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There Must Have Been a Moment of Truth by Nary (PG-13)
Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Length: 7,779 words
Author on LJ: none, so far as I know
Author Website: ditto
Why this must be read: The crew helps Simon sneak into a nunnery to talk to a retired neuropsychiatrist who might be able to offer advice on River's care---but of course the nunnery has to be on a Core world, so Simon needs a very good disguise. What better disguise could there be than that of a female Companion? There are a lot of sterling qualities to love about this story. The plot and pacing are good, the dialogue is sharp, the characterizations are satisfyingly spot-on, and the detail work is wonderfully vivid. This is an all-around compelling and well-told story that grabbed my attention right at the start and held it all the way through to the last line. Mal's excellent and slightly kinky inner voice alone would be worth the trip, but adding in scarily competent, sneaky nuns really puts the icing on the cake for me.
A young, slim-hipped woman stepped out of the shuttle behind them, long lashes lowered and full red lips unsmiling. Her long black hair was piled carefully atop her head, and she walked gingerly, her high-necked white gown embroidered with dark blue thread and tied at the waist with a broad sash of the same colour caught up in one hand to keep it from trailing on the grimy floor. "Presenting Miss Shenandoah Yao," Inara said brightly, as Kaylee suppressed a giggle.
"Yow," Mal echoed, eyes wide. "That's, uh, quite something."
"You come up with the name yourself, Doc?" Jayne snickered from down below.
"It was Inara's idea," Simon muttered, taking a step forward and almost pitching over the rail. Mal instinctively caught him by the arm to steady him, and their eyes met for slightly longer than was necessary. Once Simon regained his balance, Mal let go and both of them looked away awkwardly.
"Shenandoah, meaning daughter of the stars," said River, tipping her head curiously to one side as she examined her brother. "A tributary of the Potomac river on Earth-that-Was, and also a traditional folk song associated with that river. Your hair isn't real," she added after a moment's pause.
"Still don't know why you couldn't dress him up as one o' them boy companions," said Jayne, looking vaguely unsettled.
"Because," Simon said through gritted teeth, "then I would still look too much like Dr. Simon Tam, wanted criminal."
"Yeah, well, you got that part of the problem taken care of, right enough. You go out all tarted up like that, a fella could make a serious mistake. I mean, not that that's ever happened to me…"
There Must Have Been a Moment of Truth
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Length: 7,779 words
Author on LJ: none, so far as I know
Author Website: ditto
Why this must be read: The crew helps Simon sneak into a nunnery to talk to a retired neuropsychiatrist who might be able to offer advice on River's care---but of course the nunnery has to be on a Core world, so Simon needs a very good disguise. What better disguise could there be than that of a female Companion? There are a lot of sterling qualities to love about this story. The plot and pacing are good, the dialogue is sharp, the characterizations are satisfyingly spot-on, and the detail work is wonderfully vivid. This is an all-around compelling and well-told story that grabbed my attention right at the start and held it all the way through to the last line. Mal's excellent and slightly kinky inner voice alone would be worth the trip, but adding in scarily competent, sneaky nuns really puts the icing on the cake for me.
A young, slim-hipped woman stepped out of the shuttle behind them, long lashes lowered and full red lips unsmiling. Her long black hair was piled carefully atop her head, and she walked gingerly, her high-necked white gown embroidered with dark blue thread and tied at the waist with a broad sash of the same colour caught up in one hand to keep it from trailing on the grimy floor. "Presenting Miss Shenandoah Yao," Inara said brightly, as Kaylee suppressed a giggle.
"Yow," Mal echoed, eyes wide. "That's, uh, quite something."
"You come up with the name yourself, Doc?" Jayne snickered from down below.
"It was Inara's idea," Simon muttered, taking a step forward and almost pitching over the rail. Mal instinctively caught him by the arm to steady him, and their eyes met for slightly longer than was necessary. Once Simon regained his balance, Mal let go and both of them looked away awkwardly.
"Shenandoah, meaning daughter of the stars," said River, tipping her head curiously to one side as she examined her brother. "A tributary of the Potomac river on Earth-that-Was, and also a traditional folk song associated with that river. Your hair isn't real," she added after a moment's pause.
"Still don't know why you couldn't dress him up as one o' them boy companions," said Jayne, looking vaguely unsettled.
"Because," Simon said through gritted teeth, "then I would still look too much like Dr. Simon Tam, wanted criminal."
"Yeah, well, you got that part of the problem taken care of, right enough. You go out all tarted up like that, a fella could make a serious mistake. I mean, not that that's ever happened to me…"
There Must Have Been a Moment of Truth