...A little over an hour ago...
Mal took a sip of whiskey from a sparkling crystal glass he had "borrowed" from the bar on Niska's ship while he looked out the window of his and Inara's room on Niska's Skyplex The captain was smiling for three reasons. The first reason the captain was smiling was because, compared to the other guest rooms on the ship, his and Inara's window unquestionably had the shiniest view of the stars...a privilege the captain had pulled rank with the crew of Serenity to acquire. Although Niska's Skyplex didn't offer Malcolm or his crew anymore freedom than the Villa, and was less glamorous than that resort, the captain had to admit that the "satellite of death" had a much better view of the stars the captain had wanted to explore since he was a small child.
The second reason that Mal was smiling was standing behind him, right in front of the bed that he and the raven-haired (for some tufts of it had already started growing back now that the woman's treatments had come to a successful conclusion days ago) women has been sharing since their arrival on the Skyplex. The captain's smile widened as he took another sip of one of the cheapest brands of whiskey in the 'Verse, and thought to himself that somehow, the expensive glass did seem to make the brew he was drinking taste just a little bit better. 'Then again,' the captain thought to himself. "I am biased about these things."
Last but not least among the reasons that Malcolm Reynolds was smiling now was the fact that he and his crew were certainly going to drink every last drop of the alcohol in the Skyplex's "open bar". After all, the mercenaries currently guarding Serenity's crew and the elder Tams had informed the erstwhile cast of the recently "canceled" "Walking Alongside the Tams" that they could eat and drink for free in their newest "home". So naturally, everyone on Serenity's crew, even Simon, and the usually more tempered Inara, had been doing their best to make this "gift" as expensive as possible for the crime lord. At this point, it was one of Mal's fondest hopes that, between the expenses Niska had doubtlessly incurred having "Walking Alongside the Tams" broadcast to the 'Verse, the shootout at the Villa, during which all of Niska's men at that location (who had been promised a shiny bag of credits would be sent to all of their families if they died completing their job) had been killed protecting the Tams and Serenity's crew, the new merc crew that Niska had watching the cast members now, and the expenses that Serenity's crew were racking up on the Skyplex, that Niska's empire would suffer a financial collapse very soon. But not, Mal hoped, before he and his crew, his family, in point of fact, got paid the fortune they were promised.
Malcolm chuckled, knowing that it would be just his luck if Niska's estate became insolvent before the crew of Serenity could get paid. But his laughter was cut short by the words of the woman standing behind the captain. "Merciful Buddha! Mal, can you please try to keep your laughter down to a dull roar while I'm speaking to my friend on a wave..."
Malcolm smiled back at the grinning raven-haired woman in front of him. The captain was just starting to think how shiny it was that he and Inara had recently gotten to the point that they could have mild arguments without either one of them shouting or losing their temper when the blonde woman on the other end of the wave transmission smiled at Inara and said. "Wait! Mal? As in the infamous Captain Malcolm Reynolds that you repeatedly told me you weren't romantically involved with, is in your bedroom right now?'
Inara blushed, then shook her head. "Shydra, I can explain..."
Malcolm's grin widened as he stepped into view of the wave transmitter. "Doesn't seem like there's a need to explain anything. You caught us...Shydra, was it? Your friend Inara and I are a bona fide couple now!"
Inara closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to restrain her temper before she looked at Mal and said, "Mal, I don't think that it's appropriate for us to discuss our personal matters in front of..."
Mal frowned. "So, are you saying you don't want us to see each other anymore? Because I could move out right now if you want."
"Ta ma duh!", Inara cursed as she saw the slight uptick on Malcolm's lips that let her know the captain was fighting the urge to smile at the joke he was playing...at her expense. "You know very well that isn't what I meant..."
Shydra laughed on the other end of the line, bringing the couple's attention back to the room's viewing screen. "Wa de Tian A! Look at you two, already arguing like an old, married couple!"
Mal and Inara both froze at the accusation before Shydra continued speaking. "Honestly, Inara, it's about time. I don't think there's an acolyte at your old training house who wasn't graced with a story about 'that infernal Captain Reynolds'..."
Inara shook her head. "Okay, you've made your point..."
"And we're not married!" Malcolm said a bit loudly.
