Set right after the end of Serenity.

Simon guided Kaylee down onto the floor of the ship. Ever the gentleman, he positioned himself next to her on the floor as opposed to over her. Kaylee had to work to not smile about the whole situation. After far too long pining after one another, an impassioned encounter on the grated floor of Serenity's lower deck was not what Kaylee had hoped for. However, this thought was banished from her mind when his hand came to her hip. His fingers gently grazed the skin where her shirt did not quite meet her coveralls, teasing the nerves there. Kaylee had to pull away from Simon's lips and gasp for air at the touch. Simon continued to focus his attentions on Kaylee's neck and jaw. Looking up, intent on thanking any gods that she had ever head of, Kaylee spotted River. Pulling back from Simon slightly at the shock of seeing the girl in the ceiling she exclaimed, "River!".

"Oh God, River!" Simon exclaimed, forcibly shoving Kaylee back and leaping up. It had taken him a second to pull himself from out of Kaylee's neck to see her, but once he had seen his sister's visage peering down at him from the hole in the ceiling, his reaction was a violent one. He crossed his arms across his chest in discomfort, looking up. "River, you can't do that. You can't just...spy on people like that."

"I'm sorry Simon," River began, "I, I wanted to see you happy. "

Simon looked down, ashamed at his anger towards his sister. She was better, and so he kept forgetting she was still different. She would never gain control over the emotional part of her brain again, it was too damaged. "It's alright River. Just go help the Captain and try to remember that people don't like being watched." River disappeared. No noise was made as she left the same way she came, through the ceiling. Looking around for his discarded shirt, Simon started to speak to Kaylee.

"I'm…I'm sorry about that. "

"Oh, it's River. You two've been on this boat long enough for me to expect her to be wiggledy." Kaylee smiled as she moved closer to Simon again. He stepped back from her.

"No, I mean yes, I'm sorry about River. But no, I'm sorry about, well, about, how I just treated you." Kaylee looked at him as though he had grown a new nose. "I just mean that, well, I just…I just though I would court you or…or behave in a manner better fitting my propriety."

"Your…propriety?"

"Yes…I just mean that—"

"That you're too good to make out with a mechanic on the floor of a ship?"

"Yes. I mean…no. Not that its you! Its just—"

"You know? Fine." Kaylee turned to leave the room. As she left she shouted, "just let me know when you figure out what it "just is"!" Kaylee made it out of the room just in time for him to not see or hear her tears. After all this time she thought it was over. She thought that Simon was done tripping over his words and was finally going to be able to act like he cared about her. After what he said when they were being attacked and all.

Simon started to follow Kaylee, but remember he was still without shirt. Fetching it he pulled it back on. Silently he cursed that he ever chose to remove the garment. It wasn't that he was hot. No, the shirt had just gotten in the way while he was trying to reattach the paneling in the ceiling. If he hadn't worn such a binding shirt that day, or if he had just left it on, maybe, maybe he wouldn't have made such a …boob…of himself. Simon sat down and rubbed his hands over his face. Oh, he cared about Kaylee. He even dared to say that he loved her, but having never been in love before he wasn't sure if he was ready to use the word yet. Why was it such an issue that he wanted to treat her better. He was raised to believe that a lady should be courted and spoiled by the man whose eye she has caught. All he wanted to do was spoil Kaylee, let her know how much she meant to him. With another sigh he stood back up and started back on his work, dejected.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW