Firefly
"A Little Adjustment"
Summary: After Miranda, the crew of Serenity faces a few "little" adjustments after another memorable visit to Persephone.
Author's Note: Post-Serenity, so both Wash and Shepard are dead. If you read my profile, and my other stories, you'll see that I write father/son fics. This one is no different. In the show, Mal always acted fatherly towards Kaylee and River, but never to Simon. This fic will mostly center on their relationship as it forms into something closely resembling father and son. Also, I'd like to apologize for the typos in the first chapter. Sorry ;)
Warning: Spanking in this story. If this bothers you, DO NOT READ THIS STORY OR REVIEW IT.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or this concept. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes.
Chapter 7: Discussion over Dinner
Dinner was a quiet affair.
Mal sat at the head of the table as always, and Inara sat across from him at the other end. Zoë and Jayne sat on one side, an empty chair between them where Wash used to sit. Kaylee, Simon, and River sat on the other side. No one spoke as they ate the rough looking stew Jayne had prepared for them.
"What exactly is the job on Boreos?" Inara, uncomfortable with the silence, asked Mal.
"Oh," he said, "it's just a simple pick up-drop off kinda thing. Nothing that won't take us that long."
"Then we should be able to go shopping afterwards, shouldn't we?" she asked, grinning at him.
Mal shrugged. "I guess so," he said, "s'long as yer back in time."
"Don't worry," Inara told him, "I'm sure the ship won't leave without its captain."
"Huh?" Mal asked, confused.
"You're coming with us," she told him, smiling.
"I am?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"How many twelve year old boys do you see buying clothes for themselves?" she asked, raising an eyebrow also.
Mal had to think about that one. "I don't know," he said, "but surely yaw can help Simon better than me."
"Uh, excuse me," Simon spoke up, staring from one to the other, "but what are you talking about?"
"Yer gonna need some clothes, I reckon," Mal told him. "Inara's gonna take you three shoppin' while me, Zoe, and Jayne can do the job we've been hired to do."
"We'll be going after the job is finished," Inara said, "so that Mal can go into the shops with you while I help Kaylee and River."
Simon looked at Mal. "Uh," he said, "I think I'd be better off going alone."
Mal scowled at him, and the grinned at Inara. "I reckon yer right," he said, "I guess I will go help the boy wit some shoppin'."
Simon sighed. "That's not necessary, Captain," he said, quietly. "Besides, I might be physically twelve but I'm still me."
Mal nodded. "You sure about that, son?" he asked him, curious. "Cuz' I reckon yaw never woulda cried on my shoulder a few days ago like yaw did?"
Simon blushed. "I was just emotional," he argued, scowling. "I was upset is all."
"No you weren't," River said, earning a glare from her brother. "We aren't the same Simon."
"Speak for yourself," Simon told her. "I feel exactly the same."
She nodded. "Maybe so," she said, "but the transformation altered our emotions as well as our bodies."
"What do you mean?" Kaylee asked, worried. "Am I gonna start actin' twelve again?"
"Didn't yaw do that already?" Jayne asked, earning a glare from everyone at the table. "What? I'm just sayin'." He then continued to shove stew into his mouth.
"No," River answered Kaylee's question, "but our emotional stability is different. We may think like we always did, but physically and emotionally we are twelve years old again."
"This is just so confusin'," Kaylee said, blinking back tears.
"It's gonna be okay," Mal told her, reaching over and patting her hand. "We ain't gonna let anything bad happen to yaw, Mei Mei."
"You already did," Simon muttered, though everyone heard him.
Mal raised an eyebrow at the boy. "What ta run that by me again, son?" he asked, frowning.
Simon looked up. "Uh," he said, suddenly finding his stew very interesting, "not really."
"I'd watch the mouth if I were yaw, then," Mal warned him, "unless yaw'd like to be standin' at breakfast."
Simon's eyes widen at the threat. "You wouldn't…"
Mal just looked at him. "Give me a reason and I will," he warned him. "Understand?"
Simon nodded. "Yes," he said, quietly.
"Shiny," Mal told him. "Now, let's finish eatin' and turn in. We've got a busy couple of days ahead of us."
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, everyone having something on their minds to think about.
The darkness changes things…but the light makes them better.
River knew everything was going to be all right, at least that's what she hoped.
They still had to get outta of the darkness, first.
TBC…
