“Captain?” Kaylee stood by Mal’s elbow. “Can I speak to you?”

Mal put his coffee cup down. “What is it, little Kaylee?”

“We’ll be passing by Phoros, won’t we?”

“In a coupla hours, sure.”

“I’d like to go see my folks. Tell them about the baby.” Kaylee patted her only slightly rounded belly.

“Well, we can’t stop – we have deliveries to make on time, and the folks waiting don’t like tardiness,” Mal said, looking up at his mechanic.

“I wondered if Freya maybe could take me in the shuttle?” Kaylee asked hesitantly.

Freya, in the kitchen pouring herself a coffee, looked up in surprise.

“Well …” Mal considered.

“I don’t mind,” Freya said, coming to the table. “We can rendezvous later.”

“We’ve got a pretty tight schedule, but … okay,” Mal agreed. “I guess I can’t stop you if you want to go home. Just don’t be late getting back – something’s sure to need fixing before too long.”

Kaylee grinned. “Thanks, Cap’n.” She hurried out before he could change his mind.

Freya sat down, gazing at him contemplatively. He took another mouthful of coffee, waited a moment, then said, “What?”

“You big softie.”

“Maybe.” His lips twitched. “But I ain’t sure I could take Kaylee moping about the boat if I said no.” He nodded in the direction she had gone. “It’s bad enough her being cheerful all the time: weepy and hormonal would be so much worse.” He smiled. “You okay with taking her?”

“No problem. Have you ever met her family?”

“Nope. Never came up before.”

“I wonder what they’re like?”

“Average working people, I suspect. Just a fluke they got one like Kaylee.”

“Damn lucky for you,” Freya pointed out.

“Yeah – she keeps Serenity flying.”

---

Kaylee sat in the co-pilot’s chair as Freya brought the shuttle into atmo. “Where do you want me to land?”

“Docks will be fine. I sent a wave to let them know I’d be coming, so someone will be waiting for me.”

“You worried about what they might say?”

“Some,” Kaylee admitted. “But I am a grown woman, and I can m