Once they reached Hera’s orbit, Mal made the captain-y decision that he would pilot a shuttle, with Simon, to the surface so the doctor could get what he needed and get back to the ship. Mal figured the less time they all spent on this gorram planet the better.

It took the doc a little over a day to synthesize the antidote and the entire crew, even Jayne, waited in anticipation to see if and when little Kaylee would pull through. But no one waited more nervously than Simon.

Mal had to admit the past few weeks had shown him a different side to the doctor. While the captain had never doubted that Simon felt something for Kaylee, he had secretly wondered if they both didn’t just have a strong case of lust. But the way he fawned over her and stayed by her side every minute, whispering to her and holding her hand, convinced Mal that Simon was in love with his mechanic. As much as he hated shipboard romance, he had to admit he was happy to see Kaylee loved and cared for. No matter what Mal might say, he knew the doc was a good man.

It was the third day after they had given Kaylee the antidote and there was still no change. Mal wandered the ship, not exactly sure where he was headed. He walked by the medbay and saw Simon bent over Kaylee’s still motionless form. He knew she was on the road to recovery, but he’d still feel a lot better when she was up and fixin’ something.

Not wanting to disrupt the two, he kept walking. It was quiet, eerily quiet and Mal had to admit it was unsettling. He found his way to the cargo bay’s catwalk. Not surprisingly, Inara was there. He spotted her the minute he entered the room and stopped in the doorway, uncertain of his next move. With the way they had blasted off of Persephone it had just been easier for Inara to tag along. Mal was fairly certain it was safer too. Leaving her behind would have left them vulnerable to tracking and Inara exposed to all manners of torture; neither thing a viable option for Mal.

Drawing in a deep breath and realizing he needed to speak with her sometime, Mal continued his way along the catwalk. If she knew he was there she didn’t show it. He approached her slowly and stopped an arms length away. Mirroring her posture, he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the rail in front of him. Staring off at nothing in particular, he waited for her to acknowledge him.

“Any word on Kaylee,” she asked quietly.

Mal glanced to her and saw her eyes were still focused forward. Shaking his head, he said, “No, doc assures me she should be up and around in a day or two. But I’ll believe it when I see it.”

It was a full minute before Inara said anything else. “Mal, thanks for getting me out of there.” Despite her quiet tone, Mal did detect a hint of relief in her voice. “But,” she started and he cut her off.

“Listen, ‘Nara,” Mal told her, crossing the distance between them and placing his hand over hers. “I’ve been thinking.” He considered again what he was going to say and realized it wouldn’t get any easier, no matter how long he stalled.

“After this is over, Kaylee’s gonna need some downtime and truth be told, Serenity could use a bit of time land side.” Inara looked at him then, tears in the bottom of her eyes. Mal swallowed hard and pushed himself to continue. “And I think it’d be great if we could take some time together, ya know? Just the two of us,” he ended quietly He hated the quiet plea in his voice. He also wasn’t happy with the fact that his heart was pounding in his chest or that his stomach was full of butterflies at the thought of what Inara might say.

“Mal,” she started quietly, trying to keep her voice steady. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, that I want us to try this,” he told her, turning her to face him. “Whatever this is. I want us to see what could happen.”

“For how long,” she asked, refusing to meet his gaze.

Holding her by the shoulders, he waited until she raised her eyes to his face. There were quiet tears falling down her cheeks and Mal hated seeing her cry. “For as long as we want,” he told her. “I can’t fly away again and leave you behind.”

Inara studied him for a moment and again Mal’s stomach fluttered violently with the uncertainty of her reaction. He wouldn’t beg or plead, he couldn’t. But he hoped that she’d see the love in his eyes and at least give him and them a chance.

Finally, she reached up a hand and cupped his cheek in her palm. Standing on her tiptoes, she brought her lips to his and kissed him passionately. Mal wrapped his arms around and she leaned into the embrace. Pulling away, she held on to him tightly and rested her cheek against his chest. “Let’s see how long it takes,” she whispered.

Relieved and elated, Mal held her tighter and hoped he wouldn’t mess this up.

***

“How long have they been gone?”

“According to the doc, about ten minutes after we showed up.” Marshall’s disgust at his inability to catch the firefly’s crew was evident to Marcus, but it did nothing to soothe the other man’s mood.

“So they were there and you let them escape,” Marcus bit out, trying not to smash his comm screen in a rage.

“Apparently,” Marshall said, his eyes never leaving the floor in front of him. “I’m sorry, Marc.”

“Don’t be,” Marcus said, surprising the law man. “I’ve always known that if you want something done right you do it yourself.” With no further explanation he flipped off the screen and settled back into his chair, seething.

