HA! I've Made Good. Sneaky-Peek on "TENC" 4
Firefly the "official" beginning of "Fashion Show"
Mal and Simon + secret background Rayne
River’s first outing hadn’t, in Simon’s view, been successful. She’d struck up a conversation with the man they’d spotted at the bar, but it had lasted only a minute or two and - much to Simon’s dismay - hadn’t led to anything more than a smile.
“You just givin’ up that quick?” Kaylee had asked her sister-in-law with a pout. “You only talked to him for a second.”
“Lacking necessary chemistry,” had been River’s reply before she’d shrugged and sat back down to her drink.
Kaylee had tried, dutifully, to entice River into talking to someone else, but the girl always refused. They’d all eventually given up, and she’d spent the rest of the evening dancing.
“So,” Mal asked as everyone trooped back onto the ship, “our li’l albatross manage to snag herself a man?”
Simon shook his head. “No. She talked to one man, but… But that didn’t work out. Apparently he either wasn’t interested or perhaps River wasn’t interested… she was vague on the details.”
“Hmm.” Mal looked the doctor over thoughtfully. “Y’know, doc… I got an idea I been thinkin’ heavy on. Why don’t you give your wife a quick goodnight an’ meet me up on the bridge?”
“I… What? Why, captain? Is there - “
“Just an idea, is all.” He waved the doctor off. “Go on, I’ll tell your sister I got Serenity for the night - send her on to bed.”
“O-okay…” Simon nodded, a little wary. Ideas were far from the captain’s strong suit, and the doctor had more than enough reason to doubt that Mal had come up with something that had even the remotest chance of turning out as he expected it to.
He went to the bunk he shared with Kaylee. “Did you have a good night?”
She yawned, still a bit tipsy and all tucked up into bed. “Sure did!” she answered drowsily, a big smile plastered on her face. “It was… Jus’ all kinds o’ fun. All kinds o’ fun.”
Simon smiled indulgently and gently pushed her hair back from her forehead. “Well I’m glad. I appreciate you trying to help River; and I’m sure she appreciates it, too. Now Mal wanted to… talk to me about something, so I’ll be back later.”
Kaylee frowned and groaned a little, her eyes fluttering closed as she grabbed his sleeve. “Not… not yet. Y’still gotta sex me up. We gotta…” She yawned. “Make a baby.”
Simon let out a breathy laugh. “Oh… Bao bei, there will plenty of time for that. But not tonight.” He kissed her temple. “You get some sleep. I love you.”
“Love you, um…” She snorted. “Too.”
With a chuckle and a shake of his head, the doctor switched off the lighting and bid his wife one last goodnight. Though feeling a little anxious about what the captain had to say, he was curious, as well. It couldn’t be that Mal had finally noticed whatever it was between River and Jayne, could it? He stopped briefly by River’s to tell her that she wasn’t needed. She smiled and thanked him before going back to her drawing.
“So,” Simon said, stepping onto the bridge. “What’s this idea you wanted to discuss?”
Mal stood out of the pilot’s seat, giving the doctor a penetrating look. “This… helpin’,” he said heavily, “all the tryin’ to find your sister a date. It’s about Jayne, ain’t it?”
Simon looked away guiltily. “No, well… I wouldn’t…” He cleared his throat, a hand at his neck, just under his ear. “I wouldn’t say that it’s only about Jayne. After all, I do want River to be happy.”
Mal exhaled in a huff. “You want 'er to be happy, I'm sure, but you wouldn't 'a worried a thing 'bout her love life if she hadn't started gettin' closer to Jayne." He shook his head and laughed. "You jus' want her to find someone so whoever it is’ll distract her from him."
“I hardly think it’s your place to question my motives in regards to my sister,” Simon said with a frown.
“Hey.” Mal shook his head and pointed towards himself. “Cap’n Daddy here. Ain’t questionin’ your motives, I’m just sayin’ what they are.” He rolled his eyes. “Wish you had never noticed they was friends - you been harpin' on this ever since." Simon started to speak but the captain held up a hand to interrupt him. “Now I was figurin’ you’d get all huffy ‘bout this, so here’s my idea. You want so bad for li’l River to find ‘erself a fella, then maybe you ought to be the one doin’ the lookin’.”
“Wh-what?”
Mal shrugged. “Since you obviously ain’t happy with what you’re thinkin’ are her own choices - though I still say she isn’t actually choosin’ Jayne - then why don’t you give her some more ‘propriate options?”
Simon cleared his throat, looking away shamefacedly. “I have been working on… on a list.”
~~~
YAY! Okay, well apparently people have actually been waiting on this. *clears throat* I really didn't think there was much interest in the story, but... *shrugs* Apparently I was slightly wrong. Heh. My few loyal readers - and you know who you are, you spectacularly amazing people, you - have wanted chapter four, so chapter four they shall have! Since I have the rough draft finished, it shouldn't take long to cobble the rest of this together. Actually, I had half of this already written, too. So! Yeah, by the end of today *fingers crossed* the complete chapter four should be up at acidandink. Huzzah.
