Author's Note: The first part of what will probably be two. I'm new here, so I hope I'm doing everything right. This is turning out gen so far, but will probably end up as Mal/Simon. The high rating is because there's no R, and I wanted to be on the safe side--one of the throwaway OC's is less than well behaved.

"You're staying here," Mal snapped. "River too. We can't risk it, the Alliance presence is too strong here and now we've got bounty hunters after us too—besides, your leg is still healing."

"My leg is fine," Simon said calmly. "There's only a scar left. River and I can help, if you'd only let us."

"I don't want you help," Mal said, smiling tightly. "Now get out of sight."

"Captain," Simon said, some of his irritation bleeding through, "we want to try and make up for what happened and we can't do that if…"

"Make up for what, doc?" Mal interrupted. "River got the bounty hunter good, and you're the only one got hisself shot."

"Be that as it may," Simon said, trying to retain his calm. "He was only there because of us and things could have easily gone differently. We're becoming a burden and I don't want…"

"Fine," Mal snapped. "If you feel so strongly about it then maybe you should leave. Otherwise, get your ass back to your quarters like I said."

Simon glared for a moment, but then turned and walked back inside. Mal tried not to notice the slight limp as he stepped out on Persephone beside Zoe. He glanced back up at Jayne, who sat cleaning Vera on one of the crates, apparently oblivious to the argument of moments before. "Stay alert," Mal called to him. "We'll be back in a couple a hours."

Jayne nodded, waving him off distractedly. Mal frowned a bit, but with his hand hovering over his pistol followed Zoe to their rendezvous with Badger. Mal really wasn't looking forward to seeing the man again, but they needed the work, and their last dealings had at least gone somewhat better than the first. If you didn't count the whole nearly-fatal stabbing, that was, and really, that was all his own fault.

-----

River wasn't in her room when he went to find her—she was in his, sitting on his bed with crossed arms and a glare. "I'm not going."

Simon didn't bother to ask how she knew, he simply grabbed his suitcase and pretended not to hear her. "We always knew someday we would leave," he said gently. "They have enough troubles, River. Kaylee…" he broke off, staring intently at his hands. "You're my priority, you know that, but we'll have to find somewhere else that's safe because we've done enough damage here."

River swept up behind him, placing the palm of her hand against his back. "There is damage everywhere," she whispered.

"We'll end up getting someone killed," he said softly. "Besides, mei-mei, we're not wanted here." He wouldn't meet her eyes, and he stuffed his clothes in the bag without folding them. He'd stopped worrying about things like wrinkles in soft fabric months ago.

"That's not true," River said, but when he headed to her room to gather her things she followed him anyway. After that he packed up the medicines he would need for River from his share of the job on Ariel, and then there was nothing left to do but leave.

Jayne barely glanced at them as they walked out through the cargo hold, struggling to keep a grip on their few things. They didn't say anything and he didn't bother to say goodbye, but he scrubbed a little harder against the metal of his gun until they were out of sight.

-----

There were always plenty of ships looking for passengers on Persephone. It was where he had found Serenity, after all, drawn by a smile from the pretty girl with the colored umbrella. He wasn't looking to be a passenger this time; he didn't have anywhere to go.

If Simon had learned anything from his time on the rim it was that doctors were needed almost everywhere, and not only was he one of the best, but he was willing to work for almost nothing. He didn't expect to have much trouble finding a ship to take him on, but River was the one to find it. She grabbed his arm and pointed at a mid-sized ship, put together like patchwork but with less grace than Serenity, and a sign, written in red letters and atrocious spelling, proclaiming crew was wanted.

They walked over to it, River's fingers clenched around his, and Simon tried not to look nervous when a man twice his size stumbled out to greet him.

"Whatcha want?" he asked harshly, blinking furiously as if to ward off the sun.

"The sign says you need crew," Simon said, meeting his still blinking eyes. "I'm a doctor, I could…"

"Can't afford no doctor," the man said, all his voice dripping disdain.