He’d had about all he could take of Serenity’s crew. First they had stalled him for days claiming mechanical troubles with their rats’ nest of a ship and then they had just blasted off of Hera without a word of further explanation. Mechanical troubles my gorram ass, Marcus thought. The ship had been flying just fine as they took their leave, which led Marcus to only one conclusion; they had been looking for a way out of their deal, which did not sit well with him at all.

Civilized men did not back out of agreements, period. Rising, Marcus crossed the room and called up the system’s charts. Last he had heard Serenity had been headed towards New Haven. Waving one of his local contacts he resolved to handle this problem himself. He only needed to be sure that dandy of a doctor and his Neanderthal captain stayed put this time. These civilized men needed to talk.

***

It had been exactly four days, three hours and twenty-one minutes since Simon had administered the antidote and Kaylee still wasn’t awake. In all, she had been unconscious for over a week and Simon was ready for the whole ordeal to be over. He had never been so scared in his entire life – well, maybe when he’d first learned the truth about River and the academy, but even the past ten days had overshadowed that.

Watching Kaylee slip deeper into her coma and being unable to reach her had given Simon a whole new look at helplessness. It was a look he was none to eager to ever see again. It had also given him time to look at himself, his life and his relationship with the young mechanic.

The fact that he had denied his feelings for her for so long was inexcusable, he could see that now. He had made them both suffer by refusing to follow his heart. It had been her persistence and determination that had finally brought them together and Simon had never been more grateful. He was amazed, the more he thought about it, that she hadn’t given up on him.

He had given her plenty of reasons to. Every stupid remark or missed opportunity should have been Kaylee’s indicator that she was better off without him. But it seemed that these little moments, while not necessarily endearing, had only convinced Kaylee she wanted to be with him. And that only convinced Simon how in love he was.

He was going to tell her; that he had resolved. When she woke up and he could again hold her in his arms and kiss her and lay beside at night with her warm breath on his cheek, he would tell her she was the only girl in the ‘verse he ever wanted to love, could ever love. He would, he would do it.

Of course this realization only caused him increased anxiety. He wanted her to know how much she meant to him, but what if he said the words and she didn’t feel the same way or she didn’t say anything at all? Simon was pretty sure her silence would leave him devastated.

“She knows what to say.”

River’s voice barely startled him; he had gotten accustomed to her reading his thoughts and entering his internal monologues uninvited. Turning slightly he looked to see his sister, leaning a gentle hand against the medbay’s open door. She was dressed in a slip dress, an old one of Kaylee’s, Simon was almost positive. Her expression was far away, but when she met Simon’s gaze he saw a certainty in the look that told him she knew exactly what she was saying. Without further explanation, she turned and left her brother and Kaylee alone.

“Simon?”

The hoarse whisper jolted Simon back to the situation at hand. Spinning quickly, he saw Kaylee, her eyes open and her hand squeezing his. She’s awake! It screamed through his mind and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, even as tears he hadn’t known were coming started down his cheeks.

“Do I look that bad,” she asked him, as she tried to lift her hand and brush his tears away. He grabbed it in his and brought it to his face, kissing her palm.

“No,” he told her, leaning down and kissing her softly. “No, bao bei, you’re beautiful.”

He brought his arms underneath her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Weak from her coma, Kaylee could only sink into his chest. “I missed you,” she told him quietly.

“Oh, Kaylee,” he whispered into her hair. “You have no idea.”

“Hey, River told us you were awake.”

Simon turned to see the Captain and Inara, hand in hand, in the doorway. Gently laying Kaylee back down, he wiped his face and motioned them in. “Yes, she just woke up.”

“Hey cap’n. 'Nara, is that you?” Kaylee’s face lit up with a huge smile at the sight of her friend.

“Kaylee,” Inara breathed, so relieved that she rushed forward and enveloped the younger girl in a hug. “Oh sweetie, you had us so worried.”

“I worried myself,” Kaylee told her. Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “Cap’n, ain’t you gonna come give me a hug?”

Mal was frozen in the doorway, his face a mixture of relief and joy. Kaylee’s question seemed to snap him from his daze and he strode forward, going to the other side of her bed and wrapped his arms around both women in a big bear hug. “Girl, don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

“I ain’t plannin’ on it, Cap’n. Trust me.” The relief in Kaylee’s voice at seeing her friends and being awake was evident. “I’m gonna stay right here,” she said. Reaching out a hand, she stretched for Simon and he took her hand gladly. “I’m stayin’ right here.”

***

Within a few days, Kaylee was strong enough to move out of the medbay. Concerned about her recovery and secretly not wanting to let her out of his sight, Simon had insisted she move into one of the vacant rooms in the passenger dorm so he would be close by.

Truth was he never left her side. She slept most of the day, but whenever Kaylee drifted off, Simon was there. And when she finally opened her eyes again, he was still beside her, holding her hand, talking to her, sometimes even lying beside her, keeping her warm and safe. Kaylee didn’t mind a bit.

