Rating: Mostly PG, 'til the end, when it gets all NC-17, gettin' spicy.

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.

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“I’ve got it under control, Mal,” Wash said, eyes cutting to the captain, who was standing over his shoulder, glowering.

“Bits of my ship come flyin’ off and you say it’s fine?”

“No, I believe I said it was under control.”

Mal just glared at the pilot.

From behind them there was a voice.

“Captain?”

Wash and Mal both turned. Xiaofan was standing in the entryway to the bridge.

“May I speak with you?”

Mal looked out to the black, took a deep breath and replied.

“Yep, Doctor Lo.”

They were in the hall by crew quarters when she finally spoke.

“I received an offer as private physician.”

“I suppose you’ll be taking your leave.”

She stared at the bulkhead.

“Yes.”

“Care to tell me where we’ll be droppin’ you off?”

Xiaofan pulled her thoughts together.

“Bellerophon.”

“Can’t say as I’ll be happy to head back that way, but if it’s your direction, then we’ll be goin’. Right after this drop.”

“Of course, Captain.”

“If that’s all,” Mal said, itching to be elsewhere. Anywhere else than with this woman who reminded him too clearly off someone he was trying to forget.

She looked at him, his unease giving way to full irritation.

“That’s all. Thank you, Captain.”

“Wasn’t nothin’, Doctor Lo.”

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

Badger sat behind his desk taking in the room. Half a dozen of his men lay dead in his office, more for sure in the corridor. But still he was… alive. He thought on it a moment.

Two irritated, but unruffled, men stood before him. One tall, blonde, close cropped hair, thin-figured, severe suit, cold but amused eyes. The other, shorter, dark hair, hell looking back at BAdger as he looked a him.

“You didn’t ‘ave to kill ‘em. I’da told ya what ya wanted.”

The tall man spoke.

“You’ll have to forgive my colleague then, he can quite… overzealous.”

“’Overzealous‘!?”

Badger started to hyperventilate.

The darker man slammed his fist down on Badger’s desk.

“Now is not the time for hysterics!”

“Two, please return.”

Two, as he seemed to be called, returned to the tall man’s side.

“The name, Mister Badger.”

Badger eyed them. No holding back now.

“Reynolds. Ship called Serenity. They left a while back, but I got wind they was makin’ a delivery down ta Harris’ Moon.”

“Indeed?” the tall one ruminated.

“That’s what I know. I don’t know nothin’ else.”

The darker man turned those empty eyes on Badger.

“Then you’re finished here.”

A knife was unsheathed from his hip. Badger squirmed.

“Ain’t no needa kill me. Might be helpful down the road.”

“Doubtful,” Two spoke.

“But possible. Just mark him. Then return to the ship.”

Two approached the desk, blade glinting in the bare illumination.

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

“Yer gonna be working’ on Bellerophon? For some hoity-toity rich folks?”

Kaylee fussed about in the engine room, moving things so Xiaofan could have a seat.

“Don’t know why ya wanna be in here. All this mess and engine grease.”

“You’re in here, Kaylee. I like spending time with you.”

Kaylee plopped down next to her.

“Would ya like a taste of the latest batch from my-”

“You’re inter-engine fermentation system?” Xiaofan laughed, “Simon has mentioned it.”

Kaylee laughed, too.

“It can be kinda… well… Well, Cap’ says it’ll put hair on yer chest.”

“Don’t know if I want hair on my chest, but I might need a bit of a drink.”

Kaylee produced two mugs and poured them both a handy portion.

“Talkin’ and drinkin’ seem ta go hand in hand.”

“What about drinking and engine maintenance.”

More smiling.

“Oh, Serenity is doin’ fine of late. I been in here mostly keepin’ her company.”

Xiaofan looked down into her cup and smiled.

“Simon’s been busy?”

Kaylee looked a bit surprised, then relaxed.

“Did you talk to him?”

“I’ve talked to him quite a bit since-”

“Ya know what I mean, Xiaofan.”

Xiaofan sighed.

“After my little 'breakdown', yes, I noted your… disagreement. And I did urge Simon to talk to you.”

Kaylee took a mouthful of her drink, grimaced a bit and looked at the woman sitting next to her.

“Why?”

That did startle Xiaofan.

“I mean, you used to be…”

“I was never ‘with’ Simon. We were friends. I thought…”

“Like me. Wantin’.”

“Are you, Kaylee?”

“What?”

Xiaofan smirked, taking a sip.

“Still wanting?”

Kaylee couldn’t help it, she blushed. She wasn’t bashful about sex, that wasn’t it. Just this woman, who’d had the same longing as she, asking if she’d finally…

“Simon and me… We’re closer, could be said.”

“Well done, both of you.”