"All I need is food and board for me and my sister," Simon said quickly. "And I'll do anything you need me too."

The man stopped blinking. He nodded to River. "That your sister?"

A comment about his powers of deduction was on the tip of his tongue, but Simon bit it back. At the beginning Mal would have been liable to punch him for it, this guy looked like he'd skip straight ahead to shooting. "Yes, but she's not to be touched, by anyone. That's non-negotiable."

The man nodded. "Sure thing, but you should know we ain't 'xactly respectable here, Doctor," he said, giving a sly grin. "We're kinda wanted by the Alliance. That gonna be a problem?"

Simon shared a brief look with his sister. "That's not going to be a problem for us."

-----

Jayne nodded over at Mal as he stepped back on Serenity. Behind him, Zoe held a crate that had to weigh a ton, but she didn't look like it was stressing her too much. That was why Mal always made her do the carrying, but she still glared at him a little when she let it drop, none too gently, to the floor.

Mal hit the airlock closed and then pressed the intercom. "Take us out of here, Wash. We've got to drop this off on Boros."

"Will do, Captain," he answered smartly. "You bring my wife back in one piece this time?"

"I'm fine, dear," Zoe said with a smile. "I'll be up in a minute." She glanced over at Mal, and when he gave her a nod with a smile, she headed up the stairs.

Mal turned to look over at Jayne, still smiling. "Went off without a hitch. You worried yet, Jayne?"

Jayne just glared at him, a little confused. It didn't seem like Mal to be so callous about turning those two trouble-makers off the ship. Then again, he supposed that was cause enough for Mal's good mood. They had less worries now, anyway. He lifted Vera up from beside him, shiny and new-looking, and smiled back at his Captain. "No, sir," he said. "What've we got to worry about now?"

-----

"Bad things have happened here," River whispered, rubbing the palms of her hands up and down her bare arms. "Many many bad things…" She turned a little, staring at the walls with wide eyes. "Simon!"

Simon quickly moved towards her, catching her hands in his and stilling their constant movement. "Hey, it's okay. We're fine. They aren't going to hurt you, alright, here, sit down." He helped her over onto the bunk. He was glad at least of getting to share one together and not with one of the 'not 'xactly respectable' crew. There wasn't much of an infirmary to speak of on the ship, though, more of a closet, really, and he had his work cut out for him. "They said they wouldn't hurt you."

"The snake would tell the mouse it will not eat it if it will bring it closer," she whispered, "but I am not a mouse."

Simon nodded with a wry smile. "Definitely not. I'm actually more worried about you hurting them than anything else. You won't do that, right?"

"I make no promises," she said huffily, pulling away. "You have brought us here, Simon." She turned to look at him, sitting with one hand to his forehead and looking lost. "What now?"

He sighed and looked up at her. "I guess I'll go see if I can make something of the infirmary," he said. "I have a feeling it won't be long until one of them gets themselves hurt." Simon started for the door but River grabbed his arm.

"It's not safe," she whispered.

He carefully pulled her hand away. "I'll be fine. I need you to stay here, and lock the door after me, okay?"

She nodded slightly, but her eyes were wide.

"I won't be long," he said, slipping outside. He didn't move away until he heard the lock click into place.

-----

Zoe and Wash were on the bridge doing things he'd rather not think about, Inara was shut away in her shuttle and Jayne was still cleaning his guns—many as he had, Mal figured it would be a week-long project at the least. He found Kaylee and the Shepherd in the lounge room, sitting on the couch and smiling over at him.

"Hey, you guys seen Simon or that crazy sister of his?" he asked, dropping down onto a chair with a sigh.

Kaylee frowned a little and shook her head. "Not for awhile, actually, now you mention it. I hope nothin's wrong."

Mal rolled his eyes. "He's probably still sulking," he said, running a hand through his hair. "We had a little bit of a fight earlier, I told him and his sister to stay in their rooms."

