A/N: This is pure Firefly Christmas fluff with just a hint of Rayne and MI. All from Mal's POV. Hope you like :-)
Disclaimer: Firefly and all recognisable characters belong to Joss Whedon and other important persons that aren't me.
A Firefly Family Christmas [Mal's POV]
It wasn't exactly how I planned to spend Christmas, not this one or any other. Twas Kaylee's idea that we oughta do somethin' that particular year. Didn't like to argue none with her, never did, 'sides my crew had been through their share o' hardships and things was finally turning around, seemed right and proper to do a little celebratin'. I blamed the Preacher at first, fillin' the girls head with his God-type tales, but honestly, couldn't see no harm in her putting up a few sparkly things in the engine room and gettin' to organisin' a bit of a shindig for us all. 'Sides it ain't like I don't believe in the Bible story, just ain't felt the need to celebrate in a good long while.
On account of there bein' a limit to coin amongst us, and only a certain number of things decent to be bought on the rim, the old Earth-That-Was game of Secret Santa was decided upon, wherein each of us wrote our name on a piece of paper, threw 'em in a hat, then drew out someone else's name to buy one gift for. Didn't see no harm in it, and it pleased little Kaylee to no end which was no bad thing. Nobody complained, twas a minor miracle I don't mind tellin' ya, given what you might call the usual personality clash 'tween folks. Christmas bein' a time for all good and no bad seemed to have the oddest of effects.
'Course, as always, things got a little more outta hand that I woulda liked. Paperchains from the engine room spread to the galley and beyond, cluttering up places that didn't need cluttering. Still, I couldn't much fuss about the odd looking plant that appeared in the corner of the cargo bay shortly after we landed on Hestia. Seems presents had to go under a tree and whilst no traditional Christmas tree like those from Earth-That-Was grew anywhere around, we got the next best thing and more sparkly bits of nothin' much were thrown at it. Poor thing looked like trash 'fore it even began, still I hushed my noise on it, for the sake of this peace and goodwill that was s'posed to be around this time of year.
So came the day, and the hour when Kaylee decided presents should be shared. There we was, all sat and stood around the cargo bay, starin' at the ugliness of a tree before us, waitin' to be handed a badly-wrapped piece of fei-oo from whoever had been fast-shuffled into buyin' it, least that's what I thought when we started.
"Okay, here we go" said Kaylee, bouncing around like a bug on a hot plate and clappin' her hands like a kid half her age.
Twas odd to think young River was closer to a child than she, yet she was the first to roll her eyes at Kaylee's fussin'.
Gifts started to get handed around and there we all was tryin' to look excited and grateful both as we felt, shook, and made guesses and what our gifts mighta been. For some reason, I caught Jayne sniffin' at his box, but I didn't ask why, best not to I find where my merc is concerned.
So, the gifts started gettin' unwrapped, and I held onto mine a while. Twas interested in seein' what occurred amongst folk as they got their mystery gifts. Simon looked happy and red in the face both by the book in his hands, and the twinkle in Zoe's eyes when she looked his way said she was the one who'd done the deed. Never thought she'd be so easy to read, but when you've known a person as long as me and Zoe known each other, hard not to pick up on things. Shepherd had a book o' some kind too, looked blank far as I could tell, probably some fancy note book or some such. Only a couple of people thoughtful enough for a gift such as that, and had to be Kaylee since I already had an idea who Inara had been shoppin' for. I might talk of her whorin' in a none to pleasant way, but she's just about the most elegant woman I ever met in all my years. She had to be the one to get that fancy piece of nothin' that Zoe was tryin' to hide, the very same get up guaranteed to throw Wash into a fit o' some kind the minute he saw her wearin' nothin' else. Jayne was eyein' his prize with fascination, a fancy shirt the likes o' which only the Doc could've picked out or afforded I reckoned, Kaylee was sat cross-legged on the floor, pulling ribbons and fixins outta little wooden trinket box that Wash was just sot enough to have bought for her - he did like to pander to her need to be female once in a good while, though in that moment he was payin' no mind to nothin' cept for the vid disc in his hand, some documentary type of thing on dinosaurs so he was ravin'.
My eyes went to Inara then, sat all dainty like on the catwalk, unwrapping old brown paper and string as if she got a prize o' gold. 'Course when she got to the box inside, I knew she'd find something almost as fancy lookin' as the rest of her fixings. Weren't much really, cost a fair amount of coin but I wouldn't be tellin' her or anyone else that. Minute I saw it, little bit of a locket with a butterfly on it, I thought of her, how her eyes'd light up at the sight of the pretty little thing. She had to have it, I had to buy it. 'Course the truth of it was that was six months hence, and I been waitin' the whole time for some excuse to hand it over. This was good as any time, so I pulled my Captainy rank on little Kaylee, had her make sure it was Inara's name I pulled out the box of names.
"Just leaves us" said a voice beside me then, and I tried not to jump even though the girl had startled me, "Two poor children at the party without a present"
"Well, that ain't true, lil Albatross" I told her, "Gots you a big ol' box right there at your feet" I showed her, "And here in my hand I got mine" I showed her the smaller package I was still holding, wrappings untouched as yet.
"On the count of three?" she offered and I smiled for no other reason but the doin' so as she counted up and we both tore into our gifts.
Biggest shock of my life ought to be seein' what some mighty odd soul had gotten me for Christmas. No doubt in my mind then if'n there ever had been before that this was River's doin'. Not one amongst my crew but her woulda dared buy me a teddy bear of any kind, for fear I'd space 'em just for the darin'. My lil albatross knew a whole heap a things she didn't ought and gettin' into people's heads to play tricks and such was what she liked best, that much was plain as day to me.
