This chapter is really long, because I couldn't find a good cliffhangery place to cut it before where I did. As a result, the next chapter will be shorter, but there is an epilogue.

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“Have you lost your mind?” Gabriel turned on his wife, eyes hard.

“I invited them because I think if they see Simon and River home, safe, where they belong, they can help convince them their place is here.” Regan stared, exasperated, at her husband.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “River already wants to stay. Simon – doesn’t, for whatever true reason he’s keeping to himself. I can’t believe he turned down the position at General after what I went through to get it for him.”

Regan shrugged. “He is old enough to make his own decisions.”

“Oh, yes, and he’s done a remarkable job over the last few years, hasn’t he?” Contempt dripped like venom from Gabriel’s lips. “Turning himself and his sister into fugitives. Giving up a career that he’d spent his entire life working toward.” Gabriel paced anxiously. “There isn’t anything wrong with River.”

Regan glanced at her husband. “She is different, Gabriel.”

“Of course she is. She’s three years older than when we last set eyes on her.”

Regan could tell he was becoming exasperated with this conversation.

“That’s not all and you know it. You listened to the same story Simon told us about –“

“He’s too attached to his sister.” Gabriel stated matter of factly.

“Oh, Gabriel. They’ve always been close. This is different. Simon is –“

“Remarkably stubborn.”

Regan grinned wryly. “Well, I wonder where he got that trait?”

Gabriel scowled at his wife, annoyed that she appeared to be taking his son’s side.

Regan walked to the window and glanced out at the grounds below, seeing Simon and River outside by the koi pond. “I think inviting them will shed some additional light on Simon’s true reasons for not wanting to stay.”

~*~

“Welcome to our home.” Regan extended her hand to Mal as he, Inara and Kaylee entered the front room.

“Thank you. Mite surprised to receive your invitation.” Mal glanced around the very luxurious home very happy Jayne wasn’t there. But, he and Zoe had been hidden from view when the Tam’s had arrived to collect their children so it was no great surprise that the invitation had excluded them. And - Mal wanted someone on the ship in case there was trouble.

“Simon ‘n River grew up here?” Kaylee’s eyes were wide as saucers. She wore one of Inara’s pretty dresses, and up until now she’d been self-consciously smoothing it in her nervousness.

“They did, indeed.” Regan smiled kindly at the girl, but watched her very carefully. “Your rooms have been prepared. Bernard will take your belongings upstairs.”

Inara nodded with a graceful incline of her head while Mal and Kaylee simply stared as the servant took their bags.

Regan smiled at Kaylee as they moved further into the home. ‘I believe Simon is out in the garden if you would like to see him.” Regan encouraged.

“Oh,” Kaylee stammered, twisting her hands together. “I – “

“She has missed him,” Inara revealed with a smile and a wink. “Which way is the garden?”

Another servant appeared beside Regan and she instructed the younger woman to escort Kaylee and the Captain outside. After they had gone, Regan guided Inara into a beautifully decorated family room, complete with plush couches, chairs and a wet bar.

“Please, sit,” Regan waited until Inara had taken a seat before turning to the bar. “Would you like a drink?”

“No, thank you.” Inara declined graciously. “There is something you wished to discuss with me?”

“Yes.” Regan poured herself a glass of water and took a seat opposite Inara. “Simon doesn’t intend to stay.”

Inara nodded slowly but remained silent.

Regan seemed lost in thought, as if remembering a day long past. “He’s so different now.”

“He had a very difficult time adjusting to life on the run, to living on Serenity.” Inara glanced around the room. “I can understand why, seeing where he grew up.”

“His father arranged for him to go back to work. He was so excited, but Simon – he wasn’t. His whole life he’d studied and wanted to be a doctor and he turned down the opportunity to go back.” Regan watched Inara carefully. Due to her line of work, she was as well trained to read people as many Companions.

“I see.”

Regan smiled when she realized she would have to employ more direct means to get the information she required. She glanced out the large window, which looked down on one side of the estate. One where she could see her new guests as they were re-united with her son and daughter.

“Kaylee seems like a very nice and bubbly girl.”

Inara smiled and waited Regan to continue. She would reach her point soon enough. “She’s very kind and generous. She’s the light and the heart of Serenity.”

“And my son loves her.” It was not a question.

Inara smiled politely. “That might be a discussion you want to have with Simon.”

