Author: Rawles {rawles [dot]marie [at]gmail [dot]com}

Type: Het

Genre: Drama/Romance

Characters: Simon. Kaylee.

Author’s Notes: Written for Tara, because she asked so nice. A Objects in Space coda. Poem is "Simile" by N. Scott Momaday, and it's awesome.

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What did we say to each other

that now we are as the deer

who walk in single file

with heads high

with ears forward

with eyes watchful

with hooves always placed on firm ground

in whose limbs there is latent flight

Simon shifted uncomfortably in his bed, not able to find a position that would alleviate the twinge in his leg. The gunshot wound he’d taken at the hands of Jubel Early had almost completely finished healing. Still it seemed that lately when he wanted nothing more than the sweet oblivion of sleep the wound would become extra sensitive. No matter how he positioned himself he couldn’t get quite comfortable enough to drift off into unconsciousness.

He sighed in exasperation and sat up, switching on the light. The dull golden glow washed the tiny room so softly that Simon’s eyes barely needed to adjust. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his agitation, but it wasn’t very successful. Not helping matters was the ever-present gnawing in his gut. It had started before the gunshot. Its point of origin was the exact second Early realized that threatening his life would never sway Simon. The moment the man had let the foul words slip from his lips.

You refuse to help me... spend some time violatin’ the little mechanic I got trussed up in the engine room... She will die, weeping, if you cross me.

Simon’s heart almost stopped and real fear gripped him. The first wave had been instinctual; a natural gut reaction to a horrible threat on the life and spirit of a woman for whom he cared deeply. The second wave was intellectual, straight from the logical portion of his mind. It worried not over what might happen to Kaylee, not over the things he’d never said or done that he might never ha