A/N: I am a bit surprised by everyone's reactions to River's overwhelming need to have a child of her own. I must admit, out of all the things in this fic that I thought would generate discussion, that wasn't one of them.

Hopefully as it continues, River's motivations will become clear - and of course, nothing that you truly want comes without a price - and River will end up paying a dear one.

Thanks again to Leiasky for the beta and the encouragement.

Make me smile - leave a comment!

***

A NEW DAY, ch. 6: Cry For Help

***

“’Nara?”

Turning at the sound of the little voice, Inara saw Cadie’s big, blue eyes staring at her as she finished hanging some more wet laundry. Smiling at the girl, Inara placed the last pin on the line, hanging out the sheets to blow in the gentle breeze and then hefted the full basket at her side onto her hip. Making her way towards the girl, Inara met her and placed a light hand to her head. “Yes, sweetie, what is it?”

Swallowing past the uncomfortable lump in her throat, Cadie looked about and knew they were alone. Looking back up to the beautiful woman, she asked quietly, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Inara could read the girl’s troubled expression which only served to worry her. In the years that Inara had known River, she had learned to grow very wary when a reader, any reader, came to her with that look in her eyes. Turning the girl around and walking with her hand on her shoulder back towards the porch, Inara tried to keep her voice light as she said, “Sure, sweetie, but you have to help me fold.”

Cadie made no protest which set Inara on edge even more. Making it back onto the porch and taking comfort in the shade it afforded from the afternoon sun, Inara placed the basket at her feet and drew out a big sheet. Handing an end of it to Cadie, she watched as the girl intently helped her fold it, her eyes focused on the task at hand and refusing to meet Inara’s gaze. Deciding not to push, the older woman was about to hand her another garment to fold, when Cadie finally raised those blue eyes back to her face and Inara saw that they were full of tears.

“What is it, baby?” she asked hurriedly, moving to her side and kneeling in front of her. “Do you miss River?” she questioned, brushing the girl’s braids off her shoulders and resting a light hand to her cheek. “She’ll be back soon, just a little over a week now.”

Nodding once, Cadie swallowed hard and then told her, “I know and I do miss her, but that ain’t it.” Again glancing behind her to be sure there was no one else around, when Cadie’s eyes returned to Inara’s, the tears of anguish had been replaced with a cold fear. “It’s somethin’ else, somethin’ bad.”

Trying to stifle her own terror, Inara asked in a measured tone, “What is, Cadie? What’s bad?”

Shaking her head furiously, Cadie told her in a broken voice, “I don’t know, but me and Rylee can feel it and it ain’t good.”

The child dissolved into sobs before her and blinking back her own tears, Inara drew the girl to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Cadie cried against the older woman, finding solace in her warm, motherly embrace. She wished River were here, she knew that her mama would understand what to do, how to fix whatever it was that was so mired in darkness, but with no one else to turn to, Cadie had sought out the only other person she could think of. And she could feel, as Inara tried to soothe her, that it the other woman didn’t and wouldn’t understand, meaning she and Rylee were still alone in this.

Filled with more despair, Cadie pulled away from her and ran off the porch and into the afternoon sun. Inara thought to follow her, but her motion was stopped as she heard her own daughter’s voice call from behind her. “Mama, I’m hungry.”

Looking back over her shoulder at Mimi’s wide expressive eyes, Inara’s torn gaze again roved over the landscape, just making out Cadie’s form as she made it across to the Frye’s and bolted up the steps. Guessing that the girl would be all right as long as she was with Winnie and Thom, Inara moved towards her daughter and murmured, “Coming baby.”

***

“Are we close?” Gabriel Tam’s voice was hard and cold not affecting the agents before him one iota. Looking to the man as he sat behind the large desk in his office, the one on the right said, “Yes, sir. They made their drop about four days ago. Based on their current trajectory and burn through, we’re guessing they’re heading for Harvest – a rim planet.”

Nodding once, Gabriel digested this information slowly and thought through his options. “Can we –"

A beep from the console before him interrupted his question and with an annoyed look, he hit the comm. “Yes?”

“Sir, we’ve intercepted a transmission to the firefly. Do you want to hear it?”

With a smug grin, Gabriel looked to both of the blue-handed men before him and noted that while their expressions had not changed, they both moved imperceptibly close to the desk, hoping to be privy to whatever Gabriel was about to hear. “Yes, patch it through.”

