Firefly: A Gift
Londinium, 2502
"Lizane!" Brendan Cagen called out from his seat at his desk. "Lizane!"
Mariska sat the polished silver tea tray on the cleared side of the desk. "She's probably outside following Myles. You know how she adores him."
Her father glanced at her from the top of his eyeglasses.
She smiled. "How she adores both of you, just as much as you two adore her." She walked away to his office door.
"Don't be so bitter Mariska."
She smiled.
"If I knew names impacted behavior so much, I never would have chosen yours as it is."
"Names mean everything father…" She hovered in the doorway. "I just wonder, what does Lizane mean, if you created the name?"
"It's whatever she makes it to be."
Mariska laughed. "It's not fair having a scholar for a father."
Liz ran in past her sister. "Father, Myles says I can't be a soldier like him. What does he mean?"
Brendan opened his arms wide to his daughter. "I believe he means you would make such an incredible soldier, that it's not fair to the other soldiers."
"So I'm better than Myles?"
"You're different than Myles."
"How so?"
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Myles has a special gift that few others have."
"A gift? Why can't I have a gift?"
"Oh Liz, you'll get your gift someday. It just might not be what Myles has."
She folded her arms. "No you're wrong father. I'm going to have the same gift Myles has. I demand it." The eight year old jumped out of her father's lap and ran out of the office.
"I pray that you don't," Brendan mumbled.
Liz opened her eyes and stared at the massive shoulder in her face. Her nose was pressed against Jayne's arm like she was attempting to hide it from the cold of space.
"You awake?" Jayne mumbled.
"Mmm."
"Good." He rolled over and pulled her closer to him by her waist.
"Four times in one night?"
"High endurance."
"You're a deodorant commercial now?"
He grinned but commenced to business without replying.
Mal paced back and forth on the walkway leading to Inara's shuttle. She had not spoken to him since his outbursts at Sihnon, and he wasn't sure what would happen next. The worst part was the uncertainty; as a Captain, he needed closure on everything happening in his ship. River ruined this closure –then adding Lizane – but having a constant like Inara cause him problems, that he could not stand.
"Rain falls on my head," sang a sharp voice. River walked forward, swaying as she sang. Her hand swept over one the cargo crates. "Rain falls on my hand."
Mal's racing thoughts on Inara stopped as he watched the waltzing girl.
"Rain, rain, rain…" She stopped abruptly and spun around, her eyes piercing his. "Your heart is raining."
"Shah muh?"
She shook her head and banged on the crate next to her. "Stop raining! Stop! It's always raining! Everyone makes it rain!"
The captain frowned. Where the hell is her brother? I swear she's…
She collapsed on the floor, seizing.
"Oh hell…" Mal jumped over the rail and landed next to her. "Inara! Inara!"
The companion ran out of her shuttle. "Mal? Oh!"
"Get the doctor!"
She rushed down the hall to Simon's room. "Simon! Simon!"
Both Simon and Book ran out of their respective rooms.
"You're sister…" she started.
He ran off before she could finish.
Kaylee hummed while she rocked calmly in her hammock. The engine joined her song. "You know girl," she finally started, "I know he likes me. But… ugh… I think he's too shy to say anything. I mean, is it cause I have a personality? Cause those girls at Persephone had guys and they had no personality. I'm just the friend. The cool girl, always the friend." She glanced at her nails, noting the grease. "Maybe I'm just not pretty enough."
Shouts from the nearby cargo bay made her nearly topple out of her hammock.
"What's going on?" she yelled as she stumbled into the bay.
Simon was kneeling over his sister as she shook. "She won't stop…"
Kaylee's brow furrowed. "Get Liz!"
"What?" the doctor growled.
"Get Liz!" Kaylee rushed forward to get the psychic herself.
"Oh girl that's dirty." Jayne's voice echoed up to his door.
Kaylee paused outside Liz's door, but then quickly banged on Jayne's door. "Lizane! Liz! We need you! River… she needs you…"
Liz glanced up from her position on Jayne. "What?"
"Goddam," Jayne grumbled.
She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on River. Her eyelids pulsated.
"What's going on?" Jayne asked. "Liz?" He sat up, holding his shaking lover. "Liz!"
She opened her eyes. "She's okay. Her mind can't handle her powers anymore. Sometimes she just needs a way to be calmed…"
"Uh."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm rambling."
"Uh-huh."
She reached up and kissed his chin. "I got another trick for you…"
He grinned and lay back down.
