Follow You Into the Dark Part One Author:JJ Subject: Rayne, Saylee, Mara Rating: NC-17 Disclaimer: The perception of ownership lies in the eyes of the beholder. Since Joss was the original creator ownership falls within his capable hands, though he isn't currently using those hands to craft as he once did. He, wih the help of 20th century FOX, owns solely the creation of the characters and worlds in which they live and not the story that is being brought out of the imagination of our dear writer JJ. ( Thanks River) Summary: Post BDM. Rayne, Saylee, Mara. Takes place after The Need and The Wish. All Hell breaks lose after Serenity is sabotaged by The Alliance. Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback. It spurs the muse. This was previously going to be called The Lucky Bullet, but nothing was turning out to be Lucky for the crew of Serenity, so new title. Buckle up, angst ahead. P.S. Sexin schedule? LOL!

"Love of mine some day you will die, but I'll be close behind, I'll follow you into the dark"

Chapter 1 -- Sabotage

Beep, beep, beep....

The warning cries of Serenity, not only woke the ship's Captain, but also the ships mechanic. Kaylee jumped out stark naked from her bunk pulling the bed sheets off of her husband. Simon looked at her startled and sleepy eyed.

Beep, beep, beep...

"Bad beep!" she said running only in a bed sheet down to the engine room. Simon sat up groping the floor for his pants.

Mal pulled on his pants, nearly catching himself in his zipper as he climbed out of his bunk and ran into Simon in the corridor. Mal noticed Simon was carrying Kaylee's trademark overalls and pink shirt and rose an eyebrow.

"My wife just ran in a sheet to the engine room," he tried to explain. Mal glared at him, unfriendly like and went down to the engine room.

"Kaywinnett Lee Fry Tam!' he began and she held out a hand.

"Bad beep, I know I'll fix her right up Cap'n," Kaylee nodded and Mal shook his head.

"Very bad beep, Kaylee! Why is Serenity bleeding fuel?" Mal said as he noticed the large puddle underneath the ship's engine. She wrapped the sheet tighter around herself.

"I got it handled, Cap'n, we only lost a small bit," she said nodding through her lie, Simon pushed past Mal.

"Can you give her a minute to get decent?" Simon said.

"Get my ship running, Kaylee," Mal ordered, then took a deep breath and left them alone.

"We lost a lot of fuel, I don't understand it, she was fine last night," Kaylee said, forlornly. Simon unwrapped the sheet and helped her pull on her pink shirt and then the overalls.

"What can I do to help?" he asked and she grabbed his finger.

"Plug up the hole."

"What in Gorram hell is going on?" Jayne said from outside the door. Mal turned around shaking his head.

"Is River awake?" he asked and Jayne gave him a sour look.

"Who could sleep through a noise that blaringly loud?"

"Well tell her we need her to land us and fast," Mal ordered and Jayne nodded sensing his urgency.

"Sir?" Zoe said questioningly. Walking up to him carrying her sleepy son who was yawning against her shoulder.

Mal shook his head. "I think we need to have a little talk with our guest."

~

"Why now, God? Is it because I'm bad? I can't help loving trouble," Saffron cried. "Not yet, not yet, not yet," she panted through another contraction.

Her water broke and she screamed just as the beeping stop on the ship. This baby was coming and there was nothing Saffron could do about it.

"Saffron!" Mal yelled and opened the hatch to her bunk. He took on look at her sweaty gasping body and closed the hatch again. He turned wide eyed with panic to Zoe.

"Get the Doc and Inara, Saffron's having her baby!" he said and Zoe handed Walk to him.

"Yes, sir," she said.

~

River got to the controls and opened the Nav-Stat. She immediately found a terraformed moon for Serenity to land and repair. It was a dust bowl of a moon, but it had a breathable atmosphere. Mal came on to the bridge and sat Walk in the co pilot's chair.

