He wasn't exactly sure when it had started. Simon was standing beside the console, singing softly to himself, and Mal was convinced that this wasn't the first time. Now that he thought about it, in the past few days he had heard this song a couple of times. He hadn't called Simon on it, not wanting to disturb their peace after the scalpel throwing. But he knew that the doctor hadn't always done it, because God knew Mal had spent enough time lying in the infirmary that he would have noticed.

'Doctor?' Mal jumped as Zoë spoke from beside Simon. 'Sorry, sir,' she apologised.

'No problem,' Mal replied, 'Just didn't hear you come in.'

'Still sorry, sir,' she said. Then, continuing, 'Doctor? We're going into town, you need anything?'

'River wanted...' Simon began.

'River's coming.'

'So there isn't...?'

'No Alliance presence on Rhea,' Mal assured him. Zoë had already run over the plans with him. It was an obvious, but still appreciated, attempt to make him feel in charge of where his boat went.

'Okay then.' Simon sounded unconvinced, but assented. 'In that case, just some supplies for the infirmary.' Again, that under-the-breath humming, this time moving across the room to behind Mal. 'Here.'

'We need all these?' Zoë asked.

'I would like all of these things,' Simon amended. 'If we're short on coin, use my cut. And if that doesn't do it, the ones with the stars are the vital supplies.'

'You sure you don't want anything for you? Kaylee's made a request for fresh fruit, and River's getting coloured pencils...'

'We didn't make a lot on our last run, and we're a little short on drugs. I can get myself something when we're doing better.'

'If you're sure, doctor.'

'I am. But thank you, Zoë.'

'See you in a bit. Try to keep out of trouble, sir.'

'Hey!' Mal protested. 'Trouble finds me.'

'Of course, sir,' she answered. 'You just don't seem to make much attempt to hide from it.'

'Hey!'

This time he was sure of it. River had wandered into the room to show Simon her pencils, but had stopped in the doorway.

'I know this one.'

'Know what, mei-mei?'

'You're singing,' she pointed out. Mal wondered why her clarity seemed to surface most when she was using her "Simon's being a boob" voice.

'I know that.'

'Haven't sung in months. Too many memories. Leaves tossing in the wind, all blown away.' There it went again.

'River...'

She didn't give him a chance to finish. Picking up where he had left off, she began humming the melody of whatever Simon had been singing.

Mal could almost here the mental shrug as Simon returned to what he had been doing, moving around the sides of the infirmary, now humming the baseline of the song. Then, a shocked turning-round. 'River! You can't... don't pirouette in here!'

He started to look out for it. If he pretended to be asleep, most of the time Simon worked quietly. When he moved, or spoke, however, Simon would speak, or hum, or even just walk louder.

Mostly though, he sang. Too quiet to hear the words, but Mal could hear the tunes. They were normally classical, some dancing music that he recognised, others operas or the occasional popular song.

And the others had started to join in. Not Book or Zoë, neither being of a particularly musical turn, but the others. River was a matter of course, but the rest were a surprise. Wash, he had found out, had a startlingly strong tenor, and knew all the words of the operas. That was a definitely a mystery for some rainy afternoon. Inara, of course, was trained well enough to accompany Simon in everything, although, like Wash, seemed to favour the operas.

Kaylee, naturally, joined in enthusiastically to whatever it was. If she didn't know the music, she would make up her own, and Simon would laugh quietly and join in with the variations.

Jayne had ignored him in the beginning, but after a few days, he had started to do it just to be ornery. He wouldn't hum anything like what Simon was singing, but instead old folk songs that he knew Simon would never have heard on Osiris. And, of course, the ones with a certain theme were the ones he would take to singing out loud, his gruff bass picking out the words with relish. He nearly jumped out of his skin the day Simon's sweet tenor joined in on a particularly choice verse.

But even on his own, Simon refused to be silent. Mal wouldn't have objected (much), if he didn't think he knew what Simon was up to.

'You don't have to do that, doc.'

'What?' Simon asked in confusion.

'Your very fine impression of a songbird.'

'I'm just singing. If it's bothering you I'll stop.'

'It's not...' He jolted as Simon's fingers came down unexpectedly on his arm. He hadn't heard him come across the room. 'I know why you're doing it, doc.'

'And why would that be?' Simon asked distractedly, checking the needle.

'You think you ought to let me know whereabouts you're standing.'

'Captain, I...' He was paying attention now.

'And don't get me wrong doc, appreciate the gesture, but it ain't necessary.'

'You jump when Jayne comes in.'

'Anybody with more'n half a brain would jump when that man enters a room.'

'And Zoë?'

'Woman walks like a cat, doc. Men with 20/20 vision in both eyes jump six feet into the air when she comes up behind them.'

'Fine. I'll stop.'

'Thank you.'

It took four hours. Four hours when he couldn't tell, as he drifted in and out of sleep, whether Simon was there and being quiet, or had left to find something. He was startled into awareness on no less than six occasions when soft fingers reached for his arm, or felt under his bandages. Wasn't even as if doc walked soft normally, so Mal suspected he was being taken for a ride.

Did for the first three hours anyway. The next one he spent planning how to get out of this gracefully. Because what he had failed to consider was that while Zoë was always going to make him jump out of her skin doing that appearing-from-behind thing, the others tended to adopt Simon's manners. So now he couldn't hear any of them. This in addition to how little he had considered the amount of time Simon spent wandering round the infirmary before coming at him from any number of directions, unnoticed until he touched Mal or spoke.

When the thought came, it was an obvious one. Mal hummed quietly for a few minutes before he heard Simon join in.

A few minutes later, the doctor paused. 'Sorry, I didn't realise. I'll be quiet.'

'Don't stop,' Mal muttered.

Simon was still quiet. Then, just as Mal thought he was going to have to swallow his pride and be more explicit, Simon started again.

Mal listened. This time it wasn't an orchestral piece, or any of those arias River and Simon loved so much. If he was the type of man who blushed, he might have blushed. 'What have I told you about listening to Jayne?'

'I don't know, Captain, some of those songs can be quite... educational.' There was a teasing lilt to Simon's voice as he spoke.

'I don't reckon some of those... activities... are even physically possible.'

'I'm a doctor, Captain, I know exactly how far the body bends.'

And with that choice phrase, Simon returned to the computer. Mal fell asleep to the sound of Simon's voice singing about how wonderful it was to meet a woman of such skill in a town like this. Or something like that anyway. The words didn't seem to matter so much.

AN2: Review? Also, replies:

Surplus Imagination - Thanks for reading, especially if you were reluctant to read slash. I, unfortunately, have no difficulties seeing the two together, it's getting it on the page that's problematic. Hope I can convince you!

Helen C: Friend! Hiya. Glad you like my Simon, he's my favourite too, (in the show and in my fic!) and luckily he sounds most like me, so he seems a little easier to write.

And thanks James Jago, Montana, and Blue Eyed Dragon Girl. Glad you're all enjoying it so far, and hope you like the latest!