"Right." Inara replied to Malcolm's comment as she crossed her arms in front of her and her posture stiffened.
Seeing Inara's reaction to his last comment, Mal quickly added. "'Course, I'm not saying that it's impossible, or that I never conjured..."
The captain shook his head. "What I mean to say is that I think it's a bit premature for us to be thinking about..."
Inara rolled her eyes and turned to glare at Mal. " Premature! This from the man who married Saffron, or whatever the guai her name was, the night he met her!"
Malcolm huffed and shook his head even as he raised his hands in front of him in a defensive position. "Oh, come on! You're still sore about that?! I didn't even know I was getting hitched that night! Besides, pretty sure that luh suh ceremony weren't legal, considering that woman misrepresented herself and all! And even if it was, that jien huo is dead now, so at worst, I'm a gorram widower, and she's the late Mrs. Malcolm Reynolds!"
"That's comforting." Inara said with a frown.
Malcolm opened his mouth to talk, but Shydra interrupted the captain by clearing her throat. "Actually, as entertaining as it is for me to hear you two bicker, I have some news that I wanted to share with you, Inara. And I hope you don't mind me saying so, but making a call from half a 'Verse away can get quite expensive..."
Malcolm chuckled. "Don't worry about that, we'll accept all of the charges and put it on Nis...I mean, our benefactor's bill. I'm sure he won't mind."
Inara gave Mal a smile before turning back to her friend and nodding. "What Mal said. The captain and I do agree on things occasionally."
Shydra smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Still, regardless of whose paying for this wave, I have some things I wanted to attend to today, and I don't wish to hold you and Captain Reynolds up for too long. Inara, I wanted to tell you that I've been following that wretched show you were forced to be on, and I saw the part about what our former organization did to you. I can't believe the leadership of the Companions Guild would do something so irresponsible as let Companions die to save a few credits! I wanted you to know that I had nothing to do with that decision and that I am so glad you are recovering from your illness..."
Inara smiled and nodded at the screen. " Thank you, Shydra. You're my friend, and I know you wouldn't do something like that to me. Besides, from what I've been told, it was the council who made that decision..."
Shydra scowled on the screen. "Yes, since that broadcast, Parliament has conducted many enquries into the Companions' Guild business, and I hope those hwen dans get punished severely!"
Malcolm crossed his arms and scowled as well. "I would hope so! Still, I don't put much stock in the Alliance's ability to prosecute rich, powerful people."
Shydra sighed. "You may be right, Captain Reynolds Your transmissions have shown me that the 'Verse is a much more corrupt place than I realized. Still, whatever comes of those inquiries..I've already quit the Companions' Guild for good. I'm not going to support an organization that would willfully put my friends, my sisters, in harm's way, the way they did to you, Inara. Many other Companions are quitting for similar reasons, but some are still awaiting the Alliance's ruling."
Inara nodded. "I'm sure they're doing what they think is right. I know how hard it is to walk away from the only life we've ever known, after all. But I'm glad you've decided to leave. Do you know where you are going to go? You were Trade Baron Captain Murphy White's kept Companion on Persephone, were you not? I know he allowed you a lot of freedom to travel, but there can still be financial penalties for a Companion terminating their contract with a client early. If you need a place to stay for a bit, once Serenity's crews deal with our benefactor is concluded, I'm sure Malcolm can let you stay in one of Serenity's passenger cabins..."
Malcolm shook his head. "Now, wait just a minute! I never said.."
Shydra laughed. "Don't worry, captain, I will not be homeless anytime in the near future! That was the other thing I wanted to tell you, Inara. When I told Murphy about what I'd learned about the Companion's Guild recently, then explained that I wanted to leave that organization, he was very sympathetic. The man even offered to terminate our contract early, without penalty, himself, because he didn't want to do business with the Companion's Guild anymore, either."
Inara nodded. "From what you've told me about him before, Murphy seems like a good man. I'm not surprised he found what the Guild did to me, and who gorram knows how many other Companions, distasteful. Still, I'm surprised the man was willing to let you go so easily. Murphy was never...subtle about being affectionate with you, after all! And you had been his kept Companion for six years!"
Shydra smiled. "Seven, actually. Since a little over a year after his first wife died."
