Disclaimer: I do not own Firefly and I am not making money from this.

Author's Note: This is set shortly after the movie and assumes that Inara has come back, at least for awhile.

Dedication: To ladykreanna: this is all your fault.


Truths and roses have thorns about them. Henry David Thoreau

There is no gathering the rose without being pricked by the thorns. Bidpai

1

It was just this side of nowhere, Simon decided. A small planet just outside the border planets zone, still far enough out of the way to feel that false sense of security. He tried to shake it off, but it was becoming harder, which made him all the more aware that he needed to stay alert.

Here, on the surface, they were in the middle of nowhere, on the far side of the Attune from the most populated areas, in the middle of the plains, where few colonists had bothered to venture. And why not, after all? The other side of the planet was lusher, greener, with a more amiable climate that allowed for growing a larger variety of food plants for longer. From the images Simon had seen, it was prettier, too, with towering mountain ranges incised with clear, fast-flowing rivers that poured down from the bases of blue-white glaciers. The beaches along the coast had fine white sand and, in many places, their transluscent turquoise waters were warm enough to swim in year round.

Out here, where the wind blew constantly, rippling across the tall prairie grasses, where summer was baking and winter so cold it could burn your lungs, were people who wanted the challenge of survival, to make their own way, or to escape. Escape civilization, escape expectations, escape the law. Perhaps all three.

They were out here to escape the law, of course, although Simon suspected Attune's local government probably turned a blind eye to smuggling in the wilderness. They were far enough from the central planets that they probably relied on smuggled goods themselves, even in the more densely populated areas.

He wished he could have seen those areas. Inara was over there right now, taking a few days for work, but Simon wondered if she was visiting the Companion's temple, too. The thought of that intrigued him somehow – the fact that there was a temple all the way out here, with its own small hospital. A touch of civilization so far from the reach of the central planets. He would have given a lot to visit that hospital, to be inside a medical center again, but not covertly, not trying to steal the use of the equipment to help his sister.

River, who was now well enough to travel, did. She had gone with Malcolm, Zoe, and Jayne to the rendezvous point. Simon still worried, but she insisted, and Malcolm pointed out she had natural piloting abilities. Of course, she had natural everything abilities, but she enjoyed being in control of a ship, a vehicle, anything that would respond to her commands by taking her somewhere. It was a good opportunity to practice, Zoe had pointed out, and River had overruled any of his objections by just stating that she was going.

It was just him and Kaylee on the ship, a prospect that would have appealed had the mechanic not had so much work to do. Left to his own devices, Simon had done what work needed to be finished in the infirmary, then wandered down the open cargo hatch, gazing out over the endless prairie. The sky was so clear, so vivid and so close he felt as if he could touch it, and at the same time, be swallowed in its immensity. The breeze was cool, fresh, and persistent, chasing over the grasses that bent below it, hissing in and out between the blades. Here and there, there were patches of more barren ground, with scraggly grass that hugged the soil.

A flash of colour caught his eye and he stepped off the plank onto the ground, the soil giving way slightly to accommodate his weight. Everytime he steppped down planet-side, he noticed that, the shift from metal flooring to living, breathing soil. He never would have noticed that back home, where he could walk on the grass whenever he wanted to, and never had. Now, it was precious.

The colour that had caught him was a dusty dark pink, a rose bush growing impropably in on the more barren patches of ground. Simon looked around and caught sight of a few more bushes scattered here and there, always where the grass was short and patchy. The flowers were almost in full bloom, adding a raindrop of colour to a landscape that was shades of brown and gold.

He grinned and hurried back inside, finding a pair of scissors in the mess, then hurrying back out again. He cut an easy path through the higher grass to the rose bush, then crouched down, examining it carefully for a moment. A honeybee buzzed on one of the blossoms, undisturbed by Simon's abrupt appearance.

The doctor began to cut some of the flowers off, his movements as careful and delicate as they were during surgery. He caught himself several times on the thorns, wincing each time. Despite his care, it was impossible not to get scratched, and he paused at one point to push up his sleeves to prevent the thorns from snagging his clothing. In this dry environment, it was no surprise the bush had such strong natural defenses. It would discourage any browsing animal from eating it.

