Job Satisfaction

A/N: Firstly, in response to some of the comments from last chapter. What can I say? I knew when I posted it that it would be a little controversial, but this fic is about Simon being torn between his job (River) and his own needs (Kaylee.) I figured he’d need to get pushed to extremes to see that he needs to find a balance. He is certainly gonna spend the rest of this story dealing with the repercussions of his words. Hope ya’ll stick with this, anyway.

Thanks again to Mavourneen, my beta. And thanks for all comments, good or bad.

To see translations, hover mouse over Chinese word.

Chapter Five - Male Bonding

Kaylee swore to herself as her eyes clouded with tears once again. She was supposed to be finding one, tiny girl in the pitch black, and she couldn’t do that if her eyes weren’t working properly. Kaylee pulled her jacket more tightly around her, and sighed.

Simon’s words still stung, but after she’d crawled into her bunk and cried for a while, she’d come to a decision. She had waited too long and worked too hard to get Simon to lose him now. And if all she needed to do to gain his love was find his sister, then she would do it.

After all, Kaylee considered, life ain’t much worth living if the man you love doesn’t love you back.

*

“Mal!” Simon yelled. “Mal, wake up!”

He heard noises of someone moving in the bunk below, but was far too wound up to wait. Viciously, he kicked open the door to the captain’s bunk.

“Whoa,” yelled Mal, appearing at the bottom of the hatch, thankfully wearing pants. “Hold your horses, doc. I said we’d go first thing, but-”

“The mule’s gone,” Simon told him, and his voice shook as he spoke. “The mule’s gone and so is Kaylee.”

Mal swallowed, hard. “Simon, I…”

“We have to find her!” Simon demanded.

“Which ‘her’?”

“Kaylee!” Simon yelled. He could hear people exiting their bunks around him, questio