Kaylee gave a small smile. "And did you ever tell them they could come out again?"

Mal's eyes widened. "Damn, knew I was forgettin' something. They have to have felt Serenity take off, though, he's probably doing this to punish me."

"Maybe it's not you he's punishing," the Shepherd said thoughtfully, and it was all the incentive Mal needed to get to his feet.

He headed off towards their quarters, feeling unaccountably anxious, and when he reached Simon's door he pounded on it thoughtlessly. "Enough is enough, Simon, we're gonna be eatin' soon. I think I remember it bein' your turn to cook." There was no response, and Mal frowned when he heard nothing from the other side of the door at all. "Simon?" he snapped, pulling the door open.

He froze for a moment before he could bring himself to step inside. The covers where half on the floor and the small closet was open and empty, everything Simon had put up to make it a home missing. He didn't know why he bothered but he stumbled back to River's room, and when he opened her door he saw the same thing.

Mindlessly, he stalked off to the cargo hold. Jayne was sitting on the crate, and didn't look up, not until Mal had wrapped his fists in the material of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Where are Simon and River, Jayne?" he snapped, sounding oddly calm.

Jayne's eyes widened, but he made no attempt to pull away. "What do you mean?" he snapped. "They left, like you told 'em to."

He pulled Jayne forward a bit, but just far enough so he could knock him back. "I did not tell them to leave!"

"You told the doc that if he didn't like it to get off the ship!" Jayne shouted. "So he did. How's I supposed to know I shoulda stopped 'em?"

Mal paled and let his hands drop away. "Where did they go?"

Jayne glared at him, futilely smoothing down his shirt. "I don't know. Got off on Persephone after you and Zoe left. They could be anywhere by now, but look at the bright side, Mal. No more fugees, no more bounty hunters…"

Mal's glare ended Jayne's list of reasons to be grateful, and he hit the intercom. "Everyone get down to the cargo hold," he snapped. "Now."

-----

He didn't quite make it to the infirmary and one of his new fellow crewmates was already blocking his way. Quite literally, actually, as the man filled up most of the space provided by the small hallway and there was little to no hope of squeezing by him. He took a step back instead.

"I don't think we've been introduced," he started, but the man seemed not to be interested. He backed Simon up against the wall, trapping him with an arm on one side and his body on the other. Simon had been claustrophobic enough before, but now he wasn't sure he could breathe.

"Name's Claine," the man said, apparently humoring him. "You're pretty for a boy, ain't ya?"

Simon frowned, not quite sure how to react to that. "Thank you, I suppose, I was just headed to…"

"You gotten the ship tour yet?" the man asked, leering obviously. "My quarters are somethin' to see."

"I can imagine," Simon said dryly. "But that's not going to happen."

"Boss tells us you said not to touch the girl, boy, but you said nothin' 'bout not touching you," Claine grinned again, wrapping his fingers tightly around Simon's right wrist.

Simon tried not to wince at the pressure, and met his eyes carefully. "I hadn't realized the need to be quite that specific. I'm here to be a doctor."

"I got all kinds of things need lookin' after, doctor," Claine said with a laugh. "You just come with me."

"He's not going anywhere with you."

Claine looked up at the eerily sure voice. The girl was standing a few feet away, the gun in her hands aimed at his forehead. He tugged Simon back against him using the hold on his wrist. His calloused fingers twisted and burned against Simon's skin. "You gonna risk shootin' your brother, girl?" he asked snidely. "Just walk on by."

"River," Simon said, suddenly terrified. "Get back to the room and lock the door."

River took a step forward. "Not supposed to touch guns," she explained. "I kill people with them and they worry."

Claine smirked. "Right, girl. I was killin' people before you was born and I got myself one, too, you know."

"You won't have the chance to use it," River said, her eyes sparkling. "You'll reach for it—but too late. Let him go."

"River," Simon started, but stopped at a look from her.

