Moonpie
Rated: PG
Category: Gen, Mal/Zoë/River/Wash Friendship.
Spoilers: BDM/General Series Knowledge.
Summary: River Does Something Nice For Zoë… And She Has Some Help.
Note: Written in response to the LJ prompt of 'Pie (Or Pi)' on ff_friday. Too long for the challenge, but keeping it anyway.
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River and Kaylee were supposed to be shopping, but they were doing nothing of the sort. They'd finished that long ago and now they ran through an orchard like girls less than half their ages.
Their goal was simple: steal as many cherries as they could without getting caught before they met up with the rest of the crew in town. They plucked cherries off the trees and popped them into their mouths with abandon, then spit the seeds at each other like boys having a grudge match. Their pretend war was playful and cheery, like the bright sky above them, but while Kaylee was merely enjoying herself, River had an ulterior motive.
She snuck two cherries into her pockets for every one she ate, and by the time Kaylee suggested they take as many cherries as they could back to share with the others, River's pockets were already close to overflowing. She agreed with Kaylee's plan and picked more of the fruit, but she carefully kept back a portion.
The girls met the rest of the crew on time, but did not reveal why their packages from town were bulging in all the wrong places until they were back on the ship.
When the girls dumped their cargo out onto the mess table that night after dinner, every eye grew wide and smiles broke out all around. There were more cherries there than most of them had ever seen.
No one noticed River's still bulging pockets. Mal just beamed with pride at the obvious theft while Simon was mortified, which amused everyone else. Despite Simon's reaction, though, even he would enjoy the cherries and the company, and Serenity's mess would be a festive place, at least for a few minutes.
The joy of the fruity dessert would be so overwhelming that no one would notice the flash of pain in Zoë's eyes when she first saw the cherries. Even Mal wouldn't see how she played with her first cherry thoughtfully for a moment before she slowly placed it in her mouth and gently pulled it from its stem. No one would notice how her smiles never quite reached her eyes as she chewed her fruit and conversed with the others.
No one except River.
XXX
Two days later, Mal wandered into the mess earlier than everyone else for breakfast. His droopy eyes immediately popped open as his nose picked up an odor that had no place on Serenity. It was a good smell, and it brought back faded memories of Shadow, but it was as out of place on his ship as he was in the core.
Mal sniffed the air and looked around to determine the source of the smell.
Nothing revealed itself to him easily, so he began opening cabinets and drawers.
He found nothing to explain the lovely smell, even when he opened Serenity's old style oven and was hit with the odor full force. He almost started drooling then, and he wanted to keep his head in that oven forever, but he stood and scratched his head instead.
'What in the hell is cherry pie doing on my ship?' he wondered. He stood stock still for a moment, then slowly smiled.
"Kaylee," he said aloud. "It has to be."
Mal strode purposefully to Simon's bunk, knowing that's where he'd find his mechanic and intent on getting some pie, even if he had to fight the doctor for it.
He didn't knock when he got there, since he was hoping to surprise the young couple with their contraband and give them a good tongue lashing for not sharing, but he regretted his decision immediately.
Simon and Kaylee were still asleep, and it was obvious that they were not the pie-makers. They were both naked and laying in a position Mal could've lived forever without seeing.
He closed his eyes and slid the door shut without a word, hoping to burn their image from his brain forever. Across the common area, a giggle rang out. Mal whipped around to see River sitting on the couch in the corner.
She giggled again, and Mal's foggy brain put two and two together.
"It was you, wasn't it, Albatross?"
River nodded, still smiling but somehow controlling her giggles.
Mal crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, let's have it, then," he demanded, wanting his share.
River made a face at him. "Don't have it."
Mal gaped. "You ate the whole gorram thing?"
"What makes you think it was big?"
Mal started to respond, then snapped his mouth shut with an audible pop. He hadn't thought of that. River giggled again.
"Don't have much flour, you know, Captain."
"Where'd you get flour at all?"
River shrugged. "I have my ways."
"You stole it."
River laughed. "Long while back. On Paquin."
"You're getting awfully slight with your hands, little one."
"I learned from the best."
Mal laughed loudly. "Well, I ain't gonna argue you on that point. So, you kept some cherries back, made yourself a gorram tart, and ate the whole thing yourself, is that it?"
"Right, right, and wrong," answered River.
The sound of rustling covers came from Simon's bunk, and River skipped away from Mal.
"You really should be more respectful of quiet time, Captain," admonished River as she left.
Mal tried to plead his case one more time to her retreating back.
"So, if you didn't eat it, where the hell is it?"
River looked back over her shoulder and grinned. "Wasn't meant for us."
Mal scratched the back of his neck and shook his head, deciding he'd better give up while he was still sane. There was no way he'd ever figure River out. Not even if he had ten lifetimes.
