FIC: A New Start (PG-13)

[vafizziks.livejournal.com]

Title: A New Start
Author: vafizziks
Summary: After the events of Serenity, the crew takes on a new passenger.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Everybody
Pairing: Simon/Kaylee, Mal/Inara (implied), River/OC
Warning: Slightly fluffy, I suppose
Spoilers/Timeline: After BDM!!!!
Disclaimer: All hail Joss!
Author's Note: First posting here. I'd love to get some feedback.

"This is a mighty nice lookin' ship. Y'all take on any passengers?"

 

Kaylee turned her head to find a fella about River's age, standing there, bag hitched over his shoulder in one hand and the other hand shoved in the pocket of his coat. He had blondish hair and an easy smile. Cap'n hadn't said nothing about taking on any passengers, but they hadn't had a whole lot of work since Serenity'd been fixed up.

 

"Sometimes we do," she replied.

 

"Y'all taking on any passengers currently?"

 

"You need to be speaking with the cap'n about that," she said, wiping her hand on her coveralls and holding it out. "I'm Kaylee."

 

"Name's Ezekiel. But everybody calls me Zeke." Although it didn't seem possible, the smile got wider.

 

"Where ya looking to go, Zeke?"

 

"Trying to get to Boros."

 

Boros was a Core planet. Kaylee was 99.9% sure that Serenity wouldn't be going anywhere near there. Her face must have shown it because Zeke was talking again, "Or as far as y'all could take me'd be just fine, too."

 

She shrugged. "The cap'n oughten be back soon if you'd like to speak to him."

 

"Ain't got no where else to be right now," he replied. "And I got no objections to sittin' a spell with a pretty girl."

 

Despite herself, she blushed and smiled. "Well, I don't know 'bout all that," she said as she walked back into the cargo hold, intending on finishing the repairs she'd been making. Cap'n said he wanted to leave as soon as the job was done.

 

"You need a hand?" Zeke asked, dropping his bag on the deck. "I got two good ones."

 

"Well, you could…" Before she could say anything else, the engines roared to life. A minute later, the Mule came racing up the loading ramp. Cap'n jumped out and hit the button that closed the ramp.

 

"Go, little albatross!" he shouted into the comm link. Serenity jerked once and lifted off the ground. As soon as they were airborne, Cap'n grinned at Zoe and Jayne. His grin disappeared when he caught sight of Zeke. "Who the hell're you?" he demanded.

 

***

 

"You're getting off at the next planet we come to!" Mal shouted over the din of everyone gathered in the mess.

 

"But I can pay," Zeke protested, pulling a wad of cash out of his bag.

 

Jayne's eyes got wide and he ripped the wad out of the boy's hands.

 

"Hey! That's mine!" Zeke lunged forward. Jayne just stood up, holding his hands and the cash way above Zeke's head. The boy jumped.

 

"Enough!" Everyone's head swiveled toward Mal. "Give him the gorram money, Jayne."

 

Jayne made a face but lowered his hands and dropped the money. "Oops. Sorry. Must've slipped." Zeke stooped down and picked up the bills.

 

"What are you doing with all this cash anyway?" Mal asked.

 

Still crouched down, shoving bills into his bag, he replied, "It's for medacad on Boros."

 

Simon furrowed his brow. "How old are you?"

 

"Twenty."

 

"A little old for medacad, aren't you?" Simon asked.

 

Zeke straightened and walked up to the doc. Simon had several inches on the boy, but Zeke just squared his jaw. "It took my town four years to save enough money to send me to the medacad," he said, daring the doc to say something. "I'm gonna go back and be the doc. You gotta problem with that?"

 

Mal's mouth twitched as Simon took a step back. "Well, we ain't goin' to Boros."

 

"I'll pay you to take me as far as you're goin' then," the boy suggested.

 

"We won't be near another planet for a few days. I'll think on it," Mal said. "We'll get you settled in a bunk for the time bein'." He turned to Jayne. "Go show him a bunk."

 

"What?" Jayne protested. "I ain't no ruttin' bellboy."

