Firefly Fic: Going Home (1/1)
Title: Going Home
Fandom: Firefly
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen, Romance
Characters/Pairing: Kaylee/Simon, River, The Tams, Mal
Word Count: 3,415
Prompt: Books (Firefly, Kaylee/Simon) - from xfirefly9x
Summary:“Although the Alliance dropped the price on you and your sister’s heads years ago, it seems to be there’s someone else out there lookin’ for the two of you.”
Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them. :)
A/N: Set five years post Serenity. Also, no beta on this. If you see anything feel free to point it out to me! Comments are ♥ ♥ ♥
Going Home
It had been nearly five years since the Alliance was revealed to the entire ‘verse for what it truly was-a corrupt attempt at controlling every single aspect of humanity. Sometimes Simon still couldn’t believe the enormity of the change that had occurred since the day they’d discovered the truth about Miranda. It hadn’t taken long for the population to rise up and demand accountability from the political leaders they had previously been so eager to follow blindly.
Soon after, the Alliance had been driven out of power by a newly formed political group, claiming to keep the best aspects of their predecessors whilst abolishing the worst. The changeover was far from instantaneous and the transition period was full of uncertainties and chaos. Serenity and its crew had lain low for the most part, keeping to the border planets where the changes made very little difference to the way of life. One superpower was the same as any other out in the far reaches of the system.
Only recently had Mal allowed them to start taking jobs closer to the inner planets. All of those jobs had gone off without a hitch, with not even the slightest hint of anything out of the ordinary. At least until now…
“Doctor, get your ass on up here.” Mal’s voice was rarely cheerful when talking to him but it seemed even less so today as it came in over the intercom.
Simon had been in the middle of putting away a few new medical supplies in the infirmary. However, he stopped what he was doing and headed directly for the bridge. The captain’s words hadn’t exactly sounded like a suggestion.
As Simon reached the walkway leading to the bridge, Kaylee was just exiting the engine room. “What’s going on?” she asked with worry evident in her voice. “Did something go wrong with the drop?”
He knew what she was referring to-Zoe and Jayne were dropping the goods from their current job at the buyer’s. Surprisingly enough this job was legal and he couldn’t imagine what could go wrong, though if there was a way to screw it up Jayne could probably find it.
“I don’t know,” he replied. He kept his course towards the bridge and Kaylee followed. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he assured her, trying to relieve some of the anxiety he knew she was feeling.
He walked through the open doors of the bridge to see Mal in the pilot’s seat and River in the co-pilot’s seat just like any other day.
“What going on Cap’n?” Kaylee asked immediately, walking up to stand directly behind him and peer over his shoulder at the console. “Somethin’ wrong?”
Mal sighed. “Kaylee, what are you doin’ up here?”
“I’m just checkin’…” she replied hesitantly. “You know, on stuff.”
Mal shook his head. “I called your boyfriend up here, not you.”
“Well, I know that,” she replied in exasperation. “Just thought I’d see what was going on.”
River giggled at the exchange that was happening, but wisely didn’t add anything to the conversation.
“Kaylee, you may be the best gorram mechanic in the ‘verse, but you drive me crazy sometimes. You know that?”
She grinned and kissed Mal on the cheek. “I know, Cap’n.”
Although the tone of the conversation seemed to suggest this wasn’t a life threatening emergency, Simon still wanted to know what this was all about. “Is there a specific reason you needed me Captain?” he asked. “Are Zoe and Jayne hurt?”
Mal shook his head as he turned in his seat to look at the doctor. “No, something a bit more unusual.”
A bit more unusual? Well, then again, injuries were pretty common place around here.
“Zoe and Jayne were making their way back through town and it seems they saw an advertisement being played on the screens.”
Simon knew Mal was referring to the two or three giant advertising screens that nearly every town had up in a central location. They played ads for new food products, medical supplies, or basically anything so long as the advertiser was willing to pay the allotted price for the screen time.
“An advertisement for what?” Simon asked, wondering why this concerned him.
“Although the Alliance dropped the price on you and your sister’s heads years ago, it seems to be there’s someone else out there lookin’ for the two of you.”
