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toxic_cornSeries: Songs From a Firefly
Title: Track One - #1 Crush
Author: Toxic Corn
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Joss is Boss. He owns everybody except the kids.
Spoilers: Post series. I also re-work the BDM movie timeline at some point.
Warning: Raynekid fic. Not everyone's cup of tea.
Summary: There are no secrets on Serenity.
Author's Note: Here's the Raynekid fic that was supposed to stay one story. But I keep getting attacked by plot bunnies, so now it'll be a series. Ugh. Evil. All blame goes to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
katsqueaks for this one. Chances are I'll add to this series here and there but my full attention will be going towards the sequel to Filcher.
SONGS FROM A FIREFLY
Track One: #1 Crush
“Now, once you got ‘em all unloaded, remember you gotta stash ‘em. No runnin’ off to play constellation tag, dong ma?
“Aw, Cap, that was forever ago. Why ya still gotta hold it against us?”
“Cuz I’m the Captain, that’s why. Be careful, you almost smashed Vee’s fingers!” Mal nearly leaped up from his spot on the catwalk but two things stopped him: one, his back wasn’t what it used to be and two, he would’ve upended little Anna Tam and sent her SPLAT to the cargo bay floor.
He watched as the children of Serenity, not really children anymore, unloaded crate after crate from the new-improved mule. It almost made him sad to see the children he’d watched grow up do the work that was usually reserved for him and Jayne and Zoe. But then he remembered those crates were damn heavy.
Besides, for some crazy reason, the kids liked the work. Lady, Zoe’s oldest, took on the leadership role well and the kids usually followed her with minimal fussing. Jayne’s boy, Jamey, was built just like his pa and didn’t object to physical labor, though he did prefer working in the engine room. He’d inherited River’s sense of curiosity and her even temper, which made his attitude today even more weird.
Jamey had been scowling since breakfast and was now tossing crates down so hard that it was only a matter of time until Vee Washburne really did lose some fingers. The other kids were warily avoiding him, all except Jamey’s baby sister, Nettie.
“Ooof!” Nettie dropped her end of a crate. “I’m sorry, David, it’s too heavy for me!”
“’Sokay,” David Tam squeaked, arms shaking as he still held onto his end.
Nettie called over to her brother, “Jamey? D’ya think ya can get this crate for me? It’s too heavy!”
“David, just set it down!” Mal called out as the veins started to pop out of the boy’s neck.
From under Mal’s arm, Anna giggled at her big brother.
“Jamey? Please?”
Mal frowned. The boy seemed to be ignoring his sister and he was about to order the boy to go help when Jamey angrily dropped the crate he was holding (making Vee squawk in protest) and stomped over to his sister.
“Move.” He shoved her aside and glared at David. “Lift.” The boys lifted the crate with little difficulty and set it on the ground.
“Thanks, Jamey,” Nettie said, sarcastically. “You didn’t have to be such a pig!”
“I helped ya, didn’t I?” Jamey snapped back.
“Yeah, after ya nearly knocked me over!”
“I didn’t knock ya over, I just pushed ya a little!”
“That’s why I said ‘nearly,’ jackass!”
“Enough!” Lady stepped in between the feuding siblings, looking angry. “Fight later, we still have work to do.”
Nettie’s clenched fists relaxed. “Okay.”
“Are we even sure Nettie can handle anymore?” Jamey asked, poisonously. “That last crate wasn’t that heavy.”
“Jamey,” Lady said, warningly.
Nettie’s face turned bright red. “I can handle it.”
“Oh, really? Cuz I think ya can’t. Maybe you should run along and go write in your diary ‘bout how much you love Cap.”
A horrible silence fell over the group. Then Nettie’s face crumbled and she ran to the passenger dorms, sobbing.
Her exit triggered everyone else’s response.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop?!” Lady exclaimed.
“I’m tellin’,” Anna announced and ran away bellowing, “UNCLE JAYYYYNNNE!”
Vee ran up and kicked Jamey in the ass and was gearing up for another when David and her brother leaped over crates to hold her back before she could inflict any more damage.
For the first time in his career, Mal had no idea what to do.
~*~
Kaylee and River were bustling around the kitchen trying to get dinner ready but were hampered by a certain ex-mercenary.
“Jayne, you’re gettin’ underfoot,” Kaylee gently chided him.
Jayne had his arms slung around River’s waist, face pressed into her neck, so his response was slightly muffled.