"It's the closest, " she said as he looked it over. "Hopefully it has shipwrecks we can scavage from," she said and he nodded.

"Hopefully we aren't the shipwreck," he said and Walk kicked and said chanted, "Wreck, Wreck, Wreck."

"Wreck is bad, Walk," Mal said and Walk made a whooshing noise and then a boom.

"That's disturbingly accurate of what might happen," Mal said, unnerved.

"Inara, Zoe and Simon are with Saffron, The Doc says it won't be long," Jayne announced coming on the bridge. Walk jumped out of the pilot's chair and yelled. "Da da!" He lifted his arms up and Jayne picked him up.

"Watch the kid, I got some words to exchange with our brand new mother," Mal stalked down to the infirmary where Saffron was moved. She was in stirrups when Mal burst into the room.

"Mal, you can't be in here," Simon began.

"Can it, Doc!" Mal said pushing him away from her. Inara took Simon's place and gave Mal a warning glance.

"You sabotaged my ship!" he yelled at Saffron and she shook her head.

"I was having contractions all night, I swear---" she took a deep breath. "I didn't." she pushed as Simon instructed and Mal shook his head.

"You did this, I know you too well now, Saffron! I know you're lying. Why? After all I did for you," he said and she shook her head.

"You ain't do nothing we weren't expecting you to do!" she said and bit her lip against another contraction.

"We as in who?" Mal pushed Inara away from her body by pushing the rolling chair she was sitting on away from Saffron's body. He was now blocking both Simon and Inara. Zoe folded her arms across her chest, she wasn't helping Saffron until she gave some answers.

"The Alliance!" she yelled.

"The Alliance," Mal repeated and Saffron rolled her eyes and wiped some of the sweat from her face.

"I- I lied," she groaned.

"No go se!" Mal said.

"An operative, he got me out of jail with a full pardon, there was no stupid prison guard. The Alliance planted me in Athens, the slave trader was working for them. I'm sorry, please don't hurt my baby," she said and Mal looked at her disgusted.

"Your baby will be fine," he let Simon see to her. "It's mother on the other hand--" he said ominously.

"What does the Alliance want?" Mal asked her and Saffron huffed and pushed.

"They want, aaah!" she screamed.

"What?"

"They want Simon and River," she screamed.

"Why?" Zoe asked and she shook her head . "I don't know," she cried and pushed.

"A little bit more, Saffron," Simon coached feeling uncomfortable with this impromptu interrogation.

"You're not telling us everything," Mal said and she wept.

"I don't know really! They wanted me to get semen from Simon, they didn't tell me why! Or how" she cried. "They just wanted me to--to get it!"

~

River's eyes went wide as Serenity broke the moon's atmosphere.

"No! Oh no," she said and Jayne went to her.

"What's going on?" Jayne asked and River looked at her husband.

"Alliance," she whispered. "They're here."

"Do you got enough time to pull up?" Jayne asked and she shook her head.

"I have plenty of time, just not enough fuel," she said.

~

"That's why you were coming on to me? For semen?" Simon said aghast. Saffron pushed two more times and the baby slid out. Simon cleared the baby's air way and the baby let out a loud wail.

"It's a girl" Inara said, as Simon cleaned the baby up and wrapped her in blankets. His heart tightened against the sharp pain of regret. He went to give the baby to Saffron to hold, but Mal intercepted him.

"Please give me my baby, Mal," Saffron demanded and Mal held the quieting baby.

"Tell me why you sabotaged my ship," he said and she sighed.

"I had to get you on that moon, it was the last thing they demanded of me, before they were going to let me go, I'm sorry Mal. I am, but did it for my baby," she said, tiredly. "Look you caught the leak in time you don't haveta land on the moon," she said and Mal shook his head.

"It's too late Saffron we're landing now,"Mal handed her, her baby.

"Mal don't let them take my daughter," she begged.

"Why would they take your daughter?"

"Because she's like me," River said from the doorway.