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firefly_fanfic2007-12-03 07:54 pm
memorysdaughter.livejournal.com) wrote in firefly_fanfic2007-12-03 07:54 pm
How We Used to Be, Chapter Fourteen
Title: How We Used to Be
Author: Sarah-Beth (drummergirl47)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Set in present-day America, an AU fic. Dr. Simon Tam thought he lost everything when his parents were killed in a car crash. Forced to move back home to care for his fifteen-year-old “vegetable” sister, River, Simon comes face-to-face with all of his fears and misgivings about the past. When it becomes necessary to take in boarders to keep the Tam home, he ends up finding a family he never thought could exist. But what will it take to make him see that things might turn out all right despite the odds?
Series: Chapter Fourteen
Character(s): River, Simon, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Mal, Jayne, Inara, others
Pairings: supports Wash/Zoe, eventually Simon/Kaylee
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: set in present-day America
Disclaimer: Joss has inspired me in many ways.
How We Used to Be
Simon opened the front door and threw his keys on the hall table. He stuck his head into River’s room, but it was empty. He was about to call out when he heard a strange noise. It sounded like a cross between a duck quacking and a clogged drain.
When he reached the kitchen, he found the source of the noise, and he couldn’t have been any more shell-shocked. His sister, wearing her headphones, was sitting in front of her laptop, which had been set up on the kitchen table, and she was laughing. Her eyes were following something on the screen when they weren’t squeezed shut with delight, and tears leaked from their corners, streaming down her face. She had a look on her face of pure and absolute joy.
Simon was instantly concerned because no one seemed to be around. That fear was relieved, though, when Kaylee opened the back door. Seeing his worried face, she said, “I was just putting a wrench back in the garage. I hope you don’t mind – I fixed the faucet.”
“No, no, that’s fine,” Simon said. “What is she… what is she watching?”
Kaylee’s face split into a wide grin. “I found this hilarious video on You Tube – it’s Alanis Morissette singing ‘My Humps,’ except slow and all meaningful-like.”
Simon didn’t know what that meant. “But she’s… she’s laughing.”
Kaylee nodded. “She’s happy, Simon,” she said as though he was a little slow. “And it’s a funny video.”
“How did the session with the tutor go?” he asked, still watching his sister’s happy face.
“Colleen left a note for you on the counter,” Kaylee answered. “Would you like lasagna for dinner?”
“That sounds great… but you don’t have to cook,” Simon said. He set his briefcase on a kitchen chair and picked up Colleen’s note, which he read aloud: “Dr. Tam – the county tutor is priceless. She called me into the kitchen about ten minutes after you left and I thought something was wrong with River. The tutor got me by the door and whispered, ‘Do you know this girl’s quite bright?’ I said that of course I did, and I would be cleaning up in the front rooms if she needed me… and then when I was out of earshot I laughed and laughed and laughed. ‘Do you know this girl’s quite bright?’ Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear defecate in a forest? Jen will be in at seven – remember to ask her how her daughter’s dance recital went. Oh, and tell your sister you love her. See you tomorrow, Colleen.”
Simon looked up from the note and saw his sister looking back at him, and he knew she’d heard every word he’d read. “So you threw the tutor for a loop, eh, mei-mei?” he asked, reaching forward to take off her headphones.
And surprisingly enough, she opened her mouth and whispered, “Yes!”
Simon nearly fell to the floor. “Did you… did you just…?”
She laughed again, filling the kitchen with the awkward giggle he’d heard from the front door. Then she whispered again, “Yes!”
“Forget lasagna,” Simon said to Kaylee. “We’re going out for dinner.”
“What’s the special occasion?” Wash asked as he and Zoë arrived.
“River has a surprise,” Kaylee said, beaming up at them.
The table was already crowded with Simon, Kaylee, Colleen, and Jen. River was sitting on the end closest to the door, beaming up at Wash and Zoë.
“Well, what is it?” Wash said. “We’re not on Candid Camera, are we?”
“Get real close to her, Wash,” Kaylee said. “Turn your ear toward her mouth.”
