Title: "Nothing to Hide" Sequel to: A Woman's Opinion Timeline: After "Objects in Space", before Serenity. Technically, the morning Mal & the gang talk to Fanty & Mingo to set up the security deposit job Characters: Simon, Kaylee and a cameo by Jayne Pairing: Simon/Kaylee Rating: PG-13 Warning: Some sexual references

Author's Note: I wrote "A Woman's Opinion" to appease my frustrations at the lack of Mal/Kaylee interaction (in a brother/sister way). I posted it on fireflyfans.net and recieved a comment suggesting I write a sequel where Simon and Kaylee get down to business. *insert brow wiggle here* Which seemed like a great idea. The only problem with that is that another one of my frustrations with the movie was that I felt Simon and Kaylee didn't get a chance to really start a relationship before they jumped into bed together. It seemed odd to me that Simon, who'd kept Kaylee at such a distance before that they hadn't even kissed, would leap straight to sex. And "life threatening" situations could have been a push in that direction, but they've been in life threatening situations before and he hadn't made that leap. This fic just seemed like a good step for them - and it fit in with the timeline I'd set up in "A Woman's Opinion".

----------------------------------------------------

It was just after dawn – not that one could tell too well, since Serenity was still in deep space. Mal had left an hour earlier. He’d been careful not to wake her. There was no point in her getting up before she had to. She hadn’t gone back to sleep since he’d left. He’d successfully made her feel one hundred percent better and she’d wiggled in his bed, charged with energy, until she was unable to wait to see Simon anymore.

She climbed up out of Mal’s bunk in her nightgown, the chaste white one she had that made her look like a baby doll. After closing the door, she turned down the hall and started toward her bunk, but she was stopped short by the firm, solid mass of Simon’s chest.

He caught her before she fell over backwards, his eyes sweeping over her in an inconspicuous manner. His heart raced when he took in her attire and the fact that he’d just seen her crawling out of Mal’s bunk.

She righted herself quickly, though took a few moments time before letting Simon know she was back on her feet – she liked the feel of his arms around her. She felt his heart rate quicken against her chest and it caused the sworn of butterflies in her stomach to start flapping around. She looked up at him, slowly raising her head in order to get a good look at everything else, a smile already in place on her lips.

“Zao shang hao, Simon.”

Her voice was sweet and rough, it was obvious she’d either just woken up or hadn’t talked since she’d woken up. His name rolled off her tongue like honey, something delicious that needed to be savored and it sent a chill down his spine and would have caused another reaction if he hadn’t started thinking about kittens and puppies at that very moment. It also helped that he focused on the fact that she’d spent the night with Captain Reynolds.

Kaylee noticed a redness spreading over Simon’s face and assumed it was because she was still clinging to him. She cleared her throat softly and pulled out of his grip, though she let her hand run down his back as she did so, lingering for just a moment on his hip.

She assumed wrong, though pulling away from him had been a good idea. He was so consumed with jealousy he could hardly see straight. He didn’t want to explode at her. He wanted to be certain that she hadn’t just gone down there to get something – like a wrench. He doubted it, though. Her hands were empty.

“Why were you coming out of Mal’s bunk just now?”

He masked the jealous and rising anger in his question with curiosity and she didn’t notice the strain his voice. She’d become preoccupied with the fact that Simon was finally seeing her in her nightgown and it had to be this one. It couldn’t be the sexy one that had little tiny straps and was so short it was almost indecent. It had to be the one that fell below her knees and covered up everything in-between.

Her smile didn’t fade a fraction as she answered him, blissfully unaware of where his mind was headed. She had never ever considered crawling into bed with Mal the way she considered it with Simon, so the idea of someone else thinking she was interested that way had never crossed her mind either.

“Oh. I spent the night down there.”

“Where was Mal?”

“With me.”

Her head tilted to the side in a way that instantly reminded him of his sister – especially when River was silently telling him how stupid he was. But Kaylee’s gaze was more curious than annoyed. It would have been another one of those looks that he memorized and remembered later when he needed something to smile about. Would have been if he wasn’t suddenly swamped with images of Malcolm’s hands caressing Kaylee’s naked body, his lips on her skin and her moaning his name in his ear in that sweet tone of voice Simon had begun to think she used only when saying his name. He had to fight back the vomit threatening to rise in his throat.

His face went pale. Before confusion could furrow her brow, concern set in and she closed the distance between them, reaching up and cupping his face in her hands and forcing his gaze back on her, instead of on the wall past her.

“Simon? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

He heard the way her voice trembled, the way concern was evident there, as well as on her face. It was genuine. He wasn’t used to that. If it hadn’t been the idea of what she’d spent last night doing that had ailed him, she probably would have made his knees weak – just with that one look. He pulled her hands from him and offered her a wane smile, swallowing heavily.

