BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - ROMANCE

CLIOMUSE

Questions and Answers - a deleted scene from Blue Sun Rising
Thursday, December 29, 2005

Kaylee has questions, Simon has answers.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 3203    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

Questions and Answers – a deleted scene from “Blue Sun Rising”

All standard disclaimers apply. This was written for fun, not profit. All the characters belong to Joss Whedon.

It is written in loose shooting script format.

AN: This story is sort of a “deleted scene” that goes with my unfinished story “Blue Sun Rising.” It will make more sense if you read that saga first. I wrote it at the request of one of my betas (readers, not fish), who wanted to know why Kaylee hadn’t jumped on this detail of Simon’s past and questioned him to death about it. It is also my way of resolving some of my own questions about the feasibility of the Simon/Kaylee relationship given their differences, and of giving Regan Tam a stronger role in shaping Simon’s views because I really liked Isabella Hofmann, who played Regan Tam in Safe, when she was playing a strong, professional woman in “Homicide: Life on the Street.” I decided to post it when I got a couple of requests from the Simon/Kaylee camp.

Obviously this saga has become AU since the movie came out….

PASSENGER DORM LOUNGE INTERIOR

The room is dimly lit. Kaylee is sitting on the sofa and Simon is lying on his back with his head in her lap, eyes closed, and obviously exhausted. She is gently stroking his hair with one hand; the other is resting lightly on his chest. A remote monitor panel for the infirmary is on the floor by the sofa emitting a regular beeping noise. We can see though the window into the infirmary, which is more brightly lit. A nearly empty IV blood bag is visible, its tube running down and out of sight.

KAYLEE: You sure you don’t wanna go to your bunk and get some sleep?

SIMON: (Eyes still closed, sounding a little groggy) Uh uh. Perfectly comfortable. (He opens his eyes) Unless I’m putting your legs to sleep. (He starts to sit up.)

KAYLEE: (Pushing him down.) Nah, I’m shiny. He’s really gonna be okay though, right?

SIMON: (As he’s speaking he reaches down and picks up the monitor, presses a few buttons, grunts and drops it back on the floor.) Uh huh. Bullet nicked the femoral artery and he lost a lot of blood, but he should be fine. (Smirking) A little higher and it would have been a whole ‘nother story. (He makes a snipping motion with his right hand.) I just need to keep an eye on his vitals until the transfusion is done and then check for infection. Then I’ll sleep. (He takes the hand that is across his chest, kisses her palm and snuggles it.)

They are both quiet for a moment.

KAYLEE: (Looking a little tentative) What’s she like?

SIMON: (Eyes still closed) She who?

KAYLEE: (Quietly) You know who.

SIMON: (Opening his eyes and really looking at Kaylee) It’s over and done bao bei. (He reaches up and strokes her cheek.)

KAYLEE: I know. I’m just curious is all.

SIMON: (Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.) What do you want to know?

KAYLEE: What she’s like. You know, what she looks like, what kind of person she is, (She makes a disgusted face) but I guess I know some of that already since she made you choose.

SIMON: She isn’t a bad person, Kaylee. She had her reasons. (He closes his eyes again and pinches the bridge of his nose before opening them. He’s looking at the ceiling instead of at Kaylee as he continues at a somewhat tentative pace.) She is intelligent and strong. She could be really funny once you got to know her. She is usually just a little bit distant, which is strange because she has such a great bedside manner….

KAYLEE: (Jumping on this) Bedside manner?

SIMON: Uh huh. (Brightening a bit at the memory.) She had a great reputation. Her patients loved her.

KAYLEE: (Frowning) Patients?

SIMON: (Transferring his gaze to her.) Mmm huh. She’s a doctor, Kaylee. An OB/GYN. (Chuckling) She’s the reason I know how to deliver a baby in a non-emergency situation. (Kaylee’s eyes go wide and Simon smiles.) What, did you think I was engaged to a lady of leisure?

KAYLEE: (Nodding) Guess I figured real ladies from the core didn’t have to work.

SIMON: (Stroking her hair) She didn’t have to work. Hell, I didn’t have to work. I became a doctor because I wanted to help people. She’s from a long line of doctors and healers on both sides of her family. It’s one of the things that attracted me to her as a potential life partner. (He grins at Kaylee.) I’ve always been drawn to strong women who fix things. I guess Wash isn’t the only one with a pattern. Blame my mom.

KAYLEE: Your mom ain’t a doctor.

SIMON: No, she’s an attorney. She fixes things too.

KAYLEE: (Surprised) You never told me that. I figured she was what you said earlier, a “lady of leisure,” and a mom of course.

SIMON: I guess it never came up. Most women in her position are highly educated but have never had a career. Mom is from a family of really influential tax and estate attorneys who think all their children should be useful to society. She gave up her practice after I was born, but she still does, or did, pro bono work for a couple of charities. (He looks a little distant.) I guess I thought that, given her background, she’d be inclined to believe me about River.