With barely a click, the comm died and the channels transferred, filling the small office with his daughter’s voice and with an even more smug expression, Gabriel sat back and listened.

***

“Cadie, baby, you shouldn’t be calling us,” River told her, studying the girl’s bothered expression. She was trying to scold her, trying to impress upon her how dangerous it was for Cadie to send them this wave, despite the security measures Simon had installed. But as River concentrated on her face and looked into her blue eyes, she knew that whatever could have caused that kind of fear to light the girl’s face was worth the risk. Letting out a small sigh, she finally asked, “What is it?”

“It’s Rylee,” Cadie murmured, her voice a low whisper as if afraid she might be overheard.

Her eyes snapping back to the little one’s face, River felt her own heart constrict with fear for her niece. “What about Rylee?” she questioned, trying to keep her tone steady even as her pulse raced.

“There’s somethin’ coming, something bad and Rylee can feel it.” Cadie bit her lower lip to keep her tears in. She glanced over her shoulder, certain she’d be discovered at any minute, but in reality, she didn’t care. She knew that River was the only person who could help her or Rylee; that if something bad was truly on the horizon, River would be the only person strong enough to fight it and Cadie needed her.

“What is it?” River asked again, wishing she were closer so she could get a good read off the girl. But still at least four days out from Harvest, the distance was too great, even for River and she had to rely on her eyes and ears, two senses she didn’t trust half as much as her unusual abilities.

Shaking her head fiercely, Cadie allowed a few of her tears to fall down her cheeks as she murmured, “I don’t know. Rylee says it’s big and dark and cold and she’s real scared.”

River edged closer to the screen and tried to reassure the girl. “It’s going to be okay, Cadie, I promise.” Waiting for the child to collect herself, River asked her, “Has Rylee talked to her dad?”

Shaking her head again, Cadie told her, “No, Simon’s been real busy with Kaylee. She’s still not doin’ good.”

River swallowed down her own rising guilt, knowing that her brother and her sister were in bad shape, knowing that she should be there. Nodding once, she smiled sadly at the girl and told her, “I know, but Kaylee’s going to be all right and so are the twins. You remember that, okay?”

Cadie nodded once and swallowed hard, wishing River was here, wishing she would hold her and rock her like she always did and tell her it was okay. As Cadie’s eyes again locked on her mama’s face, she watched as River’s eyes darted about furiously, trying to find a solution, trying to find some way to ease Cadie’s and Rylee’s pain. Knowing that there wasn’t anything she could do only served to anger the young woman more.

Looking back to her, River told Cadie, “I want you to do me a favor, okay?” Cadie nodded once and River continued, “I want you to stay close to Rylee for the next few days. Make her tell you what’s going on. If it gets worse, I want you to go to Simon. Dong ma?”

Cadie nodded again, vowing to do everything she could to keep Rylee safe and sane. Blinking back more tears, she told River, “I really wish you were here, mama.”

Smiling sadly at her, River felt a few tears prick her eyes as well as she murmured, “I know, baby. I’ll be there soon, okay? Just a few more days. You hang in there.”

Cadie nodded once more and then flipped off the screen, plunging River into darkness as the blackness of the sky out the cockpit’s window enveloped her. Sitting back heavily, River was lost in thought and slightly startled to feel Jayne’s hands come down on her shoulders. Tilting her head back to meet his gaze, she smiled slightly at him, surprised he was here. They had not talked much since their fight over a week ago, deciding instead to avoid each other, rather than discuss what was really happening. But now, as River replayed her conversation with Cadie in her head, ran through the fear and anguish the girl had exhibited, she was glad she wasn’t alone.

Spinning in the chair, River rose and locked her arms around his waist, burying her head to his chest. Jayne tensed for a second and then returned the embrace, resting his chin into her soft hair and sighing just a bit as he felt her warm body against him. Ai ya, he’d missed her.

“What’s goin’ on, darlin’?” he murmured into her hair.

Keeping her arms around his waist, River muttered against his chest. “Something bad. Rylee and Cadie don’t know what though.” Leaning back a bit to look into his face, she told him in a whisper, “Cadie’s really scared.”