Kaylee took another drink and smiled.

~~~~~

Later, after Xiaofan was gone, and it was just Kaylee sitting in the heart of Serenity, she reminisced.

~~~~~

It was awkward at first. Simon knew intellectually what he was supposed to do. But as he saw it, that was part of the problem. Intellectually, he shouldn’t be doing anything.

So, he let instinct take over.

He pulled Kaylee to him, one hand in her hair the other around her waist. Their lips touched, tongues tentatively moving against the other. Kaylee relaxed her body against his, her heart beating like a drum in her throat.

She grasped his shoulders, running a hand through the wispy hairs at the back of his neck. His back tightened a bit as she ran the other hand over his back and farther down. The kiss deepened and he relaxed more in Kaylee’s embrace. His mind wandered and her hands traveled his body.

Kaylee could not believe it. She was wrapping her mind around it as it happened. She kept her eyes closed, fearing anything that would interfere with the magic. She touched him, fingers at the collarbone, running down the middle of his chest, caught in the edge of his sweater.

He stood there, breathing, touching his lips to hers, feeling her hands as they wandered his body. He gasped as he felt her fingertips on his stomach, the flat of her hand moving up, pushing the fabric out of her way.

He took breath to speak, but her lips fastened to his once more. A deep kiss, pushing all lucid thought from his mind. And still the sweater was coming off, then the under shirt, just his skin, with the thin fabric of her own between them.

He could feel the peaks of her breasts against the skin over his ribs. And finally his hands found movement.

Simon began kissing Kaylee, the corner of her lips, cheek, jaw. He breathed by her ear and she shivered. Kisses rained lightly as his hands moved from passive to active.

He slipped the t-shirt over her head, exposing her breasts.

“Kaylee,” he breathed.

She moaned.

“Open your eyes.”

“I can’t.”

“Now, I know that it’s just not true.”

She smiled against his cheek.

“I don’t want this to fade from in front of me.”

“I promise, we are going to ~zuoai~, and I am not going to disappear.”

She opened her eyes.

“Make love?”

He kissed her gently, lips just grazing.

“I don't know what to say.”

"Funny, that's usually me."

It took a moment, then they were unclothed on Kaylee’s bed.

She cupped her hands to his cheeks, passion flaring in her. But she couldn’t keep her hands to his face. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in tight. She could feel him between her legs, gently, not demanding. Before she knew it there were lips on her neck, lingering kisses on trailing down to her breasts.

He flicked his tongue over her nipples, taking one in his mouth, applying suction until she moaned. His hands gripped her hips, holding her to the bed.

Not that Kaylee had a mind to escape.

She let him play with her a while, until she couldn’t control herself anymore. She wanted to feel him. She sat up and when he started to speak, she placed a finger on his lips. She moved him under her, straddling his thighs.

She gave him almost he same treatment. Flowering kisses to his chest, down his belly, lower.

“Kaylee…”

“Shhhh…”

She kissed one hip and then the other, moving to the center, his ~yangdao~ moving, reacting to her breath. She didn’t touch him, just breathing, the warmth making him hard. She moved further down his body. Each thigh, kneecaps, shins, arch of his feet.

Simon laughed.

“Come here.”

He pulled her on top of him, capturing her mouth for another kiss.

Kaylee opened her legs, so she could feel him more readily, the sensation making her tingle. Simon moved, his being creating friction with hers. They were both breathing heavily.

“Simon.”

He moaned.

“Inside me, Simon. Now.”

He didn’t think, he just moved. He moved Kaylee on her back, mouth on hers, reaching between them, touching her flower, feeling her wetness. Kaylee gasped and moved with his hand, grinding, little moans deep in her throat.

“Inside.”

Simon positioned himself and moved inside her. Kaylee wrapped herself around him, moving with him, keeping their lips joined. They rocked together, gently at first, momentum building.

He slipped his hand down again, to where they joined. He moved his finger over her bud and she cried out. His lips moved over her cheek to her ears. He breathed words, maybe they were words, into her ears as they moved together.

Kaylee’s nails dragged, not painfully, across his back. It just urged him, made him move, increased the pressure of his caress, the power of his thrust. Very soon he had no conscious mind, he had the feeling of Kaylee’s body around him, enveloping him, making him gasp with the sheer pleasure of it. Soon…

She felt the same, even when he removed that bit of stimulation. Just the stroke, it sent a surge through her. Soon…

Touch, kiss, lips, tongue, movement, ah, movement, and they were together, crying out, mutual release found.

He lay on top of her a moment, their breathing becoming more normal, then he moved to her side. His backside cold against the bulkhead, he shivered.

“My love,” she said.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Put the other blanket behind your back or you’ll freeze.”

“Yes, my love.”