“Look, sugar, I’ve already got a wife. I don’t need any extracurricular smooches… or anything else,” Wash said, but he bent down towards River. “Yes?”
“Hi, Wash,” River whispered.
“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” Wash exclaimed. “You talk!”
“Honey,” Zoë said sternly. “Of course she talks.”
“The county tutor gave her a speaking valve,” Kaylee explained. “She said it’ll take a couple of days to get used to.”
“Oh, honey, we’re so happy for you!” Zoë said, and planted a kiss on River’s head.
“And we’re having a very special dinner,” Simon said. “Order anything.”
“Wow, anything at Applebee’s. You’re quite the big spender,” Wash quipped.
“Just be glad we’re not at Burger King, you ungrateful louse,” Zoë said, elbowing Wash in the side. “At least he spends our rent checks in a productive manner. I don’t think you could say that about our last landlord.”
“No,” Wash had to agree. “He did enjoy the unicorn statues a bit too much.”
Colleen held up the menu for River to read, and everyone else made themselves busy doing the same. When the waitress arrived, she had a big smile on her face, though those gathered around the table could tell it wasn’t genuine. “Why, hello,” she said with a toothy grin at River. “Aren’t you cute?”
“No,” River whispered forcefully. “I am not cute.”
“Sorry, what was that, sweetie?”
“Uh, I’d like the prime rib,” Wash said hurriedly. “Extra mashed potatoes.”
The waitress shot Wash a confused look, but went around the table gathering orders. When she returned to Colleen and River’s end of the table, she put on her gigantic smile again. “What would she like?” the waitress asked Colleen in a sticky-sweet voice.
“She can tell you herself,” Colleen answered indignantly.
The waitress’ smile faltered, and she looked back at the six pairs of eyes boring holes into her from the table, trying to see if they were serious. Upon realizing they were, she turned back to River, her smile fading. “And what would you like?” she asked, almost robotically.
“I would like the chicken quesadillas and some Coke. Please.”
The waitress wrote it down, her pen pressing perhaps a little too hard into the notepad. “I’ll be back with your drinks,” she said, and left.
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Colleen said.
Author: Sarah-Beth (drummergirl47)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Set in present-day America, an AU fic. Dr. Simon Tam thought he lost everything when his parents were killed in a car crash. Forced to move back home to care for his fifteen-year-old “vegetable” sister, River, Simon comes face-to-face with all of his fears and misgivings about the past. When it becomes necessary to take in boarders to keep the Tam home, he ends up finding a family he never thought could exist. But what will it take to make him see that things might turn out all right despite the odds?
Series: Chapter Fourteen
Character(s): River, Simon, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Mal, Jayne, Inara, others
Pairings: supports Wash/Zoe, eventually Simon/Kaylee
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: set in present-day America
Disclaimer: Joss has inspired me in many ways.
How We Used to Be
Simon opened the front door and threw his keys on the hall table. He stuck his head into River’s room, but it was empty. He was about to call out when he heard a strange noise. It sounded like a cross between a duck quacking and a clogged drain.
When he reached the kitchen, he found the source of the noise, and he couldn’t have been any more shell-shocked. His sister, wearing her headphones, was sitting in front of her laptop, which had been set up on the kitchen table, and she was laughing. Her eyes were following something on the screen when they weren’t squeezed shut with delight, and tears leaked from their corners, streaming down her face. She had a look on her face of pure and absolute joy.
Simon was instantly concerned because no one seemed to be around. That fear was relieved, though, when Kaylee opened the back door. Seeing his worried face, she said, “I was just putting a wrench back in the garage. I hope you don’t mind – I fixed the faucet.”
“No, no, that’s fine,” Simon said. “What is she… what is she watching?”
Kaylee’s face split into a wide grin. “I found this hilarious video on You Tube – it’s Alanis Morissette singing ‘My Humps,’ except slow and all meaningful-like.”
Simon didn’t know what that meant. “But she’s… she’s laughing.”
Kaylee nodded. “She’s happy, Simon,” she said as though he was a little slow. “And it’s a funny video.”
