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[xx-squish-xx.livejournal.com]

A series of drabbles and short fics.  
Some of these have seen their way around my flist, but I thought I'd post them here.  
All are rated G
One is absurdly short, sorry.

Title: Do the Right Thing

~*~~~*~

 

“Kaylee, I’m tryin’ to do the right thing here!”

 

“Jayne, you spend a lotta time doin’ the right thing?”

 

“No.”

 

“It work out very well for you when you do try it?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then don’tcha think you oughta quit tryin’ it?”

 

“Mebbe.”

 

“Gorrammit Jayne, just kiss me!”

 

********

 

Title: The Corner

Written for the song prompt: “When I was a young girl, I had me a cowboy, he weren’t much to look at, just a free ramblin’ man.”

~*~~~*~

 

Kaylee sat in the common area, brushing the young girl’s hair.  There were days she couldn’t believe her daughter was already fourteen years old.  It made her feel ancient—but in a good way.

 

She smiled as she tied the bow in her hair and leaned back to get a good look at her work.  Kaylee sighed a little;  Maggie was so pretty with her long dark hair.  The boys didn’t stand a chance.

 

“You ready for your big night, sweetie?” she asked her daughter.

 

“I suppose,” the young girl sounded unsure.

 

“Do you, maybe, have anything you wanted to ask me before you go to your first dance, honey?” Kaylee remembered another dance, but the one being held tonight on Regina wouldn’t be near as fancy as the one on Persephone all those years ago.  Still, she wanted to make sure her daughter had a good time; growing up on a ship hadn’t given her the opportunities to interact with boys that Kaylee had when she was young.

 

“Well…” the girl started.  Kaylee held a smile; it seemed there was something she wanted to ask. “Mama, did you have lots of boyfriends when you were young?”

 

It wasn’t the question she had been expecting.  She swore she could have heard a pin drop in the room just then…or a slight snort coming from the corner of the room.

 

“Well, I reckon I did.”  She pushed a stray curl behind her daughter’s ear and looked her straight in the eye, ignoring the corner of the room as best she could.

 

“Can you tell me about ‘em?” the girl asked eagerly. The corner seemed mighty interested to hear as well, as it had gotten real quiet.

 

“Hmm.  Well, there was this one.  He was kind of a cowboy, used to wear this hat that caught your ‘ttention real well.”  Her daughter looked fascinated and she could swear the corner was getting a little smug.  “But he weren’t much to look at--prob’ly why he wore the hat.”

 

Her daughter looked disappointed.  The corner snorted and went back to cleaning it’s guns.

 

********

 

Title: Lost Cause

Written for meimei42 for a song prompt ("Write me off, give up on me 'cause darling, what did you expect? I'm just off a lost cause a long shot, don't even take this bet.")

~*~~~*~

 

She couldn’t believe he was doing it again.  Risking everything, risking all of them for another shot at the Alliance.  She caught him in the hallway just outside the bridge this time, but the wave of déjà vu spread over her all the same.

 

“Mal! You can’t do this, not again.”

 

He turned on his heel with that same look of cold anger.  “Told you once not to ever tell me what to do on my ship.”

 

“You’ve got to let it go, Mal.  It isn’t worth getting killed over, not this time.”  His stare was enough to make her reconsider her words.  “Or maybe it is to you.  But is it worth getting River killed?  Or Kaylee?”  Or me?  Although she couldn’t say that aloud, couldn’t admit in this moment what they had come so close to admitting in the last few months.

 

“Ain’t risking them…or you.” His face softened almost imperceptibly as he gave voice to what she couldn’t.  “You’re all gettin’ off the ship on Beaumond.  You’ll be safe there.”  Mal turned to leave, the discussion over.

 

“Mal, no.” She reached for his arm and he turned and pulled her bodily toward him.  Their faces were mere inches apart.

 

“Give up on me, darlin’.  I ain’t nothin’ but a lost cause; a bet I ain’t gonna allow you to take.” 

 

Pain was written on his face and he nearly kissed her, but ended up shoving her roughly away.  He looked down the hallway past her.

 

“Jayne, get them to the shuttle.  Lock ‘em in if you have to and we’ll eject them before we leave.”

 

Without another word, the captain turned for the bridge, leaving Inara standing there dazed with only Jayne to lean on.

 

****************

 

Title: Hands

Written for lucasharper for the song prompt: "It's time to run when you see him clenching his hands." - Never Again by Nickelback

 

~*~~~*~

 

Inara was trying to diffuse the tense situation as always. Kaylee appreciated her efforts, but there were just some things that even Companions couldn't do--rationalizing with lecherous drunks in a seedy bar way out on the Rim was one of 'em.

The man and his friend just wouldn't take the hint and now he was stepping toward them, wrapping his dirty arms around both of the women and breathing a whiskey-drenched pall in their ears.

Kaylee saw Jayne leaning against the bar, looking for all the world like nothing was amiss. Inara looked at her and mouthed, "Why doesn't he help?"

Before she could finish, Kaylee reached for Inara's hand and yanked her friend away from the men to crouch behind the pool table. A second later, a fierce growl filled the room and chairs and fists were flying.

Inara looked at her friend with wide eyes. "I..didn't think he was paying attention. How did you know he was going to do that?"

"Seen his hands clench up, 'Nara." Kaylee sighed dramatically. "He always does that right 'fore he loses his temper."

Inara could only wonder at how her friend had learned so much about Mal's hired gun.

 

**********

 

Title: Girl Talk

Another one written for my own crazy song prompt: “When I was a young girl, I had me a cowboy, he weren’t much to look at, just a free ramblin’ man.”

~*~~~*~

 

The kitchen was awash in peals of laughter—of the female variety.  It echoed down the corridors in a most pleasing way, Wash thought, waxing poetic as he strained to pick up on just which females were participating. 

