched his muscles and then hurriedly made his way back to his wife’s side, praying the whole time that his mother was right, and love could see them through this.

***

TBC