River stood there at the door of the cargo bay.

It was noon, and she had given her brother a very eventful morning as he had to chase and battle her to get her to get dressed, brush her teeth and take her medication. River had decided to be stubborn while babbling on and on about ‘she’. In turn as Simon stood there, ready to go out with Kaylee who was seated in the humming hovercraft, he was reluctant to leave his sibling because she seemed to be having a bad day.

“She’ll be fine.” Gambit reassured, looking down at River. “Right?”

“Simon takes me too.” River was frustrated, and it was the root of her current behavior. Yes, she understood that Simon and Kaylee had feelings for one another. However the concept of big brother actually leaving her and taking Kaylee out wasn’t something easy to grasp at. Simon rarely left her, and for some strange reason, this rather purposeful trip away from her didn’t settle well with the reader at all. She had gleaned from his mind there were fun things planned, and she wanted to be included in the fun. The fact that she sensed a threat on the horizon barely even permeated her mind as she was focused on the fact that Simon was going to have fun and she wasn’t allowed to go.

Simon knelt next to her and straightened out the baggy dress on her willowy from as his voice came out calm yet firm. “No, River you’re going to stay here with Gambit. I’ll be back in a little while, alright?” He stroked her hair with a gloved hand as his attire was somewhat different from the usual. The effort on his part had been to dress down for the date, because if he went in his customary garments he’d be obviously overdressed for a festival, something that might attract the eye of anyone who had seen his wanted poster. So, he was wearing a pair of brown cargo pants he had acquired recently because he needed something to do chore work in, along with some work boots that were fairly new, a black sweater, an olive hued jacket Wash had let him borrow along with his own scarf and gloves. In appearance, he fit right in with the crew, and looked well together with Kaylee as she was in a similar outfit made up of some brighter colors and her fur lined skin coat. “Be good.” Pressing his lips to her forehead as he stood up with some worry towards leaving her, the doctor however steeled himself and walked over to the hovercraft.

“Simon!” Ru jogged out and stopped him, handing over a holster. “Mal wants you packin’ just in case, take this sidearm.”

He hooked the holster to his belt and strapped the lower half to his thigh. “How’s that?”

“Good, ya look like you could be one of us.” Ru commented pleasantly.

“Well thank you.” Simon climbed into the hovercraft and put it in gear as Ru had given him instructions on how to run it since it was a ways from the docks to the main street of Ming Yu. “River, be good for them ok?”

“Bye guys!” Kaylee waved with excitement as they drove off.

“Have fun!” Ru waved back.

“I will! You have fun workin’ on Stang! Watch Serenity for me!”

“I will!”

River frowned as she was stewing over his little ‘stay home, be good’ speech. “Throw snow at you Simon!”

“You’re not going to throw snow at him. Now let's go inside.” The blonde repsonded.

"No."

He raised his brows for a minute.

"Not. Moving." She said as the cold air made her skin prickle.

"Fine, I'll move you." Gambit picked River up off the ground and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as Ru closed the door before heading off in her coveralls to work on Stang.

“He left her.” She didn’t even struggle, just allowing him to effortlessly tote her up to the kitchen like an oversized rag doll. Face etched with the slightest hint of frustration, yet it was mostly pulled into an unpleased scowl, her lower lip jutting out as her dark hair swung to and fro with each of his soft steps.

“He left you to spend some time with Kaylee.”

“Kaylee’s not Simon Tam’s sister. She is.” she muttered sorely, ahnds balled into tight fists.

“Ai shao yi, you’re jealous.” He sighed. “He spends most of his moments awake with you and me, trying to help us. I think Simon deserves some time with her before he goes back to his research. This is the most time he’s spent with her in weeks, actually. You need to be good.”

“You’re not good. You think. Brain. Inside. Roar. Blood.”

“I have little control over that. I however know you’re lucid right now and you’re being a brat. Let them be alone for a spell.”

“They’re alone in bunk.” River mumbled sourly.

“Quit eavesdropping on them.”

“Can’t stop the signal.”

Zoe and Mal looked up curiously as they saw River’s long legs over Gambit’s shoulder with the rest of her towards his back. They gave quizzical expressions as the odd conversation between the two took place, having to hold in some laughter even.