Simon could feel both Kaylee and Mal watching him, but his eyes immediately went to River. She smiled at him. “He’s sorry. He wants us to come home.”
“Who’s…?”
It was Mal who interrupted him. “Zoe says it’s a man claiming to be your father.”
~~~
After years of leading this clandestine sort of life, Simon thought he was prepared for anything. But evidently there were things that could still throw him for a loop.
He sat in his quarters with the lights off, replaying a copy of the advertisement over and over on his handheld computer. It was a short clip, fifteen seconds at most. His father sat behind the desk of his study.
“My name is Gabriel Tam and I am looking for my children.”
He looked older than Simon remembered him, worn out and tired.
“Their names are Simon and River Tam. I love them both dearly and I want nothing more than to see them again. Years ago I made a horrible mistake and it cost me them.”
Simon can still hardly believe that this haggard looking man holding back tears was his father.
“Simon, River… If you’re out there and you see this, come home. Please. Your mother and I miss you more than you could ever imagine. We’re sorry. Please come home.”
The pause taken as his father regains his composure doesn’t escape Simon’s notice.
“If anyone has information regarding the location of my son and daughter, please contact me as soon as possible.”
A picture of Simon and River fills the screen as Gabriel’s voice fades away. The contact information is given overtop the bottom of the picture. It’s an old photo, though undoubtedly the most recent one his father has. Simon remembers the day well enough-it was when River left for the Academy.
Simon was dressed to leave for his shift at the hospital and River was wearing a new dress their mother had bought her for her first day. They both looked so happy, and so young, standing in the family room and smiling for the camera. Had Simon had even the slightest indication of what was to come for his sister, he never would have gone to work that day. He would have done everything in his power to keep her at home, to keep her safe.
The advertisement ended with that still frame-the picture of the two of them with their father’s contact information at the bottom. Simon stared at it for several minutes. He didn’t know what to think or what to believe. He thought about watching it again, but if after the seventh time his mind wasn’t any more clear, he doubted an eighth time would help.
A quiet knock on the door broke him free from his thoughts. “Come in.”
He wasn’t at all surprised to see Kaylee slip into his room, shutting the door behind her. He smiled at her-it was weak, but genuine. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she replied as she sat down on the bed beside him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Simon put down the handheld and put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her forehead. She smelled faintly of the vanilla perfume he’d given her for her last birthday, but there was an underlying hint of orange as well. He knew it was from the cleaner that removed the grease from her hands after she was done working in the engine room.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly, her words slightly muffled against his sweater.
When he didn’t answer she pulled back and stared at him. The concern and caring was so evident in her gaze that he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide anything from her. Not that he wanted to anyway.
“I don’t…” He sighed. “I don’t know.” He picked up the handheld again; the last frame of the video was still on the screen. “Have you seen it?” he asked Kaylee.
He saw her nod from the corner of his eye. “Cap’n showed it to me. He said that we can head straight there if you want. Said it might be nice to check out how the inner planets are doing, now that the Alliance is no longer runnin’ things.”
“Maybe,” he replied quietly.
“And I know River wants to go home to see your parents. It’s all she could talk about at dinner. She said she can’t wait to see them again…” Kaylee’s voice drifted off into the silence.
Simon sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “She doesn’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“What happened after she went to the Academy. I knew, I knew something was wrong, but they wouldn’t listen. They didn’t care that their daughter, their pride and joy was off being tortured in top secret government experiments.”
Kaylee interjected, “It’s not that they didn’t care, they didn’t know it was happening.”
“But I warned them!” Simon said, his voice becoming louder with every word. “I told them we needed to check on her, that we needed to get to her and make sure she was okay, but they didn’t want to hear it. And when I finally did manage to get information about getting River out of there, my father didn’t even listen. He told me that I was going crazy, that I was making this all up simply because I missed her. He abandoned us when we needed him the most!”
It wasn’t until Kaylee was wiping her thumb beneath his eyes that he realized a couple tears had slid free. Apparently he wasn’t as over this as he had thought he was.
