Title: Two Ways to be In the Pooh
Series: 21 for 21
Author: jmaria
Rating: PG - all the way
Disclaimer: Not mine, and even though I really want a Jayne - I don't have one. Joss owns Serenity, and Disney owns Winnie the Pooh
Spoilers: HUGE SPOILERS for the Big Damn Movie, er Serenity I don't think there are any for Winnie the Pooh
Characters: River, Jayne, (hint of Rayne), Mal, Wash
Three Words: London, telephone booth, rain cloud
Word Count: 708
Summary: Landing on New London leads to all kinds of discoveries.
Notes: 21 for 21 is my insane plan to write 21 ficlets for my birthday. . . except that people on lj give me a pairing and three words.
Count: 2/21
Dedication Notes: Dedicated to my one of my best friends Lindsay, who in a recent conversation involving our mutual obsession with Serenity (I got her into it and made her all obsessed) said that she would love to see/read me try to write a Serenity/Winnie the Pooh crossover. It stuck, (because she knows I can't resist a challenge) and now this. She also sparked off the whole 21 for 21 idea.

Two Ways to be in the Pooh

The rain clouds pick up as River begins the decent into New London. She's never been here before, but she has. Her hands go to the three switches automatically, connecting with him for just a moment in time. He's humming.

"I'm just a little black rain cloud, hovering under your honey tree," He smiles at her, nodding along, telling her what buttons to push, how to hold the controls, how to treat the dinos. And she smiles, thinking of him. Even though he's long gone, he is still so much a part of this ship.

"You started entry without me, lil albatross," Mal mutters, stomping onto the bridge.

"Had to, no choice. Gotta a job what needs to be done, gotta be on time," River replied, using her best Cap'n voice.

"Well, Linny ain't the best contact we got, and she runs a tight outfit. Ain't lookin to get shot up by one of our few remaining contacts, dong ma?"

"Will anyway, you're highly shootable," River rolled her eyes, listening faintly for his laugh.

"Its true, he gets shot the most out of everybody. Man must have a target on his back."

"I ain't. I just -"

"Put yourself in situations where you're likely to get shot, or stabbed, or beaten or -"

"I've had enough 'ors' outta ya, girl. Just fly my boat and get me to my rendezvous point!" Mal yelled.

"Aye, aye, Cap'n Tightpants," River saluted him before preparing to go for descent.

As soon as Serenity had landed, she made her way to prep the mule. River sat with her knees tucked up under her chin, surprising the rest of the crew by pulling on her goggles.

"Where do you think yer goin'?" Jayne snapped.

"The Hundred Acre Woods, to follow the willy, silly, nilly old bear," River said calmly.

"What?"

"Need a pilot, got a pilot. Better if I come. Remember Lilac?"

"Reavers are dead, moon-brain, don't need a reader."
"Can still be shot by mortal men, bear."

"Huh?" Before she could answer, Mal started making a fuss.

"River, what are you -"

"Fully capable, need a reader."

"Need a pilot more. Ain't nobody else on this ship what can fly Serenity."

"Stand your ground, Cap'n respects that sometimes. Or, you know, he has no control over the client's patience, which is fraying."

"Am needed."

"Cap'n we don't have time to argue. Linny's already chompin at the bit to get this delivery squared away," Zoe interrupted, loading the last crate onto the mule.

"Fine."

At the very edge of New London, a red telefonix booth stood reminiscent of sentries at their post. A woman in her late twenties stood in full kimono dress looking rather annoyed. A sun bonnet was perched on her head and her fingers were strumming the handle of a laser pistol. Linny did not look happy.

"You're late. Badger warned me to expect as much from you, Malcolm Reynolds," she said haughtily.

"Well, if you hadn't picked a spot in the middle of nowhere, I reckon we would a got here a lot faster," Mal grinned.

"Your charm won't work on me, Mal. Never did before, won't work now. Got my goods?"

"Got my money?"

"Seems like an awful lot of people to drop three crates, Mal," Linny replied, tossing him the money pouch.

"Tell that to your five boys we took out before comin' here," Mal nodded to Jayne and Zoe to unload the crates.

"You always were a hundan, Mal."

"Yeah, but one you really like."

And that's when the bullets started raining down. River dove for Jayne, yanking him out of the way of the spray of bullets before slapping a gun in his hand. Cap'n went down first with a vicious thigh wound, and Zoe helped drag him onto the mule.

"Never goes smooth! How come it never goes smooth?" Mal yelled as River sped back to the ship.

"Poor planning, and your Eyeore complex," River replied. "You never think it'll go smooth, so it never does."

Mal only gawked at her before ordering her to go faster. River ignored him and started humming.

"Everyone knows that a rain cloud doesn't eat honey, no not a sip. I'm just a little black rain cloud, wondering where I will drip."