| Title: Ghosts of the Past
Chapter: Two
Author: car8iss5
Summary: Simon
Tam has been through more in his life than the crew of Serenity has
any idea about. But now all of those things were going to come out
when a ghost from Simon's past comes to the ship.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Simon Tam and crew. OMC - Ben Winchester
Pairing: Simon/Ben
Warning: slash, and original character
Spoilers/Timeline: Post-BDM
Disclaimer: All I own is the computer I wrote this on.
Simon spent the next hour getting ready. He looked at himself in the mirror set up in his room – still in the passenger dorms. While always proper and well groomed, now he wanted to look his best, just for Ben. He cleaned himself up from the day in the streets of Persephone. He washed his face four times, changed his clothes, and looked in the mirror. He compulsively arranged his clothes, pulling at his sleeves, straightening his vest. It had been ten years since the party, when Simon had first dressed up just for one person. And now he was currently dressing up just for the same person again. Some things truly never changed.
There any words for how nervous Simon was.
Soon, too soon, Simon heard River say over the intercom, “Everyone hurry to dinner. We have a guest coming.”
Simon took one last look at himself then walked out of his room to head to the dinner table. River’s voice came over again, saying, “Also, Jayne is very hungry.”
A pep was put in Simon’s step on that note. He may not love the protein filled food on Serenity, but that didn’t mean he wanted to starve.
Ben wasn’t there yet but the entire crew was staring at him as he walked into the kitchen.
“Lookin’ pretty there, Doc,” Jayne said with a leer.
“Hadn’t seen you dress up like that since you first showed up here, “Zoe added.
“Yes, I suppose not,” Simon replied as he sat down. “Old habits die hard, apparently. Even ten years later.”
Mal frowned at that. “Were the two of you… you know, together, Doc?” the Captain asked with obvious discomfort on his face.
“No,” Simon said, smiling. “No, no, just a school boy crush.”
Mal relaxed at hearing that, but Simon noticed that Kaylee tensed up. Simon made eye contact with River, and knew that she was thinking the same thing. Ben hadn’t lost his touch. For a few minutes Mal disappeared, apparently to wait for Ben and escort him up to the kitchen. Simon sat in silence. Nervous silence. Two people had ever made him this nervous and Ben had always been one of them.
And speaking of Benny…
“Hello there,” he said as he walked in with Mal. His voice had changed since Simon saw him last. Of course he’d been a boy then, and now he was a man. The husky quality that he’d begun to develop had increased, and there was an odd mixture of smooth and gruff that was distinct. Now Simon would know his voice anywhere.
“’Lo, there,” the Captain replied. “Think you’ll find your way around here okay then?”
“Oh yeah,” Ben said. “I’ve been on a Firefly before.” He sat down slowly, right across from Simon… of course. Zoe looked observingly at the new arrival. River was looking at Simon. Kaylee sat up straighter. Jayne was eating.
Mal nodded. “Well that makes things convenient. So, you and the Doc have known each other for a while.”
“Since we were four years old,” Simon said.
Zoe said, “twenty years. Long time.”
“Long time,” Ben agreed.
“So what do you do?” Kaylee asked, all nervous energy, like when Simon had first come aboard.
As Ben began to talk about the things he’d done – building on the newly terraformed moons on the Rim; trading and shipping on several different ships; part-time work on Persephone most recently – Simon began to look closely at his old friend.
His skin was darker, more tanned, from the time spent working in the sun. His hair was the same dirty blonde color it had been, but now it was cut shorter, and scruffier. He didn’t have his mother yelling at him to get his hair cut anymore. His eyes though; his eyes were still the same beautiful, deep green they had been at fourteen. They still lit up when he spoke. Looking around the table, Simon realized that Ben really did still have the same charm. Most of the table was eating and listening to what Ben had to say. He and River appeared t o be the only people not really listening to Ben. He was looking around, and River was looking at him. Simon gave his sister a smile of reassurance; he’s okay and tried to tune back into the conversation.
“Wow, you’ve really done a lot,” Kaylee said, smiling shyly and leaning forward.
Ben started to respond when River interrupted him saying, “Hasn’t done anything.”
“Excuse me?” was Ben’s irritated reply.
