"Come on, Simon, ain't ya never had the urge to try it?" Kaylee wore an eager expression that made her husband and her cousin smile affectionately at her. "Kaylee, nothing is ever going to make pickled brussels sprouts appetizing to anyone, least of all for breakfast," Simon laughed. "Kate, talk to your cousin for me."

"He's right, mei-mei. That there is definitely one of the not-normal pregnancy cravings." Kate laughed. "I'd help you out, but I plain forgot to buy any when Mal sent me for groceries." Kate grinned. "And, that would probably ruin my appetite, and everyone else's."

Kaylee pouted a tiny bit. "Guess I'll have to settle for... what's that, anyway?"

"Right now it's the biggest bowl of raw egg you've likely ever seen," Kate told her, beating the eggs with a whisk. "In a few minutes, though, it'll be omelets. What do you want in yours?"

Kaylee fought the urge to reply, 'pickled brussels sprouts.' "Little bit of everything?" she smiled sheepishly.

Kate snickered. "One loaded for the pregnant lady. Simon?"

"Uh, just cheese, and a little ham?" He smiled. "I can't remember the last time I had an omelet."

"Omelets?" River said, coming into the kitchen with Jayne in tow. "Yum. Make mine like that one."

Kate shook her head. "Ham and cheese for the doctor and another loaded for the psychic co-pilot. Jayne, hold your order a minute, please? I can only keep two skillets going at a time and I'm probably going to forget River's in the meantime."

"Hey, Mal," Jayne greeted. "Listen, Mal, I got me a powerful need for a puppy," he teased.

"I got a powerful need to toss someone out the airlock an' see what happens to em', you volunteerin'?"

"Grouch," Inara laughed, swatting Mal's arm. "Breakfast smells delicious, Kate. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I could use someone to man the toaster, actually," Kate replied. "Omelet wouldn't be the same without toast."

"I coulda done that," Kaylee protested. "Why didn't you ask me for help?"

Kate grinned. "Because you and Simon look so darn cute this morning, I couldn't bear to disturb you." Kaylee was in Simon's lap at the table, and they were both wrapped in a blanket. "Where's my little girl, anyway? She never sleeps in."

"She didn't," Jayne laughed. "Heard her beatin' down Wash's door 'bout three this mornin'. Think I gave her nightmares. Reckon he took her up to the bridge to try to lull her back t'sleep."

Kate tried to mask the stab of pain she felt at that. She knew Wash was right, that she should be happy Hannah had made connections with her new family, but it still hurt that she wasn't even the one Hannah went to when she had a bad dream anymore. "Hey, sleepy girl," she said, smiling as she saw Hannah leading Wash into the kitchen. "Daddy looks like he got pulled from his bed way, way too early. Did you have something to do with that?"

"Ping, mama," Hannah said, and her mother pulled a bottle of juice from the fridge.

"Here you, go, sweetie," she said. "Wash, your hair is... hm."

"Hm?" He asked, blearily.

"Yeah. I've noticed it kinda defies gravity, but... yeah." She shook her head, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "You haven't been near a mirror yet, huh?"

"Aww," Kaylee grinned. "He looks like a baby chicken or somethin'."

Wash ran his fingers through his hair, attempting to look casual about it and failing. He also failed to flatten it.

"Relax," Kate giggled. "It's cute. Doesn't Daddy look cute, sugar?"

Hannah nodded enthusiastically. "Dada pretty."

"Dada sleepy," Wash mumbled. "Coffee?"

"Wash, go back to bed." Kate said, shaking her head. "I'll make you something to eat when you're conscious enough to eat it, okay?"

"If you give me coffee I'll do anything you tell me to," Wash told her. "Anything."

Inara laughed. "Hurry, get him coffee. That's a favor you can collect on later."

"Ain't fair to take advantage of a man 'fore his mornin' cup," Mal smirked. "He's like to say anythin' just for that jolt o' joe."

"Caffiene addiction is a powerful motivator," Simon agreed. "It's always dangerous to put yourself between an addict and his fix," he added with a grin. "But, in this particular case, it could prove rewarding."

