Disclaimer: Don't own Firefly, still just playing.
Author's Note: I got the idea for the second part of this chapter from the episode Heart of Gold. And if there seems to be an unusual amount of spelling mistakes, it's because my Beta-Reader ran off to Scotland and won't be back for a bit but I want to get this done before I move again.
Mal told Jayne to grap a box and then shooed the whole crew to the dining room. Once they were there Mal revealed the contents of one crate and Inara immediately took charge of it.
"So what's in the other box?" Zoe asked while Inara started preparing the food from the first one.
"Presents." The whole crew gave him worried looks and Mal shrugged. "That last job paid really well and when I saw something I knew Kaylee would love I decided to get it, then I had to get something for everyone else." There were still some sceptical looks but Mal ignored them.
"What is it?" Kaylee asked, giving the crate an excited look.
"After we eat," Mal scolded, grinning at her playful pout. Everyone exchanged looks again and then were suddenly very busy helping Inara prepare food or setting the table. The meal passed quickly, and pleasantly, River occasionally reprimanding people about her and Simon's new names. Mal was glad to see her so happy, she really had improved a great deal since Miranda, maybe the new meds they were supposed to be getting tomorrow would eliminate her bad days completely.
When all the food was gone and the dirty dishes stacked in the kitchen, Kaylee gave over whispering to River and pointed at the second crate. "Presents!"
Mal smiled and moved to the crate. "You don't think maybe we oughta wash the dishes first?" Kaylee stuck her tongue out at him.
"All right, Kaylee first then." Mal reached into the crate, angling the lid so the crew wouldn't see anything from where they were gathered by the table.
Kaylee's gasp of delight when she opend her present made everyone smile. She took the silky dress from the bag and rubbed it against her face. "Oh, it feels just like one of Simon's shirts!" she squealed happily. She held it out so that everyone could see it properly and admired it excitedly for a moment. It wasn't quite as frilly as the layer cake he'd bought her on Persephone, but it still had a full skirt and puffy sleeves. She was obviously thrilled. She carefully laid it on the table and threw her arms around Mal's neck. "Thank you cap'n! It's beautiful!"
"Glad you like it. Got Inara's present in the same store." He pulled out a smaller package and held it out to the companion. Inara took it, giving him a smile and slowly, carefully, pulled back the paper the store had wrapped it in.
"Inara! Hurry up, I wanna see what it is!" Kaylee coaxed, leaning forward from the table where she'd taken a seat sext to her dress. She kept running a hand along the skirt of it, and the other along Simon's arm, almost as if she were comparing.
Inara merely smiled at the younger woman and continued taking her time with the gift. Finally she pulled back the last layer of protective paper and gasped, very much like Kaylee had, which Mal found very amusing.
"I thought it would go well with those earrings you was wearing the other day." Inara looked considerably startled that Mal had noticed her jewelry.
"I...I...I mean, yes, yes, it matches them very nicely. Thank you Mal."
"What is it?" Kaylee pressed. Inara tilted the package so everyone could see the simple necklace with a ruby pendant that was nestled in the paper.
"That's very nice," Zoe commented, leaning forward to get a better look. Inara tilted it towards her and the small jewel caught the light and seemed to glow. Mal was a little bit hurt that Zoe also seemed surprised by his good taste.
"Alright, my turn." Jayne informed Mal. He obediently reached into the box and pulled out a leather wrapped bundle when no one objected. Jayne flipped back the leather and then pulled out the knife and turning it over.
"Great, Jayne got a pointy thing," Simon murmered to Kaylee, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. Kaylee giggled and swatted his arm playfully. "Shh!"
"This, this is a real nice knife. Thanks Mal." Jayne sounded almost choked up, and Mal quickly reached for the next present, thinking that seeing the tough merc cry would give him nightmares for a month..
"This is for you little one," Mal said, holding out a small disk.
River took it from his hand and, without looking at it, held it out to her brother. "He even got the right songs!" River told him. Simon looked at it briefly, smiling bemusedly. "He did, even that Chopin song you loved so much." River took her music back from him and kissed Mal on the cheek.
Mal reached into the crate and pulled out the next present. "Doc, thought you might like this."
Simon took the package from him and opened carefully removed the paper, a little quicker than Inara had, most likely because Kaylee was giving him a look like she'd help him if he didn't hurry on his own.
"Thank you, Mal." He flipped open the book and scanned a page or two.
"Yeah, well I know you like that Earth-That-Was history stuff, so I thought you'd like a book about it. And Hippocrates was the early medicine guy they always talk about."
"I do. And I've always loved the Greeks." Simon answered, showing the book tp Kaylee who was peering over his elbow. She gave him a sly look and whispered something in his ear. Mal couldn't help wondering what one little word could make the doc blush so fast.
"Good. And now, Zoe." Mal reached in and pulled out a fancy bag which he handed to his first mate. Long as he and Zoe had been friends, they hadn't often actually exchanged gifts and he hadn't known what to get her, until, when he'd just about given up and gone back to buy her a necklace, he'd spotted this in a window display and known it was perfect. He'd deliberately saved it til last though, because it was a bit more of an emotional gift than the other's had been.
Zoe opened the bag and drew out the stuffed dinosaur that was inside. The usually stoic woman's eyes filled with tears although none escaped to cross her cheeks. "Thank you," she said quietly. "It's...Wash would have loved it. And it is very cute." She sniffed quickly and with a small smile held it out for them to inspect. Everyone commented on how cute and Wash-like it was, even Jayne. Zoe hugged it to herself and gave Mal a small sad smile.
The next morning Zoe woke up and scrambled for the toilet. She threw up everything she had eaten the ngiht before and then rested her head against the wall for a moment before pushing herself upright and climbing out of her room. She paused at the top, clutching her stomach. Damn, she was going to have to move into the passenger quarters. She'd been hoping to put it off a bit longer, but Simon was right, it was time to stop fussing with ladders everyday.
However, moving could wait til after breakfast, right now she needed something for the nausea, which the vomiting hadn't relieved. She moved slowly through the ship and was relieved to find Simon already awake and in the infirmary. In fact, he was leaning against the counter and seemed to be waiting for her.
"Did you have fun climbing that long long ladder this morning?" he asked innocently as he started pulling out medicines.
Zoe glowered at him. He had been nagging her for two months to move into a passenger dorm but she had been resisting. He had given up suggesting it directly (never having been foolish enough to try giving her a "doctor's order") and had taken to making innocent comments about ladders at every opportunity.
"You and Mal can move my things after breakfast. But it has nothing to do with the ladder, it's the nearness to the infirmary and anti-nauseants I'm doing this for." Simon nodded, wisely not arguing.
The two of them were just exiting when Mal appeared with a man in Alliance uniform. Simon felt a familiar surge of alarm but relaxed slightly when Mal introduced him as Commander Jackman.
"I am sorry to bother you," Jackman said, "but I need to know what I'm supposed to tell your parents."
Simon blinked at him. He honestly hadn't thought about that. He hadn't spoken to his parents since before he left to rescue River. He hadn't even said goodbye to them, too angry at their refusal to believe or help him.
"I don't know. I...I hadn't...I should talk to River."