 

Mal just fixed him with his glariest glare. Jayne finally shrugged and reached for Zeke's bag. Which the boy snatched away, shoving the larger man slightly as he did. Jayne growled and strode out of the mess, Zeke on his heels.

 

"We gonna keep him on, sir?" Zoe asked.

 

Mal shrugged. "It ain't like we can't use the money."

 

***

 

"Lemme give you a hand with that," Zeke offered, jumping out of his seat. Before he got within three feet of Kaylee, Simon had crossed the mess and taken the dishes out of her hands. Inara glanced at Mal. The corners of his mouth were twitching and she knew he was trying to hide a grin.

 

"So, Zeke, medacad, that's impressive," Inara said.

 

The blond young man shrugged. "It ain't that big a deal," he replied as he resumed his seat.

 

"Simon's a doctor, you know."

 

Zeke blinked a few times before turning to Simon. "You are?"

 

Simon nodded as he set the table. As he squeezed past Kaylee, he made sure to touch her. Mal snorted out a laugh which he quickly covered with a cough. "I went to medacad on Osiris."

 

"Osiris? That's the best medacad in the core," Zeke said.

 

The doctor held the chair for Kaylee, dropping a kiss onto her cheek as she sat. She blushed and grinned at Simon. As he took his own chair, he said, "It is."

 

"So whaddya doing on this boat?" When everyone turned to stare at Zeke, he backpedaled a little. "I mean, you could work anywhere."

 

Simon smiled at Kaylee. "I happen to like this boat."

 

Jayne wandered in. Zeke was in his seat and he glared at the young man. Who wasn't the least bit intimidated. Finally, Jayne gave up and took a seat beside Zoe. Everyone began passing food and filling their plates.

 

"Inara, Jayne told me you're a companion," Zeke said. He sounded as if he didn't believe it.

 

"Jayne's telling the truth. Although I'm currently on…sabbatical…" she replied. Mal, of course, averted his gaze when she looked at him.

 

"You must have a lot of stories." Zeke was staring at her.

 

Inara was used to curiosity. Particularly from young men on the outer planets. However, before she could answer, River walked into the mess. Zeke looked over, did a double take, and then half-stood. If he'd had a hat, Inara imagined that he would have tipped it in River's direction.

 

River stopped for a second, staring back at Zeke, before turning and fleeing the mess while muttering something about buzzing and butter.

 

***

 

Zoe limped up the loading ramp of Serenity.

 

"Y'alright?" Zeke asked from the crate he was sitting on. When she looked more closely, she realized he was whittling. Some kind of dancing figure.

 

"Fine," she replied. She just needed to see Simon.

 

"Simon's not here." He put the knife and piece of wood down and stood up. "He and Kaylee left 'bout half hour ago."

 

Damn. Her face tightened, but she said nothing.

 

"I could take a look at it iffen you'd like." When she just fixed him with a look, he explained, "I been fixin' people up since I was twelve."

 

Seeing as she had no other choice, she followed him to the infirmary and sat on the examining table. Zeke peered at the cut on her leg, frowning slightly. Zoe half-expected him to ask what had happened, but he didn't. Instead, he washed his hands and began pulling supplies out of Simon's carefully labeled drawers.

 

"How bad?" she asked.

 

"Coupla stitches oughta do it. You want some numbin'?

 

"Just stitch it up."

 

Zeke nodded and set to work. Just as he was finishing up, he said, "Zoe, can I ask you a question?"

 

"Depends."

 

"Um, it's…about…River…"

 

Zoe took a deep breath, unsure whether it was because of Zeke's question or because he'd yanked the last stitch a little too tightly. River had done nothing but go the other way whenever she saw Zeke for the last week. It wasn't surprising that he'd have some questions about her.

 

"You think a fella like me's got any chance with a girl like that?"

 

Zoe nearly laughed. She must not have suppressed her smile quick enough though.

 

"It ain't funny!" Zeke exclaimed, stalking to the sink and washing his hands again.

 

"And I ain't laughing," she said gently.

