AN: Simon and Kaylee experience the first sign of trouble with the twins.

*** Hush little baby ***

Serenity, named after Serenity Valley, where the final battle of the Unification War took place. Not many people understood why he named his ship after it, and he didn't need them to. The war might have been lost, but there were still the daily battle of survival to be had. A battle that, due to the Alliance's interferance, grew harder with every passing day, though it didn't take his spirit away.

The name had in time come to hold a different meaning to it as well. The people he had first hired as crew had grown on him like a family, annoying and bickering, though loving and loyal, or in Jayne's case somewhat loyal, to the end. Even though he would never ever admitt it, even the preacher's lectures and the mercenary's mischief was sweet music in his ears. It was part of this feeling of being home.

These past two night, however, he had concidered renaming his ship. Serenity was now at its least serene, with the sound of two wailing infants piercing the silence for the fifth time just this night. How long had the silence lasted this time... half an hour? It was unbearable.

Though half of him was astounded the sheer force in a baby's lunge, the other half, the half that hadn't had a decent shut-eye in days and days, wanted to tell them to shut the brats up. Had Kaylee known he had called her kids that, she would have smacked him up-side-down. Most of the time he would have done the same to whatever poor creature daring to say it, but he felt that this occation called the need for it.

He pulled the pillow over his head, hoping he could by some miracle block it out. No such luck...

-

Kaylee's eyes snapped open immediatly as she heard the very recognizable sound of one of her babies cry. Her head was aching and her eyelids heavy and she feared that one of these days she would get so tired that she would drop one of them, when picking them up. She leaned over to the bowl of cold water at the bedside and splashed some into her face, helping her wake up. It didn't do much.

Good thing about this was she started to recognize which of her children the cry belonged to, though most people would call her crazy to claim it. This time it was Leilah needing her mommas attention, though when she looked at the clock by her bedside it was just an hour ago she fed her. Maybe she needed burping. Kaylee puched herself up from the bed and picked her baby girl up.

Unfortunatly the girl just kept on crying, no matter the way she was rocked. Next step was checking her diaper, which was still as dry as it came. It had also been changed just half an hour ago.

If Simon hadn't allready checked them for colic, allergies when they hadn't stopped crying the night before, Kaylee would have thought it to be that. Had they been some months older she would have guessed teething. And the less they twins slept the more frustrated their cries became. It had started to feel like a victory when they finally managed to get them to sleep.

Simon who had slept just as little as her was waking up as well and immediatly got up when there was simillar cries coming from Aidan. Extra trouble with twins, they tended to wake each other up...

-

Mal raised his brow as the doctor was alone in bringing the twins to breakfast the next morning. Simon had bags under his eyes from the obvious lack of sleep.

- Where's Kaylee, he asked.

- She's sleeping, we had a rough night.

- Yeah, I heard, all the way to my bunk, I might add, Mal pointed out. - But I need my mechanic in the engine room today. Place looks like a deathtrap from that unfinished rewiring she did yesterday.

- And she will be, Simon answered, calmly though with his eyes being of the piercing variety. - Once she's gotten some sleep. She dozed off while nursing the twins. And I figured that I could at least give her the few hours between feedings to rest out. She's gotten maybe 3 hours sleep total in three nights.

Simon didn't need to add the 'don't you?' at the end, because it was pretty obvious that the captain agreed to it. Also a tired mechanic would lead to a world of trouble and that again would lead to even more waking nights, as the girl had a tendency to take everything that happened to Serenity personal. It was a vicious circle.

- If you need any help, I have some time on my hands, Inara told Simon, as she entered, having heard enough of the conversation to follow.

As of a que Aidan started crying, followed shortly by his sister. Simon bent down to check on them and turned to the companion.

- How are you at changing diapers?

-

The twins had barely slept at all after dry diapers had been put on. This had distracted Simon from what needed to be done in the infirmary, even with Inara helping. The minute the girl was down, the boy started crying and woke her, as well as the other way around. Simon didn't let Inara wake Kaylee until he recognized the hungry-face on his daughter. When he did however, Inara suggested a temporary sepparation of the twins, as they had a tendency to fall asleep after nursing. Simon felt it to be a good idea and was gently rocking the boy when Inara left to wake the sleeping mechanic.

Inara was gently resting Leilah on her shoulder, patting her back, when she gently shook Kaylee awake.

- Morning sleepyhead, Inara said, softly.

- 'Nara, Kaylee asked, groggily.

- I have a very hungry girl with me, the companion informed, smiling, handing the baby to her mom, who was now sitting slightly up.

When the girl was eagerly nursing, Inara excused herself to return with breakfast on a tray.

- You're an angel, Kaylee murmured in a tired cheerful way.

- Mal wants you to finish the job in the engine room, and I was thinking that I could watch over the twins, while keeping you company.

- That's so sweet of you, 'Nara, Kaylee sighed. - The engine room's a mess, though.

- I'm sure we can find a safe corner for them, while you work. Also, this way should they wake up and need something I can be there to handle it. I have a feeling Simon needs a nap himself.

- We ain't had a decent shut-eye in a while, the mechanic admitted.

- I had an inkling.

-

Kaylee was surprised in how easy it was to get her work done with Inara keeping an eye on the twins. They were in the same room as her, but they were asleep. Had been for three full hours now, and thinking about the past few days that was a record.

- How'd you do it, she asked, from underneath the engine.

- Do what, Inara asked, bit confused.

- Get 'em both to sleep. Me an' Simon's tried everything an' they've just kept wakin' up.

