Lady Veronica Colbert-Jiangyin hurried her steps to her husband's chamber. The message she received in her office scared her. She knew Adam was ill, but she'd had no idea it was this bad. He'd distance himself when he'd fallen ill.

And when she'd had to take over his position on the Board of Directors for the company, she'd hardly seen him. Berating herself for being so inattentive, she hurried even more.

Finally she reached his bedchamber. She collected herself before entering. Doctor Hiram Lee was leaning over her husband of nearly forty years. Her husband, Lord Adam Colbert-Jiangyin lay in his bed looking almost small. Which was saying something, since the man had towered at six foot four for most of his life.

She vaguely remembered him the first time she met him. She'd been no more than seventeen and had topped her height at five feet five. Not too short, but a not tall enough to be thought of as graceful.

Having been informed by her father that she was to be married to this gentleman as soon as she turned eighteen, her first thought that

entered her mind was: I'm not even tall enough to rest my head on his shoulder, how am I to kiss this man?

“Bao bai, you needn't have come so urgently. I am fine. Hiram is only exaggerating. It was just a mild arrhythmia. Nothing a good heart transplant could cure or at least a tissue sample from a relative,” her husband smiled brightly or as brightly as a man could when he was dying.

“Hiram, how is he?” she turned to their long time family doctor and friend.

“It's true it was only arrhythmia, my lady, but in his condition, it could have killed him. I tried to convince him to let me transfer him to the best hospital in Capital City, but he refuses,” he shrugged.

“Adam, perhaps Hiram is—”

“I'd rather die in my home than in some wretched hospital,” he snapped sounding almost like his usual self.

“My lord, I only worry about—”

“How many times have I told you to stop calling me that! You've known us for nearly forty years,” he snapped at him.

“I see that your medicine must have kicked in. Since you are your usual belligerent self,” his wife sighed.

“I am not being belligerent, Vera. I just won't stand for anyone to try to cart me off to some chou ma niao hospital when I'm fine right here,” he muttered grumpily.

“Perhaps I should go... you both need to discuss this in private,” the doctor gathered his things.

“There's no point in you leaving us to 'discuss' things. Because there is nothing to discuss, dong le ma?” he said fiercely, sitting up quickly.

“Adam, stop being such a fuss. You'll damage yourself,” Lady Vera gave her husband a scathing look.

“I'll not have my wife argue with me over—”

“Thank you for all your help, Hiram. I'll contact you when we've come to a decision,” Lady Vera interrupted her husband.

She shook the doctor's hand and gave him a soft smile as he left. He sent his patient a pacifying goodbye and smile before he left.

“I don't appreciate you—”

“Adam for once in your life stop being so difficult. If I didn't know you came from some of the finest bloodlines in all the Core, I'd think you were some sort of-of... untrained ape, with no manners!” his wife lost control of her usual composed demeanor.

“Were I not a gentleman, I would tan your hide,” he gritted through his teeth. He swung his legs over the bed and stood shakily. He supported his weight with a bed post.

“Adam, are you insane?!” Lady Vera crossed to him in a heartbeat. She wrapped her arm around his waist and looked up at him. He was extremely pale; there was a light layer of sweat on his forehead.

Even so, she could not help but admire his appearance. At seventy-five, he was still quite a large man. His shoulders slumped slightly from age and illness, but even so he stood at nearly his original six foot four height. His hair was more gray than the brown it once was and it had receded somewhat but not altogether. Still, her heart skipped a beat when she caught his eye.

He smiled down at her, with a twinkle in her eye. “Admiring an old man?”

It came out in pants, but still full of charm. She smiled up at him. “Always the scoundrel, Adam. Come on you giant, my tiny frame can't take your weight.”

She helped lay down once more. His breath was short but steady as she tucked the blankets around him. He reached for her hand and caressed it.

“Do you ever think of what could have been if we'd found Jian?” he asked softly.

She stiffened before squeezing his warm hand. “Everyday... I—I know it's been years since we discussed this Adam but—”

“My love, we discussed this many years ago and as far as I'm concerned on fault, that matter is closed,” he said gently but firmly.

“But if I hadn't been such a-a spoiled brat we'd have our son!” she burst into tears.

“Look at me bao bai,” he rubbed her hand gently.

She raised her tear-filled eyes to her husband's. They were misty but full if fierce love for her.

“I do not deny that you were ah... a handful when you were

young—”

“If you mean I was a mean spirited brat that betrayed you—”

“You were a very young high spirited woman, who had been forced into a marriage of convenience without much choice. Of course anyone in your position would have rebelled. Had I been in your place, no doubt I would have reacted much worse than you, bao bai. After all, I do believe that I have the worst temper between the both of us,” he smiled at her.

