A/N: Angst ahoy! Here we go ... I hope you all enjoy the ride.

Thanks to those who read chapter 7 and took the time to comment - I appreciate all the terrific feedback - keep it coming, please!

Thanks to Leiasky - a gorram awesome beta and person!

***

A NEW DAY, ch. 8: Betrayed

***

River made it to Cadie’s room in moments, and was not at all surprised to find the girl staring in a daze out her window. Approaching her slowly, River sat gingerly on the edge of her bed and waited until the girl had turned to regard her. With tearful eyes, she murmured, “I’m scared, Mama.”

Nodding at her, River rested a gentle hand to her face. “I know, baby. But I’m going to fix it, okay?”

Cadie nodded once and then crawled towards her, curling herself into River’s embrace. Wrapping her arms around the girl, River rocked her a bit and then whispered, “I need you to do something for me though.”

Pulling back slightly to meet her gaze, Cadie waited as River said, “I need you to think about what happened last night. All of it, in as much detail as you can remember.” Cadie’s eyes widened a bit, but she returned River’s wide-eyed look with an unblinking one of her own. “Can you do that?” River asked the young reader, brushing some of her long hair behind her ears.

Swallowing hard at the thought, Cadie nodded once and then scooted back onto her bed, sitting cross-legged and watching as River pulled her legs onto the bed and mimicked her position. Watching her for a moment more, River placed a gentle hand against Cadie’s knee and told her, “It’s going to be okay.”

Nodding to her once more, Cadie let out a deep breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding and then closed her eyes, her mind turning back the hours to when she’d been awoken by Rylee’s anguish.

River was immediately assaulted by Rylee and Cadie’s pain as the two girls had struggled to understand what was happening as Kaylee and the twins struggled for life the night before. Feeling tears forming beneath her closed lids, River forced her mind to focus on the emotions and the details that Cadie was recalling, watching in a bit of awe, as the scene playing from the young girl’s mind and into River’s came into sharp relief, smells and sounds even finding their way to her senses as well as sights. It was a level of detail River had not expected and while she was still shocked by it, she again pushed past the extraneous emotion and followed Cadie as she rushed to find Rylee.

When she reached her niece, the world stopped as River recognized the man who had taken her. Regardless of the dim light and the cloudy memory, River would have recognized him anywhere and with renewed grief her eyes flew open, a sob escaping her mouth, before she could get her hand there to stifle the rest.

Cadie’s eyes opened as well, her own tears falling as she now felt River’s undeniable guilt. Scooting towards her, Cadie placed a hand to River’s cheek and whispered, “Mama?”

With another loud sob, all River could do was shake her head fearfully and bolt from the room, leaving Cadie behind to cry herself to sleep as she again tried to understand why all of this pain was crashing down around her.

***

With barely another thought, River bolted into Millie’s den, finding the wave screen. Shutting and locking the door, she removed the data stick from her father and inserted it, looking for the source code he had sent to her and with shaking fingers, inputted it, waiting impatiently for the signal to find him.

When the screen finally did flicker to life, River’s guilt and sadness over her hand in her niece’s kidnapping had been replaced by a cold anger and a calculating need for revenge. Looking into her father’s equally devoid expression, she waited with pursed lips for him to speak. She knew he would go first; he could never resist a good taunt.

“River, my dear, you’re looking lovely.” His tone was playful and light, but River could read his tension. He hadn’t expected her to connect the dots so soon.

“Bring her back,” River bit out, her voice low and deadly.

With a sigh, Gabriel did not try to deny her accusation, simply her request. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Why?” River’s eyes blazed with anger as she continued, “They want me, not her. Bring her back and take me instead.”

“Oh, on the contrary, I have managed to convince them that a young reader is exactly what they want.” He noted how his daughter’s eyes widened as he identified his granddaughter for what she was and then he pushed ahead. “They did want you, at one time, but I’m afraid you’re just not all that useful to them anymore. A bit past your prime,” he told her sadly, his tone conveying a level of sarcasm she found sickening, considering the situation.

“If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

The statement was hard and cold and while it caused Gabriel a slight bit of discomfort, he simply smiled past it and told her, “Empty threats, my dear. You already tried to kill me once and failed.”