It was over a week after she had been given the antidote that Simon agreed to take her off the ship. The entire crew was enjoying some much needed downtime on account of the promise Mal made to Inara. Once the ship had berthed at New Haven, a planet not too far from civilization, but far enough, the captain and Inara had taken shuttle one and blasted off, promising to return within a few days. That had been a week ago. Zoe, who Mal had left in charge, didn’t seem worried about his prolonged absence and no one questioned her.

Kaylee had been pleading with Simon to let her out in the sunshine and when he finally relented she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. It was slow going, but with his help, Kaylee was able to hobble down the ramp and get her first few breaths of fresh air in a while. The sight of the sun and the smell of the earth brought much needed color and light to Kaylee’s face and Simon smiled. This was the Kaylee he was used to seeing – the one who couldn’t help but laugh at even the smallest thing, who enjoyed even the tiniest miracle.

He had packed a picnic, with River’s help, and now steered Kaylee away from the landing site to a secluded meadow. At the sight of the grass and trees, and a few flowers, Kaylee stopped in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat. Simon glanced to her and saw the fear in her eyes she was trying to conceal. Leaning towards her, he whispered, “It’s okay, sweetheart, I checked them all. No poisonous plants on this planet.”

She smiled at his reassurance and followed him into the clearing, waiting until he had spread out the blanket he’d brought and helped her sit. Her face still beaming, she reached out and took his hand as he went to unpack the basket. “It’s so beautiful, Simon,” she told him softly, tugging on his arm slightly to bring him closer. He leaned in for a quick kiss and she obliged, so thrilled to be alive and with the man she loved.

“Kaylee, there’s something I’ve got to tell you,” Simon started to say, his mood abruptly changing from relaxed to anxious. A little puzzled, Kaylee nodded and Simon pushed ahead, “These past few weeks, while you were sick, it made me realize a few things.” Simon paused again trying vainly not to lose his resolve. He had made a promise to himself that he would get his emotions out in the open; Kaylee deserved that.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “And something I realized is that I have never, in my life met anyone like you.” Kaylee smiled at that, fairly certain it was one of the biggest understatements in the ‘verse. The way Simon had been raised, the chance of meeting someone like Kaylee was not only near impossible, but highly discouraged.

“I haven’t always been able to tell you how I feel,” Simon continued, finally raising his eyes to meet her gaze. “But every minute of every day I know how lucky I am to know you and be with you and how grateful I am that you stuck by me, even when I said and did the stupidest things.” Kaylee laughed and touched his face, bringing a smile back to his lips.

“Simon, you don’t –"

“No, wait, I’ve got to finish,” Simon interrupted her, placing a finger on her lips to quiet her. “It shouldn’t have taken me this long to realize how incredibly important you are to me, but it did and I want to tell you that—" He broke off growing frustrated at his inability to just say the words. “I want to tell you that I love you. I love you with everything I have and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy for the rest of my life.” He finished in a rush, convinced that if he didn’t just get the words out he never would.

He kept his eyes trained on her face waiting for the first hint of a reaction. She was crying silent tears and Simon didn’t know how to read that. Reaching out a hand he brushed the drops from her cheeks and ran his fingers down her cheek to her jaw and down her neck. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly and Simon took that as a good sign. Leaning towards her again, he kissed her, gently at first and then with more passion and Kaylee returned the kiss and then some.

Finally, pulling away, she was still in his arms, and Simon rested his chin on the top of her head, keeping his arms around her. They sat in silence for moments that stretched into minutes and Simon quickly lost track of any kind of time.

As he held her, she cleared her throat and pushed away from him a bit so she could look into his eyes. Those blue eyes that had gotten her the moment she’d seen them. “Simon, those are the prettiest, most shiny words I have ever heard.” She stopped for a minute actually at a loss for what to say, and Simon couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t sure he could name a time when he’d known Kaylee unable to speak her mind. “I guess I’ve been waiting for you to—"

She stopped and dropped her eyes for a moment and Simon had to admit he was getting a little nervous. Just breathe, he told himself. “Well, it seems like cheatin’ if I just say it back now,” she blurted out, a nervous laugh escaping both their lips. “But I can’t think of any fancier words,” she said. “I love you, too, Simon Tam.”

A wide and somewhat goofy looking grin spread across his face and it brought a giggle out of Kaylee. Laughing at his own ridiculous elation, Simon kissed her again and soon all they knew was the touch of each other and the happiness they had both thought they’d never find.

***

When Kaylee awoke a few hours later, the sun had set and she was cold. She snuggled in closer to Simon’s sleeping form and warmed at his touch as he absentmindedly held her tighter. Reaching an arm behind her, she drew up the blanket they were laying on and wrapped it around them both. Perfectly content to keep sleeping under the stars, Kaylee nestled her head on Simon’s chest and froze. Somewhere, off to her right was the sound of rustling and footfalls. Someone was coming.

