BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

CLIOMUSE

Blue Sun Rising - Part 9
Wednesday, May 25, 2005

When did it get so gorram complicated?


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 2665    RATING: 10    SERIES: FIREFLY

Standard disclaimers apply. Firefly, Serenity, and the original characters are not mine. This was written for fun, not profit. Two new characters are mine, but Joss can have them if he wants because they really want to come out and play.

Archiving: Just let me know where.

Rating: NC17

Pairings: Kaylee/Simon

DINING ROOM EVENING

The plates have been cleared and everyone is discussing the next day’s plan.

MAL: We've talked this through as much as we can. Go do what you need to prepare, but I want everyone to try to get some sleep tonight. (Pointed look at Simon and Kaylee)

Simon gets up from the table, clearly eager to be gone, and looks down at Kaylee.

SIMON: (Quietly) Kaylee, can I get your help with that lab work we talked about earlier?

KAYLEE: (A little puzzled, then sweetly) Lab...Oh, right, lab work. I think I can lend you a hand...

They exit. Mal looks after them a bit puzzled. Wash and Zoë look at each other and at Inara. They all smirk. Mal looks at them all with a "WHAT" expression on his face.

MAL: I hope those two plan to get some sleep tonight. I know Jenny's pregnant, but what lab work does he need to do can't wait 'til this is over?

INARA: Mal, I think this has more to do with Kaylee not getting pregnant.

MAL: Oh. I see. How like the doctor. Clinical.

INARA: (Giggling, enjoying Mal’s uncomfortable reactions) Somehow I think they’ll find a way to make it fun. It’s still early, but you can see they are both exhausted. I'm sure they’ll fall asleep whether they want to or not.

MAL: (Matter-of-fact) You have that little talk with Simon?

INARA: (Smiling) Yes, but it seems Wash beat me to it.

ZOE: (Playfully) Sure didn’t sound like he needed any advice.

MAL: Only about not disturbin’ the neighbors. Good thing Book ain’t on board no more. He’d probably insist on a shotgun wedding.

WASH: Well, we certainly have enough of those lying around...

INFIRMIRY

Kaylee is sitting on the table, swinging her legs. Simon is prepping the blood tests. He turns to her and wraps and elastic band around her arm, cleans a spot and draws blood. He removes the band and gently tapes over the cotton ball on her arm, then kisses the spot and kisses her.

KAYLEE: Wow, didn't even hurt.

Simon places a drop of blood into each of several spots on the blood test card and discards the needle. He straps his own arm and takes a second needle. He sticks out his arm and offers her the needle.

SIMON: Want to learn to draw blood?

KAYLEE: Oh no, I'd do it wrong and hurt ya’. I can barely watch when you do it.

Simon draws his own blood and repeats the procedure on the other card.

KAYLEE: How long will it take?

SIMON: All the tests will be done in an about hour, but some just take a minute.

He looks at both their cards, then holds them up for her, pointing at one spot.

SIMON: Look, see, we don't have malaria.

KAYLEE: You were worried about malaria?

SIMON: No, these tests are for all sorts of blood and bodily fluid borne diseases surgeons encounter, not just the ones we'd be worried about.

Simon smiles at Kaylee and hands her the test cards. He grabs a microscope and a couple of slides off the counter.

SIMON: (Sweet playful smile) So, would you care to join me in my bunk where we can find out if the shot did more than just give me a painful welt? You may not want to draw my blood, but I think you may be of assistance in collecting this sample.

Grinning, Kaylee jumps off the table, wraps her arm around his waist and they walk out of the infirmary.

KAYLEE: Does it really hurt?

SIMON: No so much now, but sitting at lunch was interesting.

KAYLEE: If your real nice I’ll kiss it and make it better.

SIMON’S BUNK

He places the microscope and slides on the bedside table, takes the cards from Kaylee and looks at them.

SIMON: We're both clear for Hepatitis A and B. Of course, both of those are treatable.

He puts them down on the table and takes her in his arms for a sweet, loving hug that turns into a nuzzle and then a long kiss. He sits on the bed and pulls her into his lap; his hand goes up her thigh and under her skirt. Her arms are around his neck.

SIMON: (Kissing her neck as he speaks) Mmmmm. I’ve been thinking about you all day... remembering. I could smell you all over me before I showered. Poor Jenny, it's a wonder I didn't operate on the wrong knee. Mal's right, you are very distracting.

KAYLEE: It ain't like I been exactly focused either. I kept drifting off and replayin' stuff in my mind. Took twice as long as it should’ve to install those chips.