“A mistake I won’t make again,” she countered, refusing to be intimidated by him. He had stopped being able to do that when he’d sent her to that place.

Sighing a bit, Gabriel actually nodded in agreement with her. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. Repeating mistakes is your brother’s forte, not yours.”

Her lip curled as he mentioned Simon, and River again did her best to block out the pain her brother was feeling. It was difficult as the intensity and depth of it threatened to overwhelm her, but focusing on the man before her and her hatred for him gave her mind something else to latch onto and so she did, with a vengeance.

“Why?” The question was simple and she supposed fairly beside the point at this juncture, but she still wanted to know. She wanted to know why her father, a man who could have had so much in his life, had chosen to do everything in his power to make it as empty as possible.

Sighing heavily, Gabriel looked back to the screen and leaned forward a bit. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he asked, “You don’t actually think I’m going to tell you, do you?”

When River did not take his bait, he waited another minute and then supposed that he had nothing to lose. “I want your brother to come back to Osiris,” Gabriel admitted. “I want him to come back to his life and restore our good name. It’s been dragged through the mud the past few years,” he added bitterly, his eyes blazing with his shame for the woman before him now. “Taking his daughter is the best way to ensure his cooperation.”

Shaking her head swiftly, River told him, “He won’t come. His life is here.” She refrained from saying anything more about Kaylee or Danny or the new babies, although she supposed that if her father could get close enough to grab Rylee, he probably already knew.

“That may be true, River, but I’m betting on that bleeding heart of his to see things my way.” Smiling tightly to her, River actually shivered at the look as he bit out, “I’m thinking that even your idiot of a brother won’t risk the death of one of his children just to spite me.”

“You can’t kill your own granddaughter,” River told him coldly, her eyes threatening to fill again with tears. Swallowing hard, she added, “She’s just a little girl.”

“So were you when I sent you to that place, but I did it anyway,” he countered, his evil smile dancing into his eyes. “I don’t think underestimating me right now is the best idea.”

Full of disgust River was certain she would wretch. Swallowing the bile that was burning the back of her throat, she asked him, “Then what’s the plan?”

“Well, I was going to let your brother sweat it out for a few days, but now that you’ve contacted me …” Gabriel sat back in his chair, regarding her coolly for another moment. Sitting forward again, he continued, “Give Simon this data stick so he can reach out to me. I’m figuring he doesn’t know about the helping hand you gave us in locating little Rylee or he’d be sitting where you are now.”

Fighting back her rising guilt, River ground out, “What about Rylee?”

Shrugging slightly, Gabriel told her casually, “Oh, she’s fine. The Blue Handed Agents who are with me wanted to study her a bit, you know, see what the differences are in a young reader’s mind.” Noting how his daughter’s face blanched, he smiled tightly and asked, “That doesn’t bother you, does it?”

“Hurt her and die,” River threatened again, fighting to keep from vomiting on the screen in front of her as she thought of what her niece would more than likely suffer through until they could reach her.

“Promises, promises, my dear.” Reaching up to end the wave, he told her, “Next time I see you, I had better see Simon as well,” and with that the screen went black.

Reeling, River ran from the room, and made it to the bathroom before she wretched violently, emptying everything in her stomach. With a heavy sigh and tears falling steadily down her cheeks, she splashed cold water on her face and then went in search of her brother.

She had to tell him now, she had no choice. And she knew that this news would effectively end their relationship. She had been wrong, so very wrong and while the realization only served to fuel her guilt, River still could not figure out how she could have miscalculated so thoroughly. With a heavy heart and even more tears, River headed for the clinic.

***

By the time Kaylee finally stirred and awoke, it was mid-morning. Simon had expected her to wake a few hours ago, after the sedative he’d given her had worn off, but her body, obviously tired from all the stress of the surgery and the past few months had let her stay asleep and he was glad.

He did not want to tell her about Rylee, he honestly didn’t know if he could, but Simon also knew that if he kept the information from his wife, no matter how noble his reasons, she would never forgive him. Watching as her eyes fluttered open and brought the room into focus, she turned her head to him and smiled sleepily. “Hey you,” she murmured, her voice hoarse from disuse.

