The reaction was instantaneous. Zoe shot up, teetering on numb legs, a tiny gasp slipping from her lips. Mal looked sharply at River before putting a supporting arm around his second in command. Jayne and Kaylee were exchanging a nauseated glance, and Simon stepped back from his sister. “Don’t lie to me!” River screamed suddenly, throwing her glass onto the table, where it shattered into a million pieces. “Every one of you knows he isn’t gone! You had the funeral; you act like you’re grieving, but inside you are holding on to that faint thread of hope. But your palms are growing slippery on that tiny string, and it takes more than one to hold onto a thread. It takes all of you.” “River, are you telling me my husband’s alive?” Zoe choked out. “Wasn’t his body, the one we buried. I knew it then, but the clone knows it all. Ask her,” River sobbed into her arms, and Jayne nestled her against his chest, blatantly ignoring the looks Mal, Simon, Inara, and even Zoe shot him. “Ask her.” Jayne knew breakfast the next morning would be frosty, at the least, towards him, but he kissed the top of River’s head and held her. Four months and he would still get a lecture every other day about his relationship with River. Public displays of affection and even the mention of River and Jayne being together would warrant another scolding, one from almost every crew member, especially Simon and Mal. The only one who had no real problem with it was Kaylee, although Jayne doubted Book or Wash would have disapproved. It was a relationship not unlike Wash’s and Zoe’s, and while Zoe saw River as Mal and Simon did: a teenage girl, Wash and Book would have seen a girl in love with the absolute wrong person for her. “We’re gonna go back to bed. The….clone’ll stay out for another six hours?” Jayne made sure before gently tugging back down the hallway with him, tenderly smoothing her hair. Kaylee yanked Simon away with an apologetic look towards River and Jayne, and everyone drifted towards their bunks, only there was a surprise waiting for Mal. “Hi, I’m Elphaba,” said the small, dark haired girl. “I was hoping to see my brother and sister first, but I’m not sure they would quite appreciate me at this moment.” “Who the hell are you?” Mal yelled, leaping backwards. “Honestly, you’d think I was a ghost. I’m River’s and Simon’s long lost half-sister,” she explained slowly, as if Mal were stupid. “I can sense the resemblance……Why are you here?” Mal growled. “I convinced Lola to bring me…..River’s clone, Lola? Anyway, I wanted to meet them….Lola has to kill them. I figured I could stop her later. I could always tell her I’ll call Momma….Oh, yeah, my mother was Lola’s surrogate. Our daddy dearest was exactly so dear. Sold his daughter,” explained Elphaba, and sighed at his confused expression. “Let me put it another way- River and Simon’s father had River’s DNA cloned before she was even born. The surrogate had the child, Lola, who is currently locked in one of these rooms. Our father then had an affair with the surrogate, producing me. Lola was trained the same as River, only Lola isn’t a psychic. Lola was sent here to kill all of you, whereas I just want to meet my siblings. I believe Lola isn’t dedicated to killing all of you, although River may have to kill her.” “Mind repeating that one more time?” Mal asked. Sighing, the girl sat cross legged on the floor, and settling against the wall, began again. *~* “So we’re sure she ain’t just lyin’?” Jayne made sure, a protective arm around River. “She’s really their sister?” “I would know,” murmured River, eying the tiny girl. “Elphaba. From the book Wicked. About the Wicked Witch of the West…..About how she was just misjudged. You’d rather us call you Elphie…….Like in the book, her friends give her the nickname Elphie, and everyone calls you that because you ask them to…….You want us to befriend you. You’re thirteen, and you don’t love your mother. You need to be with people you can love, people who could love you. You’re a rebel at heart- a Brown Coat at heart.” River slipped out of Jayne’s embrace and knelt beside the girl, the rest of the crew eying the unfolding scene. “Only thirteen and you know too much.” The tiny girl heaved a sob and flung herself into her older sister’s arms. “Simon, you boob, you’ve become a worse older brother than ever,” River hissed over her shoulder. “This is our illegitimate little sister, Simon. What is wrong with you?” “Um, hi?” Simon said hesitantly, still seated at the other end of the table. Everyone in the kitchen glared at him, so he trudged over and joined his sister. “You know, I’ll have to run a DNA test just to make sure.” “Don’t you think I would know?” River said dryly at the same time Elphaba said, “I understand.” “Just to make sure,” repeated Simon, gazing down at the little girl, and she gazed defiantly back up at him, large brown eyes challenging him. He could see a reflection of himself, and of his sister, in her eyes. You couldn’t tell that she hadn’t been born by their mother. He understood all of the sudden what bravery it took to travel this far to meet siblings who might not even like you, with an older sister who wants to kill them. “Wacky world, huh?” said River wryly, even though she was eying him with the tiniest flash of anger in her eyes. Simon always underestimated her. “Ain’t that the gorramn truth,” Jayne mumbled, leaning against the wall. “So what do we do with the clone?” asked Mal, but at Elphaba’s look, he corrected himself. “Lola. What do we do with Lola?” “Throw her out the airlock?” suggested Jayne, but looked repentant and both Elphaba’s and River’s expression. “She could change…..She’s been in an Alliance Academy for years now, and it’s not her fault if they gave her misinformation. She’s not a psychic,” Elphaba explained. “She’s not even as intelligent as me or River, but……Then, I’m not a very good psychic. Since I haven’t been through enough emotionally testing trials, my abilities as a reader are somewhat stifled. But…..I want to stay. I’m good with a gun and fighting. Better with a gun….” “Good with a gun, kid? You’re thirteen! If you stay, ain’t no gorramn way we’d let you go out an’ get shot!” Jayne growled. “I am good with a gun. Shoot a hole in an apple from fifty paces,” Elphie said, pulling away from River and crossing her arms stubbornly. “Have her prove it,” suggested Zoe, for a moment looking almost amused, and then she remembered herself. Her face reverted to the sulky expression everyone was so used to, and she disappeared back into the shadows she’d been lurking in. “Fine. Take this gun,” Jayne began, yanking a gun out of nowhere, “Now, we’ll go into the cargo bay, stand on the platform, you shoot across, and prove you wrong. You shoot at this….tin can. You gotta shoot through the Blue Sun logo.” Sighing, they all trekked into the cargo bay, and watched the nimble girl stand on the railing. Mal opened his mouth to tell her that wasn’t safe, and then shut it. River didn’t fall- why would her sister? Elphie smiled at them sweetly, trained her gaze on the battered can, and shot only once. “Wode ma,” said Mal dizzily. “Look at that.” Sure enough, the center of the “U” in Sun had one precise hole straight through it. Jayne finally broke the silence. “Welcome aboard?”