Swallowing down his own fear at the thought of Cadie, Jayne tightened his arms around his wife’s shoulders and locked his gaze on hers for a moment. They didn’t speak for a few minutes, but there was a lot that passed between them and River bit her lower lip as she felt Jayne’s fear and anger and concern for her wash over him. Sighing a bit, she told him quietly, “I’m not doing this to spite you or Simon, Jayne.”

Raising an eyebrow to her, he asked quietly, “No? ‘Cause it sure feels that way.”

Pulling back from him, although she didn’t want to, River sank back into the pilot’s seat and allowed her gaze to rest in her lap. After another moment of silence, she said softly, “I just have to, that’s all.”

“But why, River?” Jayne’s confusion swirled around him and River felt it strongly as he knelt in front of her, his hands on her knees. Peering up into her wide eyes, he told her, “I just wanna understand.”

“I want to be a mom,” she told him, willing her voice to stay steady even as she swallowed down tears. “I want what Simon and Kaylee have. I want a family, with you,” she murmured, bringing a hand up to his cheek and resting it there gently. It was cool to the touch and Jayne immediately wrapped it in his own, hoping to warm her, to comfort her.

“But, River, what you’re doin’, it’s dangerous,” Jayne said, keeping his voice steady even as he watched her pull back from him. Keeping a firm grip on her hand and forcing her eyes to lock with his, he continued. “Lookin’ for information ‘bout that antidote is only goin’ to bring you back into the Alliance’s line of sight. And that can only mean trouble, for all o’ us.” Jayne watched her for a moment, watched as her eyes shamefully fell into her lap studying their intertwined hands. Placing a hand to her cheek, he told her softly, “I ain’t sayin’ that what happened and what they did to you was right and I ain’t sayin’ you should forget it, but …” He trailed off uncertain of how to impress upon her that her life, her love for him and his for her, was more important to him than anything.

Leaning forward, he cradled her face in his hands and raised her chin so their eyes could again meet. Seeing the tears that had pooled there, Jayne felt immense sadness for his wife, and wished again that he knew how to fix this. “I can’t lose you,” he told her firmly, his breath warm against her face as he brought his mouth to her cheek. “And I’m afraid that if you keep pushin’ this, if you keep diggin’, it’s gonna lead us to a dark place that we won’t make it back from. An’ I don’t want that.”

With tears dripping down her face, River wrapped her arms around Jayne’s neck and hugged him tightly, sobbing. She knew that he was right and that Simon was right as well, and the agent she’d run into on Boros just a few weeks ago had only served to reinforce that fact, never mind the message she’d uncovered on that data stick. She was playing with fire, she knew that, but the thought that it could one day lead her to carrying and having her own child still spurred her on, the pay-off far outweighing the risk in her mind.

But not in Jayne’s and not in Simon’s; she had been unfair to them both and wrong to dismiss their concerns. They were truly looking out for her, their love for her making them cautious where she was bold. Still clinging to her husband, River buried her face in his neck and murmured, “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Pulling back from her a bit, Jayne smoothed her hair back from her face, and whispered, “Anything,” before leaning forward and kissing her gently.

Smiling weakly at him, River reached into her pocket and withdrew the data stick the agent had given her. His puzzled expression meeting her wide eyes, he asked quietly, “What is that?”

“A message,” she told him quietly, her eyes never drifting from the stick. “From my father.”

Inhaling sharply, Jayne had not expected that to be her answer. Eyeing the inanimate object with even more disdain, he asked, “What’s it say?”

Looking back into his blue eyes, she said simply, “That he can help.”

***

“Well, well, gentlemen, I think there might be another reader in the family.” Gabriel could barely contain his giddiness or the grin that accompanied it as he replayed the conversation his men had managed to intercept between River and the girl. Listening again, he noted the names and the relations – Rylee was Simon’s daughter and a reader if the little girl Cadie’s assessment and River’s concern could be trusted. And this new information added a level of security to Gabriel’s plan he hadn’t thought to find.

Of course, it was with a slight twinge of disappointment that he realized his son was apparently not immune to the genetic defects of his sister and had managed to pass down the freakish trait. Gabriel had always felt that Simon was above such inanity, that he was pure and good and all that a man should ever want in a son. He still was, to Gabriel anyway, and once he captured his granddaughter and turned her over to the Blue Hands, wiping any memory of her from Simon’s mind, this whole incident would be behind them; a lost chapter in the story of his son’s illustrious life.

