“So you didn’t manage to kill me, doc,” Jayne said softly.

“Seems not.” Simon pulled the dressing carefully away from the wound. “But it wasn’t for lack of trying.”

“Seem to recall something about your sister pointing my gun at you. Just ‘fore I blacked out.”

“Really.” He pressed the skin around the incision, and his patient drew a sharp breath.

“Guess I was dreamin’, then,” Jayne ground out.

“No.”

“She threaten you?”

“She said she’d shoot me if I didn’t save your life.”

“Well, how about that.” Jayne grinned, then grimaced as Simon’s fingers hit a particularly tender spot. “One hell of an incentive.”

“It shouldn’t have happened in the first place. I …” He stopped.

“You trying to apologise?”

“No. But I shouldn‘t have …” Simon closed his eyes briefly, the image of his sister lying next to this great hulk of a man playing again in his mind.

“Won’t hurt her, doc,” Jayne said quietly. “Ain’t ever gonna do that.”

Simon looked at the mercenary. Maybe he was imagining it, but there seemed to be something different about him. Something more … caring. But still … “You may feel like that now, Jayne, but what about next week? Next year? In five years? My sister isn’t a toy to be played with then tossed aside. You’ve always seen women as disposable objects, to be used and then discarded. If that’s what you intend with River -”

“Don’t know my intentions, doc. All I’m saying is I won’t hurt her. She loved Jethro, and she’s still grieving after him. I know that. There’ll be good days and bad - I’m just gonna see ‘em through with her.”

“And if it takes forever?”

Jayne lay back. “Well, doc, can’t think right now of a better way to spend my life.”

Simon stared at him. “Do you love her?”

“I don’t use words like that.”

“If you did.”

“Doc -”

“Humour me.”

“Doc, River’s special. She’s so many things wrapped up in that little body, it’d take a long while to figure ‘em all out.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

Jayne turned his piercing blue eyes on the young man. “Yeah. I love her. But all the arguments you can come up with, I’ve already had with myself. I’m too old for her - old enough to be her Pa - I ain’t educated, I’m a killer … all of them and a whole ton more. It all adds up to me not being good enough for her. So it’s kinda in her court now, doc. I’m here. I love her. Didn’t look for it, didn’t want it. But if she wants me, then … I’ll be doing handstands down in the cargo bay. If not, well, I guess I’ll just be her friend.”

Simon stared. This was the longest speech he remembered the big man ever making, and the sincerity in his voice was almost embarrassing.

“Okay.” He took a deep breath.

“Okay?” Jayne looked perplexed.

“I’m not giving you permission. Not in any way, shape or form to be with my sister. But I accept what you say.”

“Good.” Jayne wasn’t sure, but he felt they’d come to an understanding. “Would you mind finishing up, then?” He nodded towards his chest. “I’m getting kinda chilly.”

Simon glared at him, but put a new dressing on the wound, even going so far as to pick up the blanket from the counter and covering the mercenary with it. Not that he could take the almost amused look on Jayne’s face, and having done his duty as a doctor, he walked out of the infirmary without even a backward glance.

“I love you,” Kaylee said softly from the shadows, stepping forward.

He managed a relieved smile. “Do you?”

“Mmn.” She stepped close. “When did you buy this?” She lifted the polished stone heart around her neck.

“Oh, I wanted to put it on you.” He put his hands on her shoulders, feeling her hair running over his fingers.

“I hope it didn’t cost too much.”

“Just the right amount, bao-bei.”

She moved in a little more, pressing herself against him. “Only I know you. Just as likely to try and make a grand gesture and spend more money’n you needed.”

Simon silently thanked Hank’s presence of mind. “You’ve made a changed man of me.”

“You saying I’ve made you cheap?” Any harshness was removed from her words by the smile on her lips.

“Careful,” Simon amended.

“Well, okay then.” She lifted her face to be kissed, which he did with pleasure. Only she drew a sharp breath.

“Are you okay, honey?” he asked, moving back to examine her lip properly.

“It’s okay,” she insisted. “It don’t hurt. Not really. Not now I know ‘bout you and me.”

“There’ll always be you and me, Kaylee. I promised that. Til death do we part.”

