FicWad

"Would you like to talk about it?" Inara softly asked, reaching over and squeezing her friend's shoulder. Ever since Kaylee and Book had boarded the shuttle, she had noticed that Kaylee had sat silently beside her, staring forlornly into the black. She realized that Kaylee would be far from her normal, bubbly self since Serenity had broken down, but something else was bothering the mechanic.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jayne rifling through some of her personal belongings and muttering about a smell. Had she not been concerned about Kaylee, she would have lectured the mercenary about manners and privacy. At least Book was not making a nuisance out of himself, not that she expected him to; however, she imagined he was quite uncomfortable, sitting amongst places where she had entertained clients countless times. The preacher's eyes never left the pages of his Bible as he read page after page of scriptures.

Kaylee shifted her eyes from the black nothingness and looked at Inara. "No, 'Nara. I was just thinkin'. I should be stayin' with her not the Cap'n. I did this. I shoulda known. Maybe I gave up too quickly. Maybe I coulda fixed her."

"Kaylee, stop blaming yourself," Inara said firmly. She cupped a smooth, silky hand under Kaylee's chin and tilted the disheartened mechanic's head up so that their eyes met. "Do not ever think that you could have fixed Serenity in her current condition. Some things cannot be fixed. You said so yourself. If there was a way to repair that catalyzer, you would have been able to do it hours ago." The Companion sighed and stroked Kaylee's cheek with her thumb. In a calm voice, reserved for talking to special clients or treasured friends, she asked, "Now, do you want to tell me what is really bothering you?"

"Zoë..." Kaylee started but was abruptly cutoff by Inara's unsympathetic glare. "I...uh...just wanted..." she stammered but was thankfully interrupted when the communicator crackled to life.

"Hold that thought." Inara grabbed the radio, straining to hear the garbled transmission, before she smiled. "We're heading back to the ship," she relayed the message to the other three crewmembers. She winked at Kaylee and added, "Zoë's orders."

Kaylee's heart leapt into her throat as she felt all sorts of joy. "Does that mean the Cap'n fixed /Serenity/?"

"I don't know yet. All I know is that Zoë ordered us to return."

For the first time since the catalyzer broke and caused the massive explosion, Kaylee released a breath she had been holding. Zoë was going to be okay, Mal had assumedly fixed /Serenity/, and Simon...she'd get to see him again.

Inara focused on returning to the firefly. Whatever had been bothering Kaylee was now in the past. She thought about continuing their conversation, but the sparkle in the mechanic's eye told her to just let bygones be bygones.

**

Meanwhile, in the other shuttle, Wash was just as happy as any hotshot pilot, flying high in the sky, could be. He sat behind the controls, running the throttle at full-burn. He continued to look over at Zoë every few seconds, smiling at his autumn flower.

Simon finished checking Zoë's vitals after she had sent the message to call Inara's shuttle back to /Serenity/. Satisfied that she was fine, he took a seat and leaned back heavily, relaxing and thinking about all that had happened within the last day, especially the part when Kaylee kissed him. He replayed that scene over and over.

River sat beside her brother, occasionally serenading him with several varied renditions of "Happy Birthday".

"River, my birthday is over now. It was yesterday," Simon informed. The calendar had changed days as each shuttle spent the last several hours in the sky, searching for help.

"I still didn't get you anything."

"It's okay, /mei mei/," Simon said and almost continued by telling her, Wash, and Zoë that he had received the best birthday gift from Kaylee; but instead, he clamped his mouth shut.

River reached over and massaged her brother's cheeks. "You need to relax these muscles. Don't clench your jaw shut. Part your lips. Embrace /life/."

Hearing River's words, Wash and Zoë exchanged a confused glance as Simon quickly grabbed for River's hands. "River, stop it!" he hissed. A red hue was growing on his cheeks.

"My brother, the boob," she announced before gracefully sliding out of her seat and walking over to Zoë.

For once, Simon hoped that Wash and Zoë would just think that River was babbling nonsense. He didn't know if he liked his sister being able to read minds, especially his. Especially now.

"Prepare for docking," Wash notified as he spied the firefly and then gasped.

"What, Honey?" Zoë asked, raising herself into a sitting position.

"It's alive," Wash replied excitedly. "It's alive!"

Simon and Zoë exchanged a look of shock, but River sat quietly on the floor beside Zoë. "Hurt. Pain. We need to help him fast. He's dying."