SS: Two months, there is No Galaxy
They had all been sitting around quietly chatting in the kitchen and dining area when it had happened. Simon, Kaylee, Inara and Zoe were playing a game of Chinese checkers in the comfy-corner, and currently, the Companion was kicking their butts. River was sitting at the dining table hunched over one of her notebooks, scribbling away in her own little world. Mal was sitting on the opposite end of the table munching on leftovers from lunch, and Wash was just coming down the steps to join them.
The pilot got as far as, "Course laid-" before River mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear: "Two months. Two months, there is No Galaxy."
She straightened up and put her pencil down, staring at the sheet before her. "The math checks out and everyone knows that predictions without math are not accurate or quantifiable; they're just fancy, hearsay. But the math. It works. Two months. No Galaxy."
The dead silence that met that announcement was probably nothing new to the youngest Tam, and the fact that she didn't react to it in any way suggested that she was expecting it.
It was Mal who spoke first. "What the gorram hell you talkin'bout? How can there be no galaxy? Ain't we gotta have a galaxy to be breathin?"
Slowly, River looked up and met the gaze of each crew member. As her eyes fell upon Simon, she answered her Captain, "Based on previous happenings, the probability of reoccurrence is extremely high. When you add the stellar-drift, the speed of the universe's expansion and the laws of quantum-physics, the answer is clear as day. Two months, No Galaxy."
Simon gave his sister the look that told her she was being Crazy-Girl again, but the young woman could see him working out at least part of her meaning. She gave a tiny, satisfied smirk at his indignant, "Hey! How was that my fault? There was nothing to suggest that the two events were related!"
Gathering her things, River stood and crossed the room to drop a kiss on her brother's forehead before departing. A final "two months," drifted back towards them as she disappeared around the corner.
Simon realized that everyone was staring at him.
"...What?" he asked.
"So, what precisely is going to happen in two months?" Zoe asked, giving him a half-amused look. It was the question that everyone was thinking.
Simon winced. "My birthday."
-----
Character: Simon Tam
Fandom: Firefly/Serenity
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 402
The pilot got as far as, "Course laid-" before River mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear: "Two months. Two months, there is No Galaxy."
She straightened up and put her pencil down, staring at the sheet before her. "The math checks out and everyone knows that predictions without math are not accurate or quantifiable; they're just fancy, hearsay. But the math. It works. Two months. No Galaxy."
The dead silence that met that announcement was probably nothing new to the youngest Tam, and the fact that she didn't react to it in any way suggested that she was expecting it.
It was Mal who spoke first. "What the gorram hell you talkin'bout? How can there be no galaxy? Ain't we gotta have a galaxy to be breathin?"
Slowly, River looked up and met the gaze of each crew member. As her eyes fell upon Simon, she answered her Captain, "Based on previous happenings, the probability of reoccurrence is extremely high. When you add the stellar-drift, the speed of the universe's expansion and the laws of quantum-physics, the answer is clear as day. Two months, No Galaxy."
Simon gave his sister the look that told her she was being Crazy-Girl again, but the young woman could see him working out at least part of her meaning. She gave a tiny, satisfied smirk at his indignant, "Hey! How was that my fault? There was nothing to suggest that the two events were related!"
Gathering her things, River stood and crossed the room to drop a kiss on her brother's forehead before departing. A final "two months," drifted back towards them as she disappeared around the corner.
Simon realized that everyone was staring at him.
"...What?" he asked.
"So, what precisely is going to happen in two months?" Zoe asked, giving him a half-amused look. It was the question that everyone was thinking.
Simon winced. "My birthday."
-----
Character: Simon Tam
Fandom: Firefly/Serenity
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 402