A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read and commented - I'm glad you like it!

Just so you know, in this story approximately every other chapter will be a flashback - as this one is. Just don't want there to be any confusion.

Enjoy!

“We do appreciate you bringing this to our attention, Roger.” Gabriel Tam’s voice was even, his eyes and expression betraying none of the annoyance and anger he felt. Nodding courteously to the man on the screen before him, he said, “Regan and I will see if we might be able to convince Simon to focus more on his work.”

Nodding in return, Doctor Roger Banks told the other man, “Gabriel, I wouldn’t normally do something like this, but Simon is an exceptional doctor, easily on his way to the Medical-Elect.” Glancing to his left and right with a furtive gaze, he leaned forward a bit and confided, “But his behavior as of late has been paranoid at best. I’m very concerned for him and his future.”

Gabriel really didn’t need to hear anymore. He’d thought he and Regan had convinced Simon months ago to let go of this ridiculous conspiracy theory regarding his sister. However, when his son’s boss called him personally, he was fairly certain the situation was much more dire than he’d originally feared.

Raising a hand, Gabriel told the other man, “Say no more, Roger. We’ll handle it.”

With a small sigh, the doctor nodded once and then the screen winked off, leaving Gabriel to fume. Reaching for the household comm, he keyed it on and called for his wife. “Regan? Can you come to my study, please?”

As he waited for her in silence, he thought of how much damage Simon was doing, not only to himself – his career, his future – but to the Tam family as well. They were pillars of their community, one of the most respected families on Osiris. His son had always been a boon to that legacy, graduating in the top three percent of his class, becoming the youngest staff surgeon at Capital City’s General Hospital; his name was even being bandied around for the upcoming opening on the Medical-Elect. He hadn’t married yet, but Simon understood appearances and he’d always been very good at keeping them, attending the right parties, dating the right girls. Gabriel and Regan could not have asked for a better son; until very recently.

He’d really hoped that once River went away to school, Simon would focus his attentions on his own life. His sister had always proven a distraction for her brother; Simon showered inordinate amounts of attention of her. While he and their mother had thought it charming when Simon was small, the older he got, the more they found it annoying. River loved Simon, followed him about like a lost puppy, while Simon seemed to have taken it upon himself to act as a surrogate father and mother to the girl. To what end, Gabriel wasn’t rightly sure; it wasn’t as if he and Regan hadn’t given River every introduction to society, every toy she’d ever wanted, everything she could ever want. And yet Simon had always implied, never directly of course, but implied it all the same, that it wasn’t enough, that they were not enough, that River needed more.

So Gabriel had wanted to prove a point. It was obvious to both he and his wife that River was smart, smarter even than Simon and that was saying something. When the opportunity arose to send her to a top-level, Alliance-sponsored Academy they had jumped at the chance. River would be learning from some of the brightest minds the ‘verse had to offer and Simon would be forced to live his own life, really live it, perhaps even finding a woman to share it with, someone he could love as completely as he obviously loved his sister. It had been the perfect plan and yet it still had managed to backfire.

Regan entered the room at that moment, her curious expression at her husband’s summons replaced with a bit of concern as she registered his furrowed brow. “Gabriel?” she asked quietly, moving towards him and sitting in a chair opposite his large desk. “Is something wrong?”

With a heavy sigh, Gabriel gave his wife a small smile, noting the worry lines that were etched in her face. She was still a beautiful woman, her features regal and stately, her red hair fading a bit with age, but still lovely. Currently pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck, he allowed his eyes to linger on the unimpeded view of her face before saying, “Yes, xin gan, there is.”

Before she could press him further, he recounted the discussion with the Chief of Staff, Doctor Banks, watching as Regan’s concern grew tenfold. She had suspected that Simon was not doing well, although she had not confided as such in her husband. Gabriel had always been a bit too critical where Simon was concerned and she had feared his reaction if he discovered that his son was still convinced that their daughter was in danger.

“It’s really that bad?” Regan asked needlessly, watching her husband as he paced the room. His agitation was on the rise and so he’d been unable to sit still any longer. “Doctor Banks actually used the word ‘paranoid?’”

“He did.” Gabriel was uncertain what more he and Regan could do for the boy. They had already spoken to him once about his suspicions, trying to impress upon him how ridiculous it all sounded. Turning to regard his wife, he said quietly, “Regan, I’m worried about him.”

With a sympathetic look, Regan went to him, resting her hand to his face as she held his gray-eyed gaze. “I know, darling, but we just have to believe that once we’ve explained things to Simon, his logic and common sense will win out.” Smiling softly, she told him, “Simon’s nothing if not extremely factual. Everything he’s asserting at the moment is based on speculation and nothing more. Even he has to know what shaky ground he’s on.”

