Mal took a deep breath like he has accomplished a great feat. “Alrighty, I think we all are due some sleep.” Mal turned to Inara. “I guess since there will be no sleepovers tonight, I’ll sleep on the bridge. Good night all.” Mal headed towards the bridge, “They’re all ready taken over my ship and their only what 3 hours old.” He yelled to the rest of the crew. Inara laughed a bit, “Good night all.” She hugged Simon. “You were wonderful today. You really were.” She kissed him on the cheek before heading towards her shuttle. “You did good, son.” Book patted Simon on the back. “Good night Kaylee, River…Simon.” “Night Shepherd.” Kaylee belted out. “I guess I should get to sleep…” Mal came back to the hallway where Simon, River, and Kaylee where standing, “Kaylee you ever find that part?” “What part sir?” “The degrlithingerbobby?” Kaylee looked puzzled she had forgotten her own lie. “Huh?” “The dagrelizer, Kaylee.” Simon gave Kaylee a look. “Oh…the dagrelizer. Yeah Cap’n everything shiny. I got that dagrelizer all hook up. Its up and rearing to go.” Kaylee could barely hold back the laugh. “Shiny.” Mal didn’t get the joke and wasn’t sure if he wanted to. Simon had to leave or he would have fallen out in laughter. “Good night Kaylee…Captain.” He and River headed towards their bunks. “We got ourselves a real shiny crew huh Cap’n?” Kaylee bounced a bit when she spoke. “We do that lil Kaylee. Now get to bed, it’s late.” “Yes Sir Cap’n God Father sir.” She saluted Mal before she climbed down her bunk. Mal chuckled and went back to the bridge.

Zoë was fast asleep she had a very busy day. Wash couldn’t sleep even if you paid him to. He was too excited he had three perfect little babies.

“Wash’s log its late and everyone has gone to sleep. I want to tell you three about all those big people who were in here a little while ago. They’re family. Not by blood but by…” Wash laughed a bit.

“String…they’re family by string. You’ll understand when ya’ll are older. Now you may hear a lot of yelling and naughty words mostly coming from God Daddy, but deep, deep, deep down he’s a good man. God Daddy and your Mommy fought in the war together. Fought on the side of the Independents. Browncoats.”

Wash touched little Mal’s foot. “I’ll let God Daddy tell you those stories. But what’s important is that he loves you and he’ll do anything for you. Might complain about it, but he’ll do it.” He went to the next sleeping baby Gabriel. “Now we live on a space ship in outer space. I fly the ship, God Daddy tries to captain the ship, and Kaylee she keeps her running. Kaylee that’s the real happy girl. She’s the one who is going to spoil you three rotten. Kaylee made up of nothing but engines and sunshine. Has the biggest heart of anyone I know. The pretty lady you meet when you came out that’s Inara. She brings some respectability to our ship. She’s a companion. What’s a companion? Not until you’re much older well I answer that. Let’s just say Inara has a lot of friends. Now that big scary burly man ape that’s the hero of Canton a man called Jayne.” Wash fiddled with the large hat that Jayne had given Amina. “Now if you ever need a hired gun ask Jayne, but if you need help with school work or tying your shoe Jayne is not your man. Your stuffy doctor is Simon. Simon is a good doc top three present of his class. He’s a bit tight around the collar, but he’s always fun for a laugh. Doc got a sister, she’s a bit crazy, but a good crazy…well it was that one time when she took a knife to Jayne…ah wacky fun. I have to tell you guys that later. Then there is the kindly old fellow with the silver hair. That’s Book. He’s the shepherd. Finally there is the most beautiful woman in the whole verse your Mommy Zoë. Mommy loved you’d guys since the day she found out she was having you. She couldn’t wait to meet all of you. She even drove the whole crew crazy, cause she was aching to meet ya’ll.” Wash turned the camera on sleeping Zoë. “See I told you, your Mommy was beautiful. She even beautiful when she sleeps…” “Wash.” “Yes, dear.” “Turn that gorram capture off and go to sleep.” Wash turned the camera back on himself. “Mommy gets a little crotchy when she doesn’t have her rest. But she loves Daddy very much and Daddy loves her. And we love you.” He turned off the camera and kissed each baby on the head.

Simon was in the infirmary preparing a sedative to help River sleep for the night. Simon thought about how angry he was with his father. What type of man would turn over his 14 year old daughter to sadist and leave her there. His mother was no different. She was naïve and powerless over his father. All she cared about was appearances. Simon wondered what his mother told the neighbors about his and River’s fugitive status. He got a kick out of how they might get out of that one.