Smiling at her warily, Simon got up from his chair and sat on the edge of her bed. Daniel had remained asleep for a few hours and so Simon had put him in one of the other rooms, knowing his son had gotten little to no sleep the night before on account of all the commotion. So now, it was just he and Kaylee and with rising dread in his gut, he reached out and gently caressed her cheek. “Hey.”

She smiled at him again and then her eyes widened, darting around the room. “The babies?” she breathed, her fear almost palpable. “Where are they?”

“Shh, they’re fine, Kaylee,” Simon told her, keeping his voice calm. “They’re out in the incubators, getting strong.”

“Is they gonna be okay?”

Smiling sadly at her, Simon leaned down and nuzzled his face against her cheek. “Yes, Kaylee, they should be fine. You did good.” He couldn’t bring himself to tell her how truly concerned he was for their newborn son, not when he had much graver news to share.

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Kaylee’s eyes again closed as she felt sleep call to her once more. Reopening her eyes to her husband slowly, she noted the tension on his face and knew there was something else. As if guessing what she would ask next, he told her quietly, “I have something I have to tell you.”

An unexplainable fear gripping her heart, Kaylee looked to him with fearful eyes and Simon fought the urge to clamp his mouth shut and keep her in the dark. Swallowing thickly, he took both of her hands in his and met her gaze steadily. “Something happened last night, to Rylee.”

Inhaling sharply, tears pricked the back of Kaylee’s eyes as she whispered, “Is she okay?”

Shaking his head sadly, Simon told her quietly, “No, bao bei, she’s not. She was taken.”

An audible sob escaping her mouth, Simon reached down and held her as best he could as Kaylee cried loud and long. “Why?” she exclaimed, her voice broken by tears she could not stop. “By who? Who would take our girl?”

Leaning back from her a bit, Simon willed his voice to stay steady as he told her honestly, “I don’t know, but everyone’s back now and we’re looking for her everywhere.”

“We’re going to find her.”

River’s small voice from the doorway startled them both and Simon turned to regard his sister’s determined face as she entered the room and strode towards them. Rounding the bed to sit at Kayle’s other side, River held her sister’s frightened gaze and then laid a gentle hand to her shoulder. “I’m going to get her back, I promise.”

While Kaylee continued to cry silent tears, River’s vow seemed to calm her somewhat and her body again sagged against the mattress as the exertion of the past few days caught up with her again. Looking back to her husband, she whispered, “Danny?”

Stroking her cheek, Simon told her, “He’s fine, Kaylee. He’s sleeping in the next room.”

“I wanna see him,” she murmured, even as her eyes again fell closed.

Leaning down and brushing a kiss to her lips, Simon told her, “Once you rest a bit more, I promise.”

She mumbled something else that neither River nor Simon could make out, and only after they were sure she was asleep did River leave. Simon stared at his wife’s sleeping form for another moment and then followed his sister from the room. She knew something, that much had been plain when she’d promised Kaylee to find Rylee, and Simon wanted to know what it was.

As he entered the clinic proper, he regarded River as she stared into his new son’s incubator, her thoughts obviously lost to the wonder of the new life. Simon could identify with the feeling of awe, but it was one they didn’t have time for. Moving to speak with her, he stopped as he heard the door brush open and saw Jayne enter the room.

Looking between the two siblings, the bigger man assumed River had not yet told him everything she knew and he was here to be sure that happened. Plus, he’d finished his own search of the abduction point and had a few theories about the kind of shuttle Rylee had been taken in and the relative height and build of the man who had snatched her.

“Simon,” Jayne greeted him gruffly, meeting his wife’s gaze over her brother’s shoulder. Simon nodded in return, as Jayne asked, “Kaylee all right?”

Swallowing hard, Simon told his brother-in-law, “She will be as soon as we get our daughter back.” Turning back to face his sister, Simon crossed his arms over his chest and asked, “What do you know?”

With a slight sigh, River turned away from both of their accusatory stares and tried to center her mind. But it was no use; Jayne’s anger and Simon’s pain were too overwhelming. “Too much,” she murmured to no one, opening her eyes to again stare at her nephew. “Not enough.”