“I am a lawyer in one of the most prestigious firms in the Core. I have learned over the years to read between the lines of what someone does not say.”

It was Inara’s turn to ask a question. “And your experience has told you what Simon has not?”

“Oh, he hasn’t been entirely secretive. And River has been quite happy to divulge his feelings for the young girl.” Regan chuckled, seemingly lost in a memory. “River can be such a brat where her older brother is concerned.”

Inara chuckled daintily. “He’s been telling us that for months.”

Silence fell for a moment as Regan pondered what to say next. She took another sip of water and then placed it slowly, purposely, on the table beside her. She took a deep breath and favored Inara with a small, sad smile.

“I have a few pieces of jewelry that have been handed down over the generations. The pieces are hundreds of years old. Made by our ancestors in traditional Chinese fashion. Very plain compared to the design of today though they were considered very beautiful in their time.”

Inara waited, wondering where Regan was going with this, and why the very clearly disturbed mother had chosen to speak with her about it.

As if Regan had read her mind, she added. “I’m telling you this because there is an inscription on one of the pieces.”

Inara suddenly understood. “An ‘S’ and a ‘K’?

Regan nodded. “Every third or fourth generation seems to have those initials in some form of their name. I always wondered if Simon would find –“ she chuckled for a moment. “Gabriel says its just coincidence.”

“Men can be very –“

Regan was quick to agree. “Yes.”

“I think you should discuss this with Simon, but I will confirm for you that he loves Kaylee very much.”

“And it’s very obvious that she –“

Inara suddenly felt the need to explain. “Kaylee spent months on Serenity trying to get Simon to notice her.”

Regan fell silent and simply listened.

“He ignored her advances at every turn and it frustrated Kaylee to no end. He had River to take care of. She was his first priority.”

Regan nodded sadly. “She is very different than when she left. Gabriel won’t believe it. But it’s obvious she’s suffered some kind of trauma.”

“She was very ill for a long time. It was all Simon could do to regulate her medication properly so that she could even socialize with the rest of the crew. But after Miranda, she got much better. He doesn’t have to spend as much time trying to control her erratic behavior.”

“When did he and Kaylee –“

Inara smiled kindly. “You should really be speaking with your son about this.”

Regan took the comment for what it was – an end to this topic of conversation – and nodded politely to Inara. “I will do that, thank you for your honesty.”

~*~

“It’s so beautiful, Simon. Can’t believe you grew up here!” Kaylee clutched Simon’s arm as they walked around the estate grounds, her eyes wide and bright as she took in the lavish surroundings.

His voice was warm and soothing. “It didn’t feel like home until you got here.” They stopped and he turned to her, his eyes warm and inviting. “I’ve missed you bao bei.”

The smile slid from her face as she looked up at him; saw the love and adoration in his intense blue eyes. She was so afraid he would leave her that she almost didn’t come. And she’d ignored the waves that had come in over the last few days from him, using an excuse that she wanted him to get settled with his family and not worry about her.

She knew he hadn’t quite believed her. She was afraid that he would tell her missed his home and his family so much that he wanted to stay. She knew how dedicated he was to his family. Only when River started to get better did even acknowledge his feelings for her.

“Don’t do that.” He reached up and trailed a finger over her cheek.

She blinked rapidly, his gentle touch snapping her melancholy reverie. “Do what?”

“Stop smiling.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the corner of her mouth. “That bright, beautiful smile has gotten me through the toughest times in my life.”

“Oh. It’s just – I – I don’t fit in here.” Kaylee leaned against his chest. After three days of missing him, it was good to feel his arms around her again.

“I don’t fit in here anymore either.” He tilted her head and kissed her, gently at first but as her arms tightened desperately around his waist, the kiss deepened. “I’m not leaving you,” he assured her.

Kaylee sobbed against his mouth. “River is so happy . . .”

“Not as happy as she is leading everyone to believe.” Simon embraced Kaylee tightly.

Kaylee glanced up at him, unwilling to step out of his arms. “What do you mean?”

“Something is bothering her.” Simon glanced toward where he’d left River and Mal. “Her silence is speaking far louder than her words.”

Kaylee shivered, clearly disturbed by the ominous tone in his voice.

When Simon chuckled, Kaylee relaxed visibly in his arms. “Not that her words aren’t cryptic in and of themselves most times.”