"Fine," Kate said, pouring a cup. She set it down in front of Wash, who gave her a grateful smile. "Drink up, but I'm going to make you take a nap later, so you don't get grouchy. Hannah, honey, where did you get that?" She snatched a box of technicolor cereal from the little girl's hands. "That's caca. Yuck." She handed the box to Jayne, who stuck his hand into it and began munching away happily.

"A nap?" Wash chuckled. "What am I, three?" When he saw the look on Kate's face, he stopped smirking. "Sorry. Nap, it is."

"Damn, girl," Jayne crowed. "You got him whipped an' ya ain't even screwin' him!" He cackled, and Hannah watched him with interest.

"What screw?" she asked.

~*~

"Maybe we should have just given 'em coin," Kaylee suggested helpfully as Kate and River wrestled with boxes and paper and sticky tape. "Coin's got a nice jingle to it, an' jinglin's Christmassy."

"Too late now," River told her. "Anyway, money is a very impersonal gift. All my gifts are very personal."

"I can imagine what kind of personal things you got Jayne," Kate half-smiled, "and I'll ask you to not gift them around Hannah, dong ma? Took her forever to quit asking what screwing was."

"Almost as long as it took to talk Jayne out of explainin' it," Kaylee laughed. "Kate, are all them just for li'l Hannah?"

"Not all," Kate answered vaguely. "I got everyone at least a little something."

"Can I see mine?" Kaylee asked, excited.

"Yours isn't in the shopping," River told her. "It's more special than these. You'll see."

"Nothing's more special than another," Kate said. "But she's right, it ain't with the shopping. It's in one of my trunks."

"Ladies, the captain sent me to tell you we're due to set down on Persephone within the hour," Inara told them, sticking her head into the spare passenger room they were using as their Christmas present wrapping/hiding spot. "Hannah's up from her nap and Wash is busy at the helm, should I...?"

"Bring her down to Simon in the infirmary an' come join us," Kaylee said. "We ain't gettin' much done -"

"We aren't, or you aren't?" Kate asked, throwing a ball of wadded-up red tissue paper at her. "'Cause it looks to me that River and I are getting quite a bit accomplished." She stuck her tongue out at her cousin, who returned the gesture and the ball of paper.

"I'll be right back," Inara grinned.

~*~

"Hi, Hannah," Simon said when he looked up. "Inara, is she -?"

"She's fine," the former Companion smiled. "You've been elected temporary Hannah-minder while Wash is bringing us planetside. Kaylee and the others are wrapping gifts, and I thought I'd join them, if it's okay with you?"

"No, sure, that's fine," Simon said. "I just... I don't... What do I do? With her?"

"You're the one who's about to become a father," Inara grinned wickedly. "Perhaps you'd better figure that out."

"Inara, I -" he started, but she was faster than she looked. He stared at the little girl in confusion. "Well, Hannah, what am I going to do with you?"

"Play?" Hannah looked up at him.

"Right," Simon said. "Why didn't I think of that? Uncle Simon is silly, isn't he?"

"Silly," Hannah agreed. "Love."

"I haven't got anything proper to play with in here, just lots of nasty sharp things that we don't want to play with, yuck, right?" He nodded his head and smiled when Hannah copied his movements. "Let's go see what we can find in the cargo bay, huh?"

"What that?" Hannah asked, pointing to a diagram of the human brain.

"That's the medulla oblongata," Simon told her. "That's the part of your brain that tells your body to do the things we don't do on purpose, like breathing."

"Oh," she said, looking very serious. "What that?"

Simon looked; she was pointing this time to a very early sonogram. "That's your Aunt Kaylee's and my baby," he smiled. "Right there, see the tiny little..."

"Baby," Hannah repeated, giggling.

~*~

"Another flawless landing," Wash said sarcastically. Mal glowered up at him from the floor.

"You did that on purpose," he accused. "Ain't no way it oughta be that rough enterin' atmo hereabouts."

"There's a storm," Wash insisted. "See? With the clouds, and the rain, and... lightning, see? I can assure you, Mal, I didn't order crappy weather."

Mal grumbled something inaudible, picking himself up.

"What?"

"I said, if it don't let up, I might not be able to find a gorram kitten. Cats ain't overly fond o' the rain," Mal grimaced. "Let's just meet with the gem dealer and make the sale. You can take your little girl an' her pretty mom out for a nice meal she ain't got to cook, an' I can figure out another way to get us a kitten."

