TITLE: "CLOUDS"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: Simon/Kaylee.

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: Sequel to "BLESSINGS".

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed.

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

WEBSITE: None. All Firefly stories archived at Fireflyfans.net

SUMMARY: "Things had been good for so long now the Captain

knew it could not last. Yet how was he to interpret River's warning?"

The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Firefly'

are the property and gift of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

No infringement of copyright is intended.

"CLOUDS"

"Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

Leaving Carousel had been hard, not just for Kaylee but for all of Serenity's crew. The Fryes were the kind of people you wanted to hold on to and never let go. The Captain had spun things out as long as he could but after a month they needed to get back into the Black. Not that he thought River and Simon were in any danger of being discovered by the Alliance on Carousel but they needed to find work, keep flying. It was a tearful but happy parting with promises made on both sides to keep in touch and not to leave it so long until their next visit.

Once in the Black a kind of subdued silence engulfed the crew, broken only by the twins exercising their newly formed lungs and running their parents' ragged. River was amused and went to check on them, not stopping long enough to get in the way before gravitating back to the bridge where the Captain sat going through their options. On the screen Monty was shaking his head, he hadn't heard of any work going either. Things were getting tighter every day with the paying jobs being closer to the Core worlds, a fact the Captain was not wanting to explore. It was frustrating that in the months running up to the twins' birth work had been plentiful, a glut even. Now that unusual period of plenty was gone and what passed for Reali