They kiss. Simon's hand comes out from under her skirt and his arms go around her, undoing her dress, which falls forward off her shoulders. She shifts and moves until she's straddling him, kneeling. His hands slide back up her skirt.

KAYLEE: (Gasping) How'd ya wanna get this sample?

SIMON: I was figuring the old fashioned way, by hand. But I'm open to suggestions.

COMMON AREA

Jayne steps through the door. He's carrying two mugs and heading toward Jenny's room. He hears Simon and Kaylee making happy noises, and looks disturbed. He knocks on Jenny's door.

JENNY: Come in.

JAYNE: Saw River in the galley and she said you could use a warm drink.

JENNY: Thank you. Sit down?

JAYNE: Nah, I'm gonna go lift some before I go to sleep. Hard to relax, night before a fight.

JENNY: I appreciate this, Jayne. I know it isn’t your fight. I feel bad getting all of you into my mess.

They can hear suppressed laughter and 'shh, shh' noises from Simon's bunk.

JAYNE: (Uncomfortable look in the general direction) Gettin' kinda used to it, what with the doc and River on board.

JENNY: You and Simon don't like each other much, do you?

JAYNE: Nah.

Jayne sits down with her in spite of himself.

JENNY: Why?

JAYNE: Stuff. He don’t belong out here, bringin’ us his trouble. Don’t know what he’s thinkin’ most of the time. Twitchy.

JENNY: Jayne, he’s out of his depth, or at least he was. The Simon I knew on Osiris was honest and honorable to a fault, but never twitchy. (Smiling) Simon used to remind me a lot of Wash when he was younger, before flight school and Serenity corrupted him. Now imagine landing in a world that doesn’t play by your rules and having to get along with your brain as your only weapon.

JAYNE: Ain’t that what you do?

JENNY: Yes, except I am there to learn the rules, and I am fully prepared not to be accepted. Then, of course, I haven’t had to learn the rules when my life was on the line.

They hear a very muffled sound of extreme pleasure from the direction of Simon’s bunk. Jayne looks slightly disgruntled and very uncomfortable. Jenny just smiles.

DINING ROOM

Mal and Inara are alone at the table.

MAL: You don’t have to go through with this. The plan’ll work without you puttin’ yourself in danger.

He looks up at her, pain in his eyes.

INARA: Mal, I won’t be in danger. I’ll be doing my regular job, and Zoë will be right there to make sure nothing goes wrong. You know it will disable their chain of command. This is safer for Jenny and (smiling) it’s the best way for me to help. Besides, my rent is due and I could use the income.

MAL: So that’s what this has come to, rent? You don’t owe me nothin’. (Fumbling for words) Inara, you’re part of my...I don’t want.... (Pause with a deep breath, taking a less personal tack.) Inara, you’re still an honest businesswoman. Even if this goes right, you’re riskin’ your livelihood. Word gets out you’re ridin’ with a boatload of criminals; won’t you lose your license or some such? Then how will you pay your rent?

INARA: (Kindly, laying her hand over the back of his and carressing his fingers lightly) You worry about your business, and let me worry about mine.

SIMON’S BUNK

Simon is sitting on the edge of the bed, adjusting the focus on the scope and moving the slide around. He's partially covered by a sheet, but is otherwise naked. Kaylee is wearing one of his white shirts, and is leaning against him, her arm through his.

SIMON: Uhhh huhhh, totally clear. Good.

Simon pushes the microscope back from the edge of the bedside table. He picks up the blood tests and examines them carefully. He shows them to Kaylee with a grin.

SIMON: We are totally clean as well.

He turns and puts his legs around her, pulls the shirt away from her shoulder, and kisses her neck.

SIMON: (Smiling sweetly) So, earlier you said you wanted to finish what you started last night? I don’t have a ladder in my room, but we can improvise.

Kaylee smiles, pushes him back on the bed, climbs onto him and slides down, then she stops and looks him in the eye. She moves and slowly turns, sliding her legs up next to his body.

JENNY’S BUNK

JAYNE: Just never could figger why the rules are so different on different worlds? You go someplace looks like where you just been. People don’t look no different, but their customs and such are totally backward. Hell, Mal got married by accident, didn’t even know what was happenin’ to him.

