A/N: All right, I think there's a bit of fluff in this chapter, so hopefully that will help to offset the unbelievable angst of the past few.

Please continue to read and respond - feedback is like the cream in my coffee!

Thanks also must go to Leiasky - for so many reasons!

***

A NEW DAY, ch. 19: Homecoming

***

“It’s time.”

Alicia looked to River and then to Jayne and shook her head slowly. “If you think so. I’d still like her to stay for at least another week, but –“

“Another week isn’t going to make a difference,” River told her softly, reaching out and grasping the woman’s hand. “You’ve done all you can for her, it’s time for her to go home and be with her parents and her brothers and sister.”

Alicia secretly suspected that River was right and while she was still concerned for Rylee’s recovery, she knew that their treatments, after four weeks, had hit a plateau, and if anyone could continue to help her, it would be the child’s family, who loved her with more ferocity than anything Alicia had ever witnessed.

“I’ll sign the release papers,” Alicia said, standing and heading for the door.

“Alicia.”

Turning at the sound of her voice, she saw River’s sad smile and returned it. “We can never thank you for all you’ve done.”

Waving off her compliment, she told her, “You don’t have to River, I’m just really glad I could be part of the solution this time and not the problem.” And with another shared grin, she left, River and Jayne once again alone in the room.

“So, we’re really goin’ home?” he asked her, the excitement in his eyes causing her to giggle.

Kissing him lightly, she told him, “Yes, we’re really going home.”

“Thank the ‘verse, ‘cause man all these high-falutin’ folk is startin’ to give me an uncomfortableness.” He grinned wickedly at her and River returned the look.

Kissing him again, River tried to focus on her husband and his love for her and not dwell on what kind of reception she would receive from her brother once they made it back to Harvest in two weeks.

***

A day after River and her family departed, Alicia again sat in front of the wave screen and placed a call. Waiting for Simon’s face to appear, she smiled at him when it did, and noted the shock that registered on his features. “Ah, Alicia, hello.”

“Hello, Simon,” she said quietly. “Do you have a minute?”

Nodding once, he glanced behind him as if afraid someone might overhear and then took a seat, regarding her with an even gaze. Taking a deep breath, she told him, “They’re on their way.”

Smiling to her, Alicia saw the light in his eyes as he knew his daughter was finally coming home and it warmed her heart. “I know, Mother waved us last night, as soon as they left.”

Silence falling between them, Alicia watched as Simon grew more and more uncomfortable by her impromptu call. Finally, he cleared his throat and asked her, “Is there something you needed?”

Smiling weakly at him, Alicia decided it was only fair to tell him the truth. The fact of the matter was, she had been trying to get River’s pain and despair out of her head for a while now and nothing worked. Seeing as how she had pressured the young woman into talking with her, she felt she owed it to her to at least try and make things right with her brother.

“Well, I actually want to talk with you,” she said lamely.

Giving her a skeptical look, Simon fixed her with a knowing grin and asked, “Are you really going to try and shrink me over a wave?” She chuckled lightly at the joke, as he added, “Because even I don’t know if you’re that good.”

Smiling wryly at him, she told him earnestly, “Oh no, I would never even attempt it. You’re way too smart for something like that.”

He grinned back at her and with the tension between them eased, Alicia finally felt comfortable enough to broach the topic. “Simon, I wanted to talk with you about what happened.”

His face hardening instantly at her implication, he questioned. “In regards to what, River? Well, then you’re going to have to be a bit more specific. She’s kind of like a time bomb – you never know when she’s going to go off.”

Cringing at the sarcasm in his tone, Alicia forged ahead and said, “Well, specifically where Rylee is concerned.”

His jaw still set firmly, she had to ask again. “Well?”

“She endangered my family, Als, that’s really all there is to it.” He had crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her, and Alicia could feel the heat of his look through the wave screen.

“She did, huh?” Alicia tried to keep her tone light, and continued to read him and his emotions, coloring his reactions through the lense River’s impressions had provided her. “She purposefully endangered your family and Rylee?”

