Disclaimer: Joss, Fox, Universal Own em’. I’m just playing. No money being made. The situations come from my own twisted mind as do my original characters.

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AN: A little self pity, some remorse and some fluff... just another day on Quest.

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Quest-Chapter Fourteen

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Allan slipped quietly out of the bed he and Zoë shared in their cabin on Quest. Still a bit wound up after the events of the previous forty eight hours, the elderly engineer needed a drink to shut off the noise in his head.

Slipping on some sweats and grabbing his robe, Allan made his way to the ship's galley. He shouldn't have been surprised to find the Captain, his daughter, there as well.

Sara sat at in her usual seat at the head of the table. Much like her Father-In-Law, Mal Reynolds had done on Serenity. Allan could tell by the set in her shoulders that she was upset about something.

“You okay?”

Sara nearly jumped out of her skin, “Yesu, Daddy! Nearly gave me a gorram heart attack!”

Allan grinned and took a seat next to his daughter, “Sorry Kiddo.”

Sara sighed, “It's okay. I'm just... thinking about stuff.”

Allan noted the bottle of whiskey sitting on the table. He had a pretty good idea what was bothering his daughter.

“Doesn't get any easier, does it?”

“What doesn't?”

“Killing people...”

Sara nodded, “I killed over a thousand people today.”

“Yep. And it's bugging you, isn't it?”

“Damn right it is!”

“Good,” Allan replied firmly.

Sara glared at her Father. Allan's features softened.

“What I mean, Sara. Is that taking a life isn't to be taken lightly. And taking many weighs heavy on the soul.”

Sara looked down at the table top, “Blowing that Hwoon-dahn, Tanaka out the airlock didn't even make me blink.”

“There's an old saying from around Texas here on Earth. Some men just 'need killin'.”

“So does Chan,” Sara replied with a snort, “And he's still cluttering up my Infirmary.”

“Technically, it was Janice who killed Tanaka. We'll leave Chan to League justice.”

Sara nodded again, “It was my order to fire the rail guns.”

“I know. And I'm proud of you, Sara. That was a difficult decision.”

“I still killed over a thousand people, Dad.”

Allan sighed. That was the problem with being a genius. He and Sara both tended to over analyze everything. Sometimes Allan envied Jayne Cobb. Do the job, get over it. Allan came to a decision.

“Sara... you're not the only one with a lot of blood on their hands. Your old man here has significantly more...”

“What?”

“Remember how I told you, Blue Sun didn't make weapons on Earth?”

“Yes.”

“That wasn't entirely true. The missile systems that defended the Blue Sun factories and protected the Northeast cities? Well... those weren't off the shelf systems. I designed them. Beyond state of the art. The Alliance wanted to buy them but I refused. I was selfish. I didn't want the government that I despised to have a system like that.”

Allan took a breath and continued, “I should have sold the system to every government on the planet. Then.... perhaps... I wouldn't have eight billion lives on my conscience.”

“Daddy?”

A tear ran down Allan's cheek. The secret he had been bottling up inside for decades finally coming out, “I knew... I knew. Once the Exodus left. The world focus would shift back to what was happening on Earth. The old rivalries would flare up and I knew war would come eventually. I was a coward, Sara... I ran. Ran when I could have stayed and maybe...”

Allan began to break down. Sara moved to her Father's side and hugged him. She had never seen her Father cry like this. He had always been this big strong man. A man she thought could do no wrong. She still believed that.

“Daddy... you did what you thought was right. You didn't push the button to launch the missiles... you didn't abandon Mankind. You gave them the chance to live. The missile systems you did leave behind saved countless lives. I'm the one who's proud, Dad. Proud to be your daughter.”

“Our Daughter's right, Husband,” Zoë said quietly from the doorway.

Allan sniffled once and tried to compose himself, “Baby?”

In three quick steps, Zoë crossed the room and slid into the chair next to her husband. She quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulders, “And don't you get on one of those self pity benders like I know you do...”

Allan snorted, “You know me too well.”

“After nearly twenty seven years of marriage, I better,” Zoë chuckled.