Frowning at her, Simon took a step closer and told her harshly, “River, this is no time to be cryptic. Tell me what you know.”

“He’s got a right to know, darlin’,” Jayne interjected and whirling on them both it was her husband who got the brunt of her anger.

“Stay out of this,” River hissed at him, her eyes blazing again.

Having learned long ago not to be put off by her moods, Jayne crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the door. “Not ‘till you tell ‘im what you know.”

Glancing from his sister to Jayne and back again, Simon’s frown deepened to a scowl and he finally bit out, “River, tell me, now.”

Not moving from her spot, River let her gaze drop to the floor as she began quietly. “I didn’t know he’d do it. I didn’t know what he wanted.” Bringing tear-filled eyes up to Simon’s confused face she took a step towards him and then stopped. “I thought he wanted to help.”

“Who?” Simon questioned her, his voice still hard with an edge of both fear and anger. “Who wanted to help?”

“Our father.” She said it quietly, so quietly it took Simon a moment to register her words and once he had, he wished he hadn’t.

Whirling away from her, Simon felt his fists clench at his sides as his fear for his daughter turned into a seething anger at his father. "What did you do?" he asked through clenched teeth. He hoped that she had not gone and done what he asked her not to do, but as he looked at her face now, he knew she had. She'd put his family in danger.

River swallowed nervously, feeling her brother's anger spiral out of control, to the breaking point. She didn't want to answer his question. But she knew he would demand to know until she told him. "He contacted me."

"And you answered," Simon growled beneath his breath. With barely another thought, he jammed one fist against the unforgiving wall, not at all concerned at the pain he felt or the blood that now dotted his knuckles. “He did this,” Simon said, his voice deadly quiet. “Father did this, he took Rylee.”

River nodded once and then flinched as Simon approached her hurriedly, grabbing her forcibly by the shoulders. “Are you happy now, River?” he yelled at her, not caring at the tone or volume of his voice. “Are you? Did you get what you wanted? Was risking the lives of my family worth it?”

Shaking her even more violently, Simon yelled, “Answer me,” and was only prevented from shaking her harder by Jayne, prying his sister from Simon’s grasp and standing between them. His eyes flashing with rage, Simon ground out, “Stay out of this, Jayne.”

“No, Simon, I ain’t gonna let you hurt her,” he told the younger man, watching as his eyes blazed. River was behind Jayne now, her tear-filled eyes barely visible past Jayne’s shoulder. Simon’s own vision was obstructed by his anger and his chest heaved as he fought the very real urge to injure his baby sister.

“Hurt her? No one can hurt River." Simon seethed, eyes sending daggers at his sister. "No, she leaves me to shoulder the hurt and the pain, or worse, my innocent children." He lifted his eyes to his sister's face. "And for what? A chance at finding this miracle cure that will allow you to carry a baby to term?"

Jayne swallowed hard. Not able to disagree with what Simon was saying, he did feel the need to protect his wife. He opened his mouth to speak but Simon barreled on. "Was it worth it, River? Was it worth risking my daughter's life for that chance?" He clenched his hands into fists, knuckles whitening as he struggled not to strike her.

Jayne noticed and took a step forward.

“This is none of your business,” Simon told the bigger man, allowing his eyes to leave River’s face and make their way to Jayne’s.

“Oh, I’m thinkin’ it is, seein’ how that’s my wife you’re so intent on hurtin’.” Jayne’s words caused Simon pause and the older man watched as the doctor tried to bring his fury under control. Backing up a few steps, the room was silent for a moment, save the sound of Simon’s heavy breathing and River’s stifled sobs.

“Where is she?” Simon finally managed to get out, his voice rough.

Shaking her head slightly, River said quietly, “I don’t know. On his ship, he said something about Osiris.”

This admission caused both men to whirl on her and River backed up as she recognized the vehemence in their glares. “Said?” Simon growled, again approaching her. “You’ve spoken with him?” She nodded once, and he asked, “When?”

Her voice shaking River told him quietly, “Just a few minutes ago.” Producing the data stick she’d used, River held it out to her brother, her hand trembling. “Here.”

