This idea came to me from the dismissive way Gabriel Tam talked to River when she asked him for whatever new technology Simon was getting. Also, please do review-it helps me get better as a writer and if there's something you don't like, I'd like to know about it. Or if there's something you do like. That's nice too.
Disclaimer: I don't own Firefly.
The Tams
Simon couldn't remember how young he'd been when he'd eavesdropped on that whispered dialogue between his parents. Obviously, it had to have been long enough after River's birth for his parents to grow sufficiently disconcerted with her. Regardless of the chronology, Simon recalled the conversation quite well, heard by the ears of an incredulous little boy from behind the kitchen door.
"What do we do with her? She's...she's a freak, Gabriel!"
"Regan!"
"Don't pretend you don't think the same."
"She's gifted."
"She knows things! Things she shouldn't! Things that are...they're in my head!" Regan shuddered. "She knows what I think about her."
"Then she's perceptive, Regan. Don't be ridiculous."
"She's three. How can she know what I'm feeling?" Oh. So that's how long it had been.
"Both of our children have been unquestionably intelligent from a young age-"
"No. No. Simon is a normal boy-he's intelligent, of course, but normal. He excels in academics and that's as far as he goes, thank goodness. Her, on the other hand...Please Gabriel. Don't defend her. She's unnatural. I just don't understand why this happened to me..."
"To you? You think this is all about you? This happened to the whole family. However unnatural or freakish, we all have to deal with it. And frankly, Simon is doing the best job, young as he is."
"Yes, but he doesn't have to worry about what the rest of the world thinks. He got a friend out of it. We have an embarrassment. An unsettling one."
"What do you want me to do about it, Regan? Everyone knows her as our daughter. We can't just...get rid of her."
"I don't know what to do. But for the record, I never wanted her. I never wanted another child. Simon is just perfect. He's all I-"
"Yes, alright. It was my fault for thinking his sibling would be just as perfect. Blame me if you want. But he'll go places, Regan. He'll do well. Maybe that's enough to alleviate some of the consequences of having...her."
"Simon." Simon stifled a gasp as a tiny hand tugged at his shirt. "What are you doing?" whispered River.
"N-nothing. I was just-"
"Being sneaky." There was a look in her eyes, like she knew what had transpired between her parents and had somehow accepted it. She scanned the area around them. "Good thinking, Agent Simon. We need to lay low or the enemy will know we've infiltrated."
Infiltrated. What three-year-old knew a word like that? She never failed to amaze him. "Absolutely. On your lead, Agent River."
Years and years later, though, Simon still remembered. So when his father promised to disown him if he continued his rescue mission for River, Simon never questioned it. He was only too happy that he and his sister were finally their own, unbroken family.