“Can’t help it if I got a pretty little wife who smells good.”
Smiling, Kaylee gently swatted him on the shoulder with a big wooden spoon. “Save it for your bunk.”
River giggled when Jayne looked up at Kaylee to frown. “We ain’t doin’ anything unseemly.”
“Yet,” Kaylee added, making Jayne grin wolfishly.
“UNCLE JAYYYYNNNE!”
All three adults snapped to attention when Anna barreled into the mess, gasping for breath.
“What is it, is someone hurt?” Kaylee exclaimed.
Anna shook her head. “Uncle Jayne, you know what Jamey did?!”
Kaylee groaned. “Annabelle River Tam, what’d I tell ya ‘bout tattling?”
“What’d he do?” Jayne demanded, releasing River.
“He made Nettie cry!” Anna’s eyes were wide with outrage. “For no good reason a’tall!” Anna turned to her mother. “Daddy said it isn’t tattling to tell a grown up when someone’s hurt. And Nettie’s hurt.”
“Well, let’s go take care o’ this, then.” Jayne scooped Anna up and set her on his hip, though she was getting kinda big to be picked up. “I’ll be right back,” he told River.
When he got to the cargo bay, he saw with little surprise that David and Ben were having a hard time holding Vee back as she railed against Jamey, who was looking mighty ashamed of himself. Lady was doing her best to calm her hot-headed little sister while Nova Tam stood aside watching the proceedings with amazement.
Much like Mal was.
“Nice job overseein’ things, Mal,” Jayne snarled. “WHAT THE SAM HELL IS GOIN’ ON HERE?!”
The kids fell silent. Vee stopped struggling and gave Jamey a smug you’re gonna get it now look.
Jayne fixed Jamey with his angry stare. “You make your sister cry?”
“Yes, sir,” Jamey mumbled.
“She don’t cry easy; what the hell’d ya do to her?”
Jamey turned pink and Mal coughed while everyone else suddenly became fascinated by their boot tops.
“Uncle Jayne?” Anna said, quietly. “Jamey, he… he said…” The little girl whispered in his ear and Jayne felt himself grow a hell of a lot angrier.
“Izzat true, James?” Jayne snapped.
“Dunno, couldn’t hear her whisperin’ from here.”
“What’d you say to me, boy?”
Jamey straightened up and looked Jayne in the eye. “I said, ‘yessir, it’s true.’”
“What’d ya have to say fer yerself?”
“I’m a jackass, sir.”
“I’ll say ya are. You know, you ain’t too big to take over my knee!”
“No, sir.”
A gentle hand pressed into Jayne’s back and he relaxed, looking over his shoulder to find River.
“Hey, baby girl. Ya know what yer son did?”
“I do.”
“So what’s his punishment gonna be?”
She looked at Jamey for a long moment while the boy squirmed. Couldn’t blame him; River’s punishments were the worst. Or the best, from Jayne’s perspective. The punishment always fit the crime and the kids knew not to make the same mistake again. There was that genius brain at work.
River finally made her decision. “Go make things right with Nettie. Tell her you’re sorry.”
Jamey’s eyes bulged. “I can’t go in there now! She’ll kill me! I’ll… I’ll finish unloadin’ these boxes and stashin’ ‘em away all by myself! And I’ll go without supper!”
River’s eyes narrowed. “You want to perform manual labor while I go comfort your sister?”
Jayne winced as Jamey made the realization he’d said the wrong thing.
“Well, uh…”
“Did I make Nettie cry?!”
“Nome.” Jamey’s shoulders sagged.
“Did your father make Nettie cry?!”
“Nome.” The boy looked really miserable now. Jayne yelling was one thing but River yelling was devastating. She was usually the most even tempered and she and Jamey had a special bond so that it actually hurt him to disappoint her and have her discipline him.
Sensing Jamey’s distress, River gentled her tone while remaining firm. “You’re always asking us to treat you more like an adult, James. Well, part of being an adult is fixing your mistakes. You can’t always expect Pa or me to be there to smooth things over. Do you understand?”
Jamey nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
River pointed towards the former passenger dorms, now children’s rooms. “Then go.”
Jayne watched Jamey slink away, wondering vaguely if this would be the last time he’d ever see his son. Eh, he was sixteen, he could survive a run-in with an angry little girl, even if she was Nettie.
“Damn, baby doll, I love when you’re the disciplinarian!”
