Carving Out a Future

By: Dreamfall

Summary: Her crew doesn't know that Serenity's new passenger, a carpenter with an 'unusual upbringing', is a relic from the past. And Xander's not looking for trouble. Then again, neither are they. Not usually, leastwise. It just tends to come calling anyway. Gen. Canon couples mentioned, but definitely not the focus of the story.

Written for: NaNoWriMo and TTH100: Xander/Firefly

TTH100 prompt: 076-Deceit

Rating: FR13/PG13/T

Disclaimer: I own neither Firefly nor BtVS.

Spoilers: Takes place post Season 7 for Buffy, and post-Objects in Space (and post the comic books, for that matter), but pre-Serenity for Firefly.

Author's Note: This is the story I started in November for NaNoWriMo. I'm thirty or so chapters into it, but since there's going to be at least one hundred chapters (since it's for tth100, too), they're mostly pretty short. If you're coming from this from my HP fanfics-- it's very different. Way less dark. It's also an incredibly fun story to write, and I do intend to continue with it to its conclusion. And no, it's not taking any real time away from Cat, now that I'm not working obsessively on it, like I was in November. I'll be posting every couple/few days at least till I'm caught up with my livejournal (username dreamfall(underscore)nnwm). Hope you enjoy!

Review Response: Responses to any reviews will be posted in the same livejournal as my other review responses-- username dreamfall(underscore)ff.

Chapter Seventeen
Aftershocks

Between Kaylee's hurt feelings, the doctor's sullen air of injured dignity at having been yelled at by the captain, and River's righteous indignation, dinner was a less than comfortable meal. Zoë, Jayne, and Mal held up most of the weight of conversation, discussing the details of the job they were doing when they hit Harvest, with Wash occasionally chipping in. Xander mostly stayed out of it. He thought Simon was being an idiot, but he'd seen enough idiots in his life to not worry too much about it. And been an idiot enough of the time, for that matter. Having spent most of his life surrounded by girls of exactly the worst age, romantically, he was used to the drama. What he wasn't used to was people not knowing him well enough to leave him out of it. He wasn't convinced that Simon deserved Kaylee, but she clearly wanted him, and so he hoped the doctor would get a clue before too long.

"So you're just goin' into town, pickin' up the goods, and comin' on back?" Wash asked. "Sounds simple enough, what's the fuss?"

"Taylor," Zoë said grimly. "We're doin' no business with him, and we hope he hasn't heard we're comin'. But if he has, there could be trouble. He more'r less owns the town, and we've had dealings with him before."

"Bad dealings," Wash stated, groaning. "I remember him now. Why're we going to River's Bend again? Why not anywhere else on Harvest?"

"'Cause River's Bend is where the gorram merchandise is," Mal said. "We'll go to Three Firs first, rest up, fuel up, enjoy the benefits of bein' on land, then head over to River's Bend for the job."

Wash sighed. "So you're getting in and getting out."

"Yep, shouldn't take more'n an hour."

"Shouldn't," Jayne repeated with a mocking snort. "Cuz things are known for always not goin' the way they shouldn't around us."

"We'll land Serenity a couple miles out," Mal said, ignoring the statement. "The best spot to land is northeast of town. We'll be northwest. It's not a great spot -- we'll damage a few fields, which I'd as soon not do, but if he hears we're coming, he'll look for us in the other direction."

"'Less he has more than half a brain," Wash pointed out. "In which case he'll guess you know that and look for you in the second best spot."

Mal nodded agreement. "And that's why I chose the one that's tied with maybe six others for about fourth best. It should be safe enough."

"Should," Jayne said, with a louder snort. "Cuz things are known for always goin'--"

"BEE-jway!" Mal snapped.

"Shut up," Kaylee said softly from beside Xander.

Mal's eyes turned to her, more than a little startled. "Kaylee, did you just tell me to shut up?" he demanded, more surprised than angry.

Her jaw dropped and a slow color worked its way up into her face. "No, cap'n! I wouldn't do that! I was just tellin' Xander what you said!"

"And why in TYEN shiao-duh would you go repeatin' me?"

"Name of all that's holy," she whispered.

"Cut it out!"

"But I'm teachin' him Chinese!"

There was dead silence as everyone turned to stare at her, except River who kept eating, and Xander who was looking around with amusement.

"He don't know Chinese?" Jayne turned from Kaylee to Xander. "You don't know Chinese?"

"Nope," he admitted. "I'm just starting."

"An' how in guay did you manage to grow up not knowin' Chinese?" he demanded, sounding almost offended at the idea.

"Unusual upbringing," Xander said, eyes flickering to Mal in amusement as the captain said the words in perfect sync with him, a mocking lilt to them. He shrugged as Wash and Kaylee both laughed.

"Seems to me we've heard that a time or two," the captain stated.

"Well it answers a lot of things," he pointed out. "A lot of things really are to blame on it."

Simon shook his head, drawn out of his sulking silence by the mystery. "I don't understand. How could you have gotten through school without ever learning Chinese? That's -- it's just impossible!"

"My father disapproved of foreign languages," he said lightly, saying nothing that wasn't completely true. "Meaning anything but English. He made sure he lived in a place with people who just spoke English, and that's who I grew up with."

They continued to stare at him. Finally Simon shook his head. "I guess if any planet has such a place, it would be Londinum," he admitted. "I've never heard of anything like that before, though."

"You not knowin' somethin'? Is it possible?" Kaylee snapped, not looking up from her food.

Simon stared at her. "I never--"

"I think you'd best not talk just now, doc," Mal said, a hint of steel behind his friendly tone. "Think you've said enough for a day."

Wash looked back and forth between the three before finally turning to his wife. "Did I miss something?" he asked plaintively.

"Simon is a bun kuh-ooh duh shr sagwa NAN-shung," River explained calmly.

"Yeah, and this is news to who?" Jayne asked, grinning.

"Stupid, horrible, idiot of a schoolboy," Kaylee interpreted with relish, ignoring the mercenary, and Xander glanced at Simon, who had leapt to his feet.

"Don't talk like that, River!"

"Yeah," Kaylee muttered darkly. "You'll sound like a cheap floozy."

Finally showing a hint of remorse through his anger and air of injured innocence, Simon turned to her. "I never -- you must know I never meant to insult you, Kaylee. But River can't behave--"

"I'd stop there," Mal recommended as Kaylee's eyes flashed angrily. "Because you're comin' perilous close to makin' things worse. Now sit back down and eat your gorram meal."

Simon looked from one unsympathetic face to the next, and finally shook his head. "I seem to have lost my appetite," he said coldly, and stalked out of the room.

River's giggle detracted something from the image of injured dignity he was trying to display, and the others watched him go and then returned to the important business of eating.

"Wow, I tell ya," Wash muttered. "They say all the drama happens around the dinner table or the bedroom, but I'm clearly missing out on the good stuff."

A chorus of laughter answered him, relieving the tension that Simon's exit had left, and the conversation continued along lighter topics.