BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

FIAREYNNE

How I Soar Chapter 13
Thursday, December 29, 2005

An AU in which Zoe sacrifices her life for Wash... and he must learn to move on.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 2546    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

"Mal," Wash said, eyeing the ball of fur. "This isn't a kitten."

"It ain't?" Mal said. "What is it?"

"Looks like a rat," Jayne put in.

"Actually," Simon said thoughtfully, "It's feline. But I'm guessing when you were thinking 'kitten' you didn't exactly have Prionailurus viverrinus in mind."

"Pryo-what?" Mal asked. "What the gorram hell did Cooper sell me?"

"It's a fishing cat," Simon explained, showing them the kitten's webbed paws. "I've never seen one outside of a text book. This cat belongs in a zoo, not a spaceship. You can't give this kitten to Hannah."

"Lucky thing we ain't off the ground yet," Mal sighed.

"Hold up," Jayne said. "Fishin' cat could be useful, we land on a rock with some sweet water holes."

"Jayne," Simon said patiently. "This cat is not domesticated. It could tear Hannah's face off in her sleep or something! Wild animals are unpredictable, and they don't belong in someone's house as a pet."

"Right. Doc, you an' Jayne are comin' with me to pay Cooper another visit. I'm leavin' it in your hands to make sure he don't sell me another one o' these pryo-whatsits. Jayne don't gotta be healed to look menacin' enough." Mal turned. "Wash, keep the ladies distracted."

The ladies, it turned out, were in the kitchen. Every last one of them, from Inara to Hannah, was in the middle of making some kind of food. Hannah and River were decorating sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies with brightly colored icing. Kaylee was finishing up what looked like a batch of egg nog. Inara was brewing mulled cider.

"What is that?" Wash asked Kate.

She grinned. "It's figgy pudding. You know, "o bring us some figgy pudding, o bring us some figgy pudding,'" she sang.

"O bring us some figgy pudding, and bring it right here," Kaylee, Inara and River joined in. "We won't go until we get some -"

"I get the picture," Wash laughed. "Have you ladies been tasting the egg nog?"

"No," Inara smiled. "But we have been tasting the rum that goes into it."

"All of you?"

"Well, not Hannah, or Kaylee," Kate grinned. "The rest of us have, though. I'm so glad River had Jayne get us a couple extra bottles; I don't think we'd have had enough, otherwise."

Amused, Wash grinned. "You, Inara, and River have finished an entire bottle of rum."

"Yesh," River replied. "An' iss not affeffecting me hardly at all." She swayed a little on her feet when she rose in search of more red sprinkles. Inara started giggling wildly, and Kate joined in.

"Affeffecting," Inara repeated. "That's funny."

"One bottle's for the hot buttered rum later," Kate explained. "One for the egg nog, and one for the cooks!"

"Dada," Hannah beamed, holding up a particularly garish-looking cookie.

"That's really pretty, Hannah banana," Wash praised. "Very inventive. I like how you made Santa's beard green with pink polka-dots. That's a look that definitely works for him."

"I tried to get her to correct the inaccurashies," River said, "But she wouldn't lishen to reashon."

"She's two," Kaylee laughed. "No such thing as reason."

"I especially like his purple sparkly hat," Wash continued. "Is that cookie for me, or for Santa Claus?"

"San-ta belly hurt," Hannah answered. "Cookie for dada."

"She don't miss a trick," Kaylee said fondly. "Reckon she got that from her mama. Michael could be dense as stone at times."

~*~

"What's that?" Kate giggled, still tipsy. "Is it what I think it is?"

Wash grinned. "We have to get a start on Hannah's Christmas gift for next year," he told her. "Yes, it's mistletoe. Well, not real mistletoe. It's plastic, but the sentiment is the same."

Without hesitating, Kate pulled his face down to hers. He could taste rum, and the sweetness of cider, and he almost thought he could get drunk just from kissing her. "Merry Christmas," she whispered when they parted.

~*~

"Now that," Wash said, satisfied, "is a kitten fit for our princess." He stroked the little white cat on its head and it purred loudly. It looked as though it had a Siamese ancestor, probaby its parent or grandparent. Its ears were dark brown, as was its tail, and its front legs were brown with white mittens. "You did great, Mal. She's gonna be thrilled."

"Eh," Mal replied, trying to look disinterested. "Could use a cat around for pest control."

Simon smirked. They'd found a restaurant specializing in fried cat and picked this one out from the cages of cats waiting to become someone's dinner. It was really quite horrifying, and he knew Mal, like him, had wanted to bring every last one of them home, though the captain would never admit to it. "She's a pretty little thing," he said, reaching over to let the kitten in Wash's arms sniff him. "Beautiful blue eyes." The kitten nuzzled his hand affectionately, leaving a slimy trail of kitten snot. "She could be healthier, though," he said reasonably.

"Too little," Jayne said for the fifteenth time. "She ain't old enough to be weaned. Runt o' the litter, most like." He grinned. "Lucky I bought li'l Hannah a tiny li'l baby bottle and some kitten formula for her Christmas gift, huh?"

Wash wanted to hug the big mercenary, for the first time in... ever.

~*~

Jayne prowled through the kitchen. He had express orders from River not to eat any of the goodies for their Christmas Eve party, on pain of death, but she never said he couldn't taste test the egg nog. Nowhere near enough rum, he decided, adding about half a bottle. Trust women to brew it too weak.

~*~

Reckon Kaylee made the egg nog virgin, Mal thought. Or at least weak as piss. Best add a little Christmas cheer, he grinned as he added some of his personal stash.

~*~

No way Kaylee put enough rum in, Kate decided. She never did, after all. She emptied what remained of the bottle set aside for the cooks into the batch of eggnog chilling in the refrigerator.

COMMENTS

Friday, December 30, 2005 8:24 AM

IMALEAF


Jayne bought a kitty bottle and everyone thought Rum was a good idea.........hehe still goffy here

Saturday, December 31, 2005 9:50 AM

MISSKITTEN


MAN that nog is gonna get STRONG!!!

Wednesday, January 4, 2006 10:53 AM

BELLONA


Wash wanted to hug the big mercenary, for the first time in... ever.

aww!!!! jayne's so cute sometimes...and the wash/kate kiss was so sweet, it's good wash's starting to move on, he deserves to be happy

*drinks nog* WHOO!!! that's some damn strong nog...

b


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