KAYLEE: (Not letting Simon wander off the topic.) What happened with Rebecca? You said she thought what you were doin’ was noble at first, and her bein’ a doctor and all I’da thought she’d understand.

SIMON: Ah yes. As I said, she had a great reputation. She’s a couple of years older than I am, and right about the time we got engaged she took over her mom’s practice and became the doctor of choice for the female Alliance brass and political wives. When you have your own practice reputation is everything, and having your patients think your fiancé is a lunatic doesn’t help. My getting arrested was the icing on that cake.

KAYLEE: What about your patients. Didn’t they care?

SIMON: (Grinning) One of the advantages of working in the emergency room is that your patients generally don’t care who you are as long as you can patch them up. (Frowning) But my superiors were beginning to worry about me, and breaking up with the Chief of Surgery’s daughter certainly didn’t help. Toward the end I was being given a lot of really awful assignments.

KAYLEE: Is she pretty?

SIMON: (Wary) Uh huh.

KAYLEE: What’s she look like?

SIMON: Um, about as tall as I am; long, straight, black hair; dark brown eyes; mostly Asian features. My parents joked that we’d finally be getting some Chinese back in the family, though her mom is a tiny blonde, so God only knows what our kids would have looked like; definitely a genetic crapshoot.

KAYLEE: (Wistful and a tiny bit resentful.) Sounds like a perfect match.

SIMON: (A tad ironic) Yeah, all except for the part about not being in love.

KAYLEE: (Somewhat brighter.) Why weren’t you?

SIMON: (Shrugging and sitting up, and then turning to face her, holding her hands.) I really don’t know. As I said, we really liked each other and found each other physically attractive. It was nice to be with someone who liked me for me, not for my earning potential or family connections, though ironically those things are what made us a “suitable match.” We would never have gotten engaged, or probably even had second date, if we didn’t, how did my father put it…“look good on paper.” I sort of hoped we’d grow to love each other the way my parents had, but in the end there wasn’t enough there to hold us together through adversity.

KAYLEE: (Looking up at him from below her lashes.) I guess we don’t look real good “on paper.”

SIMON: (Lifting her chin and looking into her eyes, his voice quiet) Kaylee, there was a time when I was afraid it was my red bag and not me that attracted you.

KAYLEE: (Looking up at him, brows drawn together) Never!

SIMON: Really?

KAYLEE: Okay, I guess, at first I was interested in ya ‘cause you’re someone important, and ‘cause of they way you look (she blushes.) But that wore off once I got to know you. I love you ‘cause you’re you.

SIMON: I know that now. There was a time when I was afraid I was only attracted to you because of how you look and because you were attracted to me. (From serious to joking.) I’m a guy; we’re simple and easily led.

KAYLEE: (Laughing and smacking his chest playfully.) Not that easily!

SIMON: (Biting his lip) Yes, well, you will have to agree that I’ve been a little preoccupied. (Smiling) And I think we look great on paper. (Gesturing to the ship in general) If it wasn’t for us most of the crew would be dead and Serenity would have fallen out of the sky by now. (He runs his finger down her cheek and across her lips.) We were born to fix things, you and I.

Simon is leaning in to kiss Kaylee when the monitor on the floor emits an alarm noise. Simon sighs and looks at it.

KAYLEE: Time to go finish fixin’ Jayne.

SIMON: (Rising from the sofa and grinning evilly.) Don’t even tempt me.

COMMENTS

Thursday, December 29, 2005 11:50 AM

AMDOBELL


Ah, sweet. And at least Simon was able to put one of Kaylee's insecurities to rest. Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me

Thursday, December 29, 2005 12:34 PM

MISSKITTEN


awwww :) continue, please :)

Thursday, December 29, 2005 5:10 PM

FIAREYNNE


Great story. Your description made me laugh and is the reason I had to read it - my boyfriend works at Radio Shack. "You've got questions, we've got answers."

Wednesday, January 4, 2006 9:43 AM

BELLONA


i like the easy flow of their conversation, very warm and comfortable

- Time to go finish fixin’ Jayne.

i'd fix him up but right good *wink wink dirty laugh*

b

Wednesday, January 4, 2006 11:36 PM

WILLIAMJAMESW


Great; now I'm hooked on this, and am going to have to read the main story. Reading so much fanfic lately that I am having a difficult time keeping all the different story threads separated in my mind.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006 5:59 PM

CLIOMUSE


All part of my evil plan....

Thursday, January 26, 2006 8:05 PM

LEIASKY


Ahh, excellent little missing scene. I'm glad those in the S/K camp bugged you to write it. Hopefully, they will bug you for more:)

Simon's last line was brilliant too.


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