“Still, you were always so gentle and sweet to me. Even though you knew of my... indiscretions, you still treated me like a princess. You never once raised a hand against me...” she sobbed.

“I was at fault as well. Had I waited a year or more to court you, perhaps you would have fallen... there are too many ifs and perhaps when it comes to our past,” he sighed deeply, slid a hand to her cheek. She had aged so gracefully and had only visited the cosmetic surgeon once, against his wishes of course.

“How can you be so forgiving? I gave our son away just to be cruel to you! I regretted it almost from the instant it was done, but still my pride and stubbornness led me to make the biggest mistake of my life,” she wailed.

“But it also brought us closer, beloved. We grieved together the loss of our son. And because of our reconciliation, Quinn came to be. Have you never once thought that if you had told me the truth, perhaps we'd never united as we have? That we would have never had those blissful years with Quinn?” he asked her.

“I-I never really thought—”

“Would you do it all different if it meant you would have never loved me, I would have fallen out of love, and we'd never known Quinn?”

“No,” she said immediately.

“Fate has a plan, perhaps we don't always follow it, but like life, fate is constantly changing and adapting. We may not have Jian, but we have each other,” he smiled.

“But you are dying, bao bai. And I will lose you and then I shall have nothing,” she whispered as a tear fell.

Adam said nothing at first, but then dropped his hand from her face. “I cannot deny it; I am dying. Which leads me to wish for one thing, the one thing in the 'Verse I want the most , is to see my son before I die. At least then I can go peacefully, knowing you will not be alone.”

“And if I can find him, will you consent to Hiram's wishes?” she asked quickly.

His features darkened. “Are you... is this what this outburst is about? Having me taken to a hospital—”

“No! I... I just want to do something for you, and perhaps you will consent to something for me in return... but if you don't wish it...”

He said nothing at first. “I would go to the hospital in any case, if it would settle your heart better.”

“I still wish to search more intently for Jian. We've been so distracted since the Miranda situation came to be... I'm still shocked...” she shook her head.

“Don't speak of it. It is because of that, my health suffers. I am no longer a young man. Such shocks affect me more now then ever. That my government would betray me so...” he waved his hand in disgust.

“Do you know, the individuals responsible for making it public were wanted for inciting riots and leaking classified information. It angered the people further, that the government would persecute these few brave souls, Parliament were forced to rescind the warrants,” she laughed mirthlessly.

“And yet, they still have active warrants out for the Tams. Those poor souls.”

“You didn't have anything to do with that did you, Adam? I mean, did you know the Academy was much more than a teaching institution?” She asked the question that had floated through her mind since she knew the truth behind the Alliance's urgent need to find Simon and River Tam.

“Of course not! I would have threatened plenty had I known what they were up to. The name Colbert-Jiangyin still drives fear into the hearts of many a politician. No, I told the Board of Directors ages ago to put pressure on the Parliament to leave those two alone. It seems they see my illness as a weakness. They are merely waiting for my death to take away our shares in the stocks,” he said bitterly.

“Then I shall put more effort in finding Jian, my love. With him, they will see that you are not so weak,” she declared fiercely.

“And what if you fail? What then?”

“Then I failed. But at least I shall never have it on my conscience that I did not search for him.”

“Meanwhile, I shall see what I can do for those two poor souls on the run. Beloved, will you hand me that bulletin on my desk? It is an outdated one, when their companions were still wanted. Perhaps there is some information on it that will help me,” he pointed to an animated piece of paper on his desk.

Lady Vera rose and reached for it. Her eyes scanned it and caught the name Cobb. Her breath became hitched.

“Vera? What is it?” her husband asked.

“N-Nothing, my love. I just haven't seen this bulleting in a while. I've forgotten how unforgiving the government can be. I think I will visit one of our military contacts, Adam. Perhaps they have resources we have not scratched to find Jian,” she smiled.

“Oh? Who do you have in mind?”

“General Tsao is a trustworthy friend. And since he is retired, he probably would not mind a bit of work,” she joked.

“He lives on Persephone, bao bai,” he frowned.

“I shall merely send him a WAVE. If he finds anything of use, then I shall travel. But now is not the time to discuss it. Rest beloved,” she leaned over and kissed his temple.

Once she was alone she worked quickly. General Tsao was more than happy to help and with his help she was able to find not only a physical description of Jayne Cobb but also a full record on any activities he'd had. And what was most important, a picture. One that looked almost exactly like Adam had nearly forty years ago.

She stared at the capture of him. He had her eyes. There was no way of finding him, but she did have a way of reaching him. His parents, Vera and Adam Cobb, she laughed at the irony, lived on an industrial moon that orbited Jiangyin.

She stared at his record again; bound by law at least three times for smuggling, petty theft, and armed robbery. Was this really her son?