“She was doin’ better though. Since Miranda.”

“Things have deteriorated a bit since we’ve been here. I’m not sure why. She’s definitely not as excited to be here as she was three days ago.”

~*~

Dinner that evening could only be described as uncomfortable. Simon had insisted that Kaylee sit next to him, and Gabriel could see the looks the two exchanged throughout the entire meal. Simon was clearly much happier with Kaylee beside him, which only disgusted his father further.

Simon’s determination to engage the clearly uneducated girl in conversation simply grated on Gabriel’s refined nerves. The Captain’s speech grated a little less but he would be glad to be rid of these people as soon as possible.

It was quite clear there was something between Simon and Kaylee, but Gabriel hoped it was simply an infatuation that would simply pass when Simon settled back into his former life. He refused to believe that his son would choose to live on that luh suh heap of a ship when he could have a home here, at the estate, and a job that he loved.

Gabriel winced at every word that came out of Kaylee’s mouth. Even worse was her bubbly, cheery attitude about – everything. Even River was smiling widely with the annoyingly cheerful girl sitting beside her brother.

When dinner had ended, and the usual pleasantries exchanged for a time afterword, Gabriel politely retired to his room determined to have a discussion with his wife about inviting those people into his home.

~*~

That night, after everyone was asleep and the lights extinguished for the night, Simon crept out of his room and toward the guest room Kaylee had been assigned. Slipping silently into it, he gazed down at her with a small smile before pealing off his shirt and draping it over a nearby chair.

Hearing someone in the strange room, Kaylee’s eyes snapped open and an excited smile spread across her face when she noticed Simon standing beside the bed. She reached for him and sighed against his mouth when he bent over and kissed her.

“I couldn’t sleep across the hall knowing you were in here alone,” he whispered and then smiled when her fingers curled into the waistband of his pants.

“Hold me?” Kaylee asked around a yawn. She was used to sleeping in his arms and she had been without that warmth, that comfort, over the past few days. She tugged the material down his legs and lifted the coverlet, inviting him to join her.

When he slid into the bed and drew her into his arms, he chuckled. “You’re wearing clothes. You never wear clothes to bed.”

Kaylee quickly pulled the top over her head and tossed it into the darkness. “Not with you sleepin’ next to me, I don’t. Here – well, didn’t seem proper.”

“What was that you once said to me about being proper?” Simon kissed her softly, his body already responding to her closeness.

Kaylee giggled against his mouth, her hands sliding down his chest to stroke him. “Not welcome in our bed.”

“Exactly.” He rolled her over and pressed her into the mattress, hands rubbing and caressing as they made their way down her body. His mouth slid to her neck and he nibbled at the soft skin there, sucking gently as his fingers probed her. Finding her already wet and ready, he groaned against her neck. “God Kay. I’ve missed this. Missed you.”

“Don’t wait. Can’t wait,” Kaylee whispered, parting her thighs and encouraging him with a sharp arch of her hips against his hand. “Been too long.” She tugged at him, pulling and squeezing his erection until he lowered himself between her legs.

“Yes.” He rested his weight on his bent arms and sank into her welcoming heat, groaning against her neck as her body stretched tightly around him. “Ah. Kaylee. God.”

She pushed one hand into his hair as the other slid over his back, rubbing and clutching urgently as he began to move. Each thrust was punctuated with a gasp from the both of them, their bodies urgently pulsing with arousal and need.

“Harder. Simon. Please,” Kaylee mewled piteously, clutching his shoulders. She tightened her legs around him and eagerly met each swift snap of his hips. She’d missed him so much. She didn’t know how to voice it.

He leaned over her and her lips trailed over his chest, biting and nipping at the damp skin, licking and nibbling and closing around to urgently suck at his sensitive nipples.

She cried out against his chest as his lower body brushed against her swollen clit with every thrust, driving her to a swift, trembling end. As her body clenched and her orgasm rippled through her, Simon buried his head into the pillow and grunted loudly, hoping it would muffle his urgent cry. He spilled himself into her with that one final groan, as her hips tightened around him, ripping every last pulse his body had to give.

Simon collapsed into her arms as the tension fled his body in a rush. Panting and trembling, he rolled off her and pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips against her temple.

Kaylee murmured against him as she rubbed her cheek against his chest, filled and satisfied despite their quick and somewhat frantic coupling.