-ILB
***
-EDIT: Sweet. Chapter four is complete!
Mal and Simon + secret background Rayne
River’s first outing hadn’t, in Simon’s view, been successful. She’d struck up a conversation with the man they’d spotted at the bar, but it had lasted only a minute or two and - much to Simon’s dismay - hadn’t led to anything more than a smile.
“You just givin’ up that quick?” Kaylee had asked her sister-in-law with a pout. “You only talked to him for a second.”
“Lacking necessary chemistry,” had been River’s reply before she’d shrugged and sat back down to her drink.
Kaylee had tried, dutifully, to entice River into talking to someone else, but the girl always refused. They’d all eventually given up, and she’d spent the rest of the evening dancing.
“So,” Mal asked as everyone trooped back onto the ship, “our li’l albatross manage to snag herself a man?”
Simon shook his head. “No. She talked to one man, but… But that didn’t work out. Apparently he either wasn’t interested or perhaps River wasn’t interested… she was vague on the details.”
“Hmm.” Mal looked the doctor over thoughtfully. “Y’know, doc… I got an idea I been thinkin’ heavy on. Why don’t you give your wife a quick goodnight an’ meet me up on the bridge?”
“I… What? Why, captain? Is there - “
“Just an idea, is all.” He waved the doctor off. “Go on, I’ll tell your sister I got Serenity for the night - send her on to bed.”
“O-okay…” Simon nodded, a little wary. Ideas were far from the captain’s strong suit, and the doctor had more than enough reason to doubt that Mal had come up with something that had even the remotest chance of turning out as he expected it to.
He went to the bunk he shared with Kaylee. “Did you have a good night?”
She yawned, still a bit tipsy and all tucked up into bed. “Sure did!” she answered drowsily, a big smile plastered on her face. “It was… Jus’ all kinds o’ fun. All kinds o’ fun.”
Simon smiled indulgently and gently pushed her hair back from her forehead. “Well I’m glad. I appreciate you trying to help River; and I’m sure she appreciates it, too. Now Mal wanted to… talk to me about something, so I’ll be back later.”
Kaylee frowned and groaned a little, her eyes fluttering closed as she grabbed his sleeve. “Not… not yet. Y’still gotta sex me up. We gotta…” She yawned. “Make a baby.”
Simon let out a breathy laugh. “Oh… Bao bei, there will plenty of time for that. But not tonight.” He kissed her temple. “You get some sleep. I love you.”
“Love you, um…” She snorted. “Too.”
With a chuckle and a shake of his head, the doctor switched off the lighting and bid his wife one last goodnight. Though feeling a little anxious about what the captain had to say, he was curious, as well. It couldn’t be that Mal had finally noticed whatever it was between River and Jayne, could it? He stopped briefly by River’s to tell her that she wasn’t needed. She smiled and thanked him before going back to her drawing.
“So,” Simon said, stepping onto the bridge. “What’s this idea you wanted to discuss?”
Mal stood out of the pilot’s seat, giving the doctor a penetrating look. “This… helpin’,” he said heavily, “all the tryin’ to find your sister a date. It’s about Jayne, ain’t it?”
Simon looked away guiltily. “No, well… I wouldn’t…” He cleared his throat, a hand at his neck, just under his ear. “I wouldn’t say that it’s only about Jayne. After all, I do want River to be happy.”
Mal exhaled in a huff. “You want 'er to be happy, I'm sure, but you wouldn't 'a worried a thing 'bout her love life if she hadn't started gettin' closer to Jayne." He shook his head and laughed. "You jus' want her to find someone so whoever it is’ll distract her from him."
“I hardly think it’s your place to question my motives in regards to my sister,” Simon said with a frown.
“Hey.” Mal shook his head and pointed towards himself. “Cap’n Daddy here. Ain’t questionin’ your motives, I’m just sayin’ what they are.” He rolled his eyes. “Wish you had never noticed they was friends - you been harpin' on this ever since." Simon started to speak but the captain held up a hand to interrupt him. “Now I was figurin’ you’d get all huffy ‘bout this, so here’s my idea. You want so bad for li’l River to find ‘erself a fella, then maybe you ought to be the one doin’ the lookin’.”
“Wh-what?”
Mal shrugged. “Since you obviously ain’t happy with what you’re thinkin’ are her own choices - though I still say she isn’t actually choosin’ Jayne - then why don’t you give her some more ‘propriate options?”
Simon cleared his throat, looking away shamefacedly. “I have been working on… on a list.”
~~~
YAY! Okay, well apparently people have actually been waiting on this. *clears throat* I really didn't think there was much interest in the story, but... *shrugs* Apparently I was slightly wrong. Heh. My few loyal readers - and you know who you are, you spectacularly amazing people, you - have wanted chapter four, so chapter four they shall have! Since I have the rough draft finished, it shouldn't take long to cobble the rest of this together. Actually, I had half of this already written, too. So! Yeah, by the end of today *fingers crossed* the complete chapter four should be up at acidandink. Huzzah.
-ILB
***
-EDIT: Sweet. Chapter four is complete!