Freedom to the Free 9/21
Title: Freedom to the Free
Author:Dreolin
Summary: To protect River, Kaylee, Wash and himself after they are abducted and sold into slavery, Simon is forced to make some difficult choices while hoping for rescue. Will he be able to keep them safe? And at what cost?
Rating: M
Characters: All
Pairing: Simon/OFC, (hints at future Simon/Kaylee)
Warning: Non-con (mostly off "screen") directed toward Simon by OFC, also some violence and adult themes.
Genre: Angst
Setting: This story can be seen either as taking place pre-BDM, or as going AU after the final episode. However, if I write the sequel that I hope to, then it will be considered AU.
Disclaimer: Neither “Firefly” nor any of its characters belong to me, unfortunately. As everyone knows, the honors go to Joss Whedon.
Author's note: Previously posted on fanfiction.net. Any mistakes in Chinese translation are mine alone. I would like to hugely thank the wonderful and patient Annuette wild for being the best beta one could hope for!
Back in their room River started thrashing and clutching at her head, screaming. “No! No!”
Kaylee rushed to her wrapping her arms around her. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”
River calmed slightly, lowering herself and Kaylee with her, to the bedrolls still repeating “No” over and over, but in a quieter voice. Suddenly she stopped, going still.
“It’s finished.” She said. “Stealing bits. Breaking them, shattering them. Doesn’t see. Dewdrop thrown in the ocean. The currents pulling it apart. It’s losing itself.”
+++
Sometime later the door opened and Bucky lightly pushed Simon inside, closing the door behind him. Simon stood for a moment, unseeing, and then suddenly he flung himself across the room to the commode. He fell to his knees retching violently, not stopping even after his stomach was empty.
Kaylee began to rise from where she was seated, but River stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Not now. Not yet.”
“Simon...” Wash began, taking a step toward him, but River looked up at him with a finger to her lips and shook her head.
Finally Simon stood shakily and went to the sink; scrubbing his hands together under the water until they were red, and then cupping his hands together he used them to catch the water and rinsed his mouth out repeatedly. Suddenly he became aware of the others behind him, watching him.
He turned and looked at River then, concerned; he went over and got down on his knees in front of her. “River, are you alright? Have you been crying?”
“I’m fine.” She took his hand. “You’re saving us, Simon.”
Simon, feeling sick, knew that she must have some idea of what had happened and looked away, ashamed.
“It’s late.” He said, still looking away from them all. “The lights will go out soon. We should sleep.”
“Simon...” Kaylee began again.
“We should sleep.” He repeated, and then lay down himself. Kaylee hesitated, and then she and River lay down beside him. River to his left, Kaylee to his right. Wash looked down speculatively at Simon a moment longer, than lay down to the other side of Kaylee.
Simon was still awake when Bucky and the others came for them the next morning.
+++
All through breakfast Simon felt like everyone’s eyes were on him. He knew that they knew something had happened to him and they were worried. But he wished they would just ignore it, so that he could try to put it out of his mind.
When Bucky left him with Abigail in the clinic he actually felt grateful. He used the semi-normalcy of the clinic to help him to block out the events from the night before. For the first time since he arrived, Simon didn’t have any patients and he and Abigail set about trying to make proper files for the people they had already seen.
They were well into their work when a couple of hours later the door to the clinic flung open. Carsey rushed into the room closely followed by a large man Simon had never seen before. The man carried a pregnant woman in his arms.
Simon quickly took in the situation. “Over here, put her on the table!”
Simon directed the man to the exam table. The man put the woman down as Simon wheeled over the monitor and began hooking her up.
The man stepped back looking at Simon. “This here your yi sheng, Carsey?”
“No, Jackson, he’s my horse trainer, ‘course he’s my doctor.”
“No need to be rude, I’s only askin’.” The man, Jackson, turned to Simon. “I want that baby took care of. If you can save the girl too, that’s good. But you better make sure that baby lives. I’ve got an off-world buyer that picked the parents in person so that it’d look like him and his wife. That kid’s bringing me some good money.”
Simon stopped his exam and looked at the man, disgusted.
“Well,” The man looked back at him, “Get on with it.”
Simon clenched his jaw. “Abigail, we’re going to have to do surgery.”
The young girl looked up at him, her face going pale and her eyes growing wide.
“I’m going to need your help, Abigail.” He looked her hard in the eye. “I know you can do it.”
She took a breath and visibly steeled herself.
Simon turned back to Carsey and Jackson. “We need to prep her for surgery.”
“Well, get goin’ then.” Jackson said.
“I’ll need you to leave.”
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere. The buyer’s done paid me half in advance; I can’t afford to pay him back if that baby dies. I’m not movin’ ‘til I know that baby won’t die.”
“You need to leave. Now.” Simon stepped up in front of the man. “If you don’t leave and let us work, they’ll both die.” A sudden scream from the woman punctuated Simon’s urgency.
“You’ll just have to work with me here, ‘cause I ain’t movin’!”
Simon glared at Carsey. “If you want me to do the job you brought me here for, you will get him out of here now.”
Carsey took Jackson by the arm. “Jackson, I want you out of here. If the baby dies I’ll float you a loan to pay back the buyer, and give you a percent of what I make off the doctor ‘til you can pay me back.”
She pulled him out of the room and closed the door.
“Ok, Abigail.” Simon looked at the girl. “These are not the best conditions for surgery, but we can do it. I’ll tell you what I need for you to do. Ok?”
She looked up at him and nodded her head. “Ok.”