Author: joly

Rating:

Genre: Drama-y, Romance-y, Angst-y (maybe), Adventure-y

Pairing: Mostly Simon/Kaylee

Spoilers: All the way to ‘Objects in Space’. But no BDM spoilers. In this story that hasn’t happened yet. We can, however, assume that things have gone all canon-like after ‘Ariel’ and up til this point.

Summary: A continuation of ‘Anti Hero‘. Set significantly after ’Objects in Space’. Xiaofan has to make a quick exit after thugs bust into her practice. She assumes it’s just a robbery gone wrong. But is it ever that simple? It’s now her turn to call on the help of her old friend Simon Tam and the crew of Serenity.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Firefly, the crew, the ‘Verse, any of that stuff. I just like to tell stories. Joss and The Man own the stuff. All the OFC’s are mine and I reserve the right to use them any way I please. I make no money, I expect none. Peace and Blessings.

Thanks: To everyone who read ‘Anti Hero’, much thanks. Makes me all squishy inside.

Distribution: Any where, just let me know so’s I can do a little dance.

Feedback: Please and Thank You. Read and review at your leisure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, back on Persephone

“What do you mean you can’t pick up my items? You’re a courier. It’s what you do.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor Lo. We’re not to accept any contract from you.”

“Why in ~Tian a~(Heaven’s name) not?”

“Good day, Doctor Lo.”

This was the third courier service she’d called in half an hour. All three had declined to pick up the meds from her office. None had said why.

Xiaofan had an incredibly sinking feeling that this boded ill for her. That it had not been random thugs looking for narcotics. There was someone out for her.

“Why?” she to the empty living room of the safe house.

She buried herself in thought.

She usually kept her dealings spread out amongst the many criminal contacts she had acquired in the last year or so. No need to upset any local crime boss’ ego. She usually contracted through one of them to move less legally acquired items. Which she hadn’t recently, it did seem to be quiet on the black market drug scene.

Xiaofan had enough patients that a lack of side income was no terrible hardship. Though it was usual for her to get a call at least once a month to assist in the moving of something or other.

Was that the sign in itself? Was there something more to it?

‘It must be. I just have to put the pieces together, link things until I have a common denominator.’

She sat there in silence for some time, linking and back tracking, things in her mind adding and multiplying. Until she came up with a theory.

“Simon,” she said aloud, once again, just to herself.

Things had started to dry up a month or so after she’d helped Simon. She hadn’t paid it much notice as she’d been flush with patients at the time. But it was very definitely not long after Serenity had left that her side business had dwindled.

“I have to tell him.”

She moved back to the cortex, trying to wave the ship Serenity, anything to get in touch with Simon. The machine began blinking an error message at her and then a computerized voice stated,

"You are not authorized for long distance broad wave at this time. Please feel free to contact the business office during regulars. Thank you."

She punched up the service line for her broadwave.

"We are not able to take your call o at this time. Please wave again during business hours..."

She hung up before the recording went any further.

Xiaofan pulled on her jacket and went to the door.

‘But what if someone wants me to contact him? What if it’s a trap?’

“I need to warn him anyway.”

A moment later she was down the street at a private comm. She bounced from foot to foot, willing the connection to open.

“Come on, come on.”

Moments later a smiling face filled the screen.

“Need something?”

“I need to speak with Simon Tam.”

He suddenly looked uncertain.

“I don’t… I don’t know any Simon Tam.”

“Nice poker face.”

“I’ve never had someone wave and just ask for…”

“I’m Lo Xiaofan, I’m…”

“You helped after we picked up…”

“Yes, yes, great. You have my pedigree. Now tell Simon that someone just came for me. I think they’re looking for him. I can’t talk long, I have to get back…”

“Yea, yea, I’ll give him the message. But how will he…”

“I’ll try to get back to you. But I have to go.”

“Okay…” he said, shaking his head, “Bye?”

Xiaofan switched the comm off. She got her bearings and headed for the exit. She opened the door and walked right into someone. She blinked and when she opened her eyes she saw a man in front of her, a man she recognized.

“Jus’ the lovely lady I been lookin’ for.”

Xiaofan didn’t get a chance to respond, as a meaty hand struck her across the face and the world went black around her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Simon,” Wash called through the comm.

There was a click as he answered from the infirmary.

“Yes.”

“Need you on the bridge.”

“On my way.”

Wash looked to the captain and Zoe. A moment later Simon was standing with them.

He took in their faces, catching the look of strain.

“What?”

Mal spoke up first.

“Your friend Doctor Lo waved.”

“Well, I take it by your face it was not a pleasant call. What happened?”

“It seems someone paid her a visit. She thought it was someone looking for you.”

“How does she know? What did she…”

“It was a short conversation, Simon,” Wash spoke up. “She acted real spooked. Like she was being tailed.”

“Well, we have to see to her. We have to help her.”

Mal and Zoe just looked at him stone faced.

“What?”

“It could be a trap.”

“And we’ve dealt with that kind of trouble before.”

“You don’t seem to understand, Doc. You walk in there all willy nilly, get yourself pinched…”

“We can’t just leave her…”

“She said she’d wave again. If we don’t hear from her in a decent amounta time, we’ll put out feelers, see what we can see.”

“She could be hurt. They could have her.”

“We ain’t walkin’ in there blind.”

“Well, you be sure to let me know when an appropriate amount of time has passed.” He turned to leave. “And hopefully, she’ll be alive when we find her.”

Mal just stared at the area the doctor had been occupying.

“Did the doc just tell me off?”

“I believe that he did, sir.”

“On that note, I’ll be doin’ Captainy things. Believe I’ll have a talk with a certain mechanic.