Nodding once, Gabriel took the hand she’d rested to his cheek and kissed the palm softly. Keeping a hold of it, he rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand, guiding Regan out the door of the study. “He’s still coming over for dinner tomorrow night, correct?”

“Yes,” Regan told him, leaning her head to his shoulder as they left the room and started down the hall to turn in for the night. “He should be here around seven.”

Pressing a kiss into her hair, Gabriel closed his eyes for just a second and said a silent prayer to Buddha. “Good.”

---- ----

“Tam? Is that you?”

Simon’s grin matched the wide one that greeted him as he rose and shook the man’s outstretched hand solidly. With a small chuckle, Simon told him, “Yes, it’s me. Long time no see, huh?”

Geoff Ling could only return the laugh as he tugged on the hand he held and pulled his ex-roommate into a bear hug. “Well, I’ve heard that once you start reattaching people’s limbs your time just really isn’t your own anymore.”

Laughing, a deep-throated belly laugh at the comment, Simon regarded his friend’s open gaze, the curiosity that Geoff regarded the world with still ever present. “What brings you back to the hallowed halls of academia?” he asked, gesturing about the lecture hall as he headed back towards his office.

Following, Simon confided, “Well, a bit of a selfish reason, if you must know.” Once they were inside the cluttered space, stacks of papers piled on the floor, old Earth-that-was chalkboards lining every wall, Simon explained, “I’m actually hoping you might use some of that mumbo jumbo you’re so fond of and work out a problem for me.”

With a wide-eyed look of utter disbelief, Geoff flailed about for a chair, sitting heavily, and clutching at his chest as though he were suffering an attack. “Wait a minute,” he panted melodramatically, deciding he would milk this for all it was worth. Simon, the good sport that he was, simply stood by, his arms over his chest and took the ribbing.

“Do you mean to tell me that Simon Tam, famed trauma surgeon, purveyor of all things biological needs my help?” Simon simply allowed his smile to deepen, covering his mouth with one hand as Geoff slapped his hand to his head and muttered, “I think hell might have frozen over.”

“All right, all right,” Simon told him, waving away his exaggeration. “I get your point.” Bowing slightly at the waist, he affected a regal air and said, “I, the humble Doctor Simon Tam, come seeking the wisdom of the great, all powerful Doctor Geoff Ling, mathematical genius.”

Accepting the title graciously, Geoff rose and bowed in return. “In that case, I accept the challenge.” As both men shared a smile, he asked, “What’s up?”

Opening the bag slung over his shoulder, Simon removed the stack of papers, each highlighted in multiple places, notes outlining his findings in the margins and one separate sheets stuck to the top. “I need your help cracking a code.”

“Ooh, a government conspiracy?” his friend asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation as he took the offered papers. Leafing through them, after a moment he glanced back to Simon with a quizzical look. “These are from your sister?”

Nodding once, Simon swallowed hard, knowing that he needed Geoff to trust him if he had any hope of enlisting his help. “She’s been at school now for almost a year. These are the letters she’s written home.”

Still puzzled, the other man’s eyes fell back to the letters, quickly noting a few of the sentences and words Simon had gone to the trouble of highlighting. Rounding his desk, he took a seat, motioning to a chair opposite him and Simon sank into it gladly. Pulling his desk lamp over, Geoff spread out the papers, studying them in silence for several moments, before turning back to regard his friend.

“Simon, I’m not sure what exactly you’re looking for,” he professed. Gesturing to the letters, he continued. “I see the words and phrases you’ve highlighted, but besides a few misspellings, I don’t see anything amiss.”

Sitting forward in his seat, Simon told him, “But that’s just it. River doesn’t misspell words.” Cocking a disbelieving eyebrow at him, Simon silenced his friend’s retort, as he continued. “Look, Geoff, I know you only met River a handful times while we were in school, but she is ridiculously smart.”

“And a hell of a dancer,” his friend added, remembering with a bit of awe how flawlessly she had danced Giselle in a performance Simon had roped him into attending. “But Tam, even smart girls can make mistakes.”

Shaking his head once, Simon’s mouth pressed into a thin line as he said firmly, “Not River.”

Geoff watched his friend with a skeptical eye, looking for the crack in his exterior that would let him in on the joke. But as he read Simon’s determined expression, unwavering, unrelenting, he realized he was serious; and deeply concerned.

