Then River had good days and bad days, and today was definitely a bad day. She’d woken Simon up in the wee hours of the morning, crying and wandering, and hadn’t settled down since. “It’s not over,” she repeated over and over. “Keep her safe, Simon, since they won’t be.” “Who?” he asked, gently taking her arm. “I’m going to help you sleep, okay?” River made a face. “Don’t let them know when they arrive,” she said urgently. Perplexed, Simon hugged her. “Okay,” he said. “I won’t.” And then she slept. Her body slouched and her breathing went regular and Simon wiped the tears off her face and took her to bed. Kaylee caught him by the wrist on his way out of her room. “Hey!” he said, engulfing her in a hug. “How’s River?” she asked, trying to keep her voice bright. Simon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Something is bothering her,” he said carefully. “She told me not to tell ‘them’ when ‘they arrive’. She said ‘Keep her safe because they won’t be’. I just don’t know. She’s been doing so well, and now… I feel like we’ve taken a huge step back.” Kaylee kissed him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. He forced himself to smile for her. “I’m sure it’ll be okay,” he told her, reassuring them both. “Let’s call it a night, hmm?” The next morning, River padded barefoot into Simon and Kaylee’s room, formerly her and Simon’s room. Kaylee was already up and dressed, and Simon was nowhere to be found. River sat down on the bed next to Kaylee and curled her feet under her. “You’re pregnant,” she said.” Kaylee fell off the bed. “What?” “Ten weeks.” River nodded. “How could you not know, Kaylee?” “I…I thought, but I didn’t know.” Kaylee paused, smiling. “Does Simon know?” River smiled. “I wanted you to tell him.” Kaylee struggled to her feet and started running toward the infirmary, shouting for Simon. River leaned back on the bed, trying not to cry. She didn’t tell Kaylee about the Alliance, or the psychic part. That would come in it’s own time. In the infirmary, Simon paced excitedly. “We’ll need a heartbeat monitor, a sonogram machine…Oh, Kaylee.” He picked her up and kissed her. “We’ll be on Beaumonde in a few hours time. We’ll have to tell Mal, he’ll think of some way to obtain them. Let’s go. Oh, God, Kaylee, we’re having a baby!” “A what?” Mal dropped his coffee in surprise. “A baby,” Kaylee said. “In the spring.” “Mei-mei, you can’t have a baby on the ship!” “Yeah I can,” Kaylee argued. “When we land on Beaumonde, I can get what’s called a Doppler, to monitor the heartbeat, and a sonogram machine, to take pictures of the baby. I’ve delivered a few babies in the ER, so without complications, we’ll be able to have the baby right here on Serenity,” Simon replied. “And where are you gonna find the money for this?” Mal asked warily. “That,” Simon said with a grin, “Is where you come in.” Serenity broke down a few minutes outside Beaumonde. River and Mal managed to get her planetside as Kaylee emerged, grease-stained, from the engine room. “All her wirin’s shot,” she told Mal grimly. “It’s fixable, but not without some replacement parts. I regulated the E-Cee and we’ve got air, but she needs a lot of attention.” Mal threw up his hands. “Where’re we gonna find the money?” he asked. Kaylee wiped her hands on her coveralls. “Don’t fret, cap’n. I’ve got a plan.” It was hot on Beaumonde. Hot enough that the streets were nearly vacated. “Look, ice cream!” Kaylee said excitedly, pointing. “Can we stop?” Mal grumbled. “I thought we were looking for work.” “After ice cream,” Kaylee replied. Mal shook his head. “No wonder we don’t have any money,” he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and following his crew toward the ice cream stand. “Excuse me,” Kaylee said, licking a drip from her arm. “Could you tell me where the local mechanic’s is?” The vendor grunted. “Left of here, two blocks over. Across from the salon.” Kaylee finished her ice cream and licked the corners of her mouth. “Thanks.” She tugged on River’s arm. “Come with me,” she whispered. “Don’t make trouble, you two,” Mal called after them. Kaylee and River walked leisurely toward the main stretch of buildings. “I’m going in there,” River said, gesturing to the salon. “Okay,” Kaylee replied. “Come to the shop when you’re done.” She turned and crossed the street into the mechanic’s. She rapped lightly on the door and a handsome young man in cut-off coveralls appeared. “Can I help you, Miss?” “Are you hirin’?” she asked. He glanced dubiously down at her flowered dress. “We most certainly are,” he said. Kaylee grinned. “Then you most certainly can. I’m Kaylee.” “Adam. Adam McKenzie, I own the place. Nice to meet you, Kaylee.” He gestured her in. “So, what can you do, Kaylee?” “I’m a mechanic,” Kaylee replied. “A mechanic, huh?” Adam laughed. “So, you know how to fix mules, there, Kaylee?” Kaylee grinned. “Nah. I can fix Fireflies, but when it comes to mules, I’m useless.” Adam laughed. “Why don’t you come in here and we’ll talk.” River walked into the mechanic’s twenty minutes later. “Kaylee?” she called. Kaylee and Adam both stuck their heads out of the office. “This is my…sister,” Kaylee explained. “Sasha.” River nodded. Adam looked curiously at her, but smiled and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Sasha,” he said cordially. “I’m just in the process of getting your sister to sell her soul to me.” River actually laughed. “Can I…I mean…I’d like to sell my soul to you, too. I mean…” she blushed. Adam looked at her with some interest. “You a mechanic, too, Sasha?” River shook her head. “No, but…I can sweep or file or something.” Adam nodded and smiled. “I think that sounds great,” he said. “I’ll pay you 15 credits an hour, is that okay?” River gasped. That was more money than she could even start to imagine. “Yes,” she said. “That’s fine.” Adam shook her hand and smiled. “Good. Great. Kaylee and Sasha, welcome aboard.” “What is with your hair?” Kaylee asked as she and River walked back. “Do you like it?” River asked. “I got it colored to match yours.” “It’s cute,” Kaylee admitted. “But it’ll take some getting used to.” River smiled and turned a cartwheel. “We’ve got a lot to get used to, don’t we?” Kaylee looked out to where Serenity was parked in the distance. “A lot,” she agreed.