Simon watched the blood flow out of Billy's body, the wound over his tiny heart spewing what little blood he had in him over the priest. Brother Alphaeus groaned and moved a little, head sore after hitting the adobe wall. The Fed, the same fed that had gunned Simon down on Persephone, stood there, trigger happy as ever. Simon fell to his knees, his ability to do anything other than stare at the body of his newborn son. Then, that grief was swallowed by anger. Then, rage. Then...Simon felt nothing, nothing at all. He was as empty as a hollowed out shell. And then... and then, Simon felt very, very cold. *** 72 HOURS EARLIER Kaylee lay on the chair in the infirmary, screaming as pain ripped through her body. A phantom labor, the second this week. Simon already knew that she wasn't giving birth now, he just wanted to stop her pain. Kaylee gripped the bar that was a part of the chair. Simon had learned the first time to not let Kaylee get a hold of your hand when she went through contractions, if you valued the further use of your hand! Simon gently pressed the needle into her skin, and it put a light sedative into her, stopping the contractions. Stopping her pain. They were on their way to Paquin, where they had contracted with a local Church, the Church of the Apostoles, to deliver Kaylee's child. Kaylee and Simon's child. As it was, they all agreed that Simon shouldn't deliver his own child unless absolutely necessary. And, luckily, this place was cheep, and was experienced at the birthing aspect of sex. Not the other part, though (They had convienlently forgotten to say that Kaylee and Simon weren't married yet, per se) Simon looked up at the tiny patter of his sister's feet. River came in, and went up to Kaylee. Without a word, she placed her head on Kaylee's bulging stomach. She closed her eyes, and just listened... After almost five minutes, she looked up, and turned to Simon. "He's afraid. Its dark in there. Wants to come out, but it isn't time, not yet. He wants to come out, wants to see the light." Simon gaped at her for a moment, then turned to Kaylee, who was looking at River, woozily (but smiling, always smiling). "Did, uh, did she just...say...he? As in a-a-a boy!" Kaylee beamed at him. "Yup!" They had all long since stopped disbeliebing River, who was, afterall, the resident psychic and genius. "Oh, Simon...wait, what're we gonna name him? I ain't even thought on it for more'n a mo'-" "Billy." Simon turned to River. "What was that, mei-mei?" River turned to him, and there were tears in her eyes. "Billy. William Damian Tam. That is his name." "You want to name our little boy after-" River backed away, and the tears were falling from her eyes now. "I didn't chose it! Its his choice, its his name! I didn't chose it, he did!" Kaylee looked at Simon. "Yeah...that name sounds good ta me. Billy... what was the middle 'un again?" Simon leaned toward her. "Damian." She smiled, head falling back to the pillow that Simon had lain under it. "Damian...yeah, thats a good'un. I like it." Simon smiled at her. "Then William Damian Tam it is." But she was already asleep. He turned, and River was gone too. He smiled sadly, looking at Kaylees belly. "Billy..." The name fell from his lips like a prayer. *** Several hours later, they all were eating dinner. Actually, they all had ate dinner, except for Kaylee and Jayne, who were still eating. At least Kaylee had a good reason! Kaylee looked at him, as his awful table manners once again catapulted reprocessed protien mush almost to her plate, which was still half full. Finally, she had had enough. Simon saw her tense, sitting next to her as he was. "Honest, Jayne, do ya have ta eat like that? You got the manners of a hog!" The brute didn't even look up. "Yeah? Well, at least I ain't got a belly what looks like a baloon about to burst." The fork that Kaylee had been using fell back onto her palte with a clang, and tears welled in her eyes. She quickly got off and went in the direction of her room. Jayne still didn't look up. Inara went after Kaylee. Both Mal and Simon stood up. Mal said, "Jayne, you best-" Simon heldf up his hand. "Wait, Mal. I'll handle this." Mal looked at him all wierd like, then closed his mouth and sat back down. Simon turned to Jayne, who was continuing to stuff himself. "Jayne, you stupid son of a whore, yoy come with me. We have some buisness to attend to. At that, Jayne stood up. Ain't nobody gonna be insultin' his Ma! He followed Simon out into the corridor. No sooner had they got out, then Simon turned right 'round and popped Jayne on the jaw. Then, came two more punches, a knee to the groin, and an elbow to the throat. Jayne went down like a lead weight, and sounded like one when he fell, too. Mal stuck his head out into the hallway. He looked from Simon, to Jayne, and back to Simon. "Uhhh..." Simon put on his most innocent face. "He tripped." Mal started to laugh. *** The next two days brought them uneventfully to Paquin. No one noticed the ship that hung close by, a few miles out from Serenity. The church was located in a desert, go figure. Kaylee was spireted away to the inner sanctum, the birthing room, along with everyone else from the ship. Except for Simon, cuz a some crazy tradition that says that the father can not witness the birthing. So, Simon was left outside with naught but a stool, an awning for the sun, and a bottle of warm water. ALWAYS gotta be a gorram desert! Finding himself