Sara couldn't help but crack a slight grin.

“Don't think I don't know you too, Daughter o' mine,” Zoë began, “You take after your Daddy too much. Now, you're gonna take a swig o' that whiskey there, get up from this table, find that Husband o' yours and go sex his brains out...”

“Momma!”

Allan chuckled at Sara's reaction. Breaking his own sour mood, “Better listen to your Mother, Kiddo.”

“Now, git girl,” Zoë ordered.

“You givin me orders on my own boat?”

“If I have too,” Zoë smiled.

“Jeff's on watch...”

“Then clear the bridge and christen it...”

“Mommmmm...”

“Get,”

“Getting,” Sara grinned.

As he watched his Daughter slam back the shot sitting on the table and then nearly run from the room. Allan turned back to his wife, “Time for bed I guess.”

Zoë nodded as she got up and retrieved two more shot glasses. Pouring a healthy slug in each, she pushed one towards Allan, “Drink up...”

“Yes, Ma'am,” Allan grinned before tossing back the shot. Zoë matched him.

“You up for molestin a not quite inebriated woman?” Zoë grinned seductively, “That is iffin' you don't need help...”

Allan stood up and smacked Zoë on the ass, causing her to yelp, “Day I need help getting it up for my Amazon Warrior of a wife is the day you better plant me in the ground.”

“Just what I wanted to hear...”

XXXXXXXXX

“Oh, Gorramit...” Rachel grumbled.

“What is it, Boa-bei?” muttered a sleepy Derick.

The psychic rolled over and snuggled up against her boyfriend and crew mate, “Too many people rutting on this ship...”

“You mean, like we were doing not long ago?” Derick grinned in the dark.

“Keep that up and you won't be getting it anymore...”

Derick chuckled, “Like that's gonna work... someone else on this ship has sex and you suddenly...”

Rachel shut up her lover with a kiss. Derick grinned against her lips.

“Fine... get over here a do what you do best. I gotta drown out the noise,” Rachel ordered.

“Yes, Ma'am,” The engineer replied.

Just as his hands began to wander across Rachel's body, she suddenly giggled. That caused Derick to stop. Rachel wasn't ticklish, “What is it, Ai-ren?”

“Going to be a new crew member in nine months... oops. Make that two.”

“Huh?”

Rachel's smile almost lit up the dark cabin, “And I'm going to be an Aunt.”

XXXXXXXXX

Most of the crew had gathered for breakfast. Allan sipped his coffee and grinned as he watched his daughter take her place at the head of the table. She looked a bit tired but certainly happier than she had been the night before.

Last to enter were Rachel and Derick. Melissa shot them a glance before grinning, “Have a late night, you two?”

Derick turned red and Rachel muttered something about killing people with her brain. Allan and Zoë shared a grin. The apple didn't fall far from the tree when it came to River and Jayne's offspring.

“Entirely too many people having sex on this ship,” Rachel said after a moment. Giving a stern gaze at not only Sara and Jeff but also, Clay and Becca, Allan and Zoë, Meghan and Sherry and with a sly grin, Commander Olsen and Lt. Commander Baxter. Allan noticed the stare immediately.

“Cordell... What's the penalty for fraternization?” Allan grinned.

Vicki turned redder than Meghan's hair and Cordell looked across the room.

“I knew it!” Luigi chuckled.

“Lieutenant...” Cordell warned.

The warning didn't faze the pilot, “All it means, Sir. Is that I won the squadron pool,” he said smugly.

“Come again?” Vicki asked, after finding her voice.

“It's true, Ma'am,” Chief Woodard replied, “There's been a pool on the two of you for months...”

“Can you still keelhaul junior ranks in this day and age?” Cordell asked rhetorically.

“Not since we went into space,” Sara chuckled, “But I think it has been replaced with doing exterior maintenance without an EVA suit...”

A sly grin slid across the Commander's face causing even the happy go lucky Luigi to wince.

“Won't say a word, Sir...”

“And that goes for the pair of you too,” Cordell said sternly as he glared at his enlisted maintenance techs, “Since I know what the pair of you do on your off time...”

