Sorry if anyone is a bit out of character. I hope you like my OC. Some chapters will be retellings of episodes, and others will be in-between jobs.
Disclaimer: Joss is Boss
River stopped what she was doing and looked at the pilot across the table from her. "Happy birthday, Wash." She said, and then went back to her book.
Wash looked at her incredulously. "How did you know it was my birthday? Zoe did you tell her it was my birthday?" He looked at his wife in the kitchen.
"No, dear, I didn't tell anyone that it was your birthday." She chopped up a carrot and put it into the protein-based soup she was making for the crew.
"Well happy birthday, Wash!" Kaylee chirped from her place on the couch.
"River," Wash took his feet off of the table. "How did you know it was my birthday?" He got his answer when someone screamed down the hallway. Footsteps were pounding towards the dining area, followed by another pair of heavy footsteps. A small, screaming girl flew into the room, finally getting tackled by the ship's mercenary.
"Zoe! Help me, gorramit! We got a stowaway!" He wrestled with the girl grabbing her wrists as he sat on her legs.
"Get off me!" She said as she tried to free her hands. Jayne laughed at the thought as he shifted both the girl's hands into one of his paws and took out his knife with his free one. He held it to the girl's throat.
"Why are you on this ship?"
"I think it'd be best for both of us if you were to get offa me mister." The girl managed to get her leg to kick Jayne in the back, but he acted as if nothing happened.
"Yeah? 'N' why's that?" He asked slowly cutting her upper arm with his knife.
"I don't even know you're name there, uh… Tiger." Jayne growled at the nickname. "See? You even growl like a tiger. I think it fits!"
The girl overpowered Jayne's left arm and used both of their fists to sock him in the jaw. He became dazed long enough for the stowaway to scramble out from beneath him and run towards the other door. She almost made it too, when a bullet pinged off of the metal doorframe right next to her head. The girl was so surprised by the near impact that her feet shot out from beneath her and she landed hard on her backside, hair sticking to her mouth.
"Private Tyler! Just what do you think you're doing on this ship?" Zoe smiled as she helped the fallen girl up.
"Just delivering a package, Lieutenant." She saluted and tried to keep from smiling. "It's good to see you, Zoe."
Zoe hugged her old war-buddy. "It's good to see you too, Maryanne." The two women laughed and hugged until Wash came over and interrupted them.
"No hug for me?" The pilot hugged the girl hard and long, lifting her shoulders, he hugged her so hard.
"Hobe. Hobe, you're hurting me." She said. He let go of her, apologizing, and she fixed her glasses, smiling at her two old friends. "Oh, man. It's so good seeing you two together. I never would have put ya together. But then again I didn't get to go to your wedding, did I?" She joked and pulled her wavy hair back into a ponytail.
"Well, we couldn't very well invite you when you were still in war prison now could we?" Wash became a little flustered and ran a hand through his already spiky hair.
"Hang on." Kaylee had gotten up from the couch and moved closer to the reunited friends. "Just what is going on here?"
"Yeah," Jayne growled out. He pointed his drawn knife at the group and waved it as he talked. "Just who are you? And what were you doing in the crew bunks?"
"I-"
"I heard shootin'-", Mal came into the room and saw the stowaway. "Maryanne!" he shouted. His cry was answered with an equal 'sarge' and the two charged each other. Maryanne hugged Mal like she never had and he picked her up and spun her around, overcome with seeing his old friend. Inara was stuck behind Mal, just barely in the doorway.
"What- what are you doing here, Private?" He asked grinning ear to ear. He moved towards the kitchen table and the entire crew seemed to move with him. Everyone took a seat except Inara, who went into the kitchen to make some tea for the new arrival.