River watched her brother fix her sedative; she didn’t need one at least not tonight. She was already tired. There was too much excitement. River looked around the infirmary this was her least favorite room on Serenity. It reminded her too much of that place. River wouldn’t let her mind go there. She thought about the babies and how much fun they would be. Gabriel was already River’s favorite. He reminded her of her brother. He would be strong and brave like Simon. He would be willing to give up everything for the ones he loved most, like Simon. Little Gabriel would help make Simon see. He would make Simon see what she saw. He would make Simon see what Kaylee sees. He would make him see what time of man he was.

Book was in his cabin thinking about the day’s events. There were times that he questioned his purpose on this ship. He wasn’t on Serenity a day before he beat a law man and stood by and watched another man kill him. He thought that maybe he did get on the wrong ship. These people where criminals they lead the type of life he left behind when he came to God. It wasn’t until today that Book knew that he was on the right ship. It took the birth of three little babies for Book to know his purpose in life was here on Serenity.

Jayne plopped down on his bed. He picked his teeth with his knife. He didn’t take to the idea of having babies on board. He thought that it would make the crew soft. Soft people don’t make good coin Jayne thought. They would cause trouble. It wasn’t until he saw them, that he changed his mind. Jayne thought it would be fun to teach them all the things their parents wouldn’t teach them. Like how to swear, spit, to cheat in a card game, especially how to be bad guys. Jayne would teach the boys that. But the girl, that was a whole different subject. He thought about his sister and how growing up he would beat up all the other boys for looking at her wrong. He would do that for Amina. Protect her from men like him.

Inara sat in front of her vid screen looking at prospective clients. None of them really interested her and she didn’t know when she was to arrive at the destination. Inara cut the screen off and picked up a book to read, but she wasn’t really in the mood for that either. Inara thought about her childhood back on Sihnon. She thought about how she was thrown into the role of Companion by her mother and the High Priestess. Inara laughed a bit to herself. Everyone always assumed that she came from wealth, the best of the best, but that wasn’t true. She grew up poor. He mother was the house maid at the training house. Her mother was a hard worker always wanting more for her child. Her mother would spend her whole paycheck buying Inara the finer things in life. It was the High Priestess who spotted Inara when she was five. The High Priestess said that Inara had an undeniable beauty and grace that most 5 year olds don’t posses and most women. Inara didn’t want to become a Companion she was happy with her life, but she didn’t have a choice. Choice and freedom was just a couple of reasons why Inara decided to leave the training house. They were the reason why she decided to rent from Malcolm Reynolds man had a funny notion about freedom that she admired. They were also the reasons why she would stay. If they only knew her that she was just a girl playing dress up.

Kaylee was in the kitchen tying to round up some food for Simon. She figured he would be hungry by now. Kaylee stared at the water boiling. She thought about her family, but mostly about her father. The last time she saw her Daddy he told her she shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving. She had to find her own path in life. He father had walked her to Serenity the day she left. He had a look of sadness on his face that Kaylee had never seen before. He told her he wished that he was going and not her. It was always his dream to be able to fly on a ship like this. He gave her the best advice a father could give a daughter. He told her that you can patch up, re wire things on a boat till doomsday, but that won’t keep her flying. Love was the only thing that could really keep a ship flying. Kaylee was never sure if her father was talking about her or the ship, but it didn’t matter. Her father was the reason why Kaylee kept Serenity up the way she did. Kaylee wanted him to be proud of her.

Mal shifted around the pilot’s chair to try and find a comfortable spot. Ahh he thought to himself the sweat spot. Now Mal knew why Wash was always asleep. He gazed out the window. They were still planet side. Mal figured he give the crew another day or so to ogle over the babies then they had to leave. Mal knew that Zoë would be a good mother. She had taken care of him all these years after all. Wash could fly this ship, Kaylee kept her together, but Zoë was the reason for the ship. He had lost everything that day, everything but her and his gun. She pulled him out of the dark made him realize that there is more to life. So he bought Serenity as sort of a compromise a way of living life but never forgetting. He thought about the three little critters that slept in his bunk. A huge sense of worry came over him. He worried about how he was going to feed them. He worried about how to protect them. Most of all he worried about how he didn’t want to loose them or their mother.

Yeah hope whoever reads this is having as much fun reading it as I'm having writing it. It helps me get my firefly fix seeing how my dvd are getting scratched from all the viewing...they've had a hard life.