Gambit gently dropped River into a kitchen chair. “Look on the bright side, you have me.” He gestured towards himself.

River stuck her tongue out.

He growled at her.

She growled back mockingly.

Zoe chuckled as River’s growl was like a kitten trying to hiss while Mal looked on amusingly. They said nothing, as Gambit and River were often rather fascinating without anyone interfering.

Gambit sighed in exasperation. “What game do you want to play?”

“Don’t care. I’ll engage you in whatever competition for a universal trade medium that is government sanctioned currency.”

The aqua eyes narrowed. “River, I’m an animal, but I’m not yu ben. And therefore I will not be playing a game that involves money with a psychic.” He watched her frown and pout. Mind mulling it over as he was perplexed by her declaration, the blonde probed. “What do you need money for?”

“He gives and gives, but gets nothing back.” Her voice was low, only Gambit’s superior hearing could pick it up. “She’s fragmented, broken mirror with missing pieces… seven years bad luck… always bad… knows all the bad, rarely sees the good…. Christmas… xu-yao liao ta si li.”

Understanding, he nodded his golden head and went over to find the chess set. Setting it up on the table wordlessly, Gambit pulled a small black box out of his pocket and set it next to the chess set. Hitting a button, the music cube began to play a classical score, knowing his fate in the game already as his rough hand reached into a pocket and pulled out twenty credits. Tossing it next to the board he leaned back in his chair and listened to the music with sobering aqua eyes. “What are you betting? Even though I know I’m not going to win.”

River got up and went to the pantry. Taking something out she went back and sat across from him then very seriously, very business-like, set a small box of almond cookies by his money. Afterwards lacing her finger together and setting them on the tabletop. They locked gazes, brown and aqua both grave as if they were in a dual to the death.

Malcolm and Zoe sniggered as Gambit gestured for River to make the first move.

The teen turned the chess set around so she was the white pieces, and moved a pawn. “Music calms the savage beast.” Her voice was a bit cold, like he was a lifelong rival.

“Very true.” He moved his own black pawn in a solemn fashion. “However when you win, I’m still eating those cookies.”

River gave him a threatening glare while moving a knight.

“Just gonna watch these two, Sir?” Zoe asked.

“For a bit, as they are a might comical. But I reckon I’ll find somethin’ else ta fiddle with.”

Zoe nodded her head and got up, walking without a word to the bridge. She opened the doors and saw her husband there, sitting in his chair, blanket in his lap while he held his brontosaurus named Marty.

Wash looked back, his voice very passive. “Hey Baby.”

“Hey.” Shutting the door and taking a seat at the other console, she let out a deep breath as her dark brown eyes gazed down at her own hands. “You gonna stay ‘n here all day?”

“Nope, but I’ve been thinking.” He set Marty down next to the t-rex and locked eyes with his wife, his tone very subdued, yet meaningful. “I want kids Zoe, I really do. Partially because there’d finally be someone who’d be in my mental age group. But Baby… I’m terrified of something going wrong. I know we could never leave Serenity, which means that we’re gonna be crooks and that’s were I just have a hard time buying into the thought of having a baby while we break the gorram law.” He dropped his shoulders and shook his head, normally cheery eyes saddened. “But, I hate being like this with you even more. And I want you to be happy, because if you’re not happy… I’m not happy… and I just end up here on the bridge talking to plastic reptiles… and trust me,” He gave a weary little smile. “All of their advice sucks.”

Zoe giggled as she got up and went over to him.

Wash took her wrist and pulled her down to sit on his lap. “Guess I’m trying to say we need to make a baby. Because regardless of the fact I’m scared out of my mind. I think that’s normal. Plus, you’d look beautiful holding one,” He kissed her on the lips. “and I’d have someone to play dinos with.”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” She cupped his face.

“It’s ok, I’m pretty sure I deserved it.” Turning his head he kissed her palm. “Love you.”

“Love you back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kaylee, I’m telling you, these games are rigged.” Simon announced. The festival was fun, there was food, street performers, music, games, crafts and plenty of souvineers to buy. They had already had lunch at a nice restaurant and were generally just wandering about, talking, holding hands, taking everything in. However as the doctor passed his coins onto the man at the booth from the throwing game, Simon seemed reluctant. Though he was going to give it a try and win Kaylee a stuffed animal as she had egged him on to do a game. “They’re set up to separate you from your money and make you lose so you keep trying and handing over more cre….”