JENNY: Oh, I would have loved to have been here for that. Wash told me about Saffron yesterday. Customs are dictated by culture. Just because people look similar doesn’t mean they share a cultural background. Groups with particular religious ideas started a lot of the early settlements on the outlying planets seeking to shut out others; people from different places on Earth-that-was started colonies on planets that closely resembled the places they had lived. The more insular the culture, the more divergent it can become from others around it. The idea of the Alliance started as an attempt to bring equality and equal resources to all the worlds, but in practice it became about control. People rebelled against the idea of being thrown into a big pot of humanity where they felt they’d have no control, and who can blame them. Humans are essentially flawed, and nearly all endeavors to unite eventually become about “us” and “them”, and alliances with a small “a” shift depending on where the threat is. This can even happen aboard a small ship with a few people.

JAYNE: You mean like how sometimes it’s the crew takin’ sides against each other, and other times it’s all of us against folks from the outside.

River glides through the door behind Jayne and places a hand on his shoulder and he jumps a bit, spilling his drink in his lap.

RIVER: (Sweetly knowing.) Exactly.

JAYNE: (Gruff) G’night.

Jayne rises and leaves. River resumes her position on the floor with her work as Jenny settles back and closes her eyes. A while later River looks up suddenly, startled, she cocks her heads and "listens" a look of “overwhelmed” flashes across her face. She goes back to work on the data very deliberately and with a look of intense concentration.

BRIDGE

Mal, Zoe and Wash are gathered around the console. We walk in on a conversation in progress.

WASH: ....she'd let herself get pregnant so far from civilization.

ZOE: Honey, she didn’t exactly plan it. Sometimes these things happen. I thought you’d be happy to be an uncle.

WASH: I'd be thrilled if they were still on Osiris, or back home on Isis, but out here? I don’t like the risk she’s taking. It’s like she doesn’t care what happens to her.

ZOE: Sweetie, she cares more than you know. She’ll be fine. You know I’d do the same for you. Once we get Tom back we can drop them back home with your parents. MAL: If we get Tom back, and he's alive, there's still no guarantee that they'll be safe on Isis or anywhere. We don't know what they’ve done to him already. I think we'd best be prepared for a full house. Jenny’s face was on that alert too. She’ll be safer and get better care here on Serenity than on any border moon she could hide on.

ZOE: (Kindly) The plan's solid sir. They won't be expecting us. Gotta have a little faith. Though I can't say I'd mind having little ones on board. (Pointed look at Wash, who gives her a WHAT look)

MAL: (Exhausted. Not angry, just weary and irritated) Faith? I'm just sayin' things can go wrong. (Rubbing his eyes) When did things get so gorram complicated? I just wanted to be my own man, with a good ship and a solid crew. Now my first mate and pilot are married, my mechanic and medic are most likely in bed right about now, my medic has a psychic sister who needs watchin'. Oh, and let's not forget that they're fugitives. And now my pilot's sister’s on board, pregnant, possibly a fugitive herself, and we’re off to rescue her husband from a highly secure JAIL. If you weren’t all so gorram good at what you do I'd drop you on the nearest moon and start over!

SIMON’S BUNK NTERIOR

Simon and Kaylee are spooned on the bed under the covers. Simon wakes suddenly and looks at the clock, which wakes Kaylee.

SIMON: Tzao gao, I fell asleep. I need to get Jenny up and moving around.

He sits up and slides to the foot of the bed, pulls on a loose shirt and pants. Kaylee reaches for her dress.

SIMON: (Hand on her leg) Please stay.

KAYLEE: I ain't goin' nowhere, just wanna help.

She leans over and kisses him on the shoulder. Simon smiles and stands up. Kaylee stands up and he ties her dress for her. They are both still barefoot and a little rumpled.

JENNY’S BUNK INTERIOR

The door slides open quietly and Simon and Kaylee step in. Jenny is dozing. River looks up from her work and motions them to be quiet. Kaylee is carrying some high-end titanium crutches.

SIMON: It's time to get her up and moving.

He walks over, sits on the edge of the bed and gently touches Jenny's shoulder. She wakes and smiles at him.

JENNY: Evening doctor.

SIMON: Ready to get up?

JENNY: I am, but only if my first journey is to the bathroom. Someone please find my toothbrush.

Simon examines her knee.

SIMON: Bathroom and then infirmary. I need to scan your knee and make sure all the bonds are holding before I let you put weight on it.

Simon and Kaylee help her up off the bed and onto the crutches. River has her toiletry kit.