“I…I thought that we…I mean…i-i-i-it’s just that…” He swallowed again, his hands still holding Kaylee’s wrists. His eyes dropped to his feet and he struggled for the strength to speak without sounding like an idiot. “I didn’t realize you and the Captain were, well, to-to-together.”

The smile fell right off her face, but instead of being replaced with something that Simon was more prepared for, her teeth ground together and her jaw set. She didn’t have to think about why he’d jump to that conclusion, she just reacted. Anger flooded her system and she jerked her hands from his grip.

Simon realized he’d made a mistake. Although, he wasn’t certain if the mistake had been letting her know that he knew she’d been pumping the Captain last night for something other than a new part for the engine or if he’d actually mistook what had been going on between them. But he did know he’d made a mistake and that Kaylee was angry now and he was going to get it from her – just like he always did when he shoved his foot in his mouth. Which happened more times than he cared to admit. But he didn’t start to apologize just yet. He didn’t know what to apologize for yet.

“You’re just as bad as the Captain! But at least he’s a bit closer on the money when he calls Inara a whore. You! You ain’t got no right – no right at all ta be accusin’ me and him of…of…doin’…that. I ain’t got nothin’ ta hide. Never have and I ain’t gonna. ‘Cause you don’t hide stuff from family. If I was…doin’ that with…him…you’d have known it long before now.” She spat her words out at him like they were on fire, her eyes shooting sparks that he couldn’t help but find incredibly attractive – despite the fact that she looked ready to murder him.

“Kaylee…I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions and I-I-I really shouldn’t have.”

Hearing the stammer in his voice, his sincere tone and the way he said her name caused the anger to dissolve from her body. And for a brief moment, she was angry at him for not letting her stay mad, but that, too, passed.

“Well, I just can’t understand why you’d think that in the first place. You know Capt’n and I ain’t like that. What kind of woman you think I am? That I’d spend all my time flirtin’ and getting’ hopeful with you and then crawl into his bed for sex at night?”

He winced. She was right, but part of the wince was the fact that she’d said “sex” out loud. He still wasn’t used to that. He wasn’t used to just saying what ought to be said instead of skirting around the issue. And after not being used to it for eight months, he was beginning to think he would never be used to it.

“I do-don’t think that. I just…overreacted. It’s just that you…” Spit it out Tam. “You looked so…so…pretty and you were coming out of hi-hi-his bunk. I just…” His voice trailed off as his throat tightened. As much as he wanted to be able to say the words, he couldn’t get them out.

But he didn’t have to. Kaylee had started inching closer while he’d been speaking. She’d managed to close the small gap between them, a hand falling to his chest. She felt him tremble beneath her touch and she had to stop herself from releasing a giggle over it, though her smile slowly returned to her face. She didn’t have to be a reader to be able to understand why he’d jumped to conclusions.

“Because I’m yours and I ain’t ta be touched by other men.”

Kaylee spoke softly, her face tipping back to keep his face in view. Her hand stayed put and Simon was torn between wanting to keep her there and pushing her away. It didn’t matter where she touched him, or when, he was always affected by it. And usually it meant his brain completely shut down. He would have preferred that now. Instead, he was imagining what she’d taste like if he ran his tongue over her collar bone and how smooth her legs would feel if he drug his hand up one – and, even worse, how she’d moan his name when he pushed her over the edge. He was willing to bet she’d nearly scream it and then, later, when he was holding her in his arms, she’d sigh it out right before she went to sleep.

Her words jostled him. They caused electricity to shoot through each of his limbs until it exploded in his chest and sent him buzzing. They practically made him high. And before he could stop himself, he felt his arms twining around her, pulling her in closer to his body. Somewhere in the back of his mind, though, he heard a warning. It’s a trap!

“I-I-I-I do-don’t. I mean…it’s just…I don’t think you belong to me.”

Her smile curled a bit, forming more a smirk than anything else and the hand on his chest slid up to his neck, her other hand resting contently on his arm.

“You should, Simon. ‘Cause I am yours. Ain’t never wanted to belong to any other man more.”

Her voice was just barely a whisper and each word seemed to be purred out, rather than spoken. His mouth went dry and his head lowered. Her lips were pursed in that smirk and he found his eyes drawn more to them than he would have liked. She was in his arms, telling him that she wanted to be his. He kept waiting for that voice in his head to pipe in, give him a reason not to kiss her. Instead, all he heard was: I wonder if she tastes like strawberries.