"No trick, no joke" she promised me, sincere as ever I saw a person as she looked up at me from a couple of steps down, "You still miss home, miss things you loved. Facsimile of him is the best on offer" she shrugged her slender shoulders and I stared down at the tatty little bear sat in the box on my knees, perfect as perfect could be little replica of a little friend I had when I was no more than knee-high to a grasshopper. Weirdest part of it was, sight of the little man made me smile wider than anythin' had in a good long while, and River seemed to know somehow that it would.
"Well, not so sure you should be tellin' me this is from you, mei mei" I told her, "but I appreciate it" I thanked her, and the proud smile on her face was a whole other gift for me, even if I wasn't quite her Daddy, "Shouldn't you be gettin' the lid of your own box?" I asked her then, noticin'' that she'd gone at the wrapping like a wild cat but stopped short of actually seeing what was inside the box there by her booted feet.
This was where I got my biggest shock of the whole damn day, hell, maybe even the whole damn year! That came in the form of whatever the great oaf that was my mercenary had bought sweet little River for a Christmas gift. Had to be him, no other choices with everyone else already accounted for.
Jayne made no bones about the fact havin' fugitives onboard didn't thrill him none, though he seemed to get along a little better with River than her brother, that was for damn sure. Still, had no idea my ownself he ever had a sweet side to him, not til the lid came off that box and I saw the dress that had to o' cost him a whole pile of credits.
"Wuo duh Tian Ah! Wo Bu Shin Wo Dah Yan Jing!" the words had come tumblin' outta my mouth 'fore I even processed 'em, and loud enough the entire crew stopped their jabberin' and stared at where River was pullin' her fancy rig outta the box.
"Wow, River" gasped little Kaylee, "That's the shiniest thing!" she declared, all excitable like girls get around fancy fixin's and such.
"It really is quite the garment" agreed Inara, seeming to think the get up River was holdin' up against herself might be from me.
I shook my head negative-like on that one, and I'm pretty sure the look I sent her way told her just what I bought this Christmas. Hell, I never did see the woman blush, reckon her kind never did, and yet right then, she was as pink in the cheeks as ever a person had been.
Anyways, next I looked to River, she'd dropped her shiny piece of get-up back in its box and was fair running down the stairs and away. I had to stop her brother tearin' after her pretty quick since I already realised she was second to leave the cargo bay. She was gone after Jayne and if anyone was gonna be checkin' what those two were up to t'weren't gonna be the Doc. Chances were he'd be reckonin' on callin' his mei mei a whole new level o' crazy he saw her givin' any thanks to the likes of Jayne, and I reckoned more than that my merc could use a lack o' audience when River caught up to him.
See, lil Albatross might be the Reader on this here boat, but you learn a thing or two about folk when you live in close quarters so long, when you sit on the rim of their circle and watch 'em go about their day. Jayne started out with a venomous hate for the Tams, saw 'em as folks most like to get us caught or worse killed by the purple bellies. 'Course we got to savin' each others lives so many times, River and Simon both became part o' the crew, the family, truth be told. River found the fight in herself, unscrambled a few riddles been shoved in her pretty little head, and Jayne found a little respect for the woman that could handle all she had so far, and all she probably still had to stand.
"You folks head for the galley, get to work on that feast we meant to be havin'" I told my crew, droppin' a kiss on top of Kaylee's head as she hugged onto me, "Me and the runaways, we'll be there quick as you can yell 'grub's up'"
I left then, dead certain nobody was gonna follow, and hopin' speculation'd stay to a low level as the bunch of them saw to their chores and such. I didn't so much believe it but I hoped.
Stayed outta sight as I headed through the passageways of Serenity, comin' upon our odd couple along by the bunks. I'd lay good money Jayne was hopin' to make his escape. No such luck with River on his tail.
"You bought the most beautiful of all" she was sayin' as I kept to my hidin' place, knowing it was all kinds o' wrong to listen in, but also knowing that sometimes my gut instinct was wrong and I didn't fancy two of my crew knocking seven bells outta each other for the sake of a fancy frock and a misunderstanding.
"Yeah well, I saw you eyein' it" admitted Jayne, gruff and cold as he ever was to my ears, "Figured you ain't got much clothes to call ya own so... I dunno, girlfolk like pretty stuff, right?"
"Among other things" lil Albatross nodded her head all feminine and sweet-like, made me smile.
Yeah, I know what you're thinkin', must be damn fong-luh to see these two makin' eyes at each other and not be threatenin' to shoot the man dead, but I been here before. Which is exactly what I told Inara when she caught up to me, spotted the scene I was watching and said the self same thing. I told her, I tried telling Zoe that Wash was no good for her, swear to this day she only married him to spite me. I see River doin' the same, try to be her Daddy too much she only gonna turn round and rebel on me like any daughter from here to the end of the 'verse would.
Nope, I'm done fightin' with my crew about their romancin'. Call it the Christmas spirit, call it whatever you gorram want, but I'm keepin' my cool on this one. 'Ceptin' if I catch any kind of kissin' under mistletoe 'tween those two, then my trigger finger might get a little twitchy. I said, ain't nobody gettin' none o' that, til I figures out how to get me some. Well, that got a laugh out of the lady at least, as Inara put her arm through mine and led me to the galley for food and fun. Yeah, maybe Christmas that year weren't so bad after all.
Merry Christmas y'all, and to all folk a good night.
~ The End ~
A/N2: If you like this please review and let me know, and then look out for my other Christmas fics (coming soon!): Smallville - A Safe-House Family Christmas; Veronica Mars - An Adopted Family Christmas; Chuck - A Super spy Family Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and Season's Greetings to all - may you have a shiny time, no matter what you celebrate :-)