Author's Note: Ficlet for the LiveJournal ff_friday challenge. July 10's subject: use these words: "Don't kill anyone." / "You take away all my fun." Since I couldn't think of a fic to build around the words, I decided to insert them into a full-grown idea I'd had before but couldn't put in for the challenge. SPOILERS FOR "HEART OF GOLD." This was inspired by Kaylee's line: "Did the Captain seem a bit funny to you at breakfast?" Length: 907 words.
Calm Before the Storm
By Trisana McGraw
Kaylee gazed up and down the long tables that stood in the middle of the Heart of Gold's dining room, expecting to see Simon's dark head. Her heart gave a small jolt when she thought she spotted him, but it turned out to be one of the boy-whores, and she slumped into her chair feeling decidedly gloomier than when she'd woken up a half-hour ago. Simon was probably tending to Petaline, she thought with a touch of ire. Sure, she felt sorry for the pregnant girl, but did it mean that he had to spend every little minute by her side?
Kaylee sighed and rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes. She was quite a bit nervous for the attack, but she knew that part of it was real jealousy. She'd never been this possessive of a guy that wasn't even hers; there was just something different about Simon Tam.
Before she could think any further on the topic – she wasn't sure she wanted to – Mal entered and started to take a seat on one side of the table before several girls ushered him to the head. He sat, wearing a lopsided grin, and thanked them as they began bringing platters of food – not much better, really, than the protein packs they ate on Serenity – to the table.
"Mornin', Cap'n," she said cheerfully. In the process of heaping some type of porridge on his plate he smiled at her. He was in the best mood she'd seen him in a long time, and Kaylee was glad for whatever was making him act so jovial before the dangerous job they had laid out for them. If anyone deserved to feel a little better about life, it was Mal.
Near the other end of the table, Zoë and Wash were talking about something, their heads bent together; both looked serious, which was normal for Zoë but not for Wash. Shepherd Book was having a conversation with some of the whores. Strangely enough, Inara wasn't at the table.
"Cap'n, d'you know where Inara is?"
Some of the laughter slipped away from Mal's face, and he stared down at his fork as if it were solid gold. Kaylee saw his Adam's apple bob up and down, though he said nothing. Finally he looked at her and answered, "I dunno. Haven't seen her all morning."
Kaylee blinked, a little taken aback by his change in mood, but she soon figured that he and Inara had probably just had one of their weekly falling-outs. To make up for whatever she had unknowingly brought up, she went on, "What about Jayne? I haven't seen him."
"Helen hasn't come by here either," one of the whores piped up.
"Well, then we know where they are," another one said with a smile and a conspiratorial glance towards the stairs. A few people laughed, Kaylee and Mal included, and they returned to their breakfast.
About five minutes later, Nandi entered the room, wearing a dress similar to the one she'd had on the day they arrived at the bordello and a golden-brown shawl. She took a seat next to Mal, and their eyes met for a second before a smile crossed her lips and she turned to get some porridge.
There were no speeches, long or short, about the fight; every person in the bordello knew it was coming and preferred to deal with it in his or her private way. They continued to fill themselves with food so that they would have energy for the long day ahead. At one point Kaylee noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Nandi standing and walking to the sink. Mal rose and followed her; Kaylee heard them talking in low voices. Probably going over the last things they'll need to instruct everyone in, she thought, trying to ignore the foreboding that was slowly knotting up her stomach at the thought of the fight. They're both great leaders – at least the Cap'n is – and everything will work out. Still, they both seemed to linger for an extra long time at the sink; whatever they were discussing could be said at the table too, right?
People began standing and bringing their plates over to the sink; by then, Mal and Nandi had stopped talking. Kaylee did the same, while that nervous feeling grew stronger, making her feel as if a creature were struggling to claw its way up her throat.
A rough hand slid into hers, and she looked up into Mal's face; he was smiling in that strange way again. "Everything's gonna be fine, mei-mei," he said. "You and Wash should get goin' to the ship so you'll be ready."
"All right." She gave him a kiss on the cheek for luck. "Don't kill anyone," she added in a teasing voice. Of course that wasn't true – she wanted him to strike down those who were going after the defenseless Petaline and her poor baby – but it was her place in his life to bring the innocence.
"You take away all my fun," he said in mock hurt, giving her hand a squeeze before letting go and going to talk with Zoë.
Kaylee was glad that he was in a good mood; it was a better way to go into a fight, at least. She just hoped that the outcome of the impending battle wouldn't give him, or anyone else, for that matter, reason to be sad again.