- I don't think it's anything I'm doing, the companion answered, gazing at the sleeping angels. - It could just be the enviroment here. Some babies crave familliar settings to sleep. Like background noises they are used to.

- Well whatever it is, it's workin' like a charm, Kaylee sighed. - I ain't been able to focus like this for weeks.

Inara smiled and nodded.

- It must be frustrating to hear them cry and not know how to help.

- You have no idea, Kaylee sighed. - I wan' 'em to be happy, an' when they cry an' nothin' I do helps, I feel like I'm failing 'em, you know.

- You're far from failing them, Inara objected. - You spend every waking moment wanting the best for them. I see that in your eyes as well as Simons. And then you do everything in your power to make sure they get that. I think you're the most wonderfull mom and they are lucky to have you.

Kaylee slowly pulled herself up from underneath engine. Her eyes were glassy, clearly moved from the companions complimenting words. Despite Kaylee being covered in engine grease Inara pulled her into a comforting embrace. It wasn't as the dress she was wearing was anything special. She placed a kiss on the mechanics temple.

- How will I make it without you, Kaylee whispered.

Her head was resting on her best friends shoulder and didn't see the companions expression change to a sad, pondering one.

-

The twins remained asleep until it was time to be fed again. Kaylee hadn't finished off fixing Serenity early, so there were no more naps for her. But hopefully she could get one after dinner if the twins did as well with Simon.

That ended up not being so, as the twins refused to go back to sleep. There was no doubt that they were still crying and it was hard to pinpoint what it could be that made it so difficult for them to sleep.

Kaylee was rocking a crying Aidan in her arms, while Simon focused on Leilah. Neither one of them seemed to be calming down anytime soon.

- And they slept for five hours straight earlier, Simon asked for the seventh time today, not able to fully believe it, with the trouble the twins were giving them now.

- Yeah, Kaylee confirmed once more. - I told 'Nara she had to have some magic touch or somethin' the way they were behavin'. She didn' believe me though.

- Maybe she just didn't want to admitt it, he suggested.

- No, 'Nara's good at hidin' things, but I know her like an open book, probably the only one here who does.

- Maybe it wasn't Inara, Simon suddenly said. - After you told me you were pregnant and especially after we helped deliver Petaline's baby, I started reading up on anything I could get my hands on that might be helpfull.

- You tol' me that when you was checkin'em for signs of colic.

- Well we've established that that's not it. But some babies needs a familliar enviroment to sleep in. Maybe the engine room provided that?

- They ain't been in the engine room 'fore, Kaylee objected.

- No, but many studies claims that babies can hear sounds in the womb and you did spend a lot of time in there when you were carrying them. Maybe they got acclimed to the sound of the engine humming.

Kaylee thought about it and it wasn't a crazy thought at all. After all since as long as she could remember she's felt the most comfortable near a humming engine. True it was her dad and not her mom that was the mechanic, she guessed that her mom had spent a lot of time keeping him company or something. And Serenity's heartbeat was a very soothing sound, also with how tired she felt, she was willing to try anything.

The twins were still crying when they reached the engine room, but it seemed to slowly fade, and their eyelids looked awfully heavy. Then she saw the familliar sight of her baby boy falling asleep in her arms. Leilah had quieted down and was soon sleeping soundly in her fathers arms. The twins were carefully placed in the bassinet, which they had placed in the corner, far away from any possible falling object.

After double and even triple checking that the location of the bassinet was as safe as it could be, the young parents, looked around to see how they could seize this moment to get some sleep themselves. It was Kaylee who pointed out the hammock.

- Do you think that thing can hold the two of us, Simon pondered.

- Held me easily when I was carrying 'em, Kaylee answered, arching her head in direction of the twins who were sleeping soundly.

- I'm much heavier than the two of them, Simon reminded her, chuckling.

- I'm too tired to argue, lets just give it a shot, she pleaded, letting out a big yawn.

Simon gave up protesting and climed into the hammock. It was just minutes later that he had her snuggled up on top of him, her arms around him, head resting on his chest, feet entagled with his. He slid his arms around her, one of them on her back, the other sliding through her soft hair. She moaned slightly.

- Did you really have to spend so much time in the engine room while you were pregnant?

- Bi zuie, she murmured, falling asleep only seconds later.

He couldn't remember what he thought after that, because he soon followed her into slumber.

-

Inara, who had almost gotten acclimed to the sound of screaming infants thought Serenity was oddly quiet. Funnily enough this made her more awake than sleepy. She decided a cup of tea would do the trick and decided to head for the kitchen. It was when she was staring down at her cup, she noticed a bracelet missing from her hands.

She first looked in the infirmary, in case it had slipped off there, but there were no signs of it and after having looked for a while, she decided to try the engine room. Any other place it could be had to be Simon and Kaylee's bunk and the bracelet was far from important to her.

She spotted it at once laying on one of the crates, then she saw the bassinet safely secured in the corner, far from any loose object in the room. The twins were sound asleep, looking absolute adorable the way they were barely in contact, but at the same time seemed to rely on having the other close.

Turning around she found the parents entangled in the hammock, seeming to enjoy a well deserved rest. Simons hands were around his wife in a protective as well as a posessive way. She couldn't help, but think how much they looked to belong together, despite their opposite upbringing, how their meeting had been been a matter of luck. It was moments like this, which made Inara wonder if there was such a thing as destiny.

She left the engine room for a minute to fetch a blanket which she used to cover the sleeping lovebirds. When the companion returned to her shuttle, she had forgotten all about the bracelet.