“Oh, that was good,” Kaylee muttered sleepily. “’Nother round after a little nap?”

Simon chuckled and tightened his arms around her shoulders. “Yes. Just a little nap . . . isn’t often I get to make love to you in such a large, comfortable bed.”

“If your parents knew –“

“Maybe they’d throw us out and make life easy for me.” He wished he were joking.

“Oh, Simon –“

He tightened his arms around her shoulders and brushed his cheek against the top of her head. The question had lingered in the back of his mind all day. “Why – why don’t you want my parents to know about us?”

He could feel Kaylee take a long, slow breath. “Cause I didn’t want ‘em lookin’ down on ya for bein’ with me.”

“I don’t care what they think, Kaylee. They can’t run my life. Not anymore. I chose who I want to be with.” He hoped the determination in his voice was enough to convince her.

“I know, I just –“

“What?” He knew there was something she was not telling him.

“Didn’t want to be the only reason you came back. Didn’t want to take you from this life.”

Simon lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “Serenity is my home. You, and River, are my life now.”

“But all this,” she gestured around the room. “You have a chance to go back to it. Can’t imagine why you’d want to stay –“

“I am staying on Serenity because I love you. And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Not now. Not ever.” Simon brought her mouth to his and kissed her with all of the passion he could muster. He needed to make her forget her insecurity.

“Love you too, Simon.” She returned his kiss and then snuggled against his chest, yawning sleepily. “Guess missin’ ya an’ bein’ all tense an’ worried makes ya tired.”

Simon gasped and Kaylee looked up quickly. “I’m hurt.” He pouted but Kaylee could see the small smile tugging at his lips. “Mind blowing sex didn’t even make that short list?”

Kaylee giggled as he drew his fingers through her hair. “Oh, yes, we’ll do more of that. Got days to make up for.” She didn’t answer his question but she didn’t need to. He knew she was tired. Today had taken a lot out of her.

Simon grinned and returned her head to his chest. “Sleep, bao bei.”

“Not long,” her voice was a mere whisper now. “Just a,” she yawned, “little while.”

Sleep claimed them both almost instantly and they didn’t wake until the door was kicked in and Simon was dragged roughly out of bed. Kaylee screamed and they could hear commotion out in the hallway as the faceless men pulled them to their feet.

“Ah, here we go,” said a man with a grip of iron on Simon’s arm. “Finally, someone we were looking for.” A short laugh punctuated through their sleep-fogged minds. “Get some clothes, on doctor. We’ve got an appointment to keep.”

Simon pulled on his sleep pants and Kaylee pulled on his forgotten shirt, buttoning it with trembling fingers.

The two were dragged into the long hallway, where a bleary-eyed Inara and Mal, along with his parents were already standing, pulse rifles aimed at their heads.

“What is the meaning of –“ Gabriel trailed off when he noticed Simon being dragged out of the guest room, a barely clothed Kaylee following. He glared at his son. “What are you doing in – in –“

“That’s probably pretty obvious by now,” Mal offered with a shrug.

“I don’t –“ Gabriel was speechless, seemingly ignorant of the big bad men with guns pointed at them. “I raised you better than,” he glared at Kaylee with something akin to disgust, “ that!”

“Hows about we talk about this when we’re not held at gunpoint by Feds, huh?” Mal asked, his body tensing and his eyes searching the dimly lit room for an avenue of escape. He’d not even had the chance to reach the com he’d brought to alert Serenity if they were in danger.

“Gabriel!” Regan wrapped her arms around her husband’s arm, her eyes worriedly flitting over her half-clothed son and the frightened girl behind him.

Simon ignored his father’s babbling and pushed the man closest to him away as he raised a hand toward Kaylee, intending to strike her. “Leave her alone!”

Another impeccably suited man slammed his fist into Simon’s cheek and he slumped to the floor with a loud grunt. A hand painfully squeezing his shoulder prevented him from gaining his feet as another suited man stood in front of Simon, staring down at him with an amused smile.

“Where is your sister, Doctor Tam?”

“River?” Regan asked with a shocked look on her face. “You want – oh God.”

“You will never find her,” Simon spat, tasting blood at the corner of his mouth.

The man slid a long, cylindrical object out of his jacket and flicked it on. Its low hum thrummed eerily through their bodies and Simon’s muscles twitched as the deadly weapon began its work.

TBC