“See, a little patience goes a long way,” he chided them, wagging his finger at them as they both exchanged undecipherable looks, while Gabriel leaned forward on his desk and readjusted his plan.

“And how exactly does this change anything?” one of them asked, regarding the older man before them with veiled contempt and a bit of annoyance.

Sighing heavily, Gabriel sat back again and marveled at their inability to think creatively. “Don’t you see, gentlemen? If Rylee is my son’s daughter and a reader, capturing her and delivering her to your newly reopened academy will work out even better. It will give me the leverage I need over my son and give you a young reader, whom you can mold and shape into any kind of killer you wish.” Sitting back, he let his gaze wander for a moment as he added, “In truth, I always thought trying to bring River back was a futile attempt. She’s been on her own too long, she has too much independence.” Looking back to them, he smiled thinly and said, “I very much doubt you could hope to control her again.”

Letting the insult slide, both agents regarded the man for a moment more and then one asked, “And what of this other child? Who called River mama?”

With a tight grin and hard eyes, Gabriel answered, “Well, we all know that’s impossible now, don’t we?” The agents’ little virus notwithstanding, the girl had sounded far too mature to be of any blood relation.

Again neither agent reacted and with a wave of his hand, Gabriel dismissed them, tired of having a one-sided conversation. Once the door had shut behind them, Gabriel allowed a contented sigh to escape his lips. Yes, indeed – Rylee would be the perfect bargaining chip to get Simon back in the fold and to get Gabriel his own life back.

Reaching out, he opened a channel to the bridge and asked, “How soon until we reach Harvest?”

There was silence and then, “At full burn, it should be about three days now. Two days ahead of Serenity.”

Gabriel flipped off the channel and set about making his plans, grinning gleefully and delighting in the fact that his life was finally back on track.

***

Simon was lying beside his wife, Kaylee’s head snuggled on his shoulder. It was late and while Simon knew they should both be asleep, neither of them could quite settle their minds enough to drift off. It had been this way for much of the past week. The idea that Kaylee would need a c-section that Simon would have to perform did not sit well with either of them. Discussing it with Kaylee had been even worse than Simon had envisioned, his wife’s fear and concern for not only the babies’ health, but her own, causing her body more undue stress. After reassuring her that this was a fairly common occurrence for women with multiple births, she had seemed to relax. And of course the fact that he had told her he’d like to wait about two weeks had helped to ease her fear as well. But it still made it nearly impossible for either of them to fall into a peaceful sleep.

Running his fingers through her thick hair, Simon murmured, “You know, we haven’t talked about names yet.”

Grinning against his chest, Kaylee tilted her head up to meet his gaze and saw his blue, blue eyes shining at her in the moonlight that drifted through the window. “I know and we gotta name two at once.”

He grinned a bit and pressed a kiss to her forehead before settling down further under the blankets, his chin against the top of her head. Kaylee’s hand, which she had laid lightly against his bare chest, began to draw small circles over his skin as she thought. “What ‘bout Michael?” she asked him, thinking through all the boys’ names she had considered before deciding on Daniel five years ago.

Sighing, Simon said, “I don’t think so. I knew a Michael in grade school who was a bully. He was always taking my lunch.”

Grinning slightly, Kaylee again raised her head to meet his eyes and teased, “Oh, I’m guessin’ Jayne’s out then?”

Chuckling at her, Simon brought his face to hers and pressed a kiss to her lips, delighting in the feel of her soft mouth against his. While he desperately wanted more, he also knew the last thing Kaylee needed was to be worked up, even if she didn’t. And the urgency with which she returned the kiss told him it would have to be his will power that would save the day.

Pulling back from her a bit, Simon prepared himself for the pout she would give him and she didn’t disappoint. “Bao bei, you know that you need to rest, take it easy,” he reminded her, his hand still running through her hair.

Her eyes dancing at him, she tried to move closer and failed as her big belly got in the way. With an even bigger pout that immediately made another chuckle rise to Simon’s lips, he stifled it as she threw him a dirty look and swatted at him playfully. “It ain’t nice to laugh at your very pregnant an’ uncomfortable wife, Simon.” Her voice was exasperated and just a little hurt and Simon wanted nothing more than to wipe the pout from her mouth.

