"Wan' wawa!" Hannah screamed, for what felt to her mother like the thousandth time. "Wawa! Wawa! Wawa!"

"Mommy's looking," Kate nearly snapped, tearing through her luggage and looking very frazzled. "Aha! Got it!" she crowed triumphantly, pulling a crumpled-looking ballerina doll from one of the trunks. Her tutu was crushed to the point of being unrecognizable as such, and her hair was tangled, but at least she might convince the little girl to finally taker her gorram nap.

"Wawa," the two-year-old cooed, clutching the doll to her chest. "Love," she sang in that adorable way small children do when happy. "Love wawa, love mama, love dada."

"And welcome back, Baby Jekyll," Kate muttered, trying to set the trunks of clothing and various keepsakes to rights. "At least I rank above the complete stranger you've adopted, since I'm obviously a distant second to that rutting doll."

"Wan' dada," Hannah commented, conversationally. "Where dada?"

"Rescuing your gorram rutting new uncles, I'd reckon." Kate replied. "Daddy's flying, baby girl. He'll be back soon. Meanwhile, it's nap time."

"No wan' nap," Hannah pouted. "Wan' dada."

"Aiya, ni ta ma de," Kate swore. "Not again."

~*~

"I appreciate your generosity, Duncan," Inara smiled, "but I can't accept your money when the agreed-upon services were not provided. My conscience won't allow it." That and the fact that I just helped Mal steal your enormous diamond, she thought.

"Damn your conscience, woman," Philips grumbled. "If you won't accept payment, will you accept a gift?"

"Duncan, I -" Inara's eyes widened at the sight of an emerald the size of her big toe. "I can't accept that, it's too -"

"Nonsense," Duncan cut her off. "You've always done well by me. I noticed your ring, Ms. Serra," Philips said honestly. "I knew from the moment I set eyes on you that this evening wouldn't end as others have in the past. Call it a wedding gift, and give my best to your young man."

Inara blinked in disbelief. "That's it?"

"That's it." Philips smiled warmly and Inara felt ten times more guilty.

"Thank you," she said politely. "It means a lot to me." Like a new compression coil for Kaylee, finally. "I guess I'll just be going then. Take care, Duncan." I'll wager there's a special hell for people who rip off innocent old men, she thought to herself.

~*~

"Mal?" Jayne asked weakly, startling both the captain and the doctor, who was stitching up Jayne's abdomen with his right hand, a needle protruding from the inside of his left arm.

"Jayne," Simon said. "Don't speak. You're going to need all the energy you can muster to get well."

"Doc," Jayne grunted, obviously in extreme pain. "Tell her? Tell her I love her? You gotta - gorram it - you gotta promise me!"

"Tell herself when you're better," Simon said distractedly. "Tell who?"

"River." Jayne winced as the needle punctured the skin around his wound. "Swear to me, if I don't make it, you'll tell her I love her." He inhaled sharply. "I ain't never said it yet, and she deserves to know. Ain't right that my last words to her was in anger."

Simon's expression was a mix of surprise, confusion and disgust. "You're in love with my baby sister?" It slowly turned to rage. "What the hell do you think you're doing? She's half your age!"

"That don't matter none out in the black," Mal said softly, putting a hand on Simon's arm to calm him. "We'll tell her, Jayne."

"Thanks," Jayne managed before slipping back into unconsciousness.

"He -" Simon stuttered. "I - you. Did you know about this?" he demanded.

"No, sir," Mal smirked. "But I reckon it is kinda cute, in a completely creepifyin' way. Jayne does love his weapons."

~*~

"He's stable," Simon told his sister, trying not to think about the real reason he found her naked in the kitchen with Jayne in hot pursuit. "He's not out of the woods, yet, but if he makes it through the night I'm confident he'll make a full recovery."

"Thank you!" River squealed excitedly. "You fixed my broken Jayne, took the pieces and put him back together so he can maker her whole! Can she - I. Can I see him?"

Simon sighed, gesturing toward the infirmary door. "This doesn't mean I approve," he told her, "But if he makes you happy, then I'm happy for you. And, there isn't a man alive who I would trust more to keep you safe. But if he hurts you, make no doubt about it, I will emasculate him with a soup spoon."

River twirled happily as she entered the infirmary.

"That weren't so hard, was it?" Kaylee smiled, wrapping her arms around her husband.

"Yes," he sighed. "It was. But I'm not her father, and I can't keep playing that role forever. Not when I have a child on the way who's going to need me even more."

~*~

"You're covered in blood," Kate said, instantly concerned.

"It isn't mine," Wash sighed. "Jayne got shot, Mal and I had to lug him to the shuttle, and from there to the infirmary."

"Is he all right?"

Wash shrugged. "He's stable, for now, but the doc says it could go either way. How's my favorite girl?" He scooped Hannah up into his arms and twirled her around in a circle.

"Poor River," Kate frowned. "She must be beside herself. Death is a violent, bloody business," she added grimly, "and no one her age should have to lose the one she loves."

Wash looked at her. "You can't be much older than -"

"Voice of experience," she interrupted. "Michael was delivering medical supplies - some expensive, hard to lay hands on drug, to Persephone, when halfway there his boat was hit by Reavers. A violent, inhumane way to go, don't you think?"

Wash nodded. "Zoe took a harpoon for me." He folded the now-crying young woman into a one-armed hug, her little girl on his hip. "You and me, we're survivors. There's gotta be some reason for that."

~*~

"You're covered in blood," Inara said, immediately concerned.

"Not mine," Mal frowned. "Jayne's."

"No," Inara said, shaking her head. "You were hit. Right here," she pointed out.

"Huh," Mal replied intelligently, looking down at his shoulder. "Whaddaya know. No wonder the hundan was so heavy," he said before passing out cold. In a very manly fashion.

~*~

"Am I dead?" Jayne asked, opening his eyes.

"Nope," River smiled. "Simon promised he'd put you back together. You're part Tam now, you know."

"Huh?" Jayne looked confused and tried to sit up. Big mistake. "Gan ni niang," he hissed.

River wrinkled her nose, but he wasn't sure whether it was disgust or amusement. "You have a rare blood type. It's quite a coincidence that Simon does, too."

"An' you don't?"

River shook her head. "He gave of his own blood that you might live, and now you are part of us, whether you like it or not. That means you can't be mad at me anymore." She grinned.

"I ain't mad," Jayne replied. "But I just might be in trouble. I don't remember much after Mal killed that bastard what shot me, but I'm pretty sure I mighta let it slip to the doc 'bout you an' me. But I'm still alive, an' I ain't in the airlock, so I could be wrong, I s'pose. Reckon he'd'a kilt me 'fore you got a chance to."

"No," River smiled. "He's too scared of me to do that. However, I should warn you that if you break my heart you should keep one eye on Simon and the other on your genitals."

The Mandarin: wawa - doll Aiya, ni ta ma de - Oh, motherhumper hundan - bastard Gan ni niang - Bastard (couldn't use the same one twice, could I?)