~*~
Jamey stood outside Nettie’s door for a good minute and a half. How the hell had he gotten into this situation? He thought back on the events before breakfast and scowled.
He’d finally gotten together his nerve and asked Lady if she wanted to maybe do something after the job today.
I don’t think that’d be a good idea, Jamey.
When he’d asked her why not, she’d hesitated then said that they worked together. What the hell did that have to do with anything?
I just don’t… see you that way. I’m sorry, Jamey.
Seven hours later, he passed his hurt feelings on to his little sister, the one person in the ‘verse it was his responsibility to protect.
And he could hear her sobbing into her pillow. Some protector he was.
Tentatively, Jamey knocked on the doorframe. “Nettie? Can I come in?”
“No! You’re ruined my life!” Her voice broke and Jamey rested his forehead against the wall.
“Nettie? Please can I talk to ya?”
There was a long pause and then some snuffling. “M’kay.”
He had the door open and one foot in the room when the complete stories of Hans Christian Andersen smacked him square in the face.
“Ta ma de!” Jamey shrieked and clutched his nose.
“Read that and not my diary next time, you dog humpin’ puke!” With that, Nettie dove under the covers and continued her crying.
“But I…” I didn’t read your diary, he wanted to say. Hell, he hadn’t even known that she’d had a diary. But if he told her that, he’d be letting her know that her “secret” crush on Cap wasn’t all that secret and that would just upset her more. He couldn’t do that, even if it let him off the hook.
“You’re right, Nettie. I’m sorry.” He gingerly tested his nose to see if it was broken. Nope. Just bleeding. He stopped it up with the sleeve of his canvas coat.
“Why?” Nettie’s quivery question threw him off.
“Uh. Cuz I was wrong and upset you?”
“No, I mean, why’d you read my diary? Why would you invade my privacy like that? How did you even find it?” Her voice rose with each question.
Uh oh. Jamey thought fast.
“Um, I found it while I was… cleanin’. And uh, I just started readin’ and… you’re a real good writer, Nettie.”
Nettie rolled over, bloodshot blue eyes all big. “I am?”
“Yeah.” Jamey took a shot in the dark. “You should sing those songs you wrote. Those secret ones. I bet they’d be real pretty.”
“I can’t now,” Nettie said while shaking her head. “Everyone would know they were about Cap.”
Jamey waved this off. “Nah, just say they’re about Ma and Pop.” He took a few steps closer and when Nettie scooched over a little, he sat down on the edge of her bed. “I really am sorry, Nettie. I didn’t mean to be such a hundan.”
She sighed, hugging her pink stuffed platypus to her chest. “I know.” But then she scowled. “I still hate you, though.”
Jamey rolled his eyes.
Just then, Ma’s voice came on the com. “Dinner’s ready, you two.”
While Jamey hopped up, Nettie burrowed under her covers. He furrowed his brow and poked her shoulder.
“Nettie? Dinner, didn’tcha hear?”
“I can’t,” her voice shook. “I can’t face him just yet.”
Oh, yeah. Jamey rubbed the back of his neck. “Want me to bring you somethin’?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay.” He paused on the way out. “Still hate me?”
“Yes. But not as much.”
“Just checkin’.”
~*~
She had absolutely no intention of leaving her room ever again. Maybe Uncle Simon could give her her lessons through the door. And Jamey, that stupid fathead, could keep bringing her meals. The only problem she could see was the bathroom. Maybe if she held it all day and went at night when everyone was asleep…
Groaning in frustration, Nettie buried her hot face in Schneebly’s comforting pink fur. Sometimes if she really concentrated, she could still smell Haven.
The door slid open and Nettie sat up. “What did Mommy mak-“
Instead of Jamey bringing her dinner, there was Malcolm Reynolds standing there holding two plates loaded with food.
Nettie yelped and pulled the covers over her head.
“Hey now, I may not be a fancy Core-bred gentleman, but I know my company ain’t as frightful as all that.”
The tears sprang to her eyes. Oh god, he was going to treat this like a big joke.
“Please go away, Cap. I’m not hungry.” So of course, her traitorous stomach chose that instant to growl.
“Come on, Serenity Jane. Your ma and Aunt Kaylee made some good vittles here.”
His soft tone successfully lured her out of hiding. She sat up and accepted her plate, self-conscious of her puffy eyes and unraveling braids.