"Let him go," River said again.

With a sneer, Claine pushed Simon forward and he caught himself against the wall. "Ain't worth the trouble," he said, before disappearing.

Simon slid down the wall, not sure whether to thank his sister or ask her where she had even found a gun. River kneeled beside him, meeting his eyes. "It isn't safe," she said simply. "You never listen."

He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath.

-----

"We can't be running all over the gorram 'verse lookin' for 'em," Jayne snapped. "I'm betting whoever this cargo is going to ain't gonna be happy if it's late."

"Much as I hate to admit it, sir," Zoe said. "Jayne's right."

"We can't just leave them!" Wash said, incredulous. "Honey, you know that we've got to find them."

"They left," Jayne said. "Ain't like we forced 'em off or somethin'."

"I'm not sure that's how they see it," Mal said quietly. "Simon should have known I didn't really mean for him to leave. I was just…"

"You told them to leave?" Kaylee gasped. "Cap'n…"

"I didn't tell them to leave," Mal snapped tiredly. "Look, he was heading back to his quarters when Zoe and I headed off. I didn't know he would try something like this."

"Whatever happened, sir," Zoe said softly. "We have to make the drop first. We can't afford for this job to fall through." She kept her eyes on the Captain, ignoring the glare her husband threw at her.

Mal ran a hand through his hair. "If we wait we might not be able to find them."

"Hell, Mal," Jayne said, glancing up at him. "What makes you think you could find 'em now?"

Mal glared at him, but had to admit that he had a point. "Wash," he said. "Stay on course for Boros. After we finish the job we'll head back to Persephone, try and find them on the way."

Kaylee bit her lip and looked away. "Mal," Wash snapped.

"This isn't an open discussion," Mal said. "We'll get them back, but we gotta run this drop first. Bit a money might help us get them home where they belong, in any case."

"You ain't usin' my money to drag them two back," Jayne snapped.

Mal glared at him. "Perhaps you're forgetting our little discussion, Jayne. We need to revisit the airlock?"

Jayne paled a little, and the others all cast concerned looks between the two. Jayne shook his head. None of them asked questions.

-----

"This was a mistake," River said, once they had reached the infirmary and Simon had locked the door behind them. "All to teach a lesson and you're the one that must learn."

Simon was trying not to listen. He was also trying not to let her see the way his hands were still shaking, and trying not to notice there was a gun still in hers. "They have hardly any medical supplies," he said with a shake of his head. "How much good can I do with bandages?"

"You brought some," River said, running a hand along the wall. Her fingers loosened around the gun in her other.

"That's for you," Simon said. "It would do little for them, anyway. It isn't the kind of medicine that can fix up a gunshot, and I imagine that's what they usually try and get themselves killed with."

"They would do worse than that," River said worriedly, "to you—but don't worry, the Captain won't let them and neither will I."

He paused to look at her. "I highly doubt Captain Grena cares about us, River, and I need you to stay locked in the room next time. We'll…we'll try and get off next stop."

"I wasn't talking about that Captain," she said simply. "The ship is stopping sooner than you think."

Simon paused for a moment. "They're not coming for us, River. We left, remember? Mal told us we could."

"But he did not believe for a moment we really would," River said slyly, and then she sighed. "You need the lesson more than him."

Simon turned to glare at her. "The medication I have you on is working extremely well, mei-mei," he said. "You want to tell me why you're still talking in riddles?"

She looked slyly away. "You're obtuse—subtleties may not work, but telling you out right is sure to fail." River nodded and then grinned widely.

He rolled his eyes. "You're a brat, and could you please set that gun down?"

"It is the only symbol they understand," River said, glancing towards the door. "Anything else and we will be consumed."

"You're doing it again," Simon said softly.

"Don't pretend you don't understand." River glanced at the weapon in her hands, tightening her fingers around it. "It's only an object," she added, and this time Simon couldn't tell if she was talking to him or herself.

Part Two