“Just gets a little close, once in a while, don’t it?” She shivered.

He wrapped his arms around her. “Never, my darling. I won’t let it.”

She snuggled against him. “Good.” She sighed happily. “You’d best come with me,” she added.

“Oh? Why?” He ran a hand down to her buttocks.

“Bethany’s waiting for you to tell her a story.”

“Oh.”

She laughed at the look on his face. “And maybe we can see what this pendant looks like against bare skin afterwards.”

“It’ll be a short story,” Simon promised.

“The shorter the better.”

---

He had to tell her. Tell Freya that he’d kissed Inara. If she found out any other way, realised he’d kept it a secret, it could tear them apart. And he couldn’t take that possibility.

“Honey?” he said, climbing down the ladder into their bunk, carrying Ethan carefully. The door to the nursery was open, and Freya was inside, making the bed ready for her son.

“Oh, he’s asleep already,” she said, turning to smile at him, reaching out for Ethan.

“Inara’s been keeping him awake.” He watched her lay their child in the bed, tucking the covers around him.

“Well, I think we can pass on getting him undressed, just for once. I know you like reading him a bedtime story, but I think tonight …” She smiled. “You can read him a double one tomorrow.”

“I‘ll do that.”

She looked round at him. “You okay?” His voice had sounded odd.

“Freya …”

“What is it?”

“I … I need you to sit down.”

“What is it?” she repeated, concerned now.

Instead of answering he took her hand and led her out of the nursery, making her sit on the edge of their bunk. He slid the door closed and then turned to her.

“Frey …”

“Mal, you’re scaring me,” she said, not wanting to read his mind but wondering whether she should all the same.

“Inara’s leaving.”

Freya released the breath she’d been holding. “I know.”

“And I just kissed her.”

She looked at him, staring into his blue eyes.

He began to get uncomfortable. “Freya, did you hear what I said? I kissed Inara.”

“I know.”

“It didn’t mean anything, and I -”

“Mal, I said I know. I felt it happen.”

“You …” His mouth was open.

“I’m not happy about it. But I know what happened.”

“I thought -”

“That the old green-eyed monster would be rearing its head again?”

“Something like that.” He watched her carefully. “You really … I thought I’d undone all the good work we did back on Lazarus.”

She looked down at her wedding and engagement rings. “If you want me to get mad, I will. Because I can. I’m incredibly angry that she kissed you, and that you kissed her back. But I know it wouldn’t ever go any further. Not on your side, anyway. Inara I’m not so sure of.”

“I’m sorry.”

She looked up, turning the gold bands on her finger. “I love you, Mal. I know you love me. You love our son. And that you’ll never jeopardise our family. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“It’s just … you’re acting so normally.”

“You want me to shout? To scream at you to leave and never darken that hatch again?”

“Well, no.”

“Are you going to do it again?”

“No. I just had to … to prove something.”

“To who?”

“Not sure.”

“Mal, if you ever kiss anyone else apart from me, or someone closely related, I will kill you and no-one will ever find your body.”

“I am sorry. All I can say is that I didn’t start it.” Mal sat down next to her.

“But you finished it, and I suppose I should be happy about that.”

He reached out and gently, very gently, took hold of her hand. “I love you, ai ren. More’n I ever thought I could love a person. More than life.”

“I know.” She leaned against him. “We fit, Mal. You and me. We make a good couple.”

“Husband and wife.”

“And I’m so thankful you chose me.”

“Is all of this because you saw Dr Yi?”

“Some,” she agreed. “But mostly it’s because of what you’ve done for me the last few months. Saving my life, my sanity. You wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t love me.”

“Frey, you’re more to me than anything.”

“Even Serenity?”

“You know, when we were looking for you, I told ‘em I’d sell Serenity if needed to pay for the information, just to bring you home again. That ain’t changed. Won’t ever change, Frey. Ever.”

A slow smile grew on her lips. “Ever?”

“Maybe might get stronger.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, you’re shiny?”

“I’m shiny. But just you remember what I said about if you did it again.”

“I’ll remember.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly. “And I won’t.”

“Good. Hate to have to find someone else to be Ethan’s father.”

“Or to make love to you.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could find someone willing.”

“Don’t even consider it.”

to be concluded