Everyone was up early the next morning. Jayne and Simon were up first. Kaylee soon after, then River, Zoe, Mal and Inara. Everyone was busy in the kitchen.
Zoe and River were making peanut butter sandwiches (with Jayne's "stash" of peanut butter) and Simon and Jayne were preparing eggs and bacon for everyone else. They ate hurriedly so they could maximize their morning time on the lake before the hot afternoon sun was out in full force. They'd packed the ice chests with sandwiches, drinks and sliced apples.
As they were cleaning up after breakfast, Zoe made an announcement to the group. "Since we'll be using my Wash's ski's and vests, I kind a had an idea last night that would make this even more fun. I wasn't sure what to do with Wash's old collection of shirts, so I decided that in the name of fun and sun protection if you all want to use his stuff, you'll have to wear one of his shirts too." Zoe paused watching everyone's reaction then she continued;
"Since the Captain has the closest taste to that of Wash's in fashion, he gets first pick, then everyone else needs to take one, or two."
She walked to her quarters and brought back a box with all of Wash's Hawaiian shirts. Mal was first to pick and seemed to choose carefully.
Jayne whispered to River, "Ya think she's serious 'bout them shirts baby doll? cause I ain't to excited 'bout looking like some kinda drunken tropical pineapple whilst I ski?"
River smiled up at him "Yes, it does appear that way. I think it will be fun. And, I think you'll look even more swai in one of his colorful shirts instead of your usual browns and blues."
"Ya think so? I mean for Mal that type a shirt'll be all up his alley, but for me?"
"I will pick one that is similar to yours in color scheme and we can match. Will that ease your fears?"
"Yeah, I guess it'll work. An' it ain't like I'll be the only one wearing it. We all is gonna suffer together."
"Yes, what doesn't break us, makes us stronger."
They began searching the box for the appropriate pair of shirts.
Everyone had selected and donned their shirts and it really was comical. Zoe was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. "I never, ever thought I'd see something like this in my lifetime. Wash would be proud!"
Inara begged them to wait so she could run and grab her capture. This definitely required a group shot. After retrieving her capture, she posed everyone and taught them how to give the hang loose sign with their hands and set the timer for several stills in addition to the video she kept running of all of the set up. She decided she'd bring it along that afternoon as well.
They loaded the items in the back of the mule and Zoe and Mal took the front seats, Kaylee, Simon and Inara crammed into the rear seats and Jayne and River were "towed" behind the mule in Inara's inflated raft along with more of their supplies for the day. The mule easily pulled the raft so it looked like towing a skier or two would be no problem. Jayne leaned back into the rear of the raft and cuddled River at his side as they enjoyed their ride. They both had selected shirts with yellow, hot pink and turquoise tones. River had her shirt tied up under her breasts and Jayne noticed it matched perfectly with her metallic bikini. His shirt hung open and matched his blue swim trunks that he'd dug out of his dresser. "Hey there little bit, you sure look pretty in yer tropical fare."
"Thank you Jayne, you look very colorful and handsome yourself."
"All ya need is a paper umbrella and you'd look good enough ta drink up!"
River laughed and kissed him as he held her closer.
Zoe drove until they found a sheltered cove area that would be perfect to set up shore camp in. Everyone agreed that Zoe should be the first out. Jayne volunteered to pull her as Simon watched her from the rear of the mule. Inara, Mal, Kaylee and River stayed on shore with their belongings and the raft, letting Jayne, Simon and Zoe ski first.
Zoe put on her vest and hopped off of the mule into the cool water. Simon tossed out her single ski and waited for her to get it on then he tossed her the tow rope. She got into position and gave him the thumbs up and Jayne pulled her up. She quickly rose out of the water and stood proud on her ski. Since the mule made no wake, the skiing was pristine and smooth. She could tell Jayne new what he was doing as he towed her in graceful arcs, speeding into sharp turns so she could cut back. She skied for about fifteen minutes then gave the sign to slow as she dropped the rope. Zoe felt exhilarated although slightly sore. That was part of the experience though, she knew her shoulders and arms would be sore the next morning. She could swear she felt Wash's presence along side of her as she enjoyed her run.
Simon got into the driver seat and hovered as low to the water as possible so Jayne could pull Zoe up into the mule. They all smiled and congratulated her on a good run.
"Wow that was great, there wasn't any wake so it was as smooth out there as a baby's butt" she chirped.
Simon insisted Jayne go next. Jayne shrugged off the shirt, jumped into the water and got into position quickly. He gave the sign and Simon pulled him out with a smooth acceleration. Jayne got right up too and gave them the thumbs up sign to speed up a bit. Simon accelerated and Jayne signaled he liked that speed. Jayne too skied for about fifteen minutes and then it was Simon's turn.
