Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, just writing for fun.

A/N: A new little series popped in my head. This is the first, with more to come soon I hope. Thanks GL for your help! Please comment and hope you like it!:D ________________________________________________________________

"River? What are you doing?" Simon had opened the door to he and Kaylee's room to discover his sister's arms encircling his wife's pregnant belly, the left side of her face pressed up against it, while Kaylee was sleeping. Kaylee's hand rested on the crown of River's head. River had been whispering till he had opened the door. She turned to face him with the annoyed sister look she had perfected over the years. "Just talking." The corners of Simon's mouth held back the grin that was threatening to emerge. River gently extricated herself from Kaylee, placing her hand where River's head had been just moments before. Kaylee stirred for just a moment before she snuggled closer into her pillow, shifting to her side while she still slumbered. "What were you talking about," Simon whispered as he moved closer to the bed. River smiled widely as she grasped Simon's hand that he had extended to help her up. "You." She squeezed his hand assuredly as she swept passed him and closed the door. He watched Kaylee for a second to make sure she was still asleep. She hadn't been able to get a good nights sleep for the past week and a half, being overdue didn't help matters much either. He had been weary to let it prolong this far, he wanted to induce labor but Kaylee insisted that the baby would come when the baby was ready. He had mentioned a cesarean once to her and was confronted with an unexpected tirade. They had been laying in bed after an exhausting day when Kaylee shifted herself again to get more comfortable. She nestled more closely into Simon's side and sighed. "I hope the baby comes soon." "Kaylee...bao bei... maybe we should consider a cesarean... I mean it's been almost a week now and the baby is still growing, the larger the baby gets-" "Ya wanna cut me up?" "No, Kaylee, I mean, yes, but it's a pretty simple procedure. Lots of women have it performed-" Kaylee twisted her head around to look Simon dead in the eye, "Well I ain't most women, Simon." "All I have to do is make an incision-" "I don't need no clinical explanation, ya ain't cutting me up! Why's it ya always gotta be fixing something on someone? Poking and prodding, ya can't just let things happen natural?" "I'm just apprehensive about-" "Ya ever performed a cesar-whatever it's called?" "No but I-" "Being all top three percent, I'm sure ya can figure it out, but it won't be on me!" At that she then began to try to get out of bed. It had become increasingly difficult over the last few months and her agitation had hit a boiling point, turning into tears. “I can’t get outta bed!” Simon held back the laughter at her predicament and tried to just comfort her. “Kaylee, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Simon reached out a hand to cover hers but she pushed it away. "Get out!" "Kaylee-" "Get Out!" Simon climbed over Kaylee and left the room, still not quite sure what he said wrong. After closing the door he didn't know what to do with himself. He wandered the ship until he ended up in the kitchen. There was little he could think of that would explain Kaylee's irate reaction to their discussion. As he contemplated what had happened he started to make himself something to eat. "Kaylee?" Jayne's voice made Simon almost drop the knife he was using to cut up the last of the carrots that they had purchased only a few days ago. "Why are you calling out my wife's name?", Simon asked when Jayne entered from the hallway. "Uhhh, I just thought it was her, cause ya know... she sometimes munches late at night." "Yes, I know. Why do you know?" "Ah, doc, she always gets the good eats now, so's I figure if I meet up with her , I git some too." "So you're using my pregnant wife to gorge yourself on food without the rest of the crew knowing about it?" "Ain't using her, it's just...convenient timin'. And we ...wait, why the hell are ya up here this late at night?” Simon scowled at Jayne and simply replied,” I don’t want to talk about it.” “She kick ya out ‘gain?” “I said I don’t want to talk about it, especially with you.” “S’prised ya don’t just eat yer foot, it’s in yer mouth ‘nough as it is.” “You really have a way at turning a phrase.” “Better’n ya do, I s’pose” Simon wouldn’t give Jayne the satisfaction of responding, he just kept cutting the carrots. “Ya know she’s real scared ‘bout the birth?” Jayne had sat himself down at the table and started playing with the chopsticks they kept in a jar. Simon put down his knife and looked directly at Jayne. “She’s never said anything about that.” “She don’t wanna git ya all riled up.” “That’s what started this whole mess.” “Knew ya said something stupid.” “I did no such thing. I just brought up a cesarean.” “A what?” “A cesarean. It's just a surgical way of delivering a baby." "Ya told her ya wanna cut inta her? No wonder she threw ya outta there." “I only brought it up because I was concerned for her and the baby's safety.” "Just scared, that's alls I know. Maybe iffn' ya-" Jayne never finished his sentence as Simon quickly left the kitchen and headed down to his and Kaylee's room. He looked after the doc for a moment and then walked over to where the food was. "More for me," he said to himself as he began wolfing down what Simon had been preparing. She had restlessly turned in bed when Simon entered. “I told ya to get out.” She was pouting as Simon crouched down in front of her. “Xin gan, I am not going to leave until we finish this.” “Simon, I just-” “No, let me talk first. I don’t want you to be scared about what’s going to happen when the baby comes.” “What’re ya talkin’ ‘bout?” “I talked to Jayne.” “Oh.” “Everything will be fine, I promise you.” “Ya can’t make that promise. I know things can get complicated and I just-” “Kaylee, women have been having babies for eons now, and I swear you will be just fine. I will do everything in my power to make sure of that. Anything I say is not to scare