Disclaimer: Firefly and all related elements, characters and indicia © Mutant Enemy Productions and 20th Century Fox Television, 2003. All Rights Reserved. All characters and situations—save those created by the author for use solely on this website—are copyright Mutant Enemy Productions and 20th Century Fox Television.

Notes: Thank you to skripka and puffgirl_two for shiny (and fast) betas! And TaraLJC for betas of previous incarnations of this story (making it much of what it is now). The following contains spoilers for The Message.

Mending

by liquideyes

Simon peeked into the engine room, and sure enough, Kaylee was there, doing some sort of work on Serenity. She tended to retreat to her domain to keep busy when she was troubled. At least this time she wasn’t in her hammock, letting Tracy’s oh so eloquent message tug at her heartstrings. It had seemed to wrap around her like a bubble of sound, making a barrier that he didn’t think he could penetrate. Not without popping it.

He had known when he was unwanted.

He suspected he might still be unwanted, but this time Simon didn’t turn and walk away. He couldn’t leave it, letting the wound fester. His ability to persevere despite the odds made him just that much better of a doctor. Though, as much as he wished he could be, Simon wasn’t perfect. Then he wouldn’t have…he had tried what he could to save Tracy, even though he had known he was too late. He had managed to free his sister, and keep the two of them alive, against all likelihood. He could talk to Kaylee and not screw it up. Maybe.

He took a few cautious steps forward, worried about …everything. Simon knew that sometimes the treatment was worse than the illness. But in the end, being cured was worth it. Or so he told himself.

They hadn’t been talking. Not about real things. Little touches bridged the silence, but it had been days, and he missed their late night conversations. He still pulled out her chair at meals and her hand still rested on his sometimes, but that wasn’t en