Cap sat down on the edge of the bed and started talking about the job that day, and how Daddy had had to help pack the crates away when she and Jamey the Fathead had left the room. The small talk helped her relax a little and she was able to smile when Cap imitated Daddy’s voice perfectly.
They were just finishing off their last bites when Cap said, “I had no idea you felt that way about me, Nettie. It’s real flattering.”
Nettie pushed a bit of protein around her plate with her fork. “But I’m just a little girl and I need to move on to someone my own age, right?”
Cap took hold of her chin and raised her head to look into his eyes. “No. Your feelin’s are your feelin’s. It ain’t my place to tell ya who to have a crush on, Serenity.” He smiled and it looked a little sad. “Maybe if I’m lucky and you’re all grown up, you’ll still feel the same way.”
Nettie’s mouth fell open. She’d be eighteen in six years; that was grown up, right?!
Smiling, Cap took her plate and stacked it on top of his. “Whaddya say we go on up to the mess? Your pa wanted to start up a game of Tall Card. Maybe we can beat that wiseass brother o’ yours.”
Taking Cap’s offered hand, Nettie wasn’t so sure she hated Jamey anymore.
END
: Track Two > Cowboy Take Me Away
Title: Track One - #1 Crush
Author: Toxic Corn
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Joss is Boss. He owns everybody except the kids.
Spoilers: Post series. I also re-work the BDM movie timeline at some point.
Warning: Raynekid fic. Not everyone's cup of tea.
Summary: There are no secrets on Serenity.
Author's Note: Here's the Raynekid fic that was supposed to stay one story. But I keep getting attacked by plot bunnies, so now it'll be a series. Ugh. Evil. All blame goes to
katsqueaks for this one. Chances are I'll add to this series here and there but my full attention will be going towards the sequel to Filcher.SONGS FROM A FIREFLY
Track One: #1 Crush
“Now, once you got ‘em all unloaded, remember you gotta stash ‘em. No runnin’ off to play constellation tag, dong ma?
“Aw, Cap, that was forever ago. Why ya still gotta hold it against us?”
“Cuz I’m the Captain, that’s why. Be careful, you almost smashed Vee’s fingers!” Mal nearly leaped up from his spot on the catwalk but two things stopped him: one, his back wasn’t what it used to be and two, he would’ve upended little Anna Tam and sent her SPLAT to the cargo bay floor.
He watched as the children of Serenity, not really children anymore, unloaded crate after crate from the new-improved mule. It almost made him sad to see the children he’d watched grow up do the work that was usually reserved for him and Jayne and Zoe. But then he remembered those crates were damn heavy.
Besides, for some crazy reason, the kids liked the work. Lady, Zoe’s oldest, took on the leadership role well and the kids usually followed her with minimal fussing. Jayne’s boy, Jamey, was built just like his pa and didn’t object to physical labor, though he did prefer working in the engine room. He’d inherited River’s sense of curiosity and her even temper, which made his attitude today even more weird.
Jamey had been scowling since breakfast and was now tossing crates down so hard that it was only a matter of time until Vee Washburne really did lose some fingers. The other kids were warily avoiding him, all except Jamey’s baby sister, Nettie.
“Ooof!” Nettie dropped her end of a crate. “I’m sorry, David, it’s too heavy for me!”
“’Sokay,” David Tam squeaked, arms shaking as he still held onto his end.
Nettie called over to her brother, “Jamey? D’ya think ya can get this crate for me? It’s too heavy!”
“David, just set it down!” Mal called out as the veins started to pop out of the boy’s neck.
From under Mal’s arm, Anna giggled at her big brother.
“Jamey? Please?”
Mal frowned. The boy seemed to be ignoring his sister and he was about to order the boy to go help when Jamey angrily dropped the crate he was holding (making Vee squawk in protest) and stomped over to his sister.
“Move.” He shoved her aside and glared at David. “Lift.” The boys lifted the crate with little difficulty and set it on the ground.
“Thanks, Jamey,” Nettie said, sarcastically. “You didn’t have to be such a pig!”
“I helped ya, didn’t I?” Jamey snapped back.
“Yeah, after ya nearly knocked me over!”
“I didn’t knock ya over, I just pushed ya a little!”
“That’s why I said ‘nearly,’ jackass!”
“Enough!” Lady stepped in between the feuding siblings, looking angry. “Fight later, we still have work to do.”
Nettie’s clenched fists relaxed. “Okay.”