you, I just wanted to talk about options, but if you’re afraid of something you have to tell me. I won’t bring it up again. We’ll wait for the baby to come on it’s own for a little while longer, but I have to insist, if it’s too long I-” “It’ll happen soon, I know it will.” “Fine,” Simon leaned over and softly kissed Kaylee. “Now can I please come to bed?” “Did ya go to the kitchen?” “Yes, that’s where I talked to Jayne.” “He thinks I don’t know he comes late at night to see me just so he can get the good stuff.” “He listens to you too.” “I know.” Simon climbed over Kaylee and pulled her against him tightly. “Simon?” “Yes?” “Did ya see any cookies up there?” Simon dutifully climbed back over Kaylee and headed back up to the kitchen. The hormones and mood swings were something he had been completely unprepared for in the beginning. Kaylee never lost her general good nature but her temper had quickened, and she had become overly emotional about most things. Simon chuckled to himself as he remembered walking in on her crying only a month ago. He had rushed over to her where she stood in front of the mirror, cupping her face as she turned to him. "Oh, Simon!" She kept weeping as he wrapped one of his arms around her and began to stroke her hair with the other. He had been on the receiving end of many a tearful moment in the past few months and knew she would eventually tell him what was wrong. She sniffled and encircled her arms around her husband, then let the floodgates open. "Simon, I ...I can't sleep on my belly, can’t see my feet no more, I can't even tie my own shoes, that's if I could actually fit in 'em cause my feet’re so swollen. Can't get under the engine so's I can't do my job, can't get up and down the stairs without it takin' so much time it ain't even worth it. I can‘t even get outta bed without ya helpin‘ me. I'm fat and hungry all the time and tired and-" Kaylee began to hiccup, interrupting her meltdown and Simon tried to keep a straight face as he held her closer to him. If she saw his smile he would be in more than just a little trouble. Life had certainly become more interesting since Kaylee became pregnant but he was learning to navigate her emotions with as much skill as he had with surgical procedures, with only a few slip ups. Simon kissed her forehead and just let her finish crying without saying a word. When she finally calmed down he pulled back from their embrace and went to get her a tissue as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. When he turned around she flashed a bright smile and hiccupped one last time. She then rubbed the left side of her stomach, most likely because the baby was kicking and asked, “Honey, is dinner ready?” Kaylee stirred again in the bed, then shifted once more before settling into a more comfortable position, jarring Simon out of his revelry. He moved to the sink to wash his hands and face. Since Kaylee couldn’t fit under the engine to do repairs, he and Zoe had taken up her duties, with detailed instructions from Kaylee. She usually stayed right in the engine room and coached them, but she had been dog-tired. With much protestation, Simon convinced her to go to bed while he finished up some small maintenance. As if on cue, River appeared at the door to help Kaylee down the stairs, she was always popping up whenever she was needed. It was reassuring , if not a little unsettling at times, but they had both gotten used to her helpfulness. As he walked over to the dresser to change he caught a glimpse of the capture that was setting atop of it. It was of their wedding day. He picked it up and hit the mute button , then pressed play. Kaylee’s face was in close up as her beaming smile played across the screen. He watched as she soundlessly giggled and the focus pulled back to see Inara and Zoe sitting on Inara’s bed in her shuttle. They were both dressed in their finest clothes, Zoe had even gone out and purchased a new dress just for the occasion. She smiled fondly at Kaylee’s joy, as did Inara, but the more times Simon watched the capture the more he noticed a wistful look to Inara, a small sadness in her eyes. The frame suddenly shifted as Kaylee grabbed the capture and turned it on his sister, who bashfully moved her head so her hair would cover her face. She then reached out and took the capture back as Inara came over to Kaylee to help fix her hair. She was wearing a flowing white gown, gathered below her chest. Simon smiled when he thought about that dress. It had taken a bit longer than they expected to be able to get the ceremony together. Work had come first and they had been unexpectedly fortunate in finding paying jobs. By the time they were able to get enough time and money to plan Kaylee had already been moving into her fifth month. She was desperate to find something that would hide her burgeoning stomach and in the end spent a whole day with Inara making it herself. That’s what made it so lovely to Simon. She had been so excited that she couldn’t wait for their wedding the next day and shown it to him that night. Before that moment he had been feeling some trepidation about the impending service, but her delight in the garment and all her hard work just melted the anxiousness away. Inara began arranging her hair, while Kaylee giggled one more time before the capture froze. He forwarded to the next image, the one of he and Kaylee exchanging vows. She was so beautiful and full of light. He wore his suit, the one he had worn when he first came aboard Serenity. It had been his last remnant of the life he had before and it was the last time he would ever wear it. That day he began to truly live for what was to be, not what had been past. He watched as they spoke the last words and kissed, sealing their commitment. Simon set the capture down and began to undress. Pulling on his pajama pants he settled down in their bed and laid an arm around his wife. He loved the smell of her hair and buried his face in the nape of her neck. She sighed in her sleep. As he laid his hand on her stomach their child kicked. He leaned over and kissed the spot where the baby had kicked, kissed her temple and then settled back to fall asleep.