Shrugging slightly, Simon’s anger did not diminish as he answered, “Well, it’s pretty difficult to ever guess at her intent. But her actions brought all of this down on us and Rylee suffered for it.”

Nodding once, Alicia again sized him up and knew the anger he felt would not go away for a while. Risking it even more, she asked him, “And you’re not ever going to forgive her for that, are you?”

His anger turning quickly into disbelief, he breathed, “How can you even think that’s any of your business?”

“Because Simon, I’ve just spent the last four weeks helping your daughter and your sister recover from some major psychological trauma. That made it my business.” Alicia allowed her tone to grow testy and she regarded him with a haughty look, even as he continued to bore those blue eyes into her.

“You think four weeks makes you an expert?” His tone was growing more scathing by the minute, but Alicia would not be deterred.

“No,” she told him truthfully, realizing she was on shaky ground. “No, Simon I don’t. But I have spent my entire professional career counseling people and the pain I witnessed in both of them over the past four weeks was some of the deepest and most debilitating I’ve ever seen.”

Simon’s throat constricted as he immediately assumed Alicia was talking about Rylee and what happened to her. “She’s going to be all right, isn’t she?” he asked quietly, his angry tone having softened in seconds.

“Rylee?” Alicia asked, knowing she was the only person he could think of right now. “I think that Rylee will be fine, eventually. She still has a lot of healing to do, but I know that you and your wife and the rest of her family will help her.” Pausing for a minute, she finally added, “Honestly, I’m not worried about Rylee. I’m worried about River.”

With fresh disgust in his eyes, Simon wondered how it was that every person who ever crossed River’s path immediately felt the need to rescue her – it was a trap he’d even fallen into himself. “Well, don’t. If there’s one thing River can do, it’s take care of herself. I learned that the hard way.”

Surprised by the vehemence of the statement, Alicia paused for a moment, wondering if she just shouldn’t give up. But thinking back to the depth of River’s sadness, she couldn’t do it – why, she had no idea, but she just couldn’t.

“I understand why you’re mad at her,” she said quietly.

Snorting at her and rolling his eyes, Simon bit out, “Oh good. I’m all warm and tingly to know I have your blessing.”

“Oh no, not my blessing,” Alicia corrected, doing her best to keep her own frustration in check. “I said I understand it. I don’t agree with it. River doesn’t deserve your anger.”

Wondering why he hadn’t yet closed the connection, Simon was even more appalled when he asked her, “Oh really? And why is that?”

“Because River did not cause Rylee’s abduction.” As Simon again rolled his eyes at her, she continued, her voice hard and unyielding. “She didn’t, Simon. You can blame her all you want, but River did not willingly or knowingly put your daughter in danger. Your father took her, he kidnapped Rylee for his own personal gain – partly to get to you, partly to get his life back – but River did not do this, Simon. And she almost died trying to undo it. For you.”

"And so I should just forget that her actions, after I begged her not to continue with her foolish search, are directly related to the reason my four year old daughter was taken and tortured?" Simon's eyes were wide and incredulous and Alicia couldn't help but tremble as his voice shook with anger.

"Not forget. Forgive."

Simon sat back heavily, for the first time really hearing his friend. Alicia watched him struggle to digest it all and then she added quietly, “I have no control over what you do and whether or not you choose to forgive River is completely up to you, of course. But before you’re so ready to dismiss her from your life, at least listen to what she has to say. It’s killing her, Simon. And honestly, she’s already punishing herself enough; you really don’t have to help.”

With nothing left to say, Alicia closed the connection and whispered a silent prayer that what she had just done had helped the troubled young woman she’d spent so much time with over the past few weeks – and not hurt.

***

The two weeks it took for Rylee to return to Harvest were the longest Simon or Kaylee had ever suffered through. They did their best to stay busy, focusing inordinate amounts of attention on the twins and Daniel. Kaylee busied herself in her father’s shop, tinkering on broken engines and spare parts, once she’d tightened every nut and bolt on Serenity, while Simon spent his days at the clinic, seeing patients, prescribing remedies for the common cold and setting broken bones.