“How did the session with the tutor go?” he asked, still watching his sister’s happy face.
“Colleen left a note for you on the counter,” Kaylee answered. “Would you like lasagna for dinner?”
“That sounds great… but you don’t have to cook,” Simon said. He set his briefcase on a kitchen chair and picked up Colleen’s note, which he read aloud: “Dr. Tam – the county tutor is priceless. She called me into the kitchen about ten minutes after you left and I thought something was wrong with River. The tutor got me by the door and whispered, ‘Do you know this girl’s quite bright?’ I said that of course I did, and I would be cleaning up in the front rooms if she needed me… and then when I was out of earshot I laughed and laughed and laughed. ‘Do you know this girl’s quite bright?’ Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear defecate in a forest? Jen will be in at seven – remember to ask her how her daughter’s dance recital went. Oh, and tell your sister you love her. See you tomorrow, Colleen.”
Simon looked up from the note and saw his sister looking back at him, and he knew she’d heard every word he’d read. “So you threw the tutor for a loop, eh, mei-mei?” he asked, reaching forward to take off her headphones.
And surprisingly enough, she opened her mouth and whispered, “Yes!”
Simon nearly fell to the floor. “Did you… did you just…?”
She laughed again, filling the kitchen with the awkward giggle he’d heard from the front door. Then she whispered again, “Yes!”
“Forget lasagna,” Simon said to Kaylee. “We’re going out for dinner.”
“What’s the special occasion?” Wash asked as he and Zoë arrived.
“River has a surprise,” Kaylee said, beaming up at them.
The table was already crowded with Simon, Kaylee, Colleen, and Jen. River was sitting on the end closest to the door, beaming up at Wash and Zoë.
“Well, what is it?” Wash said. “We’re not on Candid Camera, are we?”
“Get real close to her, Wash,” Kaylee said. “Turn your ear toward her mouth.”
“Look, sugar, I’ve already got a wife. I don’t need any extracurricular smooches… or anything else,” Wash said, but he bent down towards River. “Yes?”
“Hi, Wash,” River whispered.
“Well, I’ll be jiggered!” Wash exclaimed. “You talk!”
“Honey,” Zoë said sternly. “Of course she talks.”
“The county tutor gave her a speaking valve,” Kaylee explained. “She said it’ll take a couple of days to get used to.”
“Oh, honey, we’re so happy for you!” Zoë said, and planted a kiss on River’s head.
“And we’re having a very special dinner,” Simon said. “Order anything.”
“Wow, anything at Applebee’s. You’re quite the big spender,” Wash quipped.
“Just be glad we’re not at Burger King, you ungrateful louse,” Zoë said, elbowing Wash in the side. “At least he spends our rent checks in a productive manner. I don’t think you could say that about our last landlord.”
“No,” Wash had to agree. “He did enjoy the unicorn statues a bit too much.”
Colleen held up the menu for River to read, and everyone else made themselves busy doing the same. When the waitress arrived, she had a big smile on her face, though those gathered around the table could tell it wasn’t genuine. “Why, hello,” she said with a toothy grin at River. “Aren’t you cute?”
“No,” River whispered forcefully. “I am not cute.”
“Sorry, what was that, sweetie?”
“Uh, I’d like the prime rib,” Wash said hurriedly. “Extra mashed potatoes.”
The waitress shot Wash a confused look, but went around the table gathering orders. When she returned to Colleen and River’s end of the table, she put on her gigantic smile again. “What would she like?” the waitress asked Colleen in a sticky-sweet voice.
“She can tell you herself,” Colleen answered indignantly.
The waitress’ smile faltered, and she looked back at the six pairs of eyes boring holes into her from the table, trying to see if they were serious. Upon realizing they were, she turned back to River, her smile fading. “And what would you like?” she asked, almost robotically.
“I would like the chicken quesadillas and some Coke. Please.”
The waitress wrote it down, her pen pressing perhaps a little too hard into the notepad. “I’ll be back with your drinks,” she said, and left.
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Colleen said.
no subject
And Wash's comment about unicorn statues made me snort my water.