There were rules aboard his boat. Rules that had to be obeyed. And one of the biggies was no four-legged critters allowed, unless they were destined for the dinner table. And they had better leave smallish droppings.

Mal had managed to hold the line on that with Kaylee, despite the seemingly endless parade of sad-eyed kittens and puppies and one thing that he couldn't quite identify she'd try and wheedle him into taking on board at every single port. They were lost, or abandoned or some other such thing.

But he'd cross his arms, put on his best Stern Captain-y Face, and the piteous creature would have to find a home elsewhere. It was the way it had always been.

Until now.

Until a rather bedraggled looking kitten in a cage was held up for his inspection, followed by the two words he could not possibly resist:

"Please, Daddy?"

Mal looked deep into those blue eyes exactly like his, except set in a face that was a miniature of Inara's, and knew he was humped. He'd managed to fight off the Alliance for six weeks at Serenity Valley, but couldn't hold the line against one six-year-old child.

Girl most definitely got it from her mama.

"Carly-girl, you know the rules. No kitties. Or puppies. Or lizardy things."

Her eyes started to well up. "But Miko has no home! She'll have nobody to take care of her if we don't take her in. We just gotta make her family!"

She'd gone and named the poor creature already. And Kaylee had clearly taught her to play the 'family' card.

Yep, he was humped. And judging by the way Kaylee was stifling her giggles, it appeared his daughter had back-up.

He looked pleadingly at Zoe.

In response, Zoe stuck a forefinger inside the cage and scratched the kitten's head.

"Sir, it is your daughter's birthday..."

"Not you too, Zoe? One little scrap of dirty fluff and all the females on my boat go addlepated."

"Please, Daddy?," Carly begged. "I won't ask for anything else for my birthday, I promise!"

In truth, he knew that Carly never asked for much for her b