AN: Yes, it's finally here. Simons reaction to Kaylee's news. Like I said in the summary, you guys *better* comment!

*** What did you just say? ***

- I'm pregnant, Kaylee said, her eyes carefully studying his reaction.

Okay, that was as far from his mind as humanly possible, as he had been listing up what could possibly be wrong. When he thought about it all over again he was surprised he hadn't spotted the symptoms. He was medicine wiz, top three percent and this took him by surprise. Maybe he deep down had suspected it and never dared to bring it up? No... he couldn't even buy that himself. He had been completely blind to this. Maybe because he was sure at some level that Kaylee was his.

When he first had gotten onto Serenity he had been sure she was with someone, because how could anyone as sweet as her not have somebody. As he had remained in this belief he had kept his distance, refused himself to fall. Then he had to give in and fall, and this had to happen.

- And the... father, he croaked. - Do you love him?

She seemed a bit taken back by the question, then she silently pondered it for a couple of minutes.

- Yeah, she answered. - I do.

The words were painfull for him to hear. This had to be the hardest time to back away. And yet there was one question left he had to ask.

- Who is he?

- You.

- I'm sorry... what, he asked, not sure he heard it right.

Kaylee just looked at him, studying his every move... She bit her lip slightly, like a little girl caught doing something she shouldn't be doing. Simon sunk down onto a chair, not taking his eyes off her a second. That one word had him paralized. He hadn't let the news sunk in yet, he was now, more than ever afraid of saying the wrong thing. Why did he have to have such a talent for it. He wanted to ask when, why couldn't he remember something like that? When could something like that have happened without him remembering? He thought about it hard for fifteen whole minutes. His expression unchanged. Then it hit him. It was like detailes was flowing back into his head. Not of the act itself, but the only possible situation it could have been. He could clearly picture them, caught snuggled up on the bench in Canton.

He had had a masive hangover, how he now could remember that moment with such detail as he was picturing it was beyond his understanding. But he saw her clearly in front of him, her overall was unbuttoned on one side and hasty buttoned on the other. He himself now had a vivid memory of buttoning his pants in a hurry, while explaining to the captain how nothing had happened.

And of course he remember her very hurtfull face when she had missunderstood what he had been saying, which of course was a common thing to happen. A hurtfull face he hoped never to see again, but who was he kidding. He was Simon, the boob as River so cleverly put it, he would probably say and do many stupid things in his lifetime. He would just get better at making up for them faster.

- Wow..., he finally said.

- Is that a good 'wow' or a bad 'wow', Kaylee asked, tilting her head to her right, biting harder down on her lip.

- I'm surprised and relieved, he said, after saying the thing five times over in his head, to make sure it didn't sound stupid.

- Relieved?

- When you said that you're... pregnant, he started and couldn't believe he had actually managed to say the word. - I was afraid that there was someone else... I mean, I haven't been attentive to you and you would have had the full right to...

Kaylee leaned over and put a finger over his mouth. She got it. For once he had saved himself out of a awkward moment, by saying the right thing.

- How are you feeling, he then asked.

He felt stupid, here he had been wondering about if there had been someone else in the picture and he ha forgotten that 'she' was pregnant. All those times she had been avoiding him and he had been thinking about himself, about how she never came by to talk anymore. No matter where he stood, she was the one having this baby. Baby... He was suddenly realizing that she was having a baby. A head, ten little fingers, ten little toes. A little, innocent life, which would be born on the ship, out in the black, with a fugitive as a...

- Allright, Kaylee answered, interupting his inward rant. - Except for the throwin' up thing, I'm pretty peachy.

Her eyes were smiling, he noticed. Her mouth would be following soon, as soon as she finished her yawn. She was tired, no wonder with the time she had spent waiting for him to respond to her revelation. She should be resting.

- Come on, I'll take you to your bunk, he said.

He saw that she wanted to protest, but the moment she opened her mouth an even bigger yawn escaped and she gave into his request. They reached her bunk and he even followed her down. Her head hit the pillow, but her eyes remained awake. He knew she needed the rest and he was backing off to let her fall asleep.

- Simon, she said, making him turn back around. - If I hadn't thrown up, would you have kissed me back there.

He answered her question by brushing his lips against hers. It was meant to be a light quick kiss. She should be sleeping. But he just couldn't pull away and it seemed that neither could she. His lips slightly parted and he ran his tongue against her, requesting access. Hers were parted and tongues met softly exploring the shallow depths of each others mouths, he softly bit down and suckled on her lip and she sighed. He felt her drifting off and softly parted them. She was barely consious anymore. And he watched her struggle to stay awake and then give into sleep. He brushed his lips against her temple, before getting up and out of her bunk.

As he closed the hatch, it finally hit him.

He, Simon Tam, was going to be a father.