Simon and Keira pulled away from another hug and couldn't help but notice all the pairs of eyes on them. Everyone was wondering what was going on and how the two knew each other. A licensed Companion and a doctor turned fugitive was not the most likely pair. Everyone was confused. Even Inara, who was like a sister to Keira, didn't know what was going on. River seemed strangely content with it all though.
"One of you feel to do some story telling?" Mal asked.
"We know each other," Simon said.
"Yeah, I think we figured that one out, Doc."
"We're old friends," Keira said. "We grew up together and were practically inseparable best friends until I went off to start my training on Sihnon."
"And after that we only saw each other once or twice a year," Simon added.
"But we haven't seen each other since everything happened with River," Keira concluded.
"So, this is the Simon you always talked about," Inara stated as if everything was suddenly very clear to her.
Keira nodded with a smile to Inara's words. She looked over to Simon and gave him a playful poke in the side. Simon responded by poking her back. They both let out laughs before they composed themselves and looked back to the group. They were still the center of attention. Keira was used to it and it was expected for her since she was new but Simon found it a little unnerving.
"How about since everyone has been introduced, we have someone show Keira her shuttle?' Zoë suggested.
"I'll do it," Jayne replied quickly.
Jayne still didn't take his eyes off of Keira. She was beautiful and he had an instant attraction to her. No one was really surprised by it. Jayne was a womanizer and he loved pretty girls. The fact that she was obviously skilled in bed just made her all the more temping and intoxicating in Jayne's mind.
Keira gave Jayne a small smile at his fast response, which caused the man to almost blush. Keira didn't mind that Jayne was fixated on her but she had the same rules as Inara and she wanted to be very clear with those rules. She was not going to be servicing any of the crew even if they could pay, and she doubted Jayne could.
"My rules are the same as Inara's," Keira said to Jayne more than anyone. "I will not be servicing any of the crew including yourself."
"I can pay," Jayne responded with quickness.
"Trust me, Jayne, you can't afford me."
"I will show you your shuttle," Mal said and gave Jayne a stern look before casting his eyes back to Keira. "Unless you'd rather have someone else.
"To be honest, Captain, I'm indifferent to who shows me the shuttle," She replied with a small smile. "I would just like to see it so I can start getting situated."
"Did you guys finish cleaning it out?" Mal asked Kaylee and River.
"Yeah," Kaylee said with a nod to Mal.
"Good," He said with a nod, "Okay, ya'll have jobs to do, go do 'em."
Simon pulled Keira in a sort of half hug. After being parted for so long, he didn't want to leave her. Keira felt the same way and responded to the hug. She missed seeing Simon.
"Come to my shuttle tonight," Keira said to Simon after they pulled away from the hug. "We have a lot of catching up to do."
"Yes, we do," Simon agreed. "I'll see you later."
Keira watched Simon and everyone else drift away to do their jobs. She was happy and relieved that meeting them was over and done with. Her nerves were gone. Not only did everyone turn out to be nice and accepting but Simon was there. She had more than one friend aboard Serenity. Keira needed all the friends she could get out in the black. Everything was so new and different to her. But, at the same time, it was very exciting.
"I told you everything would be fine," Inara said.
Keira smiled and pulled Inara into a hug while saying, "Thank you, mei-mei."
"Well, go see your shuttle and start decorating it," Inara said, pulling away from the hug. "Trust me, you're going to need all the time you can get."
Keira smiled and walked away with the Captain, leaving Inara in the Cargo bay.
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Mal and Keira walked into the shuttle, one after the other. Keira got her first look at the place she was going to call home. It was neat enough since it was cleaned out but it was still too plain for her tastes. Plain and a little on the small side but Keira loved it anyway. She started decorating it in her mind and an unconscious smile appeared on her face.
"This is it," Mal said. "What do you think?"
"It's a little small," Keira replied honestly. "But it's simple and I like simple. What's her range?"
"Standard short. You, just like Inara, can break away once we hit atom."
"So, just enough for us to be able to do our jobs and be able to come back," Keira summed with a smile.
"More or less," Mal agreed with a small smile to match Keira's.
Keira walked over to the controls and gave them all a quick scan. She wanted to be sure she understood how everything worked so she could ask questions if she was confused. Keira loved the shuttle. It was perfect for her. She wasn't by herself but she wasn't trapped by others either. She had a home all to herself.
"She's space worthy. Just like the rest of Serenity is," Mal said as he observed Keira.
"No need to sound so defensive, Captain," Keira replied. "I prefer something with a few miles on it. It makes it feel more realistic to me some how."