Leaning forward, Simon tried one last plea. “Geoff, I know you have no reason to believe me and probably a lot more important things to do, but I’m asking you as a friend,” he said, knowing that the other man could not ignore the request of someone he considered akin to family. “And a very concerned brother, please just humor me.”

Holding his gaze for a second more, Geoff shrugged and told him, “All right, I suppose it could be fun. Plus, I owe you for all those years you humored me.”

Incredibly relieved, the young doctor eased back in the chair as he asked, “Humored you? When?”

Rising, Geoff moved towards the wall, pulling down a clean chalkboard as he again studied one of River’s letters. Turning back to Simon with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he answered, “When I was chasing Mary Davis.”

Remembrance lighting his face, Simon let out a small chuckle and nodded once. “Oh yeah.” Moving to stand beside him, Simon clapped him firmly on the back and leaned towards Geoff as if sharing a secret. “She really didn’t like you.”

Scowling at him for only a second, the mathematician gestured to the letters and said, “All right. Show me what you’ve got.”

---- ----

Simon cursed silently as the hover taxi slowed outside his family’s estate. Swiping his ident card and paying the man, he vaulted out of the car and jogged up the walkway, entering the grand foyer in a rush. Dropping his coat and bag unceremoniously on the floor, he nodded once to their butler, Mao, before heading back towards the dining room. He was very late.

Entering the incredibly formal room, he grimaced as both of his parents looked up at his entrance. Smiling weakly, he moved to his mother’s side, brushing a kiss to her cheek, before heading for his seat, nodding respectfully to his father. “Sorry I’m late,” he murmured, smoothing his napkin into his lap.

Almost instantly, Jana, their housekeeper arrived at his side, a plate of steaming and delicious smelling food in her hand. Placing it before him, Simon smiled his thanks to her, getting a small curtsy in return before the woman left the room. And once again, he was alone with his slightly perturbed parents.

Taking a bite of his food, Simon made no other apologies, knowing that if – well, when – his parents decided to scold him for his rudeness, it wouldn’t matter how contrite he was.

“Busy day, dear?” It was his mother who first broached the subject and for that, Simon was grateful. His father had an uncanny ability to make him feel as if he was five again and the condescension either served to make him angry or sad, neither emotion he was too keen to experience at the moment.

Addressing his mother, he told her, “Yes, actually it was. We had quite a few surgeries today.” Taking another bite, Simon chewed slowly, swallowing down the delicious steak before taking a long sip of wine. His eyes back on his plate as he loaded another fork full of food, he added, “And I went to see Geoff.”

“Geoff?” Gabriel questioned, raising eyes to first his wife and then to Simon. “Geoff Ling? Isn’t he teaching now?”

Nodding once, Simon said, “Yes, he is. His students love him from what I’ve heard. I thought it might be nice to see a familiar face.”

Gabriel couldn’t help but feel a bit of the tension ease from his mind. Geoff Ling was a fine young man, much like his own son, and what was better, he was from a very wealthy family and had seriously been dating a young woman for a little over a year. Rumors were everywhere that they would soon be engaged. Geoff Ling was just the type of positive influence Simon needed.

“Did you two have fun catching up?” Regan asked, her own face breaking into a grin as she remembered the young, exuberant red-headed boy who her son had become friends with almost immediately at the start of his freshmen year. “You haven’t mentioned him in ages.”

“Yes, well, my residency takes up most of my time,” Simon reminded her. As they continued to eat in silence, Simon’s thoughts guiltily drifted to his conversation with his ex-roommate. Geoff still hadn’t been totally convinced that Simon wasn’t just a tad delusional, even after he’d explained his theories. But he had promised to help and Simon knew the man would be good to his word.

“I’ve heard he and Katherine might be getting engaged soon.” Regan broke the quiet that had settled upon them. It wasn’t uncommon for the Tams to eat an entire meal in silence, especially since River had been gone, but she knew that Gabriel wanted to speak with Simon after supper and figured that perhaps putting him at ease with some inconsequential chatter might help. “Did he mention it to you?”

Shrugging once, Simon said, “We didn’t talk about him and Katie. We talked about River.”

Regan and Gabriel’s heads snapped up, their eyes wide, their bodies tense. Turning slowly to regard his son, Gabriel sat back heavily in his seat and asked sharply, “What?”

Steeling himself for the confrontation, Simon met his father’s gaze unflinchingly. “I took Geoff River’s letters and asked him to help me understand them.”

His anger quickly boiling over, Gabriel leaned forward suddenly, banging his closed fist loudly on the table. “Simon, this has to stop.”

His own anger deepening, his son challenged, “What has to stop, father? My concern for my sister? Just because you sent her away doesn’t mean I don’t care about her. She needs our help.”