 

Zeke turned around to face her, leaning against the sink. "Kaylee says she's some kinda genius, and Simon's made it pretty clear that I'm outta her league." He paused. "Whaddya think?"

 

"I think you should be asking River." She jumped down from the examining table and tested the leg. He'd done a pretty good job. "Thanks for the patching up."

 

***

 

"Somethin' on your mind?" Mal asked.

 

River looked up, startled by Mal's apparent ability to read minds.

 

He smiled. "You set a course for that asteroid up ahead."

 

She checked the console to discover that she had set a course for an asteroid. A few buttons and levers later that was remedied.

 

"Well?" Mal pressed.

 

"It's all churning and swirling and I can't see my way!" she blurted out.

 

"I see." A pause. "What in damnation are you talking about?"

 

"Green eyes. Lack of melanin coupled with lipofuscin. But they just—" Mal was squinting at her. She sighed, "Zeke."

 

"Zeke? Are you getting some reading or somethin'?"

 

That was precisely the problem. She wasn't getting anything from him. Just this buzzing noise like a million butterflies had taken flight and this queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. The first night she'd thought it was food poisoning. But it didn't go away. As she struggled to explain this to Mal, he turned pale.

 

"I think you oughten to be talkin' to Inara. Or Kaylee. Or someone…other than me," Mal said, standing abruptly. "You've got things under control?"

 

"Mal?"

 

"I need to check on something in the cargo hold." With that, he was gone. A few minutes later, she heard boots on the steps to the bridge.

 

"Everything's alright in the cargo hold?" she asked without turning around.

 

"Cargo hold?"

 

She whipped around at the sound of Zeke's voice. Only her quick reflexes kept her from falling out of her chair. The buzzing was starting up again, drowning out any thoughts she might get from him. She needed desperately to get off the bridge, get away from him. But who'd fly the ship?

 

"Ya gotta minute?" he asked. River just nodded. "Well, I just wanted to—"

 

"Autopilot!" she declared happily. She twirled a few dials, punched a few buttons, and Serenity began flying herself, leaving her free to escape. The only problem? Zeke was blocking the stairs.

 

"River? I—" Something in his voice made her stop, despite the buzzing. Zeke shook his head. "Forget it. I ain't gonna bother you." He stepped aside. Part of her wanted to dash down the stairs and hide somewhere. The other part thought he looked very sad. Which made her sad. "Go on. I know you can't wait to get away from me. I just wish—"

 

"Wish what?"

 

"Wish I knew what to do about this."

 

"About what?"

 

"Me. You. This butterfly feeling I get when I look at you."

 

For a moment, she thought she was getting a reading on him. Then she realized that he was describing her own feelings perfectly. "What is it?" she whispered. She really just wanted an explanation.

 

Zeke half-smiled at her. "I like you." The smile turned to a frown. "And you don't like me."

 

"And therein lies the rub," River murmured.

 

"What?"

 

She shook her head. "Never mind. How do you get it to go away?"

 

"Get what to go away?"

 

"The buzzing, the feeling."

 

Zeke shrugged. "I…I just wait it out, I reckon. 'Though I ain't sure I want it to go away."

 

River was flabbergasted. "You like feeling that this?"

 

"Yeah. Thinkin' on you makes me happy." At that moment, the buzzing cleared and River was nearly knocked over by a wave of lust. Disjointed images of Zeke and her doing things she'd only seen Simon and Kaylee doing filled her head. She had a sudden urge to rub up against something. Possibly Zeke. He sighed. "I reckon I'll be leavin' you alone now," he said, turning to go.

 

"Wait."

 

"Why?"

 

"This."

 

"What?"

 

"Dry," she said a moment later, pulling away.

 

"Uh."

 

"Not so dry now."

 

***

 

Simon was surprised when Kaylee shushed him as he entered the lounge. He opened his mouth to inquire further when she tilted her head toward the couch.

 

"Let's leave 'em alone," she whispered, taking his hand.

 

Simon, however, was rooted to the spot. There, on the couch, was River and Zeke. Tangled up, mouths locked together. He felt a dull roar in his ears and suddenly his world became very, very red.