Snatching it, Simon’s eyes burned her with their anger and then he stormed from the room, heading for the closest wave screen. Once he’d gone, River could still feel his anger, his disappointment and his hatred for her and she again felt ill. Running from the room, she made it outside, into the heat of the morning and wretched again.

Jayne followed her, and placed a light hand to her back, but she stumbled away from him, not wanting or deserving his comfort. “You were right, Jayne,” she bit out, wiping the spittle from her mouth with the back of her hand. Barely able to see him through her tears, she muttered again, “You and Simon were right,” and then with even more anguish filling her, River sprinted away, running as hard and fast as her legs would carry her until she reached the relative coolness of Serenity. Darting up the ramp, she only made it a few steps into the cargo bay before her body gave out on her and she sank to the metal deck, sobbing.

***

Simon waited with barely contained rage as the screen sprang to life and the code found his father’s ship. As the older man’s face coalesced in front of him, Simon felt even more anger and hatred well in his gut and with eyes blazing, he bit out, “Bring her back.”

“Simon, it’s so good to see you.” Gabriel’s voice was teasing and light and Simon felt the very real need to reach through the screen and strangle the man. “I trust things are well.”

Unable to form any other statement, Simon ground out angrily, “Bring her back, father.”

As if finally hearing him Gabriel sat back and asked, “Who? Your little brat?” Shaking his head slightly all good humor fell from his face as he told his son, “I don’t think so.”

“Why are you doing this?” Simon’s voice had lost a bit of its edge as his fear overwhelmed his anger. He couldn’t put anything past his father and while he wanted to believe the man sitting before him now would not harm Rylee, he couldn’t.

“You need to come back home, son,” Gabriel told him, in way of an answer. Leaning forward and bringing his face up to fill the screen, his father told him, “I’m not going to ask you again.”

“Good,” Simon shot back, still confounded as to his father’s motivations. “Are you honestly telling me that all of this is to get me to come back to Osiris? To get me back under your thumb?” Shaking his head sadly at the joke of the man before him, Simon muttered, “You really are pathetic.”

“I don’t know if I’d insult the man who has your daughter, the reader,” Gabriel bit out, not at all willing to put up with Simon’s judgment. Simon’s eyes widened, just as his sister’s had, at the realization that Gabriel knew the girl’s secret. “Oh, yes Simon, my associates, these very aloof men with blue hands, I think you remember them? They find her quite interesting.”

Stifling the urge to rage even more at the man before him, Simon took a deep breath and tried to think through his options. He needed to get Rylee back and fast. They would do to her what they had done to River. He couldn't live with that. Kaylee would never forgive him if he didn't get her back; and he would never forgive himself. “What do you want me to do?” he finally asked, his eyes dead, his tone emotionless.

Clapping his hands in front of him with a glee that sickened Simon further, Gabriel said, “I knew you’d see reason.” Pausing for a moment more, he answered him, “Come back to Osiris. Disavow that life you think you have. You will resume your rightful place as the eldest son of the Tam family and continue our legacy.”

Snorting at him, Simon wondered if his father wasn’t as crazy as River had once been. “Even if you get me back there, I’ll never obey you.”

Smiling wickedly, Gabriel responded, “You will once my blue-handed friends do another memory wipe.” Watching as Simon’s face paled further at the thought, Gabriel upped the ante. “Oh, and Simon, if your second re-integration is not successful, then your son, Daniel, is the next one in line. And I’m thinking at five, I’ve got a much better chance of molding him to my will.”

Still seething, Simon could only stare at his father with unbridled hatred. “And if I don’t come back?” he bit out.

“Funny you should ask,” Gabriel told him, his mouth again turning up into a smile that held no mirth. “There’s this new school I’ve heard of, an Academy I think, for gifted children.” His grin turning more evil the older man’s eyes narrowed to slits as he told his son, “I was thinking I could send Rylee there. River got such a wonderful education.”

With more nausea churning in his gut, Simon told him finally, “It’s going to take me at least a month to extricate myself from my life here and find transport back to the Core.”