Simon was indeed a skilled skier. He cut back repeatedly behind the mule and on sharp turns was able to get next to them enough so they could shout back and forth. He finally stopped after twenty minutes or so and they headed back to shore to join the rest of the group.
"Wow, Simon you looked great out there" Kaylee said excitedly as she greeted him. She was awed by his skills and physique. While not a large man, Simon was all sinewy muscle and was very strong and in excellent shape. He came in and grabbed a beer from the cooler and laid down in the sun on his towel with Kaylee to dry off.
River sat cross legged on the blanket as Jayne toweled off and took a seat next to her. They shared some apple slices with Zoe. "You ski well Zoe. How often did you and the little man get out?" Jayne inquired.
"We'd get out every time we visited his family on Greenleaf. I'd never skied before and wasn't to keen on learning, but he persisted and was a good teacher. I got up after about four attempts. I skied double for about a year then finally learned to single."
"You ain't so bad yourself Jayne."
"Yeah, I wondered if I'd remember, but Simon was right, it's like ridin' a bike."
They decided that Simon and Jayne would take Kaylee and River out for about an hour while the rest played a game of tall card on their blankets and lounged in the morning sun. The plan was anyone who didn't want to ski would be able to get towed in the raft later on.
Jayne and River sat in the front of the mule, with Simon and Kaylee cuddled in the back. They drove out a ways and Simon jumped into the water first followed by Kaylee. She had on a black tank suit with large pink hibiscus flowers on the front. She donned Zoe's vest as Simon instructed her in how to position her body. "Keep your ski's together and tuck your knees up to your chest. When you are ready, fight the urge to stand up and don't lean forward. Let the mule do all the work and pull you up and out of the water okay bao bei?"
"Okay Simon, it looks easy enough." Simon floated along side of her until she was ready then he got back into the mule, hauling himself up and out of the water with no effort. Jayne watched Kaylee signal him and took off. Kaylee felt the pull and braced herself but teetered to the side as the mule tugged her up and fell, dropping the rope. Simon jumped out, noting she was smiling and getting ready to try again. He pulled himself back in and watched her as she signaled Jayne to begin again. Luckily the mule could hover for extended periods of time so it really was working out well towing skiers. This time, Kaylee got three quarters of the way up and was almost out before she pulled too hard on the rope causing the ski to slip too far forward pulling her down. Again, she prepared quickly for another attempt. It took her three more tries until she finally got up and shakily began skiing. She was concentrating so hard at staying up and keeping her skis together that she tired very quickly and lasted about ten minutes before letting one hand go from the tow rope and signaling Jayne to stop. As the mule slowed, she dropped the rope and fell backwards into the water. Simon was already at her side when she righted herself. "Bao Bei, you did great! did you like it?"
"Simon, that was really fun but boy howdy I'm sore in the arms. How'd I look?"
"You looked great, you kept your ski's together and did so well for your first time." He kissed her and helped her remove the skis. She swam to the mule and Jayne pulled her up into it as River let it hover. "Nice job there little Kaylee, ya done picked that up real quick." Simon handed the ski's up to Jayne and then pulled himself up. River and Kaylee were laughing and chatting excitedly.
"Kaylee, you did so well. It's a lot harder than it looks isn't it?"
"Sure is River, and my arms are mighty sore. Feels like they got ripped outta their sockets."
"Yes, it does hurt a bit. I hope I can do it. I have never been able to successfully get up. I always fall just as I'm getting pulled up. Father used to get irritated with all of the attempts."
"Well River, today will be the day that you get up, I can just tell. If I can do it then I just know you will too!"
"Yes RIver I'm sure you'll succeed this time, it's easier than using a boat to tow you as without the wake, there isn't as much turbulence and you get up quicker. I'm going to pull you and Jayne will stay with you in the water. Simon knew she'd have difficulty getting up and asked Jayne to stay near her in the water to coach her and give his encouragement. Simon tossed out the skis and River put them on. She was wearing an old bikini of Kaylee's. It was a metallic Silver bikini with decorative rings on each hip that joined the fabric together, the top, even though it was obscured by the ski vest had a single ring between her breasts and was halter style. She was beginning to get a light tan from her sun exposure the previous day. She looked happy and fairly relaxed as she glanced up at Kaylee and Simon in the mule.
Jayne floated patiently with her in the water and didn't give her much advice. He knew she knew what to do and harpin' on her weren't gonna help so he just encouraged her and supported her and enjoyed the view of his little mermaid as she shined in the sun.