not content to wait around on a stool, Simon paced around, taking sparing sips from his water. So thats how he waited. And waited. And waited. Mind numbing hours of sheer boredom, punctuated by visits from the crew and crys from Kaylee as she went into labor. Months ago, Simon had predicted a birth date, and he was only off by a few hours. Inara, meanwhile, was busy trying to comfort her pained in friend. And, Simon had convienently forgotten to mention Kaylee's vice'like grip. So, while comforting her frriend, she started to pray silently for a bucket of ice, and a good way to get back at Simon. Hwoon danh. That thought earned her a mild punch from River, but the girl was a mite busy riding out the waves of pain that emanated from Kaylee. After a few hours of this routine, along with the rest of the crew alternately helping out with the birth or doing nothing at all, the baby was finally delivered. The wet nurse there cried out, "PUSH!!! PUSH!!!! PUSH!!!!" Inara grimaced as Kaylee gripped her hand all the tighter. "Yes, mei-mei. This is a moment in time, step by and let it pass." And, for the sake of God, Buddha, and Zues, let go of my gorram hand!!!!!! Inara breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the wail of the newborn. Kaylee was let to to hold the baby. Under her breath, she whispered, "Billy. William Damian Tam." River looked up, her brow sweaty. "Damian. Tame." Then, she feinted. As the priests rushed over to see what was wrong, another priest took the child from Kaylee, saying that he would let the father hold him for a little. Inara felt the shot that ripped through the child, not a few seconds later. With her very hearty, soul, and mind. *** "Simon Tam, you are bound by law. Stand down." The fed held the gun to Simon's head. Simon hadn't heard the Hwoon danh sneak up on him, procupied with hearing his fiancee wail in pain. Simon held up his hands wearily. Federal Agent Jamus Smith. Figures. From what Simon had seen of his face, it was the same guy what had shot him seven times on Persephone. Figures. "You are to come with me for interrogation. If you resist-" The poor fool of a priest came out, saying, "Praise the Lord, for today we are blessed with a healthy baby boy, William-" The fed quickly turned and shot at him, him being so trigger happy and all. But the shot never reached the priest. It entered into the frail body of his wailing son. It silenced his tiny crys. Forever. SImon fell to his knees, looking at the broken body of his son, a life not ten minutes to the world. The bullet had killed him instantly. The shot sent Brother Alphaeus rocketing back into the adobe wall. *** The fed watched Simon, not liking where this was going. The instructer had always said that he was too excited. And, now, his mission was in ruins. He was supposed to have taken Simon back to the local fed station, quick and quiet. Well, that was all down the tubes. He turned his gun on Simon, intending to shoot him and be done with it. But his eyes...his eyes stopped Jamus. The emptyness, the hollow gaze. And then, the all consuming rage that filled his look. Jamus had seen that look in only one other set of eyes before. Those same eyes had been the ones that had murdered his parents in cold blood. Woulda killed him, too, if the lawman hadn't shot him when he saw it. Jamus couldn't bring himself to think of it as a man, even after all this time. Reaver, the lawman had called it. Reaver... The gun fell out of his nerveless grasp, and for the first time, he ran away from his fears. *** Simon felt the ice enter his veins. He was cold now, the cold like he was in on Ariel. So cold... Through his madness, he still had enough sanity to direct his rage. At the lawman what was now running away, gun lying useless by the way. Simon didn't even bother to look at it. He just started to run. Jamus was fast. But no man can outrun the specter of death. Simon brought him down like a lion brings down a gazelle. Simon didn't know how he got on top of him, or when he had started punching the man in the face. All he knew was that he must hurt this man, must kill this man whom had taken away his only son. This man who he didn't even know by name. But it drove him to punch this man. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again... Time had no meaning; he kept hitting the man in the face long after he had made him into a corpse. He only stopped when he could no longer lift his arms. Then, he leaned over him, and started to cry. Wet tears rolled down Simon's face, falling down, mixing and mingling with the mans blood until they became one and the same. He heard someone behind him, he turned, ready to do what he must. Kaylee was there, tears running down her beautiful face. "Simon? Simon?" The ice melted in his veins, and the rage that had engulfed him so easily was now replaced by grief. Mind-numbing grief. Shakily, he got up and held Kaylee. For a long, long while, they just stood there, weeping away their sorrows, cursing the world that would take away their child so soon. Eventually, River came over. She offered no words of comfort, she just stood there, tears marking her face. Then, she, too, embraced her brother and soon-to-be sister. Bound by blood, torn apart by greed, brought together by love, the three of them just stood there, embracing each other, and weeping over the loss of their newest life and love. END... Should I post an epilouge? Ya'll tell me!