FIC: Memories of Flowers (Firefly)
Two fics. One, an Asher/Anita drabble over at abvh100, called Lack of Understanding. Two, a ficlette about Serenity that has been rattling around in my head for a while. Let me know what you think.
Title: Memories of Flowers
Author: Mhalachai
Summary: Kaylee thinks about changes, and what it means to be strong.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Kaylee
Spoilers/Timeline: Set a week after Serenity. Big damn spoilers for the movie.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and company own all things Firefly and Serenity. I am merely borrowing the characters and story, and will put them back at the end.
~~*~~
Weeks on, Kaylee didn't like to think about it, that mess with River and the Operative and all. She had Simon, and Inara was back on the ship. Serenity still flew true, in spite of all the Reavers did to her.
And as much as Kaylee didn't want to think about it, there were times late at night, when she was all alone, banging away at the engine, that she started thinking about the dead.
Kaylee knew she wasn't the one who lost the most when Wash died. That was Zoe, stalking around the ship, head held high, never looking to the side, never smiling, but never crying, neither. There were times when Kaylee wondered if Zoe could even remember how to cry. Kaylee did, though. She missed Wash something terrible.
Back when she joined up with Serenity, Wash was still pretty new on board. Zoe and the Captain, well, they had been in the war and all that. One of those first nights, when Kaylee was all hunched over in the kitchen with homesickness, Wash had made her tea and told her raunchy stories about learning to fly and some of the ports he'd been through. Back then, neither she nor Wash had been part of the family.
Then somehow, to everyone's surprise, including those involved, Zoe and Wash got together. Kaylee remembered standing in the little chapel on New Melbourne, with the whole place smelling like the sea, while the preacher married Zoe and Wash. The Captain stood by, looking sort of confounded the whole time. Kaylee got to hold the flowers, and it had been so happy and nice and just like family. Back then, wasn't nothing that was going to ever cut them down. Not Reavers, firing deadly spikes into the ship, cutting Wash down after he saved all their lives.
The Shepherd was also dead. Kaylee had been the first one of them to meet Shepherd Book. She had loved listening to him talk, tell stories, give sermons. She hadn't been overly enthused of the preachers back home, but Shepherd Book made what he was saying into a three-way conversation, with just her, him and God. He hadn't made Kaylee feel stupid with her lack of learning, or sinful, or bad. She was just trying to live her life and do the right thing, most times, and he said that was good. She was good.
But then that Operative went and set Haven aflame, shot everyone down and left the Shepherd to die. All those people who joined the preacher on Haven were also dead, shot down from out of the sky.
Even little Mathias, with his flashing wide grin in his dark face. He didn't have no momma or daddy, dying like they did in one of the border-world plagues. The little boy somehow ended up at Haven, taken under the Shepherd's wing. Mathais told Kaylee all of his big plans, that one day he would be a brilliant mechanic too, just like Kaylee, and come work on Serenity and fly all the way across the 'verse with its crew, and make the engine hum happily as they flew.
Kaylee still saw his broken, bullet-ridden body in her dreams sometimes. He hadn't been one of the ones they tied to Serenity, to make her like a Reaver ship. No one had even suggested it, and no one said anything when Kaylee took a minute that she couldn't afford to waste to say a quick prayer over Mathias's body.
No one talked much about the dead, back on Serenity. River looked at everyone curiously, flitting in and out of rooms on her bare feet. Jayne didn't think much about the past, and somehow Kaylee couldn't blame him. Simon didn't want to talk about the dead, but Kaylee figured that was just a thing doctors did.
Zoe and the Captain, well, they stayed strong, never breaking down around other people, if ever. Kaylee figured that if they could do that, having lost so much, then it was the least she could do to stay strong, too. So she never cried around anyone, never got all weepy like a useless girl. She fixed the ship and she cooked the meals and she stayed strong.