He started to walk back toward the mess when he stopped short. A thoughtful look flashed over his face, then he shook his head.
"It couldn't be," he muttered. "Could it?"
XXX
Zoë woke a few minutes later on the other end of the ship. She stretched her hands high above her head and laid one hand on the empty side of the bed where Wash had always slept. The cold sheets reminded her that she still missed him.
"I need to get a new bed," she mumbled, knowing that she never would.
As she woke more fully, she thought she smelled something wonderful, but out of place, in her bunk. She took a deep breath through her nose, and it confirmed her suspicions.
Zoë bolted upright in bed and gasped as she looked around her bunk.
Right next to her, sitting on the small table that served as her nightstand, was a little pie. It was only about four inches wide, but it was definitely a real, honest-to-goodness pie, complete with a tiny pie tin.
Zoë beamed at the prospect of eating the treat, but at the same time grew immediately suspicious. She looked hard at the pie, wondering how it had gotten there without her knowledge.
"Only one person on this ship coulda done that," she murmured. "What're you up to, River?"
A moment later, a fully dressed Zoë sat down on her bed and inspected the table more closely. She found what she was looking for within seconds.
A small note was tucked under the pie. River's neat script told the pie's story concisely.
Happy birthday, Zoë. Guess that's it.
Zoë stared at the note for a few minutes, then carefully picked up her present. It was still warm. Briefly, she considered sharing it with the crew, but her inner demon spoke up and before she knew it, she'd eaten the entire thing.
Zoë made it to breakfast shortly afterward, where she had the good grace not to eat much and not to mention her morning surprise. Everyone remarked on the lovely aroma of the mess, but when River claimed that she'd eaten her creation in entirely, no one argued.
Mal gave River a look, but kept his mouth shut as Simon lectured her on how disappointed he was. Mal had no idea what River was up to, but he figured Simon's speech was punishment enough.
Everyone voted that because of her selfishness, River had to do the dishes. She didn't argue.
When the mess emptied out, River cleared the table and set to her task happily. She was humming under her breath when Zoë slipped back into the kitchen.
"River?" she called.
River's answer was a statement. "Zoë."
"Why'd you do that?" asked Zoë, characteristically cutting to the chase.
River shrugged. "Seemed the thing to do."
"But how did you…"
River interrupted. "Just knew. Sometimes I just know things. Don't mean to."
Zoë chuckled. "It's ok. I don't mind. I just…"
"You miss him. He used to give you the best presents." River wagged her eyebrows at Zoë, and the girl swore later that the older woman blushed.
"Yeah, he sure did," muttered Zoë.
"I know," said River, with a wolfish grin.
Zoë laughed and playfully smacked River on the arm. "River!"
River snorted a small laugh and then silence fell for a moment.
Eventually, that silence was broken by Zoë, who spoke softly as she turned to leave the mess. "Anyway, thanks. You didn't have to."
River smiled, but did not respond. Zoë slid out the door as she spoke her last word, and River understood her intentions. Zoë was grateful, but ready for the conversation to be over. River started humming again and finished her chores without another word.
Unbeknownst to Zoë, Mal had returned to the mess, too. He'd wanted to confront River again and try to get her scheme out of her. When he'd heard Zoë and River talking, though, he'd stayed just outside and listened. He'd nodded in understanding and relief as the conversation had progressed. He'd been afraid that he'd accidentally told River Zoë's birthday, since he was supposedly the only one on the ship who knew it, and that Zoë would come after him if she found that out. Zoë didn't like a lot of fuss and didn't like people knowing such things. Mal respected her wishes, if for no other reason than she had a lot of ammunition she could use against him in a mud-slinging match. He was amazed at how River had managed to give Zoë a present and keep it secret all at once, and he was glad he hadn't outed the girl at breakfast. Having learned all he wanted, Mal had slipped off to the bridge just before Zoë left.
River, of course, had known Mal was there and what he'd thought, but she never mentioned that. She also never told anyone that while Mal was indeed in the clear, it hadn't really been her reader abilities that had helped her out, either - at least not in the way she'd hinted at.
It was just easier that way.
She let Mal and Zoë believe her little lie.
She never told either one of them that she rarely flew Serenity alone.
XXX
That night, while both of them slept, River sat in the co-pilot chair on the bridge and looked over at the pilot seat. A man sat there. He stared out at the stars with a wistful smile on his face. After a moment, he spoke.
"You know cherry is her favorite."
"I know," said River.
The man grinned. "You know we once…"
River held up a hand and cut him off. "I know."
The man laughed. "Anyway, you did a good job. I think you even earned a new name. Thanks, Moonpie."
River laughed out loud, but no one on board heard her.
No one except Wash, who laughed with her and never called her anything else ever again.