The night before Rylee was to return, Simon crawled into bed next to his wife and wrapped a strong arm around her waist, rolling her towards him. He was tired; tired from the work of the day and exhausted waiting for their daughter to come home. As Kaylee’s beautiful face came into view, the moonlight through the window lit her cheeks and Simon saw they were shining with tears.

Kissing them away, he whispered to her, “Kaylee, what is it?”

“She’s comin’ home,” she finally murmured, inching closer to him so that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

Nodding once, he ran a hand through her hair and said, “Yes, bao bei, she is.”

“What if it’s bad?” Kaylee’s voice caught once, but she swallowed hard past the sudden lump and held his gaze.

Kissing her lightly, Simon cupped her cheek in his hand and whispered, “Then we’ll make it better, Kaylee. That’s all we can do.”

Leaning towards him, she kissed him again, urgently and Simon felt his entire body tense at her touch. It had been about two months since the births of Ethan and Emma, but Simon had been delaying their coupling, knowing that the first time after the surgery could be painful – he wanted to give Kaylee’s body enough time to heal. Pulling back from her with all his might, he whispered, “Kaylee.”

Shaking her head, Kaylee leaned over him as he rolled onto his back and she told him, “I need you, Simon. I’ll be all right.” As she again kissed him, hard and deep, he felt her hand run down his bare chest and snake its way inside his pajama bottoms. Her touch caused a hungry moan to reverberate in her mouth and she smiled as she continued to kiss him, her cool fingers playing with him relentlessly, excited that even though she knew he was worried about hurting her, he could not control his body’s natural response to her touch.

Rolling her over and onto her back, Simon knelt between her legs, careful to not put any undue pressure on her abdomen and kissed her, his tongue pushing into her mouth and meeting hers with an intense need. They continued to love and touch each other, quickly divesting one another of their clothes, until they were both naked and Simon could make out the beautiful curves of Kaylee’s body.

Looking into his eyes with heated desire and love, Kaylee reached up and captured his mouth in a kiss and as their tongues again met, Simon pressed slowly, cautiously, into her. Kaylee gasped a bit against him as she felt a twinge of pain, her body again getting used to the feel of him. “Kaylee,” he whispered, knowing her every sound and knowing that it had been one of hurt and not pleasure.

Shaking her head a bit, Kaylee ran her hands up his back and into his hair and whispered against his ear, “Don’t stop, Simon, please.”

Still uncertain, he kissed her again, but stayed still and finally murmured, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Shifting her hips restlessly against him and causing a groan to escape his mouth as his need for her intensified, she blinked back her few tears and opened her eyes to meet his concerned gaze. “You ain’t, sweetie,” and then she again kissed him, her teeth pulling his lip into her mouth and her hands running along his back, giving him no choice but to move within her.

Their pace was slow and languid and full of desire and as Kaylee felt her whole body shake with release and then Simon’s quickly after, she could not help but think of how incredibly blessed she was to have his love. As their breathing slowed, he kissed her once more, and rolled onto his back, taking her with him. With a happy, contented sigh, Kaylee snuggled into his chest and kissed his damp skin.

Pressing a kiss into her hair, Simon whispered, “You okay?”

Kaylee looked up to him and saw the concern on his face. “Shiny,” she told him with her usual grin, and she meant it. There was a pleasant ache, but she knew that was more from abstinence than the act itself. Her eyes dancing, she inched herself closer and, wrapping one of her legs around his, asked, “Wanna go again?”

Simon’s deep chuckle filled her with delight and she suddenly felt the best she had in months.

***

The shuttle ride back to Harvest was interminably long for Rylee. While the little girl tried, day in and day out to be patient, the longer they flew through space, the more agitated she became. Even River, whom had again bonded with the little girl, could not calm her and it was with a collected sigh of relief that broke through Harvests’ atmo on the fourteenth day.