"Must be a Companion thing."
"Why do you say that? Did Inara give that impression when she first boarded too?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"It's not a Companion thing. Only a selected few of us prefer that and Inara and myself were some of them"
"Well, that might not be a Companion thing but I'm guessing that requests are," Mal said.
"Yes, those are," Keira replied with a grin. "one thing I would greatly appreciate is autonomy. This shuttle would be my home and I would like everyone to treat it as such."
"You'll get your privacy."
"Also, I would like some measure of security that when I make an appointment with a client, I'm in a position to keep that appointment. And, like I said before, I will not be serving any member of the crew, yourself included."
"That's a lot to ask for," Mal stated.
"I just want to be clear," Keira replied. "However, since my circumstances are no different than Inara's, it shouldn't be a problem."
Mal couldn't help but think about how similar Inara and Keira were. Their looks were very different but their personalities and attitudes were very alike. He was beginning to think that he made a mistake by allowing Keira to rent the shuttle out. Those two together were going to drive him crazy. Also, adding in everything else that has already happened with her, Mal knew things were going to get very complicated on Serenity.
"I got one question for you, Keira. Why are you here?" Mal asked. "What are you running from?"
"I'm not running from anything," Keira replied.
"Then, why are you here?"
Keira gave a small smile in Mal's directions before she looked out the front of her shuttle. She gazed into the black for several, long moments before she looked at all the controls again. Keira looked back to the Captain as she thought very carefully about how to answer his question. It wouldn't be an easy one to answer for she wasn't sure of the answer herself.
"That's why," She said and pointed to the clear, black space. "I love the idea of being out here and not knowing what's going to happen next. I love the freedom of being out here."
"If you wanted freedom, why'd you become a Companion?" Mal asked.
"I didn't realize how constricting that role would be. Don't get me wrong, I love being a Companion but I need some freedom in order to even it out. And that's what this ship would be for me: freedom."
Mal gave a small smile with an almost inaudible chuckle. Him and Keira had more in common that he had anticipated. A registered Companion and a former Sergeant of the Independent Army shouldn't have that much in common. But Mal saw then that there was more to Keira than meets the eye. Most Companions would see a firefly class as cheap and dirty, while she saw it as new and exciting. But most importantly, Keira saw it as a way to free, just like Mal.
"That's what this boat is for me," Mal said. "No matter how far the arm of the Alliance will stretch, this will get us just a little bit further."
Keira saw two things pass over Mal's face as he spoke: love for his ship and hatred for the Alliance. It was in that moment that Mal had earned Keira's respect. The Alliance won the war and practically ruled the universe and he didn't care. He was beaten yet he still fought. Keira admired that.
"Well, I'll let you get settled in here," Mal said. "Feel free to explore the ship. If you need it, later one of the crew can give a tour."
"Thank you but I don't think the tour will be necessary," Keira answered with a smile.
Mal gave a small nod and turned on his heel to leave. He walked out of the second shuttle, leaving Keira alone in the place she would call home.
Keira's blue eyes scanned the shuttle carefully. She felt free there; free to live her life the way she wanted to and not the way the guild wished her to. She was free to be who she wanted to be. The young beauty gave a deep sigh as she realized that she had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. She figured she might as well set what she was planning into motion and work on decorating her shuttle.
"This is going to be fun," Keira muttered sarcastically.
There was a knock on the door and Keira let who ever it was enter. It turned out to be Inara which caused a new smile to appear on Keira's face. They greeted each other with a short embrace.
"What are you doing here?" Keira asked.
"I thought you might enjoy some help with decorating your shuttle," Inara answered. "You see, I remember having to do mine all by myself and it's not a fate I would wish on someone else."
"I would welcome the help."
"I figured you would."
"But that's not the only you're here," Keira said and gave Inara a knowing smile. "You want to know about mine and Simon's relationship together."
"Am I that transparent?"
"No, I'm incredibly perceptive. Plus, my guess is that everyone wants to know about my relationship with Simon."
"Very true," Inara agreed with a gentle nod.
"We were best friends growing up," Keira said again. "If you want more answers, try asking Simon."
"So, you were just friends?"
"Yes, we were just friends."
"If you say so."
Together, Keira and Inara started to decorate Keira's shuttle. They agreed on having blue as the main color with other one as accents. Keira definitely welcomed the help. The two Companions together made the shuttle even more beautiful than Keira could have hoped for and they got it done in half the time.
Keira quickly realized that she was going t like being on Serenity more than she had expected to.
