“Alright Zoë on the next contraction I want you to push…Mal I want you to coach Zoë threw this, hold her hand…Inara I need you to come over here and be prepared to clean the babies off when they are delivered. Wash I need you to be Zoë’s focal point. Zoë don’t take your eyes off of Wash alright.” Simon was the calmest one out of the bunch. “Ok this is going to be a long night.” Mal took Zoë’s hand, “You ready for this?” He asked looking down at her. “Been ready my whole life, sir.” She responded. “Good, cause I’m sure ain’t…is it hot in here?” Mal wiped his face with his hand. Wash positioned himself right behind Simon so he could get the best view of the process. “Ok Wash’s log, it won’t be long until…Zoë we haven’t picked out names yet!” Wash put down his camera. “I wanted to meet them first…see who they are, don’t want them to be stuck with a name like Hoban for the rest of their lives.” Zoë gave a half smile to her husband. “Whose Hoban?” Inara asked. Wash trying to sound offended, “I have all of you know that Hoban is a family name. It means one who can fly high.” Simon turned to Wash “Is that what it really means.” “No I have no idea what it means, I was named after my grandfather. It sounded good though.” Zoë shifted in pain a bit, “I think I’m having a contraction.” Zoë belts out a scream. “Yep I’m definitely having a contraction.” A number of curses and screams later a little baby boy pops out. Simon handed the baby over to Inara to clean. “Wash do you want to cut the umbilical cord?” Wash looked at the wiggle baby almost in tears. “Of course I do.” Wash cuts the cord and holds up the baby for Zoë and Mal to see. “Look Zo, our son.” Mal looks at Zoë, “You did good Zo, you did real good.” “Thank you sir.” Inara wrapped up the baby in a blanket. “Wait!” Wash dug through the bag that Inara had brought down and pulls out the hats that Jayne’s mother made. “So we can tell them apart.” He put the orange knitted cap on the baby’s head. “He does look kinda stylish in that hat”

“I hear crying, we got a baby yet!” Kaylee screamed down from above. Wash popped up where the rest of the crew was waiting. “Yes we do we have a healthy, baby boy.” Wash has a huge grin on his face. River still curled up in a ball she spoke in a barely audible voice, “Little Mal, the trouble maker.” Kaylee hugged the Shepherd, “We got a baby...Jayne ain’t that shiny?” Jayne looked a bit uncomfortable, “Yeah real ruttin shiny.”

Mal gazed down at the little baby boy. He was the spitting image of Zoë, but he had his father’s mischievous grin. “Zoë if this boy ain’t the spitting image of you…” He grabbed the boy’s hand, “Got a grip like you too.” “Mal I think you’re going soft.” Inara said smiling at Mal. “He is beautiful.” “That he is.” Mal returned the smile to Inara. They stared at each other for a moment.

Wash was sitting with Zoë on the bed helping her breath and prepare for the next baby. “Look at them two will ya. I wished they get it over with already.” Wash whispered to Zoë as he wiped her forehead. “I mean, they like each other well enough. Mal’s so gorram stubborn.” Zoë smiled. “I think its cute. Mal pulls her hair. Inara calls him a…dummy.” She groans in pain. “Another contraction?” “I think… Wuh de ma!” Zoë screamed. Mal covered the baby’s ear. “Zoë, language we got a little one.” “Bee-jway Sir!” Zoë screamed again. “Doc I think this other baby wants to come and play.” Simon took a deep breath and got back to work. “Ok Zoë just like we did before…I want you to push, when you get your next contraction. Can everyone get back to their positions please.” Simon was always the constant professional. Zoë belted out another slue of swears and pops out another boy. Wash did a dance of some kind when Simon announced that it is a boy. “I got two boys-ha-I got two boys-ha!” He placed the other knit cap on the baby.

Book lets out a sigh of joy when he hears the good news. “We have another boy.” Jayne just stared at Kaylee and Book excitement, “Why you two so happy, ain’t like you had the brats.” Kaylee punches Jayne in the arm, “Zoë and Wash’s babies aren’t brats. There little blessings.” River still in her ball whispered “Gabriel, strong but silent.”