Only late at night, in the silence of the engine room, did those tears come out. It was all right then, to cry alone. Only Serenity was there to see her, and Kaylee knew that Serenity would keep her secrets.
--fin
Title: Memories of Flowers
Author: Mhalachai
Summary: Kaylee thinks about changes, and what it means to be strong.
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Kaylee
Spoilers/Timeline: Set a week after Serenity. Big damn spoilers for the movie.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and company own all things Firefly and Serenity. I am merely borrowing the characters and story, and will put them back at the end.
~~*~~
Weeks on, Kaylee didn't like to think about it, that mess with River and the Operative and all. She had Simon, and Inara was back on the ship. Serenity still flew true, in spite of all the Reavers did to her.
And as much as Kaylee didn't want to think about it, there were times late at night, when she was all alone, banging away at the engine, that she started thinking about the dead.
Kaylee knew she wasn't the one who lost the most when Wash died. That was Zoe, stalking around the ship, head held high, never looking to the side, never smiling, but never crying, neither. There were times when Kaylee wondered if Zoe could even remember how to cry. Kaylee did, though. She missed Wash something terrible.
Back when she joined up with Serenity, Wash was still pretty new on board. Zoe and the Captain, well, they had been in the war and all that. One of those first nights, when Kaylee was all hunched over in the kitchen with homesickness, Wash had made her tea and told her raunchy stories about learning to fly and some of the ports he'd been through. Back then, neither she nor Wash had been part of the family.
Then somehow, to everyone's surprise, including those involved, Zoe and Wash got together. Kaylee remembered standing in the little chapel on New Melbourne, with the whole place smelling like the sea, while the preacher married Zoe and Wash. The Captain stood by, looking sort of confounded the whole time. Kaylee got to hold the flowers, and it had been so happy and nice and just like family. Back then, wasn't nothing that was going to ever cut them down. Not Reavers, firing deadly spikes into the ship, cutting Wash down after he saved all their lives.
The Shepherd was also dead. Kaylee had been the first one of them to meet Shepherd Book. She had loved listening to him talk, tell stories, give sermons. She hadn't been overly enthused of the preachers back home, but Shepherd Book made what he was saying into a three-way conversation, with just her, him and God. He hadn't made Kaylee feel stupid with her lack of learning, or sinful, or bad. She was just trying to live her life and do the right thing, most times, and he said that was good. She was good.
But then that Operative went and set Haven aflame, shot everyone down and left the Shepherd to die. All those people who joined the preacher on Haven were also dead, shot down from out of the sky.
Even little Mathias, with his flashing wide grin in his dark face. He didn't have no momma or daddy, dying like they did in one of the border-world plagues. The little boy somehow ended up at Haven, taken under the Shepherd's wing. Mathais told Kaylee all of his big plans, that one day he would be a brilliant mechanic too, just like Kaylee, and come work on Serenity and fly all the way across the 'verse with its crew, and make the engine hum happily as they flew.
Kaylee still saw his broken, bullet-ridden body in her dreams sometimes. He hadn't been one of the ones they tied to Serenity, to make her like a Reaver ship. No one had even suggested it, and no one said anything when Kaylee took a minute that she couldn't afford to waste to say a quick prayer over Mathias's body.
No one talked much about the dead, back on Serenity. River looked at everyone curiously, flitting in and out of rooms on her bare feet. Jayne didn't think much about the past, and somehow Kaylee couldn't blame him. Simon didn't want to talk about the dead, but Kaylee figured that was just a thing doctors did.
Zoe and the Captain, well, they stayed strong, never breaking down around other people, if ever. Kaylee figured that if they could do that, having lost so much, then it was the least she could do to stay strong, too. So she never cried around anyone, never got all weepy like a useless girl. She fixed the ship and she cooked the meals and she stayed strong.
Only late at night, in the silence of the engine room, did those tears come out. It was all right then, to cry alone. Only Serenity was there to see her, and Kaylee knew that Serenity would keep her secrets.
--fin