“Simon, please,” his mother breathed, her heart beating wildly as she heard him spout such nonsense. “This isn’t healthy for you dear, all this paranoia and anxiety.”

“It’s not paranoia,” Simon bit out, rising swiftly. Holding his mother’s concerned look before turning to take in his father’s burning glare, Simon said, “River is in trouble. Her letters will prove it.”

Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed from the room, not surprised when both parents followed just a minute later. Closing the doors to the study, Regan moved to the leather sofa, her hands clenched in her lap as she watched Simon and Gabriel face-off, standing before the roaring fireplace.

Their glares cold enough to turn water to ice, neither man spoke for several minutes, determined to win the staring contest. It was finally Gabriel who decided to bring an end to this. “Doctor Banks called me today.”

His face betraying none of the resentment he felt towards his meddling boss, Simon asked, “So?”

“So?” Gabriel took a menacing step forward and then realized what he was doing. This was his son, his first born and he was treating him like a common criminal. If the boy was truly suffering some kind of delusion, some kind of anxiety-ridden state, then threatening him would do no good. Willing his anger to subside, Gabriel took a step back and then moved resolutely to Regan’s side. Sitting, he took one of her hands in his own and turned back to Simon, his face much more calm. “He’s very worried about you, Simon. As are your mother and I.”

A bit surprised by his sudden placidity, Simon turned to them both and said as evenly as possible, “There’s really nothing to worry about.” When it was clear neither of them believed him he let out a slow breath and said, “There isn’t. And Doctor Banks has no reason to be concerned. My work has not suffered.”

“He overheard you, Simon,” Regan explained, waiting until her son’s incredibly blue eyes had alighted back to her face before continuing. “He said he overheard you talking with one of the other surgeons about your fears regarding River.” Sparing a quick glance to her husband, Regan brought her fear-filled eyes back to her son and said in a whisper, “Simon, it makes you sound insane.”

He already knew that of course. Wondering how he could have been so stupid as to be overheard, he let out another deep breath, before slowly sinking into an easy chair across from them. He could still feel the warmth of the fire at his back and he was grateful for it. Everything seemed colder to him lately, everything seemed harsher since he’d started to suspect something was wrong with his mei mei.

“I realize that, mother, I do,” he told her. Turning imploring eyes to both parents, he added in an urgent tone, “But I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong. River’s letters, they just don’t … They’re not her.” He knew he was making even less sense and so he stopped, falling silent, his eyes wandering to the flames, his gaze fixated on the red-orange spikes.

“I just need to know she’s all right,” he admitted in a whisper.

Nothing was said for several moments as each of them tried to understand what could be done. It was Gabriel who finally rose, moving to Simon’s side. “Well then, I say there’s no time like the present.”

Watching as he headed for the door, Simon rose to follow. “What are you talking about?”

Not bothering to stop, Gabriel was out into the foyer and up the stairs as he said, “Let’s wave the Academy and ask to speak with her. It’s not her regularly scheduled call, but the Dean can’t keep me from speaking to my daughter.”

Feeling immense relief at the thought of talking to and seeing River, Simon quickened his pace, he and his father reaching the older man’s study together. As Gabriel opened the channel and keyed in the code, he looked to Simon noting the tension in his son’s stance. Resting a hand to his shoulder, he told him, “This will ease your mind, son. And then we’ll have no more of this paranoia business.”

Nodding once, Simon silently agreed. He would be more than happy to know that there was nothing to worry about. That his obsessive behavior surrounding his sister and what she was or was not trying to tell him over these months was nothing more than a product of his overactive imagination.

As the screen flickered to life, the Academy’s seal filling the space, Gabriel controlled the wave. “Good evening. I realize it’s a bit late, but this is Gabriel Tam. I’d like to speak with my daughter, please. River Tam.”

The automated voice that had answered was soon replaced by a human one, even though the visual remained off, the Academy’s emblem never wavering. “This is Dean Stockton. How may I help you?”

“Yes, Dean, good evening. This is Gabriel Tam. I’d like to speak with River please.”

A pause and then, “Mister Tam, you do realize what time it is?”

“I do,” Gabriel asserted, his voice growing a bit of an edge. “However, we’ve had a bit of a family emergency and my son and I need to speak with River.” As another pause stretched on, Gabriel’s suspicions grew. Looking to Simon, he could see his son again growing agitated and he prayed silently that River showed up in front of them soon.

And then, as if in answer to his silent plea, the screen flickered to life, River’s visage gazing at them both. “Hello father,” she said evenly, offering him a smile. “Is everything all right?”

