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Firefly: Deleted Scenes
Ficlet 29: The Glass Slipper
By Gamera Obscura
"What are you gonna do in that rig? Flounce around the engine room? Be like a sheep walkin' on its hind legs."
-Captain Malcolm Reynolds – Episode 4: "Shindig"
(The following takes place during Episode 4, "Shindig".)
Mal and Jayne stepped from the dress shop on Persephone, with Mal carrying a hanger over his shoulder, a large, poofy pink dress hanging from it, wrapped in protective plastic.
The dress had cost fifteen platinum, which Badger had fronted in the hopes that Mal and his escort to the ball would be able to meet with Warrick Harrow, and convince Harrow to allow Serenity to ferry his cargo to Jianying. It was a three-week journey, but the potential profit would more than make up for the trouble of making the trip. And best of all, Jianying was the primary world around the Red Sun, Zhu Que, and from there it was just a hop to the Murphy system, and Mal's desired stop on Shadow.
It was already late in the day, with the sun dipping toward the horizon, as the pair walked several miles to the Eavesdown Docks. They headed to Serenity's berth, and walked up the ramp and into the cargo bay. Mal hung the dress on one of the rungs of the ladder to Kaylee's bunk, then headed to the engine room.
"Kaylee!" Mal called as he stepped down the corridor between the galley and the engine room. "Kaylee!"
Kaylee was working on an engine component with an electric bolt driver. "Not speaking to you, Captain."
"Got no need to speak," Mal said. "Come on, got a job for you."
Unseen by Mal, Kaylee made a face and mouthed some silent curses in Chinese. She finished driving the bolt into place and turned to follow the Captain.
Mal led her fore of the galley, and into the hallway that led to the bridge, where all the bunks were. He stopped in front of the entrance to Kaylee's bunk and turned around.
Kaylee stepped up to him and turned to her right to look, seeing the dress, the very dress she had been admiring just a few hours before, when Mal had insulted her. "What? What is this doing here?" she asked.
"Told you, I got a job for you," Mal said. "You're escorting me to a ball tonight, lots of Persephone high society types."
"A- A ball?" Kaylee asked, a little frightened at the prospect of being around so many rich and powerful people. "And this is for me?"
"This is for you," Mal repeated, and Kaylee threw her arms around him. "Easy, girl. I just hope I got your size right. Now hurry up and get ready; we have to leave soon."
Kaylee opened the entrance to her bunk and started to climb down. "I have to get my makeup and wash up in the passenger dorms," she said. She was grimy, with grease streaked across her face. "Are there shoes?"
"Didn't get no money for shoes," Mal said as Kaylee disappeared. "Dress goes to the floor; you should be able to wear whatever under it and it won't be noticed."
Mal stepped into his bunk and began to dress in a suit, tying an string tie around his neck. When he was done, he returned to the deck, noticing the dress was gone. He went into the galley and sat down to wait for Kaylee.
A half an hour later, she returned, resplendent in her new gown, her hair done up, and she wore a huge grin on her face. She ran her pink gloved hands down the front of the dress, smoothing its ruffles. "I love it. It's perfect!"
"Wait here," he said, and stepped into the Bridge. "Wash, call a cab for me and Kaylee. We're going to the ball downtown tonight."
Fifteen minutes later, Mal and Kaylee were sitting in the back of the cab, flying toward two pairs of searchlights that cut through the night sky. The cab deposited them in front of the convention center, and they had to wait behind a short line of limousines before exiting the vehicle. Mal got out first, then stepped around the other side and let Kaylee out of the cab.
They proceeded up the red carpet, and stopped in front of a patch of wall with ivy on it, while photographers covering the event took their pictures. Once inside the building, they handed over their invitations and gave Kaylee's full name, giving only "Escort" to designate Mal, rather than his name.
They stepped from the antechamber into the main ballroom, the Chief Usher calling out their names as they made their way inside.
"Kaywinnet Lee Frye, and escort."
O-O-O
Later, while Mal searched for Warrick Harrow, Kaylee watched the couples dance as she gorged herself at the buffet table. When she was sated for the moment, she plucked a long-stemmed strawberry from an enormous, golden bowl of them, and began to mill about, and after a brief, one-sided exchange with a servant, she quickly found herself before four young women, all in beautiful dresses.
"Hello," Kaylee said with a grin on her face.
"Don't, uh…" said the lead girl. "Have we been introduced?"
"Oh, I'm Kaylee," Kaylee shook the girl's hand.
"Banning," she said. "And this is Dester, Cabott, and Zoe," she explained, gesturing to her three companions. Kaylee grinned broadly at all of them, still holding her strawberry.
"Don't you just love this party?" Kaylee asked. "Everything's so fancy, and there's some kind of hot cheese over there," she said, pointing over her shoulder at the buffet.
"It's not as good as last year," said Cabott.
"Oh really? What'd they have last year?" Kaylee asked.
"Standards," Cabott said acidly.
Kaylee's smile faltered.
After an uncomfortable pause, Banning's face brightened. "Who made your dress, Kaylee?"
The young woman's face lit up, her smile returning. "Oh, do you like it? When I saw the ruffles, I just couldn't resist."
Banning leaned in, her demeanor almost conspiratorial. "You ought to see to your girl."
"Shuh muh?" Kaylee asked.
"Your girl," Banning repeated. "She's not very good. She made you a dress looks like you bought it in a store."