Malcolm's right eyebrow rose slightly at Shydra's choice of words. "First wife? So this Murphy character has been rutting around with you behind his current wife's back..."
Inara glared at Malcolm. "Merciful Buddha! That is none of our business, Mal!..."
Shydra chuckled. "Thank you for trying to defend my honor, Inara, but it's not necessary. No, Captain, Murphy has never remarried. But that is going to change soon, because, well..."
Shydra held up her left hand, to reveal the large diamond ring that was now on her ring finger. Inara's eyes widened as her old friend continued speaking with a large smile on her face. "Murphy asked me to marry him right after he terminated our contract. And I said yes!"
Malcolm looked down at the ground, obviously embarrassed at having jumped to conclusions about Shydra's relationship to Murphy before. "Oh. Um, congratulations, then!"
Inara still looked shocked as she nodded her head and quietly said, "Yes, congratulations!"
Shydra's smile dimmed somewhat at her friend's lackluster response, and the blonde woman quickly added. "I know Murphy is an...older gentleman, Inara. But, besides the fact that he has more than enough money to support me financially, the man has always treated me quite well, and it's not exactly a secret that Murphy has been in love with me for years..."
Inara shook her head. "It's not that. I'm happy for you, Shydra, I am. And since you are no longer a Companion, you are free to marry whomever you want. I'm just...surprised, is all. When you were my mentor at the training house on Sihnon, you always emphasized the importance of not getting too attached to any particular client, but now..."
Shydra shrugged while interrupting Inara. "Well, since I'm no longer a Companion, Murphy is not my client any longer. Besides, as you yourself have learned, keeping an emotional distance from others is easier said than done..."
Malcolm and Inara both resisted the urge to blush as they looked down at the ground, while Shydra did blush on the screen. "And Murphy has always had a way with words, besides the fact that he has always been kind, gentle, and generous towards me. So..."
"So you fell in love with him." Inara finished for her friend and former mentor with a smile on her face. "Shiny. I'm glad that you can finally get married to someone that makes you so happy."
Shydra chuckled, and was just about to reply to the captain's words when Malcolm and Inara's door suddenly opened from the outside. Without even thinking about it, Mal drew his pistol. Barely a second later, the captain had one of his hands around the intruder's neck, as he pinned said individual to the wall across from Mal and Inara's room, while the captain's other hand continued to hold the gun that he was aiming at the intruder's head.
"Captain..." The intruder managed to strangle out the words as he gasped for air. "What the guia! You...know me. I'm Simon..."
Mal nodded. "I remember who you are. I also recollect you and I having a conversation about going into other people's rooms without knocking after River locked herself in one the passenger dorms in order to make herself a bath. I think it went along the lines of...don't. So what I'm having trouble conjuring is how and why you risked life and limb to open my door without permission..."
Inara sighed. The former Companion briefly turned to her friend's image on the screen, said. "I'll send you another wave soon." Then turned off her communication device.
Inara then gave Mal a pointed look the captain couldn't see, since his back was to her at the moment, but Mal heard the edge in Inara's voice when she spoke. "Put the doctor down, Mal." Then, with a sigh, the former Companion added. "Please."
Mal sighed and nodded before withdrawing first his gun, then his hand, away from Simon's person, allowing Serenity's medic to inhale some much needed oxygen. The captain then turned towards Inara and said. "I only let him go because I wanted to, since you said please. Not because I thought I had to do what you say, now that you and I are...something."
Inara rolled her eyes, and unconsciously slipped into her old modus operandi of telling a man what he wanted to hear. "Dohn. You're still the captain, and that hasn't changed because you and I are courting now."
Malcolm grinned. "Just as long as you understand that."
The captain turned back towards Simon and scowled at the doctor. "I conjure you have enough air in your lungs to speak now. Why, and how, did you open mine and Inara's door without my permission?"
"Or mine." Inara quickly added as she shot both men a dirty look. Mal nodded. "Right. Without either mine, nor Inara's permission."
Simon looked indignant as he composed himself. "Most of the locks on this satellite are child's play to hot-wire, and I've had plenty of experience doing so while River and I were on the run. Gorramit! You pointed your gun at my head!"
Mal shrugged. "That's what you get for entering someone else's room uninvited. Besides, it's not like I was actually gonna shoot you. Unless I thought you were going to start a fight, or some such foolishness."