"Great plan," Wash agreed.

"Baby," Hannah said, leading her Uncle Simon up onto the bridge by the hand. "Baby!"

Simon grinned. "I showed her an ultrasound of the baby," he explained. "She's almost as excited as we are."

"'Course she is," Mal said, faking a sour look. "Somethin' littler than her to boss around, what kid wouldn't be thrilled."

"Love!" Hannah said, throwing her arms around Mal's legs. "Love, love, love!" She hugged Simon's legs as well before climbing up into her Daddy's lap. "Hannah flyin'?"

"We're parked, short stuff," Wash told her. "Daddy and Uncle Mal are going to do some business, and then you and me will take Mommy out for dinner, okay?"

"Should I prepare the infirmary," Simon smirked, "or just start arming up the women?"

Mal began to say something, but let the curse die on his lips. "I'd say somethin' smart, but I think this one's mama will shoot me if she learns any more colorful phrases from my mouth."

Wash grinned. "He's not wrong."

"I'll cover my bases, then," Simon joked as he left.

"Dada," Hannah said, "baby?"

"Yeah, Hannah, they're having a baby."

"Wan' baby, dada. Please?"

"Reckon you better talk to your mama about that one," Mal chuckled. "Ain't a thing your Daddy can do about that on his own."

~*~

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve," Simon whispered in Kaylee's ear as they looked out the window of their hotel room. "It's our first Christmas together."

"Not really," Kaylee pointed out. "We was together for last Christmas."

"But not together like we are now," he replied. "You, and me, and... Thingy."

Kaylee let loose a gale of laughter. "You're callin' our baby Thingy?"

Simon shrugged. "I suppose we could give it a unisex name instead of waiting... like, Carol. Or my mother's name, Regan." He paused. "Never mind. At this point I wouldn't name a plant after her."

"How 'bout Jayne," Kaylee giggled. "Him bein' a bona fide folk hero an' all."

Simon made an exaggerated face of disgust, and Kaylee laughed at his reflection in the window. "Do you think Kate would be upset if we called the baby Michael? I've always liked the name, and if it's a boy..." he trailed off.

"Naw, Kate'd be shiny," Kaylee said. "I was thinkin' maybe Derrial for a boy, or Alleyne for a girl. It ain't the same as callin' 'em after them, cause we never called them those names, but it'd still be in honor of 'em, ya know?"

"Those are lovely names, bao bei," Simon smiled into her hair. "Lovely names for a lovely baby."

~*~

"Dinner was wonderful," Kate smiled, looping her arm through Wash's. "How exactly did you get River and Jayne to babysit?"

"I called in a favor," Wash grinned. "You really liked it?"

"I generally prefer food I can pronounce, but we have to pretend to be grown-ups sometimes." She sighed. "I honestly didn't think I'd ever wear this again." She looked down at her black dress. It was simple, with spaghetti straps and a flared skirt, but Inara had added a few accessories, and for the first time in a long time, Kate finally felt as young as she was. It made Wash feel a little pervy, actually, to be out to dinner on the arm of this... this young thing.

"You look amazing," Wash told her honestly. "I'm waiting for someone to ask if I'm your father."

Kate swatted his arm. "You're not old." She paused, smiling mischeviously. "Well, not that old, anyway..."

"Hey!" he laughed.

"I'm legal," she assured him. "I'm older than Kaylee. Not by much, but it used to drive her crazy when I'd hold that over her head. So, what are we going to do now?"

"Well," Wash said innocently, "I was thinking we could hit a cinemaplex and make out like teenagers in the back row. Ow!" he chuckled when she punched his arm. "That was a fist!"

Kate giggled. "You know, I never thought I'd be this comfortable with anyone other than Michael."

"Oh?" Wash said. "Did you hit him a lot, too?"

"Only when he deserved it," she deadpanned. "It's beautiful tonight. I'm glad the rain stopped."

"I'm glad Mal suggested this," he smiled. "Although, he included Hannah."

"Yeah, Hannah would have loved it there, so many things to break and make a mess of," Kate smiled.

"Speaking of Hannah, eventually you're going to have to let me kiss you again," Wash said casually. "She's started asking for a baby brother or sister."