Title: Exhaustion

Rating: PG

Synopsis: Simon is exhausted and Jayne takes advantage.

Timeline: Takes place two months after Serenity, the movie.

Notes: Next part of a series beginning with : And So It Begins, Kiss Me, Coming Together, Tell Me, What’s Proper?, Tears ,Peekaboo, Impatient, Waking Up is Hard to Do, The Talk, I See You, Exhaustion.

Disclaimer: This story is not meant to infringe on the copyright of any person or company related to the trademarked characters and situations depicted in the Serenity movie or Firefly series. I make no money from this. Only done for fun – and a desperate craving to have more stories told about this wonderful ‘verse Joss Whedon created.

-------------------

Inara swept into the common room on her way to search for Kaylee. She knew the young mechanic spent more time in Simon’s bunk than in her own, so that was always the first place she looked when wanting to find the girl. And – it was a shorter trip than walking all the way to the crew bunks only to find her not even there.

Hearing someone in the infirmary, she stopped in the doorway and smiled at Simon, who had his back to her. He was far more tousled than she could ever remember him being before Miranda and she had to stifle a very un-Companion-like chuckle. Kaylee was apparently quite adept at keeping the young doctor quite occupied.

Simon noticed Inara standing in the doorway and turned to her, concerned. “Inara, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no, nothing.” She smiled at him for a long moment, her eyes sweeping over his body as if she was appraising him.

Simon grinned. He knew why she’d stopped by. “I think Kaylee is in the engine room.”

“Oh, yes. Well, thank you. I was looking for her.”

Simon pushed a hand through his hair as he returned to his work. When he stifled a yawn, Inara felt the overwhelming need to pat the exhausted man on the shoulder.

“She look as tired as you?”

Simon groaned and rubbed his eyes. “No. It’s sickening.” He continued writing in a journal