Running about in circles, Rylee was yelling with joy at the prospect of seeing her parents again. The sullen and lifeless girl they had rescued just over a month and a half ago was again buoyant and lively and everyone delighted in it – everyone except River.

She had tried to keep her concerns and reservations to herself, knowing that Rylee had been through enough, but River also knew, intimately, the level of trauma the girl had suffered. While her aunt truly believed that Rylee was on the road to recovery, she worried that everyone, including Simon and Kaylee, would forget it was still a road and not a destination.

Pushing these thoughts away, she watched with a smile as Rylee bounded over to her and took her hands. “Ain’t it great, Aun’ River? We’re gonna see mama and daddy.”

Her eyes shone with happiness for the first time in a long while and River found herself returning the girl’s look. “Yes, baby. It’s wonderful.”

As Rylee again sprinted to the cockpit to ask the pilot for about the hundredth time when they would land, Jayne emerged from the back of the transport, having finished packing their things. River could still not move with the fluidity or speed she once had, and while her gunshot wound was healing nicely, the doctors on Ariel had warned her that it would be another six weeks, at least, before she could think of doing anything more strenuous than breathing.

Smiling to her husband as he sat beside her, placing a kiss into her hair, he cocked his head to the bow of the ship as he heard a particularly loud squeal come from his niece. “She’s just a bit excited,” he commented needlessly, pulling River into his chest.

Nodding once against him, she did not answer, because she couldn’t. Her fear and hesitation at seeing her brother was clouding everything, including her joy at returning back to her family. And Jayne, of course, knew it.

“You worried ‘bout Simon?” he asked, his lips whispering against her forehead.

She nodded again and blinked back a few tears. The closer they got to the surface, the more she could feel, and while none of Simon’s fear or trepidation were directly focused on her, she knew that the minute he saw her, they would be.

With a light sigh, Jayne accepted her silence and said, “Well, don’t be expectin’ miracles. I ‘spect it’s gonna take you two a while to find your way back, but you will.”

River could not agree with him, because she secretly suspected his optimism was unfounded.

***

Rylee stood at the top of the transport’s ramp, holding her aunt’s hand and jumping back and forth from one foot to the other. She knew they were close, close to home, close to landing and she literally could not stand still. Her excitement had wholly overwhelmed her.

Of course, her fear was still there, buried deep in her gut, but Rylee had learned over the past few weeks in the hospital how to ignore it, how to make the scary images and thoughts go away and that’s what she was doing right now. She didn’t want to be scared anymore, she just wanted to be home.

There was also the very real fear though that even being at home wouldn’t make her feel any better. She had tried not to dwell on this possibility as the trip had dragged on, but the closer they got to landing, the more she realized she was counting on being home, counting on her mom and dad and brother to make her feel normal – to make her normal – and if they didn’t, if she still felt scared and alone even surrounded by their love and warmth, she feared what that might mean.

Shaking off the slight shiver that accompanied these thoughts, she opened up her mind to her parent’s presences. They were nervous, she could tell, but they were excited. Of course, they were most excited for her to meet her new brother and sister and Rylee had to wrinkle her nose at the prospect. Not only were babies smelly and loud, but these babies, her new siblings, had caused her mother to be sick for a good long while and made it so her dad could not come and rescue her, when she’d really needed him.

Rylee knew it wasn’t really their fault, but to a four-year-old, even one as bright and gifted as Rylee, those twins might as well have tied her father’s feet to the floor for all the blame she would foist on their still fragile bodies.

Finally, her eyes widened as she felt the ship hit the ground and again, jumping up and down, she watched as the ramp lowered, more slowly than just about anything she’d ever seen. Looking up to her aunt as the entrance took those last agonizing seconds to hit the earth, she said quickly, “I’m not gonna wait for you, okay?”

Smiling to her through the few tears that had welled in her eyes, River leaned down gingerly and kissed her head. “Okay.”