“Do you really think that he did what he did to hurt you?” she asked quietly, while looking at him intently. “You think he knew what was going on and didn’t care? Do you think he gave River to them on purpose and that he didn’t give a damn about losing you?”
Simon reached up and gently took hold of Kaylee’s hand that was on his face, brining it down to his lap. He shook his head. Of course that wasn’t the case. “No.”
Kaylee waited a moment before speaking. “I don’t know much about your parents. You don’t exactly mention ‘em much. But I do know what I saw on that video.”
“And what was that?”
“A man who made a mistake. And it ain’t a little mistake either; it’s one he regrets with every fibre of his being. He misses you two and he wants to make it right.”
When Simon didn’t say anything, she added, “He wants to make it right, even after all these years, not even knowin’ if the two of you are still out here. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
He sighed. “Of course it does. I just…”
“You just what?”
“I just don’t know how it’s going to be. Maybe too much has changed, maybe the damage is irreversible. Not to mention River. She’s doing a lot better now, but she’ll never be the same girl they remember. I just don’t know if it’ll work.”
Kaylee smiled at him. “Well, you know what they say. You don’t know until you try.” She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. “So are you going to try or not?”
Simon couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Having heard it phrased that way made the decision seem significantly easier.
Kaylee just beamed from ear to ear, not needing to hear him say it in order to know what his answer was. “Alright, I’ll tell the cap’n first thing in the morning.”
Simon pulled Kaylee flush against his side once again. “I love you,” he whispered into her hair. “Do you know that?”
“As a matter of fact, Doctor Tam, I do know that.”
“Well, good. Just as long as you know.”
Kaylee picked up the handheld from the bed and held it out where they both could see it. “You look so young,” she commented, obviously amused by it. Though he had to admit, she was right. “And so handsome,” she added. “All dressed up and ready for work at the hospital.”
Simon laughed. “That was me, all too eager to spend every free moment in the OR.”
“And look at River, so young and carefree.”
Simon rubbed his hand slowly up and down Kaylee’s arm. “She was.”
Kaylee continued to examine the picture and Simon was content to watch her do so. Suddenly, he had an idea.
“Kaylee?”
“Mmmhmm?”
“When we go, to see my parents, will you come with River and I?”
Kaylee turned to look at him, surprise evident on her face. “Me?” she squeaked out.
He nodded. “Yes, you.”
“But, but… I couldn’t.”
He was confused. “Why not? Kaylee we’ve been together for nearly five years. You’re more family to River and I than my parents are. It would mean a lot, to both of us, if you’d come with us.”
Kaylee swallowed audibly, obviously nervous. In fact, Simon didn’t know if he’d ever seen her this nervous before, except possibly when they were fighting off scores of Reavers.
“Simon, I wish I could, but… I don’t belong there.”
“Belong where?”
She sighed and dropped her gaze to the handheld. “There, in your world. I mean… just look at all those books!”
Truthfully, it was the first time Simon had noticed the bookshelves in the background of the picture. They’d been in the family room his whole life, so they hadn’t exactly started to catch his eye now. “They’re just books.”
She sighed. “You know what I mean. They’re smart books, educational books. Books I wouldn’t ever dream of readin’. Books I probably wouldn’t even understand. It’s the difference between the world you came from and the one I did. You and River should go see your parents, but I don’t belong there, even for a visit.”
Simon shook his head. “That’s luh-suh. Kaylee you are the sweetest, nicest, smartest person I know.”
Kaylee blushed. “I ain’t smart and I don’t need you sayin’ it just to make me feel better. You’re the doctor here.”
“Kaylee, there are different kinds of smart and you are the kind of smart that most people aren’t. The way you keep Serenity in perfect condition? Not just any mechanic could do that, especially with the circumstances the captain has been known to put her through. I might not know much about ships, but I know that much.”
“Well, maybe that’s true… But either way, doesn’t mean I’m smart enough to fit into your world.”
Simon sighed in frustration. He loved her more than anything, but sometimes she was just stubborn. “Do you want to know something?”
