Since We Found Serenity (A Firefly Fanfiction)

Chapter 6: X Marks The Spot

Mal wandered the corridors of his ship, just enjoying the fact that it felt full and busy all over again, just like old times—with a few changes.

"Oh, gorram this all-fired filthy ringwormed piece of—"

"Hey!" He stopped and regarded Kaylee, up to her elbows in engine parts, wrestling with a particularly perplexing mechanism. "I thought you didn't use that kinda talk in the engine room."

Kaylee glanced up, red-faced, and brushed a piece of hair out of her vision, leaving a black streak along her forehead. "Guess I just lost my touch," she muttered. "And these skirts weren't made for machine work!" She passed it off with a laugh and kicked at her frilly, lacy hem.

Mal raised an eyebrow. "What, no more coveralls?"

Kaylee wiped her sleeve across her greasy forehead, leaving a thick black mark on the cotton fabric. "Guess I just got into the habit of these things while I was back home," she stammered. "Haven't worn pants in a while." She glanced up at Mal, but only briefly. "I've always liked dresses, you know that."

Mal opened his mouth to ask what had happened on Charis, why they disappeared, but what came out was, "Well, we will just have to see about getting you proper attire, ma'am!"

A bit of the old Kaylee bubbled to the surface as she giggled and returned to her work.

Mal rounded the corner and headed down to the medical bay.

It struck him, the notion that the last six years had never happened, as Simon stood in the exact same place he always occupied, at the counter near the back corner, flipping through files on the holographic console.

"Everything in order here, Doctor?" Mal inquired, striding through the door.

Simon turned to face him, a wide grin over his face.

"You're telling me Zoe had her baby here? On the Serenity?"

Mal chuckled. "As far as I could tell, she wouldn't have it any other way. Wild horses couldn't drag her from this ship." He clapped the medic on the shoulder. "Thanks to you, we had a sterile environment to work in."

Simon tilted an eyebrow. "We?"

Mal shrugged. "Well, okay, Inara presided over the birth; River may have helped a little."

"So I heard," Simon remarked with a grin. "Poor thing, with all her intelligence I don't think it ever crossed her mind where babies come from."

"And now she'll never forget," Mal shook his head.

Simon returned to browsing the files.

"So tell me about these new formulas here—it's not Pax again, is it?" A flick of his fingers brought the display into holographic mode so both men could see it.

"Well," Mal rested his hands on his hips, "I was hoping you could tell me more. We know that this," he pointed to the small matrix in the corner, "is the original Pax, but then this," he gestured to a list of chemicals and compounds, "is a whole bunch of added stuff, but we don't know if they're modifications or making a whole new drug out of it, or what."

Simon glanced over the information. "At first glance, it seems that there are a few reactions that are intended to happen, since these two strains are commonly used as catalysts," he selected a few formulas, "but I can't be certain just by looking. This is only the blueprint, after all; one can't really judge the effects of a house just by examining the layout."

Mal snorted. "We're looking at chemical formulas and you're talking about a house," he marveled. "Guess it runs in the family after all."

Simon wagged his head as he conceded the point with a laugh. "Do you want me to synthesize these changes so we can see what comes out?"