Title: Finding Our Way

Rating: PG- NC-17

Synopsis: Searching for jobs on a wealthy Border world takes an unexpected, yet pleasant, turn. Simon meets a mysterious woman who insists that he deliver cargo to her homeworld of Osiris and things, as usual, don’t go as planned.

Timeframe: One month after the last episode ‘Objects in Space’. This story completely discounts the movie.

Notes: This story was originally intended to just be mindless fluff with no plot. It wanted a plot and so has turned into a 106 page monster. Disclaimer: This story is not meant to infringe on the copyright of any person or company related to the trademarked characters and situations depicted in the Serenity movie or Firefly series. I make no money from this. OnIy done for fun - and a desperate craving to have more stories told about this wonderful ‘verse Joss Whedon created.

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Finding Our Way

Chapter 1

River had always been a very intuitive child. Even when she didn’t want to know what her brother was thinking, doing, what girls he liked, she did – much to his complete and utter annoyance. And after he had freed her from the Academy, her gifts had been more pronounced. She could not only hear what he was thinking, she knew what he was doing, who he was with and what he was feeling. But there were some days that she didn’t want to know these things. She could see into his heart, see his hopes and his dreams for the future. Many of those included her – and some of them did not.

Kaylee was a focus of his dreams. Had been for a long while. While every bit of his attention was focused on his sick sister while he was awake, his dreams were his own. And when River couldn’t sleep, she sat awake, feeling the intensity of those dreams, those hopes, those desires wash over her like a thunderous wave.

Tonight, the thoughts were crowding her, trampling through her head and making her feel things that she couldn’t, shouldn’t, know. She crawled out of bed, clad in only one of Simon’s shirts and walked through the ship, looking for solace, an escape from the thoughts pummeling her broken brain.

After a while, she found herself in the cargo bay, padding barefoot among the various crates and swaying to the steady thrum of music in her head. It was the only way she could shut out the voices. She closed her mind and became someone else. She moved gracefully to the sound of the music in her head, raising her arms and her legs, twirling as if there was nothing else in the ‘verse except her.

~*~ Kaylee moaned, her lips parted in mid breath as she felt his lips graze her neck. She trembled beneath his hands as they expertly moved over her skin, tugging and pinching her nipples before moving lower. Her hips shifted impatiently, waiting, anticipating. But when her sleep-addled mind expected to feel his long fingers probing, penetrating and teasing her, it was something much larger, thicker and far more rigid that pushed between her wet folds instead.

Kaylee gasped and her eyes snapped open. Above her, Simon moved with expert precision, thrusting gently, slowly, rolling his hips against her. She pushed her hands into his hair, tugging the soft, silky strands through her fingers. His breath was warm against her neck and a soft groan escaped the back of his throat with each thrust.

Large, soft hands flattened against her thighs, slid beneath them and lifted her up against him. Tilting her just so, he thrust deep, brushing her sensitive nub with each downward thrust.

She gasped and thrashed beneath him, straining, his touch bringing her so close. She knew their first time wouldn’t last long and she briefly wondered just how he was able to control himself so completely when she was mewling in heat at his every solid thrust.

Her fingers danced across his surprisingly muscular shoulders and raked short, chewed nails along his back. A hiss of pain and a sharp intake of breath were her only indication that he had felt her desperate, feeble attempt to return the pleasurable passion that swept through her body.

He bent her, twisted her, thrust so hard she thought she would burst, and she whimpered beneath him, crying out for more. In the back of her mind, she wondered how this had come to be. He was so different in bed, alive, vital, experienced, so unlike the reserved, proper Core doctor he presented on the outside. Perhaps the old saying was true. It was the quiet ones who surprised you the most.

She felt him pulse within her and grunt long and low against her neck, before resuming the gentle sucking motion against her skin.

“Simon,” she breathed, squeezing her eyes shut as the familiar tension coiling around her body grew.

“Love you,” he whispered, arching his hips sharply with short powerful thrusts.

It was everything she had longed to hear from him. But before she could respond, her body tensed and then trembled violently, her limbs falling weakly to the bed with the strength of her release. She bucked beneath him, arching with long, loud moans, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she felt him pulse within her. As she met and returned each thrust, she felt his back stiffen and then the sweet, hot heat of him burst within her.

Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes as Kaylee jerked awake, eyes wide as she stared at the metal ceiling above her. She lifted her head and glanced around the darkness of her bunk. She was alone. Alone with nothing but her own hands bringing her the pleasure she so desperately craved from the man sleeping so close, yet so far away.

