Rating: PG
Spoilers: Anything through Ariel is fair game.
Pairing: Let's just say it's not Kaylee/Simon or Mal/Inara, despite appearing such at first.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted here were created by Joss Whedon, and are the property of Mutant Enemy and FOX Broadcasting. They are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is being made from their use.
Summary: Relationships aboard the Serenity take some interesting turns when Kaylee decides to organize a Christmas party.
Deck the AirlocksBy Grace
Chapter 1: Taking Back Christmas
Kaylee Frye collapsed on her bunk, exhausted. She had spent four hours tinkering in the engine room, trying to coax a little more power out of the old girl. Then, when she stopped by the infirmary to get a cut on her hand dressed, she ended up spending more than an hour talking to Simon. The ordeal on Ariel had taken its toll on him, and it was obvious that he needed someone to discuss it with.
Now that he had a better idea of what had been done to River, Simon seemed confident that he would be able to help her. That only partially eased the guilt he felt for not freeing her from the Alliance facility sooner, however.
One of the things Simon told her River had said kept running through Kaylee's head: "They took away Christmas."
Christmas. It was something Kaylee hadn't given much thought to in the past few years, since joining the crew of the Serenity. Seasons and holidays kind of lost their meaning when you were floating through the silent blackness of space. A quick glance at a chrono after her talk with Simon, though, revealed that Christmas was only a week away. Now, all she could think about was making this Christmas special for River—and Simon, too, she reluctantly admitted to herself. Maybe if she did something special for his sister, Simon would… She shook her head, trying to clear away those thoughts. It was thinking like that, which had gotten her heart broken in the first place. She and Simon were from two different worlds. If she did something, it should be for herself, for River, for the crew—not to please Simon.
Her mind made up, Kaylee, suddenly full of energy, exited her quarters and headed off to find the cap'n.
* * *
Captain Malcolm Reynolds sat in the pilot's chair, gazing speculatively out of Serenity's main view port. The ship was quiet—the rest of the crew was long asleep by now. There was really no reason for him to be awake, but he hadn't been able to sleep.
The creak of metal snapped him back to full alert. "Who's there?" he called out. He exhaled when Kaylee stepped into sight.
"It's just me, Cap'n."
"What're you doing up, Kaylee?"
"Thinkin'." She sat down in the co-pilot's chair with a thump.
"What about?"
"Christmas."
"Christmas?" Mal chuckled. "Are you makin' your list and checkin' it twice?"
"Ha-ha. Actually, I was wonderin' if we could have a Christmas party next week."
He stared at her, mouth agape. "Serious?"
"Yeah. I mean, we're sorta like family, right? I just though, maybe, we could celebrate like a family."
"What brought this on?"
"I just thought…River might live it. Maybe it would help her."
Mal gave her a sly smile. "River…or Simon?"
Kaylee's head snapped up, eyes flashing. "River," she emphasized. "I was thinkin' maybe it would help her. We all might enjoy it."
"This is really important to you?"
Kaylee nodded.
"Okay then. Maybe you can get Inara to help you or something."
"Thank you, Cap'n!" she squealed, launching herself into his arms and hugging him fiercely.
He grinned and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "You're welcome. Now git to bed!"
"G'night!" she called, skipping off the bridge.
"Night, Kaylee." He listened to her footsteps fade into the distance, and then turned his gaze back outside the ship. A Christmas party. The idea sort of appealed to him. Holidays on his mama's ranch had always meant a rollicking party, short on gifts and long on alcohol. The ranch hands would bring barmaids from town, and spend most of the night under the mistletoe.
Mistletoe. He'd have to remind Kaylee to have plenty of that at the party. After all, Inara couldn't possibly object to upholding tradition, now could she?
* * *
Standing outside Inara's shuttle the following morning, Kaylee knocked tentatively on the metal hatch.
"Enter," the Companion's refined voice called from inside.
The door creaked slightly as Kaylee pushed it open and stepped into the shuttle. Inara looked up and smiled when she espied the young mechanic. "Hello, Kaylee. I thought it might be you—Mal rarely knocks."
"Yeah, the Cap'n don't stand much on formality."
"Come, sit. What can I do for you?"
Kaylee sat down atop a pile of soft cushions before replying. "Well, I was talkin' to Simon, and I got to thinkin' it might be nice to do something' special for River, what with Christmas a-comin'."
"That's very sweet of you. What did you have in mind?"
"I talked to Cap last night, and he said we could have a Christmas party."
Inara's delicate eyebrows shot up. "The captain agreed to a party? How…civilized. How can I help?"
"I thought, since you know so much about parties 'n' stuff, You could help me the plannin'. You know, decorations and the like."
"I'd be delighted, Kaylee. If you'd like, I think we might even be able to find you a special dress—one that might catch a certain young doctor's eye?" she added slyly.
Kaylee blushed to the roots of her hair. "Simon and me—I don't think there's much hope for that."
"You give up too easily, my dear. Sometimes one only needs a different perspective to see what has been there all along."
* * *
For the next several days, Kaylee was kept busy with preparations for the party. Two days before the celebration was to take place, each crew member found an elaborate invitation outside their quarters.
"You are cordially invited tothe First Annual Serenity Christmas Ball.
Saturday, December 25th
6 o'clock p.m. in the Main Hold
Dress is formal."
The arrival of the invitations caused quite a stir aboard the Serenity. Everyone, it seemed, had a comment or grievance, as evidenced at dinner that night.
"Mal," began Wash, "it's real nice that we're havin' a party and all, but formal? Most of us don't exactly have the wardrobe for that."
"I'm sure you can come up with something," the captain said calmly. "I'm sure Kaylee just don't want you showin' up in something with grease stains on it. Ain't that right, Kaylee?"
The mechanics nodded vigorously. "I just thought it'd be nice to dress up a bit, y'know?"
"Y'all better not be expectin' no ruttin' presents," Jayne grumbled.
"Of course not!" Kaylee exclaimed. "I mean, if folks wanna give presents, that's okay, but you don't hafta."
"Good, 'cause I ain't," muttered Jayne.
River had been silent throughout the meal, but she looked up now with bright eyes. "They took away Christmas," she whispered, "but now we're taking it back?"
Simon laid a comforting hand around his sister's shoulders. "That's right, River. We're taking Christmas back."
"I, for one, think it's a wonderful idea," spoke up the preacher. "Kaylee, your sense of community is commendable. It will be refreshing for us all to spend time together as a group in an activity that is neither criminal nor crisis-driven."
"Hey, some of our jobs are legit!" Mal protested.
Book fixed him with a steely glare. "Some, but not many."
"Speaking of jobs," Zoe said, "aren't we putting in at Helios tomorrow?"
Mal nodded. "Alliance presence is pretty minimal there, so it should be safe for everyone to look around a bit. Just make sure you keep a close eye on your sister," he said pointedly to Simon.
"Yes, sir," the doctor mumbled.
"Good. Now, Zoe and I are goin' to be seein' a man about a job. If things go nice and smooth, we should only be planet-side a few hours. I want everyone back aboard ship no more than three hours after landing. Understood?"
There were nods of assent all around the table, and Mal grinned. "After all, we don't want nobody missin' the Christmas party, do we?
To be continued…