She didn’t answer, but he told her anyway. “One time the cortex in my dad’s study stopped working. He decided that it couldn’t be that hard to fix, so he’d just do it himself. He ended up buying four different fix-it-yourself books and tearing apart the entire electrical system in our house and he still couldn’t fix it. The technician we had to bring in to fix everything told us that it was just the connection to the back of the screen. He said the wire had come loose from the plug and it had only needed a bit of tape to keep it in place.”
Kaylee nodded. “Makes sense, connections are always the first to go. I could have told you that.”
Simon smiled. “That’s my point Kaylee. Even with my dad’s numerous years at the colleges and his three degrees he couldn’t figure that out, but you could. I know for some reason you think you aren’t good enough for ‘my’ world, but that’s not true at all. You’re perfect just the way you are. I would be flattered if you would come home with River and I.”
Again she blushed. “Well, now how am I supposed to say no to that?”
He smiled at her. “I don't believe you can.”
She smiled back at him sweetly before setting the handheld aside and using both hands to pull his face to hers for a kiss. “Alright, I’ll come with you.”
He wound his hands through her loose hair. “Good.” He kissed her slowly. “Now let’s go to bed.”
~~~
In a week’s time Simon found himself standing at the door to his parents’ home with River on his right and Kaylee on his left. He stomach was a hot ball of nerves. He knew Kaylee was just as nervous and for some reason that eased his own anxiety slightly-worrying about her kept his mind from running too rampant. As much as part of him yearned to turn around and run back to Serenity as fast as his feet could carry him, he knew it wasn’t an option. First of all River hadn’t been this excited for anything in years. Secondly, Kaylee wouldn’t let him, and thirdly he’d already sent his parents a wave telling them when to expect them.
Simon took a deep breath. “I guess this is it.” Kaylee grabbed onto his left hand tightly and squeezed, silently offering him her support. He lifted his right hand and knocked on the door twice.
It opened nearly immediately and before he knew what was happening he and River were being pulled into a hug by their mother. She was crying, smiling, and stammering out apologies as she held them tight. “I’ve missed you two,” she whispered.
When she finally released them, Simon caught sight of his father standing behind her in the doorway. River pushed past their mom to run into his arms. Their father held her tightly against him and Simon could have sworn he saw tears in his father’s eyes.
Simon’s mother turned to Kaylee, who was standing still at his side. Simon looked back and forth between the two women. “Mom, this is my girlfriend, Kaylee. Kaylee, this is my mother, Regan.”
Surprisingly both of them, Regan pulled Kaylee into a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said as she pulled back. Noticing that her husband and daughter were already inside, Regan stepped aside and gestured for Simon and Kaylee to come in. “I’ve made some dinner, if you would like to stay.”
Simon smiled at her, beginning to feel that maybe this had been the right decision. “That sounds great.”
River bounded over to them, grabbing Kaylee’s hand. “Come on, Kaylee, I want to show you my house.” She started walking and both Kaylee and Regan followed her down the hallway.
Simon was glad to River so happy and Kaylee so obviously accepted here, but it left him facing the moment he’d been dreading.
Gabriel Tam walked over to stand in front of Simon. “I was wrong,” he stated, no preamble to ease the way into the subject. “You knew there was something going on at that blasted Academy and I didn’t see it. I didn’t want to see it, because it would have meant I made a huge mistake. A father is supposed to protect his children, do everything in his power to give them the best lives possible, not throw them to the wolves. I have never regretted anything as much as I regret not choosing to listen to you.”
His voice caught in his throat momentarily, but he kept going. “You were right and I should have seen it. You’ve always been close to your sister and I should have trusted that you would know if something was wrong with her. I’m sorry, Simon, can you ever forgive me?”
Simon felt the prick of tears in the back of his eyes. Whatever he had been expecting, this wasn’t it. He thought there would have been some sort of blame game with his father at least attempting to justify his actions.
“I forgive you,” Simon choked out past a throat thick with emotion.
His father’s entire body seemed to sigh in relief. Gabriel took two steps forward, closing the gap between them and enveloping Simon in a tight hug. “Welcome home, son.”