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Keira became alert when she heard a soft knock on her door. She was just adding some last minute touch ups to her shuttle's new décor. Her dark blue eyes looked to the door as she remembered that she had told Simon to come to her shuttle that night. It was surprising to her that it was already night time. She didn't realize it had taken her and Inara so long to do the shuttle.
Keira walked over to the door and opened it with a warm smile. She found Simon standing there, waiting for her to invite him in. He was invited before but he still had enough manners to not enter someone's home without their expressed permission. She gave it by moving to the side a little and motioning Simon in the shuttle.
They embraced briefly before Simon scanned the shuttle. He had seen it before Keira had begun to rent it out and he was amazed by the change. Different shades of blue covered the shuttle with dark reds and purples accenting them. He was in shock.
"Wow," He said. "You did all this fast."
"Actually, I had Inara's help," Keira replied. "But, what do you think?"
"It's wonderful. Very befitting for you."
"Thank you. This place needed the color in it."
"It's a firefly class, Keira. What did you expect? Glamorous rooms?"
"I'm not sure what I expected. This is all so new to me."
"It's not for me anymore," Simon said with an almost sad tone.
"Do you not like it here?" Keira asked, picking up on his tone.
Simon gave a small sigh as he sat down on Keira's bed. He leaned back and gave a gentle shrug. He loved being on Serenity. He couldn't deny the fact that he missed his life before being forced to board the ship. He missed being a doctor in high class hospitals. He missed getting large amounts of money for doing that. He missed not having to hide who he was.
"I love it here," Simon finally said. "But I miss my old life."
Keira followed Simon's lead and sat down on her bed. She got as comfortable as she could while still keeping her eyes on her old friend. The long, silk gown she was wearing didn't make it easy for her to be completely comfortable but it worked well enough. After years of training and getting used to wearing clothes like those, she could make anything work well enough.
"Then, why did you come here?" Keira asked, gently.
"I was running from the Alliance," Simon answered as if to say, 'duh'.
"That's not what I meant. Why did you choose this ship. What drew you to it?"
"I thought that this would be the last place the Alliance would look for me. Considering my high class life style, they probably thought that I wouldn't be caught dead aboard a firefly class."
Keira and Simon laughed at his brutally honest remark. They were both accustomed to a high class life style. Their parents were rich and they both led strong professions that gained them large amounts of money as well. A firefly class is the last place someone would expect them to be.
"Okay, so after you escaped the Alliance, what kept you here?" Keira asked, going back to the serious conversation they were having.
"The crew," Simon answered honestly. "They helped me even though they didn't have to. They helped me with River and they agreed to keep her safe. That was the most important thing for me."
"Okay, well, I hate to break it to you but River's a big girl, Simon. You don't need to play the big brother role anymore, she can take care of herself."
"I know," He said though he hated to admit it. "But she loves it here. She loves the people here."
"Do you?"
"Do I what? Love this ship?"
"I was actually asking if you loved the people here."
Simon thought about that seriously for several, long moments. It took him a little while to realize that he did love the people there. Even Jayne, who he, at times, couldn't stand. They were all like a family. They each had their own role to play as members of that crew and as the family on that ship.
"Yes, I do," Simon replied with a small smile. "But enough about me. What made you want to rent out this shuttle?"
"Inara had a lot to do with actually," Keira said with a small chuckle. "When she came back to Sihnon, she had all these stories that made being out here seem so wonderful."
"Wonderful and dangerous."
"True, but the danger made it all the more exciting for me."
"I see that hasn't changed about you," Simon said with a playful grin.
Keira gave her best innocent look at Simon's comment. She admitted that she was a bit of a wild child before she started her training. But once she was on Sihnon and training as a Companion, it was as if that part of her got locked up in a cage; a cage that she rarely opened. She missed being able to let the person who still burned inside of her come out. She missed being able to always be feisty and have fun. True, Keira was still feisty but she wasn't the same person she was before. She felt like she could be her true self while aboard Serenity.
"Honestly, it was the pure freedom of it all that made me want to be here," Keira replied. "There's no rules out here. No code, no one to say you can't do something."
"So, to you, this ship was freedom. From what? Being a Companion?" Simon asked, humor in his voice.
"Yes. Only another Companion can truly understand how binding that role can be."
"It doesn't seem that binding."
"It's not suppose to. If it seemed as controlling as it really was, they would never get another girl into that training house," Keira stated. "Don't get me wrong, I love my work. I get respect for it and I get to do a lot of things I wouldn't be able to do other wise."
"I feel a but coming on," Simon said with a knowing smile.