Simon nodded. "Fine. But was it really necessary to choke me?"
Mal smirked. "Necessary, no. Fun? Well..."
Inara walked out into the hallway and stood between Mal and Simon before crossing her arms. "Mal..."
Malcolm sighed. "Fine. The truth is, doc. I was trying to teach you a listen about violating my...and Inara's privacy. Now, want do you want?"
Simon sighed. "I want to talk to you about Jayne and River."
….30 minutes ago...
Simon had been pacing right outside of Serenity's engine room for quite a while by the time Kaylee dropped her wrench for the fifth time in as many minutes. The grease covered mechanic sighed as she got to her feet, walked up to her boyfriend, and spoke. "Guai, Simon! If you won't tell what's bothering you, you could at least stop all that gorram pacing! I can barely hear myself think over the sound of all of that stomping around! So either tell what's bothering you so gorram much, or take your pacing somewhere else, preferably far away from me."
Simon sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be such a gorram distraction while you were working. I'll go somewhere else."
Kaylee sighed and gently put her right hand on Simon's shoulder after the man turned around to leave the ship for the Skyplex's docking area. "Wait. You're obviously upset about something. What's wrong?"
Simon sighed and shook his head. "It's nothing. I should let you get back to fixing Serenity's engine..."
Kaylee shook her head. "Ain't nothing wrong with her engines right now. After Niska had his men soup up Serenity with a bunch of shiny new parts as part of our deal to take part in that 'reality show' go se, the ship's been running like a dream. I'm just doing some routine maintenance is all, it can wait. So please, just tell me what problem's been rutting up your head for the last hour or so. Maybe I can help."
Simon sighed. "I doubt it. I'm just...concerned about whatever's been going on between Jayne and my sister lately. Especially now that's Jayne's finally woken up."
Kaylee froze up for a split second. The moment was gone almost as soon as it began, and Simon missed it when Kaylee's arms, legs, and face all tensed up during that almost infinitesimal moment of time, just before the mechanic shrugged, put a forced smile onto her face and said."What do you mean? You're the man's doctor. Don't you think it's a good thing that Jayne's finally come out of his coma?"
Simon shook his head. "Yes. No. I don't know. A selfish part of me kind of wishes that Jayne never woke up from that coma. Then I wouldn't have to worry about him rutting around with my sister behind my back. For all I know, the two of them are doing that right now!"
Kaylee bit her lip nervously for a second, then frowned at Simon. "That's a guai of a thing to say about a member of our crew! Besides, I actually think it's all sorts of shiny that Jayne and River started out hating each other, then started getting along after all that nastiness on Miranda and Mr. Universe's, and now, they're coupling and all! It's almost like those two are characters from right out of those romantic movies they show on TV sometimes, or one of the old romance novels I used to see in pharmacies before paper became too expensive in the Border Worlds! "
Simon shook his head. "This isn't some kind of fantasy world, this is my sister's real life we're talking about here! And did you seriously just imply that Jayne, of all people, and my gorram sister are a good couple? Don't you think that's overstating things a bit? I mean, Jayne probably just sees River as just another conquest, and River is too messed up in the head to know her own mind..."
Kaylee glared at Simon for a second and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I hate it when you get like this."
Simon frowned. "Like what?"
Kaylee rolled her eyes. "Like a stuck up buhn dahn with his head up his pi gu, who thinks he knows better than everybody else! Especially when it comes to River!"
Simon crossed his own arms, then took a deep breath. "I'm just trying to protect my sister! Ever since I've rescued her from that gorram Academy, I've had to be her caretaker, and her doctor, and her brother, all at the same time! And..."
The hard look in Kaylee's eyes softened a bit then, but the mechanic's arms remained crossed. "And everyone on this ship thinks it's noble as a grape that you've done so much to help your sister. We all know how much you've sacrificed for her since you rescued her from the Academy. Being a doctor on a 'respectable' Core planet, a normal life of not being a fugitive and all. Up 'till Mr. Universe's, even a chance to have any kind of romance in your li..."
Simon sighed, "Kaylee..."