The End
Fandom: Firefly
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen, Romance
Characters/Pairing: Kaylee/Simon, River, The Tams, Mal
Word Count: 3,415
Prompt: Books (Firefly, Kaylee/Simon) - from xfirefly9x
Summary:“Although the Alliance dropped the price on you and your sister’s heads years ago, it seems to be there’s someone else out there lookin’ for the two of you.”
Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them. :)
A/N: Set five years post Serenity. Also, no beta on this. If you see anything feel free to point it out to me! Comments are ♥ ♥ ♥
Going Home
It had been nearly five years since the Alliance was revealed to the entire ‘verse for what it truly was-a corrupt attempt at controlling every single aspect of humanity. Sometimes Simon still couldn’t believe the enormity of the change that had occurred since the day they’d discovered the truth about Miranda. It hadn’t taken long for the population to rise up and demand accountability from the political leaders they had previously been so eager to follow blindly.
Soon after, the Alliance had been driven out of power by a newly formed political group, claiming to keep the best aspects of their predecessors whilst abolishing the worst. The changeover was far from instantaneous and the transition period was full of uncertainties and chaos. Serenity and its crew had lain low for the most part, keeping to the border planets where the changes made very little difference to the way of life. One superpower was the same as any other out in the far reaches of the system.
Only recently had Mal allowed them to start taking jobs closer to the inner planets. All of those jobs had gone off without a hitch, with not even the slightest hint of anything out of the ordinary. At least until now…
“Doctor, get your ass on up here.” Mal’s voice was rarely cheerful when talking to him but it seemed even less so today as it came in over the intercom.
Simon had been in the middle of putting away a few new medical supplies in the infirmary. However, he stopped what he was doing and headed directly for the bridge. The captain’s words hadn’t exactly sounded like a suggestion.
As Simon reached the walkway leading to the bridge, Kaylee was just exiting the engine room. “What’s going on?” she asked with worry evident in her voice. “Did something go wrong with the drop?”
He knew what she was referring to-Zoe and Jayne were dropping the goods from their current job at the buyer’s. Surprisingly enough this job was legal and he couldn’t imagine what could go wrong, though if there was a way to screw it up Jayne could probably find it.
“I don’t know,” he replied. He kept his course towards the bridge and Kaylee followed. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he assured her, trying to relieve some of the anxiety he knew she was feeling.
He walked through the open doors of the bridge to see Mal in the pilot’s seat and River in the co-pilot’s seat just like any other day.
“What going on Cap’n?” Kaylee asked immediately, walking up to stand directly behind him and peer over his shoulder at the console. “Somethin’ wrong?”
Mal sighed. “Kaylee, what are you doin’ up here?”
“I’m just checkin’…” she replied hesitantly. “You know, on stuff.”
Mal shook his head. “I called your boyfriend up here, not you.”
“Well, I know that,” she replied in exasperation. “Just thought I’d see what was going on.”
River giggled at the exchange that was happening, but wisely didn’t add anything to the conversation.
“Kaylee, you may be the best gorram mechanic in the ‘verse, but you drive me crazy sometimes. You know that?”
She grinned and kissed Mal on the cheek. “I know, Cap’n.”
Although the tone of the conversation seemed to suggest this wasn’t a life threatening emergency, Simon still wanted to know what this was all about. “Is there a specific reason you needed me Captain?” he asked. “Are Zoe and Jayne hurt?”
Mal shook his head as he turned in his seat to look at the doctor. “No, something a bit more unusual.”
A bit more unusual? Well, then again, injuries were pretty common place around here.
“Zoe and Jayne were making their way back through town and it seems they saw an advertisement being played on the screens.”
Simon knew Mal was referring to the two or three giant advertising screens that nearly every town had up in a central location. They played ads for new food products, medical supplies, or basically anything so long as the advertiser was willing to pay the allotted price for the screen time.
“An advertisement for what?” Simon asked, wondering why this concerned him.
“Although the Alliance dropped the price on you and your sister’s heads years ago, it seems to be there’s someone else out there lookin’ for the two of you.”