Simon took one more look at her face, upturned toward him and inviting, before closing his eyes and lowering his mouth to hers. His lips were gentle and soft, but more confident than she’d expected. He kissed her as though this wasn’t the first time. His lips closed around her bottom lip, and she couldn’t help but get chills when he let the tip of his tongue brush over it. His mouth returned to hers when he released her lip and was pleased to find her lips already parted. When his tongue began to explore her mouth, she tilted her head to the side and swept her own tongue over his.

Kaylee had never in her life been kissed like this. They’d always been hurried, sloppy kisses on the way to the bedroom (or engine room in some cases). Simon kissed her like he had all the time in the world just to memorize the way she tastes and the way her lips feel on his. Her heart was already pounding in her head and she could feel her hands start to form fists around the fabric of his shirt. She was so wrapped up in what he was doing to her mouth that she didn’t notice the way he’d all but crushed her against his chest or the way his hands had formed fists around the fabric of her nightgown at the small of her back.

He was losing himself in her. It terrified him, but excited him all at the same time and he knew that making love to her would take hours. He’d take his time with her, build her up until she was whimpering and whining and begging for him to be inside her. He’d known before that it would have to be special – at the right time, when they were both ready for it. He wanted to really feel something for her other than passion. Now, instead of just knowing how it would have to be, he was making plans. And, as badly as he wanted to scoop her into his arms, carrying her back to his room and get started on those plans as soon as possible, she deserved better. He’d set his plans into action when he was sure he could hold her in his arms afterward and tell her how much he loves her.

Even as he was becoming resolved, his passion for her was mounting and the little murmured moans she was making into his mouth wasn’t helping matters. It took all his strength, but he finally broke the kiss, lifting his head to make certain she didn’t start kissing him again right away. He wouldn’t be able to control himself if she did.

Kaylee was too dizzy to kiss him right away. She panted out her breaths, struggling to get a good gulp of air into her lungs. She dropped her face into Simon’s shoulder and waited for her breathing to return to normal and her heart to slow down.

Simon began to loosen his grip on her, holding her enough to be certain she wouldn’t fall over, but releasing her enough that she had some room to move – she wasn’t plastered against his body anymore. It wasn’t until he heard the thundering of footsteps, presumably Jayne’s (because who else walks that loud around here?), that he thought about moving. And the second he it crossed his mind, his stomach growled out its approval of the idea.

“You should go get dressed, Kaylee. And I think I should go eat breakfast.”

His voice was like velvet to her, soft and soothing, but with a hint of sensuality. She was still clinging to him, stuck in some kind of a daze, like he’d put Novocain on his lips and doped her. But it was a daze she wouldn’t mind.

“I’ll go, so long as you promise that won’t be the only time you’re gonna kiss me like that.”

A chuckle rumbled in his chest and she felt it before she heard it pass his lips. He pulled her back from him, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead and mumbling against the flesh there. Kaylee felt her eyes slip shut as he did so, getting dizzy again.

“I promise.”

He held onto her a moment longer and she realized he wasn’t going to let her go until she moved. He was probably afraid she’d fall over. Hell, she was afraid she’d fall over. She considered not moving at all until his stomach growled again, this time louder. His face flushed with embarrassment, but she just grinned the goofy grin she couldn’t seem to get rid of.

“Go eat.”

She said it sweetly, so it didn’t come off as a demand, and stepped out from his grasp. She was still dazed, but she knew this boat by heart, she was certain she could find her bunk in two seconds flat, without any problems. Still, she stood and watched Simon walk down the hall to the kitchen, appreciative of the view his pants afforded her.

Jayne rounded the corner. She’d been listening to his feet clomp down Serenity for awhile now, but somehow the sound had just blended in with her heartbeat. He raised a brow when he spotted her attire, though it faded quickly into one of his more sinister grins that warned everyone something dirty was about to come flying out of his mouth.

Kaylee didn’t even hear what it was that he said. She saw his mouth move, but she was too busy listening to Simon’s words echo in her head. I promise. Her cheeks heated up and the silly grin grew larger.

“Zao shang hao, Jayne!”

She said it cheerfully, but in her dreamy, almost drunk tone. And then opened the hatch for her bunk and climbed down the ladder, leaving Jayne looking awfully confused in the hallway.

“Girl’s off her nut.” He mumbled to himself, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head before clomping into the kitchen. He dropped himself into a chair at the table after grabbing a bowl of oatmeal and shoveled a spoonful into his mouth. He was sitting across the doctor and he couldn’t help but notice that Simon seemed to have the same silly grin Kaylee had been sporting. He shook his head slowly and turned his attention to his food. He didn’t want to know.

--------------------------------------------------

TRANSLATIONS:

"Zao shang hao": "Good morning"

--------------------------------------------------

Comments are love. This fic wouldn't exist without feedback. Think about that!