“Don’t play me, boy,” his father ground out, leveling a finger at his face. “I’ll be sending a shuttle for you in a week. If you don’t get on it, your daughter is dead to you. The same goes if you or your meddlesome sister try anything. Understand?”

Simon again found himself barely able to see straight, his anger was so potent. “Yes sir,” he ground out and then waited while his father closed off the connection. Once the screen had gone dark, Simon jumped to his feet. Hefting the wooden chair he’d been sitting in, he slammed it against the floor, watching as the furniture shattered in his grasp. Not caring about the noise or the mess he made, Simon continued to rage, overturning more furniture and finally, unable to rend any more destruction sank to his knees with his head in his hands and cried.

***

Daniel awoke in a cold sweat, the last dreadful moments of his dream fading as the room came into focus and his eyes adjusted to the light. Noting his surroundings, he scurried off the bed and out into the clinic, making his way across the hall to his mother’s room. Entering her room on tiptoe, he walked around her bed and found his way up onto it and beside her.

Seeing her sleeping face and her quiet form, Daniel sighed a bit and then, deciding that his father would probably be pretty mad if he woke her, he curled up into her side, quickly falling asleep again.

***

Rylee didn’t like these men. She had heard stories, when her mother and father and aunt had thought she was sleeping, of blue-handed men who were creepy and morbid and she was pretty certain the men in front of her now were one in the same. They hadn’t really done anything to her yet, just stared at her as if seeing if they could read her mind, the same way she could read theirs.

Shivering a bit, Rylee didn’t like what she could read from them – it was nothing. There was no emotion, no thought, no memory, nothing and it caused her to tremble uncontrollably. Holding their blank gazes, she started to feel unbelievably tired and while she tried to resist the urge to fall asleep again, she couldn’t. Lying back on the pillows, she curled up onto her side and felt sleep come, followed closing by vivid and horrifying nightmares that made her scream and cry and shout out in pain. And all the while the blue handed men regarded her from across the room, their gazes still conveying nothing.

***

It was a few hours later when Simon finally felt composed enough to return to the clinic and Kaylee’s side. With a weary heart and absolutely no idea of what he was going to do, he pushed open the door and stopped at the sight in front of him. Turning at his entrance he saw his mother, speaking with Millie in hushed tones, standing near his newborn son.

“Mother?” he questioned softly, wondering how many surprises one man could take in a day.

Nodding to him, she went to her son, embracing him warmly. “Oh, Simon, you must be so proud, they’re beautiful.”

Hugging her back, Simon caught Millie’s gaze over his mother’s shoulder and caught the slight shake of her head. Sighing heavily, Simon realized his mother did not yet know about Rylee. “Thank you mother, I am. What are you doing here?”

Smiling at him, Regan told him, “Well, once you called me I knew things were going to be tense. And since I knew there was no way my daughter-in-law was going to leave your side, I figured I had better get out here.”

Simon grinned slightly at her assessment, even as his fear from the past twenty-four hours churned in his gut. Crossing the room away from him, Regan pulled out a few data pads from a bag she’d brought and presented them to him. “I also took the liberty of getting some advice on premature babies from some of the best specialists on Osiris.” As Simon took the information with a shaky hand, she confided, “And I stocked up on most of the medicines and equipment they mentioned, just in case. It’s all on my ship.”

With gratitude shining in his eyes, Simon looked back to her and could only murmur, “Thank you.”

Regan nodded once in acceptance of his thanks and then watched as he crossed the room and set the information aside. She could see the tension in his stance and she wished she knew of a way to relieve it.

“And how is Kaylee?” Regan asked, wiping her tears away. Millie had slipped out of the room leaving Simon alone with his mother. Turning back to her, his face was contorted with fear and uncertainty. At his silence, Regan misinterpreted and asked quickly, “Kaylee’s all right, isn’t she son?”

Sighing heavily, Simon took her hands in his and said quietly, “Yes, mother, she’s fine. Just very tired. I’ll take you to see her in a minute.” Just as Regan was about to say something else, Simon silenced her with a dreadful look and said, “There’s something else you should know.”

