A/N: Oh, I forgot ... thanks to Leiasky for the beta!

Kaylee was wrapped in one of Simon’s sweaters, his pillow hugged tightly against her chest. Curled into a ball in the bunk they’d been sharing, she tried to surround herself with as much of him as she could. His scent was everywhere in this room and she buried herself in it, reveling in the memory no matter how brief.

It had been two weeks and there was no word, not from Simon, not from River. And Kaylee was beginning to panic. She’d asked the captain every day since they’d been taken what they were going to do, when they were going to mount a rescue, but Mal was unwilling or unable to give her a straight answer. She knew it was dangerous and more than difficult, but she didn’t care. They had rescued the captain and Wash from Niska for crying out loud. Certainly they had the capability to spring Simon from a Core world.

But no, the captain had taken a job instead, and while it was bringing them a bit closer to the Central planets, he’d made no move or plan to rescue Simon, and Kaylee was done waiting.

Rising reluctantly, she pulled on a pair of Simon’s sweatpants and headed out of the room, an idea that had been taking hold in her mind finally coming to fruition.

---- ----

“You’re a coward and you know it.”

Mal scowled wickedly at Inara’s comment, but held his tongue. She was right, and while it bothered Mal to no end, he also knew he had no right to disagree.

“It’s not that you can’t go after Simon and River, it’s that you won’t.” Inara’s chest was heaving with anger, her brown eyes blazing as she stared at Mal. They had been having the same argument almost every night since the Tams had been gone. At first, Inara had assumed that Mal was picking the fight on purpose; that perhaps if she insulted him enough he would mount a rescue just to spite her. But apparently, he simply liked to hear her call him names, because weeks had passed a