And then the ramp was down, the hot morning sun spilling into the cool craft and like a shot out of gun, Rylee was down the ramp and leaping across the dusty landscape to her parents. As River and Jayne followed down slowly, she squinted into the sun and saw Simon, Kaylee and Daniel standing there. Kaylee had rushed forward and was now kneeling in the dirt, her arms wrapped around her little girl. Daniel clung to his father’s leg, still a little nervous about seeing his baby sister again as he was unsure what exactly had happened to her and only knew that it had been bad. River could also just make out the shapes of Winnie and Thom as they stood next to the mule the family had ridden in, each holding a small bundle that could only be the newborns.

Looking to Jayne, she smiled through her tears and murmured, “Let’s go.”

***

Kaylee had never felt more joy in her whole life than she did the minute Rylee had run into her arms. Now, holding the girl tightly, Kaylee kissed her cheek and kept murmuring over and over again, “I love you, baby,” as the girl had begun to cry, her relief at seeing her mother too much for her little four-year-old heart to take.

Simon watched the reunion of mother and daughter for only a moment before moving towards them, and kneeling beside the two intertwined girls. Resting a light hand against his daughter’s hair, his touch brought her head out from the crook of Kaylee’s shoulder and as Rylee turned her tear-stained face to her father, Simon felt his resolve break away. With tears in his eyes, he held a hand to her cheek and whispered, “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

Turning from her mother’s embrace, Rylee moved to Simon and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sighing as he lifted her up and into his arms, he knew his tears were falling even as she whispered to him, “I missed you daddy.”

Burying his face in her hair, he felt Kaylee’s trembling form stand beside him and she rested her head against his shoulder, staring at Rylee. The three of them, mother, fathter and daughter, stood like that for an immeasurable span of time and it was only Danny who managed to break them from their reverie.

Jumping up to get his sister’s attention, he hit her arm playfully and waited until she had turned to look at him. “Hey you,” she murmured, resting her head back against Simon’s broad chest and staring down at her brother’s concerned face.

“I’m glad you’re back, Ry,” he said softly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious under the intensity of her gaze.

“Me too,” she told him and leaning back to look at her father she asked quietly, “Can we go home now? I’m hungry.”

Smiling, Simon’s light laugh at her request made her body shake as it echoed in his chest and against hers. “Sure, sweetheart, let’s go home.”

Piling into the mule, it was Kaylee who turned a bit before settling in beside her family to give River a small wave. And then, they were gone, not waiting for River or Jayne or Regan, who had their own vehicle. As River watched them speed away, her brother’s anger and hate fresh in her mind, she felt more tears slide down her face. Jayne tried to contain his anger at Simon’s rudeness, but one look at the hurt on River’s face made it impossible for him to let it go.

“Well, that jus’ weren’t right,” he growled, hefting their bags into the mule. Turning to take River’s hand and help her, he saw that she had not taken her eyes from the departing dust cloud.

Wrapping a light arm around her waist, Jayne said quietly, “Come on, baby, jus’ forget about them for now. You need to go back an’ get some more rest.”

River turned into his arms and let him help her into the waiting vehicle, but her tears did not stop and her pain did not lessen as the ground sped by.

***

Simon awoke in the middle of the night to an empty bed. Concerned, he immediately searched the small room and did not see his wife anywhere. Sliding out of bed and pulling on a t-shirt to go with his sweatpants, he opened the door to their room quietly and edged down the hall, having a fairly good idea of where he could find Kaylee.

Turning the corner into Rylee’s room, he’d been right. There, sitting on the edge of their daughter’s bed, staring at her sleeping form was Kaylee. She was turned away from him and Simon made no move to startle her, but instead watched with more love in his heart than even from earlier that day, as Kaylee reached out the gentlest hand and ran her fingers through Rylee’s long, dark hair, smoothing it back from her face.

Resting the hand to their daughter’s cheek, Kaylee sighed a bit and then leaned in, pressing a kiss to her face and with another slight sigh, rose to leave the room.

