Mal-Simon (flashback)

[badinlatin]

HARBATKIN, R., Captain
Textwave - Origin: Praxed

Meet me at the bar? Nothing bad.

ST

"I wonder what that's about," Inara asks, reading the textwave over Mal's shoulder at the galley table.

"No idea. Best go by myself though, in case the 'nothing bad' actually involves something bad."

"Simon would say if there were something going on, Mal."

Mal just cocks an eyebrow at Inara, "Yes, 'cause the lot of us always tell true on the Cortex."

Walking through the Milliways door at his old bunk, Mal doesn't have a feeling that it is something bad - for once.

Comments

[simon_doctor]

He might be right about that. For once.

Simon's waiting in a booth not far from the door, keeping an eye out for Mal. He looks ... well, he looks extraordinarily tired, but not at all unhappy about it.

[badinlatin]

Simon's always easy enough to spot.

"Do I need booze for this?" Mal jokes, before he quite notices how disheveled Simon is (in comparison to how not-disheveled he is all the rest of the time). "...Or do you?"

[simon_doctor]

"Let me share the news first, and maybe a drink after that?"

He's smiling, wholly unconsciously.

[badinlatin]

Okay, so...not bad.

Mal sits down, only a crack of confusions just now splitting out into the open. "Here I am then? What's the news, Doc?"

[simon_doctor]

"We wanted you to be one of the first to know --"

He takes a breath.

"The day before yesterday, Kaylee gave birth to a healthy baby girl."

[badinlatin]

Mal's mouth opens and closes a couple of times.

"...Shu muh? Try that one again. Slower. Tiny words."

[simon_doctor]

Simon stifles laughter.

"We have a baby girl. A daughter. She's two days old."

[badinlatin]

"That's...wo de ma, Doc. Congratulations, ba. What's her name?"

[simon_doctor]

"Jessie," he says. "Jessamine. I ... don't have any pictures yet, but I can send you some later?"

[badinlatin]

"Are you rutting kidding me? You better. I'll never hear the end of it elsewise, and neither will you."

When the next waitrat passes by, Mal asks for a bottle of apple brandy and two glasses. No swill here today, at least.

"You know there is a question I have to ask though." Almost asked apologetically, but it's better to ask here in private than elsewhere with an audience.

[simon_doctor]

"Yes?"

Simon has some guess as to what the question might be, given Mal's tone.

[badinlatin]

"Why the secret? Or was it not one?"

Which is its own problem, as far as Mal's capacity for perception goes.

[simon_doctor]

"... well."

He's quiet for a moment; the arrival of the waitrat with the brandy makes it a slightly longer moment than he intended.

"It's not that it was a secret exactly, but ... after what happened last time, we didn't want to talk about it with anybody until the birth. We didn't even tell our parents."

[badinlatin]

Mal's not an idiot; of course it had to do with the Loss from before.

But if he had been excluded intentionally - he's man enough to admit (at least to himself) that that would've been all sorts o' bad.

"I would've liked...well. It's not about me; I know it. But...I would've liked to have helped."

[simon_doctor]

Another breath.

"I know." Quieter. "And I appreciate that a great deal. But under the circumstances ... this just seemed like a better idea."

[badinlatin]

Mal's allowed to disagree on that.

But it's not about him.

"Is there anythin' now where'n I could help some? Or do I get to see 'er? At some point, after Ma's ready for it too, o' course."

[simon_doctor]

His smile returns. "Maybe I could bring you through to our house for a visit, sometime? When Kaylee's feeling up for it."

[badinlatin]

Mal doesn't say 'Please'.

"I'll shower 'n everything."

[simon_doctor]

"I'm honored," he says, very straightfaced.

[badinlatin]

"You know now I have to be the most annoying relation that girl's got."

Relation? Friend? Can you be a friend to an infant?

Wait - relations.

"Did River not know?"

[simon_doctor]

"We ... haven't told her yet." Slowly. "I'm not entirely sure that means she didn't know."

[badinlatin]

"River always knows more 'n she lets on, anyhow."

More than Mal wants her to, in any case.

"Are you talkin' to her after me? Am I allowed to say things? On account of it takes Inara about twenty seconds to figure out when I'm hidin' the details."

[simon_doctor]

"I'd like very much to speak to River next, yes -- if I could come through with you to the ship, or if you could ask her to come meet me here? And yes, we did mean for the whole crew to know, but ... nobody beyond that. Just yet."

[badinlatin]

Mal avoids mentioning that Bar is overhearing this conversation right now more than likely, which means Ma will know. (Sallie can keep her mouth shut. Sometimes.)

"Do either o' you need anythin'? Can't imagine what that might actually be, but got to ask." A second's pause, then, "You're not -- do you baptize? Never thought to ask."

[simon_doctor]

He shakes his head. "And I can't think of anything either, but it's good of you to offer. -- At least at the moment I can't think of anything, though that may be because I'm extremely short of sleep."

That last comes with a smile, the tiniest bit lopsided, completely happy.

[badinlatin]

"Enjoy that for the next half-year or so," Mal jokes.

But he kind of means it, really.

[simon_doctor]

"She should settle into a regular sleep cycle at about ... three months," he half-mumbles, and rubs his forehead and eyes blearily.

[river_meimei]

River doesn't hear everything that's said or thought on Serenity. Certainly not.

But she does hear plenty.

And sometimes Mal's talkative, without saying a single word aloud.










A tousled dark head rises over the back of the booth behind Simon's head.

"You're a jerk," River informs him. "You deserve lots of sleep deprivation."

But no matter how grumpy she's trying to sound, delight's bright in her voice, and it's written all over her face.

[simon_doctor]

He starts upright at the sound of her voice and twists to look up at her, startlement turning swiftly to reciprocal delight.

(With maybe a touch of guilt in there too.)

"Sorry, meimei. I was coming to tell you."

[badinlatin]

"Shouldn't it be ayi now?" Mal laughs. 'Auntie' is going to become his new favorite name for River.

[river_meimei]

River, with great and adult dignity, sticks her tongue out at Mal.

"Keeping secrets," she tells Simon. "Strategic use of the network. You're earning a mustache."

"I'm very annoyed at you."

But she doesn't sound annoyed. She sounds delighted, still -- a hushed, disbelieving delight.

[simon_doctor]

"Duìbuqǐ." It's a sincere apology, but he's smiling as delightedly as she is. "Do you want to come meet your niece sometime soon?"

[badinlatin]

"'Ey - she can wait her turn. Age 'fore beauty."

[river_meimei]

"It's a race," River informs Mal, in something of the same tone she might use to say I can kill you with my brain.

Beat.

To Simon, emphatically, "Yes."

[simon_doctor]

"... I don't see any reason you couldn't both come at the same time," he tries to temporize. "And anybody else who would like to visit can take a turn after you."

[badinlatin]

"Fine by me. Though -- " Looking down at his state of affairs, " -- maybe I should be a bit cleaner n' my usual, hmm?"