How We Used to Be, Chapter 22
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firefly_fanfic
Title: How We Used to Be
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
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 Twenty-Two
Character(s): River, Simon
Pairings: supports Wash/Zoe, eventually Simon/Kaylee
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: set in present-day America
Disclaimer: Joss is boss. And I am not a professional fanfic writer. "Chef Cyril and the Airplane People", given as the name of a band in this chapter, is mine, though, and is actually related to my "real-life" job.
Author’s Note: I have changed my LJ name.
Chapters 1-21
Jen wheeled River into the kitchen. “Dr. Tam, please keep an eye on your mischievous sister,” she requested. “I need to do some cleaning up in the front rooms.”
Simon looked up. He was chopping green peppers for a stir-fry. “Sure thing,” he said. “You want to read a little, mei-mei?”
“Sure,” River agreed. “Will you put up Twilight?”
Simon tossed the handful of cut peppers into the skillet on the stove, where some canola oil was already sizzling. He came around the counter, grabbing the page-turning apparatus from the kitchen table. A band went around River’s head, and when she activated a switch, a small arm would turn the pages of her book, which sat before her on a music stand. It had been a gift from Schumann, and Simon was eternally grateful to the doctor. His sister was once again devouring books as fast as she could.
“You know, Simon,” River said as her brother moved the stand in front of her, “you should ask Kaylee on a date.”
Simon dropped the stand on his foot. “Excuse me?”
“She likes you.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“Oh, yeah? Prove it!”
“What are you, five?”
She stuck her tongue out at him.
“Why do you think she likes me?” Simon asked, turning on the switch.
“Have you ever seen the way she looks at you? It’s like she wants to throw her arms around you and kiss you.”
Simon blushed. Luckily, a series of small splatters rose from the skillet, and he was able to turn back to the cooking. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Wherever you go, her eyes follow you. They run all over your body. Face it, Simon,” River said, “she wants to jump your bones.”
“River!”
“What?”
“Where do you come up with stuff like that?”
“Oh, sorry. She wants to… engage in the act of sexual congress… with you.”
“That’s it, no more soap operas for you,” Simon said, aware that his cheeks were still flaming red.
“That’s okay, they’re all garbage anyway,” River said. “But I do want you to ask Kaylee on a date. Please, Simon?”
“I don’t know…”
“Please? Just one? And if you have a rotten time I swear I won’t ask you again. But you’re not going to have a rotten time, I know it.”
Simon threw some carrots into the stir-fry. “I’m not really the… dating type.”
“Well, then take me along.”
“That really wouldn’t be a date,” Simon said.
“Then don’t make it sound like a date,” River said quickly. “Tell her we’re going down to the park to watch a concert. And we’ll bring Colleen or Jen along. And Wash and Zoë can come, too. And when things should start to get romantic, I’ll ask somebody if we can go get ice cream. And we’ll leave you alone.”
Simon stirred the contents of the skillet, and then looked over at his sister. “Well…”
“Please? It’s perfect! You like the park, Kaylee likes you, I like ice cream. And Chef Cyril and the Airplane People are performing on Friday.”
Simon threw up his hands. “Fine, fine. It’s a date. Are you happy?”
“It takes so little to satisfy me, honestly,” River said with a smile, and then turned her attention to her book.
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
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 Twenty-Two
Character(s): River, Simon
Pairings: supports Wash/Zoe, eventually Simon/Kaylee
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: set in present-day America
Disclaimer: Joss is boss. And I am not a professional fanfic writer. "Chef Cyril and the Airplane People", given as the name of a band in this chapter, is mine, though, and is actually related to my "real-life" job.
Author’s Note: I have changed my LJ name.
Chapters 1-21
Jen wheeled River into the kitchen. “Dr. Tam, please keep an eye on your mischievous sister,” she requested. “I need to do some cleaning up in the front rooms.”
Simon looked up. He was chopping green peppers for a stir-fry. “Sure thing,” he said. “You want to read a little, mei-mei?”
“Sure,” River agreed. “Will you put up Twilight?”
Simon tossed the handful of cut peppers into the skillet on the stove, where some canola oil was already sizzling. He came around the counter, grabbing the page-turning apparatus from the kitchen table. A band went around River’s head, and when she activated a switch, a small arm would turn the pages of her book, which sat before her on a music stand. It had been a gift from Schumann, and Simon was eternally grateful to the doctor. His sister was once again devouring books as fast as she could.
“You know, Simon,” River said as her brother moved the stand in front of her, “you should ask Kaylee on a date.”
Simon dropped the stand on his foot. “Excuse me?”
“She likes you.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“Oh, yeah? Prove it!”
“What are you, five?”
She stuck her tongue out at him.
“Why do you think she likes me?” Simon asked, turning on the switch.
“Have you ever seen the way she looks at you? It’s like she wants to throw her arms around you and kiss you.”
Simon blushed. Luckily, a series of small splatters rose from the skillet, and he was able to turn back to the cooking. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Wherever you go, her eyes follow you. They run all over your body. Face it, Simon,” River said, “she wants to jump your bones.”
“River!”
“What?”
“Where do you come up with stuff like that?”
“Oh, sorry. She wants to… engage in the act of sexual congress… with you.”
“That’s it, no more soap operas for you,” Simon said, aware that his cheeks were still flaming red.
“That’s okay, they’re all garbage anyway,” River said. “But I do want you to ask Kaylee on a date. Please, Simon?”
“I don’t know…”
“Please? Just one? And if you have a rotten time I swear I won’t ask you again. But you’re not going to have a rotten time, I know it.”
Simon threw some carrots into the stir-fry. “I’m not really the… dating type.”
“Well, then take me along.”
“That really wouldn’t be a date,” Simon said.
“Then don’t make it sound like a date,” River said quickly. “Tell her we’re going down to the park to watch a concert. And we’ll bring Colleen or Jen along. And Wash and Zoë can come, too. And when things should start to get romantic, I’ll ask somebody if we can go get ice cream. And we’ll leave you alone.”
Simon stirred the contents of the skillet, and then looked over at his sister. “Well…”
“Please? It’s perfect! You like the park, Kaylee likes you, I like ice cream. And Chef Cyril and the Airplane People are performing on Friday.”
Simon threw up his hands. “Fine, fine. It’s a date. Are you happy?”
“It takes so little to satisfy me, honestly,” River said with a smile, and then turned her attention to her book.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 03:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-06 03:23 am (UTC)