"Liz?"
"Son of a bitch!" Jayne yelled.
"Liz?" asked Simon again.
"Go away doctor man! Your sister is fine!"
"How?"
Liz sighed and flopped down on the bed. "How? Why? Blah, blah, blah, do people always need everything explained?"
Simon must have heard. "You have to know what you're doing. You can do it…"
"I said I don't! I just thought of what I wanted to do and it happens…"
"I don't buy that!"
"If you don't go away I will come up there…" Jayne started, "…and I'm not wearing any clothes."
The silence which followed the threat indicated Simon left.
Londinium, 2502
"Father said you have a gift."
Myles looked up from the radio he was fixing. "We all have gifts Liz. It's called life."
"Psh." She waved the comment off. "I'm talking about a real gift. That only you have. What is it?"
He grinned and put the antique down on his workbench. "You're a persistent bugger, aren't you?"
"Well you're the one who said I can't be a soldier."
"You can't be a soldier because you can't take orders." He pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket. "Choose a card, but don't show me what it is."
She slowly pulled a card out, glanced at it, then held it to her chest. "What is it?"
He squinted at her for a brief moment before saying, "Nine of diamonds."
The young girl gasped. "How did you…"
"It's my gift."
"To be a magician?"
"Something like that."
"I want to try!" She handed him the deck. "Now choose a card."
He peeked at a card. "Alright Miss Lizzy. What is it?"
She mimicked her brother by squinting. To her surprise, an image of a card flashed in her mind. "Three of spades," she slowly stated.
Myles grabbed the cards, tossing them on the table. "Was that a guess Liz?"
"No… I, I saw it."
"You cheated and peeked?"
"No! I saw it in my mind! I'm not a cheater Myles!"
He grabbed her wrist and walked her to their father's office. "Dad, we need to talk…" He stopped short as he noted two men in suits with blue hands standing before his father's desk. Brendan turned to his son.
"Myles, these gentleman are here to discuss a promising education for you with the Alliance."
The men grinned, but it only added to their sinister appearance.
"Liz, go to your room," Myles whispered. "And please listen to that order."
She frowned, but did as she was told.
Mal, Jayne, and Liz entered Mooney's establishment, carrying the concealed Gala Diamond.
"Welcome dear friends!" Mooney announced, though he frowned when he noted Jayne. "Well, some friends."
Jayne scowled.
"We have the goods. You got the money?"
"Well of course captain. Money is my name."
Jayne mouthed the word "Mooney" then mouthed "money", noting the similarity for the first time.
Mooney pulled out a large bag of platinum and held it barely out of Mal's reach; with his free hand, he held it closer, as if asking for the diamond. Mal pulled the diamond out, and an immediate exchange was made.
"We got a few more things from the vault…" Mal started.
The fence was preoccupied with eyeing Liz who turned her face from his.
"Thought you might like to look at them."
"Of course," Mooney finally muttered.
Mal handed the bag full of goods from the vault to Mooney who shuffled through them.
"Well done captain. This is all quite nice." He handed Mal another, slightly smaller, bag of platinum. "Enjoy your goods, and enjoy doing business with you. Though I was surprised to hear the Diva Sodeli and her entourage were arrested not only for burglary but for treason to."
Liz let out a small laugh.
"I'd love to hear the story sometime."
"Love to chat, really. But we have to get going," Mal motioned for them to leave.
"Lizane, a moment please?"
Jayne growled.
"I really should be heading out Moon…"
"It will only take a moment. I'm sure you're quite capable of meeting up with the captain and his bodyguard…"
"I'm not a bodyguard…" Jayne began.
"Let's go Jayne."
Once Mal and Jayne left, Mooney turned angrily to Liz. "How is it that Jayne Cobb just walked in here without a scratch?"
"Oh I'm sure there were some scratches…" she sarcastically replied, thinking of their night after Sihnon.
"He's alive Liz. You were given an order to kill him."
"I don't take orders from you."
"What?" He threw the bag of jewels onto his desk. "But you'll take them from the idiot captain of yours?"
"Malcolm Reynolds is not an idiot! I will not have you talk about my captain that way."
"I'm getting mixed signals now Liz. Who are you sleeping with, Jayne or Mal? Or both?"
She instinctually felt the handle of one of her throwing knives.
"Going to kill me?"
"No. But I quit your little hired-assassin gig. I'm not killing Jayne Cobb." She stormed out of the room to catch up to Mal and Jayne.