In the mist of all the excitement Simon’s face turned sour. Mal was the only one to notice the change on Simon’s face. “Doc everything alright?” Simon didn’t answer he just kept on working. “Inara I need you to go to the infirmary and get the portable monitors for me and my black case.” Inara quickly left the room. Simon felt around some more. “Zoë are you feeling any discomfort?” Zoë let out a moan. Wash and Mal both looked worried. “Simon what’s going on here?” “Zoë going to have another baby.” “What!” Mal and Wash said together. “Excuse me doc?” Zoë asked. “It must have been positioned behind the other babies, I didn’t have the proper sonogram to tell, but this baby is breeched.” Zoë tried to sit up, “What does that mean?” “In cases of multiple births, the baby gets into a breeched position to make more room in the womb, normally when its time to deliver the baby will position itself in the proper position…” Inara came back into the room, she handed Simon his things. He placed the sonogram over Zoë’s belly. “I wish…” “Simon we don’t have time for wishes, Zoë gotta deliver this baby, so what does all that doctor mumbo jumbo mean?” Mal asked sounding a bit perturbed. “It means this one is going to be a difficult delivery, I am going to have to reposition the baby myself before Zoë can deliver…” Zoë let out a groan. Wash stood beside her holding her hand. “Hear that, sweetie we got ourselves another Wash’s baby.” He wiped her forehead. Zoë didn’t respond she was in too much discomfort to say anything. “We won’t have to operate as long as the Zoë and the baby’s heart rate are strong. Ok Zoë listen to me. It’s going to be harder to for the baby to come out because it is coming feet first. But I am going to use forceps to help guide the baby out.” Simon looked at the clearly worried Wash. “Wash I think that you should wait with the others for this one.” “Why? I’m not leaving my wife.” Wash squeezed Zoë’s hand even tighter. “This is a delicate procedure Wash, there maybe complications…” Wash’s heart dropped. “Complications?” Mal put his hand on Wash’s shoulder for comfort, something that Zoë always did. “It’s going to be alright. Zoë made it threw worse than this, before.” “Worst than this? What can be worst than this Mal? I could loose my wife and baby. So I’m not seeing the worst than this?” Zoë let out another painful groan. “I’m not leaving her side.” “Fine…Inara I need you here beside me with the scissors, when the baby comes out I want to you quickly cut the umbilical cord.” “Ok.” Inara positioned behind Simon. Wash didn’t move from Zoë’s side nether did Mal. “Alright. Zoë on the next contraction I want you to push.” Zoë nodded her head. A few moments later Zoë had her next contraction, “On the count of three I want you to push. One…two…” Simon counted.

“Three” River whispered. You could hear Zoë’s screams from the bunk. Kaylee buried her head into the Shepherd’s chest. Jayne just took a step back. “You think Zoë’s going to be alright?” Kaylee looked up at Book. He gave her a warm smile, “Zoë is a very strong woman. I think she’s going to be fine.” They heard another scream from Zoë. “See that’s what happens.” Kaylee turned to Jayne, “What happens.” “When you kiss them on the mouth. They get all pregnant and stuff.” “Kissing don’t make babies Jayne.” “That’s what you think.” Jayne scuffed.

“I don’t think I can push anymore!” Zoë screamed. “Just a little more Zoë. The hard part is almost over.” Simon added. He was worried about the baby. The heart rate was dropping. “I can’t…just cut it out!” “Zoë. Look at me!” Mal barked. Zoë snapped to attention at looked at Mal. “Remember Lanzhou our first tour?” “Sir?” “Lanzhou, remember it was like 20 below, we were out of rations, out of ammo, and plain just out of luck. I had that troublesome bullet to the chest remember?” Zoë nodded her head. “I wanted to give up and die. But you wouldn’t let me. You wouldn’t let me give up. You promised that day that we were both going to get threw this war, but I couldn’t give up. You wouldn’t let me give up then, I sure as hell ain’t going to let you give up now. So I want you to push. You hear me?” “Yes.” “Doc on your count.” “Alright, on the count of three Zoë I want you to push real hard. One…two…three.”

Shepherd Book said a quite prayer to himself for Zoë and the baby. When he looked up he noticed that both Kaylee’s and Jayne’s heads where down. This was the first time that he had seen any of Serenity’s crew pray before. “Amen.” Kaylee and Jayne both looked up. Jayne almost looked embarrassed to be caught praying, it wasn’t manly enough for him. River got up and grabbed Book and Kaylee’s hand. “She’s here!” Wash poked his head from Mal’s bunk. “Hey you three want to come and meet our new crew members?” Book and Kaylee quickly climbed down the stairs. River and Jayne both lingered outside for a while. “She needs a hat.” “What?” Jayne turned to River. River climbed down the latter and Jayne followed her.