The rather intimidating man running the booth scowled at the boyfriend for the negative comments.

Simon pulled back a little and gave a sheepish smile to the man as he was a bit frightened at the scathing look directed at him. “Um… No offence, of course.”

“Come on,” She patted his jacket clad arm with a cheery smile, the fringe on her bright pink scarf fluttering in the light breeze with her honey brown hair. “You can win, all ya gotta do is throw the ball at the bottles and knock ‘em all over.” Gesturing to the pyramid of wooden bottles stacked up in front of them several feet away.

He tossed one of the wooden balls in the air and caught it. “Kaylee, I’ve been to a similar booth like this at a festival on Osiris and even then, when I was pitcher of my school’s blitz ball team, I couldn’t hit all the bottles.”

Kaylee feigned a scowl. “Just aim for the middle ‘o great blitz ball champion.’ If ya can’t hit it the first two times I’ll try the last time jus for kicks ok?”

“I’m telling you.” He handed her the other two wooden spheres and got in pitching position, hurling the ball at the bottles. Only a few from the pyramid fell, and the man set the bottles back up. Simon frowned, exhaling noisily though his nose at the fast he had thrown horribly. "That..." Narrowing his eyes at the target as he hated missing "I'm warming up, it's been awhile since I pitched."

“Ya never told me you were ‘n athlete.” The mechanic said while handing him the second ball.

“Only for a few years, it was the only other thing I did besides school.” He pitched again, and only missed it by two bottles. Scowling he motioned for her to get on the line and try, watching how she mimicked his stance, and how her eyes narrowed and her face scrunched up adorably as she concentrated. “As soon as I graduated early and went to the Medacad I stopped….”

Kaylee pitched, and knocked all of them over.

Simon’s mouth fell open as he slowly turned and stared at her, then the toppled pyramid. Amazement written all over his features. “How … how… did you…?”

“It was easy.” She bounced over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, giggling. “All I did was aim for the center, like I told ya.”

“How did you learn how to throw like that?”

“You’re not the only pitcher. I gotta ‘nuff brothers ‘n sisters we had our own blitz ball team back home.” The man at the booth handed her a blue and white stuffed animal and she presented it to Simon. “There,” Pressing it into his gloved hands.

"Oh... you keep..."

"Nooo." she told him affectionately. “Now you gotta win me somethin’ cause I won you somethin’.”

Simon's mouth pulled into a sideways smile “Well thank you for the…” He looked down at the toy and made a confused face. “Um… what is this exactly?”

“It’s a snow owl.” The man told him gruffly.

The doctor was even more perplexed because it looked more like a tortured earless bear with a giant smile, but he wet his lips and nodded his head. “O-k… well thank you very much for the snow owl. But um… let’s find a different game for me to try.”

“Alright.” She took his hand and they walked further down the long main street the festival was being held at.

“I doubt there’s a game geared towards trauma surgeons.” Simon said absently as he scanned for something that looked relatively easy.

Kaylee smiled contently at him and gave his hand a squeeze as it felt perfect. Her green eyes roaming around, taking everyone in. How everyone was dressed, how beautiful the long fur coats of the elaborately clothed street performers were.

Then she saw a very familiar woman that made her stop in her tracks. More or less the hair color, but still, it was recognizable.

Simon glanced over and saw her startled expression. “Is everything ok?”

Looking at him, she turned to stare at the face she had seen for just an instant, but it was gone. Vision doing a sweep of the street, the mechanic found no trace of the supposed face. “Um… yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Shaking her head a bit. “Jus thought I saw someone. That’s all.”

“Good someone or bad someone?” He toned cautiously.

“Don’t matter, think it was just my mind playin’ tricks.”

“You sure?” Simon pressed.

Kaylee gave his wrist a tug and trekked forward “Yep, nothin’ to worry about. Let’s go, ya owe me a prize.”

*****

*****

***** TRANSLATIONS

*Ai shao yi: Alas little one

*Yu ben: stupid

*xu-yao liao ta si li: needs to know she is inside