“Lips are sealed, Sir,” Hipolito Flores said quickly.

Sara decided to get the conversation back on some kind of a track, “We need to start thinking about going back home.”

“I agree,” Jeff added, “No need to overstay our welcome.”

“I got the same feeling from Trudy when I spoke to her last night,” Allan replied. The Alliance Ambassador had been planet side almost since Quest had arrived.

“I think the League wants to send some representatives back with us,” Sara added.

“Any idea who?” Melissa asked.

“Sec State, Pace as the official Ambassadorial representative,” Allan began, “And I'm hoping Dan Reed as the Military Liaison.

“I like Dan,” Sara interjected.

“He's a good man,” Zoë agreed.

“What about the 'Care package', Dad?” Sara asked.

“Care package?” Cordell asked.

“Some technological... presents,” Allan replied. “We're leaving them the data and some necessary tooling to build proper anti-grav systems. As well as a complete shuttle from Quest's compliment. With permission to tear it apart for a little reverse engineering.”

“Is that wise?” Cordell asked.

“You didn't see it but they already have a prototype radion core ship based on my original designs. This will just make the project move a bit faster and with more safety.”

Cordell nodded.

“I wasn't going to leave them a Gunship,” Allan chuckled, “You could take out half the current day military forces with just one.”

“What about the cortex terminal?”

“Derick and I have the majority of it built,” Clay said, “It should connect to the relay sats we fabricated and have placed here in orbit as well as the in line relays we placed on the way in. I just wish we could get enough signal strength to get the data transmission speed faster.”

“That dust cloud four light years out is the problem,” Allan said, “It doesn't interfere with Visible light too much but it plays merry hob with the FTL Cortex signal. Maybe if we could lay a relay on either side of the cloud on a later trip, it might get the speed back up to something manageable. Time lag should be ten minutes or so. Not two hours.”

“Good enough for text and short AV signals Dad,” Sara interjected, “Better than nothing.”

“You're right, Sara.”

As the crew went back to eating, Rachel kept stealing glances at both Rebecca and Sara. After a while, the Captain noticed.

“What is is, Rache?”

A grin appeared on the teenager's face, “I know something you don't know,” she singsonged.

“That's pretty likely, Mei-mei,” Sara smiled back.

“Not like that... congratulations.”

Sara looked confused. Allan's jaw dropped, “Rachel?”

“Yes, Uncle Allan?”

“Did you see... something created last night?”

“Maybe...”

Zoë shook her head, “Definitely River's daughter...” she suddenly trailed off as the true realization hit, “Are you sayin what I think you're sayin?”

Rachel nodded.

“Sara?” Allan asked, jaw agape.

“And Becca...”

“What's goin on?” Becca asked.

“It seems, little Rachel here has inherited another one of her mother's tricks.”

“She taught me,” the teenager said proudly.

“Taught what?” Sara asked.

“How to tell if someone is pregnant,” Allan smiled.

“Preg... whah... Jeff sputtered.

“What are you talking about?” Sherry asked. As the ships doctor she wanted to know what was going on.

Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Rachel blurted out, “Sara and Becca are pregnant!”

Clay and Becca's eyes shot wide. Half a second later there was a thump as Jeff tipped over backwards in his chair... out cold.

“Didn't Mal do the same thing?” Allan asked.

“He surely did, Husband,” Zoë said with a huge smile on her face. She was going to be a grandmother.

XXXXXXXXXX

“Whu happen...” Jeff asked as he regained consciousness.

“You fainted, Husband,” Sara replied where she knelt next to Jeff.

Owen had quickly scooped up Quest's second in command and laid him on the sofa in the lounge.

Sherry quickly retrieved her medical kit and scanner from the infirmary. In short order, she assessed that Jeff had indeed fainted and that the cause for such fainting was true.

Both Sara and Rebecca were indeed pregnant.

“Kinda deja'vu,” Allan commented.

“Including the simultaneous due dates,” Zoë replied. She still hadn't lost the smile on her face.