 

"They, her, he…" he sputtered.

 

"They ain't doin' nothin' we ain't already done," Kaylee replied patiently.

 

"B-but she's—"

 

"You keep saying that River's a kid and just wants to be a kid. Well, this is what kids do."

 

"I didn't!" Simon shouted. Out of the corner of his eye, he was glad to see his sister and the blond doctor want-to-be come up for air. He was even more glad to see Zeke turn bright red and spring to his feet.

 

"Simon! We were just—"

 

"We were making out," River interrupted matter-of-factly.

 

"River!" Zeke exclaimed. "You're not helpin'."

 

"But we were."

 

"I know that, honey, but you don't hafta tell your brother that. He already looks 'bout ready to kill me." Zeke had turned away from Simon and toward River, smiling at her.

 

"Simon's not killin' anyone," Kaylee pointed out. With a firm tug, she got Simon moving. "We'll leave you be."

 

"I'm not leaving him alone with her!" Simon protested.

 

River shrugged. "I have to get to the bridge anyway. See you later," she told Zeke, moving in for a kiss.

 

"I'll walk ya." Zeke took River's hand. Simon watched them walk out. When he turned back, Kaylee was standing there, arms folded over her chest.

 

"What?" Simon said. "He was…sucking the life…from my sister!"

 

"They were kissin', Simon. Ain't nothin' wrong with it."

 

"It's not right. He's not right," he attempted to explain. Zeke had the makings of a more-than-decent doctor, even if he was a little disorganized in Simon's opinion. And he was a nice enough young man, everyone seemed to like him. But he was going away to medacad in a few weeks.

 

"Why? 'Cause he's from an outer planet? Not good enough for River?" Kaylee sounded angry.

 

Simon sighed. "Don't make this about us. Because it's not."

 

"Seems to me like maybe it is."

 

"Kaylee, I'm just…she's my sister…I don't want to see her…he's leaving in a few weeks...they're going to have to say goodbye…I'm not sure River can…"

 

"Saying goodbye's a part of life, Simon. You can't protect her from that." The anger was gone.

 

"Doesn't mean I have to like it though."

 

"I know, sweetie," she soothed, wrapping him in an embrace. "Now…exactly how old were you when you had your first kiss?"

 

***

 

Zeke squinted out of one eye, trying to gauge the distance. He took aim, drew back his arm, and threw the ball forward. It knocked down one can before bouncing harmlessly away.

 

"Two degrees to the left and five degrees upward," River said from his right.

 

"What?"

 

"Here," she said, handing him another ball. She stood behind him and grasped his arm. Once she'd aimed it, she stepped back, "Now throw."

 

Zeke shrugged before letting the ball fly. It hit the other two cans down. When he looked over at River, she was clapping happily.

 

"So what'll it be?" the barker asked.

 

"The bear please," River announced. As soon as he handed it over, she hugged it to herself. Suddenly, she stopped. "Thank you, Zeke." She threw her arms around his neck. A moment later, she drew back and planted a kiss on his mouth. As usual, he was completely dazed when they stopped kissing. "Let's get some ice cream," she said, taking his hand.

 

Zeke was honest enough to admit that, at first, his attraction to River had been purely physical. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen (and that was something considering that he'd been sitting across from a companion at the time.) But now he really enjoyed spending time with her. She was the smartest person he'd ever met, but could get excited about the littlest things. Like a stuffed bear, or staring up at the stars as they sat on the bridge together, or ice cream. Zeke just figured that growing up all rich and stuff had made her a little sheltered. Just look at Simon. He was wound so tight he seemed about to snap all the time.

 

River ordered two ice cream cones and pulled out her small coin purse to pay.

 

"Hey! What're you doin'?" he demanded.

 

"Paying for our ice cream."

 

"We're on a date. And on a date, the fella pays."

 

River rolled her eyes. "Antiquated gesture."

 

Zeke wasn't exactly sure what antiquated meant, but he got the gist. "It's the right thing to do."