Kaylee shook her head. "No, Simon, I dohn. I get it. As much as I love River, and think of her as a dear friend, I gorram hated that you taking care of your sister kept us apart, but as someone with brothers and sisters of my own, I get it. River's your blood, and she needed you more more than I did. But that was before we sent the Wave to the 'Verse, before Miranda. River's better now, and she can make her own choices. She deserves to have her own life!"
Simon's posture stiffened as he raised his voice slightly. "I'm not trying to stop River from having a life! But since she made the yu bun duh decision not to finish her neurological procedures at the Villa, my sister will always have some psychotic features and..."
Kaylee huffed. "Stop hiding behind your fancy words, Simon! You're River's doctor, not her head shrink!"
Simon scoffed. "Actually, the technical term is psychiatrist..."
Kaylee pointed towards Simon. "That's not the gorram point! If you want to say that River is still crazy, just say it!"
Simon huffed. "Fine, my little sister is still crazy because of some yu bun duh gorram choice that she made because..."
Kaylee shook her head."yu bun duh or not, choosing not to let her brother and father play mad scientist with her brain with some untested procedure was River's decision to make! And that means River's about as sane as she's ever going to get. So what's your plan now, 'Doctor Simon'? Are you just going to make all of your sister's decisions for her, for the rest of her life, just because she's still a little whimsical in the brain pan?! Is that your plan?!"
Simon sighed, then leaned against a wall, and slowly let his body slide down until he was sitting on the floor. "I told you before, I haven't had a plan since I rescued River from the Academy. Ever since that day, when I found my little sister strapped to a chair, with her mind broken...I've been flying blind. All I've ever thought about since then...except for you..."
Simon smiled at Kaylee, who rewarded the doctor with a half smile of her own as she sat down against the wall opposite her boyfriend's, until the mechanic and the doctor's legs were touching, as Simon resumed speaking "Except for you, all I've ever thought about is keeping River safe, or hopefully making her better..."
Kaylee nodded. "Like she was back at your home on Osiris?"
Simon nodded. "Yes."
Kaylee sighed. "Simon, that River's not here no more. Even if you were to get River to agree to some brain surgery, and all her crazy went away, that little girl you knew as a child isn't coming back. She's been through too much for that to happen."
Simon sighed deeply. "She's lost her innocence."
Kaylee shrugged. "Yeah, but so does everybody that's gorram lucky enough to live that long. So have you. Can you really tell me that you're the same spoiled, clueless, tourist that..."
Simon frowned. "Okay, I get your point. I'm not the same person I was back on Osiris, either. And you're right that I can't make River go through a medical procedure that she doesn't want to, since she's shown no signs of trying to harm herself or others, unless 'others' includes people trying to kill us, since Miranda. But that doesn't mean River's mentally equipped to give consent for a sex...romantic relationship..." Simon ignored the way Kaylee smirked when he switched his wording from sexual to romantic, and kept talking. "I just don't want Jayne, or anyone, to take advantage of my little sister, that's all."
Kaylee sighed, then put her hand on one of Simon's kneecaps. "I understand you're worried. But who gets to decide when River can give consent, then? You? Your father? The doctors at the Academy, who know more about River's brain than you ever will?"
Simon glared at Kaylee. "Of course, not! Don't even make jokes about that place!"
Kaylee sighed and nodded. "Okay, mentioning the Academy was a bridge too far. My point is, since River's always going to be just a mite crazy, when are you going to give up trying to run her life and let her decide for herself who to love?"
Simon put his head in his hands. "I don't know. This whole situation is just go se! I mean, maybe if River hadn't picked Jayne..."
Kaylee shook her head. "Don't try to hide behind that excuse. If River had fallen for some nice Core boy on Osiris, while still whimsical in the brain pan, I'm pretty gorram sure that we'd still be having the same conversation."
Simon laughed. "You're probably right! I guess I'm just used to River and I being close, and the idea of her opening up to someone else, even if it's in a very different way...that's hard for me. But overprotective big brother issues, and my amenity towards Jayne, aside, as her doctor, I still worry about River's ability to give consent..."
Kaylee lightly hit the back of her head against the wall behind her. "And we're back to that again. Let me ask you this, have you ever known Jayne to try to rape a woman, or to take advantage of a woman in any way when she wasn't in her right mind...'
Simon started to open his mouth, before Kaylee added. "Ever for the first part, and when Jayne weren't drunk himself for the second?"
