He hadn’t meant to use her as a pawn. She had been nice, the first nice person he had met in the whole ordeal of rescuing his sister. But afterwards, when she came to, she didn’t seem to mind. Seemed to understand, actually, that family was important and family should come first. Gave him a smile and her thanks for saving her life, completely disregarding the fact he endangered it in the first place. He found himself smiling back, and wondering just what kind of woman Kaylee was, and hoping he got to learn more about her in the future.
--
She often wondered what brought him to Serenity, what had drawn his attention to her ship. Or rather, Mal’s ship, but she felt it was her baby, too. She wondered if it was something about her, maybe a warm face in a sea of people clamoring for his business. She hoped it was. Told herself if it wasn’t it was okay. And then she overheard him telling Sheppard Book that it was because she had made him feel welcome and given him a good deal, and she damn near floated off to bed that night. There was still hope yet.
--
He waited for her. Each night, after she checked the engine, he was waiting for her. No reason in particular, and he never made it seem like he was waiting. He just wanted a bit of her sunny personality to rub off on him before his head hit the pillow. It was often the highlight of his day, the warm grin, the quick wave, the “Night, Simon” that rolled off her lips with ease. It made it easier to dream less of the things he had left behind and more of what his future might possibly hold here on Serenity.
--
She pretended to get hurt sometimes, just to have a reason to go into the infirmary. She had dropped wrenches on her foot before, or walked into a wall before. It wasn’t too hard to fake, and after a while she thought he had caught on, given her a perfunctory glance and told her to lay down and rest. When she really did hurt herself, though, he was tender, he was patient. He was everything a doctor should be, and everything she wanted him to be. Too bad she had to be in pain for that part to come through.
--
Sometimes he would sit on the decks above the cargo hold and watch her with his sister. She got River, got the whole thing about his sister, how she was psychic but fractured and that made her unpredictable and funny and scary and warm and violent and just the biggest bit off-kilter. But it didn’t matter to her. Sometimes he thought she could feel him watching, but her attention was solely devoted to her friend. If River had been more normal, she probably would have considered Kaylee her best friend, but he could, and he did, and he was thankful.
--
She would listen to him and Inara talk, their cultured voices going from topic to topic that bored her. Maybe not bored, but they didn’t interest her as much as, say, browsing a catalogue for more engine parts. But she listened, all while pretending not to, and learned. Not too long after she began her eavesdropping she started recognizing topics, and sometimes she’d even learn more. The first time she broached an opinion on politics on Persephone Jayne laughed, Mal punched him in the gut, but what made it worth it was Simon’s look of rapt attention as he replied.
--
He wanted to protect her. He couldn’t shoot a gun, couldn’t really throw a punch, but he wanted to keep her safe in case it was ever just them in the ship. So he asked Mal and Zoe to train him, Zoe in guns and Mal in fighting. Zoe said sure, she could use the practice, and Mal just shrugged and tried to deck him, catch him off guard. Within a week he was sore and was pretty sure he’d still shoot himself in the foot, but he kept trying, all with the plan to keep Kaylee safe if needed.
--
There were times he frustrated her. Simon could drive her up the wall, what with his big words and his book learning and his fancy etiquette. She was frustrated at his world more than him most of the time, though, and felt she’d never live up to his fancy way. Then she’d see him do something so insignificant but so like her that she’d stop and think that maybe, just maybe, he’d come down to her world and they could live in it together, be truly happy with nothing more than each other. She hoped he could, at any rate.
--
He had wanted to tell her, that night that River went berserk in the club where he had to put her to sleep, but things got out of hand and he was explaining, and then there was Miranda, and then he could tell her. Of course, it had to be right before a life-or-death situation, but he told her. Watched her vow to live for him. For
him, and a chance to be more than ships passing in the night. That was why he hung on, that was why he fought to stay alive as darkness crept in: for her.
--
She kissed him first. She hadn’t planned on it, but he just looked peaceful lying on the table in the infirmary after being patched up. She’d hesitated, then leaned over and pressed her lips to his, half expecting him to be asleep. She began to pull back but then his hand slid up her cheek to cup the back of her head, and she smiled against his lips, deepening the kiss. As far as first kisses went, it certainly wasn’t bad, and was quite memorable, and altogether very nice, and she firmly believed all first kisses should be like that.
--
It was a sad time on Serenity as they fixed the ship and mourned their friends, but he kept finding ways to bring a smile to her face. For now, he had freedom, a freedom he had not had in a very long time, and he used this freedom to take her away from the ship, go places that sounded interesting. He’d kiss her cheek when she frowned too much and kiss her lips when she smiled. Anything he could do he did. If he never saw her frown again it would be the best present in the entire universe.
--
When she suspected she might be pregnant, she freaked. She asked Zoe, and they got a test as soon as they could, and when it said she was, she got worried. Telling him was going to be hard. So when he asked a few hours later what was wrong and it just spilled out she braced herself for the worst. But what she got was a shout of joy, strong arms picking her up, swinging her around, and kisses raining on her face. She hadn’t needed to worry at all. He loved her, and the baby, and that was good.
--
He wanted to marry her. He couldn’t legally, because despite the events of Miranda he was still a wanted man, but he wanted, at the very least, a spiritual link to her. It wasn’t official, could never be official, but the wedding ceremony they had, with River and new friends and those they considered family, it was good enough. And as he said he took her as his wife, his whole life felt utterly complete. He held her hands, then pulled her close enough to feel the baby kick, and knew it was the best wedding he could ask for.
--
When she pushed the last push and heard the cry of their child, she couldn't help but cry and laugh and stare in wonder at the son her husband was holding. She'd insisted he deliver him; after all, he was the best doctor she knew. He cleaned him up and then wrapped him in the blanket Inara had given them, and when he placed little Derrial Washburn on her chest she couldn’t think of any moment in her life when she’d been happier. She had a husband who loved her, a wonderful son, and all was right in her world.