Drawing her across the room and to the couch in the corner, he sat with her, feeling his muscles relax against the soft seat even as his mind again tensed with the memory of his call with his father. Rubbing a tired hand over his eyes, he looked to his mother’s concerned face and told her honestly, “Your timing really couldn’t be worse.”

Furrowing her brow, Regan’s concern was almost palpable and Simon decided what he had to say was not going to get any easier. “Rylee was kidnapped last night,” he finally admitted, noting as his mother’s eyes widened and filled with fearful tears. “By father.”

The addition of this news caused Regan more pain and she stifled a sob. Looking to her son with wide eyes, she read his pain and could see his struggle to maintain his calm. Reaching out to place a light hand to his cheek, she murmured, “Oh, Simon. Are you sure? This doesn’t seem like –“

“Something father would do,” Simon finished bitterly, backing out of her touch. “No, mother, I’m afraid it’s exactly what father would do.”

“But why?” Regan asked. It was true she had not seen or spoken to her husband in years, but she had never thought Gabriel to be capable of kidnapping.

“To get me back home,” Simon told her, his voice full of sarcasm. “Isn’t that what all fathers do when their sons disobey them? Kidnap their grandchildren?” His tone was full of anger and bitterness and it was harsh to Regan’s ears.

“He told you that?” she whispered, still unable to wrap her head around this ominous development.

“In the flesh,” Simon told her, rising and pacing an agitated path in front of her. “Well, via wave screen at least. I just spoke with him.”

“And?”

“And if I don’t get on the transport he’s sending for me in a week, he’s sending Rylee to one of those academies, like River.” Simon said this with a bit of resignation in his tone, his arms crossed over his chest as he stopped his pacing and again regarded her.

Rising quickly, Regan told him fiercely, “He won’t get away with it.”

Weary and exhausted, Simon could not even begin to contemplate how to prevent Gabriel from making good on his threats. “I don’t know how to stop him,” Simon muttered, turning from her to cross the room to gaze at his new babies. Standing between the two of them, his eyes darted back and forth and with a heavy sigh, he allowed his chin to drop to his chest, a hand rubbing along the back of his neck. He was so tired, so incredibly tired of having the same fight with his father, of making the same case, of having a life and then having such a selfish man snatch it away. “Maybe I can’t.”

“Then I will,” Regan said firmly, heading for the door. Moving to catch her, Simon grabbed her elbow and said, “Mother, that’s not the best idea.”

“Simon, he was my husband long before he was your father,” she reminded him. Placing a light hand to his face, she told him, “Trust me, there are still a few skeletons in Gabriel Tam’s closet that I can use to scare him.”

Frowning his uncertainty at her, Regan told him, “It’s at least worth a try. And if he still won’t listen to reason, then you and your sister and I will form a plan. There’s no way your father can succeed against the three of us.”

Swallowing down his anger at the mention of River, Simon decided that there wasn’t much to lose by having his mother at least try and reason with his father, the kidnapper. Noting the sadness and trepidation that had again clouded his blue eyes, Regan kissed him lightly on the cheek and told him, “Go sit with that beautiful wife of yours. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Simon watched her go, staring at the closed door for quite a while before moving one foot in front of the other and heading back to Kaylee’s side. As he entered her room, he noticed Danny’s small form curled up beside her and felt fresh tears welling in his eyes. Moving around the bed, Simon laid down beside them both, resting a light hand against Kaylee’s and tried to get a bit of rest, wishing that whenever he closed his eyes, he didn’t see his daughter, sitting in one of the Alliance’s medical labs, needles sticking out from her face and blood trickling down her chin.

***

It had been hours since Jayne had seen his wife and now he was starting to worry. He’d seen the dead look in her eyes as she’d sprinted away from him, the way her body had tensed at his touch. He had known River long enough to interpret these little signs for what they were: warnings.

Heading back to the ship, Jayne was not surprised to not find her in the cargo bay. Checking the cockpit, their bunk and the galley, he was getting a bit more concerned as she was not in any of those spots either. Finally, he made his way back down to the bottom floor and walked past the infirmary, seeing her small form working diligently in the bright, clean space.

