bThe Anything But Routine Dayb
Author - Coll
Rating - PG-13 to R, haven't decided how far I'm going to take this.
Disclaimer - None of the characters are mine, except the ones that I make
up, all rights to Joss Whedon, a.k.a. - God, and I think you all know the
drill.
Spoilers - Takes place after "Objects in Space." I'm also including the
pilot, "Serenity."
Author's Note - Fox blows, Firefly forever!
bChapter 1 - 1:02 pmb
Today was not going to be his best ever.
Mal always thought of that as a nice way to start a day, setting the bar low so you don't feel too sore when you can't clear it and you fall on your ass. Nothing in particular was supposed to happen that day, so he knew that it probably wouldn't end up in the race for his best day, but it probably won't end up being the worst.
Although, on that note, the Captain most likely jinxed himself. All he was expecting was a last, smooth journey day on their way to Avalon. Mal looked up at his wall clock after he zipped up and shut his toilet/drawer.
It was a little past one. By nightfall, they would be planet side and all Mal had to do was get his crew there in one piece. He buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in his pants. He hit the button that opened up his door and he climbed up the ladder.
Mal looked to his right and saw Zoe leaning over the pilot's chair, hugging Wash, her husband. He debated, for a second, whether or not to go over and chitchat with his pilot about how ISerenityI was running.
That wasn't really a necessity, however, on a day like this. Everything was running smoothly yesterday, so Mal figured that his faith in Kaylee was good enough that he could believe ISerenityI was well enough to last the day.
With a sigh, Mal made a left and decided to just check up on Kaylee. He knew the engine room was the first place to look. Mal also knew that it was a place she had been fearing ever since that gorram bounty hunter broke on to the ship.
The next few minutes, he didn't really remember too well.
"Captain? Mal? Can you hear me?" the voice of the Doc was low and it sounded far away, but when he opened his eyes, Simon was as big as life and smacking his face. The doctor went to smack him again, but Mal held his hand up and stopped him.
"What happened to me?" he asked in a groggy voice.
Everyone was quiet, which he didn't like. He leaned up and, for the first time, realized he was in the infirmary. "Sir, you really shouldn't-"
"No, don't tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing," Mal exclaimed as he pushed away the hands of those trying to push him down on the bed. "I'm the rutting Captain, and I."
The world spun as he got up off the bed and put all of his weight on his legs. The cool surface of the infirmary floor reflected his face when he fell on it with a thud. "You were saying, Sir?" Zoe said with an 'I-told- you-so' tone.
Mal decided to let it go as Jayne and Simon grabbed him and stood him on his feet. Mal grabbed on to Jayne for support as he looked at all those present for an explanation. "Who's gonna tell me what the hell is going on?"
"There was a.a little accident.Sir." Zoe answered. Mal took a second to mentally kick himself for jinxing the day earlier.
After rolling his eyes he gestured for someone to continue. "Well, apparently you was heading to the engine room and, uh," Jayne started off with an unsteady tone. "Um, there was this explosion."
"Explosion?!?" Mal echoed. "IDah bienI, is ISerenityI still floating?"
"She's floatin, Sir. We're still on course.well, we're still on our way to Avalon," Zoe stated. "Although, the reason for the explosion was.Sir, we flew right over a belt. Ship got clipped a bit and it fed back into the engine room."
Mal let out a heavy sigh. "We was flying over an asteroid belt? Son of a bitch," Mal took his hands off Jayne and sat down on the bed. "Is Kaylee alright?"
"Kaylee wasn't in the engine room," Simon answered as he slipped his stethoscope on to his ears and checked Mal out. "She was in Inara's shuttle this morning."
"Ah, cold," Mal sounded as soon as the cool metal touched his bare chest. "Good, though, that Kaylee wasn't there. Is she there now though? Sussin out any problems there are?"
"That she is, Cap." Jayne told him.
With a nod, Mal stood. He took a moment to let his legs adjust to the sudden weight, and he noticed that everyone was now ready to catch him if he fell, unlike last time. "Good, will we still be in Avalon by the end of the day?"
Mal looked to Zoe, knowing that she would have the answer. "Wash says that's so, Sir."
"OK," he said finally as he headed to the door. "Hopefully the rest of the day will run by smooth as silk."