 

Kaylee was there, “See, ‘Nara, I knew you’d love the cowboy story.”

 

And Inara, “I must say, Zoe, I’m impressed.” 

 

And Zoe?  Zoe was laughing…with the girls…and telling a story about a cowboy? 

 

Wash stuck his head around the corner, assessing the situation before entering the combat zone.  It looked harmless enough and now his curiosity was piqued. 

 

“Ladies, to what do we owe the melodious sounds of your dulcet tones this fine day?” Wash asked with a flourish, kissing his wife on the cheek as he took the seat beside her.  Zoe raised an eyebrow at him in question, wondering who this strange man was who inhabited her husband today.

 

“Oh it’s nothin’, Wash,” Kaylee said chuckling. “We was just trading war stories.”

 

Wash looked back and forth between the three women, wondering if they’d broken into Kaylee’s special brand of firewater. “But you two girls weren’t in the war, remember?”

 

Zoe patted his hand. “Not those kind of war stories, Husband.”

 

“Yeah, Zoe here was just tellin’ us about her cowboy.” Kaylee’s explanation had them all giggling again and Wash was desperately searching his memory for a cowboy story.

 

“Not the cowboy story again!” Mal exclaimed, sauntering into the kitchen and pouring a cup of coffee for himself.  “If I heard it once during the war, I heard it a hundred times.”  He was shaking his head ruefully over his mug.

 

“Cowboy? What cowboy?”  Wash donned his most perplexed look and pulled at the ends of his hair.  It was a story about a man and Inara was impressed.  As far as he was concerned, this was tantamount to Reavers boarding the ship.  

 

“You don’t know about the cowboy, Wash?” Mal now had a glint in his eye.  That was never a good sign.

 

Meanwhile, Jayne had entered the kitchen, grabbing the nearest thing he could to munch on.  “You ain’t ever heard the cowboy story, Little Man?  Hell, even I’ve heard that one.”

 

Everyone stared at him.  “What?  Mal told me!” Jayne exclaimed as he turned a chair around to sit on it backwards, facing the rest of the crew.  The little man wasn’t gonna like this story none and he wanted to watch the fireworks.

 

“Will somebody tell me about the cowboy, already?” Wash was bordering on mild hysteria and Zoe could see she probably had a long night ahead of her.

 

“It’s nothing, Baby, just someone I knew a long time ago.”  Zoe said, a slight smile playing over her lips.  She rose from her chair and headed out of the kitchen.  As she passed through the door, she heard Kaylee trying to help diffuse her husband’s bemused look.

 

“Yeah, Wash, it’s nothing. ‘Sides, Zoe says he weren’t much to look at anyway.”

 

“Well, if he wasn’t much to look at then she…”  An alarming thought crossed Wash’s mind.  What would his beautiful warrior bride want with an ugly cowboy?

 

Wash stood and followed his wife out of the kitchen as if in a daze.  “Zo? Hon? If he wasn’t…then what did you…?  But, I mean…he wasn’t better than me?  Was he?”

 

Wash could hear the peals of laughter behind him, but he didn’t care, as long as his lambie-toes answered him—in the negative. 

 

**********

Comments

[razycrandomgirl.livejournal.com]

Aww! I wanna know the cowboy story. Poor Wash is always missing out on all the good stories. As are we. You must write a 2nd!

[xx-squish-xx.livejournal.com]

Yeah but I don't think Wash would like that story too well. Besides, even I don't know what the story was! Though if Inara was impressed... *g*

Thanks!

[razycrandomgirl.livejournal.com]

Ah. No problem. There are just somethings a husband shouldn't know about his wife. -nods- lol It's kinda sad when everyone else knows'em though. Good job.

[ana-grrl.livejournal.com]

I especially like Hands and Lost Cause (he'll never stop). And I'm amused by the way they're all getting on Wash's case about the cowboy story!

[xx-squish-xx.livejournal.com]

he'll never stop

Ain't that just the truth!

Thanks so much, I'm glad you like them. Poor Wash, he's just so much fun to write!

[bookaddict43.livejournal.com]

I love the Corner and its/his unspoken comments, especially the last one!! I also like that there is a fourteen year old daughter.

Your very short one is excellent - it just typifies the two of them beautifully.

Lost cause is so sad - cause Mal probably won't change and Inara knows it.

And the cowboy story *snort* I love Mal & Jayne rubbing it in!!

Great drabbles!

[xx-squish-xx.livejournal.com]

Hee, you found it! I was beginning to think it was lost to oblivion!

Glad you liked the corner one! I was trying to keep him quiet until the end, but he kept interrupting. *g*

[bookaddict43.livejournal.com]

Well see I check my flist at work....but anything on the other comms has to wait till I come home and am on-line. *grins*

[maureen.livejournal.com]

I like 'hands' and 'do the right thing', even though the latter is so short it's cruel. All of them were good, really, but like crack that little bit makes me want so much more!

I think I might have to take another look around here...

[xx-squish-xx.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked them. And yes, do take a look around, you never know what you might find.

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

Very nice! I really liked all of them (and I have a soft-spot for Kaylee/Jayne). Adored The Corner for the sheer adorableness of it all. Liked Lost Cause the best, of course, and I love that Mal's reckless/noble streak is probably the thing that repels and intrigues Inara in equal measures.

[xx-squish-xx.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked them. Glad to hear that there's some love for J/K out there with other shippers. They're just too cute.

And Mal, that man just can't help himself and neither can Inara. *sigh*

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

I find the idea of Jayne/Kaylee WAY more intruiging than Kaylee/Simon. Not because I don't like Simon (LOVE Simon, LOVE HIM), but it's never struck me as all that interesting.