Standing in the doorway for a moment, Jayne leaned against the jamb and regarded her for a few minutes, his initial relief at finding her replaced with a cold fear that coiled in his gut. He watched with widening eyes as she prepped syringes full of medication, laying them out on the counter before her. To her side was one of Simon’s many journals, and she would consult it occasionally, before taking out another vial of medicine and filling a needle with the proper dosage.

After having watched her and growing increasingly concerned, Jayne cleared his throat and asked quietly, “Whatcha ya doin’, baby?”

Not turning to face him, she said evenly, “Preparing.”

Not at all liking that answer, Jayne moved into the room and came up behind her, noting the way her body tensed at his approach. Not touching her, he glanced over her shoulder and tried to decipher Simon’s writings. Unable to do so, Jayne did notice the date at the top of the page, and he inhaled sharply as realization dawned. “Preparing for what?” he asked, taking a step back from her.

Still working, River told him coldly, “The effects of psychotropic drugs are not easily counteracted.” Her voice was dull and clinical and Jayne hated it, but he let her continue. “However, the sooner the medicines are identified and negated, the better chance the subject will have for a full recovery.” Looking again to Simon’s journal, she said, “Have to adjust the doses though, can’t give too much to a little person, might cause more harm than good.”

With a heavy sigh, Jayne knew his suspicions had been correct – the journal of Simon’s she was so intent to follow was from one of her first few months on Serenity. Apparently she feared that Rylee would need some of the same treatments when they finally got her back and she had set about to be sure everything was ready.

“Don’t suspect, know,” River told him, still not meeting his gaze, but plucking the thought from his head. “Two by two, hands of blue, they have her.”

Suppressing a particularly violent curse, Jayne asked, “How do you know that?”

“Father told me,” she answered simply, flipping to the next page and scanning for the next set of drugs.

As she bent down to open another cabinet, Jayne decided enough was enough. Wrapping a strong arm around her waist, he pulled her back from the counter. She did not fight him as he’d expected her too, but instead went limp in his embrace, causing him even more concern.

“River, you gotta stop this, it ain’t gonna help,” he told her, whispering into her hair.

In the same detached tone, she recited, “Help for deep-seated psychosis can be found through a mixture of medications and psychotherapy. While the former is available on a ship like Serenity, the latter –"

“River!” Jayne’s tone was firm and strong, and as he turned her to face him, she let her eyes drift to the floor of the infirmary, studying his feet. “Gorramit, this ain’t gonna get her back!”

“Can’t get her back,” River said sullenly, her voice barely a whisper. “Can’t. Father took her, wants to keep her, wants to turn her into me.” Looking up into his face for the first time, Jayne’s breath hitched in his throat as he finally saw her sadness there and her deep-rooted pain. “I did this.”

“No, River, you didn’t. Your pa did, he’s the one we should be blamin’.” Jayne wanted to reason with her, but he knew his reasoning was on pretty shaky ground. In truth, he had blamed her, no less that twelve hours ago, and he hated himself for it. “I was wrong ‘fore.”

Shaking her head sadly, River told him quietly, “No, you were right. You and Simon were right. Has that ever happened before?” she asked absentmindedly, pulling out of his grasp and wandering away, her voice lilting as she again lost herself in her mind. “I don’t think so. I don’t think you and Simon have ever agreed on anything.”

Jayne followed her as she wandered into the common room. “’Cept our love for you,” he reminded her, his voice gruff with emotion he was trying to contain.

Turning to face him, River gave him a patient smile, and told him, “You love me, but not Simon, not anymore.”

“That ain’t true, River, why’re you sayin’ that?” Jayne’s fear for his wife was quickly turning into desperation. He had never seen her quite this bad before, not in the time since they had been together anyway. Even the death of their baby a few months ago, had not pushed her this far over the edge and Jayne was frightened that he would not be able to draw her back to him.

Placing another hand to his cheek as he came to her, River smiled that same patient smile and said lightly, “Trust me, you don’t want me back,” and with that she wandered away from him again. Uncertain what to do or how to reach her Jayne thought of following her, and then determined that the person River really needed to see wasn’t him. Turning and stalking off the boat, he headed back for the clinic, hoping that he and the doc could once again exploit their newfound common ground.

***

TBC