“Are we even sure Nettie can handle anymore?” Jamey asked, poisonously. “That last crate wasn’t that heavy.”
“Jamey,” Lady said, warningly.
Nettie’s face turned bright red. “I can handle it.”
“Oh, really? Cuz I think ya can’t. Maybe you should run along and go write in your diary ‘bout how much you love Cap.”
A horrible silence fell over the group. Then Nettie’s face crumbled and she ran to the passenger dorms, sobbing.
Her exit triggered everyone else’s response.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop?!” Lady exclaimed.
“I’m tellin’,” Anna announced and ran away bellowing, “UNCLE JAYYYYNNNE!”
Vee ran up and kicked Jamey in the ass and was gearing up for another when David and her brother leaped over crates to hold her back before she could inflict any more damage.
For the first time in his career, Mal had no idea what to do.
Kaylee and River were bustling around the kitchen trying to get dinner ready but were hampered by a certain ex-mercenary.
“Jayne, you’re gettin’ underfoot,” Kaylee gently chided him.
Jayne had his arms slung around River’s waist, face pressed into her neck, so his response was slightly muffled.
“Can’t help it if I got a pretty little wife who smells good.”
Smiling, Kaylee gently swatted him on the shoulder with a big wooden spoon. “Save it for your bunk.”
River giggled when Jayne looked up at Kaylee to frown. “We ain’t doin’ anything unseemly.”
“Yet,” Kaylee added, making Jayne grin wolfishly.
“UNCLE JAYYYYNNNE!”
All three adults snapped to attention when Anna barreled into the mess, gasping for breath.
“What is it, is someone hurt?” Kaylee exclaimed.
Anna shook her head. “Uncle Jayne, you know what Jamey did?!”
Kaylee groaned. “Annabelle River Tam, what’d I tell ya ‘bout tattling?”
“What’d he do?” Jayne demanded, releasing River.
“He made Nettie cry!” Anna’s eyes were wide with outrage. “For no good reason a’tall!” Anna turned to her mother. “Daddy said it isn’t tattling to tell a grown up when someone’s hurt. And Nettie’s hurt.”
“Well, let’s go take care o’ this, then.” Jayne scooped Anna up and set her on his hip, though she was getting kinda big to be picked up. “I’ll be right back,” he told River.
When he got to the cargo bay, he saw with little surprise that David and Ben were having a hard time holding Vee back as she railed against Jamey, who was looking mighty ashamed of himself. Lady was doing her best to calm her hot-headed little sister while Nova Tam stood aside watching the proceedings with amazement.
Much like Mal was.
“Nice job overseein’ things, Mal,” Jayne snarled. “WHAT THE SAM HELL IS GOIN’ ON HERE?!”
The kids fell silent. Vee stopped struggling and gave Jamey a smug you’re gonna get it now look.
Jayne fixed Jamey with his angry stare. “You make your sister cry?”
“Yes, sir,” Jamey mumbled.
“She don’t cry easy; what the hell’d ya do to her?”
Jamey turned pink and Mal coughed while everyone else suddenly became fascinated by their boot tops.
“Uncle Jayne?” Anna said, quietly. “Jamey, he… he said…” The little girl whispered in his ear and Jayne felt himself grow a hell of a lot angrier.
“Izzat true, James?” Jayne snapped.
“Dunno, couldn’t hear her whisperin’ from here.”
“What’d you say to me, boy?”
Jamey straightened up and looked Jayne in the eye. “I said, ‘yessir, it’s true.’”
“What’d ya have to say fer yerself?”
“I’m a jackass, sir.”
“I’ll say ya are. You know, you ain’t too big to take over my knee!”
“No, sir.”
A gentle hand pressed into Jayne’s back and he relaxed, looking over his shoulder to find River.
“Hey, baby girl. Ya know what yer son did?”
“I do.”
“So what’s his punishment gonna be?”
She looked at Jamey for a long moment while the boy squirmed. Couldn’t blame him; River’s punishments were the worst. Or the best, from Jayne’s perspective. The punishment always fit the crime and the kids knew not to make the same mistake again. There was that genius brain at work.
River finally made her decision. “Go make things right with Nettie. Tell her you’re sorry.”
Jamey’s eyes bulged. “I can’t go in there now! She’ll kill me! I’ll… I’ll finish unloadin’ these boxes and stashin’ ‘em away all by myself! And I’ll go without supper!”
River’s eyes narrowed. “You want to perform manual labor while I go comfort your sister?”