Allan felt the same. He and Zoë were going to be grandparents in nine months time.

Over in the corner, Becca and Clay were speaking quietly, the smiles on their faces told the tale.

Jeff had awakened enough to process what was happening, “Sara?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you happy about this?”

“We were tryin...”

“Not hard...”

“Hard enough,” Sara giggled.

“Reckon so,” Jeff grinned. Sara felt her love for her husband grow.

“We're gonna be parents...”

“Ass kicker and a heart breaker,” Jeff grinned, “Can't be anything less with us as parents.”

“Damn straight,” Sara grinned.

“Dad's gonna blow a gasket...”

“Aun... Inara will be incredibly happy,” Sara had a hard time not calling her Mother in Law, Aunt Inara. After calling her that for most of her life. Jeff had the same problem with Zoë and Allan.

“Sara?”

“Yes, Sherry?”

The doctor took a seat next to the couple, “First off... congratulations. I am so happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Sara replied.

“But there is a complication...”

“Complication?”

“I don't know what using the drive will do to a fetus. Particularly since you only conceived last night...”

“We're not leaving for a week at least,” Sara replied.

“Too risky...”

“We just can't sit here for the next nine months...”

“Quest doesn't... But you and Becca have to.”

“Now wait a gorram minute...”

“She's right, Sara,” Jeff said quietly.

“So I wait here on Earth while the ship heads home? What happens then?”

“I don't know... but we can figure something out...”

“I ain't havin my baby without marrying Clay,” Becca said as she and her fiancé stood next to the other couple.

“You could get married here...” Sherry trailed off.

“Not without my folks.”

“Or mine,” Clay added.

Sara leaned back and rubbed her eyes, “What are we going to do?”

“I think I might have something that would work,” Allan said as he and Zoë joined the two couples.

“What's that Dad?”

Allan took a breath and began, “You and Becca stay here. Clay too since he's still healing from his wounds. We'll leave Sara Jane behind so you have space based transportation. Probably Rosie and either Joe or Owen for security. The rest of us will head back with Quest.”

“Ship needs new coils fitted once she gets back,” Becca pointed out.

“Is there a spare set?” Allan asked.

“Half built. Back at the Blue Sun orbital yard around Londinium.”

“How long to get them finished and fit to the ship, Becca?”

“If they put priority on it... can finish the coils in about two, maybe three weeks...”

“And another three weeks pulling the old ones for refurbishment and installing the new ones.”

“Month and a half... call it two to be safe. Think you can be without Jeff for that long?”

Sara's face darkened. She didn't like it but what was safe for the baby... babies, had to be done. “I won't like it.”

“Neither will I,” Jeff added.

“I'll take care of em' Jeff.”

A smile crossed his face, “I know you will Clay,” Jeff replied.

“What about the weddin?” Becca asked.

“When we come back, we'll bring everyone. Mal, Inara, River, Jayne, Simon Kaylee, the rest of the kids, Clay's folks...” Allan smiled.

“Might work, Husband,” Zoë said.

“Be nearly Christmas time once you all get back. Maybe do a New Years wedding?” Becca said, warming to the idea.

“Before we get too far, we better get Trudy on the same page. She is the Ambassador you know. Might need her expertise in getting us set up with a place to stay,” Sara pointed out.

“I'm sure a few words with Janice will sort things out,” Allan smiled.

Sara looked into her husband's eyes, “Are we gonna do this?”

“It's best for the baby...”

“I agree,” Clay said.

“Okay... we'll do it. Dad, call Trudy and the President. Becca, start making a list of what Quest is going to need for work once she gets back. Husband, you mind taking Owen and start getting Sara Jane resupplied for an extended stay?”

“No problem,” Jeff smiled at his wife.

“I'll get right on it, Sara,” Becca added.

“I'll take Free Bird down and talk to Janice in person,” Allan said.

“Sounds like we have a plan... lets get to work.”

“Aye, Captain,” Jeff, Becca and Allan all said in unison.

Sara rolled her eyes, “Get out of here... I'm suddenly feeling hormonal...”

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TBC