Simon shook his head and sighed. "No. And as much as I don't like him, I don't think Jayne is trying to take advantage of my sister, at least in that way. But Jayne isn't a doctor, and he has no way of knowing whether River is psychologically well enough to consent to a romantic relationship."
Kaylee frowned again, and quiet prevailed in the hallways of Serenity for a minute until Kaylee smiled and said. "Did I ever tell you about my maternal grandparents, Kaywinette and Lucius Freye?"
Simon smiled and nodded. "I think you mentioned them in passing once. You were named after your grandmother, right?"
Kaylee nodded. "Yeah, and my great, great grandmother. It's a family name. Anyway, did I ever mention that my grandmother and grandfather got married when they were both seventeen, and that they stayed together until they both died, less than a year apart, when they were well into their eighties?"
Simon shook his head. "No. I don't remember you mentioning that. It sounds like they had a really solid marriage, though.'
Kaylee smiled. "They did. Even by the time I was old enough to start remembering things about them, they were holding hands everywhere they went, and one of them would always smile when the other entered the room. It was easy to see that they still loved each other, even when they were old."
Simon smiled. "We should all be so lucky."
Kaylee frowned. "Yeah, but their marriage weren't all sunshine and roses, though, especially near the end. My grandfather, Lucius, starting getting whimsical in the brain pain near the end of his life. The last five years were the hardest for him though, when the brain disease he had, demon...something, got really bad."
Simon frowned. "Dementia?"
Kaylee sighed. "I think that was the one. Anyway, near the end, my grandfather forgot nearly everything, the plots of his favorite books, the day of the week, birthdays, anniversaries, and eventually, sometimes even the names and faces of the people he loved. Half the time, he didn't even remember who my grandmother was."
Simon looked at Kaylee intently. "That must have been hard. For both of them."
Kaylee nodded. "It really was. I lost count of the times that my grandmother, who was living with my family at the time, came home crying because her husband didn't even remember her name. And I can't imagine what it was like for my grandfather to remember the woman he loved, over and over again, knowing that he would probably forget her again soon. But my grandmother never stopped visiting my grandpa at his rest home, every day. And sometimes, Lucius would remember grandma Kaylee for a little while. I also know that, sometimes when that happened, my grandma wouldn't come back to my folks' place until the next morning, or even the next afternoon. I never really wanted to think about what those two were doing all night but, you know..." Kaylee cleared her throat.
. "You think there was still love in that relationship, even after your grandfather was, how did you put it? Whimsical in the brain pan?" Simon guessed.
Kaylee nodded. "Yeah."
Simon sighed. "And you seriously think that's how it is between River and Jayne?'
Kaylee shrugged. "Not yet. But in time, maybe, yeah. Perhaps River and Jayne could build something really special together, even if River's not all that right in the head. You said yourself that Jayne wouldn't purposely take advantage of River, and with the way that those two were looking at each other when I saw River leading Jayne by the hand in his hospital gown a couple hours ago..."
"You saw what!?" Simon shouted, and Kaylee's eyes widened as she realized she had just made things worse by letting that particular bit of information slip at the exact wrong time.
Kaylee shook her head and stood up while Simon did the same. "Everything will be shiny, Simon! You'll see!"
"Everything will be shiny?" Simon whispered, with an undercurrent of rage belaying his quite tone of voice.
Kaylee nodded. "Yeah. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but Jayne and River really look like they..."
"Everything will be shiny!?" Simon repeated himself loudly, interrupting Kaylee as he did so. "My mei-mei is somewhere on this station now, alone with a stupid, selfish, impulsive chwen joo gorilla, doing who gorram knows what, and my girlfriend lied to me about it!"
Kaylee glared at Simon and crossed her arms. "You take that back right gorram now! I've never lied to you, Simon, lest of all about River!'
But Simon glared right back. "Don't they teach you what a lie of omission is on the Border, Kaylee?! Keeping a secret this big, about my sister, is just as good as lying!"
Kaylee sighed, but her glare remained. "I didn't gorram think about that, okay?! I'm sorry I hurt your feelings by not telling you what River and Jayne were up to. But the only reason I didn't tell you about that was because I was afraid you'd react like this!"
"Like what?!"