“Yes, sir.”

A moment after Mal disappeared, Zoe looked down at her husband, sitting in the pilot’s seat.

“Now we can get back to the conversation we were having before this ~feihua~ got dumped in our laps.”

Wash took a deep breath and exhaled noisily.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t. I’m just saying this is not the time.”

It was a well worn argument. One that had no end in sight.

“There will never be a right time. Thank Buddha our parents hadn’t waited for the ‘right time’ or we wouldn’t be having this set to.”

The simple fact was, Wash was afraid. Not of having a child, but the terror of having to raise that child alone if something happened to Zoë. Or Zoë being without him. Wash’s fear was for himself, and as much as he loved Zoë, he couldn’t let it go.

“We can’t. Not right now.”

Zoë just glared at her husband, turned on her heel and left.

Wash sat on the bridge, glassy-eyed, not focusing on a thing. He was lost in how he could soothe his wife. How he could smooth her anger. Which would only be temporary. They would have this fight again and back he’d be, alone, fearful, contemplating…

Contemplating… Maybe Zoë needed someone else. Maybe his fear was a sign they weren’t meant to be. He no doubt loved that woman with the entire of his heart. But… Still so afraid.

He banished the thoughts from his head, unresolved. He began to focus on how to make up. How to get Zoë to let it go for the moment. Wash focused.

~~~~~

Two minutes later Zoe was in the cargo bay, angry and hurt and wanting to punch something. She wanted to drive her rage into something hard and unyielding, the pain in her hands a balm for the pain in her heart.

Jayne had set up a punching bag not too long ago. Zoe knew that, she supposed. That was why she headed for the cargo bay, to work out some frustration.

She carefully wrapped her hands with some of the tape Jayne had nicked from the doc, attempting to clear her mind.

The second she put her fists to the bag, she unleashed a torrent of fierce blows. She punched, slapped, elbowed, kicked and kneed the bag until she was panting with the effort. At the end, she sat on the weight bench, unwrapping her hands.

It was then she cried. Not big sobbing torrents. Quiet, angry tears, barely distinguishable from the sweat pouring down her face.

She was startled when she heard a voice cut through the train of her thought.

“Wash bein’ stupid again?”

Zoe looked up and saw the young mechanic coming down the steps.

“It’s fine, Kaylee…”

“No, it’s not. Not when yer out here all… angry and frustrated and…” The young woman struggled for the next word, “…forlorn.”

Zoe pretended to smile.

“I am not forlorn.”

Kaylee was down the steps and by her side in seconds.

“That’s why yer in here beatin’ up this poor defenseless whatever it is?”

“Punching bag, meimei.”

“Don’t matter. You should be in there, makin’ a baby with yer husband.”

Zoe shook her head. The young woman had a disconcerting habit of saying whatever was in her head.

“I can’t talk about this. Not right now.”

Kaylee sat next to her on the weight bench.

“You and Wash’d make the prettiest babies.”

Zoe took a deep breath.

“He don’t want…”

“Well… What about what you want?”

“I can’t make ‘im, Kay.”

“Well, ya can’t hold him down… Well, technically ya prob’ly could… But that ain’t my point.”

“I don’t think I‘m getting‘ what your sayin‘, Kaylee.”

Kaylee looked down at her hands for a second then over at her friend.

“You could just have a baby.”

Zoe sat in silence for a moment. She did actually turn it over in her mind.

“That’d be wrong, Kaylee.”

“Sometimes men jus’ need persuading’. Like they think they‘re not ready, but if they love ya…”

“I’d be trappin’ him.”

“In ta what? Yer already married.”

“Kaylee…”

“He’s gonna take one look at yer sweet dumplin’ and come over all misty eyed, wonderin’ why y’all waited as long as ya did.”

“I don’t want to make him, Kaylee. I want him to want it on his own.”

“How do you know he don’t, and he just keeps talkin’ hisself outta it?”

“I…”

“Just think on it. Love…” she got all misty-eyed herself, “…makes things happen.”

With that, Kaylee stood up, leaned over and touched her forehead to her friend’s.

As she headed up the steps, Zoe called out to her.

“Gotta start following’ your own advice, mei-mei.”

Kaylee turned, “’Bout what?”

“Men not knowin’ what they want. Needin‘ it just done.”

Kaylee just smiled as she went the rest of the way up the steps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She sat in a chair in a dim, damp room. Unbound, but with enough burly men with weapons to make her think twice about escape.

“Mister… Badger, I’m assuming since I’m still alive you want something.”

“Oh, I don’ know, luv. Ya know what they say about assumin’.”

“No. What?”

He waved his hands thoughtlessly.

“Who knows?”

“Am I here for ave a lesson in you’re personal philosophy, or is there a basis for all this?”

Badger took a rag out of his pocket, wiped the stool next her, and had a seat.

“Just waitin’ for my money, Miss.”

“It’s Doctor, as you well know. And I have money. I could provide you with money.”

“You don’t have enough, luv.”

“How do you know?”

“If you had that kinda money, you’da hadda betta safe ‘ouse an’ I wouldna found ya.”

“It was a perfectly good safe house.”

“Seems not.”

“You didn’t catch me in my safe house, you…” Xiaofan had a light go on over her head.

“Don’t get to thinking’ to ‘ard now luv. Don’t want ya ta pop a blood vessel or nothin’.”

She just stared daggers at him.

“Don’t wanna chat no more? Fine then, I’ll just be headin’ for my dinner.”

“You’re just going to leave me sitting here, with them.”

“Yes. I wouldn’t twitch too much. He’s the jumpy sort.”

Xiaofan sighed desolately and stared at the door as he exited.