For a reason Kaylee would never puzzle out, she knew it wasn’t the captain or Zoe or Jayne or even River coming to find them. Something told her those steps held malice and she shivered with fear and the chill of the night air. Trying not to make any sudden movements, Kaylee nudged Simon. “Simon, sweetie, wake up,” she whispered vehemently.

Gorramit if that boy wasn’t a heavy sleeper. Frowning, Kaylee tried again, poking him in the ribs. “Simon.”

“Wha-, what’s going on,” he asked groggily, his eyes blinking open. He shifted to face her and smiled goofily. “Hello, bao bei,” he whispered, planting a kiss on the top of her head, reaffirming his grip on her.

Realizing he was about to drift back off to sleep, she said, “Oh no you don’t. Simon, there’s someone in the bushes.”

In an instant Simon was awake and painfully aware of his nakedness. Looking to Kaylee, he saw fear in her eyes and realized she wasn’t kidding. Trying hard not to move too much and tip off the prowlers, Simon whispered, “Are you sure? Maybe it’s just River. We’ve been gone a long –“

“If it was River, she would have pounced by now,” Kaylee reasoned, cutting him off. “What are we gonna do?”

“You’re gonna get dressed.” The voice was rough and mocking and Kaylee and Simon both winced at the sound.

Sitting up slowly and keeping the blanket in front of them, Kaylee saw their visitor for the first time and didn’t recognize him. Glancing to Simon, she saw a recognition in his eyes that told her the man wasn’t a complete stranger. “Simon,” she questioned.

“Hiya, dandy,” the large man said, glaring them both down. Finding their clothing, he pitched it in their direction and then sat against the stump of a tree, his large rifle trained on them both. “Get dressed. We got some chattin’ to do.”

***

River wandered the ship, unable to sleep, again. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for the young woman and truth be told, it had stopped bothering her. It was worse to sleep. While Miranda had helped take some of the nightmares away, there were still little ones and big ones hiding in her brain that would come uninvited and stay, intruding on her sleep and making her afraid. She much preferred to stay awake and not have those visits.

Although as her psychic abilities had deepened over the past few months, being awake didn’t necessarily bring any amount of peace. She was getting fairly skilled at blocking out the thoughts or emotions she didn’t want to know. She’d had plenty of practice as her brother and Kaylee had gotten closer. Those were not intentions she wanted any part of – it was just too weird.

So instead, at night when she couldn’t sleep, she’d wander the ship and search for something to calm her. Some nights it was a cup of tea in the dining room, other nights a peaceful sit on the bridge with just the stars to keep her company. Tonight, it appeared to be the former that would do the trick.

She entered the galley and saw Zoe there, knowing she would. If she surprised the warrior woman at her entrance, Zoe gave no sign of it and River was content to go about her business in silence. Zoe was sitting in one of the easy chairs already nursing a cup of tea in her hands. Judging by the faraway look in her eyes, she had been there for some time.

River prepared her drink and came to sit across the semi-circle from Zoe. She raised the steaming cup to her lips and blew on it softly so as not to burn her tongue. She had almost drained the cup when Zoe asked, “Can’t sleep?”

River looked up at her with her big, deep eyes and said simply, “Like you.”

Zoe smirked at the observation and sighed heavily. “Yep, just like me. I can’t remember when the last time was I got a full night’s rest.”

River studied her intently and said, “Yes you can. Four months ago. It was quiet and you were happy. You were with him,” River finished, not looking the first mate in the face. She knew the tears would come soon and River didn’t like to see the tears.

If Zoe was upset at the memory, she didn’t show it. “I guess that’s about right,” she said into her cup as she finished the now cold drink. Rising she told River, “Good night, lil’ albatross.”

Turning to go, she was almost back to her bunk when she heard the girl’s anguished scream. “Simon!”

The pain tore through Zoe like a knife through parchment and she hurried back to the kitchen to see what could possibly have startled her so. As far as Zoe knew the doc and Kaylee were both enjoying some alone time; she had seen them traipse off with a picnic basket and meaningful looks a little over six hours ago. She had no reason to believe they had returned or that any trouble would befall them on this backwater world.

River was tense in the chair, her cup and spilled drink on the floor in front of her. She had jumped into the chair, holding her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth viciously, shaking her head from side to side as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She was muttering something, but Zoe had a hard time picking it out. All she could make out were the words Simon, Kaylee and hunt.

Placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders, she steadied River and said, “River, honey, what do you see? Is Simon in trouble?”

She was still trembling, but at least she was still. River raised those large eyes to her again and Zoe saw pain and fear etched into her features. “He caught his prey,” she whispered, her tears continuing to fall. “Now, he’s just playing with his food."