Kissing her again, he brought his hands to her face and caressed her cheeks. Pulling back for air, he whispered, “You’re right and I’m sorry.” He smiled brightly at her again, so glad that although she had needed to stay in the clinic, her condition was improving with the bed rest and fluids she’d received. It had been a while since they could tease and laugh with one another and Simon found it comforting to know that even though it had been an incredibly trying pregnancy that ease was still there between them. Allowing one hand to rest against her swollen middle, he told her, “These little ones still need names.”

Sighing as she resigned herself to the fact that she would get no sexin’ from her husband any time soon, Kaylee laid back down beside him and started running through her list of boys names again and then switching to go through a list of girls. After another twenty minutes and still no resolution, Kaylee told him, “Well, it’s only fair that you name the boy.”

His brow furrowing, Simon knew she could not see his face, so he asked, “Why?”

“’Cause I named Daniel all by my lonesome all them years ago.” Tilting her head back to look into his eyes, she shrugged slightly and said, “It’s only right for a man to name his son.”

Smiling at her and again marveling at the beauty and love she showered on him every minute of every day, Simon pressed another kiss to her forehead and whispered into her hair, “I love you.”

Not about to argue, Kaylee snuggled in closer, feeling sleep pull her eyes closed and murmured back, “I love you,” and then she was drifting into a dreamless state, her body and heart anchored to her husband’s.

***

“Please tell me you ain’t contacted him,” Jayne said in a low tone, his voice edged with a fear he did not normally exhibit.

Meeting his gaze, River shook her head, unable to say anything in light of the anger and fear in his eyes. Letting out a big sigh of relief, Jayne rocked back on his heels and stood, pacing away from her and over to the co-pilot’s station. Leaning back against the console, he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to think of what to say, how to address this. Finding himself at a loss, Jayne finally raised his eyes to hers and told her simply, “Good. ‘Cause you can’t.”

Furrowing her brow, River swallowed down her immediate angry reaction and asked him coolly, “What do you mean, I can’t?”

Annoyed that she was refusing to understand, Jayne told her, “You know exactly what I mean. Your pa can’t be trusted, Simon’s right ‘bout that.” Wondering when exactly he had ever uttered those words before, Jayne dismissed the thought and forged ahead. Gesturing to the data stick she held, he reminded her, “That could very well be a trap.”

Frowning at him, River sat back with a heavy sigh and muttered, “So?”

“So?” Jayne asked her, his anger again on the rise. “So? He near killed ya last time you saw him and now, four years later you just wanna run off for a reunion, no questions asked?” She didn’t give him an answer or meet his angry gaze, but he hadn’t expected her to. This is what River did when she was caught in the wrong, she sulked and pouted and waited for whoever had proven her incorrect to forget about it so she wouldn’t have to apologize. And while Jayne would normally not force a “sorry” from her, he would now and he knew that Simon would as well.

“You had better start thinkin’ long and hard baby girl about how much risk you’re willin’ to take,” Jayne said, his tone harsh as she still refused to meet his gaze. “It’s obvious to me that I can’t convince you that this ain’t worth your life, and apparently your brother can’t convince you o’ that either.” Her eyes shot up to his face, her anger apparent at his willingness to use her argument with her brother against her.

Ignoring her hurt look, Jayne continued. “That Fed tracked us down on Boros with a message from your pa, that means they already know way too much ‘bout us.” Fearing the worst, he said, “Chances are, they already know where we’re headin’.”

Shaking her head fiercely, River rose and stood before him, her body trembling slightly with her effort to control her emotions. “No, I can’t believe that my father would have waited all these years to reach out to me, just to hurt me or Simon or our families.” Holding his gaze, Jayne watched the fire in her eyes simmer down to a smolder. Clenching her jaw she told him hotly, “And if something was wrong, I would know, Jayne.” And with that she turned on her heel and stalked back off the bridge, leaving him alone.

Sitting heavily in the chair she had vacated, Jayne gazed out into the black for quite a while, wondering how his incredibly smart wife could also be so incredibly stubborn.

