Disclaimer thingy: Firefly/Serenity are owned by other folks and not by me, though I appreciate being able to write some stuff purely for fun inspired by the Firefly 'Verse. All constructive comments and feedback from you shiny readers out there much appreciated!

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Once on Serenity, River pulled herself free of Simon’s arm and headed swiftly across the cargo bay. “Mei-mei, where are you going?” Simon called after her.

“Away,” she said, not slowing. Her footsteps clattered on the floor as she ran towards her room. Simon sighed and followed after her; but when he turned the corner River’s closed cabin door confronted him. Simon leaned on the wall beside it. “River?”

“Go away!” Her muffled shout came through the closed door.

“Mei-mei, are you okay?” There was a silence. “Are you feeling bad? What is it?”

“Please. Go. Away .”

Simon rested his head against the wall, his eyes shutting. “River… I don’t want to leave you alone if you’re feeling bad. Why won’t you talk to me?”

The sound of the door opening made him straighten up and open his eyes. River stood in the doorway with her arms folded around herself, her face still pale. She fixed her eyes on him steadily. “I am talking to you. You’re just not listening. I said, Go away.”

“Mei-mei…” Simon took a deep breath. “I’ll go away and leave you in peace if that’s what you want. It’s just… you worried me back there. You looked really bad. And you’re not looking much better now.” When she just continued to regard him under lowered brows, he continued. “Is there anything I can do? What’s wrong?”

River lifted her shoulders in a reflexively protective gesture. “There’s nothing you can do. And I don’t want to talk about it.” As Simon started to open his mouth, she lifted her hand, as if shutting him off. “You can’t always fix me. Because I’m not always broken.” Her eyes held his, dark and troubled. “I know you want to make me like before. But you can’t. Every