Disclaimer: I do not own any Joss-verse, including Firefly.
Author's Note: This chapter is pretty short, just setting up the next one which will be half emotional and, hopefully, half funny. And hopfully up soon since I know how most of it goes.
"I thought I'd be home for Christmas." River said when Simon knocked softly on her door and pushed it open. She looked up at him sadly for a moment before ducking her head, letting a curtain of hair fall between her and her brother.
"So you know Commander Jackman is here." He sat down beside her on the bed and pushed her hair out of her face. "What do you want to do River?"
"I want to know why." River whispered, meeting her brother's gaze with tear filled eyes.
Simon sighed inwardly, though keeping things inside was pointless when talking to a psychic. He wasn't really surprised. He didn't think it was a good idea to let their parents know they were alive and it could only hurt River to hear and see first hand how little their parents had cared for them. But he understood why she wanted to see them.
"River," he began, but she cut him off.
"I know Simon. But we can go in without them seeing us. Please, Simon! Even after you brought me here I thought someday we could go back to them. I want to know why only you came. Maybe now they believe us, you can't know for sure that they don't. Please, ge ge, I need to know."
Simon sighed. He'd never been able to say no to her. Maybe the captain would do it for him.
"He won't," River told him. Simon sighed again.
"Ain't that kinda risky?" Jayne asked half an hour alter when the crew had gathered in the mess to discuss the plan.
"There won't be anyone else in the house but them." Simon explained. "River and I both figured out how to get around the security system years ago; they won't know we're there unless we decide to tell them, which we won't do unless we're sure they won't turn us in." From his tone of voice he didn't believe that was going to happen.
"And if they've changed their security system?" Zoe asked.
"River will get us around it."
"You sure you wanna do this little one?" Mal asked, looking at River. She could sense his captainly protectiveness and it meant a great deal to her, but it made her all the more determined to know why her own parents hadn't felt the same way when she had begged them to help her.
"We have to."
"Alright then. Let's work out the details." They settled down to the business of getting Simon and River safely through the city to their childhood home, into the house, and making plans to deal with anything that might go wrong. Ultimately it was decided that Zoe and Jayne would go with Simon and River to keep an eye on things while Mal took Kaylee to pick up the meds they'd come for in the first place.