***

“Mrs. Tam, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Kaylee’s eyes welled with giant tears as the doctor before her frowned slightly and then stepped aside, revealing Simon’s dead form on the bed behind him. With an audible sob, Kaylee rushed to her husband’s motionless body and threw herself on him, wailing at him to wake up and come back to her.

“Simon! No, please, don’t do this! Wake up!

With a start, Simon’s eyes snapped open as Kaylee’s anguished cry reached him in his sleep. Rolling over to regard his wife, he noted that Kaylee’s hair was plastered to her forehead, her face covered in a light layer of sweat as she thrashed about.

Trying to waken her, Simon sat up and shook her shoulder gently. “Kaylee, bao bei, wake up.”

Kaylee continued to cry as Simon’s dead body was joined by that of her son and daughter. Their cold forms laid out before her, Kaylee could feel nothing but unparalleled grief as she sank to the floor of the colorless room and wrapped her arms around herself, sobbing heavily.

Inhaling sharply as her sobs continued, Kaylee felt a sharp pain in her middle. Her hands flying to her stomach, she rocked herself in the dream as her vision clouded with pain and then cleared again. “No, no, no,” she kept muttering over and over, wishing she knew how to stop the suffering.

Simon was growing more and more concerned, especially now as he watched Kaylee’s face contort with pain, as well as fear. Her hands had just flown to her belly cradling it in her sleep and pressing his fingers to her neck, Simon could feel her heart racing. Knowing that she needed to wake now, Simon sat up fully and turned to face her, placing both hands on her shoulders. In an urgent voice he told her, “Kaylee, wake up.”

She did with a start, gasping sharply as her eyes flew open. Cringing with pain, Kaylee cried out as another sharp stab shot through her middle. “Ahhh, Simon, it hurts,” she panted, doing her best to breathe as the unbearable hurt shot through her. “It hurts.”

Nodding once, Simon’s own eyes were clouded with his concern, as he gingerly felt her abdomen, looking for any sign that she was going into labor. He suspected that whatever she had been dreaming about had simply brought on another set of false labor pains, but he wanted to be sure. “Just breathe, Kaylee,” he told her gently, reaching up one hand to rest against her cheek. “Just breathe, okay?”

She nodded once, doing her best to inhale through her nose and exhale out through her mouth, and in time the pain had subsided a bit. Simon rose and got his instruments, listening to both her heart rate and that of the babies before regarding her again. Her eyes had fluttered closed, her breathing still a bit belabored as she worked through the residual pain. Leaving her for a moment to get a damp cloth, Simon returned and wiped the sweat from her face, and at his soft touch, she again opened her eyes to him.

Noting that they were full of tears, Simon whispered, “Are you still in pain, bao bei?”

Shaking her head slightly, Kaylee reached for the hand he held against her face and whispered, “No, I just … It was an awful dream.”

Smiling sadly at her, Simon leaned forward about to brush a kiss to her lips, when she tensed beneath him, another sharp pain shooting through her. Crying out, Kaylee let her hands fall to her stomach as she rolled over onto her side, looking for some relief from the pressure and the pain. As she moved, she took the covers with her and in the dim light Simon could see the blood dotting the sheets. Swallowing thickly as he feared the worst, Simon edged closer to her and took one of her hands.

“Kaylee, listen to me, you need to concentrate and breathe through the pain.”

She wailed again and shot back angrily, “You try breathin’ through the pain!”

Sheepishly, Simon reached out his other hand and brushed her hair back. “Trust me, bao bei, I would if I could.”

Kaylee yelled again as another twinge blossomed through her middle and then slowly started to get her breathing under control, using techniques Simon had taught her during her pregnancy with Rylee. Rolling onto her back, when she again opened her eyes to him, Simon saw her fear was back. “It’s too soon,” she murmured.

Nodding once, Simon kissed her forehead and told her, “Maybe, but it’s going to be all right. I need to get Millie. Will you be all right here for a minute?”

She nodded once, not wanting him to go, but knowing that he needed the midwife’s expertise. “Hurry,” she whispered, her hands both falling to her swollen belly and rubbing gently.

He grimaced and then pressed another kiss to her mouth before rising and hurrying from the room. Once he’d gone, Kaylee allowed a few more of her tears to leak out of her eyes as she whispered, “You gotta hold tight, lil’ ones.”

***

And the tension is mounting ... what happens next? Leave a comment and the chapters will come nice and regular!