"But, out here, they can't control me as much. I get to be what I want and be who I want. It's a nice mix. It's a needed mix."
Keira didn't realize until then just how much she needed the escape. She was never meant for a Companion's life. She couldn't handle the rules, being talked down to, occasionally being looked at like a whore, or having to hide part of who she was. She loved the respect she got and being able to see knew things. She loved being a Companion. She just hated the things she had to give up in order to be one. Keira needed to have both worlds in her life. Hopefully, the universe could give her that.
"So, since you're out here, does that mean you're going to be the feisty girl I know and love?" Simon asked with a smirk.
"Maybe," Keira replied, mischievously with a grin.
"There you are. She's already here."
"What can I say? I guess that flame in me will never truly die."
"Good. I don't want that flame in you to ever die," Simon stated with a soft pat on Keira's thigh.
Keira gave a small smile at his words. She liked having someone encouraging her to be who she was. Inara helped, as did the other Companions, but no one really knew her before she became a Companion like Simon did. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. Some one who truly knew the real her was there. They weren't going to be surprised by anything she did. She loved that. Keira liked shocking people, true, but she also liked having someone who knew her well enough to the point where she couldn't shock them, even if she tried. And Simon was that person.
Simon and Keira continued their talk in her shuttle for several more hours before they both decided to retire for the night. They didn't even realize how much time they had taken up while rejoicing in their history together. They told stories and shared inside jokes that no one else could ever understand. Once they both started yawing too much, they said their good-bye's and Simon left.
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Simon walked into his bunk to find Kaylee asleep on his bed, waiting for him. He smiled at the sight of her. She was so beautiful that he couldn't not smile. She looked so peaceful there. He didn't want to wake her so he did his best to be quiet. He changed very carefully so she wouldn't be disturbed. Simon took his shirt off over his head, leaving him only in gray sweats, and threw the shirt aside.
"Where were you?" Kaylee asked, having been woken up by the soft thud of the shirt hitting the wall.
Simon smiled at her and said, "Sorry that I woke you."
"It's okay. I was just expecting you back sooner."
"I know. We lost track of time."
"We?" Kaylee asked.
"Yeah," Simon said. "I went to see Keira."
"Oh," Kaylee said and fought like hell to keep the pain out of her voice.
Simon got into the bed next to Kaylee. He pulled the blanket over both of them and gave her a small smile. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. He loved having her with him. It wasn't just being with her that he loved; he loved her. Simon was still afraid to admit it out loud but he really did love her. He loved her personality, her looks, her attitude, her silly knowledge about engines, everything. There was nothing about that woman that Simon didn't love.
"So, you guys just talked?" Kaylee asked and hugged Simon to her.
"Yeah. We were just catching up," Simon replied and laid a soft kiss on her forehead. "Nothing to worry about."
Kaylee gave a sad smile as she hugged Simon even closer to her. She couldn't fight the feeling in the pit of her stomach: jealousy. She wasn't really jealous of Keira but she was worried about her history with Simon. She couldn't stop herself from wondering about it. Were they really just friends? Was it more? Would Simon be loosing time with her by spending more time with Keira?
Kaylee gave a small shake of her head, which wasn't much since her head was resting on Simon's chest. She cast the thoughts and worries from her mind and continued to remind herself that Simon wouldn't hurt her like that. He cared for her too much, right? Kaylee snuggled herself comfortably next to Simon and let herself drift back to sleep.
Simon kept his baby blue eyes on Kaylee until her breathing steadied and he knew she was asleep again. He gazed up at the ceiling and let a careful sigh leave his lips. He loved Kaylee with all his heart. But his heart never forgot his first love. He never forgot how he felt about Keira. Simon loved her once before and it was his love for her that made him so apprehensive about admitting his love for Kaylee. Simon was torn between his past love and his present one. He couldn't help but wonder which love would win out in the end.
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(A/N)- First off, thank you so much to all the reviews from: Drakbmonkmap, BlueEyedBrigadier, espergirl04, Boo26, RogueButterfly, debbieja, NazgulGirl, Ttiffanyguriel, miss jasadin, garden-crafter and twinmuse. I greatly appreciate them!
I'm so very sorry this took so long to get up. This story is not my easiest to write. I've learned that I have to write everything long hand first and type it up later. I don't know why but that's the trick for this story. I also have other stories that I need to get updates for too. Not to mention the fact that I'm very busy with a life away from writing.
I hope everyone at least sort of likes this chapter. I'm trying to be a little mysterious with the past bewteen Simon and Keira but, not to worry, you will all find out the whole thing soon enough. ;-)
As always, please review!