I was looking to do a Christmas story featuring Kaylee and Simon and ended with a winter story featuring Kaylee, River and Simon. The plot bunnies never do what I want them to. The song was supposed to be "Baby, it's Cold Outside" but that got rerouted too. So, the usual. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy and I want to thank him for being the incredibly awesome person he is. ( and letting us borrow his characters. You rock Joss!)
The moment Aberdeen came into view on the flight deck window, their normally reserved if not sometimes odd pilot morphed into a vibrant bundle of excited nerves. An action that made the Captain of the ship downright nervous in the beginning.
"Ever'thin' all right River?" He asked from the co-pilot's chair. "Ain't feelin' an'thin'…weird, are you?"
"Snow!" was her excited answer.
He waited a beat to see if she would elaborate but she only sat there, practically vibrating with excited energy.
"Yep," he finally said. "We're hittin' Aberdeen durin' the winter months so I reckon there might be a bit of the white stuff about."
"Snow!" she cheered again before setting course towards the planet surface leaving Mal to wonder what exactly was going to happen when they reached the surface.
The landing went off without a hitch and within moments of landing, the bay doors were open. Zoe and Jayne were stacking the last of the crates to be delivered on the mule.
"Planet should be quiet and this is an easy exchange." Zoe said as Mal was walking down the steps to the storage area followed by River. "Won't be long."
"So how long would you like us to wait after you don't return to tell River to shut the doors and leave?" Inara asked dryly, leaning elegantly against the stair railings. Mal tapped her shoulder when he reached the floor.
"Don't be jinxin' us now, 'Nara." He climbed up into the mule where Zoe and Jayne were and grinned back at her. "'Sides, you all know you don't leave 'less River says so."
He started the mule and guided it out the open hatch and drove off through the white towards the town. River waited until the mule was only a speck in the distance before she raced for the opening, combat boots on, coat open, mittens on and ran through the packed snow, laughing happily as she danced around the falling snowflakes.
Simon leaned against the side of the ramp entrance watching his litter sister act like the girl she never had a chance to be.
River started packing snow into a ball, then began rolling it into a larger ball.
"Simon, come help!" She called out. He shook his head smiling.
"I think I'll skip this one, mei mei." He answered loud enough for her to hear.
"But Simon I need help building a snowman!"
The bratty younger sister was beginning to creep into her voice and his smile grew wider remembering a time when she would've sold his soul to hear her whine at him.
"You don't want to help your sister build a snowman?" Inara asked, walking up behind him. He looked back at her, the smile still in place.
"I know that whine. She doesn't want me to help her build a snowman, she wants to use me as target practice for snowballs."
"Spoilsport!" River yelled at him, as the snowball she was rolling grew larger. She grin grew wider and behind him, he heard hurried footsteps.
"Kaylee! Snowman!"
"I wanna help!" Kaylee yelled running past Simon and Inara without even a glance and into the snow where River was standing. The two women quickly finished the first part of the snowman and quickly went about constructing the second snowball for the body.
Inara laughed lightly. "They look like they're having fun. I'm glad."
As Simon watched the two women he was struck by the close relationship they shared. Even from the beginning, Kaylee had taken a shine to the younger girl, befriending her and giving her a small slice of normalcy in an un-normal life. Over the years the two had become as close as sisters and after the short and sweet marriage between Simon and Kaylee, they were officially sisters.
He loved Kaylee but if there was ever one thing needed to cement that love it was that Kaylee loved River almost as much as he did.
River pushed the final smaller ball up on top of the snowman with Kaylee bracing it and patting snow around the neck to keep the head on. Two pieces of old protein bits rolled into smaller balls made the eyes, a curved piece of broken metal no longer used made up the mouth, and with a hastily patched hat on its head the two women stood back to survey their handiwork.
"Not bad." Kaylee said, her cheeks and nose red from the cold and exertion. River walked around it slowly, studying it thoughtfully.
"Missing something." She said.
"Try this."
Simon walked carefully towards them, his feet crunching in the snow. In his hands he held a grey piece of fabric. When he reached the snowman, he shook it out and wrapped it around the snowman's neck then stepped back to look at it. River grinned, her eyes lighting up.
"Perfect!" She announced.
"That ain't your scarf, is it?" Kaylee asked him. He shook his head, smiling down at his sister who had stopped moving long enough to lean into him and stare in pride at their finished product.
"It's the sash I wore when I graduated medical school." He told her, wrapping an arm around his sister's shoulder. "I took it with me when I ran to remind me who I was. I don't need it anymore, not when I have you two to remind me every day."
River curled her head against the inside of his shoulder. "Sappy." She announced.
Kaylee smiled, winding her fingers into his free hand. "I think it's sweet."
The three stood there silently staring at the snowman.
"Let's get inside and warm up. I can make some tea."
"Captain Daddy is coming back." River told them as they turned back towards Serenity.
"See? Another reason to celebrate."
When the mule returned to the ship, Zoe laughed out loud at the lone snowman several feet from the ship clad in a gray scarf and a multi colored patched hat.
Jayne grunted at the thing and Mal merely shook his head.
"Least we know why the girl was so excited about the snow now."