Jayne winced as Jamey made the realization he’d said the wrong thing.
“Well, uh…”
“Did I make Nettie cry?!”
“Nome.” Jamey’s shoulders sagged.
“Did your father make Nettie cry?!”
“Nome.” The boy looked really miserable now. Jayne yelling was one thing but River yelling was devastating. She was usually the most even tempered and she and Jamey had a special bond so that it actually hurt him to disappoint her and have her discipline him.
Sensing Jamey’s distress, River gentled her tone while remaining firm. “You’re always asking us to treat you more like an adult, James. Well, part of being an adult is fixing your mistakes. You can’t always expect Pa or me to be there to smooth things over. Do you understand?”
Jamey nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
River pointed towards the former passenger dorms, now children’s rooms. “Then go.”
Jayne watched Jamey slink away, wondering vaguely if this would be the last time he’d ever see his son. Eh, he was sixteen, he could survive a run-in with an angry little girl, even if she was Nettie.
“Damn, baby doll, I love when you’re the disciplinarian!”
Jamey stood outside Nettie’s door for a good minute and a half. How the hell had he gotten into this situation? He thought back on the events before breakfast and scowled.
He’d finally gotten together his nerve and asked Lady if she wanted to maybe do something after the job today.
I don’t think that’d be a good idea, Jamey.
When he’d asked her why not, she’d hesitated then said that they worked together. What the hell did that have to do with anything?
I just don’t… see you that way. I’m sorry, Jamey.
Seven hours later, he passed his hurt feelings on to his little sister, the one person in the ‘verse it was his responsibility to protect.
And he could hear her sobbing into her pillow. Some protector he was.
Tentatively, Jamey knocked on the doorframe. “Nettie? Can I come in?”
“No! You’re ruined my life!” Her voice broke and Jamey rested his forehead against the wall.
“Nettie? Please can I talk to ya?”
There was a long pause and then some snuffling. “M’kay.”
He had the door open and one foot in the room when the complete stories of Hans Christian Andersen smacked him square in the face.
“Ta ma de!” Jamey shrieked and clutched his nose.
“Read that and not my diary next time, you dog humpin’ puke!” With that, Nettie dove under the covers and continued her crying.
“But I…” I didn’t read your diary, he wanted to say. Hell, he hadn’t even known that she’d had a diary. But if he told her that, he’d be letting her know that her “secret” crush on Cap wasn’t all that secret and that would just upset her more. He couldn’t do that, even if it let him off the hook.
“You’re right, Nettie. I’m sorry.” He gingerly tested his nose to see if it was broken. Nope. Just bleeding. He stopped it up with the sleeve of his canvas coat.
“Why?” Nettie’s quivery question threw him off.
“Uh. Cuz I was wrong and upset you?”
“No, I mean, why’d you read my diary? Why would you invade my privacy like that? How did you even find it?” Her voice rose with each question.
Uh oh. Jamey thought fast.
“Um, I found it while I was… cleanin’. And uh, I just started readin’ and… you’re a real good writer, Nettie.”
Nettie rolled over, bloodshot blue eyes all big. “I am?”
“Yeah.” Jamey took a shot in the dark. “You should sing those songs you wrote. Those secret ones. I bet they’d be real pretty.”
“I can’t now,” Nettie said while shaking her head. “Everyone would know they were about Cap.”
Jamey waved this off. “Nah, just say they’re about Ma and Pop.” He took a few steps closer and when Nettie scooched over a little, he sat down on the edge of her bed. “I really am sorry, Nettie. I didn’t mean to be such a hundan.”
She sighed, hugging her pink stuffed platypus to her chest. “I know.” But then she scowled. “I still hate you, though.”
Jamey rolled his eyes.
Just then, Ma’s voice came on the com. “Dinner’s ready, you two.”
While Jamey hopped up, Nettie burrowed under her covers. He furrowed his brow and poked her shoulder.
“Nettie? Dinner, didn’tcha hear?”
“I can’t,” her voice shook. “I can’t face him just yet.”
Oh, yeah. Jamey rubbed the back of his neck. “Want me to bring you somethin’?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay.” He paused on the way out. “Still hate me?”
“Yes. But not as much.”
“Just checkin’.”