***
So far, today was a bumpy day, and Inara highly doubted that it would get smoother. Her day had pretty much been shot to hell due to her screen shorting because of the explosion earlier.
Inara would have screened her clients earlier, but Kaylee showed up wanting to talk and Inara could never turn the girl away. It was like a weakness, or something: not being able to turn away a sweet, young girl who is confused by love and boys.
All she could do was pray that Mal or Wash would be able to get her screen back up before they arrived at Avalon. Inara still had to choose who she was going to spend her time with, seeing as how she and the crew of ISerenityI were going to be there for a while.
No sooner had she thought the thought that there was a knock on her shuttle door. Inara rose and gracefully walked over, thinking it had to be Wash to save the day, seeing as how Mal always entered whenever he felt like it.
She held her hand on the panel, and her shuttle door slid open. "Mal?" she said, shocked.
A smirk broke out on his face due to Inara's greeting. "Inara?" he said mockingly. "Wha-well, you're on the ship. Well, I'll be gorramed-"
"Enough," she said in an irritated tone as she stepped aside to let Mal enter. "Are you going to fix my screen or not, I have business to take care of."
"Your screens out?" Mal echoed as his brow furrowed in thought.
Inara sighed, and she hoped that Mal would realize it was an annoyed sigh. "What are you doing here if you didn't know my screen was out?"
"Visiting my crew," Mal said as he crouched down in front of her screen and examined it. "Seein if they're all alright after the little tiff that took place this morning."
"That 'tiff,' as you call it, was strong enough to leave you on your ass, so maybe it was more than a tiff." Inara snapped.
The Captain stopped, and Inara hit herself on the head (In a graceful manner, of course) before Mal stood and turned. "What crawled up your-"
"Please don't use any graphic language describing where something crawls into me." She interrupted.
"I meant," Mal started cordially. "You, yourself, are in quite a."
"Tiff?" Inara filled in. "Listen, whatever it is, I really do not care to discuss it. Now, could you please fix my screen?"
Mal nodded and turned, "Might be a bit of a while, though."
"Fine," Inara said. "I'll be around. Come and find me when you fix it."
Inara turned and began to walk out when Mal stopped her. "Might wanna change that to an 'if.'" Mal informed her.
"Of course," She muttered as she exited. "All I wanted was a smooth day."
To be continued, Keep flying!
P.S. - Thanks for all the great reviews, don't be shy and keep them up!
bChapter 1 - 1:02 pmb
Today was not going to be his best ever.
Mal always thought of that as a nice way to start a day, setting the bar low so you don't feel too sore when you can't clear it and you fall on your ass. Nothing in particular was supposed to happen that day, so he knew that it probably wouldn't end up in the race for his best day, but it probably won't end up being the worst.
Although, on that note, the Captain most likely jinxed himself. All he was expecting was a last, smooth journey day on their way to Avalon. Mal looked up at his wall clock after he zipped up and shut his toilet/drawer.
It was a little past one. By nightfall, they would be planet side and all Mal had to do was get his crew there in one piece. He buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in his pants. He hit the button that opened up his door and he climbed up the ladder.
Mal looked to his right and saw Zoe leaning over the pilot's chair, hugging Wash, her husband. He debated, for a second, whether or not to go over and chitchat with his pilot about how ISerenityI was running.
That wasn't really a necessity, however, on a day like this. Everything was running smoothly yesterday, so Mal figured that his faith in Kaylee was good enough that he could believe ISerenityI was well enough to last the day.
With a sigh, Mal made a left and decided to just check up on Kaylee. He knew the engine room was the first place to look. Mal also knew that it was a place she had been fearing ever since that gorram bounty hunter broke on to the ship.
The next few minutes, he didn't really remember too well.
"Captain? Mal? Can you hear me?" the voice of the Doc was low and it sounded far away, but when he opened his eyes, Simon was as big as life and smacking his face. The doctor went to smack him again, but Mal held his hand up and stopped him.
"What happened to me?" he asked in a groggy voice.
Everyone was quiet, which he didn't like. He leaned up and, for the first time, realized he was in the infirmary. "Sir, you really shouldn't-"
"No, don't tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing," Mal exclaimed as he pushed away the hands of those trying to push him down on the bed. "I'm the rutting Captain, and I."