Wash was beaming from ear to ear when the rest of the crew came down the latter. He grabbed his camera. “Wash’s long October 6 2525 we have not one, not two, but three new additions to our crew slash family.” He pans over to the first baby. “Here we have…” He puts down the camera. “Honey, don’t you think its time to name our children.” Zoë was extremely tired, but she knew that she wouldn’t get any rest until their children where named. Wash held up the first baby boy so she could see him. “Ok, this is the eldest of Wash’s children and he shall be named…honey.” “Captain.” “Captain, Zo. Are you sure you want to name him Captain, he be called Cappy. We would have to put him in a little hat.” Wash made an ugly face. “No. After the Captain. I want to name him after Mal.” Wash turned to Mal who was still standing by Zoë. Mal looked down at Zoë. Wash put the baby back into the basket and turned the camera back on. “You shall be called my eldest of sons Malcolm Hoban Washburn.” “Hoban?” Jayne looked a bit puzzled. “Why would you want to name him that?” “Why would you want to name a boy Jayne?” “Jayne ain’t a boy!” “Wash get on with the naming.” Kaylee cried trying to keep the peace. “Oh yes the naming.” He turned the camera to the other boy. “I your father will name you…if it’s ok with your mother…Zoë is it ok if I name this one?” Zoë took a deep breath, “Don’t make me regret this husband.” Wash smiled. “I your father will name you my second born son, Gabriel Alleyene Washburn.” Simon perked up a bit when Wash named the other baby. He wanted to tell Wash that Gabriel wasn’t a good name. That it was the name of his father who had abandoned him and River. River took his hand before he spoke. “He’s not like him. He’ll be better.” Simon looked at his sister. This was the most lucid that he had seen her. “Honey, do I have your approval?” Zoë was shocked Wash had actually picked a name that she liked. “Yes.” “We have a yes. So, second born son.” He zoomed the camera in. “You will be named Gabriel Alleyene Washburn.” Wash panned the camera over to the little girl. Jayne was standing over the girl. “A pretty lady. Ah boo boo. Yes you are a pretty girl. Are ya. Yes you are. Ah boo boo.” Wash looked at him funny. “Jayne are you talking baby talk?” Jayne straighten up. “No.” He stormed out the room. “That was all sorts of creepifying. Mal why don’t you name your god daughter?” Mal looked at Zoë then at Wash. He thought a moment. The first name that came to mind was Serenity. But he figure it would be too much to have a ship and god daughter with the same name. He looked at Inara. “Amina.” “Amina?” Wash panned the camera over to his little girl. “Do you like that name?” “It’s Arabic for peace.” Inara added. “Yes Mal I know Arabic.” “Well then my lovely daughter you shall be named Amina, which is Arabic for peace.” Jayne came back into the bunk. “She needs one.” Jayne places his hat that his mother gave him on the girl. “She’ll grow into.” “I think I might cry.” Mal made sobbing noises. “That’s real sweet of you Jayne, giving little Amina your cap.” Kaylee kissed Jayne on the cheek. “Alright everyone, Zoë, Malcolm, Gabriel, and Amina all need their rest.” Simon shooed everyone out of the bunk. “I’ll be back to check on you guys later.” “Thank you for everything Simon.” Wash said.

“Wait.” Mal said making everyone freeze. “Where I am suppose to sleep?” Mal turned to Inara. “Certainly not in my shuttle.” “Please oh please. We can braid each other hair, have a pillow fight, tell ghost stories.” Mal said in his most famine sounding voice he could make. Grinning Jayne added. “Hell, can I come.” Mal and Inara at the same time said no. “Fine. I’ll be in my bunk.” Jayne headed down to his bunk. “Simon you did real good today. You have a gift.” Simon stood in shock. “I think that is the first nice thing that you have ever said to me.” “Well, you did a good job. Don’t go getting all big headed over it.” Mal extended his hand out to Simon. “Thank you Captain.”

hey, i know its a little cliche to add another baby, but i don't care. I like being a little cliche sometimes. Ummm I'm still haven't wrapped this sucker up yet. Hoped you enjoyed this little part. Wacky fun? Who knows...until next time. I'm out.