Kaylee huffed. " Like a gorram sha gwa with a stick up his pi gu! That you'd pull this "overprotective big brother" go se all over again!"
Simon shook his head. "I can see now that we're not going to see eye to eye about this, Kaylee. So there's no use talking any more. I'm going to find the captain, now, and he and I are going to get some answers from Jayne concerning his intentions towards my sister!"
As Simon began to storm off of Serenity in an indignant huff, he stopped for only a moment when Kaylee yelled after him. "Fine! Be that way! But if you keep trying to control River's life, Simon, I promise you, you will lose her, and she will run eventually away from you, with or without Jayne's help!"
Simon continued walking out of the Firefly-class smuggling ship then, but his steps were slower, less certain now. And when the young doctor's hand was on the handle that opened the cargo bay doors, his fingers stopped moving for five whole seconds when Kaylee shouted. "And if you don't get your head out of your pi gu sometime soon, and stop being such an insufferable jerk, you just might lose me too!"
But with a heavy sigh, Simon pulled the handle anyway, causing the air to hiss around him as oxygen flooded out of Serenity, and into Niska's Skyplex. And if there were tears in the young doctor's eyes when he exited the ship, Simon didn't let anyone see them before he wiped them away. For there was no time for tears when he had a mission to accomplish.
….Present...
Simon's mission to get the captain to force River and Jayne apart quickly ended in abject failure as Mal shook his head and said, "No,"
Simon sighed and said, "All I said was that I wanted to talk about..."
Mal frowned. "About your little sister's relationship with Serenity's public relations specialist. I heard you. But I have no interest in discussing your little sister's love life, or that of anybody on my ship! Besides, as creepifying as I think whatever the guai is going on between those two is, it ain't my place to tell anybody on my ship who they can spend time with, unless it interferes with things running smooth on Serenity."
Inara nodded. "Besides, River's a woman now, Simon. She can choose for herself who she wants to love."
Simon shook his head, ignoring Inara's words as he glared at the captain. "You were the one that used to say that you didn't want any domestic relationships on your ship..."
Mal snorted. "Yeah, and then my first mate married my pilot, my ship's doctor ended up with my mechanic..."
Simon looked away in embarrassment when the captain gave the young doctor a pointed look, then continued speaking. "And then me and Inara, well..."
Inara still managed to look elegant and formal at that moment, despite the fact that she wasn't wearing a wig, and that she was only dressed in her nightgown at the moment, as her posture straightened, and she gave Simon a cool look. "The captain and I have obviously gotten closer lately. Anything beyond that is none of your business, Doctor Tam. Now if you're quite finished disturbing mine and Malcolm's evening, I would appreciate if you would leave..."
Simon crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Not until the captain and I discuss how Jayne is, right at this very moment, taking advantage of my brain damaged sister somewhere on this station!"
The young doctor then added, as he continued to glare at Mal. "You, of all people, know that Jayne can't be trusted after Ariel..."
Mal glared right back at Simon. " I thought you'd said you'd let that go. Regardless, since I'm captain, I'll be deciding who gets trusted around here! Jayne and I already had words about what happened on that world, and I made it pretty gorram clear to him that if he ever betrayed a member of my crew again, he would suffer for it. I think he got the message. So now, whatever happened back then is between you, your sister, and Jayne, and it's pretty clear to me that River's moved past that day! If Jayne does anything to hurt the Albatross, he and I will have words then, but unless it interferes with things on Serenity going smooth, I have nothing to say about the domestic affairs of my crew!"
The moment, that the captain had finished speaking these words, the door to the room which was just to the left of Inara and Mal's room, Mattie's quarters, opened. But instead of Mattie, it was Zoe Washburne who stepped out of the younger Cobb brother's room. As Mal, Inara's and Simon all turned to Zoe, none of them failed to notice that Zoe's rumpled clothes looked like they had put on on haste, and even the gun in Zoe's hands couldn't distract the Serenity crew members from the sound of a man's snoring coming from the room behind Zoe. But Zoe ignored the bemused looks that Inara, Mal, and Simon threw her way as she looked right at the captain. "I heard yelling, captain, is everything in order out here?"
Mal raised his right hand, moved his index finger back and forth between Zoe and the room she had just exited, then sighed and said." Yes. Everything's fine." Mal gave Simon a hard look. "The doc had some reservations about his little sister's dealings with Jayne, but he understands that he's to mind his own business now.. Simon was just about to back to his quarters."