 

"Fine," she agreed, tucking her purse into her dress. Best not to think too hard on where she stored it. Although she didn't seem to have too many inhibitions there. Zeke had gotten further with River in the last few weeks than he ever did the entire time he dated Jenny McPhee. "Well?" she prompted. "Are you going to pay?"

 

"Oh, yeah," he said, handing a few coins to the man behind the counter.

 

They'd not gotten five feet from the stall when the path was blocked by several men. All of them had several inches and more than a few pounds on Zeke.

 

"And what's a pretty lady like you doing with this ben tian shen de yi dui rou?" the tallest of the men asked.

 

"I ain't inbred!" Zeke protested.

 

No one responded to him. "Why ain't ya come with some real men?" the fattest of the men asked.

 

"She ain't goin' nowhere with no one," Zeke said, stepping in front of River. He knew he couldn't take all of them, but he'd get in enough good punches for River to get away.

 

"I 'spect you oughten mind your own business, boy," said the tall one.

 

"Make me," Zeke challenged, taking a step closer to him.

 

"I will," he responded just as he took a swing. Zeke ducked and splattered his ice cream cone into the tall man's eyes. Taking advantage of his temporary blindness, Zeke crashed his fist into the man's midsection. Before he could swing again, he'd been grabbed from behind.

 

He kicked his legs, trying to get free. "River, go!"

 

Instead of running, though, she went back to the ice cream stall and handed her cone to the man behind the counter. The next thing Zeke knew he was thrown to the ground and he watched in disbelief as River—his River—took on all four men. Less than two minutes later, all the men were on the ground, clutching various parts of their anatomy.

 

"Are you hurt?" she asked as she knelt next to Zeke.

 

"W-what?" he sputtered, scrambling to his feet. "What the hell are you?"

 

"I'm River."

 

"No, you ain't." With that, he ran back in the direction of Serenity.

 

***

 

Jayne had about all he could take. As if River weren't crazy enough, she'd now taken to crying fits. Although they'd only had to witness them the few times she'd come out of her bunk. The doc looked like he was going to kill the kid with too much cash. And kid looked like someone had taken his favorite gun.

 

The kid was sitting in the cargo hold, whittling. Deciding that someone had to do something, Jayne pulled up a crate next to him and stared.

 

"I ain't givin' you any money," the kid replied without looking up.

 

"Iffen it was money I wanted, I'da had it by now," Jayne replied. He had to admit the kid had some big brass ones for such a little fella.

 

"Well, is there somethin' I can do for ya?" He still hadn't looked up, concentrating on his carving.

 

"Yeah, tell me what's the problem between you and the crazy girl."

 

"She ain't crazy!" The kid winced as the knife slipped. Both of them watched as blood trickled out of his thumb.

 

Jayne waved his hand. "'Sides the point. What's the problem?"

 

He shook his head. "Nothing."

 

"It ain't nothin'." Jayne paused. "Ya kiss her on the mouth?"

 

"What?"

 

He didn't think the kid was deaf, but… "Did. You. Kiss. Her. On. The. Mouth." The kid turned a little red and Jayne knew that he had kissed Moonbrain. "Well, that shows that you like her. That it weren't just about sex."

 

"We never did that!" the kid protested.

 

"What a minute." Jayne was confused now. "Ya kissed her on the mouth? And you're not even having sex? Good Lord, boy, you in love with her or somethin'?"

 

"I dunno. Maybe," he replied, shrugging.

 

"Then why in the hell is she cryin' and you mopin' about?"

 

"She…she…beat up…all these…fellas…when we were at the fair."

 

Jayne snorted. "Is that all?"

 

"She…" The kid lowered his voice to a whisper. "She s-scared me."

 

This time, Jayne outright laughed. "Ya mean the mind readin' doesn't scare ya?"

 

"M-mind r-readin'?" the kid sputtered. "River can read minds? She knows what I'm thinkin'?" The blush deepened.

 

"And she still likes ya anyway," Jayne said, clapping him on the shoulder. Figuring his work was done, he stood up.

 

"Hey, Jayne?"

 

Jayne turned back. "Yeah?"