Simon could feel both Kaylee and Mal watching him, but his eyes immediately went to River. She smiled at him. “He’s sorry. He wants us to come home.”
“Who’s…?”
It was Mal who interrupted him. “Zoe says it’s a man claiming to be your father.”
~~~
After years of leading this clandestine sort of life, Simon thought he was prepared for anything. But evidently there were things that could still throw him for a loop.
He sat in his quarters with the lights off, replaying a copy of the advertisement over and over on his handheld computer. It was a short clip, fifteen seconds at most. His father sat behind the desk of his study.
“My name is Gabriel Tam and I am looking for my children.”
He looked older than Simon remembered him, worn out and tired.
“Their names are Simon and River Tam. I love them both dearly and I want nothing more than to see them again. Years ago I made a horrible mistake and it cost me them.”
Simon can still hardly believe that this haggard looking man holding back tears was his father.
“Simon, River… If you’re out there and you see this, come home. Please. Your mother and I miss you more than you could ever imagine. We’re sorry. Please come home.”
The pause taken as his father regains his composure doesn’t escape Simon’s notice.
“If anyone has information regarding the location of my son and daughter, please contact me as soon as possible.”
A picture of Simon and River fills the screen as Gabriel’s voice fades away. The contact information is given overtop the bottom of the picture. It’s an old photo, though undoubtedly the most recent one his father has. Simon remembers the day well enough-it was when River left for the Academy.
Simon was dressed to leave for his shift at the hospital and River was wearing a new dress their mother had bought her for her first day. They both looked so happy, and so young, standing in the family room and smiling for the camera. Had Simon had even the slightest indication of what was to come for his sister, he never would have gone to work that day. He would have done everything in his power to keep her at home, to keep her safe.
The advertisement ended with that still frame-the picture of the two of them with their father’s contact information at the bottom. Simon stared at it for several minutes. He didn’t know what to think or what to believe. He thought about watching it again, but if after the seventh time his mind wasn’t any more clear, he doubted an eighth time would help.
A quiet knock on the door broke him free from his thoughts. “Come in.”
He wasn’t at all surprised to see Kaylee slip into his room, shutting the door behind her. He smiled at her-it was weak, but genuine. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she replied as she sat down on the bed beside him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Simon put down the handheld and put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her forehead. She smelled faintly of the vanilla perfume he’d given her for her last birthday, but there was an underlying hint of orange as well. He knew it was from the cleaner that removed the grease from her hands after she was done working in the engine room.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly, her words slightly muffled against his sweater.
When he didn’t answer she pulled back and stared at him. The concern and caring was so evident in her gaze that he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide anything from her. Not that he wanted to anyway.
“I don’t…” He sighed. “I don’t know.” He picked up the handheld again; the last frame of the video was still on the screen. “Have you seen it?” he asked Kaylee.
He saw her nod from the corner of his eye. “Cap’n showed it to me. He said that we can head straight there if you want. Said it might be nice to check out how the inner planets are doing, now that the Alliance is no longer runnin’ things.”
“Maybe,” he replied quietly.
“And I know River wants to go home to see your parents. It’s all she could talk about at dinner. She said she can’t wait to see them again…” Kaylee’s voice drifted off into the silence.
Simon sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “She doesn’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“What happened after she went to the Academy. I knew, I knew something was wrong, but they wouldn’t listen. They didn’t care that their daughter, their pride and joy was off being tortured in top secret government experiments.”
Kaylee interjected, “It’s not that they didn’t care, they didn’t know it was happening.”
“But I warned them!” Simon said, his voice becoming louder with every word. “I told them we needed to check on her, that we needed to get to her and make sure she was okay, but they didn’t want to hear it. And when I finally did manage to get information about getting River out of there, my father didn’t even listen. He told me that I was going crazy, that I was making this all up simply because I missed her. He abandoned us when we needed him the most!”
It wasn’t until Kaylee was wiping her thumb beneath his eyes that he realized a couple tears had slid free. Apparently he wasn’t as over this as he had thought he was.