Turning to face the door, she was greeted by Simon and she let out a little “Oh!” in surprise. Smiling to her, Simon took her hands and led her from the room, waiting until they had again slid into bed together before saying anything. With Kaylee wrapped tight to his chest, he whispered, “Did something happen?”

Shaking her head, Kaylee answered, “No, I just woke up an’ I wanted to …” She let the statement die, causing Simon’s suspicions to rise and then finished quietly, “I just wanted to check on her.”

“Kaylee?” Simon’s voice was still low and soothing, but she could hear the hint of question in it and with a heavy sigh, she tilted her face up to look in his eyes and told him honestly, “I just had a bad dream is all, that she weren’t really back. I needed to make sure it wasn’t the truth.”

With sympathy shining in his blue eyes, Simon wrapped his arms around her even more tightly and pressed another kiss into her hair. They lay like that for a long while, before Kaylee finally asked him the question she had been trying to avoid all day. “What about River?”

His body tensing involuntarily at the mention of her name, he said quietly, “What about her?”

Propping herself up on one elbow so she could look in his eyes, she allowed her other hand to rest lightly against his chest, drumming absentmindedly as she said, “You didn’t say nothin’ to her all night. In fact, I actually think you talked more with Jayne.”

Simon considered her comment and realized, begrudgingly, she was right. “Well, you have a point,” he told her dryly. “I did at least say ‘hi’ to the ape-man.”

“Don’t get cute with me, Simon Tam.” Turning to regard her again, Simon tried not to smile at the annoyed expression Kaylee was favoring with him now; while he knew his wife thought it was quite menacing, he actually found it adorable. “You can’t just ignore your sister forever.”

“I’m not going to forgive her for putting our daughter in danger, Kaylee, so what are my other options?” His tone had grown a bit harsh and he instantly regretted it as his wife’s eyes clouded with tears.

Leaning in, Kaylee took his face in both her hands and held his gaze for a long moment, before whispering, “Don’t say that, Simon. She’s family, yours and mine and the aunt to our babies.”

Cupping her head in his hand, Simon searched her eyes for answers, answers he could not find. He thought, based on the way she spoke about River, that maybe Kaylee had found the secret – the key – to moving past all of this. And it was with this hope, that he asked her softly, “Have you forgiven her? Can you honestly tell me you don’t blame her for everything that happened to Rylee?”

Kaylee held his gaze for a moment longer and then finally breathed out a huge breath. Flopping onto her back, she stared at the ceiling as she told him, “I don’t know, Simon. I know she didn’t do it, I know she didn’t wan’ it to happen. I know she almost got killed tryin’ to get Ry back.” Turning her tear-filled eyes to him once more, she smiled weakly at him, and asked, “Does that answer your question?”

Shaking his head just as sadly, Simon also allowed his gaze to roam the ceiling over his head as he answered her, “No, bao bei, it doesn’t.”

They lay in silence like that for many minutes, both of them lost in thought, conflicted by the dissonance of their lives. Simon tried to come to terms with it, as he had for most of the past two weeks, ever since Alicia had called him and reminded him that his sister, his mei mei, whom he had once denounced everything for, was already suffering over the tragedy that had befallen his family. But that didn’t make it right – and Simon could not reconcile River’s pain with Rylee’s or Kaylee’s for that matter. He honestly didn’t care how much River was hurting; it would never be enough to dull the anguish his daughter or his wife had suffered.

Finally, rolling onto his side, Simon laid an arm over Kaylee’s stomach and kissed her cheek. “I do know one thing for certain though,” he whispered to her, as she scooted closer to him and rested her arm atop his.

“What’s that?” she asked, trying to quiet her mind enough to sleep.

“That in about three and a half hours, two very hungry babies are going to wake up.”

Smiling at him, Kaylee pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth and then closed her eyes. “Yes, that is a fact.”

Both of them snuggled a bit closer as they tried for the next hour to feign sleep, having lost the energy and the desire to discuss River any further.

***