She had absolutely no intention of leaving her room ever again. Maybe Uncle Simon could give her her lessons through the door. And Jamey, that stupid fathead, could keep bringing her meals. The only problem she could see was the bathroom. Maybe if she held it all day and went at night when everyone was asleep…
Groaning in frustration, Nettie buried her hot face in Schneebly’s comforting pink fur. Sometimes if she really concentrated, she could still smell Haven.
The door slid open and Nettie sat up. “What did Mommy mak-“
Instead of Jamey bringing her dinner, there was Malcolm Reynolds standing there holding two plates loaded with food.
Nettie yelped and pulled the covers over her head.
“Hey now, I may not be a fancy Core-bred gentleman, but I know my company ain’t as frightful as all that.”
The tears sprang to her eyes. Oh god, he was going to treat this like a big joke.
“Please go away, Cap. I’m not hungry.” So of course, her traitorous stomach chose that instant to growl.
“Come on, Serenity Jane. Your ma and Aunt Kaylee made some good vittles here.”
His soft tone successfully lured her out of hiding. She sat up and accepted her plate, self-conscious of her puffy eyes and unraveling braids.
Cap sat down on the edge of the bed and started talking about the job that day, and how Daddy had had to help pack the crates away when she and Jamey the Fathead had left the room. The small talk helped her relax a little and she was able to smile when Cap imitated Daddy’s voice perfectly.
They were just finishing off their last bites when Cap said, “I had no idea you felt that way about me, Nettie. It’s real flattering.”
Nettie pushed a bit of protein around her plate with her fork. “But I’m just a little girl and I need to move on to someone my own age, right?”
Cap took hold of her chin and raised her head to look into his eyes. “No. Your feelin’s are your feelin’s. It ain’t my place to tell ya who to have a crush on, Serenity.” He smiled and it looked a little sad. “Maybe if I’m lucky and you’re all grown up, you’ll still feel the same way.”
Nettie’s mouth fell open. She’d be eighteen in six years; that was grown up, right?!
Smiling, Cap took her plate and stacked it on top of his. “Whaddya say we go on up to the mess? Your pa wanted to start up a game of Tall Card. Maybe we can beat that wiseass brother o’ yours.”
Taking Cap’s offered hand, Nettie wasn’t so sure she hated Jamey anymore.
END
: Track Two > Cowboy Take Me Away
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Date: 2006-04-24 04:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:48 am (UTC)can't wait to read more.
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Date: 2006-04-24 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:56 am (UTC)Mal is sweet here -- but what's he gonna do in six years when 18 years old Nettie still loves him? :)
Very lovely. :)
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Date: 2006-04-24 04:17 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading.
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Date: 2006-04-24 05:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:18 pm (UTC)Yeah, there's eight kids but of course, they couldn't ALL play a role in this first story. I at least tried to mention them here and there.
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Date: 2006-04-24 11:47 am (UTC)You will write more, won't you??!! Pretty please with a cherry on top!! *bats eyelashes*
Loved how sweet Mal was with Nettie and her crush..& Jayne's tough love with his son..... Just awwwww!!
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Date: 2006-04-24 04:21 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
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Date: 2006-04-24 01:08 pm (UTC)Great Job!
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Date: 2006-04-24 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:24 pm (UTC)And you are very welcome for the comment!! I figure since I am out here reading all the time, I should at least let everyone know how much I appreciate it!!!
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Date: 2006-04-24 02:38 pm (UTC)Laughed out loud- at work! This was really funny and sweet- more please?
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Date: 2006-04-24 04:23 pm (UTC)Thank you, I'll try to update this soon.
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Date: 2006-04-24 02:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:25 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
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Date: 2006-04-24 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 09:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 09:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 10:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 11:12 pm (UTC)I hope you write more with these kids.
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Date: 2006-04-25 12:14 am (UTC)The kids will be getting more stories, for sure. They've eaten my brain.
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Date: 2006-04-25 04:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-25 03:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-29 06:41 am (UTC)"River giggled when Jayne looked up at Kaylee to frown. “We ain’t doin’ anything unseemly.”
“Yet,” Kaylee added, making Jayne grin wolfishly.
I'm a sucker for anything that suggests that they're all together and happy and "breeding like rabbits". Jayne Cobb should have an army of sons just like him and then send them back in a time machine so we can all have one. :D
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Date: 2006-08-29 07:01 am (UTC)Hope you enjoy the rest!
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Date: 2006-09-04 04:08 pm (UTC)So sweet and domestic. Nice :)
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Date: 2006-09-04 06:21 pm (UTC)