Before Gabriel could answer, Simon moved into her field of vision and said, “Mei mei?”

Her face breaking into a wide grin that reached her eyes, she breathed, “Simon. I miss you.”

Feeling immense relief at just the sight of her, Simon answered, “I miss you too, mei mei. But you should be home soon, right? For summer recess?”

Nodding once, she told him truthfully, “I hope so.” Glancing between them, she asked quickly, “Is everything all right? Where’s mother?”

“She’s fine, dear,” Gabriel assured. “Simon just wanted to see you, speak to you and so we decided not to wait.”

Smiling again, River’s big, brown eyes rested on Simon’s face. Holding his gaze intently, Simon smiled back at her, even as he thought he caught a flicker of something in her look. It was so subtle, so fast, he was sure he’d just imagined it. Probably just a residual bit of his suspicions. “I’m glad you called,” she finally said, her voice quiet. More seconds passed and Simon took a hesitant step towards the screen. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, he could see it now. See it in the way her shoulders were hunched, in how she held her body stiffly. If he didn’t know any better he’d say she was in pain.

“River-“

“I have to go,” she told them quickly, interrupting him. Smiling again, although this time it did not light up her eyes, she looked to her father first and said, “Give my love to mother.” As the older man nodded, she looked to Simon and whispered, “I love you, ge ge.”

“I love you too, River,” Simon murmured and then she was gone.

Turning back to his son, Gabriel told him triumphantly, “See? Nothing to worry about.”

Allowing himself to be led from the room, Simon’s mind churned with more fear as he replayed the conversation in his mind. Wishing he’d had the presence of thought to record it, he murmured, “Yes, nothing to worry about.”

---- ----

Simon pushed open the door to his apartment with a sigh, dropping his messenger bag into a chair, stripping off his scrub top and hurling it into a corner. Why did the days seem to be getting longer? It had been over a week since he’d seen Geoff, since he’d spoken to River and now every hour seemed to drag by twice as slow. His body was weary with worry, his mind stretched thin with anxiety.

Feeling a chill, he headed into his room, grabbing a sweater and pulling it on, before moving back towards the kitchen and fixing some supper. As he finished making a sandwich, he heard a knock on his door. Wondering who would be up at this ungodly hour besides himself, he answered it, smiling and tensing all at once when he saw who it was.

“Hey, Geoff.” Ushering his friend inside, Simon closed the door and asked, “What are you doing here so early?”

Shrugging lightly, the man said, “I have a big lecture today I need to prep for. Thought maybe I’d catch you between shifts.”

Smiling, Simon told him, “Well you did.” Moving to retrieve his food, he called, “You want something? I could make some coffee.”

Shaking his head, his friend waited until Simon had reappeared, sitting comfortably in a nearby chair, before pulling out the bundle of letters he’d dropped off a week ago.

Pausing in mid-bite, Simon asked, “Did you find something?”

Nodding once, Geoff swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. He really wanted to be wrong. “I’m pretty sure I have.” As Simon leaned forward, food forgotten, he hung on his friend’s every word. “I ran the numbers numerous times, Simon. I even had a colleague check my math, just to be sure.”

His stomach clenching as he realized it must be bad, Simon asked hurriedly, “And?”

Taking out the sheet that held his findings, Geoff slid it across the table to him and admitted, “And it’s not good.” As Simon’s eyes roved over the paper, his mind barely comprehending what he was seeing, he muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Refusing to fully believe until he knew he understood it, the young doctor looked to his friend and demanded, “Show me.”

---- ----

Five hours later, Simon was alone and waiting nervously. Hearing the shuffle of papers under the door, he lunged off of the couch, reaching for the few pieces of mail he knew to expect. Rifling through them, he found the envelope he wanted and with trembling hands opened it.

After Geoff had gone leaving Simon’s heart effectively in his throat, he’d realized what day it was: The last day of the month; River’s letter day. Geoff had explained the math to him, even showed him how to complete the equations himself. He’d told him that there was always room for error, that nothing was absolute, both neither man believed that. They had both built their adult lives and their careers around absolutes. The nature of the information didn’t change the rules of the ‘verse.

Reading through this latest collection of nonsense from his sister, Simon applied the algorithm, using the misspelled words and embedded riddles as his data and came to the same startling conclusion once again.

“Oh my God,” he breathed, sinking onto the floor, his knees losing the ability to hold his weight. Feeling his eyes tighten with the sting of tears, he whispered, “River.”

Lost in thought and doing his best not to drown in sorrow, Simon could only keep repeating his mei mei’s message to himself, the words striking fear in his heart:

They’re hurting us. Get me out.

---- ----

TBC