When Malcolm Reynolds back towards Zoe, he quickly added. "Any developments on your end that could cause problems with our public relations officer?"
Zoe's face was still impassive, but she wouldn't meet Mal's eyes when she said, "Nothing to report, Sir. Mattie and I were availing ourselves of some Niska's spirits, and things got slightly out of hand. Nothing you need concern yourself with, Captain."
Mal nodded. "Good. Serenity has enough domestic troubles without adding anything new to the..."
But the captain's words were cut off as the elder Tams suddenly ran into the hallway in front of his and Inara's room, from one side of Niska's Skyplex, while Kaylee ran into the same space from the other side of the space station. "Is everything alright, we heard yelling?" "Simon, are you okay?!"
As Inara explained what had just been happening to the elder Tams, Kaylee rushed to her boyfriend's side and inspected the bruise starting to form on Simon's neck. The mechanic then glared at the captain. "What did you do to my boyfriend, Captain!?"
And this point, three pairs of eyes, Kaylee and the elder Tams, all glared at captain Reynolds, who held his hands in front of him in a defensive stance. "Hey, the doctor broke into mine and Inara's room to talk to me about something that weren't any of my business! He violated our privacy!
Kaylee glared at Simon for a second, but then redirected her anger towards her captain, as her concern for her boyfriend outweighed her anger towards him."And that gives you the right to choke Simon?! Don't you think you were overreacting just a little bit, Captain!?"
Mal shook his head. "When have I ever been known to overreact?!"
Everyone else in the hallway gave Mal a look then, Inara smirked, and Zoe spoke in a dry tone. "Would you like me to answer you chronologically, or alphabetically, Sir?"
Before Mal could open his mouth with a retort, everyone was silenced by the sight of a tall, muscular man, walking into the hallway. Jayne Cobb was wearing a matching set of green pants, shirt, and socks that were clearly to small for him, but the anger in the merc's eyes promised a fight to anyone who pointed out his ridiculous apparel "Don't say a word. These were the biggest clothes I could find in Niska's room!"
Inara smiled, Kaylee had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling, and even Simon looked amused when Zoe said. " Actually, it's a shiny look for you, Jayne. It's just too bad that you're centuries too late for your audition as an elf on Earth that was!"
Everyone except Zoe, who just kept smirking, and Jayne, whose face was redder than a tomato now, started laughing then. But their laughter was cut short when Jayne looked at Mattie's bedroom door, which was still open, and the state of Zoe's clothing and said. "Could be worse. At least I'm not the one who's just been yet another victim of "lady killer Mattie!"
Zoe glared at Jayne. "You say another word, I'll..."
Jayne was clearly not intimidated as he interrupted his dark-skinned senior officer. "You'll what, kill me?! I don't think Mattie would like that very much, do you?! And since when am I not allowed to take pride in my little brother's accomplishments?! Besides, I think he's actually taken a special shine to you, Zoe."
"Really?" Zoe blushed. The red in her cheeks vanished almost as soon as it appeared, but Jayne saw it well enough, before the first-mate shook her head and said. " I mean, Mattie and I are just really good friends."
Jayne snorted, " I never had a friend that good!"
Simon glared at Jayne. "Actually, the only relationship I'm concerned about now is yours and my sister's! Where have you two been since you've woken up, and what have you and River been up to!?"
Jayne scratched the back of his head. "Gorramit, Doc! You really don't want me to answer that! But, um...I'm glad I ran into you anyway, Doc, because I have something I want to talk to you about! You see..."
Jayne sighed as he looked at Simon. "I want you to teach me how to take care of River."
Thank you to all my reader's who have been following this story so far! A special thank you goes out to Hawki and Wicked. Onna, who reviewed my last chapter! Again, I have to apologize for taking ages to complete such a short chapter, but inspiration for this story has been in short supply for me as of late. Therefore, although there should only be two or three chapters left in this story, I can't guarantee how soon they'll be out. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, but please leave your thoughts in a review. And a special thanks goes out to my beloved beta reader, without whom I never would have even started writing this story! Your help is greatly appreciated! Until next time, I am...
-supercode