“Do you really think that he did what he did to hurt you?” she asked quietly, while looking at him intently. “You think he knew what was going on and didn’t care? Do you think he gave River to them on purpose and that he didn’t give a damn about losing you?”
Simon reached up and gently took hold of Kaylee’s hand that was on his face, brining it down to his lap. He shook his head. Of course that wasn’t the case. “No.”
Kaylee waited a moment before speaking. “I don’t know much about your parents. You don’t exactly mention ‘em much. But I do know what I saw on that video.”
“And what was that?”
“A man who made a mistake. And it ain’t a little mistake either; it’s one he regrets with every fibre of his being. He misses you two and he wants to make it right.”
When Simon didn’t say anything, she added, “He wants to make it right, even after all these years, not even knowin’ if the two of you are still out here. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
He sighed. “Of course it does. I just…”
“You just what?”
“I just don’t know how it’s going to be. Maybe too much has changed, maybe the damage is irreversible. Not to mention River. She’s doing a lot better now, but she’ll never be the same girl they remember. I just don’t know if it’ll work.”
Kaylee smiled at him. “Well, you know what they say. You don’t know until you try.” She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. “So are you going to try or not?”
Simon couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Having heard it phrased that way made the decision seem significantly easier.
Kaylee just beamed from ear to ear, not needing to hear him say it in order to know what his answer was. “Alright, I’ll tell the cap’n first thing in the morning.”
Simon pulled Kaylee flush against his side once again. “I love you,” he whispered into her hair. “Do you know that?”
“As a matter of fact, Doctor Tam, I do know that.”
“Well, good. Just as long as you know.”
Kaylee picked up the handheld from the bed and held it out where they both could see it. “You look so young,” she commented, obviously amused by it. Though he had to admit, she was right. “And so handsome,” she added. “All dressed up and ready for work at the hospital.”
Simon laughed. “That was me, all too eager to spend every free moment in the OR.”
“And look at River, so young and carefree.”
Simon rubbed his hand slowly up and down Kaylee’s arm. “She was.”
Kaylee continued to examine the picture and Simon was content to watch her do so. Suddenly, he had an idea.
“Kaylee?”
“Mmmhmm?”
“When we go, to see my parents, will you come with River and I?”
Kaylee turned to look at him, surprise evident on her face. “Me?” she squeaked out.
He nodded. “Yes, you.”
“But, but… I couldn’t.”
He was confused. “Why not? Kaylee we’ve been together for nearly five years. You’re more family to River and I than my parents are. It would mean a lot, to both of us, if you’d come with us.”
Kaylee swallowed audibly, obviously nervous. In fact, Simon didn’t know if he’d ever seen her this nervous before, except possibly when they were fighting off scores of Reavers.
“Simon, I wish I could, but… I don’t belong there.”
“Belong where?”
She sighed and dropped her gaze to the handheld. “There, in your world. I mean… just look at all those books!”
Truthfully, it was the first time Simon had noticed the bookshelves in the background of the picture. They’d been in the family room his whole life, so they hadn’t exactly started to catch his eye now. “They’re just books.”
She sighed. “You know what I mean. They’re smart books, educational books. Books I wouldn’t ever dream of readin’. Books I probably wouldn’t even understand. It’s the difference between the world you came from and the one I did. You and River should go see your parents, but I don’t belong there, even for a visit.”
Simon shook his head. “That’s luh-suh. Kaylee you are the sweetest, nicest, smartest person I know.”
Kaylee blushed. “I ain’t smart and I don’t need you sayin’ it just to make me feel better. You’re the doctor here.”
“Kaylee, there are different kinds of smart and you are the kind of smart that most people aren’t. The way you keep Serenity in perfect condition? Not just any mechanic could do that, especially with the circumstances the captain has been known to put her through. I might not know much about ships, but I know that much.”
“Well, maybe that’s true… But either way, doesn’t mean I’m smart enough to fit into your world.”
Simon sighed in frustration. He loved her more than anything, but sometimes she was just stubborn. “Do you want to know something?”
