A/N: Well this fandom has been a long time coming. I've had man friends trying to encourage me over the years to watch Firefly, and I just hadn't gotten around to it. Well, I was sick this weekend, feeling pretty lousy, but couldn't just curl up and sleep, so I went to Netflix. Guess what was there? Firefly. Well. I was doomed about 10 minutes into it. I just wanted to do a bit of a character study to get started. this is my first Firefly story, so if anything is off, let me know!

Somethin' Good in Everything

He had always wanted - expected - many things from his life. Why shouldn't he? He'd come from an influential family on an influential planet and had been bred into that status. He was naturally intelligent, it was true, but he had received the best education that money could buy and more encouragement than most.

Just not when it mattered.

Simon had never pictured himself traveling to the Outer Rim. He hadn't made it a habit of leaving Osiris until his sister had disappeared, but he had known, known, that those letters had been a cry for help. For all of their encouragement, for all of their support, it had faltered when their children had needed it most.

It was strange to think at times what might have happened if he hadn't acted alone. If his father and mother had taken a closer look at the small clues handed to them. If they had known their children a little better as who they were, not simply who they were meant to be. If Gabriel Tam had listened to his son's earnest pleas for his sister's safety.

But they hadn't, and Simon had acted alone. Well, with bought help, at any rate.

Looking back he wondered if that was part of the reason it had taken him so long to warm to the crew of the Serenity. They had been so different, made up of thieves, smugglers, and former Independent soldiers. He'd barely been able to stomach it when he'd boarded, but no one would look for him there.

Even after he'd accepted the position as ship's doctor he had kept everyone at arm's length. He'd told himself that he needed to focus on his sister. She needed him more than he needed to be liked, or to even give himself half the chance to like them. To trust them. After all, he'd seen what happened when he looked to others for anything.

Now, as he lay curled up so closely with a woman that he never would have met if he had stayed on Osiris with his safe job in his safe home, he thought he was coming to terms with the idea that perhaps the cost was not so high after all. They were all a little crazy, but maybe that's what he and River needed in times such as these. After all, it had been what he had known that had betrayed him.

Kaylee shifted against him, blinking her pretty eyes open and smiling. "Hiya."

"Hi," Simon breathed, as if still amazed that it was not a dream.

"Whatcha thinkin' so hard about?"

Her smile was contagious and he could feel a goofy grin spread across his face and she laughed at him. It faded after a moment as the thoughts filtered back in. "You," he murmured, "and them and life."

"Heavy thoughts so early in the mornin'."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead, the chuckle escalating to a laugh when he saw her eyes crossed and trying to look up at him. "I was thinking that, even though I hate them for what they did to my sister, the Alliance has done one one thing right."

Kaylee gave him a look that clearly said that she thought maybe he'd gone a little crazy.

"I'm here on Serenity. I never would have been otherwise."

The mechanic's broad smile returned. "Somethin' good in everything," she murmured, nestling back into his arms.

"I think you may be right," Simon answered quietly as he settled in, more than willing to spend the couple of hours that they had before they were meant to be up with her. After all, the next day was bound to bring about the next big adventure.