~*~

River lay on the cold cargo bay floor, staring up at the ceiling, her eyes wide, her pulse erratic. She muttered incoherently; Kaylee’s name, Simon’s name, names of people that had known her on Osiris. A single face hovered in the air above her, whispering comforting, soothing, words that River knew, felt, to be lies.

Her dancing came to an end as overwhelming, unexplainable feelings ripped through her mind and left her with no strength to remain standing. Her body trembled and she panted softly, her mind wandering into its own self-imposed haven as the splintered visions slipped away and she drifted off to a restless sleep.

~*~

“Are you all right, mei mei?” Simon’s concerned voice echoed through the cargo bay as Kaylee walked along the uppermost catwalk. “What are you doing out here?”

Kaylee leaned over the railing to see Simon pull River into his arms and hug her tightly. She flushed as she remembered her dream and just then River’s eyes snapped open and stared at her, through her, as if the troubled girl could see into her very thoughts.

Kaylee gulped nervously but continued down the steps, clutching her earthenware mug tightly in both hands.

“Fine yes, Simon.” River tried to pull away from her brother but he simply let her move to arms length. “But you’re not.”

Simon ignored her. He was as fine as any fugitive could be. Instead, he folded a lock of stray hair behind her ear and cupped the side of her face. “I wasn’t the one sleeping on a cold bay floor last night.”

“She slept on the floor?” Kaylee asked, stopping at the base of the steps.

Simon glanced up sharply, startled by Kaylee’s sudden appearance. “Oh, ah – morning, Kaylee. Yes, it appears River thought the metal grating here was more comfortable than her mattress.”

“Was.” River stood and Simon stood with her, all his attention focused on his sister.

“More comfortable than your own bed?” Kaylee was skeptical.

“Was too loud. Always too loud.” River turned out of Simon’s arms and walked toward the infirmary, knowing her brother would insist on running yet more tests in his fruitless attempts to fix her.

Kaylee and Simon stared awkwardly at one another before he pointed toward the infirmary, struggling for words. “I – ah, need to run some tests. I’ll – ah, see you later.”

Kaylee’s eyes swept appreciatively down Simon’s departing back, and lower, enjoying the way his clothes hung off his body and hugged in all the right places as he moved.

A cough from above drew Kaylee out of her appraisal and she glanced up to see Inara watching her with an amused twinkle in her eyes. “’Nara!”

“Morning, Kaylee. Admiring the view so early?”

Kaylee’s smile reached her eyes and the Companion laughed. Kaylee did nothing to hide her interest and she wondered when the infuriating doctor would finally do something about the mechanic’s continuous pining. Inara knew there was something there. That he returned those thus far unrequited feelings. They were just buried beneath finely constructed barriers. What was stopping him from acting on them, she could only guess.

“Think he couldn’t find River this mornin’ and he dressed all quick-like.” Kaylee quickly climbed the steps to Inara’s side.

Inara wrapped an arm around Kaylee’s shoulders and led her toward the shuttle. “Yes, I did notice our good doctor wasn’t his usual tidy self. A bit – disheveled, one might say.”

Kaylee’s eyes lit brightly. “Only wish I was the one doin’ the messin’.”

“Maybe tonight you’ll get your chance.” They walked into her shuttle and Inara closed the door behind them.

Kaylee gasped as she looked at the dresses lined up on the bed. Each one had matching shoes and jewels and were made of finer fabric than she had ever seen, much less worn.

Inara’s eyes danced as she watched the young mechanic gape at the finery. “I wanted to give you first choice.”

“Oh, Nara, are we really goin’ to a fancy dance tonight?” Kaylee reached out to touch the material but pulled her hand back worried she’d get it all dirty.

“Well, we’ve got jobs to find and I managed to convince Mal that letting everyone off the ship would be a good way to line up a bunch of them all at once.”

“A fancy shindig. With Simon.” Kaylee’s eyes glazed and she tilted her head dreamily.

Inara reached down and picked up the traditional Chinese dress that Kaylee admired and held it up in front of the younger woman. “Yes, I think this one is perfect for you.”

“It’s so pretty, ‘Nara. You’re so kind to let us wear your things.” Kaylee reached out and touched the baby blue silk, marveling at the intricate flowery design embroidered into the mandarin collar and sleeves.

“Well this one is yours then. I’ll set it aside.”

Kaylee beamed happily at Inara and gave her a big hug, careful to keep the contents of her mug from spilling.

“I’ll see you tonight, mei mei.” Inara smiled as Kaylee turned and left. She brushed her hand over the silk and hoped that tonight at least one of her dreams would be fulfilled.

TBC