The world spun as he got up off the bed and put all of his weight on his legs. The cool surface of the infirmary floor reflected his face when he fell on it with a thud. "You were saying, Sir?" Zoe said with an 'I-told- you-so' tone.
Mal decided to let it go as Jayne and Simon grabbed him and stood him on his feet. Mal grabbed on to Jayne for support as he looked at all those present for an explanation. "Who's gonna tell me what the hell is going on?"
"There was a.a little accident.Sir." Zoe answered. Mal took a second to mentally kick himself for jinxing the day earlier.
After rolling his eyes he gestured for someone to continue. "Well, apparently you was heading to the engine room and, uh," Jayne started off with an unsteady tone. "Um, there was this explosion."
"Explosion?!?" Mal echoed. "IDah bienI, is ISerenityI still floating?"
"She's floatin, Sir. We're still on course.well, we're still on our way to Avalon," Zoe stated. "Although, the reason for the explosion was.Sir, we flew right over a belt. Ship got clipped a bit and it fed back into the engine room."
Mal let out a heavy sigh. "We was flying over an asteroid belt? Son of a bitch," Mal took his hands off Jayne and sat down on the bed. "Is Kaylee alright?"
"Kaylee wasn't in the engine room," Simon answered as he slipped his stethoscope on to his ears and checked Mal out. "She was in Inara's shuttle this morning."
"Ah, cold," Mal sounded as soon as the cool metal touched his bare chest. "Good, though, that Kaylee wasn't there. Is she there now though? Sussin out any problems there are?"
"That she is, Cap." Jayne told him.
With a nod, Mal stood. He took a moment to let his legs adjust to the sudden weight, and he noticed that everyone was now ready to catch him if he fell, unlike last time. "Good, will we still be in Avalon by the end of the day?"
Mal looked to Zoe, knowing that she would have the answer. "Wash says that's so, Sir."
"OK," he said finally as he headed to the door. "Hopefully the rest of the day will run by smooth as silk."
***
So far, today was a bumpy day, and Inara highly doubted that it would get smoother. Her day had pretty much been shot to hell due to her screen shorting because of the explosion earlier.
Inara would have screened her clients earlier, but Kaylee showed up wanting to talk and Inara could never turn the girl away. It was like a weakness, or something: not being able to turn away a sweet, young girl who is confused by love and boys.
All she could do was pray that Mal or Wash would be able to get her screen back up before they arrived at Avalon. Inara still had to choose who she was going to spend her time with, seeing as how she and the crew of ISerenityI were going to be there for a while.
No sooner had she thought the thought that there was a knock on her shuttle door. Inara rose and gracefully walked over, thinking it had to be Wash to save the day, seeing as how Mal always entered whenever he felt like it.
She held her hand on the panel, and her shuttle door slid open. "Mal?" she said, shocked.
A smirk broke out on his face due to Inara's greeting. "Inara?" he said mockingly. "Wha-well, you're on the ship. Well, I'll be gorramed-"
"Enough," she said in an irritated tone as she stepped aside to let Mal enter. "Are you going to fix my screen or not, I have business to take care of."
"Your screens out?" Mal echoed as his brow furrowed in thought.
Inara sighed, and she hoped that Mal would realize it was an annoyed sigh. "What are you doing here if you didn't know my screen was out?"
"Visiting my crew," Mal said as he crouched down in front of her screen and examined it. "Seein if they're all alright after the little tiff that took place this morning."
"That 'tiff,' as you call it, was strong enough to leave you on your ass, so maybe it was more than a tiff." Inara snapped.
The Captain stopped, and Inara hit herself on the head (In a graceful manner, of course) before Mal stood and turned. "What crawled up your-"
"Please don't use any graphic language describing where something crawls into me." She interrupted.
"I meant," Mal started cordially. "You, yourself, are in quite a."
"Tiff?" Inara filled in. "Listen, whatever it is, I really do not care to discuss it. Now, could you please fix my screen?"
Mal nodded and turned, "Might be a bit of a while, though."
"Fine," Inara said. "I'll be around. Come and find me when you fix it."
Inara turned and began to walk out when Mal stopped her. "Might wanna change that to an 'if.'" Mal informed her.
"Of course," She muttered as she exited. "All I wanted was a smooth day."
To be continued, Keep flying!
P.S. - Thanks for all the great reviews, don't be shy and keep them up!