 

"I still ain't givin' ya any money."

 

Jayne roared with laughter. He might begin to like the kid after all.

 

***

 

Zeke woke up before River. In a few hours, they'd be landing on Boros and he'd have to say goodbye to seven people who'd become really important to him. River, most of all. But for now, he settled for propping himself on one elbow and watching her sleep. A few moments later, she stretched, sheet falling away from her, and Zeke averted his eyes.

 

"They're just breasts," she said sleepily. "Designed to provide nourishment to babies. Mostly made of fat and glands."

 

"But they're yours."

 

She smiled, "And I've let you see them. You don't have to look away."

 

Zeke swallowed hard before turning back to her. Keeping his eyes on her face, he said, "I love you, River."

 

Her smile grew wider. "I know."

 

"Ya been readin' my mind again?" he asked.

 

River shook her head. "No, you've told me approximately 25 times in the last fourteen days."

 

"Well, I do," he said, tears springing to his eyes. He never thought of himself as emotional. But the thought of saying good-bye seemed to be taking its toll. What if he never saw her again?

 

"That's not going to happen." River cupped his face in her hands, thumbs brushing away his tears. "I love you, too." As if she could read some of his other thoughts, she leaned up and kissed him.

 

***

 

Jayne was in the cargo hold, pretending to do some work. Everybody else was out there, making a gorram fool of themselves, saying good bye to the pipsqueak. He'd even noticed Mal slapping the kid on the back.

 

"Jayne, I just wanted to say good bye."

 

When Jayne turned around, the kid was standing there, hands shoved in his pockets. "Yeah, see ya around."

 

"Um, and I wanted to say 'thanks' for settin' me straight 'bout River. I do love her," he added with a smile.

 

"Mmm hmm," Jayne replied, turning back to his non-existent work. He didn't want the kid thinking they were friends or nothing. When Zeke's footsteps receded back down the ramp, he allowed himself to turn around. There, on the next crate over, was a wad of bills. "Of all the…" Scooping up the cash in one hand, he strode out of the ship. The kid was talking to Zoe. "Who the hell do y'think y'are?"

 

"What?"

 

Jayne waved the cash. "You think I talked to you 'cause I was 'specting somethin'?"

 

"I just wanted—" Zeke tried to explain.

 

"I ain't takin' your money, you little—" He shoved the money into the kid's jacket pocket. Fingers still in the pocket, he yanked him forward and gave him a bone-crushing hug. Shoving him away, Jayne added, "Now get on outta here. 'Fore I kick your scrawny ass."

 

***

 

"I caught him sneaking out of River's room this morning," Simon muttered as he and Kaylee watched Zeke and Jayne.

 

"Simon," Kaylee sighed. "That's why you left the bed this morning? To spy on your sister?"

 

He didn't have a chance to reply; Zeke had come up to them.

 

"I reckon this is goodbye," he said. "Kaylee, I…" He broke off as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

 

"Now you wave us once in a while, y'hear?" she ordered.

 

"Yes, ma'am," Zeke replied. Turning to Simon, he said, "Simon, thanks for letting me help in the infirmary. I learnt a lot from you," as he held out his hand. Simon stared at it until Kaylee poked him in the side. He grasped Zeke's hand, squeezing it a little harder than necessary. Zeke grimaced but didn't try to let go. "I just want to let you know that I'm gonna graduate even quicker than you did. And at the top of my class, too."

 

Simon loosened his grip and chuckled. "Ambitious, aren't you?"

 

"I wanna be worthy, y'know? 'Cause once I graduate, I'm coming back for her," Zeke said seriously. "I best be goin'."

 

After he walked away, Simon turned to Kaylee, "He doesn't mean what I think he means."

 

Kaylee snaked an arm around his waist, chuckling, "It'll be OK."

 

 

x-posted to afterserenity

Comments

[johnnies-darlin.livejournal.com]

Eek! More! Everyone's voices were so good, and River in love is just adorable. I'd love to read about him coming back for her.

[vafizziks.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your kind words. As for a sequel, we'll see if any plot bunnies bite me.