Not my ‘verse, I stole it. Not my story, I stole it to. Just wanted to tweak things my way for fun. I believe the only original line is “Simon says”.

You can take the boy out of Hera…

By: Jailbird

Chapter Nine “The Crew Plans”

The Captain sulks out of the dinning room and off to his bunk. Everyone at the table just sits there staring at the Captains back. Stunned.

As Simon looks around the table everyone is upset. Kaylee was just about to cry. Zoë and Inara we’re looking at Kaylee, like her mom had just died. And even Jayne looked as angry as he could when he wasn’t trying to kill someone. However, River was just sitting there, staring at the walls and twirling her hair with her fingers like she was studying some complex textbook.

“Mei mei, do you know something?” Simon inquires.

“Not suppose to tell. Need to know only.” She replies in a whisper. Shushing him with a finger.

“What’s need to know, River.” Simon doesn’t feel like playing games.

“Well everything, silly.” River tells her brother while gracing him with a wide smile and a giggle.

“Mei mei, I NEED TO KNOW.” Simon pounds his finger at his chest.

“Oh, Simon, you don’t want me to start tell secrets, now do ya?” River maybe tries to tease her brother a bit.

“Yes, yes I do.” Simon demands.

“Fine then.” River breathes in deep and then with a slight pout quickly rattles off to Kaylee. “He’s loved you since you asked him to dance.” Then to Simon “He has a plan B.” To Inara “Some times you need to call a boob, a boob.” River stops to catch her breath. “And Jayne, well there is just to much to tell.”

“Gorramed girl, I didn’t ask for any secrets.” Jayne was very unpleased with the ideal of her being in his head.

“And Zoë…knows what the Captains doing.” River reveals.

“Zoë?” Simon asked with disbelief.

Zoë simply states. “Well yeah, I have an clue. Don’t think he wants me to ruin it though.”

Inara was mad as all hell and without Mal to fight with his first mate would have to do. “Ruin what, his fun driving everyone off the boat. What could he possible excepted to gain by…this.” She says with a wave around the table with her hand.

Zoë lowers her voice and says. “It’s a test.”

“Testing what?” Kaylee was shocked. She could not believe her loyalty would need to be tested by her Captain.

“I’m not sure dedication, conviction, or fervor. It’s an old trick from the war. Tell the new meat they’re not good enough for the 54th and see who is willing to argue the point.” Zoë says with a shrug. Knowing what the Captains doing, but not why.

Simon says cleverly. “We could turn this around on him.”

Kaylee asked nervously. “How, what are you thinking?”

“Well let’s test the Captains fervor.” Simon starts to form his plan.

Zoë was a bit leery about tricking her Captain. “How?”

“Well…Um…like he said. Sell the boat and get our cuts.” Simon says as the pieces fell together.

“Simon, you can’t be serious!” Inara wasn’t going to believe the Doc would quit now.

“Not like that, tell him a breakfast tomorrow we found someone to buy Serenity.” The Doc now had a workable plan.

“Oh, so you and little Kaylee are gonna make it to breakfast?” Everyone just ignores Jayne’s crude remark.

“Oh, he’ll see right through that.” Kaylee says with the wave of her hand.

“I got to agree Doctor, Mal is not one to take things on faith. He’ll want to know the buyer.” Zoë is unsure.

“Buyers actually.” Simon states with a smirk. “There's six of us.”

“Oh…he hears you talking like that and real soon it’s gonna be the five of us.” Jayne says as he points at everyone but Simon with a wave of his chopsticks.

***

After diner in Simon’s dorm as they get ready for bed.

Kaylee wonders out loud to her sweetie. “When did I ask you to dance, was it that night in Canton?”

“No.” Simon answers nervously. “Not Canton.”

“What, what is it, boa bie?” Kaylee inquires caringly.

Simon asks shyly. “Ah…your not going to get mad are you?”

“Why, what aren’t you telling me?” Kaylee says teasingly.

“Well…it was before Canton.” Simon admits.

“Before like how long before?” Kaylee demands.

“Like way before.” Simon says with a big wave of his arm.

Kaylee starts doing math in her head. “I don’t know what to say. On one hand it’s really sweet that you carried a torch for me too and on the other hand you completely wasted almost a whole year.”

“Yeah I know…sorry?” Simon says looking at his feet

“So answer my question. When did I ask you to dance?” Kaylee says as she stands in front of him with her hands on her hips.

“Ah…when Dodson shot you.” Simon said softly reliving the memory. “I started treating you and ask if you could move your feet. You look up and smiled at me and said. “Are you asking me to dance?”

“OH MY GOD!” Kaylee says with mock shock as she realizes just how much time was really wasted.

***

TBC