Simon looked at him, with a small smile on his face, and said “Ben, you remember my sister, River, don’t you?”
The look on Ben’s face clearly said that he was surprised that the young woman in front of him was the same little girl he used to know. He hadn’t made the connection apparently.
“Yeah,” he said with quiet surprise, “yeah, I remember. Wow, River, you – “
“Hasn’t done anything. Running from but never to. Died but hasn’t lived,” River said. Then she giggled knowingly, in a way that most people found rather creepy.
Well, Ben was definitely getting the full treatment tonight at least Jayne wasn’t –
“Yep, that’s little crazy. And, hey, Kaylee gets in further out that seat, she’s gonna be in your lap Winchester,” Jayne chuckled darkly at his only contribution to the conversation.
Nevermind. Simon’s life seemed to be an exercise in the idea that anything that can go wrong will. All points had been covered now.
Ben had started looking nervous at all of the new attention. Between River and Jayne anyone would be nervous though, so maybe things would settle now that he knew the personalities of the more blunt crew members.
Then Ben asked, “What does she mean, hasn’t done anything?”
Well, unless he asked for follow up. Simon took it upon himself to explain, and said, “She could mean any number of things. That what you’ve done hasn’t amounted to anything; that you’re not doing what you want to be doing. That you’re just passing time.”
Simon wasn’t fond of being his sister’s translator but he was used to it. Quite calm and collected, he finished speaking and looked at an even more agitated Ben Winchester.
“And she would know that how?”
Simon smiled. “Come on, Benny, you remember how perceptive River was when we were younger. Don’t you thing that would have increased in the last ten years?”
River giggled again and said, “He hasn’t changed. We have. Scary.”
Simon was aware that the table was observing them, but he didn’t care. They’d done this as children; teamed up against people. Simon was usually just being amused at whatever his sister was saying then though. Now he was taking a more active role. It used to bother people that they would do this to or around as children. As a grown man and emotionally disturbed reader it was apparently just as eerie if not more. They had done the same thing to deal with Jubal Early. They played off what one another said, Simon just going with his sister. The crew hadn’t been present for that though, and they were looking suitably nervous for not having seen the siblings tease people like this before. Simon was aware that some of the nerves had to do with him being teasing more than River though. As a reader, and an extremely intelligent, teenage girl River was expected to be silly on occasion. He was not.
Ben had relaxed though. Despite the subject matter, he’d realized what his old friend was doing. He remembered.
“Oh, so you thing I’m scared huh?” he replied with a knowing smirk.
“Most definitely,” River replied.
Ben started grinning at River, who was looking very satisfied with herself. Simon knew that the process of teasing with a Tam would be much better known to Ben than the crew. “And what do I have to do to prove I’m not, missy?” he said, invoking the silly name he’d used with her as a child.
River’s face lost all hints of teasing at the question though. The crew, Simon noticed, was worried about their reader’s reaction and began to appear nervous. And in this case, Simon included himself among the crew. He watched as River frowned at his old friend.
She looked at Ben directly in the eye and said, “Stay.”
Ben sat back in his chair, a – not surprised but perhaps confused look on his face. Simon was glad his reaction wasn’t stronger. He hadn’t been exactly shocked at his sister’s suggestion though.
By now nearly everyone was done with their meal, excepting Jayne who had somehow managed to get a second heaping and was munching contentedly.
The Captain gave Simon a look; one that meant both “are you ready to talk to him?” and “it’ll be okay.” Simon nodded gratefully and in favor of both meanings.
“Well, folks,” the Captain said as he stood up. “I say we let the Doc and his friend clean up tonight, as a welcome to the ship. So, welcome to Serenity, Winchester. Doc, I trust you can escort our guest out later?”
Simon nodded.
The crew began standing and dumping their plates in the sink, and moving out of the kitchen. The Captain and Zoe headed towards the bridge. River came and kissed his cheek before following them. Kaylee moved towards the engine room, but Simon noticed that she kept her eyes on Ben all the way out. Jayne, the last to leave, leaned towards Simon and said, “Don’t worry, Doc. You’ll be okay.”
Simon stared in shock as Jayne left the room. He must look particularly nervous for Jayne to feel the need to reassure him.
Simon turned around.
“Hello, Benny.”
“Hello, Sigh.”
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