"'Kay now baby doll, yer all set. You just have fun. Don't worry none if ya can't get up right away. I know you'll get it as yer a tough little bit." He kissed her tenderly and squeezed her bottom under the water causing her to squeal. She thought back to when her Father had tried to teach her. He'd loose patience with her after several failed attempts and she'd ask to stop knowing he wanted to ski with Simon and not waste his time with her. But she was always saddened that he "let" her stop and didn't want to spend more time with her so she could get it right.
Coming back to the present, she glanced at Jayne who just casually floated next to her, smiling at her in silent encouragement and she decided now was the time and that she was ready. She gave Simon the signal and closed her eyes focusing on what she wanted her body to do and concentrating on relaxing and enjoying this time, not stressing. Upon opening her eyes, she was stunned to see that she was already up and skiing! She could hear Jayne whooping behind her as she accelerated away. Kaylee was screaming and jumping up and down in the back of the mule while Simon pumped one fist in the air as he slightly sped up. He towed her in large arcs around Jayne who just grinned and yelled at her each time she passed him.
"Hot Damn baby, yer kickin' ass an' takin' names! That's my girl!"
"Yeah RIver, you're doing so well! Ya look like a pro" Kaylee screamed.
River could see the others on the shore all standing and waving at her. She focused on Jayne when he was near enough and smiled big and bright at him. "I'm doing it Jayne!, I'm skiing..." she excitedly yelled. "Gorram right you are girlie!" he whooped back at her. River stayed up for about ten minutes and then as she approached Jayne floating in the water, she signaled Simon to cut it. She slowed until she gracefully fell back into the water. Jayne was swimming up to her at full speed. He grabbed her, pulling her into him and kissed her deeply while keeping them both afloat. "Gorram Girl, ya got right up an' yer eyes was even closed! Knew ya'd do it. Figured ya just needed to relax and not have yer Pa bitchin' and whining at ya. But damn, ya did it on yer first try. That's my girl tougher than tough!"
River cuddled into him, as he pulled off her skis and let them float next to them. Simon was back with the mule and Kaylee grabbed the ski's as Jayne handed them up to her. He pulled himself up into the mule and then leaned down to help River out of the water. He pulled her out effortlessly and stood wrapping his arms around her kissing the top of her head as they settled into the back seats on their towels. He put his arm around her as they relaxed and headed back to the shore.
"River I can't believe what you just did. You were awesome. I'm so proud of you!" Simon excitedly gushed.
"Thank you Simon. I'm older and more physically developed now. The support I felt from you and Jayne must have played a part as well. She is...I am enjoying myself so much, I guess I was just ready to finally get up."
They pulled up onto the shore and parked the mule. The others happily running up to them. Mal picked her up and twirled her around proudly. "Lil' Albatross, is there anything you can't do? you looked like you was ready for the pro competition circuit ya did!"
Everyone settled down on their blankets and towels to enjoy lunch. Afterwards, the men decided they would tow the women in the raft, so Mal, Jayne and Simon piled into the mule while the women got into the raft. Mal drove the mule so fast and whipped the raft around so well, all that could be heard from behind the mule were screams and shouts and wild laughing.
The women were holding onto the rope siding of the raft and just howling with laughter. They would bounce so high they'd be airborne and then slam into the bottom of the raft and bounce as they came down.
"Careful there Mal or we're gonna lose em. I just caught my fish and don't want her fallin' back in the drink yet!" Jayne yelled out as he watched the raft. It was a mighty fine sight to see all four of them gigglin' and carryin' on like little kids, and about gorram time he thought.
After twenty minutes or so, Mal towed them back to the shore. Inara stumbled out of the raft promptly falling into the water and shrieking with glee. Zoe right behind her. River was trying to stand in the raft as Kaylee crawled out and as the raft pitched, River and the raft promptly flipped into the water causing more laughing and screeching. Everyone finally got back on shore but the giggling didn't stop.
"Geese Louise that was fun. I thought we were gonna get tossed out on a few a them turns Cap'n"
"Aw you know I wouldn't do that Kaylee, now if Jayne was drivin' then I'd a been worried."
"Mal are you going to ski?" Simon inquired.
"Nah Doc, I'm gonna pass. With my leg all stiff from bein' shot up so much, I ain't gonna risk it. You and Jayne outta go back out again 'for we pack up an leave. Come on, I'll pull the two a ya. Ya can ski at the same time can't ya?"
They finished out their morning with Simon and Jayne skiing side by side and Mal grinning in the drivers seat with Inara at his side and little Kaylee, River and Zoe crammed in the back still giggling like kids.
"Well Ma, we's gotta get out like this with the kids more often don't ya think?"
"Yep Pa, it's been a mighty fine day it has!" Inara answered complete with a mock accent.