When he'd collected enough, Simon picked up his bouquet carefully and headed back into the ship. He returned the scissors to their drawer and headed to the engine room to find Kaylee shoulder deep in engine parts, her arms and face smeared with grease, and her dark golden hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, wisps of it falling across her cheeks.

She heard his footsteps and looked up, flashing him one of her honest, brilliant smiles. Then she noticed the flowers in his arms.

"Ooh, roses!" Kaylee cried, her face lighting up even more. She wiped her hands on her pants and leaned forward to smell them. "Delicious!"

"Careful, they're thorny," Simon said, smiling back at her. She straightened up and kissed him.

"I don't wanna touch them, all greasy like this," she said, holding up her hands for him to see. Simon chuckled, shaking his head.

"Why don't I put them in water for you?" he asked. "I can put them in your bunk, too."

"Only if I find you down there with them," she replied, grinning again and winking at him.

Simon leaned down to kiss her again.

"You have a deal," he replied.

"I won't be long," Kaylee said. "Give me fifteen minutes."

"Take your time," he replied. "I can wait."

"Bet you can't!" she laughed back, pulling him into another kiss. "But we'll see."

Simon shook his head, smiling, and left her to her work, heading back to the kitchen. He rummaged for something to put the flowers in and came up with a tall glass, which was the closest they had to a vase. He peeled back some of the leaves carefully, trying to avoid the thorns, then arranged the flowers and added some water. After cleaning away the refuse, he washed his hands, then paused, looking around for a towel.

He glanced down at his hands, feeling a stiffness creep into his fingers. Simon flexed his fingers carefully and turned hands over, looking at his palms. They were oddly pale, and his eyes widened when he realized that his extremities were going numb. Leaving the roses where they were, he hurried from the mess down to the infirmary. He tried to grasp the hand of a supply drawer to pull it open, but his fingers wouldn't obey his commands. He felt the numbness flash up his arms and up through his feet into his legs. The room blurred and he tried to force it back into focus. He felt cold, as if he had stepped out into wintery air without any clothing, the feeling coming from deep inside and spreading outward. Simon tried to reach out, to grasp the side of the medical bed, to get his footing, anything, but he could not. He felt himself falling, the room fading into blackness, and heard the clatter as his head connected with a small table holding some of his instruments. They fell around him like hard rain, but he could not move to protect himself.


Kaylee looked up when she heard the clattering of something falling in the distance. She brushed an errant hair from her face, unknowingly leaving a streak of grease across her skin, and frowned.

"Simon?" she called. When there was no answer, she put down her tools and started walking toward the mess. "Simon?"

The eerie silence that greeted her in return made her move fast. Kaylee hurried into the mess. It was empty, her roses sitting nicely in a glass full of water.

"Simon!" she cried, turning around and hurrying out again. The infirmary wasn't far, and she couldn't imagine where else he'd have gone. She clattered down the stairs and skidded inside, then let out a startled cry when she saw him on the floor, blank eyes staring up at the ceiling, medical instruments strewn all around him.

"Oh my god, Simon!" she cried, stepping over his equipment and crouching down, touching his cheeks, his throat, feeling the jump-jump of a pulse beneath his skin.

"Oh my god," she breathed again, tears streaking her cheeks. Simon was still breathing, but when Kaylee put her ear to his lips, she heard his breath coming in shallow spurts. Without thinking, she kicked his instruments aside and crouched behind him, trying to haul him up. The dead weight was too much, he wasn't moving, wasn't helping her, maybe couldn't. Kaylee grunted, letting Simon sag to the floor again. She grabbed the pillow of the med bed and tucked it under his head.

"Don't you move," she said, her voice catching through her tears. "I'm gonna go raise the cap'n and get him back here. We'll get you help."

For a moment, she realized she was waiting for him to nod or agree, but even his eyes didn't flicker toward her. Swallowing a sob, Kaylee sprinted from the infirmary, heading toward the cockpit.