Kaylee's face began to flush, her smile completely gone, and for the first time since she had arrived she realized how completely out of her league she was amongst this crowd. "Oh," she said. "I didn't know."
From out of nowhere, an older man with white hair and a white mustache, wearing a golden sash and several medals upon his breast, stepped from behind Kaylee; he had heard the entire exchange. "Why Banning Miller, what a vision you are in your lovely dress," he said with a smile.
Banning beamed at the compliment, and her friends smiled as well.
"It must have taken a dozen slaves a dozen days to get you into that get-up." He paused, then added, "'Course, your daddy tells me it takes the space of a schoolboy's wink to get you out of it again."
Banning turned away slightly, her smile also gone, and she blushed furiously before lifting the hem of her dress and stalking off, her friends following closely behind.
Kaylee turned to the man, grinning furiously, and looked at him in awe.
"Forgive my rudeness," he said. "I cannot abide useless people."
"Kaylee," she said, offering her hand.
"Sir Alastair Murphy," the man said, shaking it. "And what brings you to the ball tonight, Kaylee?"
"I'm a ship's mechanic," she said. "I'm here with my Captain."
"A mechanic?" Murphy said. "Then I have some friends I absolutely have to introduce you to; most own factory farms and have a love of machines as well."
"Really?" said Kaylee as Murphy led her toward one side of the room. "I used to fix combines and harvesters as well as ground and air transport vehicles on Pollux, back before I signed onto Serenity."
O-O-O
After Murphy had made the introductions, Kaylee became the center of attention of half a dozen wealthy land owners, all of whom had opinions on the various farm equipment they had invested in. Kaylee knew most of them well, and offered her opinions. Never before had she been so flattered; they were down-to-earth and unpretentious, despite many of them being nobles, and took her backwater dialect in stride, one of them even going so far as to beg her the honor of a dance before Murphy interrupted him and chastised him for speaking over Kaylee, who was waxing philosophical on a harvester with a critical design flaw.
Suddenly, Kaylee saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and watched as Mal recoiled his arm while another man was sent sprawling to the ground. Inara was standing with both of them. The music, courtesy of string quartet, came to a sudden and abrupt silence.
"Oh, dear," Kaylee sent. "I'm sorry everyone, but I have to go; I'll come back later if I can." She gave a little bow and headed over towards where Mal was standing.
"There has been a challenge," a bearded attendant called out to the crowd.
O-O-O
Lost and forlorn, Kaylee wandered outside of the building, past the reporters, and onto the sidewalk; she had no money, and no pockets for any, so she began to walk the dozen or so miles back toward the docks. She would be a sweaty mess by then, and the dress would be ruined, the perfect end to a perfect night.
"'Ello, love," a voice sounded behind her. "Where's Captain Reynolds?"
Kaylee turned and faced Badger. "He's challenged someone to a duel. He's been put up in lodgings for the night."
"A swordfight?" Badger asked, and Kaylee nodded.
Badger whispered to one of several men that were standing with him, who hailed a cab. "Come with us, love. You can fill us in while we take you back to the ship."
O-O-O
Badger had disappeared into the ship's airlock, the outer door, which was part of the raised ramp, still open. "A duel?" she heard as Book asked.
"With swords?" Wash continued.
One of the men prodded her with the barrel of his assault rifle, and they all filed into the airlock; the inner doors were open, and she could see half the crew congregated around Badger as they spoke.
She heard Jayne cock his shotgun on the balcony overhead.
"Jayne," Zoe said. "I wouldn't."
"Why not?" Jayne asked.
Zoe gestured toward Kaylee, who was now being held at gunpoint by four men. One of them pulled back the bolt on his rifle.
Kaylee raised her hand in a curt wave. "Hi," she said.
O-O-O
Kaylee made her way back to her bunk the next morning. It had been a long night, with all of them being held against their wills to prevent them from rescuing the Captain; at least they had allowed her back to her bunk to change out of her dress and into work clothes, and then they had all sat around in the cargo bay for the duration of the night.
Not long after dawn, Mal had eventually returned, wounded and bloodied, but alive. Badger and his men departed, but only after Mal had confirmed that he had secured the job with Warrick Harrow.
Kaylee climbed down into her bunk, and lay down on her bed; she needed a nap after a long, sleepless night, but first she turned on the AR4 player mounted on the wall, and listened to some of the classical music that had been played at the ball. She looked to the foot of her bed, where the beautiful pink dress she had worn was hanging against the wall, and it would stay there, in its place of honor, for as long as she remained on Serenity.
She rubbed her full belly, thought of her wonderful, exciting night with the high society and nobility of Persephone, and smiled.
(Author's Note: "Shindig" is one of my favorite episodes; it has everything: playful banter, River's insanity, Inara trying to save Mal (twice, and once at the cost of her own freedom), an elaborate dance, and a wonderful swordfight in which Mal is hopelessly outclassed, yet manages to win anyway. Any story I wrote about it could not begin to do it justice, but one thing that always stood out in my mind was that dress, and how we never got to see Mal present it to Kaylee. That was a story that begged to be told, and now here it is, in Deleted Scenes. Incidentally, the scene with Kaylee and the mean girls, as well as the introduction of Murphy, was Verbatim from Episode 4, "Shindig".)
(Next Time: Milk And Hay - As Mal recuperates from his injuries from his sword fight, the crew deals with the realities of caring for a herd of cattle during their three-week trek from Persephone to Jianying.)