INFIRMARY:

Jenny and Simon are there alone. He's scoping her knee, looking pleased. He puts the scope away and helps her sit. She gives him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. They are still hugging and looking at each other - it could be construed as romantic-looking unless you'd seen how he looks at Kaylee - when Kaylee walks in with a pillow and coveralls slung over her arm. She is completely unaffected by their behavior, and smiles genuinely.

KAYLEE: I got my pillow so I won't steal yours.

SIMON: You’re just in time to help me get her standing.

Kaylee and Simon stand on either side of her as Jenny gets herself up off the table and slowly puts weight on her knee. She smiles.

JENNY: Amazing. I can tell it's there, but it doesn’t hurt at all.

KAYLEE: He’s a good doctor. Pulled bits of bullet out of my belly his very first day on board, and I barely have a scar.

SIMON: Just doing my job. (To Jenny) Use the crutches, but put as much weight as you can on it and we're going to walk around the cargo bay for a while.

Kaylee leaves to put her stuff in Simon’s room.

JENNY: I didn’t realize you’d had such serious injuries on board. Wash tends to downplay the violence when he tells me of your adventures.

As they walk around Simon tells his tale of woe with a touch of deadpan humor and irony.

SIMON: Once again, you didn’t hear the full story. Our presence on Serenity has caused many of the injuries I’ve treated. A federal agent came on board the day we did and, in the process of trying to arrest me, shot Kaylee. River slashed open Jayne’s chest with a very large knife. Can’t say that I blame her, but it meant more work for me. A bounty hunter came on board to collect River, and ended up shooting me in the leg. Zoë dug the bullet out while I held the scope, which was loads of fun.

JENNY: I was wondering about the limp.

SIMON: Yeah. Of course there have been other injuries to treat that I wasn’t the cause of, though I did managed to be abducted the day Book was shot, and Mal was forced to seek Alliance help. All in all I’ve been pretty busy. In between stitching up knife and bullet wounds I try to figure out they did to River. Oh, and I’ve also become apprentice to the ships mechanic.

Jenny lets out a snort and grins at him sideways. Simon smacks her gently on the shoulder.

SIMON: (Boyish grin) That is NOT what I meant. I mean actual mechanical repairs. It turns out putting engines back together is a lot like putting people back together, (more seriously) except harder because they don’t heal themselves, and lots of people can die if you do it wrong. At least I know that as long as I stay on Mal’s good side I have job security.

SIMON’S BUNK

Kaylee's put her coveralls and shirt over the chair and her pillow on the bed. It’s clear she’s changed the sheets and put a bigger blanket on it as well. She's smiling and humming. Simon walks in and slides the door shut as she looks into a little bag of goodies she’s brought. Simon walks over, leans over her shoulder and looks into the bag.

SIMON: Oh my! (Low laugh) Mal wants us all to be well rested for tomorrow, but it looks like you aren’t planning on letting me sleep.

He starts kissing the back of her neck and shoulder.

KAYLEE: I just wanted to celebrate a little. We still ain't really done it since the test and the shot. Thought we could make it more interestin', special.

He unties her dress and slides his hands inside around her waist and then up, pressing himself against her back. Kaylee leans into him, her head back against his shoulder. He licks her ear and whispers.

SIMON: I don't need anything but you to make it interesting and special, but since you went to the trouble....

CATWALK OUTSDIDE INARA’S SHUTTLE

Mal approaches Inara’s shuttle and stops. He reaches for the door handle and stops. He raises his hand to knock on the door, and stops again. He stands for a moment, then turns and walks away down the steps to the cargo bay. Almost as soon as he is out of site of the door, Inara opens the door and looks out, looks around a bit puzzled, shrugs and closes the door.

COMMENTS

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:54 PM

FREDIKAYLLOW


Man, are those two always at it???
Anyway, good chapter, can't wait to see the big action adventure of the break-out of Tom.

No Power In The Verse
XOXOX-FREDIKAYLLOW-XOXOX

Thursday, May 26, 2005 1:16 AM

KAYSKY


This is another great chapter. I really love all the Kaylee/Simon stuff. And I'm all excited to find out what happens next. Especially with regards to rescuing Tom.

Keep up the excellent work! I can't wait to read more! =o)

Thursday, May 26, 2005 4:52 AM

ARTSHIPS


Even liked the little bits with River and Jayne. Can't wait ot see what happens next!

Thursday, May 26, 2005 9:44 AM

AMDOBELL


Oooh, good myth. Wish we had a glimpse or two of what is happening to Tom from his perspective. Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me

Sunday, August 21, 2005 12:15 PM

BELLONA


whoa. good fic.


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