She didn’t answer, but he told her anyway. “One time the cortex in my dad’s study stopped working. He decided that it couldn’t be that hard to fix, so he’d just do it himself. He ended up buying four different fix-it-yourself books and tearing apart the entire electrical system in our house and he still couldn’t fix it. The technician we had to bring in to fix everything told us that it was just the connection to the back of the screen. He said the wire had come loose from the plug and it had only needed a bit of tape to keep it in place.”
Kaylee nodded. “Makes sense, connections are always the first to go. I could have told you that.”
Simon smiled. “That’s my point Kaylee. Even with my dad’s numerous years at the colleges and his three degrees he couldn’t figure that out, but you could. I know for some reason you think you aren’t good enough for ‘my’ world, but that’s not true at all. You’re perfect just the way you are. I would be flattered if you would come home with River and I.”
Again she blushed. “Well, now how am I supposed to say no to that?”
He smiled at her. “I don't believe you can.”
She smiled back at him sweetly before setting the handheld aside and using both hands to pull his face to hers for a kiss. “Alright, I’ll come with you.”
He wound his hands through her loose hair. “Good.” He kissed her slowly. “Now let’s go to bed.”
~~~
In a week’s time Simon found himself standing at the door to his parents’ home with River on his right and Kaylee on his left. He stomach was a hot ball of nerves. He knew Kaylee was just as nervous and for some reason that eased his own anxiety slightly-worrying about her kept his mind from running too rampant. As much as part of him yearned to turn around and run back to Serenity as fast as his feet could carry him, he knew it wasn’t an option. First of all River hadn’t been this excited for anything in years. Secondly, Kaylee wouldn’t let him, and thirdly he’d already sent his parents a wave telling them when to expect them.
Simon took a deep breath. “I guess this is it.” Kaylee grabbed onto his left hand tightly and squeezed, silently offering him her support. He lifted his right hand and knocked on the door twice.
It opened nearly immediately and before he knew what was happening he and River were being pulled into a hug by their mother. She was crying, smiling, and stammering out apologies as she held them tight. “I’ve missed you two,” she whispered.
When she finally released them, Simon caught sight of his father standing behind her in the doorway. River pushed past their mom to run into his arms. Their father held her tightly against him and Simon could have sworn he saw tears in his father’s eyes.
Simon’s mother turned to Kaylee, who was standing still at his side. Simon looked back and forth between the two women. “Mom, this is my girlfriend, Kaylee. Kaylee, this is my mother, Regan.”
Surprisingly both of them, Regan pulled Kaylee into a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said as she pulled back. Noticing that her husband and daughter were already inside, Regan stepped aside and gestured for Simon and Kaylee to come in. “I’ve made some dinner, if you would like to stay.”
Simon smiled at her, beginning to feel that maybe this had been the right decision. “That sounds great.”
River bounded over to them, grabbing Kaylee’s hand. “Come on, Kaylee, I want to show you my house.” She started walking and both Kaylee and Regan followed her down the hallway.
Simon was glad to River so happy and Kaylee so obviously accepted here, but it left him facing the moment he’d been dreading.
Gabriel Tam walked over to stand in front of Simon. “I was wrong,” he stated, no preamble to ease the way into the subject. “You knew there was something going on at that blasted Academy and I didn’t see it. I didn’t want to see it, because it would have meant I made a huge mistake. A father is supposed to protect his children, do everything in his power to give them the best lives possible, not throw them to the wolves. I have never regretted anything as much as I regret not choosing to listen to you.”
His voice caught in his throat momentarily, but he kept going. “You were right and I should have seen it. You’ve always been close to your sister and I should have trusted that you would know if something was wrong with her. I’m sorry, Simon, can you ever forgive me?”
Simon felt the prick of tears in the back of his eyes. Whatever he had been expecting, this wasn’t it. He thought there would have been some sort of blame game with his father at least attempting to justify his actions.
“I forgive you,” Simon choked out past a throat thick with emotion.
His father’s entire body seemed to sigh in relief. Gabriel took two steps forward, closing the gap between them and enveloping Simon in a tight hug. “Welcome home, son.”
The End